Ishika regained consciousness and looked around, "Hospital?"
She couldn’t move much, only slightly. Seeing the dressings on her body brought back the memory of last night- how, after the loud sound of an explosion, she found herself engulfed in flames.
When she looked back in her memory, she recalled Ujjwal running toward her. He had carried her in his arms, and after that, everything went blank.
Ishika had always been afraid of hospitals, surgeries, and anything related to them. The sight of her injuries filled her with fear.
Her eyes fell on the nurse standing nearby. "How badly am I burned?"
"More than half of your skin is burned," the nurse replied.
Hearing this, Ishika's heart sank. "Will the burn marks go away?" Her voice carried pain.
"The marks will fade over time, but the deep burn scars-"
Tears began streaming down. She thought, "Even with all my flaws, Kumar loved me. But now... these burn marks on my body..."
"...How will he still love me?" From the corner of her eye, she could see the dressings on her right cheek and thought, "The cheek he loved so much now will have burn marks. Instead of being captivated, he'll feel disgusted."
Her tears wouldn’t stop, and the nurse noticed.
"Don’t cry," the nurse said. "There are three people waiting outside to see you."
"Three people?" Ishika still sobbing.
"Your mom, a girl, and a man."
"Can you let my mom, Sneha, and my sister, Maanvi, come inside?" Ishika asked, though speaking made her right cheek stretch, causing her pain.
"Okay." The nurse went to call them in.
"Just those two," Ishika added softly, her voice trembling again.
...
Sneha, Maanvi, and the nurse enter the ICU.
“Ishika…” Seeing Ishika in such a state, Sneha wishes she could take all her pain away.
The three share a moment of silence and tears.
“The doctor said you’ll recover, okay?” Sneha reassures, wiping her tears.
Ishika nods weakly.
“Don’t worry about the surgery,” Maanvi says.
“Surgery?” Ishika panics.
The nurse quickly intervenes. “The surgery will happen later, and it’s not a big one. Don’t worry about it now.”
Ishika looks at her mom. “Mom, look what they’re saying.”
“What?”
“They said the deep burn scars won’t go away. Now…” Her voice falters due to the pain in her right cheek.
“Now what if Kumar leaves me? He’s never said anything about my flaws, but what if he’s been tolerating them all along? And now that I look even more worse, what if he finally gives up and leaves?” Her final words come out as a whisper, full with pain and despair.
Sneha shares Ishika’s fears, but Maanvi refuses to believe it. “I don’t think Jiju would leave you,” she says firmly.
“Why?” Ishika asks, her eyes full of fear of his rejection.
“Because I’ve seen him worried about you. He cares for you,” Maanvi explains.
“But it could be that he’s just worried about himself,” Ishika counters. “He’s spent so much time on me, and maybe he feels like he’s gotten nothing in return.”
Her heart grows heavier with each word.
Then Ishika thinks to herself, "How would he even get anything from me? What do I have to offer him? If he sees me once without clothes, won't he hesitate twice before coming close to me? And now these burn marks, which will never go away."
Consumed by negativity, Ishika spirals deeper into her thoughts.
The nurse leaves the ICU and sees a man sleeping on a bench. “Kumar?” she calls out.
Hearing the name, he wakes up.
“Kumar?” the nurse repeats.
He shakes his head. “Ujjwal.”
“Can you call Kumar? I need to speak with him,” the nurse requests.
“Kumar?” Ujjwal asks, confused.
“Someone named Kumar.”
Realizing, Ujjwal stands up, though exhausted. “I’m Kumar,” he says.
“But you just said you are Ujjwal”
“I haven’t slept since yesterday. Sorry for the confusion. Ishika, my wife, calls me Kumar.”
“Okay,” the nurse says. “Your wife is having negative thoughts,” she informs him.
“What kind of thoughts?”
“She thinks you’ll leave her,” the nurse replies, unaware of how deeply it would cut Ujjwal.
“What?” Ujjwal is devastated. “Is this what Ishika thinks of me?” he murmurs.
“Thank you for telling me. I’ll talk to her,” he says.
...
Inside, Maanvi tries to comfort Ishika. “Don’t think like that, Ishika. Jiju loves you. He drove miles at 4 a.m. to pick me up without complaining.”
“What do I even say to Kumar now? I don’t know what to do,” Ishika whispers.
“Jiju wants to see you,” Maanvi says.
“Tell him to come in while I pretend to be asleep. That way, I won’t have to face him, and he can see me,” Ishika suggests.
She whispers to herself, Maybe he will see me for the last time.
Sneha and Maanvi agree, though Sneha feels deeply troubled by the situation.
When they leave the ICU, Ujjwal enters slowly, drained.
Standing beside Ishika, he sees her wrapped in bandages, and his eyes soften.
Though Ishika’s eyes are closed, Ujjwal knows she’s awake.
“Ishika… I just want you to get better soon. I can’t bear to see you like this…”
“…If you think these burn marks will make me leave you, I won’t. I never will…”
“…Why would I? I have no reason to leave you. How could anyone leave such a loving, sweet, and caring wife…”
“…I know the deep burn scars won’t go away. Ishika, I want you to love yourself. Don’t be so hard on yourself. As for me, I loved you before, and I still do…”
“…These burn scars won’t stop me from loving you, understand?”
Hearing his heartfelt words, tears well up in Ishika’s eyes, but she holds them back, not wanting Ujjwal to know she’s awake.
Ujjwal leaves the ICU as the nurse prepares to change Ishika’s dressings.
. __________________________________________
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Conditions Of Shashank | 18+
RomanceIshika, a dark-skinned and chubby woman, has endured years of harsh taunts and cruel whispers. People ridiculed her appearance, declaring no one would ever truly accept her. Their words cut deep: "No man will marry someone like you?" "Anyone who...
