The next day, as soon as Kabir arrived at hospital, Akriti approached him.

"Dr. Kabir,  it's an emergency and we need your assistance.", she said with a concern.

Kabir nodded and asked her to continue.

"A 35 years old female patient who is 7 months pregnant arrived with severe chest pain. She was already on medications for hypertension and everything was fine and the bypass surgery was planned post pregnancy but now situation is out of control. We have stabilised her for now but I think we have to intervene. "  , Akriti explained quickly. "Shashank sir was handling the case and he is in Delhi."

As they were heading towards the patient's room , Kabir asked, "What's her current status?"

"The vitals are stable but critical." , Akriti replied.

Kabir was about to open the door of patient's room when Akriti again called him.

Kabir gestured for Akriti to speak and he noticed a worried look on her face.

"What is it Dr. Akriti?"

Akriti took a deep breath and continued," Dr. Kabir, the patient is already above 30 years and she has conceived after a long time and she is very concerned about her baby. As far as I know, we have to expel out the baby first to proceed further and the baby would be extremely preterm and it's survival chances will be low."

Kabir was trying to absorb the gravity of the situation and he speaks up, " I understand your concern Dr, Akriti. The situation is tough for us but we have to overcome it. I don't know what would happen later on but at this point we have to take the necessary step. I am going to take the echo of the foetus to assess its condition."

Saying this, he entered the room along with Akriti. He introduced himself to the patient and her husband and began performing the echo.

"Mrs. Sharma, I'm Dr. Kabir Mehra, a cardiothoracic surgeon. I understand this is a very stressful time for you, but we're here to take the best possible care of both you and your baby," Kabir said reassuringly.

Vidhi Sharma, the patient, looked anxious but nodded in acknowledgment. Her husband sat by her side, holding her hand tightly.

As Kabir conducted the echo, he focused intently on the screen. Akriti stood by, ready to assist and monitor the patient's condition.

"The baby's heart rate is in normal range." Kabir noted, "but we need to proceed carefully before the situation worsens."

Vidhi 's husband, Mr. Sharma, asked, "What exactly do you need to do, doctor?"

Kabir looked at him and then at Vidhi. "Mrs. Sharma's condition is serious. We need to perform the bypass surgery at this moment. This will involve delivering the baby prematurely to ensure both mother and child have the best chance of survival."

Vidhi's eyes filled with tears. "What are the chances for my baby?"

Akriti gently took Vidhi's hand. "Mrs Sharma we are not going to give you any false hopes but we have an excellent neonatal team to provide the best care to your baby."

Vidhi took a deep breath and looked at her husband, who nodded supportively. "Do what you need to do, doctor, please save my child. It is my last hope." she said in a trembling voice.

Kabir and Akriti exchanged a determined glance before turning their attention back to the patient.

"We'll start the preparations immediately," Kabir said. "Mrs. Sharma, I need you to stay calm and trust us. We're going to do everything we can for you and your baby."

With the patient's consent, the team quickly moved Vidhi to the operating room. In the operating room, the atmosphere was tense but focused. Akriti led the C-section with steady hands, and within minutes, a tiny, fragile baby was delivered and handed over to the neonatal team, who immediately began their life-saving work and shifted the baby to HDU.

Kabir then turned his full attention to Vidhi's heart. The bypass surgery was complex but Kabir tried to do his work meticulously. The anesthesiologist was keenly monitoring the vitals .

Hours later, Kabir and Akriti stepped out of the operating room.

Mr. Sharma rushed to them. "How are they, doctor?"

Kabir said reassuringly. "The surgeries were successful and both of them are stabilised.The next 24 hours are critical, but they're in the best possible hands."

Tears of gratitude filled Mr. Sharma's eyes. "Thank you so much."

Kabir and Akriti nodded with a smile and headed towards the corridor. They were about to speak with each other when a nurse approached them.

"Dr. Kabir, Dr. Akriti , Dr. Shashank is back and he wanted to meet both of you.", the nurse said with a smile and left.

Akriti was bit afraid after last night's incident so she spoke up, " Dr. Kabir, actually my ward rounds are pending and I have to check on the other patients so..."

Kabir understood her hesitancy and he interrupted her, " Papa has called both of us, Dr. Akriti and we both have equally handled the case. It's better to meet him as a team."

Akriti nodded and then they headed to meet Shashank. Shashank warmly welcomed them and asked them to have their seats.

"Well , I heard about today's emergency and I am glad that you both handled it well. It was appreciative. " , Shashank spoke up with a smile.

"Thank you Papa/ Sir.", Kabir/ Akriti exclaimed.

Shashank nodded. Akriti felt that the father - son duo need some conversation so she excused herself and left the cabin.

"How was everything in Delhi, Papa?", Kabir asked.

"We managed the case well.", Shashank replied. " Well is there something that's bothering you, Kabir?"

"Well, there was something but everything is now sorted. "

"That's good to hear but if something is in your mind, you can share with me Kabir."

Kabir nodded with reassurance and took leave. He felt guilty for misjudging his father's decision to appoint Akriti. Although, he sorted out everything with Akriti yesterday but still a little regret was there. Keeping his emotions aside, he went to check up on his patients.

Later at night, Kabir moved towards canteen for a quick coffee as today he was staying at hospital only. His eyes fell on Akriti who was sipping her coffee at one corner of a table. He approached her with his mug of coffee.

"Mind if I join you?" Kabir asked, gesturing to the empty seat across from Akriti.

Akriti looked up, a bit surprised, but smiled and nodded. "Of course, Dr. Kabir. Please, sit."

As Kabir settled in, he took a moment to appreciate the rare calm in the otherwise hectic hospital environment. "How's everything going? Any updates on Mrs Sharma and the baby?"

Akriti sighed softly, her expression thoughtful. "The neonatal team is doing their best, and the baby is showing some signs of improvement. Mrs. Sharma is stable, but we need to keep a close watch."

Kabir nodded, taking a sip of his coffee. "That's good to hear. Let's hope things continue to improve."

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, both lost in their thoughts. Finally, Kabir spoke up again, " I am once again sorry for yesterday, Dr. Akriti. You are just an excellent doctor."

Akriti smiled and responded, "Dr. Kabir you don't have to apologise again and again. Well, it was a nice experience to work with you."

"My pleasure.", Kabir grinned. "By the way , you are still in scrubs ? It's getting late, I think you should leave now."

"I am staying back.", Akriti replied.

"Yesterday, you didn't go home and today also you are not going. Why are you stressing yourself so much?", Kabir asked with a concern,

"The home I was living in already shattered. My parents were my home. After them, I found peace in my patients and these hospital corridors.", Akriti blurted with a sad chuckle.

"I am sorry, I didn't know about them."

"You don't need to, Dr. Kabir. It's just came out."

Kabir nodded understandingly. "Sometimes our work become our refuge. But burnout is real and you can't pour  from an empty cup."

"I understand it and will take care of it."

"You should. By the way, when you are giving me treat?", Kabir asked to divert the topic.

"Treat?"

"Of course, you had a first successful complicated surgery at Sarvodaya, as a colleague and senior don't I deserve a treat from you?"

Akriti chuckled softly, "Alright Dr. Kabir, I guess you deserve a treat for putting up with me. How about a dinner tomorrow?"

"Done."

"Mumbai is new for me so I don't know much about the good places."

"Why fear when Kabir is here."

Akriti laughed loudly on his comment.
"Sure Dr. Kabir."

They exchanged some more laughs and headed back to their work.

That's it for today guys. I hope that you would have liked the chapter.

Please do comments and suggestions are welcomed. If you want me to add any scene then please tell.