• Eternal Night •

30

"Good morning, beta..." Pinky whispered.

Annika smiled and silently mouthed the same. Pinky smiled at her. Then her eyes fell on Shivaay and Annika's intertwined hands and her heart felt lighter.

She silently moved towards the windows and opened the blinds. Fresh, morning light streamed in through the windows and Annika sighed. It felt good to see the light. She had spent the whole night sitting beside the bed, with her hand in Shivaay's. He was agitated even in his sleep and kept flinching for some reason. It was only towards the wee hours of the night when he had finally fallen into a quiet slumber.

Pinky ran a hand over Shivaay's still face. "Darling? Wake up. You need to wash up before the Doctor comes for the rounds."

Shivaay turned his face away and groaned. "Two minutes."

Pinky smiled and looked at Annika. She quietly said, "He has never slept this late ever since we came here."

Annika let out a breath feeling a little more guilty. She let go of Shivaay's hand and walked around the bed. She kneeled before Pinky and said, "I am sorry. I didn't intend to do any of these things."

Pinky kept her eyes on the ground. "I know. In this marriage, your biggest enemy is you, yourself. No one else. Sometimes, I wish there was a third person. At least then, Shivaay would have had a chance to fight. But how can he fight with you, Annika?"

The bad feeling in Annika's chest tightened. Pinky kept a hand on her head. "I have nothing to say to you. Just do this for everyone, stay put until..."

She croaked and tears welled up in her eyes. Pinky took a few minutes to gather her bearings. "Until whatever happens...just stay here. Please."

She then looked at Shivaay. "If not for Shivaay then for humanity's sake."

Annika held her hands and shook her head. "Don't say that."

Pinky was about to speak when Shivaay stirred. He groaned again. "Why is it so bright?"

Pinky hastily wiped her tears. She caressed his hair and kissed his head. Then she growled, "Now wake up you dumbhead. How many times do I have to beg you to get up? You used to do the same when you were small. Par tab tu chota tha. Aisa nanga karke fek deti thi bath tub mein. I can't do that now. So get up yourself."

Shivaay eyes not only flew open but also widened. He looked at Annika who was hiding her face. He knew for a fact that she was silently laughing because of Pinky's monologue.

"What the fuck, Mom?" he gasped.

Pinky slapped his leg. "Get up!"

He twisted his finger at the temple of his head. "Are you mad? Remove this IV line first. Only then I can get up."

Pinky looked sheepish for a brief moment but recovered soon. She pressed the button for the nurse and glared at him. "Haan toh mein bhi wohi kar rahi thi. Get up now."

Annika pressed her lips in a thin line much to Shivaay's amusement. He eyed Pinky and mused, "If I get up anymore, I will launch myself into the ceiling and into the ass of the comatose Maria on the floor above. You want that?"

This time around Annika couldn't control herself and burst out laughing. She fell down beside Shivaay's torso and laughed to her heart's content. She had never given it a thought but she had missed this.

"Ah, the sound of laughter. I love it. Hello and good morning to everyone!" a middle-aged, lanky woman in scrubs walked into the room.

Annika looked up and smiled at her. The nurse's smile broadened looking at Annika. "Seems like we have a guest today."

Shivaay told her, "Not guest. Meet Annika, Paola. She is my wife."

"Oh wow!" Paola forwarded her hand towards Annika. "It's so good to meet you."

Annika shook hands with her. "Same. It's good to meet you."

Paola carefully removed the electrodes from Shivaay's chest and the IV lines. "You don't know this but I am very jealous of you. I have a bad crush on your husband. He is a darling!"

"I love you too!" Shivaay winked at Paola.

Annika smiled. It was not a surprise that he had made a place for himself even here. He had that effect on people.

Shivaay also smiled and let Paola help him up from the bed. Paola asked him, "Do you need the chair?"

"No..." Shivaay shook his head. "I can walk."

Pinky held him by the waist and they slowly made their way towards the washroom. Annika watched everything carefully and made a mental note about it.

"So," Paola questioned asked as she changed the bed covers. "Did you complete the project?"

"Huh? What project?" frowned Annika.

"Oh, the big one! Shivaay told me that you had to stay back in Mumbai to finish this huge project you had undertaken. And that is why you couldn't come here with him?"

Understanding dawned on Annika. Shivaay had lied. She nodded. "Yeah. I completed it. I am sorry. I was thinking about his health and it slipped my mind."

"Oh dear..." Paola squeezed her shoulder. "It will be okay. God willing."

"Yeah..." Annika whispered. "Is there any hope though?"

Paola looked at her with sympathy. "Do you want to hear the truth or do you want comfort?"

Annika's eyes shifted towards the door of the washroom. She sniffled. "Truth."

Sighing, Paola fluffed the pillows just like how Shivaay liked them. "The truth is that it is going to be very tough to save him. It does not look good."

Annika's heart skipped a beat. Everything that had was omnipresent in her mind, intensified. It was one thing to be away from Shivaay and hear about his disease. It was another thing to see him wither away every day.

And then she cursed herself for the millionth time. How and why had she decided to leave him at this point? She had to do a lot to undo her mistake. A hell lot.