Akash woke up suddenly and it was around 4 in the morning. He knew his uncle and aunty would come home to go to the temple. He lied down for some more time thinking about the day. Today after a long ordeal his mother was going to be operated. He wondered what could be the outcome of the difficult operation.

But he had no other choice and he had to face the devil head-on. It was this devil that he feared now who would pave a way through for their future. Akash then pulled himself up and brushed quickly. The early morning sparrows and a few crows had started chirping. And then suddenly he could see silhouettes of two people walking toward the house in the Galee.

As they neared him he could figure out that they were his uncle and aunty. They also took bath and headed for the temple for the morning aarti and to pray for his mother's operation. Akash then told them that he would go to the hospital.

Akash walked till the hospital from the Yusuf Sarai rented room.

He then climbed up the stairs to his mother's ward and into the room where his mother was admitted. He then held his mother's hand and said everything was going to be fine. But deep inside him he was wondering about the outcome of the complicated operation.

He was thinking inside, "Should I be telling about Melei?" He did not say anything but showed his mother a photo that she had sent. He then told, "She is a good girl." Akash mother did not say anything and Akash feared whether he had offended her. That time a nurse appeared and gave her a tablet in preparation for the operation. Akash then diverted the topic and talked about other things. But his mother had something to tell him.

She then said, "Akash, take care of your brother and sister if I die during the operation." Akash got furious hearing that. "Mom, you are going to be alright, nothing is going to happen to you now. We have a long way to go now." the tablet was having effect on here then, she started feeling sleepy. It must have been something to ally the operation's apprehension.

She then stated snoring. Akash could hear his own heart beating. He was alone that time and there was nobody beside him. His uncle and aunty had not come back from the temple and none of his friends had arrived there at the hospital. This was one time when he wanted to hang on somebody and hope that everything goes on well.

Suddenly a hospital babu appeared and said that they should now go to the next higher floor where the operation was. So, he wheeled her out in the green sheet that they had asked her to wear. Akash followed them walking beside his mother. They then went up the lift to the next floor AB7. And from there Akash was asked to stay back. For one last time Akash held his mother's hand and told her that he was waiting for her.

The two babus then wheeled the trolley towards the other end of the long corridor. The squeaking sound soon died away as the trolley distanced. Akash then hid the tears that had soon started flowing in torrents.

"Am I seeing the last glimpse of my mother? Where is Jyotir? Where is jay? Where are they all?"

He then sat down on the floor of this side of the corridor which was also serving as the waiting hall of the relatives of the patients who would be operated that day. He sat alone without looking around or talking to anybody. Suddenly he heard a whisper, "Has she gone inside the theatre?" it was his aunty.

He turned and hugged her and did not say anything. How could anybody understand a first year medical student's fear of the outcome of a complicated operation? You are better if you are a layman and hope everything to the operating doctor.

You are still better if you are a doctor already when you know what they could be doing.

But being a student in this medical world you are in between. You know some but not all. It was like walking in a grave at midnight knowing fully that you are walking there.

Then soon after everybody, Jay, Jyotir, and Anil everyone arrived. They all then waited for the operation to finish.

To be continued....