Only You.....Just You.....

Chapter 21: She is Mine Forever (Part 2)

Meanwhile, Alisha missed me in Bangalore. She met her friends. All of them used to attend her with their boyfriends. She saw how pretensions this world was. She got a very different vibe from all those she met, which she didn't like at all. She met married people and saw how their life had become even just after the marriage. Everyone was with each other for a reason. But this reason was missing in our relationship. After all this, she landed on a simple question. She rang me at 3 AM and asked, "What do you want from me?"

My answer was 'YOU'. I said, "It's you that I want from you. Just you with the jewel of your love."
She melted and started crying. "I love you a lot and I always want to be with you. I don't wanna go ever."
"Hey, why are you crying. I also love you so much, Alisha. I won't let you go. I promise." I said with a sweet smile on my face. This was the time I realized, something positive
was coming.

Next day, in the morning, on the set of my film I got a call from an anonyms number. I took the call annoyingly as I was busy with the script.

"Am I speaking to Mr Nikhil Raj?" The person on call confirmed.
"Yes..." I said expecting a mystery.
"Can you please come to CD hospital right away?" He said.
"Your wife is admitted here. The airport medical team got here in an emergency." He said,
Just after hearing this, I threw the script and rushed to my car. I sat in my car and drove like hell. I reached the hospital and ran in the corridor. I reached the reception and asked her about Alisha. The nurse too rushed and took me to the ICU.

I saw Alisha was lying down on the bed. The doctor came and went inside the room. I followed him. I was totally broken. My eyes contained tears. The heart cried, but the mind didn't believe the sight. I reached closer while the doctor what checking the reports. I was holding my tears to flow out. I held her and the barrier was broken by the wave of tears. I was totally broken by now. I started crying. I cried a lot. I felt like this is the end of my world. Then the doctor came and consoled me. He held me and took me out and asked me to let her sleep for a while.

The doctor asked me to come to his chamber and left. I fell down on the floor and cried a lot. After a while, I got up, looked at Alisha though the small window on the gate. She was sleeping. I wiped my tears and then
reached the doctor's chamber.

My eyes were totally red. I still didn't know what had happened but, seeing her like that was no less than facing death. The doctor offered me a glass of water. I just looked at her with hope, that he will give me some good news. But he didn't.

He looked down and then after gathering some courage, looked into my eyes and said, "Leukaemia, last stage."

Since this was a medical term, I couldn't understand and the doctor didn't wait for me to ask. He said, "Leukaemia is another name for blood cancer. I wonder how didn't you know about."

I was still silent. Looking at the case file of Alisha opened on the table. I started sobbing. I wanted to cry but I held my tears again. I asked, "She'll be fine right?"
"I'm afraid." The doctor said and I couldn't resist the drops of pain falling out of my eyes.
The doctor said, "Come on be a man. Stop crying."
I could have said a lot to him at that time, but I was thinking about Alisha.

I was feeling helpless. I folded my hands in front of the doctor and begged in front of him for her life. He consoled me again. In the next few seconds, he left as he had to attend another patient. I wiped my tears and walked to Alisha's room like a helpless. I dragged the stool closer to her bed and sat on it.

I held her hand and kissed her and started crying, putting my head on her hand. She said, "You're crying?"
I looked up. She was awake. All of a sudden, a wide smile came on my face. I hugged her tightly. The heart was still crying, but I had to act strong in front of her. She was smiling and I didn't want that smile to go away ever from her face.

With some drops of tears in her eyes and smile on her face, she said,
"Come on. Don't cry. You're not getting rid of me that easy"
I smiled too and said, "I won't let you go."
I was trying my best to hide my tears but I wasn't able to. Every now and then the dam broke and tear flew out of the eyes.

This time she also got a bit emotional and said, "Raj, there is something I need to tell you."
I didn't let her speak. I asked her to take rest but she resisted and said, "I love you. I love you a lot."
"Yes, Alisha, I know you love me a lot. I also do. But for now, you need to take rest."

She resisted and said, "Just listen to me"
I was quiet, just had held her hand in my hand and was listening.

She began, "There was not a time I didn't think about you when you were looking for me after Ginni masi's party. I had really fallen for you. You know Raj, I never meant to hurt you. I always wanted you to be with me forever. It was just that I didn't want to be selfish. I love you and want to get married. All these days, I pretended that I'm not sure about getting married to you. All these were just formal excuses. I've always wanted you, loved you and still want to be with you. I am sorry for hurting you. I am sorry I told your parents, I don't wanna get married right now. I am sorry for everything. I am sorry I didn't tell you about this and I agree I wouldn't have told you even if this hadn't happened. But the fact is Raj from the first day itself you have conquered my heart and have painted them by your name. I never wanted to spoil our moments. I know, had I told you about this, you would have left everything for me. I really didn't want to contaminate every second of our life that we spent together. I am sorry."

She stopped speaking and started crying. I hugged her in a tight embrace and cried and consoled her. Tears were falling out of my eyes but I was still trying to act strong. I held her tightly and kissed her on her forehead. and then held her face between my palms. I wiped her tears and kissed her again.

Tears were flowing out of her eyes too but her face also had a beautiful
smile.

A moment later, I took the flower kept in a vase on the table beside her bed. I went down on my knees and proposed her for marriage. What a wonderful thing tears are? They complement every situation, whether it is happiness or sadness.

On the other hand, they make the situation awful as well. Alisha was smiling and at the same time, she was crying. Look at the brazenness of the situation. I didn't even know what that tear was for.

Anyway, she accepted the flower and hugged me tightly. This time I knew what the tears were for. They were for our happiness. That day, I made myself a promise, "No matter how much time I would be getting with her, I will live my life in those moments." Now was the time to live the today without worrying about tomorrow.

Later that day I called my parents and told them that Alisha had agreed to get married. I told them everything about the situation. Respect for Alisha had increased in their heart.

After a week she was discharged from the hospital. And a month later, back in Bangalore, in the presence of all the relatives, family and friends we got married.

I wish I could say the last line, but unfortunately, I cannot.

The day came when Alisha left us all. At the funeral, I saw her body covered with white cloth resting silently in front of me, there were no words coming out of her mouth, it pierced me very much because her stupidity acts, bold attitude and whenever I used to say something stupid in front of her, that scolding or cusses I used to get from her, everything had gone. I held her face and cried out loud hugging her, but her silent face remained silent and her body was in a deep sleep responding nothing.

It's been 10 months since she left me. But those ten months, I lived it with Alisha are the most memorable ten months of my life.

Alisha didn’t tell me but Manoj uncle did. He told me that this disease was first diagnosed when we were in jail. He also didn’t tell me about it because Alisha had told him not to.