Driven by the adrenaline and excitement of getting her driver’s licence, Natasha never took her feet of the accelerator. She seemed a little bit out of control, not to mention the high level of vodka in her. ” Cool down Nat, I don’t wanna die yet , there is still time, ” begged her boyfriend Ajay who sat beside her, who could nearly see the gates of heaven open for him. The car which moved as an alcoholic jumped of a hump, slipped and slammed into a huge banyan tree. The village folks gathered around cursing on the new generation kids, forgetting who had raised it, but they were not too cruel that they didn’t take the kids to hospital. Ajay and Natasha were taken to ‘ Catherine hospital ‘ which bestowed with all the facilities ever known to man.
Natasha was shifted to ICU whereas Ajay had suffered minor injuries compared to Natasha’s.
Ajay woke up with great pain crawling up his legs. ” Where am I?”
” Dear sir, you are in Catherine hospital. You need not worry. You just have suffered a minor fracture, replied the doctor with his hands” in his pockets. Ajay looked at his right leg mummified completely. He suddenly seemed to be remembering something.
” Natasha, where the hell is she ? ”
” Sir, she is in ICU ” the doctor didn’t finish his words, when Ajay jump from his bed and began limping towards ICU. On reaching the door, he peeped through the window to find the love of his life lying on the bed half dead, battling hard against death. He burst into some mad cries accompanied by sorrowful tears, just when someone from behind tapped his shoulder. He turned to find a man with a hint of moustache on his face. He gave him a paper containing a graph. “Dear sir, this is her ECG report. Her heart’s movements are slowly vanishing away. She might suffer a heart attack anytime. ”
Ajay fell on the chair nearby as if paralysed, with his hands on his face. ” We have called her parents from her phone. Don’t lose you hope, let’s hope for a miracle. Let us pray to God and beg him for mercy for our wrongdoings and………”
As if a bolt from blue Ajay got up from his chair, pushed him against the wall and caught his collar “Miracles…huh!! ”
” Sir, you are making a scene, ” interrupted a nurse.
” Oh! ya…. but honesty I don’t care a damn!!! You are not a priest mister, you are a goddamn doctor who gets paid for not praying for miracles but for making one. Do you hear me. I don’t know what you will do, but within 10 hours I need you to give her back to me, alive”
The doctor could feel the sweat rolling down the face, trickling his moustache.
Many people surrounded them.
” Si…..sir, we can try a heart transplant, if you can get us a living heart within 30 minutes.”
” Hey nurse!!!! get me a pen and a piece, ” roared Ajay at the nurse.
The nurse brought it to him. Ajay with tears in his eyes, sat down and scribbled something on it. He gave it to nurse, ” Give this crap to her, when she wakes up and please don’t give it to her good for nothing dad.”
” Sir where are you going ? ”
” Doctor, instead of questioning me, get ready to perform a surgery. I’m gonna bring a heart, even if it means killing a man.”
- After 5 hours *
Natasha regaining her consciousness opened her eyes wondering what had happened to her from past 6 hours. She heard the doctor whispering to her, “Congrats mam, the operation was a great success.” Natasha got up and turned around to find her dad patting her head, her mother weeping. Natasha asked her weeping mother, ” Mom , where is Ajay ? ” She saw her mother bending her head down, weeping and holding a paper in her hand, while her father clenched his fist tight and turned away. Her mother handed her the paper. It has Ajay’s signature. It simply read..
‘ Dear Natasha, I have no courage to see your face, I take this as my fault. I’m sorry, but I have to go far away from you. I’ll always be in your heart, in your every breath. Please don’t strain yourself to search me. Leave me alone. Forget me. You have to move forward in your life. Just get well. If you want to see me, just see the stars in the night sky. Say hello to my ‘ would have been stubborn father in law.’
Bye
Ajay Fernandez ‘
The ink faded away, the paper was wet with her mother’s tears as well as her daughter’s. Her father got up with his fist still clenched tight, ” I’ll kill that swine for abandoning my daughter. What does he think about her, that she is a piece of crap, huh, I’ll…..” Natasha caught his hand, ” Leave him, father. After all I drove the car, maybe he thinks I’m a burden. Let him go. Its not….hi….his fault, ” saying this she burst into tears coated with intense grief. Her father gave up his ambitious goal, as for her mother she cried more than before. Both her parents were required to console their young princesses. Natasha had to lie in her bed for one month still she was discharged.
- after a month *
” Come on Natasha, the driver is waiting, pack up.” Her father was in a hurry to get out the hospital after a month imprisonment. Natasha was in another room, holding a necklace that Ajay had given her, washing it with her tears. A hand fell on her shoulder from behind. She turned back to find her mother, pointing to the dustbin that lie beneath the table, while nodding her head.
Natasha with her shaking hand dropped it into the dustbin. She wiped her eyes took her bag and came out of her room. The sole problem was that Natasha couldn’t stand nor walk for a long time, so her mother carried her on the hospital’s wheelchair. She herself locked the room and smiling turned to her mother ” Lets go mom, I can’t wait to see my home.”
” Of course dear, I’ll cook your favourite dish”
” She just came back from death, so please don’t kill her with your ‘ magnificent ‘ cooking,” commented her father.
On the way Natasha’s father was bumped down by a doctor and on normal circumstances, he would have kicked the hell out of the doctor but here he patted the doctor’s shoulder, “Sir aren’t you the one who had performed the surgery? ”
“Yes”
“Sir, where were you? after your surgery I didn’t get you anywhere ”
“Yes, actually I had to go that night abroad. for my patient’s surgery.”
“Sir, would you be kind enough to tell me, from whom the heart was taken for my daughter’s transplantation.”
” I’m afraid, I can’t tell you that.”
“After all the person is dead and the least I can do is to pray. So please tell me the name.”
The doctor took a list from his pocket. He ran his index finger down the list searching, until his finger stood still at a name. ” Its ‘ Mr Ajay Fernandez’.” The name sent shockwaves into Natasha’s heart. His words began to linger in her heart ‘ If you want to see me, see the stars in the sky. I’ll always be in your heart, in your every breath!!. ‘
–END–
