Glimpses through an ambulance window

I was crossing the road the other day, a bit absent minded. There was this long queue of cars and buses and motorcycles at the signal, and I was negotiating my was between the hungama, well, to the other side of the road.

There was an ambulance too, in the crowd, and it had its lights flashing and the siren going. Manipal hospital is just about half a kilometer ahead, and I guess that was were it was heading.

There were four people I could see in the ambulance - The driver, a nurse, a paramedic and a middle aged woman, who should be the patient's someone.

The driver was looking at the rareview mirror, and sometimes banging the horn on his on the steering, a bit exasperated. The traffic could not move to make way for the ambulance, even though people were trying their best to squeeze out of its way.

The paramedic was busy, trying to adjust the various tubes that ran into the man, a look of worry clear on his face.

The nurse was more calm. She must have been a bit old to this I guess, unlike the paramedic. She appeared composed - soothing the lady a moment, looking discreetly at her watch, the driver and the signal light in a moment, and helping the paramedic do something the next.

The woman was softly crying into her sari, and was trying to soothe the patient, silently talking, maybe a prayer, maybe a silent language that would somehow reach the ailing man.

The signal turned green, and now the vehicles could make room for the ambulance. It sped on, wailing ald blazing in its lights.

Hope he makes it...