The Story of Jane and John Diss

Once upon a time, there was a young couple, Jane and John Diss. And, as young couples go, they were very much in love. They had been managed to put up with each others’ shenanigans for three years, and had decided, on that basis, to get married in a few months’ time.

As I have mentioned before, the two were deeply in love, and wanted to spend as much time as possible with each other. So they’d meet almost every single day after work, and go out together – for movies, dinners, drives, ice cream…whatever caught their fancy.

Wedding talks had just recently concluded between their parents, to the satisfaction of all concerned. There was much excitement in the air because, children, marriages come once in a lifetime (twice, thrice at the most), and are made in Heaven.

The Disses had just settled on the wedding venue, and the fun part was around the corner – the shopping.

Then, one fine Saturday afternoon, Jane Diss fell ill.

It didn’t seem like anything serious. Just fever. But it didn’t go away. It carried on through Sunday. And on Monday, Jane went to work and just came back, feeling sick.

John was spending his time working really hard, and worrying really badly.

So Doc came over to meet Jane, and told her to stay home. And she did. But she didn’t feel much better. She went back to work on Wednesday, but was bedridden on Thursday and Friday.

On Friday, a worried John took the day off, and summoned the pathologist to draw a sample of blood from Jane’s veins (and that, children, is sheer poetry). And woe! Because the results, obtained later that evening, suggested that Jane had contracted jaundice.

John’s parents immediately took their soon-to-be daughter-in-law under their wing. Special food was prepared for her. She was sent to spend the night under the roof of Doc, whose parents are also practitioners of the medical arts. Thank Heavens for that, children, for do you know what happens in jaundice? You cannot retain any food. You feel breathless and uneasy. And Jane went through all of that, multiple times, that Friday night. So bad, that it took a late-night injection to quell her symptoms.

On Saturday, John took Jane for an ultrasound to determine if the bile ducts in her liver were obstructed. Thankfully, this was not the case. But later that evening came the shocking news! Jane had contracted not just Hepatitis A (the usual cause of jaundice), but Hepatitis E as well!

The next evening, Jane’s worried parents arrived from Delhi to take their ailing daughter into their care. And a Godsend that was, children. For John’s soon-to-be in-laws took strict and loving care of their daughter. Not allowing outside food. Making sure she got the right nutrition. Crushing eighteen sweet limes a day for their juice. Anything to make their daughter better.

And, as John Diss worked really hard to finish a campaign, Jane Diss started to recover.

John would meet her almost every night, spending time with her and her parents. Fetching them books, magazines and comics to make their time in Bombay a little more leisurely. For their part, John’s parents turned in a sterling performance, visiting often and taking Jane’s folks out for dinners and brunches. This had a twofold effect, children. It meant that Jane’s parents were kept entertained, and that John and Jane managed to snatch some time out together.

As Jane recovered her strength, her folks decided to take her to Delhi. They would therefore be able to get back to work, and yet take excellent care of her. And so it was ordained. And before John could blink twice, Jane was winging her way to her hometown.

The weeks stretched by, long and lonely, for John. What was there for him when Jane was gone? He was too busy to meet his friends very often. And while bonding over the phone is possible, it is also limited, children, as you will find out when you grow up.

Then, one weekend, John decided to go to Delhi to visit his sweetheart. And simultaneously, meet her Grandfather, something on which Jane was very keen. And so he flew to Delhi, where he spent a glorious 28 hours with his wife-to-be and her family. Then he flew back. And was promptly despatched to Bangalore for a meeting on Tuesday.

When John Diss awoke at 4.15 AM on Tuesday, he was running a fever, and really not feeling all that well. Yet, he pushed on through the day, popping paracetamol tablets at regular intervals. He returned home later that evening, knackered. The next day, it was worse. He went to work feeling miserable, and returned feeling worse. On Thursday, he took the day off.

By now, his stomach had started acting up. Doc’s dad examined John, and pronounced antibiotics. But they didn’t help. After agonising all weekend, John noticed that his urine had turned dark yellow on Sunday afternoon. And on Monday, blood tests confirmed his worst suspicions. He too, had contracted jaundice. Hepatitis A, to be precise.

The rest was obvious. Jane Diss returned to Bombay after her birthday ( that very Tuesday) to be with her ailing boyfriend. Who, as the latest blood tests confirm, is recovering slowly.

And that, children, is the story of John and Jane Diss. A story of two people who fell in love, so deeply that when one fell sick, so did the other. A story of true love.