The Last Conversation

A renowned hospital. Dim lights. Unbearable silence. Half asleep – half awake state. Sharp 5:30 AM.

He heard his phone ringing. Two rings to get up and get the phone in hand. Two rings to tighten the eyebrows. Two rings to realize that the call was from the ICU of the same hospital. Hundred thoughts between those rings.

“Come immediately to the fourth floor ICU; your father is refusing to be here,” said the nurse.

He was in the ICU in next one and half minutes.

The same nasty beep sounds of falling oxygen level, heart rate, raising blood pressure. The nurse was tensed, helpless and perplexed. He stood in front of his father; one who was mentally so strong, physically so active, ethically so upright and emotionally so sensitive, was now trying to runaway from the treatment.

“No, I can’t be here in this ICU anymore. There is no use of being here. Get me discharged. Let’s go,” said the father. The voice was struggling to come out gathering all the left out oxygen down the lungs.

The son was dumbstruck, but soon got back to his senses and spoke.

“Father, it’s a matter of a few hours. Today, the doctors have told that they would discharge you after a simple procedure. A stent needs to be inserted into the food pipe. It’s a matter of 15-20 minutes, followed by 4-5 hours of observation.”

“Where’s your mom and sisters?” asked the father.

“She will be here in some time. Please adjust for few more hours. I have spoken with doctors. I have requested them to complete our procedure first today. I will request them to discharge today, without fail,” said the son.

The son was honest in believing the greatest lies of life. The father believed his son.

****

After a few hours, a doctor called the son to the operation theatre and said ‘We were shocked when we tried to insert the stent, we noticed a lot of perforation through the food pipe…’ his explanation continued. The son was blank like the endless tears that were rolling down his cheek.

After a short time, they brought a piece of paper called ECG report with the ugliest straight line that showed the stopping of the heart of the noblest soul.

Until then the father lived WITH the son. From that day, the father lived WITHIN the son. He speaks during morning walks sharing coffee, during sleepless nights, during lonely afternoons and most of the times at no specific times.