Right now everyone was in the corridor waiting for one of them to wake up.
Cabir: When are they going to wake up?
Abhi: Well Manik should be up any moment and about Nandini I can't say that yet. It might take few hours.
Navya: (worried) Abhi you're sure that Nandini is fine right?
Abhi: As per my observation there's nothing to worry but the actual situation will be known only after she wakes up.
While they were talking a nurse came out of Manik's room.
Nurse: Sir patient is now awake.
Without wasting time everyone rushed inside.
Abhi: (checking him) Are you ok? Do you feel any pain?
Manik: (in a low voice) I am fine just these cuts hurts a bit.
Abhi: It will take some time for them to recover. Till that time you have to give your body proper rest.
Manik: Nandini? Where is she?
Mukti: Nandini is still unconscious.
Manik: (worried) Is she ok? Why is she not awake yet?
Abhi: She is fine Manik you don't worry. She will be up in sometime.
Manik: I want to see her.
Abhi: Manik I told you that you need rest.
Manik: Abhi I can't rest unless and until Nandini is beside me. Please let me see her.
Knowing that he will not listen to anyone he allowed him to meet her.
In Nandini's room:
Right now everyone is in Nandini's room waiting for to wake up. Manik is sitting on the chair right beside her bed holding her hand tightly. He has not moved even a bit from the moment they have entered in the room. Cabir was sitting on the other side of bed while others had settled on the sofa.
It's been 2 hours and now Manik was getting impatient.
Manik: (worried) Abhi why is she not up yet?
Abhi: Manik it's because of the medicines. She will wake up soon.
After 15 minutes Manik felt her fingers moved.
Manik: Guys she...she moved.
Everyone immediately surrounded around her and saw her trying to wake up.
Manik: Nandini baby can you hear me? Try opening your eyes slowly bache. See Dadda is here with you.
Then finally she opened her eyes and was scanning her surrounding.
Nandini: (confused) Where am I?
Alia: You are in the hospital room baby.
Abhi: Nandini baby do you feel pain anywhere?
She shook her head as no. Manik who was staring at her till now as if making sure that he was not dreaming just hugged her tightly.
Manik: Thank god you are fine. I was so scared. (breaking the hug) Are you ok? (no response) What happened baby? Why are you not talking?
Nandini: Wh...Who are you?
Now that was a heartbreaking moment for Manik. He felt nothing. He didn't understand how to react after listening to her. For once he thought maybe he misheard her but no she actually forgot him. Nandini, his baby, his life doesn't remember him. He just went numb.
Cabir: Nandu baby what are you saying? He is Manik, your Dadda, remember?
Nandini: (confused) Who are you? (to everyone) Who are you all? And who am I? I...I don't remember anything.
Manik: Nan...Nandini baby it...it's me bache. Don't you remember your Dadda?
Nandini: I..I can't remember anything.
Mukti: Abhi why are you standing like that go and check her.
Cabir moved from his place and Abhi checked Nandini once again.
Abhi: I don't find any serious external injury but there can be internal injury because of which she has forgotten everything. We should immediately do some reports. (to Nandini) Baby don't worry Abhi bhai will treat you ok. (to everyone) We just need to give her 4 5 injections and then will take her for reports.
Nandini: INJECTIONS!!! NO NO NO. I DON'T WANT IT.
Abhi: Baby it's necessary. If you don't take it then you might suffer from permanent memory loss.
Alia: Yes Nandu you want to be fine right then you have to do as Abhi says.
Nandini: But I am fine. I remember everyone. See (pointing at everyone one by one) he is Cabir bhai, Dhruv bhai, Mukti di, Navu di, Alia di, my loving Dadda and lastly Abhi bhai. See I am fine now.
Everyone was confused except Abhi.
Abhi: See just by the name of injection you remembered everyone but what if you forget everything again then? It's better you take your injections.
Nandini: No I don't want I am fine. I was just pranking you guys.
Now everyone understood that Nandini was just playing with them. Navya pulled her ears.
Nandini: Oww Oww Di leave me I am sorry.
Cabir: You naughty girl.
Navya: Here you are lying on the hospital bed and still playing pranks with us ha.
Nandini: (pouts) Sorry na Di. I just wanted to play with you guys. I will not do something like this again. (notice that Manik is silent) (extra sweet voice) Dadda. (ignore) Dadda are you angry? (ignore) Talk with me na. I am sorry.
Manik: (angry) Everything is a joke for you na. Do you even know what I went through in this 2 minutes? Leave it you won't understand.
Nandini: Daddaaaa Nandu is sorry. (pouts) I just woke up and instead of cuddling me here you are getting angry.
Manik: Acha so it's my mistake ha. If my anger matters you so much then you should have not played such stupid prank on us.
Nandini: I know it's my mistake and for that I am sorry. (showing puppy eyes) Please forgive me and give me a biiiiiiigggggg hug.
She opened her arms calling Manik for hug giving him her most cutest look which he couldn't resist and finally gave in and hugged Nandini.
Cabir: Hey you already forgot you bhai ha.
Mukti: Here comes the jealous kid.
Cabir: I'm not jealous ok.
He pulled Nandini from Manik's embrace and hugged her to which Manik glared him but who cares. One by one everyone hugged her.
Nandini: By the way Abhi bhai how did you know that I was pranking you guys?
Abhi: (smirks) Because I know you my dear baby sister. I can understand you better than others.
Manik/Cabir: (offended) Hey. I know her better ok.
Navya: God now there will be another war between them.
Manik: Cabir back off everyone over here knows I know my baby the best after all I am her Dadda.
Cabir: So what I am her brother and she loves me the most.
Manik: I guess you have forgotten the punch you got earlier.
Cabir: If you are losing an argument that doesn't mean you will choose violence.
Dhruv: Give yourself a break guys. Don't you get tired of arguing with each other all day.
Cabir: He-
Navya: Ssshhhhh. Not a word.
Cabir: But-
Navya: Cabir I said not a word. Finger on your lips.
He immediately shut his mouth.
Navya: Abhi is Nandini ok?
Abhi: Yes she is absolutely fine. Within one hour we can discharge both of them but Nandini as you are weak you have to take care of yourself. No junkfood or skipping food. Only healthy food and juices.
Nandini made a bad face listening to this and was about to argue but Manik cuts her.
Manik: (eyeing her) She will follow everything don't worry I will make her follow.
Navya: Ok then I think we should give you guys some privacy. Everyone out of this room.
Cabir: I won't leave.
Navya: Who told to remove your finger from your lips? Back to that position and out of this room now.
Navya dragged Cabir with her and everyone left them alone.
After everyone was out there was complete silence in the room. Both of them had many things to talk but didn't know where to start. Manik was holding Nandini hands while Nandini was playing with his finger. After sometime Manik thought to break the silence.
Manik: I missed you.
Nandini: I missed you too. Ev...even though for me you were in front of me still I missed you.
Manik: I am sorry you had to face all this because of me.
Nandini: It wasn't your fault Dadda.
Manik: Say it once again.
Nandini: (confused) Huh?
Manik: Call me once again.
Nandini: (smiling) Dadda.
Manik: (cupping her cheeks) You don't know how much I craved to hear this. There was no single minute when I didn't miss you.
Nandini: You won't leave me again, right?
Manik: Never.
He pecked her forehead.
Nandini: You don't know how I felt when you told me that you don't love me, when you said you don't believe me and...and that I...I cheated on you. (crying) I would never do anything like that.
Manik: (hugs her) It was not me baby. He was a bad person and you because of his words you should not doubt yourself or prove your innocence to others ok?
She nodded but still somewhere she was scared.
Nandini: Wh..What if something like this happens again? What if someone else do the same thing and we never know the truth?
Manik: I won't let this happen ever again and still by any chance this happens just remember one thing... the moment he says that he don't love you or don't believe you understand that it's not me because no matter what I will never stop loving you.
Outside the room:
Abhi and Navya went to complete their discharge procedure. Dhruv and Alia were sitting on the bench outside the room. Cabir and Mukti were standing at the door trying to listen what was going on inside the room.
Dhruv: Are you guys done?
Cabir: (whispering) You also come join us.
Dhruv: I am not interested in invading someone else's privacy.
Mukti: Ssshhhh stop talking I can't listen anything.
Inside the room:
Manik and Nandini were talking that's when they heard some whispering sounds so Manik stood up and quietly went towards the door and opened it immediately and both Cabir and Mukti who were leaning on the door lost their balance and were about to fall but they balanced themselves and straighten their postures. They then noticed Manik standing in front of them with his hands folded around his chest and giving them a questioning look.
Manik: (raising his one eyebrow) So? What were you guys doing outside? Listening to our talks?
Cabir: (fake laugh) Listening to you guys? You think that we will do something like this?
Manik: (sarcastic smile) Well I believe that you guys can do something like that.
Mukti: No No we didn't listen anything.
Manik: Is it? Then can you please do the needful to tell me what exactly were you guys doing then?
Mukti: We... Umm we (that's when Abhi and Navya came in the room) Oh ya we came to tell you that your discharge procedure is done and we can go home.
Cabir: Ya ya discharge procedure.. It's done. Home.. Let's go.
Saying they both immediately ran from there.
Navya: (confused) What happened to these two?
Alia: Ignore them babes. So if everything is done we should get going.
Everyone nodded and after gathering all their stuffs they went home.
That's all for today. Hope you like it.
Please vote and comment your thoughts.
Will meet you in next chapter.