April’
2003,
Midtown, Manhattan Borough, NY.
It had been more than twenty four hours since Vivek admittance in the ICU at the infirmary. Several inspections were being progressed to sort the things out for the patriarch of the Hadars. Aryan and Rekha had no news from the doctors up until then. No food, no home, none of somebody has come to their rescue, it was just Vivek’s wife and his son, and Shalini’s presence needs no explicit mention, they were the only kindred’s in attendance. Three of them were in the same clothes since their arrival. Aryan with tousled hair was seated in the lounge, his skin had no moisture and it allowed the dust to settle in the creases in different portions. His red eyes appeared to be sunken with lightly dark circles lining up in the under eye area. A fatigued look manifested itself patently on his face. He wrapped the only jacket around his neck and lay there on a chair brooding over a fracas. While Shalini stayed with Aryan in the lounge, Rekha was not available in the vicinity. She had left to arrange some money for the treatment.
“Aryan,” Rekha arrived hurriedly, “has the doctor’s got us anything?” she asked. A sense of optimism spurted but Aryan knew it would only leave her in dismay the split second, “Nothing! Not yet”, he said, “have you got any money”, he asked digressing her from gloomy outlook. “Yes, I’ve got enough,” Aryan was relieved when she answered. We have some money now for the treatment Aryan thought but he couldn’t think too much on the source of ready money. Are we safe to carry out this treatment? He questioned himself and an unequivocal answer ‘Yes’ from his mind only condensed on the dubiety. The sentience failed his acuity to question any further but the truths… will find their way.
It was in the afternoon and the clock ticked two, Aryan caught sight of the doctor coming out of the ICU. He did see him and others swing back and forth at times but at that instant he had expected him to communicate on the condition of Vivek and the doctor did, “Rekha, can you please come along with me, you too Aryan,” said the doctor motioning his hand to his chamber. After the three of them occupied their seats the doctor continued, “We have done the diagnostics and he had been suffering with celiac disease,” the doctor informed both. Aryan was unrestrained with his trepidation, he flicked his gaze on to Rekha. He noticed no sense of consternation as she kept her composure alive and attentively lend her ears to the doctor, “I must say the disease has reached its zenith”. “What do you mean doc?” Rekha enquired, “Vivek wasn’t supposed to be in the locus, not lately,” She disagreed with the doctor swaying her head and said, “He was doing pink in his health until recently,” she paused. Rekha went back in time to incisively stack up on the instances where Vivek fell sick. She heaped up only a nought, “No doc, I am fairly confident that he haven’t fallen ill in his health for a significant period of time,”
“Rekha,” the doctor uttered, “I am afraid to divulge that Vivek hid the fact from you since a long time,” The doctor got up from his brown-leather Aeron chair, “Vivek has been suffering with type-1 diabetes since his adult age. Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease are both immune-mediated conditions. Diabetes is diagnosed first because the symptoms tend to be obvious and to diagnose celiac, it is done through periodic screening. 10% of people suffer with celiac if they are diagnosed with type-1 diabetes and I was having reservations with Vivek’s health condition then, sadly, the periodic screenings did prove it on my intentions. He was being on a gluten-free diet since eight years or so now. However, I am skeptical about his truthfulness on his diet otherwise we wouldn’t have you, Hadars, here in my office talking over the issue,”
“What is celiac?” Rekha asked. “It is an autoimmune disorder. If your intestine are very sensitive to gluten, like people affected with celiac, when they consume this protein rich foods like wheat, rye and barley, the body ascends an immune response attacking the intestine. They damage the villi, responsible for the absorption of nutrients into the body. This pulls off various malfunctioning of body cells. The damage is done at a slow pace and that’s the reason why it is very difficult to diagnose the disease in early stages,”
“But what triggers it?” Aryan stepped in. “Could be many reasons, type-1 diabetes overlaps with celiac because of same genetic profile. Generically, a genetic disorder or a viral infection or a surgery or an emotional traumatic stress could be possible reasons for the disease,”
“So doctor, what do you think we should do to save him,” Rekha asked, “right now, what we can only do is,” He walked back to his Aeron, “put him under medication for a month and strict gluten-free diet (GFD), observe his response to the medicines,” the doctor suggested, “get him for periodic check-up. Once every week and it’s a must,” he stressed.
“Alright doc, when can we take him home?” Rekha asked. “Today, you can take him today. We are done for now,” he said.
Nearly half of what they had had been paid out in charges. Aryan saw it vividly, they had to save every nickel or dime from then on for his treatment. Aryan thought that it would eventually cost them loads of money, and with what they had then, it wouldn’t be sufficient in the due course of time for them to accommodate their living and for his treatment. Our lives had fallen in trough.
“… You are not leaving me for anywhere,” Shalini uttered, “we can go to my house, you have always been my family. I live alone and it shouldn’t really be a worry to any of us,” Shalini suggested. At first, the Hadars were hesitant to be consonant with her but it didn’t take any longer for either of them to come out of the abyss and realise the propinquity the Hadars shared with Shalini. At the end of the day, they agreed to go with her. Shouldn’t be for a long time; just until I earn a living for the family Aryan twirled the thoughts in his mind.
“Aryan,” Shalini interrupted his ponder, “Car has arrived, we should go”, She gestured. “Dad?” he asked. “He is in the car already,” she said. Vivek was laid down in the second row of the passenger seat in the MUV while Rekha was compelled by Aryan to rest in the back seat for a wink of sleep. Aryan posited himself in the shot-gun accompanying Shalini in the ride. “Aryan,” Shalini gave a nudge on his triceps, “it’s gonna be fine dear, it’s just the time. You see it? The time,” she pushed the accelerator. The time Aryan shut eyes the time he repeated in his mind.
Power and Pelf 