My Hospital & My Knee

I was enjoying my leave. I had been in our armchair, reclining ¾ and reading a Dan Brown novel all afternoon today. Armchairs are different from regular chairs. The difference is not only in the comfort when sitting on it, but also while getting up. When you are on the other side of fifty and with an old knee injury, it sometimes hurts in the knee while getting up from the low position. It hurt today, and I thought of the knee injury. It was my operation-theater day. I had a long list, and it was progressing well. Between two cases, they called me to the air-handling unit for discussing some engineering matter. I was second in command of my department then, and the head was on some leave. So I went to that room. The engineers were standing in front of the running machine, and I stood on the side where there was no one. It never occurred to me that there should have been some reason why the spot was deserted. It did not occur to all those engineers to warn me. I soon found out why. A little breeze blew my OT pajama into the fan belt of the God knows how many horse power pump. The fan belt should have had a cover, but they seemed not to follow standard safety precautions. I did not know any pain at that moment, just a tremendous pull dragging me on the fan belt. They just watched me being pulled in, while I screamed someone cut off my pajama so that I would be free. Someone realized what had happened and switched off the pump. I fell to the ground. They lifted me and took me outside. I lay on the ground, my back against the wall, holding a knee that was just full of pain. I remember horrified faces of my associates. I remember the ceiling and walls moving backwards as they wheeled me to the radiology room. I remember the professor of orthopedics checking my knee and pronouncing two ligaments torn. I remember the happiness on the face of two particular staff members while I waited to go home. I refused to allow any colleague to accompany me home (foolish of me perhaps) and drove the car myself. Surprisingly the strapped knee did not hurt much while driving. But I took longer than my driving time just to climb up three floors to home. I remember my wife crying when she saw my knee, and shredded shorts suggesting the degree force I had survived. It took me two months to get OK. I remember the auditors asking for the letter stating I was to hold the charge of the department when the head was away, so that my claim of having gone to the accident site in place of the head of the department would be substantiated and they may sanction my special leave for injury on duty. I was so angry I told them every time the head of department remained absent, I had to work as the head, and if they did not sanction my leave, I would not do that work any time in future. They relented after that threat. I wanted to sue the administrators for negligence and causing grievous hurt and ask for apology and compensation. But I loved my institute and couldn’t bring myself to do so. I must not have let go completely, because occasionally the knee hurts when getting up from a low sitting position, and I relive all those events and emotions.