Hey guys, here I am with the 6th chapter. Since it's my tradition to dedicate every update to Saiyu, I'm also, along with her, dedicating the chapter to one of my recent friends whose inputs on my story are always nothing short of inspiring. She noticed something no one did in the previous update- the part where Khushi feels 'bad' when their(Arnav-Khushi) embrace is broken, intending towards a ray of hope.This one's for aquagal who also has such a sweet name- Aayat 😳
Chapter: 6 Little Drops Of Sunshine
That woman was something. No one had stumped Arnav Singh Raizada ever before and she accomplished that in less than a minute. He hesitatingly let go off Khushi's elbow, and with his left hand still encasing Khushi's right, brought forward his hand and shook hers. After a brief handshake, Saiyeda smiled.
"La came up to me a few hours ago with Khushi's case and although I was really busy with a few other cases, I couldn't decline La. She has been too kind to me in the past. She explained everything to me, so there will be no need for repetitions of any sort. She wanted me to handle this as soon as possible and I don't like procrastinating, so I headed right away. You see, I work 24 hours of the day, so you can call me whenever. Is there anything else you need to know?" she asked in a most official tone and then paused.
Arnav, whose brain cells started to work in earnest after the business like conversation nodded his head in the affirmative and said, "How did you find Khushi? I mean how come she's with you?" Saiyeda's lips curled into a full blown smirk and she said as if it was the best coincidental achievement ever, "I found her" and when Arnav continued to look at her expecting her to say some more she continued, "I saw someone running berserk on the road and immediately recognized her as Khushi from the photo La had shown me. I mean who could forget such a pretty face? I stopped the car as she approached me asking for help. I acceded and brought her directly here. Mind you, she's a strong girl. She put in all her energy to escape when she realized I was bringing her here. She's one tough nut!" Saiyeda exclaimed.
Arnav smiled at the last line as he remembered something from their college days about a similar line. He had known it forever that she was tough. He thanked Saiyeda for bringing Khushi back home. She gave him an *I-told-you-so* smile and they headed into the house as a new day's sun cut through the darkness in the sky completely spreading its pinkish golden glow all around. She had satisfied his first requisite of a perfect doctor- Quick and accurate in assessment. He was already feeling good, but there was still one person who was sulking amidst all this.
Khushi had sulked from the time she was brought back home by that woman. She sulked some more when she abruptly and rudely intervened her and Arnav. She had sulked a lot more when they started talking and smiling amongst themselves, completely ignoring her presence. Then she started to feel confused with everything around her. Why was she sulking in the first place when she herself wanted to run away from the house? She had almost instantly forgotten why she ran away the moment she put her foot out and stepped into the mildly chill cum warm breeze of dawn break. The surroundings enveloped her senses and she didn't know where she was heading when suddenly she saw the car. Expecting help she went towards it and this woman happily let her in, only to bring her back here.
She didn't know what she was more irritated with; the fact that she was back to where she began, the fact that the woman was slowly starting to irritate her with her constant smiles or the fact that Arnav was smiling back at her too! And then she was confused about why all this was irritating her so much. Not able to contain this within her any longer she shot at the doctor as if spitting venom on her, "You were supposed to help!"
Saiyeda turned to look at Khushi who had stopped at the doorstep and Arnav wondered when he had let go off Khushi's hand and went back to hold her lest she goes away again. "Trust me, darling. I'm doing just that" Saiyeda spoke sweetly. "By bringing me back here?" Khushi shot back again. At that point, Saiyeda looked back at Arnav and asked him "By the way, why was she running away from here?" The question was directed at Arnav, but they both awkwardly looked at the marbled floor and the surroundings and everywhere else but her. She smiled inwardly as she understood. She had seen this in the past. Enough of fooling around. Time to get back to business.
"Mr. Arnav, if you will please, I'd like to have a private chat with K" Saiyeda said.
"Yea sure" he said, slightly surprised at the doctor's instant nickname for Khushi. "But let Khushi have something to eat first-"
"I will not have any chat with you" Khushi spat directly at her.
Pointedly ignoring Khushi, Saiyeda said looking at Arnav, "That's not a problem. We're headed towards the kitchen anyway"
"I think I made it clear not to have any further conversation with you" Khushi protested.
"Show me the way, won't you darling?" Saiyeda spoke motioning her hand towards some invisible kitchen, ignoring all of Khushi's protests.
Grumbling inwardly, Khushi took a few steps before she stopped suddenly and looking at Arnav said, "I don't know where the kitchen is."
Saiyeda smiled knowingly as she told Khushi "Doesn't matter. We'll search for ourselves" sending across an indirect message to Arnav to let them alone for some time.
Arnav gave one longing look towards Khushi before he ambled across the hall and towards his room.
"So where were we K?" Saiyeda asked Khushi trying to strike a conversation with this obstinate girl who had taken it upon herself to hate her. "Yeahh, I was telling you back in the car how unsafe it is for girls to run amok streets like this"
"La la la you can do all you want to get me to speak with you, but I am not budging" Khushi retorted back, as she continued moving forward.
She suddenly took a sharp turn and found herself in the kitchen.
"So you do know the way to the kitchen then" Saiyeda prodded her.
Khushi was startled. "No.. No I didn't. It's just a coincidence!" she spoke truthfully.
"Well K, we better get you to eat before you fall off or something. I mean look at the state of you. You look so faint" Saiyeda said pouring a glass of juice she had retrieved from the refrigerator and some cereal.
In spite of herself Khushi took the glass from her realizing how hungry she was and between gulps said, "Thanks and stop calling me K" and she suddenly chocked and started coughing. Saiyeda soothed her back running her hands over Khushi's hair till she felt better.
"I think K is classy and suits you, although I love Khushi too" Saiyeda assertively beamed as Khushi straightened.
She caught Khushi's lips curling inwardly as she tried to suppress a smile despite her former acrimony with her and she caught her chance "I'm sorry for holding you back against your will, K. Please forgive me?" She knew Khushi wouldn't comply with her until they sorted things out
Khushi whose hunger was now satisfied as she gobbled down the cereal, her stomach and mind much happier, looked up at the doctor's sincere face and after a moment uncertainly nodded.
"We're good then?" Saiyeda asked again to which Khushi nodded a little more fully.
"Good then!" Saiyeda enthused. "You can call me S" and then added as an afterthought "if you're fine with it."
Khushi simply smiled back slightly.
***
Saiyeda conversed with Khushi for 15 minutes and asked her about whatever little she could retrieve about herself and as expected, got no answers from her, but a simple question.
"Do you reckon I was happy in my past? I want to know."
Saiyeda merely replied saying "All in good time." She asked Khushi to freshen up and go to bed as she might be too tired after her little morning adventure. Then she went up to Arnav's room and knocked.
The door was opened by a tensed looking Arnav who was huffing slightly as he had been pacing the room constantly ever since he left the hall, overwrought with worry.
He cast an expectant look as if to seek her notion on the matter and she didn't disappoint.
"Before I say anything Mr. Arnav, I want you to understand the intricacies that lie in such cases and know that there isn't an easy solution" and looking at Arnav's sullen expression continued, "But having said that, Khushi, as my psychological knowledge stretches, clearly has Retrograde Amnesia which means she has forgotten the entire chain of events that link her memory before the incident. Don't look so worried. It may sound terrifying, but trust me, I've seen it and it is curable"
Arnav, who looked like he was on the verge of an emotional breakdown bitterly said "I haven't seen it. Never have. Why her, doctor?"
Saiyeda continued reassuringly, "Khushi's memory has 85% chances of recovering and I will put in all my knowledge and expertise to help her"
As expected, his overly worried self stepped in and he asked, "But what about the remaining 15%? Why are we holding that as a risk?"
Saiyeda smiled at the concern Arnav had and said "Why bother about the 15%, when we have a big 85% on our side?"
"Anyway, I need to insinuate what I gather of Khushi at this point of time. I will make notes about her development and regression and draw comparisons" Arnav nodded and she continued, "Imagine it this way- One fine day you wake up and you don't remember anything or anyone. You will be scared and will suffer from a lack of trust... You don't know if what you are being told is true or not. Throughout our life we build memories, every second... and all is erased! Khushi as of now is very weak and helpless. She has lost her memory, her everyday life and all her moments spent. She obviously couldn't have conjured just like that, as she is right now. She knows nothing about her birth and where she was raised. She had a past, a nebulous past at that. She has to live according to things about her, told by others. She is in a state of great discomfort; having to rely upon someone else's information about herself. She cannot retrieve any memory or any precious moment of her past. She may still have any implicit memory traits. i.e. things she has learnt without anyone teaching her like breathing, eating, or if she has specialized in any skill, or is habituated to anything; she would do it subconsciously without her memory imploring her to do so. Her explicit memory traits however, are dormant. She cannot use her conscious memory to recall anything which isn't already inborn in her. I urge you not to try and do so as well. Give her space, but don't leave her alone for too long."
Arnav kept nodding, drinking in every word told to him, imprinting it in his brain. Suddenly his entire purpose of life started to revolve around Khushi. She had become his life.
Saiyeda told him it was enough for both of them today and she planned to take it on a relatively slow pace not wanting to excite Khushi's brain with too much load. She asked him to take rest as well because- "When you watch your loved ones suffer, you suffer more, but remember- There's always sunshine after the rain" and then took leave.
***
The lines in italic towards the end are words from my Rasgulla's own mouth. I had to include it here, hai na? :)
Hope you liked it. Hit like and leave your comments, please.
Love, jess
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