Second Lives

by Sarkar, Anish

  I turned. Sara had entered in her wheelchair.

  She had made a miraculous recovery from the gunshot wounds. The loss of blood had almost killed her. But the bullets had missed the vital organs like the heart, liver and kidneys. She was in intensive care for a week. Then the doctors declared her out of danger.

  While digging out one of the bullets, the surgeon noticed a strange growth inside her abdomen. It was something called a teratoma. A rare type of tumour that contains tissues usually found in organs like the brain, thyroid or lung. In fact, teratomas have been reported to have hair, teeth, eyes and even hands or feet.

  The surgeon did some further tests. He asked about Sara’s chronic headaches, memory losses and seizures. And finally concluded that they were the symptoms of a form of encephalitis caused by the teratoma. In her case, it was congenital and contained brain tissue. It was no wonder that all the doctors she had been to earlier hadn’t been able to diagnose such a strange condition.

  Once Sara was sufficiently recovered from her injuries, she was operated on again. The teratoma was completely removed. Her psychosis was expected to fade within a matter of weeks. She would hopefully be fully normal for the first time in her life.

  ‘It’s good to see you alive and well, Sara,’ Roy said.

  She smiled. ‘It’s a second life for me, in more ways than one.’

  ‘For me too.’ I came up behind her. Put my hands on her shoulders. She looked up at me. Love shone in her eyes. At least something good had come out of this whole business.

  Neither of us noticed Roy quietly walk out of the room.