Still there was no pulse! ‘What else I have to do to make the patient’s heart beat again?’ Ramesh asked himself desperately and racked his brain, in the hope he had forgotten some important step or activity he had been taught in his medical college for saving a heart attack patient. But, no! No ideas were coming to his stupid mind.

For the past fifteen minutes, the doctor and the nurse had been performing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Artificial Respiration on the patient, but still no result. They had very less time. Ramesh’s hands were working steadily on the unconscious patient. The heel of his one hand was on the patient’s breastbone. He placed his other hand on the first hand and pushed down forcefully, bringing all his pressure into his hands. He was applying and releasing the pressure at a fast rate. The duty nurse on the other hand was administering artificial respiration.

‘Why am I alone tonight?” Ramesh thought miserably. ‘Why such a critical case on this rainy day?’

Just out of college, Ramesh had joined this small hospital one month back as a trainee doctor and was already on night shifts for the past ten days. His routine was accompaying the senior doctor on his normal rounds, checking the inpatients and giving out new or modified prescriptions. There had been no emergency cases. But, on this unfortunate day, the senior doctor could not reach office due to heavy rains and the hospital got an emergency case. ‘Why had not this poor fellow slept peacefully as the whole world was sleeping now?’ Ramesh lamented. ‘Why could not this be a normal night like the previous nights?’ Hey man! This is not the time to think your stupid thoughts, Ramesh chided himself. You must save this patient at any cost. A person cannot die in your hands, doctor!

Just then, another nurse entered the ICU room and whispered in despair, “Sir, we are unable to reach Dr. Rakesh or any other doctor. Still all phones are dead.” Dr. Rakesh was a cardiologist.

Ramesh nodded his head. He knew he had to handle this case alone. He was frantically working on the patient.  All his concentration was on the heart; he had to make it work at any cost. He would not let his patient die.

There was actually a very thin line between being alive and being dead, Ramesh realized at the moment. And he perceived that line through his first major patient when he, the patient, began to breathe in air with a start. Yes, his heart started beating!

All in the room, Ramesh and nurses, gave a sigh of relief. Ramesh immediately turned the patient to one side so that nothing would block his windpipe from breathing. When he saw the rise and fall of the patient’s chest, Ramesh’s heart filled with pride. He had saved a person’s life today. His first patient’s life! He gave him a new life. But, along with happiness and pride, Ramesh was going through a roller coaster of emotions. Just a few moments before, how wretchedly helpless, ignorant, and half-learned he had felt! There was a whole family pinning all its hopes on him as if he were a God who would bring back breath into their beloved. And he was there with a new MBBS degree in his hands and just one month of experince and waiting for some other doctor to come to his rescue. What he had done was CPR and Artificial Respiration, which anybody could do with some training and practice. No need to study MBBS. What addition he had done for saving this poor patient? Many questions began to gnaw through Ramesh’s mind. This night taught him a great lesson, which was not taught by any professor in the college. He discovered the significance and meaning of his profession. And its enormous need for human kind! Life is a most valuable and expensive thing in the universe! And a doctor should be omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent.

Ramesh observed the pleasant emotions played on the face of the patient’s wife when she saw her husband alive and those grateful eyes of the patient’s children and brothers and sisters when they glanced at him, the doctor, the saviour. Ramesh experinced the pleasure a very few lucky people in the world, the doctors, experince after saving a life. How much joy was there in his profession of saving lives!

When the rain subsided in the wee hours of the morning, Dr Rakesh was called in and he declared, after examining thoroughly, the patient was completely safe and advised the family to keep him in hospital for one day under observation.

Ramesh left the hospital only after when he heard from Dr. Rakesh that the patient was safe. And he returned to his night duty earlier than usual and went first to the ward where the heart patient was placed.

The poor fellow was lying on the bed accompanied by his wife at the foot of the bed. She was telling him encouraging words when Ramesh went inside. “How are you feeling?” he asked the patient, with a big smile on his face. But the man on the bed did not reply, just stared at the doctor, sad and dejected.

“He is worrying too much,” said the wife in a low sad voice. “He was too frightened to even talk or take a little walk.”

Ramesh looked into his patient’s eyes and said reassuringly, “Nothing to worry. Take some precautions and you will live for hundred years.”

The doctor and the patient’s eyes were locked for some time. Then, at last, the patient opened his mouth. “Will I live doctor?” he asked in a low quivering melancholy voice. “Can I see my children’s marriage? Can I play with their kids?”

At that moment, he himself looked like a small kid to Ramesh. The doctor in Ramesh knew his patient needed something more than injections and drugs. He smiled and gently slipped his right hand into the patient’s right hand and gave him a tender squeeze. The patient’s lips parted slightly into a half smile.

Ramesh put his other hand on his shoulder and lifted him slowly. “Hold my hand and take small steps,” he said.

Without any resistance, the depressed patient held his doctor by the right hand in a firm grip and took small steps along with him. With each step the man began to gain confidence. He gained confidence that his heart would not cease to work if he walked. He gained confidence that his heart would not stop working if he laughed along with his wife and children. He gained confidence that the doctor was there for him if anything happened to him again.

At the same time, the doctor’s heart leapt with joy. He felt as if he was the father of the baby taking gentle steps beside him. His baby’s firm grip on his hand was telling him he was much needed for his baby’s confidence and safety. For each step he was taking. What joy a father or mother derives when they see their little infant taking his first steps! Ramesh, the doctor, was experiencing the same joy. He had determined to be omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent for his patients.