WHEN GOING TO A HOSPITAL BECAME WALK IN A PARK

WHEN GOING TO A HOSPITAL BECAME WALK IN A PARK

Arun Kumar

Ottawa morning at quarter to seven on October 25, 2023, was dark, windy, and rainy with thunder and lightning sky. The highways were packed with bumper-to-bumper cars. I wonder whoever said that most Ottawans are working from home these days. Being a senior citizen, it was not the ideal time for me to drive.

I was driving to Ottawa General Hospital (around 30 km from my home) for some special kind of blood test required by the doctor who is looking after my bone problem. I managed to find a free parking place near the hospital and walked inside it. There was no one at the INFORMATION desk in the morning. I noticed a senior citizen like me in a wheelchair waiting there for someone to answer his question. I asked him why there was no one at the counter, he gestured towards a phone, and said, use this phone for help. Somehow, I had a hunch that that would not help. I noticed a couple of hospital staff walking by, I immediately requested one of them to guide me to the blood testing room. The young lady immediately obliged. I thanked her and moved on. Since Ottawa General Hospital is a very large building complex, it would have been very time consuming to find the place I was looking for without help.

I went to the blood sample collecting room, took my paper token number and waited for my turn. Within twenty-five minutes my turn came. The nurse was extremely professional as she took seven vials of blood from my left arm. It did not hurt or pain at all. I thanked her for an extremely proficient and courteous job. She smiled and graciously accepted my compliments. During the waiting period I was contemplating numerous visits by Sushma to this hospital over a span of almost sixteen years. And every time I accompanied her. These hospital visits used to be almost the whole day-long affair because we had to depend on Ottawa’s Paratranspo service for transport from Sushma’s nursing home, which usually took an inordinately long time. Once her hospital visit was over, Sushma would insist on going to the hospital cafeteria to eat or drink something before we returned. It was like an ‘outing for pleasure’ for her. She used to forget her woes in the cafeteria and enjoyed the measly food and drink.

I decided to go to the cafeteria. Since I had to give a fasting blood sample, I was hungry anyway. Usually, I don’t like eating alone in public places. But for the sake of memories of my wife Sushma I decided to get a cheese sandwich and a medium coffee. I sat down at the same table where we usually sat together. I imagined her presence next to me. I was eating slowly and feeling extremely emotional. All kinds of philosophical thoughts were running through my mind. A grieving sense of loneliness overtook me for a while. Even after I finished my sandwich and coffee, I decided to stay there a bit longer.

I came out of the hospital. It was windy, cold, and drizzling. I decided to walk to The Rehabilitation Centre, popularly known as the Rehab Centre. It is part of the Ottawa Hospital Complex. Sushma lived in this institution for over a month in 2004. I vividly remember that I used to visit her daily and would take her out for pleasure outings to the nearby park and the neighborhood that included the campus of Ottawa General Hospital. The whole complex is set in beautiful park-like surroundings with many wooden benches all over the walkways. Every time I felt tired pushing her wheelchair, Sushma would ask me to sit down on the bench and relax. For her this ‘walk in the park’ used to be an enjoyable experience. This showed in her beaming beautiful eyes. Most of the time we talked about our past life together, our family in Lucknow, and most importantly our children Anshu and Anita, their studies and future life.

I was walking towards the Rehab Centre from Ottawa General. I took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up near the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). I was lost in the maze of buildings and walkways. I thought that a few new buildings have been built over the years, that is why I can’t find the Rehab Centre. There was no one nearby to whom I could ask for help. Disappointed with myself, I decided to return to my car to drive back home. Fortunately, I saw a young lady, probably a staff member or a student, walking. Without hesitation, I asked her the way to the Rehab Centre. She herself was going that way and she asked me to follow her. On the way I told her that it seems new buildings have come up in this area and that is why I could not find my way to the Rehab Centre. She said that all these buildings are a few decades old, and there was no new construction. I thought how conveniently I was trying to justify my own failing. I reached the Rehab Centre and thanked her for kind help.

Aimlessly I went inside the building, walked around, and went to the room where Sushma lived for a while. I walked outside the building and roamed around the small park where I used to take her out. Through large glass windows I saw various exercise rooms from outside where Sushma was treated. While walking around the park I felt a bit tired and cold. I sat down on the bench where I used to sit with Sushma in her wheelchair. Within moments I realized that the wooden bench was soaking wet due to the rain. My pants were wet by the time I stood.

It was over an hour in the hospital complex, I decided to return to my car. I was lost once again because I missed the right turn. This time there was no one to help. Anyhow I managed to find my way back to my car.

I was driving home and turned on the music system in the car. First song was by Mohammad Rafi “Toote hue khwabon ne….. (https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=Toote+hue+khwbo+ne+&mid=0C85C94EDF0927E4309A0C85C94EDF0927E4309A&FORM=VIRE)

This song made me extremely emotional. However, I managed to safely drive home.