The Pink Hibiscus

~Goodbye my heart~

"Life. My beautiful people turned into hellish nightmares," She replied with a broken smile. The hollows in her eyes reflecting light and the ghosts of the past.

"Lily!!"

"Loki! Please, I know, I'm asking too much. I know I'm being too selfish now but I can't trust anyone but you. Everyone turned into monsters and I can't let it happen. I know, I'll die. I know, I don't have a lot of time but please, please will you do this one last thing for me?"  There was a desperate note in her feeble voice. A plea in her eyes. Her grasp on my hand-turned deadly tight and I didn't know what turned my sunshine to this shadow?

"You won't die, Lily. You won't. I'll shift you to the best hospital. You'll get the beat treatment. You'll live," I promised her. I believed this. I could save her. It wasn't too late till now.

Or

Was it?

"No, No, you can't...I feel it, Loki. I feel it but promise me, promise me you'll do this for me. Promise me, please. You won't leave her alone. You won't let them have her. Promise me, you'll love and protect her. Promise me!!" If I thought, she was desperate before I didn't know what to call her now. She was desperate and resolute clutching on me with her whole power.

"I promise but who?" I asked confused. Who is she asking me to protect? I didn't quite know but I knew when she pointed towards the side of her bed.

And for the first time, since, my arrival I noticed the baby wrapped in a bundle lying beside her. The baby was asleep and for the first time, I saw a genuine smile on her face. A smile which didn't involve the moving of her lips but her eyes were smiling.

"They'll kill her if they know about her," She whispered "just like they killed my three other babies, I never got to hold any of my girls beside her, you know"

She was broken.

A broken mother with lost children.

I could see it now.

"Oh, Lily!! Why didn't you call?" I asked her. I would have saved her. I would have done everything to help her. I let her go for her happiness.

Not this.

Never this.

"I was stupid but you have to protect her Loki. She doesn't have anyone besides me and I'll be gone soon. Will you look after her? Will you protect her? Will you love her?" Her voice was faint and breaking yet determined. It was a mother's voice trying her best to fight for her child's safety even with her dying breaths.

I had never heard her sound so low, so desperate, so determined.

"I'll," I nodded. I would do anything for her. I always did. I'll save her too their would be a way. She'll get to live with her daughter. She'll be happy.

She smiled at me.

One beaming smile.

And I stayed with her the whole day. Forgetting all about my tierdness, I watched her sleep. I talked to her about the good old days and I got to know her history from the nurses.

A victim of domestic violence and female fortified. It was a painful story about devils in humans clothing. No, not devils for devils were just too. They didn't differentiate between boys and girls, did they? The nurse talked about the poor baby to born in the hospital. Her chances of survival were slim too.

After every torture her mum went through she was malnutritioned and too small to be really healthy. I was ready to do anything to save both of them. It was night and I decided to stay with her here. She was fine all evening we talked about the good happy days. Our days.

But suddenly something changed. She kept on looking at the baby and me, she kept on looking at us with watery eyes. She asked for water. I helped her drink it. She ate her whole dinner. She laughed too and then it all ended. I didn't know then that it was the lamp at it's brightest before extinguishing.

"Loki!!" She called me softly.

"Yes,"

"Don't break my promise, like everyone else," she told me, a sad look on her face.

"I won't," I meant it.

"Please, protect her, love her, don't... don't let her be like me,please, take care of her, please,love her, promise me," She begged, her voice suddenly faint, tears seeping down painfully from her eyes.

"I'll Lily, I promise." I promised, throat clogged with emotions. I couldn't see her like this. I never wanted this to happen.I did everything for her smile, for her happiness, for her love.

How did she end up like this then?

Why?

"Love her!" She smiled, one last teary heart breaking smile. I could only watch and do nothing as the light slowly diminished from her eyes. She left.

Leaving behind a loudly wailing infant and an equally broken and wailing best friend, for she'll always know me as just that, her best friend.

I couldn't help it. I couldn't stop crying. I never thought I'll lost her like this. I never thought she'll die like this in front of my eyes. We will be so close and so far.

I watched her body being loaded in the ambulance after discharge formalities. I watched as she was taken to be cremated by kaka. I couldn't go. I've to keep my promise to her, didn't I?

I won't be like others. I loved her and I'll keep my promise to her till my dying breathes with watery eyes, I looked at the bundle in my arms and the birth certificate in my hand.

K.R. Nova written on it.

Yes, I'll keep my promises to her. All my promises to her. My heart may have gone with her, maybe my soul too but I'll still keep my promises.

After all, this was the woe of one-sided true love.

You might never truly have them but you won't ever stop loving them.

And I'll die before I broke my promise to her.

~to be continued~