Chapter 15: chapter 15

Raghav is the working staff at my father-in-law's shop. He is a very devoted and trusted worker who had been serving the shop for the past five to six years. His main vocation was acting but he had accidentally stepped into my father-in-law's shop for a living. He flaunted his shoulder-length proudly while talking to the customers. He exhibited a star-like attitude in his demeanour. My mother-in-law's disclosure brought shivers down my spine. It stupefied me to the core. I was dazed and confused as we didn't isolate him from the day he started feeling unwell. It was too late. I had been nursing him without taking any precautions. He was having his meals although reluctantly in the dining hall. He was using the same washroom. I went inside his room umpteen times to give him medicines, fruits and juices from time to time. I made him vomit in a bucket and drained it in the bathroom. Due to excessive coughing, he tended to vomit. I proposed to my husband for a swab test. The other day, the lab attendant, a boy in his late twenties came with his kit and other elements.  He called for my father-in-law who was in the washroom. He was aware that he was going to be tested. My husband gave me a call saying that he will reach within a few seconds, till then I need to take charge of him. When he got inside his room, I asked him to come outside for the test. He rose feebly from his bed and walked towards the dining hall. He needed no assistance.Despite the loose motions and vomiting, he was able to keep going without any support. I produced a chair for him to sit on. After seating himself properly, the lab boy wore his gloves and took out his swab and was about to insert it inside his nose. He interrupted him saying, "I need to drink some water. my throat has gone dry." I hurried to the kitchen to bring a glass of water. He gulped it slowly down his throat and implored him to proceed. The lab attended seemed indifferent in his temperament. He had the least bother of being infected. In the first wave, he had the experience of testing a lot of many patients, following the precautions. Coronavirus was just another disease for him. He inserted the nasal swab into his nose, rotated it for something and pulled it out instantly. He placed the sample on the kit and waited for ten minutes. My husband arrived and got the first shock of his life. My father-in-law tested positive. The lab boy was lenient in monitoring him. He said, "It's a mild attack. No need to worry and panic. Give him warm water, ask him to take steam and stay in isolation until the results are negative. It's only a matter of fourteen days, he will recover soon." He recommended each one of us drink only warm water while departing. It was no use lamenting and moaning. My mother-in-law was informed.My younger son was giving his online pre-board exams for the tenth standard. He had caught sudden cold and fever coming in contact with my in-laws. I nursed him with medicines and syrup. He  was recouping finely but the dry cough remained persistent. I thought it would go off gradually. My husband had stocked the required medicines due to the uncertain lockdown on the advice of his medical service provider. My son coughed incessantly at times. I started feeling a prickly sensation inside my throat the same afternoon when my father-in-law tested positive. I thought it was a normal cold symptom and carried on with my tasks.