76• Reading Her Diary

After a week, the doctor discharged Nandini. Her external wounds were healing with time. Manik and Ethan were in the same condition; they were barely eating and were just surviving without their bundle of joy. They both stood by her side for twenty-four hours and used to talk to her cheerfully, disguising their pain, because the doctor told them she could hear them.

Manik didn't let the nurse change her clothes; instead, he changed her clothes himself and gave her a sponge bath carefully while talking to her, and he was also learning to do her dressing. He just loved to take care of his kiddo and was hoping that one day he would get her back and that his hope would win.

He cried silently because he didn't want to hurt her; that's why he always talked to her in a cheery tone and read novels to her.

Every second they prayed for a miracle. Their hearts were burning with immense agony, yet they continued to be happy for Nandini and to live with hope because hope was the only thing that gave them strength on their darkest days. They would have died if there had been no hope.

In an ambulance, they arrived at Ethan's house. Ethan and Manik were sitting in front of Nandini, who was unconscious. Ella and James were on the way in their cars. Their hearts were shattered by the way they were bringing Nandini back home.

Manik carried Nandini inside cautiously in his arms. Nurse, Ella and Ethan followed them. He properly laid her down on her bed, his lips drawn down in despair, his face pallid, and his eyes red and swollen from shedding tears for a week.

It was killing him deep inside, he was yearning to listen to her voice, to see his peaceful smile, and to hear her soothing laugh. He knew that if he didn't get her back, he would perish. He was living each day as though he were repaying a debt. His life was utterly gloomy without her because she was his shining star. She was the only one who had brought a gleam into his dark life.

"I love you, Kiddo. Get well soon." He murmured and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, concealing his sadness behind his faint smile.

The nurse came and attached all the tubes and wires to her body and mouth, breaking their hearts. Fresh tears streamed down Manik's cheeks as he turned his face to the other side and squeezed his eyes shut in agony. It was excruciatingly painful for him to see his kiddo in this state.

***

On either side of Nandini's bed, Manik and Ethan were seated. They were talking to her, concealing their sorrow behind their cheerful voices because she could hear them. Since they didn't want to hurt her, they couldn't even cry in front of her; instead, they had to act happy.

"Sweetie, welcome back home," Ethan said cheerfully, stroking her hair and suppressing his true feelings.

"I've brought your favourite flowers for you. Smell them." Manik brought the rose bouquet close to her nose to make her smell it, but she didn't respond, and he felt so hurt and empty deep inside that he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to control his tears before placing the bouquet on the side table.

"Wow, he brought roses for you! I must say he loves you so much, Sweetie." Ethan said, gazing at her, and then they both stared at each other dejectedly.

"We both love you a lot, Kiddo! Just get up for us." Manik begged her because he couldn't see her like that; it was killing him. Only he knew how he was surviving. Every day seemed like a year for him.

He struggled to hold back his emotions any longer, so he hurried to the window. He sobbed uncontrollably for her while covering his mouth with his palm. A week had passed since he last heard her voice and saw her soothing smile. It felt like someone was tormenting him when he saw his kiddo lying like a lifeless soul every day.

He was standing with his back to Ethan, sobbing in misery, and Ethan was looking at him with grief in his eyes. He was already suffering from his little sister's condition and seeing his best buddy suffer made him feel worse. He felt as if his entire world was crashing down around him because the two people he loved the most were suffering in front of his eyes, and he felt so helpless because he couldn't do anything.

He lumbered up to Manik and placed his hand on his shoulder from behind. He could feel Manik shivering in pain. Manik turned around and embraced his best friend as he squeezed his shoulder.

"I miss her so much; my life is completely dark without her," he cried in his arms.

"I miss her too, Manik, but the doctor said she can listen to everything, so you have to be happy for her. We have to survive for her because one day we'll get her back. She'll come back for us because you know she can do anything for our happiness." Even though Ethan's condition was the same as Manik's, he strived to brace him.

"Bro, I'm completely incomplete without her, and how can I pretend to be happy when my happiness is lying lifelessly on the bed?" He yanked him apart and questioned him, pointing at his kiddo.

"But you have to be strong for her. She'll be devastated, Manik, when she wakes up and sees us like this. Not for yourself, for her, please don't fall weak." He pleaded.

"Yes, you're right. I have to brace myself for her." He wiped his tears and palmed his face to compose himself.

"Kiddo, I'm sorry. I promise I'm not going to cry for you anymore. I'll patiently wait for you to wake up. And now I'm going to read a novel for you." He told Nandini, walking towards her study table. Ethan exited her room dejectedly because he couldn't see them like that. Manik's condition was worsening his pain.

When Manik strolled towards her study table, his eyes fell on her diary. It was open, and he accidentally read the first line of that page.

(Dear Diary, Today I went to meet Manik's Mother, whom he despised.)

After reading this he couldn't stop himself and settled down to read it.

(Only you know how much I have been longing to unite Manik and his mother since the day I came to know his father is dating her again. I badly want to complete this family for him because I want to give all the happiness in this world to my love.)

After reading this, fresh tears streamed down his cheeks and landed on the page of the dairy, making the page wet. "She invited my mother for dinner because she wanted to complete my family, and I," he hiccuped, "I rebuked her for doing this. I deserve this pain for hurting my Kiddo, but why did God punish her?" His heart became heavy with guilt and he cried, staring at her lifeless body.

(After meeting his mother, I realised that she wasn't completely at fault. It is just that she chose her happiness over her son. She left Manik's father because she was in love with somebody else. Her parents had forcefully made her marry Manik's father. She wanted to take Manik too with her, but for Manik's father, she abounded Manik to stay with the person with whom she was in love. Honestly, if I were in his mother's place, I would also have chosen my love, Manik, because to spend the rest of my life with the love of my life, I could sacrifice all happiness in this world, because without him all life's happiness is useless. I accept what happened with my love in childhood was wrong, but her mother wasn't completely at fault in my point of you. She shared with me that sacrificing her son for the love of her life was hard. Many a time she regretted her decision, and she longed to meet him.)

Her euphonic voice was echoing in his ears when he was reading her diary. When he looked at things from Nandini's eyes after reading her diary, he realised he was so wrong for blaming and despising his mother all his life.

'She said right, my mother wasn't at fault because choosing the person whom you love is never wrong. Even if I had her place, I would have chosen Nandini because I would go to any length to be with her. At this time when she is lying like a lifeless soul in front of me, I only know how much I'm dying to get her back and live with her again.' He wondered, gazing at her with his sorrowful eyes.

(I have invited her to dinner. Dad and she denied it, but I convinced them that I would make Manik understand. I'm sure my monster will surely understand me and give his mother a second chance. I'm so excited about the day when this family will be reunited. I'll make him understand that his Mom didn't leave him because she didn't want him in her life, she left him because of the situation, and he would never have been happy seeing his mother yearning for her love all her life if she had chosen him. I'm dying to tell him how much she is yearning to get him back.)

"She was so confident she could make me understand, but I didn't even listen to her in my rage," he mumbled, recalling how he had treated her that night.

"I wish if I had listened to her that night, she would have explained to me all these things. Because of my temper, my Kiddo went into Coma." He drowned once again in the pool of remorse, sobbing and covering his face with his palms. He had just promised her that he wouldn't cry, but it wasn't in his hands.

After composing himself and last time glancing at his kiddo, he continued, reading her diary.

(Okay, now bye, Diary. I'm going to get a surprise for my love. I'm sharing this secret with you only. I'm going to ink his name on my ring finger because, according to legend, it was believed the ring finger has a vein that connects directly to the heart. His name is already engraved on my heart, and now I want to get it etched on my skin as well. I love him so much, and my only wish is to see him happy always.)

After reading the last line, he smiled along with tears in his brown eyes. Despite being in a coma, she was able to bring a smile to his face through her diary, and her diary was going to be the source of his delight.

He stood up and walked towards her. He sat down beside her and took her hand in his, slightly smiling at her.

"Today I'm forgiving Mom and accepting her with my whole heart, but I'll meet her the day you open your eyes because I know you have waited for this moment for so long. And I promise you, Love, I'll smile and be happy for the sake of you until you wake up, because that's what you want, and I'll do anything to make it happen." He gave her a promise with a kiss on her forehead, stroking her hair with his free hand.