Pari smiled at Dr John, as she breezed into the clinic that Thursday morning.

“Good morning,doctor!”

She had a sweet melodious voice, which never failed to lift the old man’s spirits.One of the reasons he was continuing his service was Dr Pari.Otherwise his arthritis would have confined him long back.He looked on her as an adopted daughter.

He smiled back at her.

“Good morning ,dear!We have 15 patients waiting and the first we have to attend to is in the theatre.The guy had a domestic accident.32 year old Caucasian male.No significant medical or surgical history.A gash on the left leg caused by a garden saw.Apparently he was sawing wood early in the morning, for some garden diy project.Have given him a tetanus toxoid and a painkiller.”

Pari nodded.

“I will change and go to theatre ,sir.You continue with the OPD.Sister Mercy can be with me.”

Dr Pari had joined the small General Nursing Home, which served as a Multispeciality Clinic six months back and was already indispensable to the senior doctor.She did most of the running around and let him take care of the non strenuous part of the job.They saw all kinds of patients.There were three sets of doctors. Pari was with John and the evening and night shifts had a separate set of doctors.There were part time consultants, who came in for the major surgeries.

Pari had finished her MBBS

Indian medical degree

a year back .She was a resident of Pondicherry, born and brought up in the small coastal town.She was a petite 5ft 2’ with long brown hair upto her waist,which was her crowning glory.She had a flawless milk and honey complexion ,and light brown eyes, which unfortunately for her were way too expressive.But the best part of her persona was her smile. It lit up her eyes and her full mouth had a way of quirking at the edges, when she smiled or laughed, which was captivating, to say the least.

But right at that moment Pari was not smiling, as she concentrated on the tasks at hand.She quickly changed into her theatre dress,tied up her braided hair into a bun,donned cap , mask and shoes and entered the theatre. She wished Sister Mercy and proceeded to take stock of her patient..

He was lying on the theatre table, with eyes closed and a mighty irritated expression on his face.He was a tall 6 ft 2’handsome guy with blond hair and a Grecian profile.The hospital gown reached upto his knees.Sister Mercy had cleaned the wound and had applied a loose dressing, which she removed presently ,so that Dr Pari could examine the wound.It was indeed a deep gash and he would require sedation and stitches.

“Good morning ,Mr Jack Keller.”Pari said, in her most reassuring voice.

“We will give you a small injection, so that you can go to sleep.The wound requires a few stitches and once we are done, you will be as good as new.”

The patient opened his eyes .

Pari’s heart missed a beat.Eyes that were a deep dark ocean blue , to drown into!What was wrong with her!Was she becoming a poet or what?She looked away hurriedly, aware that she was staring.

When she looked back, she realized that she was being subjected to the most intense stare she had ever experienced.His voice however was even, as he asked,“May I know your name, doctor?”

She pulled down her mask,smiled and brought her hand forward for a handshake.“Dr Pari Brown.”

She found her small hand engulfed in his much larger one.His fingers curled around hers and she felt the strangest sensations in her stomach.

She really was loosing it .She scolded herself and withdrew her hand as soon as she decently could.She pulled up her mask ,with a mental shake of her head.

“Pari in Hindi,”mused handsome Mr Blue Eyes,“ fairy in English,little fairy,huh?”

He gave her a lazy smile and his eyes travelled appreciatively over her, making her blush.Thank God, she had her mask on.

“Don’t you think you are too much of a kid to handle this on your own,fairy doctor?”He asked with a drawl.

Pari bristled ,“Well,Mr Jack ,I am all you have at present.You can of course stitch it up yourself ,if you like.”

He grinned even more broadly.“You are all I have ?You are enough, doctor.Just messing with you.”

And just like that, he made her statement mean something else .She was blushing again.She had to get a hold on herself.

“Mr Jack ,”she said, in her most professional tone,

“I am going to give you an injection.

Just close your eyes and try to sleep.”

With that, she and the sister got down to business.Jack was out in 5 minutes after the iv sedation and Pari and her assistant finished the job in 20 minutes flat.

Jack was taken to the recovery and Pari made her way back to the OPD, to see the rest of the patients.

It was a full two hours later, that she went back to the recovery to check on Mr Blue Eyes.He was sitting up on the bed, with a slightly dazed expression on his face.

Pari smiled at him.“You can leave in a couple of hours.Martha said she would be coming to pick you up.How do you know Martha?”

Martha was Pari’s close friend and they had practically grown up together.She was a little surprised that she had never mentioned Blue Eyes to her before, this given they met almost every week.

“Friend.”said Jack shortly.He didn’t seem to be in a very good mood.

“I have written out some medicines for you .Antibiotics and painkillers.You will need dressing.I have arranged for a nurse to come over to your place.Martha said you would prefer that.The stitches will need removal on the eighth day.You will have to come for that hospital visit.You will do fine, Mr Jack.Don’t worry.”Pari was at her considerate best.

He glared at her.“I will feel better if you stop treating me like a kid.”he snapped.

Pari decided it was best to leave him to his mood swings and gave him a gentle pat on his arm, before turning and scuttling out of the room.

Whew !What a guy!Was she glad to see the back of him or what!

The rest of the day passed off in a blur but Pari found, much to her chagrin, that she couldn’t get Blue Eyes out of her mind.

Jack and Martha reached home by late afternoon.Jack was in the foulest mood and pissed because of the pain.

“Come on!” chided Martha .“Stop behaving like a kid and drink up this soup .’’She handed over a bowl of his favourite sweet corn soup.She arranged the bedcovers around him, with a support for the injured leg, in the form of a pillow.

Martha was a tall blonde ,with a brusque manner and a heart of gold.At first glance, she and Jack had a certain uncanny resemblance, which was often commented upon by common friends.Martha used to joke, that in their previous birth they must been brother and sister.

“You are fine, Jackie .Just get some rest.Holler if you need anything.”

He was staring at her, with something akin to anger.

“So how come you never introduced me to this Dr Pari?I think you know her well,don’t you?”

Martha took a deep breath.

“Childhood friend.”she said shortly.“I look out for her.”

“Meaning?”The anger was more evident in his eyes.

“Meaning she is not your type,Jack.She comes from a conservative background.She is a sweet girl who believes in the happily ever after and you, are a player.I knew she would fall for you .You would take her and leave her and that would be the end of her.”Martha said flatly,brutally honest ,if nothing else.

“Pretty low opinion you have of me”,mumbled Jack.

Martha chuckled.“You better stay away from her,young man.Now get some rest.”and she left the room, leaving Jack alone with his thoughts..

The day had started decently enough, with his diy garden stool.That is, till the saw slipped from his hand and fell on his left leg.He had never experienced such an excruciating pain in a long time.He had wrapped it up in a makeshift bandage and called Martha.They had known each other for four years, since he had first landed in Pondicherry, to take care of his dad’s Indian branch of their business.

His family business was mainly in Switzerland, where his father was a big shot in the hospitality industry and a wine maker by passion. .In his youth, his dad had made a couple of trips to Pondicherry and had been mesmerized by the coastal town.That was when he had decided to invest there.What started as an initial investment in a couple of hotels ,soon expanded into multiple villas and resorts, with a major share in the Pondicherry hospitality pie.

Jack would alternate between India and Switzerland, though he pretty much stayed put in Pondicherry most of the year.

Martha and her husband Pete were easily his best friends in the small coastal town .Though he stayed alone in his bungalow, with daytime domestic helps,they lived just around the corner and they met almost every other day on some pretext or the other.

Jack smiled a little as he thought of Martha’s comment that he was a player.It was true he had had a string of girlfriends, but it had always been mutual.He never kept anyone in the dark about his intentions.Come on!It was a democratic country and consensual sex was, well, ok,wasn’t it?He didn’t believe in marriage or even long term relationships.Most of his girlfriends had simply been after his money and he was astute enough to figure that out.And he had witnessed way too many divorces in his own family.So yeah !He didn’t believe in marriage.A guy was entitled to his belief systems,wasn’t he,for Christ’s sake?

Involuntarily his mind went back to the little fairy doctor.It was true he was piqued by her.She really was a sight for sore eyes.Curves in all the right places.So small and so perfect.And that smile!It lit up her big doe eyes !He couldn’t look away, though he had been in so much pain.He smiled to himself.It had been fun teasing her a little .Every time she blushed his heart turned to mush!He caught himself!Was he becoming a poet or what!One thing was sure.He was going to see her again if it took all his manipulative powers to wiggle out Martha’s help!!