The description of emergency revival procedures brought back memories when I had once visited an emergency room of a major hospital. That was during my B school days. One of my quadmates – who also is a very good friend - had fallen down from a bike sometime during the afternoon. She had dismissed the discomfort in her ankle as a minor cramp. But when the pain became unbearable by the evening she knocked on my door. A visit to the on-campus doctor revealed the possibility of a hairline fracture and an ambulance was called for.

Our other 2 quadmates had gone to their homes in the city on the weekend visit though a couple of other classmates offered to come along. But since the school had an arrangement with the hospital I decided that I would be able to manage. So both of us boarded the ambulance and soon were on our way to the hospital.

Till date I am not sure why she was taken to an ER because the fracture wasn’t that serious. Though I watch the shows on the medical world with great interest I am not very comfortable in hospitals. And the atmosphere in the emergency room didn’t do much to allay my slight anxiety. I looked around as I prayed that the technicians would arrive soon to get my friend x-rayed. Just then a curtain covering a nearby bed was parted slightly and I noticed a thin man lying on that bed. I am not sure whether I imagined it but I thought I noticed some froth at his mouth. The nurse put the curtain back into place but not before I had caught a glipse of a frail old woman pleading with the doctor. I didn’t mean to stare but I was embarrassed nevertheless at witnessing something which was clearly a private moment.

My friend must have sensed my unease because she told me that it looked like a suicide case by poisoning and urged me to ignore it. To my great relief, the technician walked in and we followed him to the x-ray room. In due course my friend was treated and the waiting ambulance carried us back to the campus. But I have, at times, wondered whether that thin figure on the bed survived after all :-(