Sanjeevani Hospital

11:00 pm

Standing outside the Sanjeevani hospital, Ajey looked hysterical. He totally ignored Tanmay and Yash who were miffed at him.

Yash : yeh karna zaruri hai kya???...hum ghar jaake soo lete hai naa...phir subha shanti se teri pagalpanti ke bareme discuss karenge!!!

Hell bent on his resolution, Ajey announced "nehi...humlog abhi uss ladki ke pass jaenge!!!...pataa nehi kal ho naa ho!!!"

Yawning helplessly, Tanmay said "yeh Carry aise nehi maanega...chal Yash...isski love story set karte hai!!!!"

Yash (annoyed) : love story ka toh pataa nehi...par mujhe life mein tragedy zarur dikh rahi hai!!!"

Meanwhile in the Children’s Ward, putting her adorable bunch of patients to sleep, Malar carried on with her usual duties.

On the other side…

Chanting 'jai maata di' three of them entered the hospital and straight away went to the receptionist.

Receptionist : welcome to Sanjeevani...how may I help you sir?

Taking Ajey in a side hug, Tanmay in a tensed voice said “actually my friend is not well…stress ki wajah se woh raat bhar soo nehi paa raha hai kayi dino se!!...issliye we thought of bringing him to the hospital…ab ek psychiatrist hi sirf mere dost ki jaan baacha sakti hai/yah sakta hai!!!”

Giving an uncomfortable look the receptionist said "sir....hospital mein filhal sirf ek hi psychiatrist hai...but she is off her duty!!!...agar aap kal subha ki appointment lete toh bahut acha hota!!!"

In the full mood of displaying his acting skills, Tanmay gravely said "If it wouldn't have been an emergency...toh main aapne dost ko kabhi iss waqt hospital nehi lata!!.. aap kya jaano...how it feels to stay with a mentally unstable person!!!"

Ajey and Yash just wanted to facilitate Tanmay with the Oscar then and there, for his heart touching performance.

As this whole ruckus was going on, Malar herself appeared on the scene.

Busy in making last moment changes in the file, Malar said to the receptionist "children's ward mein koi issues nehi hai!!!...aur register mein bhi maine saare details input kar diye hai!!!...here you go with the file!!!"

After handing the file, Malar suddenly realised that all eyes were on her.

A bit perplexed, Malar looked at the direction of the receptionist and asked "any problem????"

Receptionist : woh doctor...darsal yeh log aap se hi milne ki zidd kar rahe the...keh reh the ki emergency hai!!!...par aap off duty thi issliye kuch samajh nehi aa raha tha!!!

Malar immediately got alert and replied to the receptionist "it's okay...I will manage!!!"

Turning towards Ajey and his companions Malar cordially requested "please follow me!!!" which they obviously did with great happiness.

On reaching her cabin, Malar diligently inquired "aap main se patient kaun hai?"

Getting out of his trance, Ajey instantly raised his hand, as if Malar was his teacher.

Nodding at him, Malar briefly said "please come in with me"

Ajey was more than happy to follow Malar’s lead. While Tanmay and Yash waited in the corridor, cursing him.

Giving Ajey a tender smile, Malar advised him to garb a seat.

Once seated, Ajey started noticing each and every detail of the cabin. The cabin was way too clean and orderly, with a hoomly touch. It seemed as if this particular cabin was not a part of the hospital, but a separate world altogether.

Ajey's inspecting session was interrupted as Malar handed him a glass of water.

Taking the glass of water from her hand, Ajey gave it a bewildered look.

Sensing her patient getting tensed, Malar eventually started talking "drink some water...you will feel good!!!"

On her insistence, Ajey took a sip from his glass.

Malar : what's your name?

Clearing his throat, Ajey said "Ajey...Ajey Nagar..."

Malar in a friendly tone inquired "hi Ajey...so how you landed here...woh bhi adhi raat ko???"

Now to cover up his little stalking spree, Ajey started saying "I was having difficulty in sleeping!!!...so my brother and my friend thought that it would be better if I visited a doctor!!!"

Trying to understand his words, Malar queried "can you shed more light on the fact...as to why you are having problems in sleeping...maybe then I can help you!...like are you stressed about something??...or is something bothering you???...please feel free to share your thoughts....I am here to listen..."

Taking a deep breath, Ajey actually had a strong urge to talk about his mental health issues, as he felt that Malar genuinely wanted to help him.

Ajey : the profession in which I am working...it really gets taxing sometimes!!!...I procrastinate a lot!!!...all that pressure...expectations of people is certainly hampering my mental peace!!!...I have this 24*7 fear that...what if I fail!!!...kayi baar toh yeh sab socchte soochte neeind hi nehi ati hai!!!...I know overthinking is bad...par main khud ko rok hi nehi pataa hu!!!...it's like a vicious circle...once you get trapped in it...then there is no way out!!!

After patiently listening to each and every word of Ajey, Malar said "Ajey...listen to me carefully!!!...what you need right now...is a sound sleep!!!..pressure is an inevitable part of any job....so what you can do right now is to actually make few small changes in your daily routine that will definitely help in getting rid of your stress!!!"

Dumbfounded by Malar’s words, Ajey asked "kaise???"

Warmly smiling at him, Malar said "work is worship!!! ...but you need to make sure that your work doesn't keep you away from the other activities in your life!!!....start with fixing a specific time for doing your work...then move to taking ten minutes break while working!!!...this will help in limiting the damage to your brain cells which stress causes!!!....make a point to take short walks!!!.. trust me they can do wonders!!!...follow these simple steps for a week and then report me!!!"

Ajey who was clearly knocked out by Malar’s words asked "bass itna hi???"

Malar calmly replied "filhal ek hafte ke liye toh bass itna hi!!!!"

After providing Ajey with her advice, Malar moved towards a small drawer to grab something. While like an obedient kid, Ajey started gulping down the water left in his glass.

Once Ajey was done with emptying the glass, his eyes feel on the nameplate kept on the table, which read 'Malar Malhotra'.

Ajey was over the moon on ultimately discovering the name of his alluring doctor.

Retiring on her chair, Malar offered a box full of chocolates to Ajey.

Malar (benevolently) : have it!!!...chocolate helps in boosting our mood...

Ajey was in a dilemma now. Poor Ajey once looked at the tempting box full of chocolates in front of him and the next instant his eyes were on the vexed faces of Yash and Tanmay.

Somehow reading between the lines, Malar coaxed "you can call them in....woh bhi yeh chocolates khaa sakte hai"

That was it, Ajey's happiness knew no bounds, he gestured Yash and Tanmay to enter the cabin, which they happily complied with. And Malar treated them with chocolates as well.

Shortly a girl entered Malar's cabin with anxiousness clearly visible on her face "Boss woh....receptionist ko Nandini ma'am ka call aya tha!!!...woh aapke bareme hi pouch rahi thi!!!!"

Apprehending those words, Malar's face became blanched and she started searching her jeans pocket for something.

Getting exasperated, Malar queried "Maria mera phone kaha hai????"

Handing Malar the phone, Maria apologetically said "woh aapke phone ka battery dead ho gaya tha….issliye  maine charge pein rakha tha!!!"

Switching her phone on, Malar gasped "50 missed calls!!!! ...shit!!!...Maria main abhi issi waqt ghar jaa rahi hu!!!!...please driver uncle ko gadi nikalne ko bolo!!!!"

Shaking like a leaf, Maria answered "ek chhoti si problem ho gayi hai!!!!"

That was it, with utter dismay in her voice, Malar finally exclaimed "ab kya hua?????"

Maria (panicky) : woh...darsal Boss aaj aap night duty karne wali thi...toh issliye maine driver ko ghar bhijwa diya

Taking a really deep breath, Malar tried to regain her composure "Maria....next time se meri inti bhi help maat kiya karo!!!...I beg you...please!!!"

Through this entire fuss, Ajey, Yash and Tanmay looked at each other animatedly.

Confronting Ajey, Malar apologised " sorry I need to leave today...thodi si emergency aa gayi hai!!!...in case your problem is not solved Ajey...do come back...and we can have another session..."

Excusing herself, Malar grabbed her backpack and left from there in a hurry, followed by Maria running behind her.

Analysing the entire situation, Ajey dejectedly asked "kya laagta hai???...boyfriend ka chaakar hai kya???"

But all his queries fell into deaf ears as Yash and Tanmay were busy in devouring the chocolates.

Face palming; Ajey dragged both of them by their hands.