When she opened her eyes she thought everything was just a horrible dream. But then she realised where she was and she knew that all the terrible things that had happened were real. As she closed her eyes again she felt the tears which were running down her cheek.
"You´re not dead?" A voice got her out of her thoughts and made her open her eyes again. A little boy sat next to her bed and watched her with his head braced in his hands. She wiped her tears and said with a very weak smile: "No, I think I´m not." Then she sat up and looked around. She was in a hospital and there were three other people with her in the room but all of them seemed to sleep. "Oh, you are awake, Miss.... uh... Sharmili Desai?" Sharmili turned around and saw a female doctor who walked in. "Mum, dekho, she is not dead.", intended the boy. The doctor smiled at him. "Please behave yourself, Tanay." Then she looked up to Sharmili. "I´m sorry, he is a little bit cheeky." Sharmili shook her head. "No, he is a very cute little boy..." Her statement made Tanay smile. “Well, Miss Desai, mera naam Shikha Tagore hai. I´m your doctor. We found you bleeding and unconscious in front of the hospital entrance. Can you tell me what happened to you...?” Sharmili felt her heart beating faster and tears filling her eyes. She laid her hand on her mouth and closed her eyes when the memories of the last few hours came back to her.
It happened when she and her mother were busy preparing the breakfast for the family. The father and Sharmili's elder brother were on the housetop of the cottage they were living in to fix the roof. Sharmili got scared when she heard a loud and sudden bang in front of the cottage. But she didn´t even have the time to go and see what had happened. Two men with the stature of gorillas walked in and destroyed everything in the little shack. Sharmili's mother pushed her out and screamed: "Run away, Sharmili, as fast as you can!" She staggered back and fell over the bodies of her father and her brother. Their heads were covered with blood and they didn´t move when Sharmili tried to wake them up. Tears were running down her cheeks and she couldn´t see properly. Her whole body shivered but then she heard her mother scream and she tried to help her but when one of the men made a grap for her she jumped away and remembered that her mother had told her to run away and so she did. One of the men ran after her and clutched her arm tightly so she fell on the street. Some people watched them but nobody tried to help her. So she had to cope with this guy herself. She dug her teeth in his arm and kicked him so hard between his legs that the guy became unconscious . Sharmili freed herself from his grip and ran away as fast as she could.
Her whole body was shaking and her face was covered with tears when she felt a hand on her back. She looked up and right into the face of Dr. Tagore. She gave Sharmili a gentle smile and asked: "So, you come from the slums?" Sharmili nodded and her tears renewed. "So, you see I don´t have money to pay for my hospitalisation and...." "It doesn´t matter. We are a charitable hospital. You don´t have to pay for your treatment." Sharmili felt relief while listening to the doctor´s words. "Miss Desai, I´m sorry for my curiosity but what did these men want from your family? I mean..." Sharmili lowered her gaze and sighed. "I´m not sure... I know my father was involved in some.... shady dealings to enable a life for my family. It was hard but I know he had no choice. Everything he did was just for the survival of our family and...." Her voice trailed off and she began to cry. Dr. Tagore tried to console her and softly stroked her back. "I feel so sorry for you...." Sharmili slightly shook her head. "I knew something like this would happen someday.... It's inevitable when you are living in the slums. Quite normal somehow but still it hurts so much and I...." Dr. Tagore put her arms around Sharmili's shaking body and ran her fingers through her thick black hair. "Shhh.... It´s okay. It isn´t your fault." Slowly Dr. Tagore let go of her. "Shall I phone a relative of yours or...?" Sharmili wiped her tears off her cheeks. "No, I have none, so... Can I please take a rest? I´m so tired…." Dr. Tagore nodded and left the room with the little Tanay on her hand.
"Mum, I feel so sorry for her. I want to help her.", Tanay added when they entered the cafeteria of the hospital. "I want to help her, too, but I don´t know what I could do. It´s just..." "Can we take her home with us?", he interrupted his mother. She smiled at his simplicity and caressed his little head. "It´s not that easy I guess.... But I have an idea. Maybe she will agree." "Sachi? What are you going to do, mum?" Shikha smiled and laid a finger on her mouth. "I will tell you if she agrees. And now get yourself ready. Adi uncle picks you up in about ten minutes."
