Yours Accidentally Read Free Page A

wondered
if it would be easier to just curl up and sleep at the office rather than
navigate hazardous Mumbai roads made even more treacherous by the monsoons.
    Sameera’s
schedule was equally hectic. Her days were divided into two equally important
halves—work and helping Tanya put together her trousseau. She also had to fix
her own wardrobe for the wedding and work towards having a more toned body for
the Goa bash. Life was a constant whirl—work, Kaya skin clinic, Manish
Malhotra’s design and fitting studio, aerobics and pilates classes, jewelry
boutiques, shoes, bags and lingerie shopping and a hundred other sundry
activities.
    Gautam’s
pace of work became even more frantic as the deadline loomed nearer. The whole
team worked round the clock, living their life in the world of valuations,
spreadsheets and discounted cash flow models. Quick decisions and the timely
exchange of mail were crucial to the successful completion of their project;
Gautam was frustrated at the delays and desperately needed to clear his head.
    One
especially frustrating day, he changed into his running shoes and announced,
“I’m going for a run to get some fresh air. Anyone wants to come along?”
    Someone
laughed, “Fresh air in Mumbai? What a joke.”
    His
colleague Jai was equally enthusiastic about fitness and together they were
off.
    Each of them
jogged at a steady pace, but lost in their own thoughts, neither noticed the
truck coming from the other side. There was hardly any space to step aside on
the narrow road barred to heavy vehicles.
    Blinded by
the sharp headlights, Gautam pushed Jai to the other side of the road and then,
just in the nick of time, slammed himself against a wall with the truck whizzing
past just inches away from him.
    He used his
hands to break the fall but his body plummeted into the concrete. It seemed as
if his whole body had been ripped apart; he passed out before he could even understand
which part hurt the most.
    When he
regained consciousness, he found himself on a stretcher carried by two
policemen; Jai stood beside him.
    As they put
him in the ambulance, he managed to ask Jai, “Jai, are you all right?”
    He nodded
affirmatively.
    “Then at
least go back to the office immediately.”
    One of the
policemen laughed. “Let him work for some fancy foreign company while Indian
police takes care of you, eh? Wah Jamai Raja . You’ve had an accident; we
need him to fill out all the paperwork at the hospital.”
    Jai said,
“I’ve already called boss; he has already spoken to his doctor and asked me to
take you directly to the hospital once the police work is sorted out. He may
drop in later to check on you.”
    “Never
guessed he could be so humane,” muttered Gautam.
    “Not humane,
selfish,” grinned Jai, “you are too important to die right now.”
    By the time
Gautam was wheeled into the X-ray department of a swanky hospital, he was
immobile with pain. He endured what seemed like hours of X-rays and
examinations till he finally heard the doctor say, “Hello Gautam. I am Dr.
Yogesh Sharma, orthopedic surgeon. You have a colles fracture, which is a
fracture of the distal radius in the right forearm with dorsal displacement of
the wrist and hand.”
    Gautam’s
head pounded at the medical gibberish.
    “In layman
terms, your right wrist is dislocated. This commonly occurs when you try to
break your fall and end up falling on a hard surface with outstretched arms.
Your wrist will have to be immobilized immediately by putting it in a cast for
at least four weeks after which we can review your condition. In the meanwhile,
don’t bend your wrist and avoid driving, household chores and even showering
and dressing on your own. Your knee has severe ligament injury, but again,
physiotherapy and painkillers will take care of it. Do you know any
physiotherapists?”
    Gautam shook
his head.
    “In that
case let me recommend Dr. Mathur. My assistant will give you the number and you
can directly connect with