When love entwines....

Part 43

Juhi collapsed on the chair listening to Anjali's words... Just when she was happy that he had regained his consciousness, her world collapsed yet again.... She felt someone suck out a large chunk of air from her lungs.... She felt her heart exploding.... Covering her mouth from crying out loudly her hand gradually moved down to her chest and rested on her stomach.... And she burst out crying ...
Anjali rushed towards her... Placing an arm over her shoulder and rubbing her back, words failed to come out of Anjali's mouth to console her..... Anjali was also traumatised by all that happened in the last 48 hours but her dad's memory loss came as a shocker... even though she was relieved he had woken up and was optimistic he would regain his memory soon...
What puzzled her was Juhi breaking down like this ...She knew Juhi and Shashank loved each other very much and it was definitely not easy for Juhi to take such a big risk and operate on him.. All that said and done, she felt she was missing out on something ...Maybe she was reading too much in between the lines..she shrugged her thoughts aside for the time being

"Get a hold on yourself Dr Juhi... Please... We need to work on helping him regain his memory... We have to remain strong... Please Dr Juhi .. " Anjali tried consoling her..
" You need to examine him first..Please calm yourself.." she pleaded with tears brimming her eyes ......

Still sobbing Juhi realised Anjali was right...
She needs to exam him first and monitor his progress... Five minutes later. composing herself and saying a quick prayer she whispered " This too shall pass..."
Wiping her tears dry and tucking the strands of hair behind her hair, Juhi spoke out saying "Anjali let's go inside.."
Anjali looked up to see her now all calm and composed and determined ..
Nodding her head in agreement both of them stood and walked towards the door.. Juhi took a long deep breath before pushing the door open..

There he lay staring blankly at the wall ahead of him.. His face looked pale and tired .. Dark circles were beginning to form and a day old stubble was surfacing out..
She gasped when he turned his head to look towards the door.. Her heart skipped a beat when their eyes met..
He stared at her with a blank expression on his face as she took baby steps to reach his bed...
Tears brimmed her eyes.. She immediately turned away and wiped them while Anjali walked towards the other side of his bed..
"Dad, this is Dr Juhi... The neurosurgeon who is treating you..."
Shashank acknowledged her with a slight nod after she turned to face him...
Gathering courage Juhi finally spoke "How are you feeling Dr Shashank ..."
He shot back a stunned look at her....
Juhi was confused with his look...
In a feeble voice he spoke " Why are you addressing me as Dr Shashank.. Am I  a doctor??

Juhi and Anjali felt someone pull the rug under their feet... This was only the beginning Juhi thought...
Words failed to come out of her mouth...
Realising she need to respond quickly , she replied
" Yes Dr Shashank, you are a doctor yourself, a neurosurgeon and the best in the country ...." Juhi smiled
There was a perplexed look on his face... He turned to look at Anjali who nodded her head in affirmation... Shutting his eyes tight, he let out a deep sigh..

"Why am I unable to remember anyone or anything, doctor.." he asked his voice still feeble
Crossing her arms over her chest and bracing herself for more questions, Juhi replied ..
" I'm afraid you have lost your memory, Dr Shashank..."
There was absolute silence in the room except for the beeps from the monitors...

" Will I ever regain my memory..." he asked
Nodding her head positively without even thinking for a second , Juhi replied... "Yes Dr Shashank, you will and very soon...
This is a case of retrograde amnesia..  When a person suffers from retrograde amnesia, what becomes lost is that person's episodic memory, meaning memories of loved ones, personal experiences, their name, and so on, with more recent memories being the most susceptible to loss.
Shashank looked at her with a blank look