When a calm day turns hostile

The beginning of the day was very similar to the previous ones. I started out around 6 AM in the morning , went to office early since I had an important morning meeting to attend with a person who was sitting in the USA.

My plan for that day was to take an early lunch with some of my colleagues and go home as early as possible. I had to attend another party in the evening. At that time I had no idea of what was going to come at the end of the day.

Half an hour after the meeting was over; I got a phone call from a hitherto unknown number. The voice was familiar. It was from one of our neighbors. He sounded as if he was in a hurry and under real duress.

Then in that hurried tone what he conveyed to me left me without thought or speech for moments.

I got the news that while performing her daily rituals in morning, my mom had caught fire and she was badly burnt. The neighbor, who called me, alongside some more of our neighbors, was taking her to a hospital close to my office.

I remember rushing to the hospital where my neighbor had said they were taking my mother to. I arranged it in such a way that as soon as my mother would arrive, she could be admitted.

After ensuring everything in place, I began to wait anxiously in that hospital waiting room. When I had last called my neighbor, he mentioned a location, which was about half an hour from the hospital.

After sitting on the sofa in that crowded waiting room, I came out of it. I took a cup of coffee from the vending machine at the lobby. The coffee tested more bitter than usual.

Then I started pacing from one side of the lobby to another. I did not notice how long I continued that course of action.

I was so tense that I could not even call up my neighbor. After some time, fate probably had enough of me for that day. I felt my cell phone had started buzzing.

My neighbor asked me to come into the car parking area. When I went there I stood still.

My neighbor and another lady from the neighborhood were holding from both sides someone who looked like my mom. It was as if she had the misfortune of meeting a torrential whirlwind and it had left its signatures on my mom.

Her nimble hands, her soft hair, her firm legs and most of the rest of her body showed signs of being under the torture of heat and fire.

The neighbors of mine who were helping my mom also looked in big discomfort. It was as if the whirlwind had taken its toll on them also.

Later I came to know that just after leaving our home; the cab which was taking my mom had met an accident on the road. My neighbors did suffer injuries though thankfully my mom’s condition did not change much because of the accident itself.

Later after admitting my mom into the hospital the doctors diagnosed her with approximately 40 per cent of burn injuries. They gave an estimated INR 6 Lakhs for curing her during the period of one month.

I made arrangements of the money and made sure my mom will be treated fine for the duration of the month.

After everything was cleared, I went home with some sort of relief. The hospital was not only quite expensive but probably the best in my city when it came to treatment and facilities.

Then the rest of the one moth period went away. I regularly visited mom in hospital and talked with her doctors about her health. They continued to say that she was responding well with the treatment they were providing to her.

Suddenly when the one month period was about to come to an end, I got a phone call from the hospital which took my breath away.

I received the information that the cost of treating my mom had crossed over INR 30 Lakhs. They also said that my mom was still not cured at the time completely and she needed to be kept at the hospital for some more time.

At that time I understood the whole matter. My mom was not treated fairly by that hospital. To the hospital she had become a cash cow, ready to be milked as much as they could extract.

I contacted a known journalist of a renowned newspaper of my area. Then I informed her about the whole thing. I explicitly mentioned how the hospital authorities were intentionally hiking the bill way beyond an acceptable limit.

Then I contacted another hospital and immediately reserved a place for her.

Then I went to the first hospital, there I immediately told the authorities there that they had broken the promise of their initial estimate and anyways I will not be able to pay the amount that they are asking and I want to release my mom.

The authorities were adamant. They will not release my mom.

“Ok, whatever you think”. I said to them. “I have already informed the media about the facts before coming here. Tomorrow the whole city will know about this”.” Now even if this is not bad enough for your reputation and you still refuse to release my mom, I am going to go to consumer forum against you”. “If anything happens to my mom, I am going to go to law against all of you”.

That was a tense time. We were having real tense meetings with the hospital authorities. In the end, the hospital authorities relented.

They released my mom, and promised to discuss with me later about adjusting the bill amount.

I took my mom out and went to the hospital was she was supposed to be admitted.

When we had reached that particular hospital another piece of bad news was waiting us. We came to know that the seat which was reserved for my mom had been given to someone privileged who came later.

“How could you do this to me?” I could not control my mind. “I reserved the bed this morning and you have given it someone else”.

“Ok keep the patient on floor for the night”. The doctor-in-charge said with cool eyes and wry smile. “We could have some kind of arrangement for her tomorrow”.

At that instance, I could not control my mind. “How could you do this to me?” I started shouting, “my mom is burnt patient and you want her to be kept at floor for the whole night?”

A ward boy came to me. “Listen sir, I know another good hospital nearby”. He said to me, “you could admit her over there.”

When we finally admitted my mom at that hospital mentioned by the ward boy, it was close to 11 PM on a Friday. The hospital authorities there demanded an advance which we could afford in the end. But there was a catch there, they would accept only cash and there was no ATM close by.

Fortunately for me there was a bank near by. So I went there. But when I wanted to take some money out of my account so that I could pay the bank back, I was informed by the bank authorities that I can not take the amount of money I wanted at that time in the night.

I understood I needed something to do. I started shouting, “Listen, I have to admit my mom to the hospital and for that I need that amount of money. If you do not trust me, then please can any one of you come with me so that I will take you to the hospital to let you know why exactly I need that amount of money?”

After some more deliberations, they relented and I finally could get the money and admit my mom to the hospital.

It was a fiery day and I still continue to believe that my fiery tongue and fiery mind saved my mom on that day.