Nobody's Diary

Part 16- It started...

A few months passed since I met Pradyuth again. We started hanging out again, caught up with each other's lives. Things were going smoothly but I somehow started to realize that maybe I'm not giving Arohi enough attention. Soon Pradyuth left again, leaving his NEW number and his social media in case he did something stupid again. Once he left, I got a call from Arohi's dad. What I heard left me shaking and I quickly left for the hospital. 

I rushed into the hospital room, and the sight made my knees weak. I stumbled my way to the bed, where Arohi slept, her parents on either side. Their eyes were red, probably from being weeping too much. I walked over and kept her dad's hand, and put my other arm on her mother's shoulder, hoping to comfort them. I saw Arohi's face again. It wasn't as pale as the day I met her but... here she is. I saw the pin letting glucose into her veins and couldn't help shedding tears. She didn't deserve this. "It's happening. What we feared...", her dad said, his voice trailing off. He was too tired from crying to let it out loud so he said it under his breath shakily, but I managed to make out what he said. It hurts seeing them like this. Everyone seemed so cheerful last night. We were laughing, playing, and even though Arohi felt a little weak we managed to get her to waltz with me. Their smiles felt so warm, but now the even their silence feels more freezing than winter midnights. "I just want her to get better", her mom said, her breath still shaky. "She will aunty", I replied, hoping to make her feel better. The nurse walked in to check the glucose drip and started to walk out. I went behind the nurse to ask a few questions. "Hey, excuse me", I called out. She turned towards me and I instantly recognized her as the nurse who attended Arohi the last time she was admitted. "How is Arohi", I asked. "You're her boyfriend right?" I was a little confused until I realized she tells her nurse everything everyday night on texts. "She's stable, for now. She looks better than before, but she doesn't seem like she got much attention from the past few days. We'll examine her for a while and let you guys know. Okay?" She said and almost turned around but I had one last question. "How long have her parents been up", I asked. "They brought her in at 4 am and they haven't slept since", she said, looked at the file in her hand, and walked away. I sighed, took out my keys, and went to the nearest cafe. I grabbed two cups of coffee, went over to the hospital, and handed it to Arohi's parents. "Drink this, go home, and rest. I'll look after her until you guys come back", I said, half expecting them to argue. Surprisingly, they didn't. They took a sip, thanked me, and left. I called my mom to grab my laptop, ear pods and meet me at the hospital.

Mom came by with the things I asked for and their chargers. I explained what happened and she quickly went to a store and bought a bouquet for Arohi. I carried everything up to her ward and sat by her, looking for possible ways to cheer everyone up. All of a sudden I came across an Instagram page and quickly went over to the doctors to ask her permission. 

A few hours passed and Arohi gained consciousness. She woke up to my decoration of her ward. Yellow fairy lights all around, scented candles, and soothing music. It was around 8 pm, so most doctors and nurses were off for dinner. I held her hand as I slept on the seat next to her. I woke up when she gripped onto my hand and rubbed the top of it with her thumb. I woke up and rub my eyes. "Oh, you're awake", I say, and put my hand over hers, holding it between both of mine. "Why are u still here? Shouldn't you be eating anything?" She asked out of concern. "I had a whole pizza, around 4, so I'll eat when you do", I answer. "Wait, what's the time?" I look at my phone and answer yawning "It's 8 pm...". She tries to get up, so I help her to lie on the head of the bed. She looks frustrated, as though she hated everything in the room, and that would include me. I was about to leave her side before she pulled me by my hand and kissed me. Her lips met my lower lips and all of a sudden, I forgot all my despairs. A magical touch, you can say. When the kiss ended, so did the gloomy atmosphere in the room. I took a step back and sat in the seat, admiring her as she brushed some hair off her face and adjusted her posture. "what are you looking at?" She asked, wondering what's wrong with me. "I'm just admiring what's mine", I say, and kiss her forehead. Just then her nurse and her parents walk in. "So how's the little angel feeling", the nurse asked and checked her stats in the machines she was clipped to. She noted some things on her notepad and looked back at us, smiling. Even though the smile said otherwise, her look towards her notepad said things weren't going well for Arohi.

Her dad noticed it too because once the nurse was done checking up on her, he walked outside to talk with her in private. I sat there next to Arohi, holding her hand, while her mom rests her head on my shoulder. Arohi's father returned. the fakeness in his smile was seen through the wipes he wiped off his cheeks before coming inside. He tried but failed to fake it for long. "So...  she doesn't have many days to live, her leukemia is worse than anticipated. Doctors gave a week at most", he said, trying to stay strong for his family in front of him. The mother burst into tears, crying ugly, while her dad hugged her from behind to console her. I went blank, but then I felt Arohi's cold hands gripping onto mine, and somehow it made the news a little bearable.

We all sat down and ate our dinner in awkward silence. Arohi's dad broke the silence by trying to speak to me, "You know son, you don't have to stay if you don't want t-" 

"I want to stay for her", I interrupted him. I couldn't leave her, not now.  I gripped onto her arm and stood my ground, and the parents had no choice but to agree. "okay, but it is late, maybe you should sleep", he said in a comforting way. I pulled my blanket and slept in the seating area outside her room.