An Unforgettable Day

    "The accident could have killed him but I must say Manav has a strong will. His body has been able to revive most of the seriously damaged organs- His memory still remains a big concern though." said the doctor as she put the medical reports in front of Pranav.

He took a deep sigh as his hands grazed over the thick report cover. He had a grim look on his face and his jittery teeth were biting against his lower lip.

"Will he be able to walk again?" Pranav inquired.

"We cannot say anything for sure but I won't give you any false hopes too-"

"I completely understand. Thank you so much."

Pranav signed the discharge form and left the cabin to meet Manav in the next room. It was a long walk for him. His family had been falling apart. He had already lost his parents a few years back and now his elder brother was stuck on a gatch bed for the last 3 months.

Pranav knocked at the door and entered the room to find Manav jotting something down in his diary. He looked pale yet full of life. Manav kept his diary aside upon noticing Pranav and greeted him with a hearty smile.

"Are we going home already? I had just started to remember everyone's names here, you know", said Manav with a mocking disappointment.

Pranav nodded in reply helping Manav lower into the wheelchair next to his bed.

Manav continued with a giggle, "Come on buddy! don't look so pensive, the joke's on me ain't it? Do you even realize how difficult it is to remember names when you keep forgetting stuff every 15 hours or so? Isn't it what my hippocampus report says? I sneaked into the next room to find it." Manav winked.

"You were not supposed to be sneaking out of your bed-" Pranav took a deep sigh and placed his affectionate palms on Manav's cheeks. "Everything is going to get back to how it was. Okay? Let us get you out of here first."

The squeaky noise of the wheelchair echoed in the hospital corridor as they made their way to the car.

"I don't want to go home. Let us go somewhere fun", said Manav adjusting himself on the car seat as Pranav fastened the belt around him.

"We are going home. The doctor has asked you to rest", Pranav took the keys out of his pocket.

"This is what they always say, don't they? You never listen to me. I sometimes forget who is the elder brother among the two of us" said Manav, giving up on the argument.

Pranav was lost in his thoughts throughout the journey.

It was all my fault. I knew he was still learning to drive. It was raining. Why did I not try to stop him?

He kept glancing at his brother every now and then, making sure he was comfortable. Sitting beside him was an absolute genius of his school time, who would be fascinated by the finest of details of every subject and remember them word to word later. The only things that could fascinate him right now, were the passing electric poles, the buttons in the front panel glowing with tiny symbols which he had forgotten how to operate on, and his constant whistle.

"We are home", said Pranav as he took a turn entering the parking lane of a fair-sized, white-colored mansion.

Manav's smile had disappeared. His eyes frequently looked around to somehow recognize the place they had reached.

"Let us sit here for a while, please", Manav held his brother's hands, descending to his chair.

Pranav smiled and sat on the grass next to his brother. The idea made him nostalgic.