31. REBIRTH!

“Manik….” Nandini called him in a weak tone but it was enough to get his attention. He sprung up quickly and looked at her. He cupped her cheeks with a smile seeing her awake. “How are you? Did you feel any pain? Wait…… let me call the doctor.” She whimpers in pain, making his eyes wet seeing her in this situation. “It’s hurting… so much… Ah….” She yells because it is giving her a hard time. Keeping the stone in his heart he ran out to call the doctor who gave her a pain relief injection. Her pain subsides to some extent but she is still sobbing in pain. “It will go away, Nandini.” He squeezed her hand to give her strength, keeping his cries aside.

He looks at the doctor who gives him a sad smile and says, “She has very little time, sorry.” The doctor pats his shoulder because he can also feel his pain. His wife is also in labor going through all the pain. Then, he looks at the patient with a sweet smile and asks, “What is your name, young lady?” 

Nandini smiles and replies, “NANDINI”. The doctor returns her smile and kisses her forehead with affection, “Such a beautiful name. I wish that I could have a daughter just like you, sweet, and brave.” He turns to go back but hears her voice, “What is your name, doctor?” The doctor replies, “Gaurav Murthy” She continues, “I hope you will get what you are wishing for.” The doctor left feeling content but not before praying for them, “Ayiappa, why are you taking their test? Why are you separating such a lovely couple? Can’t you see how much that boy loves her?” He looked at Manik from the door and blessed him, “I wish you will get her again if not in this birth then in others.” 

Nandini looks at Manik who is avoiding her eyes and wiping his tears that have no stop. She understood that there was something wrong, “Manik, what did the doctor say?” He gives her a painful look and seeing this she gets worried for him because she doesn’t see him broken like that before. He says while stammering, “Doctor said… you bleed a lot… and our baby…” 

Now, Nandini remembered about their baby. She freaked out and asked, “ What happened to our baby?” Although she had an idea because of the bleeding and the amount of pain Dikshit caused her, her mother’s instinct is not ready to believe that. Manik answers, “Baby is no more.” Their tears have no end while she orders him keeping their joined hands on her stomach, “Promise our baby that you won’t let the culprits go easily.” He nods while she cries harder stressing her abdomen and continues, “You… You won’t give Dikshit a simple death…” He hugs her and caresses her cheeks to calm her, “Nandini… calm down. I promise I will not leave anyone who is behind this condition but before that, you have to be fine FOR ME. 

She nodded but the next second shouted in pain and again felt the stream of blood flowing between her thighs. Manik also saw the bedsheet that turned red. Seeing this, he rang the bell to call the doctor. He gets anxious and rubs her sweaty forehead, “Nandini… calm down… I am calling the doctor… just stay calm and take deep breaths.” Unknowingly, she stressed her abdomen which increased her bleeding and her internal injuries also worsened. She flicked her eyelids like a tired person which freaked him out. “Nandini, don’t you dare to close your eyes.” He shouts as the doctor’s words echo in his mind. He shutters, “You… you can’t go…” 

She closes her eyes and opens again to say, “LET ME SLEEP!…… I WANT TO SLEEP PEACEFULLY BECAUSE THIS PAIN IS UNBEARABLE.” She refers to her pain, taking Manik’s breath away.

“No…. What are you saying, Nandini? This pain will go….. Just keep patience.” Manik says panicky seeing her losing hope. She shook her head instantly and said further while crying, “Please let me sleep. I can’t bear this anymore. My head is bursting with pain.” She palms her head in pain and cries. 

Don’t know why but he is not feeling well. He can’t let her sleep because he fears that she won’t open her eyes again. That’s why he voiced his fear in anger, “No…… no………. You can’t just leave me like this. You …….. You promised me that you will stay with me till eternity. Now, you can’t lose hope like that. Think…… Think about me, please. “

He cried seeing her taking deep breaths and finding it difficult to keep her eyes open. He gripped her hand while the stream of tears flowed from his eyes. He wanted to run and bring the doctor but at the same time did not want to let go of her hand.

Soon the nurses and doctors arrived and started their treatment one last time. One of the nurses saw Nandini’s breathing pattern on the monitor, “Doctor, the patient’s breathing is dropping. We are losing her.”

Nandini heard her and somewhere she also got the idea that SHE IS NOT GOING TO SURVIVE. She looks at Manik who is crying and rubbing her feet, “Manik, let me go.” He heard her and his body got still for a second. He shook his head negatively and held her hand tightly not wanting to let her go anywhere. While she repeats, “PLEASE….. LET ME GO!”

He cups her cheek and pleads, “Please, don’t go. I have no one other than you.” For this, she replies instantly as if the almighty is making her say all this, “I WILL COME BACK FOR YOU.” He doesn’t believe her and shouts at the doctor to treat her. She continues with sincerity, “I WILL TAKE BIRTH AGAIN TO GET YOU BACK, ALL FOR MYSELF,”

“Sister, prepare for the shocks. We have to give that to the patient. We are losing her.” The Doctor said and hearing him, Manik’s tears have no stop. Nandini’s words kept repeating in his brain. 

At last, the breathing meter shows a plain straight line showing that the patient has stopped breathing and has no more. But before closing her eyes forever, Nandini opens her eyes and looks at Manik with a big smile shaking her head as if saying to him not to cry. 

The Doctor informed Manik that she was no more with a heavy heart but before he could console him, a nurse rushed into the ward with a smiling face. “Doctor, congratulations, your wife gave birth to a baby girl.” He rushed out to see his daughter and wife leaving a broken Manik behind whose tears dried up as if they never existed in his eyes. All the nurses also left the ward to prepare the last rituals for the patient. 

Manik walked towards her and stood beside her head. He bent down and whispered in her ears “I WILL WAIT FOR YOU, NANDINI. MANIK WILL FIND HIS NANDINI AGAIN AND WILL NOT LET HER GO ANYWHERE.” Saying this with a determined face, he bent down more and kissed her forehead. “YOU WILL COME BACK TO ME SOON. MY LOVE WILL BRING YOU TO ME. WE WILL CROSS PATHS AGAIN AND WILL WRITE A BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY AGAIN. BUT THIS TIME FOREVER.” 

Taking a last glance at her, he walked out and never looked back. He stopped in front of the god’s idol and joined his hands for the very first time. “I am trusting you for the very first time. Never let this trust go anywhere.” 

On the other hand, doctor Gaurav Murthy enters the ward to see his daughter and wife who are lying beside each other. His wife says, “Gaurav, look, our little doll.” He approaches his daughter and picks her up in his arms only to cry aloud seeing her. The little cute doll is looking so cute that anyone can fall for her cuteness. His wife asks, “What will we name her?” He kisses her daughter’s forehead and unknowingly remembers his patient who died recently and utters, “NANDINI” 

“NANDINI” His wife repeats with a smile and continues, “Such a cute name.” He hums and looks at the baby girl, “NANDINI…….. NANDINI GAURAV MURTHY”

“WELCOME TO THE NEW PHASE NANDINI,” Manik murmurs as if his heart got to know that his lover is back on the earth. And understanding his words, the little Nandini stirs in her sleep giving shock to her parents. He wiped his tears and made a poker face showing no emotions to anyone and dialed Kaushal only to ask a simple question. “Where is Dikshit?” In reply, Kaushal said, “He and his men are in our basement waiting for their death with your hands.” 

He walks ahead not looking back again and here the lover boy Manik also died the same day with his love Nandini. 

To be continued…