A Desi Love Story

Prologue

mem·o·ryˈmem(ə)rē/noun

1. something remembered from the past; a recollection.

Prologue

Darkness... that was it. Minutes ago, I was singing at the top of my lungs and laughing with my younger brother. Now, I am whimpering in pain beside him.

I can make out the wailing siren of an ambulance, see a blurry figure in front of me, feel their hot touch against my forehead. They pick me up and take me somewhere. Where, I do not know.

All I remember is deafening silence. There was a crash, but I cannot tell how loud, for, to my ears, it was soft as a whisper. Everything was numb, and my legs felt as if they were on fire. 

When the mystery person picked me up, he touched my legs and I felt like I was going to pass out from the pain. I tried to cry out in pain, but my mouth wouldn't move, my vocal chords immobilized.  Hot tears ran down my cheeks and my face contorted in pain. The person seemed to notice for he moved his hands away. 

My eyes are squeezed shut, my body gasping for air. And now, from lack of oxygen or an overdose of pain, I black out.

When I come to again, I am met by a blinding light. I am quick to close my eyes once more. Tentatively, I open one eye, ready to close it again if needed. Slowly, I become accustomed to the whiteness and I take in my surroundings.

I am in a bright white room with a polished marble floor. There are monitors surrounding me, their screens flashing. There is a single window, through which I see many people in white coats bustling around, helping injured people. 

I was in a hospital.

I move my arm to brush away some hair that had fallen in my face and something pricks at my hand. I glance down and see needles poking into my skin, IV tubes running through and around me. 

I huff and lower my arm, only to realize that there is an oxygen mask on my mouth. I lay there for a couple of minutes, trying to recall something, anything, to help me remember what had happened. Soon, a doctor came in.

"Ah, Ms. Sharma, you're awake. My name is Dr. Eric," the elderly man smiled at me kindly. "Now, I'm just going to check over your vitals and then I will tell you what happened and what needs to be done."

We sit in silence for a few minutes with the occasional orders from the doctor. Finally, I get the courage to break the silence and ask the question that had filled my head since I woke up.

"Is my brother alright?" I looked up at Dr. Eric worriedly.

"I believe so. He is in the room next to yours. I can take you there if you would like, seeing that you are healthy," he offered me.

"I would like that, thank you," I nodded gratefully. He takes the shots out of my arms and the rub the sore spots. I kick the blanket off of me and began to step down. Well, more like tried. My legs just wouldn't move! "Um, doctor, why can't I move my legs?" I asked nervously. I tried to wiggle my toes and it took a surprising amount of energy to. "What happened?!" I questioned frantically.

He sighed and sat down on the bed beside my foot. "You were in a car crash with a drunk driver," he began. "We aren't sure what quite happened, but we guess that you shattered  your leg bones on impact when you landed from the car. It was a hard fall; witnesses said that you practically  flew from the site of the accident," he told me solemnly.

"But I'll be able to get healed, right?" I bit my lip, praying that I would be all right.

"We can give you metal legs," he suggested.

"Are there any other options?" I questioned hopefully.

"Well, we can heal you but..." he trailed off.

"But what?" my voice shook.

"You would never be able to walk again."

I gasped and shot up from my bed, my breaths uneven. I glanced over to the side of my bed, my eyes resting on my teal colored wheelchair. The doc was right. I hadn't been able to walk.

For six years.

***

¡Hola! So, this is kind of a short chapter, just so that you understand what's going on. There's really not much to say. Vote! Comment! Follow! Party 🎉! Be awesome! Well, I hope you liked it! 

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