The room smelled like medicines.
Beep… beep… beep…
…Machines beeped in steady rhythm, a mechanical heartbeat that filled the sterile air.
I sat in the hospital room beside her bed, watching the medicine drip, drop by drop, into her IV.
I looked at my mother, the woman who had always been the center of my world, looked smaller somehow.
"How much longer till the chemo ends?" she asked.
"One more hour," I said. "Then you can rest until the evening. After that, I'll book a cab, and we can go home."
"When's the next session?"
"In 21 days," I replied.
She frowned, clearly worried. "I made you take leave again today…"
"It's just one leave, it doesn't matter much," I said.
"No," she said, her voice tight with worry. "When I'm getting diagnosed, you come along almost every day for the tests. Sometimes you even stay home to take care of me."
"It's fine, Ma."
She shook her head, clearly distressed. "I've made my son take so many leaves… You're in medical college. It's not right to take so many days off. You don't know this, but if your attendance drops too low, they won't let you sit for your exams."
I know , Ma. I study there.
"Hey, hey, leave that," I said, forcing a small smile. "Let me tell you something interesting."
She looked at me, still worried, but listening.
"There's this guy in my class," I said. "He texted a girl 'hi,' and she replied politely. After that, they somewhat started talking every day."
I paused, trying not to laugh. "But this idiot thought she had become his girlfriend. He even started telling people in college that they were together."
She blinked, a little confused now.
"Then it somehow reached the girl," I continued, grinning. "And she gave him such a scolding… in front of everyone."
I let out a laugh. "It was so good, I laughed so hard my stomach started hurting. Everyone kept staring at me like I'd lost my mind."
She sighed softly. "That's not good. Just because someone talks to you nicely doesn't mean they like you."
"Right, right, Ma."
She finally smiled a little, curiosity replacing some of her worry. "Tell me, then… how did the girl scold him for it to be so funny?"
I smiled, finally able to take her mind off things.
"So it went like this…"
_________________________________________
Crap, I'm late again today.
I picked up my bag, slipping on my shoes near the door. "I'm off then, Ma," I said. "I'll be back fast. There's only one morning class today."
"You don't have to come back in a hurry," she said. "Make some friends at college… spend some time with them."
I stepped outside, calling back, "I've got friends, Ma. Don't think of me as a loner."
As I bid her farewell, I hurried to the pickup spot for my college bus.
It was already there, waiting for me.
"Phew… just made it in time."I said as I climbed on.
"Nah, you're late," the driver uncle said.
My friend snorted. "We've been waiting."
They were the only two on the bus.
In my country, medical entrance exams are tough. Most people join whatever college they get, while the top students who have a choice, pick the well-known ones, move out, live in hostels, and enjoy that bachelor life.
But me and my stingy friend?
We studied hard, scored well, and had the option to choose, yet we still chose this run-down campus in our own town.
For me, the reason is obvious.
But for him?
He'd said it to me on our first day of college–
"Being a doctor is just a side hustle. What I really want is to become a rapper, so I can't waste my time doing chores like other kids."
… even though he can't rap very well.
I let out a fake laugh and dropped into my seat...the conductor's seat while he walked back from the front, right next to the driver.
My friend Mohit looked at me. "Your house is literally around the corner from the bus stop. How are you late every single fucking day?"
"Well… it's a little far," I said.
"How far?"
"About a three-minute walk." I let out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of my head.
He let out a long sigh. "Leave it. So, did you study for today's physiology test?"
"Test?" I said.
He looked at me. "Don't tell me you didn't know."
"I was absent yesterday, so…"
"Ma'am told us on WhatsApp last night. In the class group."
He looked at me like I was an idiot.
"Then why didn't I get the message?"
I pulled out my phone, and we both looked as I opened the MBBS first-year WhatsApp group.
200 unread messages.
I rubbed the back of my head, let out a nervous laugh, and made eye contact with him. "Hehe…"
"So, what's coming in the test?"
"CNS and forebrain."
"Just this?"
"It's a large topic… what do you mean by just this?"
"Mohit, boy, you need to man up if you're going to take this penny test seriously."
"Ohhh, so you do study at home without telling me?" he said, eyes wide. "If it comes down to you and a snake, Maru… I swear, I'm killing you first!"
He threw his head back and wailed, "Maru! The ultimate betrayer of all time!"
"Hey, hey, don't accuse me! I haven't studied it yet."
"Ohh, really?"
"Yes. I'm gonna study it now."
He looked at me, exasperated.
"Then why were you so confident?"
"Because normal humans have around 85 million neurons, of which only 15 million are activated. But in me… all of them are firing."
As I said it, I looked at him and got a sudden realization.
"Ohhh crap…" I muttered, my tongue getting the better of me again.
This time, he looked at me wide-eyed, for real.
"Ohhh… so you fucking betrayer —you have studied it!"
As he cursed at me some more, I laughed, which only made him fume. He started reading, and I put my headphones on, letting the music take over.
Bring me back.
I mouthed along, staring out of the window as the bus rolled on.