Samar strode and opened the door, the calm of his office suddenly attacked by the madness outside. Nobody even looked at him, except Gauri.
“Are you finished with your break, sir? We need to get to the ticket distribution lists…”
“Call the private plane company we use for hire and ask them for a spot at Srinagar Airport. Srinagar to London, fastest route within the next hour. Bill it to my account.”
“But they might have closed for the day…”
“Do it.”
57. How did she find herself outside an ICU every few years?
How did she find herself outside an ICU every few years? Amaal ran her hands through her hair, balancing her elbows on shaky knees. The last ten hours collapsed in front of her as her eyes began to fall shut, the hospital still in front of her.
IV thrombolysis… Mechanical thrombectomy… Successful reperfusion.
She heard the doctor and her mother’s voices. She had stood with her mother and gotten all the updates, then sat down when the doctor had walked away. He was back now and discussing more medical terms with her mother. Terms that she understood, Amaal did not. All Amaal understood was that she hadn’t responded to Dad’s last message. She had seen it this morning, then gone on to her meeting and forgotten about it.
It wasn’t the first time she had failed to respond to him immediately but it could be the last time. Amaal sat up straight, holding her eyes straight as her mother kept glancing at her.
Footsteps clicked in her peripheral vision and a hand came to her shoulder. “Amaal.”
She startled.
“Samar?”
He cupped her shoulder, nodding at her mother.
“How did you come?”
“I took a commercial flight.” He sat down beside her. Amaal looked at him, trying to make sense of everything.
“What happened? What are they saying?”
“I…” she stuttered. “I don’t know… I mean, they injected a medicine and it was within four and a half hours so the clot in his brain was dissolved but he is still not waking up and they are doing scans. The doctor is talking to my mom because nobody knows what’s going on…”
“Ok, wait. Sit. You want water? Did you eat something?”
“I’m fine.”
He rubbed her shoulder and got to his feet just as her mother came to them.
“Ma’am.”
“Samar.” She nodded.
“Amaal told me sir is still not waking up? Was Thrombectomy a complete success?”
“IV thrombolysis was successful, he was awake and suddenly passed out. The scan is showing oedema in the left hemisphere.”
“Progressive or stagnant?”
“Progressive.”
“What about his blood pressure?”
“They are trying to control it.” Her mother’s voice wavered. Amaal got to her feet and held her arm — “Nothing is going to happen, Mom.” She asserted. “His BP always comes back under control. They will bring it down.” She nodded. “Hmm?”
Her mother smiled, letting her lead her to the chairs. Amaal got her down. “You’ve been running all day. Dad will be alright and then we will have to admit you. Now there’s nothing to do so we wait and we eat.”
