It was late at night. The market was almost deserted, with only a few shops still open. Among them was a small store where Ayu worked part-time during the night shift. He had just wrapped up his tasks and was about to head home when his phone suddenly buzzed.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Ayu glanced at his phone's screen. The caller ID displayed "Unknown Number." He hesitated for a moment before ignoring the call. But just moments later, the same number called again. This time, Ayu picked up.
"Hello?" Ayu asked cautiously.
A calm yet urgent voice spoke from the other side. "Hello, am I speaking with Ayu?"
"Yes, this is Ayu. Who's calling?"
"I'm calling from Golden Health Hospital. Your mother has been in an accident. Can you come to the hospital immediately?"
Ayu's heart raced. He struggled to keep his composure as he responded, "Yes, yes, I'll be there in 10 minutes. Please, can you stay with her until I arrive?"
The voice assured him. "Of course. I'm right here. Please just tell me your and your mother's names so I can complete the admission form."
Ayu quickly packed his belongings while replying, "My name is Ayu Singh, and my mother's name is Rekha. I'm coming right now. Thank you for staying with her."
The voice guided him further. "Come directly to the second floor, outside the OT (Operation Theater). Don't worry. I'll wait for you there."
With that, Ayu informed a coworker, grabbed his cycle, and sped towards the hospital, the chill of the night wind doing nothing to calm his frantic thoughts.
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As soon as he reached the hospital, Ayu abandoned his cycle near the gate and sprinted towards the building. The elevator was taking too long, so he bolted up the stairs two at a time. Breathing heavily, he arrived at the second floor and spotted a young man, likely his age, standing near the OT.
Approaching him, Ayu asked, "Hi, I'm Ayu. Were you the one who called me?"
The man turned to face him and nodded. "Yes, I did. Your mother is inside the OT now. I've already filled out the admission form. You'll just need to handle the bill."
Relief mixed with anxiety washed over Ayu as he thanked the stranger. "Thank you so much. Do you know how the accident happened?"
The man shook his head. "No, I don't. I was out running an errand when I saw her lying on the road, covered in blood. I checked her pulse and called an ambulance right away. That's all I know. Now that you're here, I'll take my leave. My mom's waiting for me at home."
As the man turned to leave, he suddenly stopped near the elevator, slapped his forehead, and walked back. "I forgot to give you this—your mom's phone. I found it on her when I brought her here. By the way, there were a lot of missed calls from someone named 'Shalini Madam.'"
Ayu took the phone, his expression tightening as he saw eight or nine missed calls from his mother's employer, Shalini Singh. Assuming it must be important, he quickly dialed back, but the call didn't go through—her phone was switched off. Frustrated, Ayu pocketed the phone and searched for a charger, just as the door to the OT opened.
A doctor stepped out, removing his gloves, and Ayu rushed to him. "Doctor! How is my mom? Is she okay? Is there any serious problem?"
The doctor, startled by Ayu's disheveled appearance, hesitated for a moment. His unkempt hair, torn shirt with missing buttons, dirt-streaked face, and tired eyes made him look like a beggar. Composing himself, the doctor finally said, "She's stable now, out of danger. She lost a lot of blood, which caused her to pass out, but she should regain consciousness soon. Once she wakes up, we'll conduct further tests. For now, we'll clean her wounds, bandage her, and move her to a normal ward. You can see her there."
A nurse accompanying the doctor handed Ayu a prescription and added, "Please pay the bill at the reception. They'll also provide you with the required medicines."
Ayu nodded, his voice barely above a whisper as he thanked them. He sat down on a bench outside the OT, staring at the prescription in his hand, waiting for the moment when he could see his mother again.
Ayu sat restlessly in the dimly lit hospital corridor, every passing minute feeling like an eternity. Anxiety clung to him, a suffocating weight pressing down on his chest. His mother, Rekha, still hadn't regained consciousness, and she hadn't been moved to a normal ward yet. The uncertainty gnawed at him. Unable to sit still, Ayu paced the corridor, his mind racing with worry.
After a few moments, the soft ding of the elevator pulled his attention. A nurse stepped out, looking around before her eyes landed on him. "Sir, are you Ayu Singh?" she asked, her voice calm yet purposeful.
"Yes, I am," Ayu replied hurriedly, stepping closer.
"We've shifted your mother to the normal ward. You can see her now," the nurse informed him. Relief washed over Ayu, and without thinking, he grabbed the nurse's hand. "Thank you! Which ward? Please tell me!"
The nurse, slightly startled by his reaction, quickly composed herself. "Ward number 13, bed 2, on the ground floor," she said. "All tests will also be done there once she regains consciousness."
Nodding quickly, Ayu followed the nurse to the elevator, barely registering her directions to the ward. As soon as they reached the ground floor, he thanked her and hurried to ward 13. There, on bed number 2, he saw his mother lying motionless, her head wrapped in a bandage, her hands similarly covered, with faint traces of blood visible beneath the gauze.
Ayu approached her and sank into the chair beside her bed, his fingers gently clasping hers. Seeing her like this broke something inside him. Tears welled in his eyes as he whispered, "Mom…"
He couldn't stop his mind from wandering. Why had Maa gone to the haveli so late at night? She never did that before. And why alone? Shalini madam or Thakur Sahab would always send the car for her. His thoughts spiraled, only to halt abruptly as a memory surfaced— Shalini madam, had called earlier. What did she want?
Lost in his thoughts, Ayu rested his head on his mother's hand and drifted off to sleep. A soft, pained sound woke him moments later. He jolted upright to find Rekha staring at him with a weak smile, her lips twitching as if to comfort him.
"Mom! You're awake!" Ayu exclaimed, his relief palpable.
Rekha tried to move her hand to touch his head, but a sharp pain made her wince. "I'm fine, Son. It's just the pain," she reassured him, her voice faint but steady. "Where am I? I was heading to the haveli… How did I end up here?"
A chill ran down Ayu's spine at her words. "Mom, you don't remember?" he asked, panic creeping into his voice. Without waiting for a reply, he called for the nurse. She arrived quickly, her brow furrowing with concern as she looked at Rekha.
"Sir, is there a problem?" the nurse asked, noting the tension in Ayu's voice as he explained everything.
The nurse smiled gently. "Don't worry, sir. She's in shock from the accident and has lost some blood. It's normal for her to be a little disoriented. Once the glucose takes effect and her strength returns, she should regain her memory. We'll conduct some tests after that."
Ayu sighed in relief, thanking the nurse before turning back to his mother. They talked for a while until Rekha yawned, her fatigue evident. "Ayu, I'm feeling sleepy. Let me rest for a bit," she said softly.
"Ok, Mom, you rest. I'll go pay the bill and get some food for you," Ayu replied. He stayed by her side until she fell asleep, then informed the nurse and headed toward the reception.
As he approached the reception desk, a strange sense of familiarity swept over him. The hospital—the corridors, the sterile smell—it all felt hauntingly familiar. His chest tightened, and memories of his past life surfaced like fragments of a dream.
This wasn't just any hospital; it was that hospital. The place where his life had ended in his previous incarnation. Ayu froze in his tracks, the realization hitting him like a tidal wave. In his past life, he had been an orphan who spent his childhood battling illness. His frail body hadn't survived, and he had taken his last breath here, in this very hospital.
A voice broke his reverie. "Sir, how can I help you?" the receptionist asked politely.
Snapping back to the present, Ayu handed her the prescription. "My mother's treatment—her name is Rekha Singh," he explained.
The receptionist checked the records and informed him that his bill totaled three lakhs, with an immediate deposit of 1.5 lakhs required. Ayu's heart sank. He only had 10,000 rupees with him. Handing over the cash, he pleaded, "Please take this for now. I'll arrange the rest by morning."
Moved by his desperation, the receptionist nodded. "Alright, but please ensure the balance is paid by tomorrow afternoon."
Thanking her profusely, Ayu took the prescription slip to the pharmacy and collected the medicines. Returning to his mother's ward, he sat by her side, watching her sleep peacefully.
But peace eluded him. His mind swirled with questions. Why this hospital? Is it mere coincidence, or is there a connection? If Maa is on bed 2 now, was she on the adjacent bed in my past life? Or… is this all happening because of me?
The weight of his thoughts overwhelmed Ayu as he buried his face in his hands. The stress of arranging money was tightening its grip on him. Rekha's account had barely 65,000 rupees—where would he get the rest? As these thoughts consumed him, a strange, soft ding echoed in his mind, pulling him out of his spiral. He looked up sharply, startled to see a semi-transparent screen floating before his eyes, displaying a cryptic message:
[SYSTEM IS BEING UPLOADED: 0%... 2%... 10%... 23%... 39%...]
Ayu blinked, stunned, unsure of what he was seeing. His foot accidentally knocked over the IV stand, creating a loud clatter. The nurse glanced at him, and he quickly offered an embarrassed smile. "Sorry," he mumbled, fixing the stand before slumping back into his chair. His gaze returned to the screen, cautiously checking if anyone else was looking. The eerie, surreal sight seemed straight out of a sci-fi movie.
The screen flickered before displaying:
[SYSTEM UPLOADING - 89%...95%...99%...100%]
As soon as the progress bar hit 100%, the screen vanished into thin air. Ayu blinked, disoriented, when a cold, mechanical voice echoed around him:
"Task and Reward System is uploaded successful."
"First task issued."
The words hit Ayu like a punch to the gut, and before he could process them, the voice continued with chilling precision:
"Task completion reward: Five lakh rupees, which will be directly deposited into your mother's account."
Then came the final lines that froze him in place:
"Task - Collect three lakh rupees and pay the full hospital bill before 8 a.m.
"Note - Do not withdraw single penny from your mother's account, otherwise the task will be considered as failed."
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To be continued....