77• Her Memories

Ethan was sitting in the dark corner of the room, gloomily staring at Nandini's photo, in which she was pulling his cheeks while giggling. He was missing his cheery sister, whose presence used to give him pleasant vibes, and he was constantly praying for her well-being.

Flashback

"Ella, please save me from my sister. She is tickling me." Ethan yelled and ran all around the hall while Nandini was chasing him to tickle him.

She came to a halt, breathing heavily, then bent down and held her knees. "No one will save you from me, Ethan. You didn't stop when I asked you to stop, and you made me laugh the hell out of me, so now I'll do the same to you." She shouted before running after him once more. Ella just grinned as she watched them fight like kids.

"I enjoy doing it with you." While still running, he responded by glancing at her over his shoulder.

"Now I'll love tickling you, aaa..." she screamed when her knee was hit by a table. He hurried toward her, forgetting everything, and began frantically inspecting her knee.

"I'm so sorry, Sweetie, you got hurt because of me. Is it hurting too much?" After sitting on the couch with her and placing her leg in his lap, he asked her anxiously, and Ella stared at her with concern.

Nandini pretended to be hurt because she wanted to catch him, but after seeing his reaction, she looked at him with guilt in her eyes.

"I was just acting, Ethan, and you're the best brother in this world." She wrapped her arms around him and embraced him firmly.

"Seriously?" He frowned and yanked her away.

"Don't become upset. I just want to catch you, my cute brother?" She pulled his cheeks while laughing. When Ethan saw his sister laughing, he forgot about his anger and smiled at her, and Ella captured this moment on her phone.

Flashback over

Ella stepped into the room. She was also devastated because her best friend was in a coma, but seeing Ethan's condition made her heart break even more. She was just trying to be strong for him.

She lumbered towards him and settled down beside him.

"Ethan, please get a hold of yourself. Nandini will be fine, and when she regained her consciousness and saw you in this condition, have you ever thought about how she would feel?" As she questioned him, he just shook his head, his eyes fixed on Nandini's photo.

"Ethan, please try to pull yourself back for her. She never wanted to see you like this." She placed her hand on his shoulder and explained to him.

He finally moved his sorrowful eyes to her. "Ella, I just can't live without her because I don't know how to live without her. I want my sister back, Ella." His lips quivered, tears trickled down his cheeks and a sob escaped from his mouth.

Ella just engulfed him in her arms and tears ran down her cheeks as well. They both silently cried.

"She's gonna be fine, Ethan. Everything is gonna be alright." She consoled him, rubbing his back.

***

The next morning, Manik was giving her a sponge bath while talking to her as if she wasn't in a coma. Yesterday he had made up his mind that he would try to stay happy for her.

Nandini was lying on her back in the loose white gown. "I'm going to bathe you, my love. Just tell me if I'm not doing right, okay?" He said, properly cleaning her face with the wet towel. He was sitting beside her on the bed with a small bucket of water, body wash, bathing clothes and towels.

"Until you don't respond to me, I'm not going to leave your side. I'm gonna stick around you. I hope you don't mind. I'm so stupid, why would you mind, rather you would be on cloud nine because your hottie biker is going to stay with you twenty-four hours." While talking to her, he carefully pulled off her gown and wet her front body with a damp cloth before applying a small amount of body wash all over her body, controlling his emotions.

He cleaned her with the wet cloth and massaged her feet before placing a tender kiss there.

"I'll take care of my kiddo like this always." He softly kissed her forehead before carefully rolling her to one side and cleaning her back in the same way.

He was lovingly bathing her like a mother bathes her baby.

He again carefully turned her on her back and washed her genitals with a fresh cloth.

He never thought that one day he would have to bathe her like that. With each passing day, something was dying inside him. He'd lost himself on the day she went into a coma. He was living without a heart, like a lifeless soul, because she was his heart. He used to feel alive because of her, but without her, he felt as though he had died inside.

"It's done. I hope you are feeling fresh now." After using the towel to dry her body, he said and kissed her finger where she had tattooed his name.

"Your favourite colour is black and you love to wear my clothes, so today I'm going to make you wear my black shirt." He told her, picking up his black shirt.

"Now you're all ready. My beautiful kiddo." He leaned in and kissed her forehead after making her wear it.

Even though it shattered his heart to watch her lying lifeless, he continued to act normally for her because the doctor had told him that she could hear them and he was determined to do whatever it took to make his kiddo happy.

***

Ella made Ethan understand, and sent him to the office because if he stays at home and only thinks about Nandini and does nothing, he'll certainly lose his mind.

Ella was sitting, holding Ethan's hand in the back seat of the car. He was staring out dejectedly, and she was staring at him with the same expression.

***

After reading out a few pages of a novel, Manik placed it on the side table of Nandini's bed, conversing with her. "Now I'm going to read out your diary. I know it's not right to read someone's diary, but I also know you won't mind."

He sat beside her, holding her hand. "You know when I read your diary, I felt like you were there with me and talking to me. I'm sure your diary will keep me alive until you wake up. Now I'll be back after a short break." He kissed her forehead before standing up and walking towards her study table.

He halted as his eyes fell on the swing chair, and then he was drawn into her memories.

Flashback

"Manik, do you know which is my favourite place in my room?" She asked him, drawing his attention to herself.

"Which place?" He questioned, raising his brows.

She walked over to her swinging hanging chair and settled down. "This, my swing chair. You know I could stay here for hours." She swayed slightly, bringing a smile to his face.

"I spend half of my time here and enjoy writing while seated on it."

He leaned in and placed a tender kiss on her forehead, and she closed her eyes and smiled contentedly.

"And do you know which my favourite spot is?" He inquired, lifting his brows at her.

"Which?"

He knelt in front of her and placed his head on her lap. "This is my favourite spot. I can spend my whole life here." She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair before moving down and kissing his head.

Flashback Over

"I miss you, Kiddo. I want to place my head on your lap and fall asleep while you stroke my hair with your hands like before. I miss the way you whined when I pulled your cheeks, I miss the way you giggled when I tickled you, I miss the way you smiled at me when I complimented you, I missed the way you played with my rings and beard, I missed the way you admired my tattoo and caressed them, I fucking miss everything about you." He murmured, staring at her with longing eyes.

He looked around the room and continued, "This whole room is filled with our precious memories, reminding me of our happy days, and giving me hope that one day those beautiful days will come back."

After that, he settled down on the chair, and as he opened the diary, a small smile flashed on his face, seeing his photo pasted on the front page. 'My Hottie Biker' was written with a heart below his photo.

He flipped the page and caressed her beautiful handwriting before starting reading it.

(Hello, my new diary, it's the first page of yours and I have something very interesting to share with you. I know you would have already guessed that it is related to my hottie biker.

Today in the morning, I stole Manik's shirt. I think I'm going to become his personal thief.)

He chuckled after reading the last line.

(I stepped into Ethan's room, he was on the balcony and Manik was in the bathroom, so I took advantage, stole his black shirt and rushed back to my room. I was carefree because I knew no one was going to doubt me. I smelled, kissed and hugged his shirt, and also danced with it. He smells so good, and I just want to get lost in the exquisite scent of his body. If someone had seen me like this, they would certainly have declared me insane, but what I can do, he drives me crazy.

You know, right now I'm sitting, wearing his shirt. It feels so good to be in his clothes, and when I hug myself, it feels like he embraces me in his warm arms. Now wait for a second, let me hug myself again.

I feel so damn incredible to be in his shirt. Now good night, dear Diary, because I'm going to sleep, cuddling my hottie biker.)

There was a constant smile on his face while reading Nandini's diary. He turned his face towards her and murmured, "Even if you're in a coma, you're still becoming the reason for my smile through your diary, Kiddo. I love you so much." He dashed towards her and embraced her, shedding tears.

***

Ethan returned home at night from the office and envisioned his sister running towards him cheerfully. He smiled broadly, thinking this was real, but when he opened his arms to hug her, she disappeared and reality hit him hard that she was in a coma, and now she couldn't welcome him with a warm hug after he came back home from the office. Tears trickled down his cheeks like a drain, he was terribly missing her. He wanted his little bundle of joy back.

He composed himself and lumbered upstairs towards Nandini's room with a heavy heart because again he had to see his sister lying like a lifeless soul.

He peeped inside through the ajar door and found Manik, reading the novel to her while the nurse was checking her. He silently walked away from there, wiping his tears. Time wasn't healing, rather it was making him weak.

***

At night, Manik was sitting beside Nandini on the bed and gazing at the bracelet gifted by her.

"Manik, this time I have also brought a gift for you."

"Now we are both going to have so many gifts as we'll give a present to each other after our every make-out, right?" Her words were echoing in his ears.

"I miss you so much, Kiddo." As he murmured, caressing the bracelet, tears streamed down his cheeks mechanically.

"Please don't cry, Manik." As he heard Nandini's voice, he raised his eyes and imagined her standing by the window and staring at him pleadingly. She continued, "You know how much your tears hurt your kiddo."

"I know, but I'm missing you, Kiddo. I want you back." He talked to his imagery Kiddo while giving her a sad-eyed look before running toward her.

"I'll be back, Manik. Just stay strong." She reassured him, and he shook his head.

"No, please do go." He pleaded, staring at her with moist eyes.

"Trust me, I'll come back for you, my love, but you have to promise me that you'll be strong for me." They locked their intense gazes on each other as she extended her hand to him. She begged him not to give up through her eyes, and he told her through his eyes that he couldn't live without her.

"No, I can't." He closed his eyes and sobbed, shaking his head. How could he promise her to be strong when he didn't know when she would return?

She vanished like smoke in the air as soon as he opened his eyes and attempted to touch her hand. He turned his face and dejectedly stared at his lifeless kiddo with moist eyes. He was dying bit by bit every day, seeing her in this condition.