The Hospital That Refused to Treat- Part 9

In The Hospital That Refused to Treat- Part 9, a phone call confirms Shalini isn’t alone in suspecting something is wrong.

Read part 8 here.

The Hospital That Refused to Treat- Part 9

Chapter 9: An Unexpected Call

The newspaper clipping remained on Shalini’s dining table for most of the day.

Every time she walked past it, she found herself stopping to read it again.

The more she thought about the article, the more uneasy she became.

It wasn’t just the mistake about Aditya Kulkarni being unconscious.

It was how little information the report contained.

A young man had died.

Yet the story occupied barely a few inches of newspaper space.

By evening, rain clouds had gathered once again over the city.

Shalini was watering the plants on her balcony when her mobile phone rang.

The number was unfamiliar.

For a moment, she considered ignoring it.

Instead, she answered.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Deshpande?”

The voice belonged to a man.

Older.

Careful.

“This is Prakash Mehta.”

Shalini smiled.

“Mr. Mehta.”

“Prakash, please.”

“All right, Prakash.”

There was a brief pause.

“I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“Not at all.”

“I’ve been thinking about last night.”

The smile faded from Shalini’s face.

“So have I.”

“I knew I wasn’t the only one.”

He sounded relieved.

For a few seconds, neither spoke.

Then Prakash lowered his voice.

“Tell me honestly. Did anything about that hospital feel strange to you?”

Shalini walked back inside and closed the balcony door.

“Yes.”

“So it wasn’t just me.”

“No.”

Prakash exhaled slowly.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about the nurse.”

“The frightened one?”

“Exactly.”

“And the police officers,” Shalini added.

“And the way they took that covered stretcher out through the side corridor.”

A silence followed.

Neither wanted to say what they were both thinking.

Finally, Prakash spoke.

“I know this may sound foolish, but I feel as though we’re missing something important.”

Shalini glanced at the newspaper clipping lying on the table.

“So do I.”

Outside, thunder rumbled in the distance.

For the first time since they had met, she realized she wasn’t carrying these questions alone.

And somehow, that made them even harder to ignore.

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To be continued…