Hospital ! Dread another day !!

Waiting out at the hospital reception hall
Sitting on a uncomfortable chill steel chair in the narrow second row
Uncomfortably adjusting my knees each time someone walks past
Faces worried , anxious, worriedly anxious, pained , suffering, tired and some sheer exhausted .
Not a great place to spend an entire morning – I Bet !!

A big queue at the sample collection counter
Followed by a two hour wait for the report
Continuous stream of patient
And huge volumes of blood samples
Its fever time , its Dengue time in Bangalore – You Bet !!

16 went in, 7 came out through the main ward entrance
That’s is 23 a minute , 1380 an hour
And the guard at the entrance finding it very difficult to convince people
That one pass allows just one visitor – not three !!
And its not even peak time – I Bet !!

A bunch of young folks land up – very active and excited
Genuine patients ?? Probably not
New recruits coming for medical screening
Before joining their new jobs
Must be at HP , IBM or Cisco – You Bet!!

Then an elderly trio walk in
Heavy set balding man in-lead, followed by a thin bespectacled husband and his stocky wife in tow
With travel bags – its evident they come direct for the Bangalore railway station .
No brownie points for guessing this time
Anxious to check out their new born grand infant – I Bet ! and Double it !!

An Innova rolls up at the entrance , a very old man steps out
The helpful attendant rolls out the wheel chair – but not for him
But for his very frail and emaciated wife in a bright pink gown
Most people smile and greet them
Unfortunate frequent visitor – You Bet !

And as they roll past me
I see the wafer thin wife look up at her husband
And give the same loving smile she probably gave him 60 years back when they went dating at Cubbon Park
And the husband smiles back clearly indicating
You will walk back perfectly fine this time too – I Bet - and Double it !!

I walk down to collect my report
Hoping against hope
No luck - my platelet’s have gone down further
So hospital visit tomorrow again
Dread another day – No bets please this time ??

Doctors administer treatment ,
Hospitals give hope
Great treatment & better Hopes – not wonder this hospital gets so busy .
And I renew my hope ,
And anxiously hope and Bet Again !!

That more people will walk out ( Happy ) than those that walk in
That a young proud mother with happily take out her healthy chubby well packed infant
That the old couple will walk back to their Innova, hand in hand smiling at each other – like their teen age days
And of course , by blood platelets count bounces back above 150K mark
And this will happen, I Bet ! Double & Redouble it !!

Krish..
.