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She was walking alone on a beach in Falsterbo, Sweden. The soft sand caressed her feet. She looked like an angel in her pure white dress. The cold breeze blew her long blonde hair all over her face.
The air smelled salty and sea like. On one side, she could see the North Sea—with no hint of where its other shore was. On the other, she saw land—full of pine trees. Where in the world could you find both—sea and the pine together?
In Sweden, of course.
The sky was sunny and bright—like a typical summer sky. The sea looked still—very still—as if it had forgotten how to crash. There was no splashing sound. The water made a gentle plop plop plop sound. How soothing!
On a whim, she sat down and started digging up some sand. Then she started building. At first, a base, and then the gates and the arches took shape. She then added a tower and a dome. Her castle was soon ready, and it didn’t look too bad.
She could marvel her castle only for a moment till a biggish wave swept it away. The sea had suddenly woken up. Her dream was destroyed so suddenly. She wanted to cry. But just then, she heard the seagulls which sounded as if they were making fun of her.
So she decided to start again. She built her castle on the same spot. It was swept again. Then she started again. This time the castle was swept away before completion.
She heard a voice.
“Ms. Akerson....... Ella!”
She turned back. There was no one. She heard the voice again.
“Ella! Are you awake?”
She could still see no one. What was happening? Who was calling her?
Poof! Suddenly, the sea, the sand, the pine trees—everything disappeared. Ella’s eyes opened. She was in a strange place with white walls and on a strange bed.
A man was standing near her bed clad in white clothes. He had wrapped something on her arm and was pumping something. The wrapped around cuff bloated and Ella felt the pressure on her arm. It throbbed. He was looking at something. And then that wrapped around thing deflated with a whoosh sound.
“Where am I?” asked Ella.
The man looked at her.
“You’re in the Hampstead Hospital. You had become unconscious, I’m told,” said the man.
Ella looked at him. What was the man blabbering? It didn’t make any sense.
“I need to go home. I have assignments to complete,” said Ella.
“No Ella. We can’t let you go, not yet,” retorted the man. How rude!
A woman entered the room. She made a click, click, click sound as she walked towards Ella in her stilettoes. She was tall and big. Her hair was almost dark orange. Her eyes were cold and green. And she wore black trousers and a shirt.
“Hi Ella. I’m Dr. Morgan. How’re you doing?”
“I’m fine,” yawned Ella.
“Ella, if you don’t mind, I’ll need to ask you a few questions,” said Dr. Morgan.
Ella looked at her. It didn’t sound like good news.
“What do you want to know?”
“Alright. Let’s start from the beginning,” said Dr. Morgan. She took out a notebook and a pen. She looked at another sheet. There was an eerie silence in the room for a few seconds.
“Are you on a restricted diet?”
Ella was quiet. Dr. Morgan stared at her with cold eyes. What kind of a question is that? Ella wondered.
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“I... I don’t remember. May be three weeks.” Ella sounded irritated.
“Three weeks?” Dr. Morgan sounded surprised. Her tone was sharp like a knife.
“I mean I had a cheese sandwich, some fruits and juice. That’s it”
“That’s it! What do you think about food, Ella?” asked Dr. Morgan
“That it’s a necessary evil!” replied Ella. Her expressions were hardening. Why the hell was this woman asking such stupid questions?
“Really? You’re so wrong, Ella. For most people, eating food is quite a pleasurable activity,” said Dr. Morgan.
“Stop lecturing me!” Ella exploded.
“We are not finished yet. Will you please cooperate with us, Ms. Akerson,” said Dr. Morgan rather sternly.
Ella made a nasty face. She felt as if she was being interrogated by a police officer for a crime she had not committed.
“Okay. Were you a victim of a sexual assault?”
“What kind of a ridiculous question is this?” asked Ella.
Dr. Morgan gave her a cold stare.
“Ella, you didn’t answer my question.”
“My answer is NO,” said Ella.
“Okay. Very well. Were you bullied in school?”
“I don’t want to answer any personal questions,” said Ella.
“Ms. Akerson, please answer my question. Yes or No,” insisted Dr. Morgan.
“Sometimes. But I don’t consider myself a victim. I’m not a victim,” said Ella.
“Ms. Akerson, just answer what you are asked,” repeated Dr. Morgan.
This went on for some time. Ella was again feeling tired. Dr. Morgan looked at another piece of paper and declared:
“Ella, your blood pressure is low. Your blood tests indicate that you’re short of some very essential nutrients, meaning you’re suffering from severe malnutrition. We shall run some more tests to exclude the possibility of some obnoxious risk factors I’d rather not talk about. But at this moment, I’d say that your problem is that you’re starving yourself.”
***
Anuj had to leave, after admitting Ella, because the hospital wasn’t allowing any attendants. He insisted that the hospital gets across to Ella’s folks in Sweden, which they did. Probably because someone had to pay the bills, Anuj mused. Anyway the good news was that Ella’s parents were now on their way to London.
Anuj dropped in the afternoon to check whether Ella was fine. He walked to the reception.
“Hi. I’ve come here to meet a patient named Ella Akerson,” said Anuj.
“Okay,” said the receptionist. She typed something on her computer.
“She would be with Dr. Morgan on the third floor,” smiled the receptionist.
“Thank you,” said Anuj and moved to the third floor. He walked through the corridor. The place smelled very much like a hospital. He soon came across a chamber with a name plate saying “Dr. Dorothy Morgan.”
He knocked at the door and heard a voice, “Come in please!”
Anuj walked in and saw an overweight woman in her late-fifties sitting on a chair behind quite a cluttered desk. She had a leathery, weather-beaten skin and was wearing “nude” lipstick. Her eyes looked emotionless.
“Yes?” she said.
“Actually, I’m here to see Ella. She had suddenly become unconscious and so I brought her here in the morning today,” said Anuj.
“Your name?”
“I’m Anuj Kaul.”
“And how are you related to her?” frowned Dr. Morgan.
“Oh, I’m just a friend.”
Dr. Morgan stared at him.
“Mr. Kaul—I’m sorry only her relatives can meet her right now. Please come back later.”
Her voice sounded cold. No hospital in India could be that rude to a good Samaritan who had brought an unconscious person to a hospital. But this was NOT India, but a developed country. Anuj felt helpless.
“Alright. May I know what is she suffering from?” Anuj asked.
“Mr. Kaul—we have a policy that we don’t share patient information with anyone without the consent of the patient. Her family members in Sweden have already been contacted and they should be arriving here soon. Rest be assured she is in safe hands. Is that clear?”
Anuj stood in silence and then nodded.
“Good! Now if you will please excuse me,” she said and got up to leave. Anuj too followed her out of the chamber. He felt his head becoming hot with anger. He wanted to strangle that woman, but he controlled himself. As he turned towards the exit, he heard a voice.
“Are you looking out for that blonde thin girl?”
Anuj turned around and saw a skinny looking blonde girl. She was probably in her late teens and she wore a white hospital gown.
“Yes. Do you know her?” asked Anuj.
“Yes, sort of. By the way I’m Sam.”
The girl had a British accent.
“Hi I’m Anuj. Ella’s friend. Do you know how she is?”
“Oh, she is okay, considering what she is suffering from,” said Sam.
“What? Do you know what she is suffering from?”
“Yes, I do,” Sam smiled.
“Because I have been diagnosed with the same thing,” added Sam with a tinge of sadness in her voice.
“Huh?” Anuj couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I’m actually trying to hide from Dr. Morgan. You know Dr. Morgan. She is a psychiatrist and an eating disorder specialist. I hate her,” said Sam. Anuj looked at her for a few seconds.
“So what has Ella been diagnosed with?”
Anuj’s heart started racing. He knew the answer was going to be nasty.
“Anorexia Nervosa,” said Sam.
Sam’s voice echoed in Anuj’s ears.
Anorexia Nervosa. Anorexia Nervosa. Anorexia Nervosa.
