Hey all thanks for all the lovely comments.. Here is my next chapter..
Chapter 2
Mahir
sat in Dr. Rehan's office, resting his head in his hands. What had the
potential to be one of the happiest days in weeks had had a tragic ending.
Maybe he had set his hopes too high, and the inevitable crash was too much for
him to handle. The blank, empty look on Bela's face triggered emotions he had
only encountered in a dim parking lot on a cool night. Mahir didn't have the
mindheartto respond her query. So, he mumbled 'I'm sorry,' and,
as quietly as he had entered the room, he exited.
Mahir
had walked around aimlessly, concentrating on a single conceptbreathing. Air
enters the nose, down the trachea, through the bronchus, into the lungs a
simplistic route. In Mahir's mind, his and Bela's pathway should've been the
same; fall in love, get married , move in together, conceive a child, and live
happily ever after. There is no detour or forgetting with whom you will be
taking the journey.
"I
know this is not the outcome you're expecting, but it's progress
nonetheless," Dr. Rehan assured him.
Mahir
raised his head, meeting the doctor's gaze, before mumbling a somber "I
know." It was an improvement, he knew, but he couldn't deviate from the
outlook he'd had the last month or so. Was Bela not remembering him
worse than her not waking? In his current mindset, Mahir couldn't
decide.
"Your
wife is suffering a condition called Post-traumatic Amnesia, usually occurring
after a head injury. It seems she's lost nerve pathways required to retrieve
long-term memories.", Mahir was quiet, his gaze fixated on his untied shoe
lace. "Mr. Seghal," Dr. Rehan stood up and walked around his desk,
pulling a chair closer to Mahir. "Traumatic amnesia is often
transient."
Mahir
looked up from his shoes, not sure if he had heard the doctor correctly.
"What was that?"
"Her
tests indicate that there is no brain damage, which explains the retention of
her implicit and procedural memories...Her memories can be triggered back."
"I
don't understandtriggered back?" One thing that Mahir had learned within
the last few hours was not to get his hopes up too high, but this small
affirmation excited him more than it should have.
"Yes,
to a certain extent. See, depending on the stimulus, it might trigger an
emotional response, even a memory." Mahir scrunched his brow, looking
puzzled at the doctor. Considering his state of confusion, Dr. Rehan continued,
"She may associate a flowery smell with a garden or someone who gardened.
But the problematic part is to discern the stimuli. People associate things
differently or not at all. So it's hard to know how to exactly fish the
memories out."
"So,
you're saying that she may remember me? Our kids?
"Yes,"
Dr. Rehan said with much hesitation. "But the best thing you can do right
now is support herbe there for her. She is in a strange world right now."
Mahir nodded, suddenly feeling guilty about his previous encounter with Bela.
"On
another note," Dr. Rehan continued, "Your wife should make a full
recovery. She could be discharged within the next week."
"Really?
That's good! But, will she...um...be willing to come with me? I mean, I'm
a..." Mahir paused, choking on his next few words, "complete
stranger."
"In
cases like these, I advise the family not to be strangers. Your presence will
speak louder than words."
On
that last note, Mahir shook hands with the doctor and proceeded down the hall
towards the elevator where it would lead him to the 6th floorthe ICU. He had a
new mission in life: to be there for Bela. He knew she would have done the
same, or more than he had. He walked briskly and purposely towards her. Mahir
was surprised to find the room lacking the tumult of nurses from before. The
only sound was the echoing beep of the monitors. He walked in and was faced
with the same lost expression from before.
"Hi,"
he said hesitantly.
"Hi,"
she responded, her voice soft and hoarse. Tubes and wires still engulfed her
small frame.
"I'm
Mahir," He extended his hand and she shook it hesitantly.
"I'm
Belaat least that's what they've been calling me. Am I supposed to know
you?" Mahir was not expecting that question just yet.
"Yeah...
I'm your... husband." Mahir said cautiously. He watched her demeanor shrink
as his statement sunk in. Maybe she didn't need to know that just yet.
"Wow!"
Tears began rolling down her cheeks as she looked at the man standing a few
feet from her bed. She had no recollection of him, or of anything for that
matter. Everything was a blur. She knew, from what the nurses told her, that
she was in a hospital and that she had been in an accident, but that was as far
her understanding of herself went."I-I..."
"It's
ok," Mahir interrupted. He wanted to hold her, wipe the cascading tears
from her cheeks, and it took all he had in him not to follow his instincts.
"If you need me to leave now, that's ok! I understand. Just know that I
am..."
"Don't
goI don't want to be alone." She interjected.
"You
won't..."
Mahir
narrowed the space between them, reaching out to hold her hand. She winced, but
didn't recoilhe was contented. The room fell into a comfortable silence, as
neither of them spoke. He wasn't going to bombard her with information she
wasn't ready for. Mahir was going to wait for her initiative. That way, he knew
she would be ready. For now, silence was his most eloquent answer. Baby
stepshe thoughtbaby steps.
"I'm
a bit tired, if you don't mind I'm going to rest for a bit."
"Yeah...
That's fine."
She
closed her eyes and he watched her gradually fall asleeplistening to the
steady sound of her breathing. May be this wasn't going to be so hardhe
thought. But then he saw the image of histheirchildren, and his heart fell to
the pit of his stomach. How is he going to explain this to
them? Or to her? She was taken aback by the fact that she has a husband, and
then he is supposed to add two kids in the mix? Mahir was about to go for a
walkto clear his head when a nurse entered the room.
"Mr.
Seghal, a Mrs. Sharma is in the waiting room," the nurse said softly.
Mahir
made his way down the hall, finding Prerna Sharma on the verge of tears. She
was such a pleasant and polite woman, from whom Bela took a lot, and Mahir was
thankful for that. She had always been a rock for Bela, and Bela loved her, so Mahir
came to love her as well. After the divorce, she was distressed, but
optimistic, which helped Bela through the awful ordeal. Family gatherings had
become a bit awkward, but over the years it had gotten betterkids always had a
way to light up a room.
"Mahir..."
"Maa."
She embraced him.
"Is
she awake? I came as soon as you called."
"She
is sleeping right now, still in the ICU ... but alert."
"That
is great news..." Prerna paused, sensing a lack of excitement in his
voice. "What's wrong Mahir?"
Mahir
was silent. How was he supposed to tell her Bela wouldn't remember herher own
mother? Not only that, but how was he supposed to admit his soul mate didn't
remember him either? He stood, awkwardly glancing past her, perhaps at the
ceiling, before meeting her gaze again. "Maa..." he began, "She
can't remember."
"What?"
The question came out barely a whisper.
"She
doesn't remember things..." Mahir began, tears agglomerating in the back of
his eyes. Prerna covered her mouth, in complete disbelief. "She didn't
know who I was..." He shifted uncomfortably, trying to recompose himself,
"But we need to be there for her, she can't afford to see us break. It is
already confusing enough as it is." Prerna nodded. She couldn't seem to
absorb the situation before her. "The doctors think it could be temporary...
but it's still early to tell."
"Can
we go see her?
"Yeah,
but she's resting right now. The doctors have been on her the entire
morning." Prerna was saddened; she wanted to see her daughter. "I was
actually going for a walk, mind joining me?" relieve
"Okay."
They
walked to the cafeteria, choosing to grab a bite. They were mostly silent,
picking at the food. Mahir mentioned work and the kids, but Prerna rarely
respondedshe was still swallowing the knot stuck in her throat. Sensing her
uneasiness, Mahir decided they'd been away long enough. He stood up, throwing
most of his sandwich away, and Prerna followed, making their way to her room.
Mahir
entered quietly, while Prerna lingered by the door. "Hey, you're
awake."
"Yeah,
there seems to be a lot of commotion here," She said, stifling a yawn. She
had managed to doze off, but between the beeping monitors and nurses filtering
in and out, it made sleeping almost impossible.
"Well,
you are in a hospital Sharma."
"Shaarmaaa
what?" He noticed a smile tugging the corners of her lips.
"Sharma...It's
your surname...I...um..." He stammered, "I call you that sometimes"
"Oh..."
"Your
mom is also here to see you," Mahir said, gesturing towards the door.
Bela
widened her eyes, stretching her neck to see the person standing by the door.
She was fairly tall woman, with straight black hair, and very fair skin. She
wore a black saree and minimal jewelry.
"Hi
honey," Prerna said walking slowly towards Bela.
"Hi,"
Bela said with tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. "I'm sorry...It's
just... I don't..." Bela stammered, biting her bottom lip in an effortless
attempt to keep it from quivering. Bela didn't remember her either.
"It's
okay honey," Prerna said reaching for her hand, "We're here for
you."
The
room fell into an awkward silence as neither of them dared to speak. Bela
didn't know what to say. She didn't know the two figures standing before her
and apparently they didn't know this new person either. Bela
felt part of a puzzle where everyone seemed to know how the pieces matched
except her.
The
silence was interrupted by the persistent ring of Prerna's phone. She quickly
fished it from her bag, pressing the hold key. She had been waiting to hear
from Pankaj and Suhani, Bela's dad and younger sister, since she'd left home.
She quickly excused herself, heading towards the hall. Somehow the atmosphere
became lighter. Mahir's presence was comforting. Bela didn't understand why,
but she felt safer when he was around.
"Did
you bring all these flowers?" Bela said admiring the small vases of
flowers decorating the room.
"Some
of them. The big one over there," Mahir said pointing to a vase with
colorful daisies, "That one was from the people I work with."
"Oh...
They are all very nice!" Bela smiledcontemplating asking her next
question. "Is there anyone else I should know about?"
"Well...
Maybe. You have a dad and a sister who are driving up from Delhi. If you're not
ready to meet them, it's okay...," Mahir said, a smile tugging at the corner
of his lips. "We're just really happy you're alright."
"Okay."
Bela paused before asking her next question, "What happened?" Bela seemed
more ready to ask questions than Mahir was to answer them.
"Well..."
Mahir shifted uncomfortably in the chair, "You were driving home from your
classes when a drunk driver hit you
head-on. It was pretty bad." Bela widened her eyes looking down at her
herself. She could see the remnant scars, not to mention the cast still housing
her left leg. "You're getting better and the doctors are optimistic."
"Why
can't I remember anything?" Her eyes were filling with tears once again.
"Um...
you will, it's just going to take some time." This time Mahir didn't
resist. He got up from the chair and embraced her. She felt the warmth of his
body radiating through hers. "I will be here, always." Bela smiled
wiping the escaping tears down her cheeks, but quickly retracted herself from
his embrace.
"Thank
you." She said sheepishly.
Btw...
" With classes I meant.. teaching classes... You are a teacher Bela ". Bela
was surprised to hear that.. "waoow I am a teacher.. that's cool she said ".
Mahir smiled.. It was like the old Bela was back again...
Prerna
returned, startling both Mahir and Bela. "Mahir, that was your mom, she's
been trying to reach you all day."
"I
left my phone in the car! Is everything ok?"
"Nothing's
wrong. She wanted an update on Bela and to ask what time you're picking up the
kids."
"What
kids?" Bela gasped, the color draining from her face. Her eyes widened,
darting from Mahir to Prerna for an answer.
Edited by sarahgul - 5 years ago
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