Together Hamesha (MishBir Version)

Chapter 24

A. N. - I'm so sorry for such a long wait🙊 But finally it's here! Also, some of y'all made predictions about what was going to happen ahead. Well, let me tell you, it's not what you think it is😏 To know what it is, read along😉

All the hope from Abir's eyes dissipated. A lost look clouded his features. 

Abir : Nahi.. Nahi.. Yeh.. yeh sach nahi hai. Nahi.. Dr. Mehra jhooth bol rahe hai. Mish.. Mishti mujhe aise chod kar nahi jaa sakti hai. No.. Usse.. usse kuch nahi ho sakta hai. Noo..

He stumbled behind as he searched for a hint of deception on Dr. Mehra's face. 

Abir : Aap.. aap jhooth bol rahe hai na? Yeh.. yeh sach nahi hai na? Mishti.. Mishti ko kuch nahi hua hai naa? Woh.. woh thik hai na? Bataiye naa Dr. Mehra.. Woh thik hai na?

He questioned Dr. Mehra with bated breaths. A teardrop rolled down his cheek. He wasn't ready to accept that Mishti hadn't made it through the surgery. He didn't know how to live in a world without Mishti. And he didn't want to live in one either. 

Dr. Mehra : Nahi Abir. Mere kehne ka woh matlab nahi tha. The operation was successful. And we got the tumor. All of it. Mishti is fine. But..

As the words "Mishti is fine" left Dr. Mehra's lips, Abir felt as if someone had given him oxygen to breathe. He felt relief shoot through his entire body and happiness shone in his eyes.  

Nishant : But what Dr. Mehra? 

Nishant intervened. Abir glanced towards Nishant before focusing his gaze back on Dr. Mehra.

Dr. Mehra : There was a complication during the surgery which led to swelling in Mishti's brain. And we weren't able to control it with medication. So we had to medically induce Mishti into a coma.

The small smile that had started to form across Abir's face, died down. The colour drained from his face and everyone else's too. 

Abir : Mat.. Matlab? 

His mind knew what Dr. Mehra's words meant but his heart needed to hear the explanation out loud. 

Dr. Mehra : A medically-induced coma is like a coma but reversible. Mishti is in a comatose state under the influence of medicines. Once we stop giving her that medication and they are out of her system, she may wake up. This is really important for relieving the pressure that is being created on Mishti's brain and to provide her brain with some rest. It'll help in decreasing the swelling too. Also, this is crucial in order to save her life. 

Abir stared at Dr. Mehra with a blank look on his face. 

Abir : How.. how many days? 

He stammered. Dr. Mehra gazed at him with sympathetic eyes. 

Dr. Mehra : We don't know that yet Abir. We will monitor the swelling in Mishti's brain closely. As we see the swelling go down, we will gradually withdraw the drugs while monitoring brain activity and other vital signs. If everything goes well, at the most, it'll be a week. But if not, then it can take more time. 

Dr. Mehra kept a hand on Abir's shoulder. 

Dr. Mehra : Have faith Abir. Resecting the tumor is half the battle won. It is just a matter of a few more days before Mishti may open her eyes again. Mishti has come so far. I'm sure she'll make it through this too. I'll take your leave now. We will be shifting Mishti to the ICU. I'll be back in a while to check up on her again. 

He tapped on his shoulder and left from there. Abir stood there, numb. His mind was trying to register everything that Dr. Mehra spoke about just moments ago. "Medically-induced coma."  "Swelling." "Pressure created on her brain." "A week." All these words rang in Abir's ears. The ward boys pushed the stretcher, on which Mishti lay, out of the operation theatre. Clad in a blue hospital gown, her limp figure looked pale and fragile. Her entire forehead was bandaged with white gauze. Everyone stared at her inert form as the ward boys wheeled her stretcher towards the ICU room.