Chapter 1 - First day
It wasn’t a normal day for me; it was what I had waited my entire life for—to finally see myself as a successful doctor. Today was my very first day at the hospital.
“Beta, are you ready? Jaldi aao , breakfast is getting cold!” my mom called out from the kitchen.
“Haan Maa, bas do minute!” I replied, quickly swallowing the last bite of my paratha.
After finishing, I grabbed my keys and left the house. I was riding my scooty, mentally preparing for my first shift, when I noticed a massive crowd gathered on the side of the street. Curiously, I parked my scooty nearby and walked over to see what was happening. As I pushed through the thick wall of people, someone suddenly grabbed my arm.
“Priya? Tum yahan?”
I turned around to see my friend, Rohan, looking anxious. Before I could even answer, he pointed toward the center of the circle. “Look there... an old uncle met with an accident. His scooter slipped.”
My heart skipped a beat, and my doctor instincts instantly kicked in. I rushed forward, squeezing past the onlookers until I saw him. An elderly man, who looked just about my dad age, was sitting on the pavement, holding his knee. His scooter was lying on its side nearby. Thankfully, it didn’t look too serious, but he was visibly shaken and bleeding slightly from a scrape on his arm.
“Uncle, aap theek ho?” I asked gently, kneeling down beside him and checking his pulse.
The elderly man looked up at me, his eyes filled with relief, and nodded weakly. “Haan beta, par pair me bohot dard hai"
I looked over at Rohan. “Rohan, help me lift him. My hospital is just a few minutes away from here. Let’s take him there right now.”
Rohan nodded without hesitation. “yeah , it’s right around the corner. Let’s go.”
Together, we carefully supported the uncle, helping him stand up on his good leg. With the crowd parting to let us through, we managed to guide him over to the vehicles. Rohan took charge of the uncle’s scooter, while I carefully seated the elderly man behind me on my scooty, making sure he was holding on securely.
My heart was racing as I started the engine. I had envisioned entering the hospital gates today as a nervous new recruit—instead, I was arriving as a doctor with her very first patient.
Rohan and I quickly brought Uncle inside the casualty ward. Since it was my first day, the nursing staff looked a bit surprised, but I immediately stepped up to examine him.
As I was checking his vitals, Uncle looked at me warmly and started asking a few questions. “Beta, what is your name? How old are you? Where did you do your schooling from?”
“I’m Priya, Uncle. 23 years old. , I did my schooling from Oxford English High School,” I replied with a smile, cleaning the scrape on his arm.
The moment the words left my mouth, Uncle’s eyes widened. He seemed a little too excited, his entire face lighting up. I couldn’t understand why a school name would trigger such a massive reaction. Before I could ask, he quickly pulled out his phone. “Hold on, beta, I need to make a quick call before you take me to the examination room.”
I puzzled over his reaction while I finished up with his injuries. Giving him a reassuring smile, I patted his shoulder. “Uncle, you stay here and rest for a while. I’ll be right back.”
He nodded kindly, and I turned around to head toward the exit.
My mind was spinning with questions as I hurried out. Because I was so distracted, I didn’t notice the thick welcome mat laid out right before the door. My foot caught against the edge of the carpet, and my balance completely vanished.
“Oh no—”
I fall forward. But instead of hitting the hard ground, I crashed straight into a tall figure standing right outside. With a loud gasp, we both went down together, hitting the floor.
My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. I opened my eyes to realize I was lying directly on top of him, my hands pressed firmly against his broad chest.
He was tall and fair-skinned, with striking brown hair and deep brown eyes that were currently staring up at me in shock.
For a second, neither of us moved. He breathed out, his voice a bit breathless from the impact. “Are you okay? Also... are you Doctor Priya? Is my dad in there?”
I fumbled over my words, a red blush instantly spreading across my face. “Ye... ahhh, yess. He is right here.”
Because of how we had fallen, our faces were barely one centimeter apart, and for a heart-stopping second, it felt like we were just a heartbeat away from a kiss. Realizing what a ridiculous position we were in, panic washed over me and I quickly got up, tripping back onto my feet while my face burned bright red. Ayush got up quickly too, but instead of being annoyed, his expression softened with pure concern. “Are you really okay? That was a nasty fall,” he asked gently, making sure I wasn’t hurt before he looked toward the door. “Is my dad inside?”
“Ye... ahhh, yess. He is right here,” I fumbled, still trying to calm my racing pulse as I turned the handle and led the way back into the room.
The moment Ayush walked in behind me, Uncle’s face lit up completely. “Ah, Ayush! You’re finally here,” Uncle said, sitting up a bit straighter on the examination bed.
Ayush rushed straight to his side, his face full of worry. “Dad! What happened? Are you okay? The moment you called me, I dropped everything and ran.”
“I’m perfectly fine, look at me,” Uncle smiled warmly, waving off his son’s panic. But as I stepped up beside the bed, Uncle noticed my flushed cheeks and Ayush’s slightly nervous look. A knowing, mischievous looked appeared in the old man’s eyes.
