By the time I came out of my thoughts, I was heading home. I was alone in the woods when I heard the rustling of leaves behind me. I straightened up. I was scared. I slowly turned, to look behind me. but no one was there. I continued to walk. But I heard the rustling again, this time, closer to me. I grabbed a log of wood lying near my foot, and turned back immediately.

I was shocked. In front of me, was a lean man in about his mid-30s. I could not make-out his face clearly, because, the lower half of his face was covered with beard & moustache; and the upper half with hair. He looked shabby and dirty with torn clothes. He was very weak, like he has been starving for days. For a moment, I thought it was statue. He was frozen with his arms loaded with a log, in mid-air. He looked like a missile about to fire. The only confirmation that he was not a statue, were his restless eyes which inspected me. His gaze landed on the food in my hand and froze there. I could see a hunger in his eyes. I smiled and handed him the food. He grabbed it eagerly and started gulping everything hungrily. I stood and watched him all the while. I felt pity for him. He finally finished eating everything. I gave him my water bottle. He drank it in a haste, spilling it all over. Finally, when I found him in a position to speak, I asked him.

Me: May I ask you something?

He looked up at me and smiled.

"Thank you for the delicious food. My name is Anil ... Can I ask you a favour?"

I smiled and nodded. {This person is in no position to listen to me. So it is better I allow him to speak.}

Me: Sure! How may I help you?

Anil: Can you show me the way out of this dreadful place?

Me: I would love to.

I smiled and started walking towards home. He followed me. We almost reached home, when ...

"AAAH!"

I looked back. To my horror, I noticed him slump onto the ground. Through the corner of my eye, I noticed a snake sliding away. I was petrified!

I looked at his foot. There were 2 piercings on his skin. The surrounding skin was getting redder.

"Ask him not to panic. He should restrict all movements of that limb, to avoid spreading of the venom. It was a venomous snake."

I stared at her with wide eyes. Radha didi was standing behind me.

She: Follow my instructions. Quick!

I instructed him to calm down. I helped him sit still and rushed into the house. I found the anti-venom, as directed by didi and ran back to him. He had a pale face and sickly appearance. The injured region had turned blue. He seemed drowsy.

She: Quick, administer him the anti-venom.

I injected it to him.

She: Now call the ambulance.

In about 15 min, we reached the nearby hospital. We rushed to the emergency ward. A physician rushed inside to examine Anil. I waited for him outside. He approached me after about 10 min. I saw a confused expression in his face.

Me: What happened?

Dr: Did you identify the snake which bit him?

Me: No.

Dr: Then which anti-venom did you administer? How did you decide it?

I was scared at his seriousness. {Did I do something wrong? Did I put someone's life in trouble?}

She: Why are you getting scared? You did not do anything wrong. Tell him that you live close by a forest which is the habitat for a unique type of venomous snake.

I looked at her with admiration. She was a life saviour. She smiled at me.

She: Ma & Pa were aware of the danger before. So they had kept the anti-venom as a precaution.

Dr: I am asking you a question and you are looking here and there.

I explained him everything. He calmed down a bit.

Dr: But how did you perform the intravenous injection?

Me: I ... umm ... I am a medical student.

He smiled broadly. He then patted my shoulder.

Dr: You should have told me that before. Any way; good job! You can meet him when he gains consciousness. But I feel it better to keep him under observation for about a night, just to make sure he does not develop any complications in future. As of now, his condition is stable. But he is very weak. So the healing may be prolonged.

Me: Yes, he seems like he starved for days.

Dr: Why?

Me: I don't know sir. Actually, I found him in the forest. He must have got trapped there. He asked me to lead the way out of forest. We were about to reach, when this happened.

Dr: So you do not know anything about him?

Me: Only that his name is Anil.

Dr: Ok. But you better stay here. Once he wakes, we need to ask him about his family and inform them.

Me: Sure sir.

He smiled and left.

She: You should be bold. You have not done anything wrong. So don't let hesitation pull you back.

Me: But it is his life. I cannot take risk.

She: Don't worry. I am there with you. I will guide you.

I smiled. {I know. What could I do without you?}

She: Dhara! I need to talk to you.

................................................................................................................................................................

So ... how is it guys? I wont brag about this 'doctor stuff' anymore. I know that it will be irritating to you. So ... this is final chapter in that respect.

From next chap, the story is going to pace up. So get ready.

Stay happy.