The White Light Calling - 12

[iniyamalar]

Part :1

The hospital looked very busy this evening .The disinfectant smelling OP ward was too crowded that they had to practically push among people to get to the ICU.
As soon as she saw the big red letters- ICU screaming on a glass door, Selvi pushed it and ran in sobbing soundly.
Chemba and Oviya were still in ICU. They were not critical or anything but the chief doctor wanted to keep a special eye on them. Paandurangan’s status could also be a reason, Who knows?
Now, let us go ahead of this selvi and her sister and see what had happened to Chemba.


Chemba was pulling off the thin bed sheet that covered her. She was struggling with the IV line.

Meenakshi looked at her blankly. “What are you talking about my dear? You just got alright and.. Why..Where are you going now? You are not well yet and..”

“Have they found Vikki yet?” chemba interjected in the middle.
Meenakshi said a dull “No”

“Then I definitely need to go.”

“Oh. What is she talking athaan (husband)? How can she go? Tell something.” Meenakshi who in general is emotionally strong, was now speaking between sobs. But paandurangan looked surprisingly calm and collected.

“Dad. Can I go?”

“If you wish so, my dear” he said. Their eyes met and she could see the glint of pride in his eyes. She smiled.

“What?“Meenakshi was taken aback.

Mangalam opened her tear brimming red eyes, an inch wider. She cannot let this happen. She came near chemba and stroked her hand lovingly.

“My dear chemba you are awake. We are so happy. “

“Yes Aunty. I am alright” she smiled comfortingly at her beloved aunt.

“Oh sweet heart, I am glad that are you alright. Please stay with us baby. Your poor mother will faint again if you go back.”

“You and I both know that she is not that weak a soul. Don’t worry nothing will happen to me. I am very much alright”

“Alright? You have been talking gibberish just a while ago and you say you are alright?”

“what?”

“Oh..such nonsense you spoke for quite some time.”

“Nonsense?”

“Yeah..you called out some boopathy and then some mani. It was bits and pieces. You would suddenly say something and then fall asleep or faint I don’t know. You talked about Rani mangammal and some…prince. The hell, You even thanked Ravana. God knows how terrified we all were.” Her body shivered a little, remembering those moments.
Chemba looked at her and then her mother.

Now she understood why this mommy is looking so worried sick. Meenakshi stood beside chemba stroking her cheeks and pushing back those tiny hair strands that fell on her cheeks. She looked so weak now.

Chemba threw a glance at her father. He was looking at her and smiling. He knew it. He must have understood from the names. Her body tingled with goose bumps.

‘Nonsense? Were they really nonsense. Was I really hallucinating as madhan had suspected. Could this all be the reflections of those very minute memories in the back of my mind? Could they be the fragments of my wildest imaginations triggered by what mom told about dad and his fears? Could they be the reminiscence of my weird dreams? Those dreams…where they even real?’ Her mind was racing with various thoughts. But yet one part of her brain kept telling her to get out of this place and get back to him.

He needs me.. She thought. He needs me this time and she needs to get her cousin back at all cost.

He had promised her to get him back. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She decided to keep her mouth shut about this and looked about her. She saw her aunt looking at her with sad eyes. Tears started to roll down on her aunt’s face and her huge body shook in silent sobs.

“Oh..Aunty. Please don’t cry. I will go and get him back.”

“Oh no” Mangalam looked up shocked “please we don’t want to lose you too” she started crying.

“No..Don’t speak like that. Nothing would have happened to him.” her throat hurt now.

‘Oh..vikki..I will not let you down da anna(brother) and I will not let him down too. Not this time’ she thought.
Everyone knew that she was closer to her cousin than her own blood brother who is somewhere in Germany with his newlywed wife.

“Have they sent anyone out there on search yet?” She asked again.

“No. it was raining cats and dogs until a few minutes ago. They will probably start the search now. I don’t know what arrangements mama(sister's husband) had done. I hope to god that they bring back my son” mangalam looked at Paandurangan when she said that and he had his unwavering eyes at her lovely daughter.

“Don’t worry aunty. I will see to it.”

She tried to get up but the IV tube pulled at her.

“Sister..” she bellowed from the bed.

“Yes” the other duty nurse who was waiting outside came running in. “Doctor is coming please wait” she said.

“Oh let him take his own time, but you please remove this thing.”

“We need to give more glu..”

“Is this just saline or you are trying to sedate me with is?” Chemba cut her in middle.

“Right now? Just saline” she shrugged.

“Then please remove it. I am not dehydrating. I have a lot to do.”

“I am sorry. I cannot be a judge of that. The doctor will come in a moment and then, You can ask him ok?”She smiled and walked out slowly.

Meenakshi tried to cajole her daughter out of her plan but in vain. Manickam was talking with paandurangan about the rescue plans.

Chemba was restless. She had to move fast. She was squirming in her seat when the doctor arrived.

“Oh.thank god. Doctor look! I am alright. I need to go out. Can I go? Please?”

The doctor looked at her patiently before answering “Of course you can. No issues. Just be careful OK?”

“That’s it??” Meenakshi looked aghast.

Chemba marched out to see Oviya and Smitha who were in the next room.
Oviya was alright. So was smitha. She was too exhausted that she had fallen asleep in the nearby chair. When Chemba walked in, smitha woke up with a start. She saw Chemba and jumped up and ran to her.


“Oh chemba. You are all right.” She kissed her friend with tearful eyes and cried. Chemba smiled at her and hugged her tight.

“Yes dear I am alright. I am so sorry for dragging you all into this mess.”

“Oh. Nonsense. I will be happy to be with you and this chattering idiot even if it was hell.”

“Smitha..”she hugged her again.

“How is Oviya?”

“ She is just sleeping. They did so many tests and gave so many medicines. She is alright” she smiled.

“Do you know something Chemba? Madhan was right. It was the water. That’s what caused, you and Oviya to hallucinate.” Chemba looked at her sharply and then smiled.

“How long have been like this?”she asked Smitha suddenly.

[iniyamalar]

Part :2

Right at that moment the doctor came in.

“You were in deep sleep for almost three hours my dear.” He said.

“Three hours? Good lord. I need to hurry up then.”

“where?” a stunned looking smitha asked her. “I am going back. You take care ok?”

She said and went out leaving Smitha speechless.

Smitha , Meenakshi and all others watched Chemba silently as she drank the juice and ate the light tiffen that was given to her. She then went in to change her dress.

“Isn’t this foolishness? I mean can she really go?

“Why not? She had already been there once. And we will make arrangements so that she will not go alone. I have been talking to the officers and even the minister. By now the first set of search team must have started from the kothayar base camp. Let her join Marudhan and the team that goes through the tiger reserve area. Two officers and a kani fellow will join them on the search. If they want we can add on more people. They will have all they need. She is not alone this time. And I have belief in my daughter.”

Paandurangan said with such pride that smitha wanted to slap him back to reality. What is he doing sending a hallucinating young woman into the wilderness. This is like cold blooded murder.

She was worried.

It was when the nurse left the ICU with the half empty saline pouch, Selvi the young woman whom we saw earlier barged in with her sister running behind her.

Paandurangan, Meenakshi , Mangalam and her husband manickkam were standing in the corridor. Smitha stood alone near Oviya’s room. Chemba adjusted her dress as she came out of the room. She then saw her.

“Selvi?” she called out.

“Chembaga….” The girl ran towards her and fell right on her shoulders. She was sobbing continuously; even chemba couldn’t stop the hot tears rolling down on her cheeks.

“It’s alright Selvi. It will be alright.”

“Oh..How would I live without him?” Selvi cried out aloud.

Chemba felt like someone slapped her hard. A short memory of herself sitting beside a rock and looking into the cool pond in the hills, a clean image on the still water , an image of mahendran – madhan looking at her from behind, came to her mind now. She shook her head and concentrated on the girl in front.

This woman was supposed to be sitting in their house ‘mutram’(indoor patio) with mehandi in her hands. She was supposed to be smiling and blushing at the jokes they make at her. But instead this soon to be a bride was crying her heart out. She felt bad for Selvi.

“I know…See don’t imagine silly stuff Ok? I am going back and I will get him back safely. OK?”

“You..You are going back? But they said it was a very dangerous mountain..”

“Don’t worry. Right now, nobody knows that place better than me. You rest here and you know Smitha here right? “Smitha had come near them by then.

“Smitha, Please take care of her. I will be back in no time.”

She hurried out with a long line of people following her. Meenakshi was begging her not to go. Paandurangan was very quiet. Mangalam and Manickam were worried sick and didn’t know what to say to console Meenakshi. She came out of the corridor when she heard a female voice.

“Wait..Let me come with you.”

A startled Chemba turned back to see who that was. Selvi’s sister was standing in front of her. Something made chemba look at her again.

She stood there with an easy smile on her face. She looked slightly shorter than Chemba and was on the darker side of complexion. Her face looked simple and her eyes cried honesty. She looked perfectly in shape and confident in posture. ‘Who is this woman?’ chemba thought.

“Yes, chemba. Please take akka(elder sister) with you. It is safer for you.”Selvi who had run behind her sister told a confused looking Chemba.

“Please understand Selvi. It’s a dangerous place. I cannot take another risk."

“Oh..no. akka is not a simple girl like me. In fact she is authorized enough to go for these things.” the dried lines of tears were still visible on selvi’s innocent face.

“Authorized?”

“Oh don’t take it too much. She is like that always” the new girl smiled at chemba.

“Ok Selvi, I can take it from here. You please go and stay with aunty. Don’t cry too much or you will get dark circles. You have a wedding coming along. Do you remember that? Now go, don’t worry we will come back with your vikki.”

Selvi shook her head submissively and smiled sadly at her sister.

“You be careful out there akka” she said solemnly and slowly walked back.

The woman now turned towards chemba and said, “Hi. Chemba. We should have met way back, in Chennai itself but somehow it kept missing. I suppose, we were destined to meet here like this.” Her voice was so comforting yet bold.

“I am Paval*. Pavalakodi, Sub Inspector of police, Chennai R2 police station”. She stretched her hand for a shake.

Chemba took the outstretched hand and shook it slowly while she looked at her eyes. She looked at her for some time and shook the hand firmly now saying.
"Let’s go find some guys”

Smitha pulled at the doctor who was just passing by and asked “Do you really think it is safe to send out that girl? She was hallucinating”

“Who?”

“That girl.”she showed chemba who was talking to maruthan .

“Was she hallucinating?” the doctor smiled at her. Smitha grated her teeth.

“I saw her myself. She was…aunty said she was even talking in sleep here.” She said to the still smiling doctor who had now started laughing.

“You should come and speak to my wife. She says she can compile a book out of my sleep talks. I am really good at that” he smiled again.

“What? Oh please say that she is not good enough to go out.”

“Why? She seems perfectly alright to me.”

“But what about the hallucinations? That drug in the water?I read the report myself. It had some..del..I don’t know , it had some chemical thing that caused hallucinations right?”

“Oh that? yeah..yeah. very strong drug. Although, thankfully it was not deadly. You see that drug works like this..It..”

“Oh please! I am not your student. Stop lecturing and try to stop that girl. She was lying there unconscious for three whole hours."

" No. My dear. When she was brought here, she was just tired and stressed out. So I put her on a sleep medication for just a couple of hours. She was just sleeping."

"But she drank that water.” Smitha was confused and shaking with rage.

He smiled and said. “Mm.I won't be too sure on that. Because, there was not a trace of that chemical in her stomach, which we washed nice and clean, if you want to know. And ..She certainly was not hallucinating” with hands folded at his back, he smiled at her reassuringly and walked away.

Smitha suddenly remembered something which she should have remembered long ago. Chemba didn't take Vikki's bottle. She took Oviya's which meant she really didn't drink the water from the pond.

While Smitha stood speechless again, Meenakshi,Paandurangan, Mangalam, Manickam and Selvi stood watching the silhouette of two women walking confidently and fading away into the setting sun.

will come....




************************************************** **********************

*Paval is the protagonist in my another serial thriller " The Beautiful Corpse". I like her so much so she joins hand with Chemba here.

[pavalamani pragasam]

Neatly shot scenes!

[AudazJay]

Great! Can't wait to read more