The Secret Love Story

Part 13

"She has been admitted to the hospital", "She has some heart disease which caused the fainting" , "Doctors say there is a very rare chance of her survival, such a good soul she was". These were the things that Abhimanyu had been listening the moment he stepped into the school. He was curious as to what has happened and about whom people are talking. It was not long when he got to know, from one of his colleagues, that everyone has been talking about Natasha. And how she suffered from short breath and fainted while she was coming back from the Student Exchange Program in France. Abhimanyu was shocked to hear that and worried at the same time. He could not control himself and ran to the washroom. He washed his face, stood for sometime in front of the mirror and thought something. He prepared himself to go and meet Natasha and if anybody asks him something he'll say that being her class teacher he must visit her atleast once. 

A number of thoughts were going on in Abhimanyu's mind while he reached the staff room. "I this why she behaved differently that night?" "Why didn't she trust to tell me all this?" "Since when has this been happening with her?" "I hope she is fine. I really need to talk to her right now." He asked for the hospital details from his colleagues and before leaving for the hospital he met Nyra and asked about this whole situation. Nyra told him that she had no idea that all this had been happening with her and that Natasha had never discussed this with her either. Abhimanyu asked Nyra to take permission from other teachers and go with him to see Nyra. She did the same. 

Upon reaching hospital, Abhimanyu asked at the reception about Natasha's room. Reaching there, he saw that one thing he wished never happened to Natasha. But as they say it, when you start thinking that life is going exactly as you thought, something happens that shatters everything you ever dreamt of.  She was surrounded with such heavy machines which continuously were monitoring her heart beat, blood pressure and other things. An oxygen mask had been put around her mouth. Abhimanyu could not see all this and lost self control. He was weeping. Nyra too had tears in her eyes. Who could have imagined that her best friend would have kept this big secret for so long. Nyra went to Natasha's parents while Abhimanyu kept and staring at Natasha through the door of the ICU. He remembered the times when she scolded him like her mother "Jab mai chali jaungi na tab pata chalega tumhe" (When I'll go, then only you'll know my importance.) to which he always replied "Are mai tumhe kahi nahi jaane dunga" (I'll never let you go anywhere.)  And also the times when she argued with him to stop talking about life and death with her. He was feeling helpless now. He couldn't do anything apart from standing and just staring at her.
Nyra, along with Natasha's parents, came to Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu still had tears in his eyes. He greeted them nicely yet crying. He could feel her parent's sorrow. He talked to them and told them that how brilliant a student and a person she is and that she is a fighter who'll defeat this whole thing. It is when Natasha's parents narrated the whole incident that took place long back which made them know about what will be haunting Natasha for the coming years. They gave him every detail from Natasha fainting to bringing her to the hospital and knowing about it after the diagnosis.
Abhimanyu asked them if Natasha knew anything about this. They refused and said that they never told her about all this. All she knew was that she fainted because of exhaustion. 

It was a hard truth that Abhimanyu had to accept. Doctors said that she had been operated and would be under observation for next 12 hours. Doctor's wordings were continuously echoing Abhimanyu's mind "She'll have to be under observation for another 12 hours. That's only when we can make sure that now she is perfectly alright." 

"Maangi nahi thi ye jaan tohfe mei,

Bas uska haath pakad saku

Itna hi toh maanga tha"

These lines from one of the poems Abhimanyu wrote, kept on crossing his mind. He continuously prayed about Natasha's well being. Six hours had passed, another six were left. Abhimanyu did not have even have a single bite of food. Even after Natasha's parents insisted him to eat, he refused saying he is not hungry and that they should eat now.

Natasha's parents were unable to understand why a teacher would ever leave his teaching hours and stay hungry just to see how his student is doing. At first they thought it to be his concern about her. But their theory changed when they saw him crying seeing Natasha in such condition. Mr. Raj Shekhar Singhania, Natasha's father, decided to talk to Abhimanyu and know what has been going on and what is it that made him leave everything behind just to stay and watch Natasha. He reached to Abhimanyu andpatted him consolingly on the shoulder.