Bob's Journey to a Multi-Speciality Hospital
Reading Bob, the main protagonist of our story, woke up one day with a feeling of uneasiness in his right ankle. Being a master procrastinator like most of us, he thought to himself, “It is just a feeling of uneasiness. I am not having any pain. So most probably it will go in one or two days. There is no need to go and meet a doctor anyway. Moreover, the doctor will ask me to rest for 2 to 3 days”. Bob has always been a firm believer in the maxim “Whatever has happened is for good, whatever is happening is for good and whatever is going to happen is for good” and therefore he decided to go to his office rather than to the hospital.
So he called his wife who was busy with household chores “Honey can you please rub my ankle for some time? I am feeling a little bit of uneasiness in my foot”. The reply came in a flash “You are having only a little bit of uneasiness. I am dying here because of back pain doing the entire job in this house. Why can’t you apply some balm yourself? I am really busy now”. Such a reply was not new to Bob. So he called his son who was busy on his mobile “Can you please rub some balm on my ankle?” The reply from his son was much like this “Sorry Dad I am too busy. Just apply it yourself”. Lying down in his bed Bob remembered the greatest advice his mother gave him when Bob had told her that he would prefer remaining single rather than getting married – “Son, after my time someone should be there to take care of you. If you marry and have children, your wife and children will always be there for you giving you love and taking good care of you. Get married and you will realize the value of family”. Bob realized that sometimes even older people make mistakes.
Bob slowly got up realizing that he only had to take care of himself. He got ready to go to his office. On his way, he realized that he was feeling a little bit of pain in his ankle and soon the pain started to get worse. However, somehow or other Bob reached his office and, finished almost all the jobs entrusted to him up to his utmost satisfaction, even though his superiors always used to find fault with his style of work. They viewed him much like a bull in a china shop.
Reaching home Bob realized that he needed to see a doctor. Bob searched on Google for “The best hospital near me for ankle pain”. Soon he got a huge list. He scanned through them and finally decided to go to either of these two hospitals – “Straight to Heaven Hospital L.L.C” or “Coffin At Your Doorsteps Hospital L.L.C”. He decided to try “Straight To Heaven”.
Straight-to-Heaven L.L.C. is one of the biggest hospitals in his locality. It is a 20-storied building where the patients are offered all the specialist services available in this world. Standing in front of that imposing building Bob realized how beautiful the entire building was. It was an opulent structure adorned with a lovely garden and glass cascades on every floor. “Wow this is amazing,” Bob thought to himself. He was aroused from his dream by a beautiful voice “Welcome to our hospital sir. Our motto is “your money is our money” – a stunning girl with the outfit of an air hostess told him and opened the door of his car. Bob slowly got out of his car. He was feeling a little bit of pain and he said “ouch”. Immediately the air hostess told him “Oh! My God, you have so much pain. But don’t worry sir, we will take good care of you and your purse”. She shouted at the watchman “Bring the stretcher”.
Lying down on his stretcher he had the feeling that he had already reached heaven. The interiors of the hospital resembled a five-star hotel. Everything was neat and clean. All the walls were painted in pristine white, and nurses, like angels in heaven, were seen running around here and there taking care of patients. They were all smiling beautifully and Bob had the feeling that just their smiles were more than enough to alleviate the pain in patients. “I don’t know why people are always labeling private hospitals as money-making machines. Here all the staff are taking care of patients as if they are their family members” – Bob thought to himself.
After some time the watchman came again and pushed the stretcher towards the room of the General Physician. The watchman helped Bob to get down from the stretcher and told him to wait outside the doctor’s room. While going back the watchman smiled at him which made Bob nervous a little bit because the smile reminded him of a butcher from his childhood.
Soon a beautiful nurse came outside and called Bob his name. She helped him walk and slowly she made him sit beside the doctor. The doctor was thrilled to see Bob. The doctor was always smiling (which reminded him of a shark with its mouth open) and he asked Bob “What seems to be the problem, Sir?” Bob told him that there was a slight pain in his ankle region. The doctor said, “don’t worry sir, we are here to take care of you and you can be rest assured that you will be given supreme care”. The word supreme reminded Bob of heaven. He wondered whether the doctor was planning to transport him to heaven. “Please lie down on that bed sir,” the doctor said. Bob obeyed him and after observing his leg for some time and touching his ankle and foot for some 5 to 7 minutes, the doctor announced “Sir, I suspect that there is a small fracture in your leg. I think it is a stress fracture due to over-exertion. But, nothing to worry sir, we are here to take good care of you, and for the time being I will refer you to our orthopaedic doctor Mr. Bones and he will give further treatment to you”. Like a seal waiting to be devoured by a big shark Bob nodded his head. He had the feeling that his world had come upside down. A fracture means that he will have to rest for some time which means that he will not be able to go to the office. Slowly Bob tried to get up. He realized that he was having pain. He searched for the nurse. The doctor told him “Our nurse is busy. Please help yourself”. This time he realized that the doctor was not smiling at all. His face reminded him of a panther whose food had been stolen by hyenas. Unable to look at the doctor’s face, Bob slowly got up, and walked outside, and sat in a chair.
After some time another nurse came and she asked with a smile (much like Merlin Monroe) “Are you Mr. Bob? Dr. Bones is waiting for you”. She was very helpful. She had arranged for a wheelchair for Bob to be taken to Dr. Bone’s room. She was very polite and she was always smiling. Bob thought “Such a wonderful human being”. After some time they reached Dr. Bone’s room. Bob realized that Dr. Bones was not having any patients and that he was the lone patient. This made Bob a little bit uneasy thinking about the efficacy of the doctor’s treatment. “Be positive” Bob told himself. “If the doctor is not having any patients it means that he will be able to take his own time and check me thoroughly so that an accurate diagnosis can be made. Yes, I have made the right decision,” Bob thought.
After some time the door opened and at the door, both the doctor and the nurse welcomed Bob inside with a big smile. The doctor was very lively much like an insurance agent who managed to get a multimillion-dollar insurance policy from a billionaire. The doctor told him to lie down in bed and before examining Bob the doctor called someone “Who is the radiologist available now? Who? No need. Is Dr. Moneymaker available? Yes? Great. Tell him that I am sending one patient there for x-ray”. At this moment Bob sneezed and upon hearing this, the doctor told over the phone in a soft voice “ Tell him that I will give him a call regarding the report”. The doctor hung up the phone and came near Bob and said “Don’t worry sir. We will take good care of you. I suspect that there is a fracture in your ankle”. Hearing this Bob somehow managed some courage and asked “But sir, you have not checked my ankle?” The doctor’s face changed a bit. But being a veteran who had gone through such difficult circumstances before, the doctor shot back “A good doctor doesn’t need to physically check his patient to reach a diagnosis. I observed you thoroughly when you slowly walked inside and at that time itself I had concluded that you had a fracture”. Bob was really happy “Thank God, you made me come and meet this doctor. Now I am in the hands of a very competent doctor who can solve all my problems” Bob reassured himself.
“Anyway, even though I have reached my diagnosis I will check you thoroughly to find out whether you have any other problems in your leg” Telling this, the doctor began examining his leg, touching his fingers and foot which reminded Bob of a chess player moving his pieces. Then suddenly the doctor exclaimed, “Oh! My God you have varicose veins. See, an experienced doctor like me can find such grave diseases in a flash”. Bob looked up and he found that the doctor was so happy much like a bear that found a honeycomb.
Bob had the feeling that his head was spinning. “Oh! God, what is this leading to? Am I a bundle of diseases? Why these things are happening to me only?” The sound of a huge laugh aroused him from his negative thoughts. The doctor was standing near him and he took his hand and told him “Don’t worry we will do some tests to confirm the diagnosis. We don’t want to take any chances. You should be thankful to God that you came to the most modern hospital, where we have almost all the latest radiological and laboratory tests available on this planet. Don’t worry. We will start with an x-ray and then will go for an MRI. Time is precious and I have decided to utilize the time frame between your X-ray and MRI approval, to do an ultrasound scan. We will be doing venous Doppler for both your legs because from my experience I can tell you that these varicose veins can soon spread to the other leg as well. Life is precious and we should not take any chances when it comes to healthcare” Bob was happy again “Well, there is nothing wrong in doing all the tests before undergoing treatment. Dr. Bones seems to be highly efficient” – he thought to himself.
The doctor called the nurse and told her to accompany Bob to get an x-ray of his ankle. On reaching the x-ray room, he was greeted by an X-ray technician with a huge tummy, who was munching something much like a cow chewing the cud. “Please come in Sir,” the X-ray technician said. Once inside and after making him sit in a chair, the X-ray man started asking him a wide variety of questions much like a policeman questioning a psychopath “What is the problem, sir? For how long have you been having this problem? Please don’t hide anything from me. I have got more than 15 years of experience as a radiographer” Bob told him everything. However, the x-ray man was not satisfied. He questioned Bob “Have you been playing football of late sir, because such injuries are common with football players, especially those players playing in the Spanish league. Speaking about Spanish league who is your favourite …..” Bob got fed up and, he told him “Sir, can you please take my x-ray”. The X-ray technician soon became serious.
“Come and sit here”, he told Bob. Please keep your feet still. I am going to take X-rays of both your feet at first”. Hearing this Bob asked him politely “Sir but I am having a problem only with my right ankle”. To this the X-ray technician replied in a voice which resembled a lion’s roar “what can I do Sir? The doctor has asked to take x-rays of both feet, both ankles, both heels, and both thigh bones. If you want to do you do, otherwise you can go back to your doctor”. Bob kept quiet and sat on the x-ray table. He could hear the X-ray technician talking to himself “I don’t know when I will be able to take x-rays of patients who don’t ask any questions. I am fed up. They are not increasing my salary and on top of that I need to answer stupid questions from stupid patients”. Bob decided to keep quiet. “Everybody has got their own problems” – he thought to himself. After taking x-rays the x-ray technician told him that he could go and meet the doctor after 2 hours as the report will be ready only by that time. So Bob got up slowly and walked outside. He was waiting in the lobby. Seeing him, the orthopedic nurse came and asked “Have you taken the x-rays sir? Excellent. Once the reports are ready I will give you a call” she articulated.
It was raining and Bob sat looking out of the window. It reminded him of his childhood. He wanted to go outside and feel the fresh smell of rain – much like he did during childhood. Those days were so good – he thought to himself. Life used to be beautiful. Everybody had enough time for themselves during those days. He was transported to the material world by a sweet female voice “Sir, are you okay?” Bob looked up and found a beautiful female wearing a coat. “Yes, I am fine. ” Bob told her. She continued “Actually I wanted to familiarize you with a new package that our management introduced two days back. The name of the package is “After This You Will Be Fine” package. We have introduced this privileged package only for a few exceptional patients like you” Bob was happy. He had the feeling that he was something important in this world. This gave him confidence and he asked her “What is that package? “Excellent” replied the young lady. “We are offering a full body checkup for you. The real cost of this package is $2500. But if you avail this wonderful opportunity tomorrow we can give a discount of $250, so you need to pay only @2250. Moreover, from my side, I can talk to the management and give you a personal discount of $250 which means that the total payment after the discount will be $2000. I strongly believe that you should avail this golden opportunity because prevention is better than cure. Your golden package includes Blood tests, Urinalysis, Cholesterol level screening, Blood pressure measurement, Body mass index (BMI) calculation, Physical examination, and ECG. We have added something that no other hospital has included in their packages – cancer screenings. Cancer is a disease which is affecting almost everyone in this world nowadays” The last sentence made Bob uneasy. He looked up at her in a pitiful manner. Suddenly she looked into his eyes and told him (much like a hypnotist who is trying to hypnotize her subject) “sometimes cancer will not show any symptoms unless and until it has spread to all parts of your body. Sometimes there will be pain but most of the time cancer is a silent killer which will come and conquer you in a moment” Bob got nervous. “Maybe this ankle pain is due to cancer?” – he thought to himself. The beautiful lady continued – “Sir, can you please tell me the details so that I can enroll you in this wonderful once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”. Bob could not make out what to tell her. He felt like a traveler stranded in a desert without even a single drop of water to drink. He had the feeling that his eyes were rolling upward. “Can I get some water?” he asked her. “Sure, sir” – telling this she went and fetched him a cup of water. Drinking water made Bob better. He became confident and courageous. He told her “I will let you know later. Can you please tell me where the dustbin is to put this glass?” She walked away telling him “It is in that corner sir. Please help yourself”.
After some time the nurse called his name. “Your report has come sir. Now you can wait inside the doctor’s room. Dr. Bones has gone outside for his coffee break”. Bob obeyed her. Sitting inside the doctor’s room he was astonished to find the names of almost all the major pharmaceutical companies in nearly everything in the room – it seemed to Bob that the entire room was sponsored by some pharmaceutical company. His laptop was funded by one company. On his table, there was a huge calendar sponsored by another company. There was a skeleton with the name of another company. Bob started to wonder whether the doctor himself was an alien, grown in a lab by some company.
Suddenly, the door opened and Dr. Bones ushered in with his usual smiling face. The doctor said, “Let me check your reports. Let us see what Dr. Moneymaker thinks about your x-ray”. With a devilish grin, he opened his laptop and soon Mr. Bob witnessed the doctor transforming into Mr. Frankenstein. It was evident that the doctor was not satisfied with the report. There was fire in his eyes and he started looking at Bob much like a wolf seeing a rabbit escaping from its clutches.
Bob wanted to run but he couldn’t. He realized that his feet had become numb. He was feeling thirsty and wanted to drink water but he could not open his mouth. Suddenly he heard the doctor’s voice over the phone “Where is Dr. Moneymaker? He has gone to the pantry? Tell him to finish his lunch fast and call me. I need to discuss something urgent with him. What? you are also going for lunch? Damn it”. Dr. Bones resembled a cat on a tin roof. One moment he will get up and he will walk. At the next moment, he will sit down cursing everyone. Finally, he took his mobile and called someone. “Hi Dr. Moneymaker, how are you? I would like to discuss the x-ray of Mr. Bob. What? You are still eating? Ok. Please give me a call later” With a heavy heart Dr. Bones put his mobile phone in his pocket. He reminded Bob of someone who lost his immediate family member recently. “Why is he so upset regarding my x-ray report” – Bob questioned himself. “Maybe he wants to do things perfectly” – Bob reassured himself.
His thoughts were broken by a ring in the intercom. Bob realized that Dr. Moneymaker was on the other line. “What? There is no fracture. But I can clearly see a fracture. There is a lucent line on the postero-inferior aspect of the talus. What? It is there for everyone? You don’t try to teach me. I have got more than 15 years of experience as an Orthopaedic doctor and with all my experience I can vouch that it is a fracture. You better make an addendum and mention that there is a fracture, otherwise, I will have to escalate this issue to the top management and point out that you are a hindrance to the smooth functioning of my department” and he kept the phone down. Dr. Bones was in a fit of range. Bob wondered whether he was a doctor or a psychiatric patient.
Immediately the door opened and the nurse came in “What do you want?” the doctor thundered. “One more patient is waiting for you doctor” she announced. Hearing this Dr. Bone’s face changed from a panther to a dove. He was happy again. Bob had the feeling that Dr. Bones received enlightenment. “But he is a poor patient, he does not have insurance”. Hearing this, the doctor became panther again. His facial muscles stiffened and the fire came back to his eyes. “Let that idiot sit there. Don’t allow him to enter the room. This gentleman’s condition is very serious and I am trying to explain the same to him and pacify him” Bob got nervous. “Oh! God, I have got cancer “– he thought. He had the feeling that instead of pacifying him, Dr. Bones should see a psychiatrist to pacify himself.
His thoughts were broken by the sound of a ring in the mobile phone of Dr. Bones. “Yes, Dr. Moneymaker, have you made an addendum? Wonderful, doctor. You have always been so kind to patients, much like me. I will pray for you. Thank you” Saying this Dr. Bones opened his laptop and saw the report. Bob could see his face and he found that the doctor’s eyes lit up with pleasure. His face reminded him of his son who was so happy when he had bought him a beautiful cake on his 5th birthday. With a happy smile, Dr. Bones looked at Bob. “Congratulations! You have got a fracture!!” the doctor told him euphorically.
Bob had the feeling that the earth was spinning under his feet. He was finding it difficult to breathe. He started having headaches as well. Immediately the doctor said “But don’t worry sir, this report is our goldmine. With this lethal weapon, I can make the insurance company approve your MRI in a flash. We will be sending approval for MRI and in the meantime, we can do an ultrasound Doppler study of both of your legs. Please wait outside”. Slowly Bob tried to get up. He realized that he was having more pain after hearing that he was having a fracture. “Don’t worry, Sir. Let me help you” – with these kind words, Dr. Bones himself came and helped Bob sit in a chair outside. Bob thought to himself “Angels, like Dr. Bones, are very rare in this materialistic world. God sent him to this world with a mission – to help patients. After Mother Theresa, there is Dr. Bones” – he looked upwards and thanked God.
Waiting in the lobby, Bob started to observe the things happening around him. He could hear one nurse screaming at the receptionist, “What? You have not yet registered this patient? How long are you taking to register one patient for an ultrasound?” The receptionist replied in a flash – “I am not sitting here eating mangoes. I am doing my work. I was really busy”. The nurse shot back “I am not bothered about whether you are eating mangoes or jackfruit. This patient’s insurance is expiring today and the doctor wants to do an ultrasound for this patient today itself so that we can send the report for getting approval for a CT scan today”. Soon another lady wearing a coat came into the picture. Seeing her all the receptionists became obedient and nervous. Bob assumed that she is the manager. “Self patient, self patient” she proclaimed at the top of her voice. “One Mr. Hendry is coming in 5 minutes to do an MRI of his ankle. He will be paying the full amount in cash. I want you people to take good care of him. I don’t want any complaints from him”. “Yes, Madam” – all the receptionists replied in a flash”. Bob patiently waited for more than 10 minutes. Soon he realized that the most common words used in the hospital were insurance, approval, self-patient, and cash. The whole scenario transported Bob to his childhood when he used to go with his father regularly to a butcher shop nearby, and the most common words used there – “kilogram”, “beef”, “cube”, “with bone or without bone”, “with fat or without fat”, “what cut do you want?” “Rib region for grilling”, “sausage” etc.
“Mr. Bob, please come sir” a sweet voice aroused him from his thoughts. He found a nurse who came near him and moved him in a wheelchair to the ultrasound room. It was pitch black inside and Bob suddenly became nervous. As if sensing his thoughts, the nurse told him “Don’t worry Sir, I will get rid of this darkness right now” and she switched on the light and helped Bob lie in the ultrasound bed. After some time the nurse started to explain to him in detail the purpose of the ultrasound Doppler “Basically this imaging technique is used to assess the blood flow in the veins of your legs. This test helps identify blood clots in the veins. We medical professionals call it DVT. DVT occurs when a clot forms in the deep veins of the legs, potentially causing pain and swelling. The alarming thing is that this may lead to life-threatening complications if the clot dislodges and travels to the lungs, which we medical people call a pulmonary embolism” she articulated with the air of a doctor. All these talks made Bob uneasy. “Pulmonary embolism – Oh! God, I am having that also?” He tried to make a chronological order of the diseases that he was having:
- Ankle pain
- Fracture of ankle
- Varicose veins
- Pulmonary embolism
- Cancer.
- All of the above.
Bob started to feel uneasy. He began to think about his wife and son. Soon the thought drifted to his childhood, schooling, and those rainy days. He realized that during his childhood he needed to be afraid of only his teachers and his parents. There was only one stress during those days – homework. But nowadays he is afraid of everyone and his life is full of stress. Finally, his thoughts veered towards his mom. He badly wanted to have his mom by his side. He remembered the wonderful stories she used to tell him when he was a kid. Had she been with him, she would have given him a nice massage on his head. During childhood, that massage itself was enough to make him feel happy. The nurse came near him and asked “Are you okay, Sir? Why are you crying?” Bob felt shy and told her that he was a little bit nervous. She comforted him “Don’t worry sir. We are here to take the utmost care of you and we are equipped with the most modern types of equipment to do the same. We will not allow anything to happen to you. You are in safe hands. But, everything depends on your insurance card”. Bob asked the nurse “Where is the doctor? It’s been a while since I am lying down here”. “The doctor is on the lift sir. He will join us in a few minutes” Bob wondered whether he was going on a picnic so that others could also join him. He just closed his eyes and remembered the words of Seneca “We suffer more in imagination than in reality”.
After 5 minutes the doctor came and he always seemed to be in a hurry. His urgency reminded Bob of Emperor Napoleon who had just finished a conquest and was impatient to start the next one. The doctor asked him “Mr. Bob what is your problem, Sir?” Bob said that he was having some problems with his ankle. “Where do you work sir?” Bob told him the name of his company. After doing the scan for about 10 minutes, the doctor announced, “There is nothing to worry sir. It is just some spider veins. No thrombosis. You can go and meet your doctor Dr. Bones. I will call him as well. But don’t Google anything about the result. Google will make you nervous.” Bob was happy. He got up and while preparing to leave he asked him “But can I consult with my brother? He is a neurologist”. Suddenly the doctor looked much like a cow that forgot to close its mouth while chewing the cud. Bob could see the fear on the radiologist’s face. From the emperor Napoleon, he became the ordinary Napoleon who was exiled to Elba. The doctor turned to the nurse “I want to talk to you” and they went behind the curtain. Bob could hear him screaming at the nurse in a low voice “Why are you giving such VIP patients to me? I want only poor patients who don’t have access to Google. I am already having high blood pressure and you are increasing my blood pressure every day by indulging in such heinous, unparalleled, and unpardonable atrocities against me”. Bob wondered whether his brother did a bad thing by becoming a neurologist. Soon, the doctor came back and told him “we were having a discussion about the common symptoms of deep vein thrombosis as well as some intellectual debates regarding the issue. I will check you once more. Please lie down”. This time Bob realized that the doctor was shaky. After doing the scan for nearly 45 minutes the doctor announced “There is nothing to worry sir. You don’t have any varicose veins or spider veins. I checked everything. You are safe”. The doctor looked much like someone who narrowly escaped from the clutches of a tiger.
Bob was pleased. He was relieved to know that he was not having varicose veins. He was transported to the lobby near Dr. Bone’s room using a wheelchair. After some time Dr. Bones came out and asked Bob to come in. Once inside the doctor told him “I think your ultrasound report is already uploaded in the system. Let me just check it out”. The doctor opened his laptop and started to view the ultrasound report. Bob realized that the doctor was looking depressed, much like someone who heartbreakingly lost the lottery by a single digit. He looked pitifully at Bob and told him “Sir you don’t have varicose veins”. After this, the doctor started to look outside. It was raining and Bob had the feeling that Dr. Bones also wanted to go back to his childhood and enjoy the rain. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and the nurse came in and announced in a loud voice “Doctor, we have got approval for the MRI scan for Mr. Bob”. The nurse reminded Bob of Joan of Arc who managed to lead the French army to several victories during the Hundred Years’ War. “Yes, we made it!” Dr. Bones almost jumped from his chair and announced. He reminded Bob of the football player David Beckham celebrating after he scored the crucial goal against Greece in the 2001 World Cup. Dr. Bones came near Bob and told him “Sir please go with the nurse. She will take you to the MRI department where you will be undergoing MRI of your right ankle and left foot”. Bob looked confused. He gathered some courage and asked the doctor. “But, sir I am having pain with my right ankle only” The doctor looked at Bob, much like a male lion looking at a hyena. He thundered “comparison, Mr. Bob, comparison. Comparison is the word of the day. I want to compare the MRI of both legs and then only will I be able to reach an accurate diagnosis. Only when I reach an accurate diagnosis will I be able to give the perfect treatment to you. So I used my brain and what I did was that I wrote that you are having pain in your right ankle and left foot, and that I suspect that there is an ankle sprain in your right ankle and a stress fracture in your left foot. In this way, I managed to secure approval for both. See, I am an experienced doctor, and I know how to deal with the treacherous insurance department”. Bob was dumbstruck. He did not know what to tell the doctor. The doctor seemed so happy and agile. Bob felt that if someone had asked Dr. Bones to run a 100-meter sprint with Usain Bolt, the doctor would have wholeheartedly accepted the challenge and won the race.
While going to the MRI department Bob realized that his blood pressure was slowly increasing. This is the first time in his life that he is undergoing an MRI and he was really nervous. He started sweating. “An MRI scan uses strong magnets and radio waves to create detailed images of organs and tissues inside the body. It is primarily used to diagnose a wide range of conditions, including injuries, tumors, and infections. MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. But in medical parlance, we commonly use the abbreviation MRI” the nurse proclaimed. The entire demeanor of the nurse resembled an executioner who was always ready to use the guillotine to behead the notorious prisoner. Bob felt that there was nobody in this world to help him. He was more worried about the word tumor, which the nurse had announced recently. “Tumour means cancer. Oh! God I am doomed” Bob thought to himself.
“What? There is a problem with the approval? But I had done everything correctly” Bob was aroused from his thoughts by the sound of a huge fight. He found that the nurse and the two receptionists in the MRI department were having a heated argument. The entire fight reminded him of the battle between his mother and his wife. During such catastrophic events, Bob had developed the habit of pretending to be asleep because from his experience he knew that, that was the best strategy that he could adopt to shield himself from danger. So he slowly closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. In between he could hear that they were using the word “discrepancy” more than 2 or 3 times. “How are you doing, my son?” a sweet voice asked and suddenly Bob found his mother near him. Bob asked her “What are you doing here Mom?”. She held his hand and told him “I just came to see you. You look exhausted, but don’t worry, everything will be fine”. Bob was happy. He had the feeling that nothing in this world could harm him. He thanked God. All sorts of negative thoughts vanished from his mind and he began to think positively. “My mother is near me. Why should I be worried? She will take care of me and God also is with him”. Bob realized that he was the happiest man in the world. “Whenever I see you, you are either worried or you will be sleeping. I have never seen such a dull, pathetic, and faint-hearted man in my life” – the roar of a lioness aroused him from his dream. Bob opened his eyes and realized that it was the nurse who was roaring. “Have you ever been to a hospital before?” she asked him like a headmistress scolding a student for sleeping in the class.
Suddenly the door of the MRI department opened and a huge belly came out, followed by the technician. Bob looked at the technician like a small boy seeing Santa Claus for the first time. A new nurse came and handed him a form and requested him “Sir, this is a consent form for doing your MRI scan. Could you please sign here?” She was always smiling, much like Mono Lisa who will always be smiling irrespective of whoever is coming to view her. Bob slowly started to read the entire paragraph, which reminded him of a land purchase agreement. “Please, make it fast Sir. We have two more patients waiting to do the MRI” the nurse told him. Bob just glanced through the paper and signed it immediately. What he could make out from the consent form was that even if he dies in the MRI machine no one will be responsible other than himself. “Fate is cruel,” Bob thought. Soon they made him lie down in the MRI machine. “You will hear some soft sounds, Sir, but there is nothing to worry about. We all will be watching you from there” the nurse said, and pointed to a glass window which was nearly 15 feet away from the machine. Then she closed the door and went away. Bob was at a loss to understand what they would do from such a distance if something went wrong.
Soon Bob started to hear some sounds that reminded him of a saw-mill that he used to pass by while on his way back from school. He began to sweat and felt like the entire world was going upside down. He realized that his blood pressure was rising and, he waved his hands. Soon the machine stopped and immediately the nurse came inside the MRI room. “What happened, Sir? Are you okay?” the nurse came near him and asked with a naughty smile as if the entire world was working in perfect harmony and Bob alone was having problems. “I want to drink some water,” Bob told her. Soon the nurse brought some water to him. Once he finished drinking, the nurse told him to lie down again. Bob obeyed her and the machine started to make more furious sounds. “Even machines hate me,” Bob thought and lay down with his eyes closed. After some time, the sounds from the machine decreased and Bob went fast asleep inside the machine.
After finishing the procedure Bob waited outside the MRI room. The nurse of Dr. Bones came near him and told him “Sir, your MRI report will be ready tomorrow and once the report comes we will give you a call. Now you can go, sir”. “Won’t the doctor give me some medicines, at least some painkillers?” Hearing this, the nurse looked at him angrily. He could see the nurse transforming from a cat to a tigress. Bob had the feeling that he is trapped in a swimming pool with a shark in it. “Dr. Bones left for the day. He is very punctual when it comes to going on time. Now you can go and come back tomorrow”. She commanded much like Adolf Hitler addressing the Nazi troops. Bob slowly got up, and limping he moved towards the reception. The watchman, whom he had met in the morning was sitting nearby reading some newspaper. Seeing him, Bob gave him a smile hoping that he would assist him in getting in the car. But the watchman looked away. Bob was baffled as to why all the people around him suddenly started to hate him.
Limping, he slowly managed to get inside the car, drove, and reached home. He was sitting in his favorite armchair and he got a phone call. “Hi, Mr. Bob. This is Dr. Bones. I was in a hurry and could not wait for you to complete the MRI. I wanted to discuss something important about your insurance. We found that your insurance is going to expire tonight. So what I want you to do is that tomorrow you need to talk to your employer and sort out the issue because without insurance we will not be able to give you any treatment. Once the insurance is fine, you come directly to “Straight-to-Heaven” and meet me. Then we will do an MRI of your other leg, and then decide on the next course of action”. “But doctor, I am having severe pain in my ankle region now” Bob told him. “I am sorry sir. I am helpless. Unless and until you have insurance we will not be able to help you in any way. The power of Insurance reigns supreme in this world” and the doctor cut the line. Bob did not know what to do. “So tomorrow I need to go and meet my employer. But how will I go if I am having pain tomorrow morning also. Oh! God help me” Bob looked upwards and prayed.
Immediately the phone rang again and Bob realized that it was Dr. Bones. “God has answered my prayers” Bob thought and took the phone. “Sir, even if you are not having insurance we can give you treatment provided you pay from your pocket. We will give you utmost care” the doctor told. Bob replied, “No sir, I don’t have any money with me at present”. Suddenly the doctor hung up.
Dejected and left alone Bob lay down on the sofa in the living room. He felt that there is nobody in this world to help him. He felt alone in this wild, materialistic world. Soon he started to hear a sound. He realized that it was his mom. She came and sat near him and asked “What happened to you? Why are you not talking to me nowadays? I know that you are busy but once in a while you please talk to me. I am feeling really lonely”. Bob kept quiet. For the first time in his life, he realized how painful the feeling of loneliness was. “Are you not well?” his mother asked. Bob told her “it is nothing mom but I have got a little bit of pain in my ankle joint”. Bob could see the change of expression in his mom’s face when he said it. She was looking so worried. “You lie down there. I will get some medicine”. She went out and soon came back with a home remedy. It was an ointment and she gently rubbed it in his ankle. Soon Bob started to feel better but he was also feeling guilty. He wondered when was the last time he had spoken to his Mom – maybe some 7 or 8 days back. Tears started to roll from his eyes. “Don’t worry son. I know that you love me more than anyone else in this world even though you are not talking to me nowadays. Just relax and take some rest and tomorrow morning you will be fine” she told him and smiled at him and she slowly walked to her room. Bob realized that his ankle pain was getting better with every minute passing by and, he soon fell into a deep sleep where there was no pain or agony but only the soothing influence of his mother’s love and care.
