Juhi collapsed on the chair listening to Anjali's words... Just when she was happy that he had regained his consciousness, her world collapsed yet again.... She felt someone suck out a large chunk of air from her lungs.... She felt her heart exploding.... Covering her mouth from crying out loudly her hand gradually moved down to her chest and rested on her stomach.... And she burst out crying ...
Anjali rushed towards her... Placing an arm over her shoulder and rubbing her back, words failed to come out of Anjali's mouth to console her..... Anjali was also traumatised by all that happened in the last 48 hours but her dad's memory loss came as a shocker... even though she was relieved he had woken up and was optimistic he would regain his memory soon...
What puzzled her was Juhi breaking down like this ...She knew Juhi and Shashank loved each other very much and it was definitely not easy for Juhi to take such a big risk and operate on him.. All that said and done, she felt she was missing out on something ...Maybe she was reading too much in between the lines..she shrugged her thoughts aside for the time being
"Get a hold on yourself Dr Juhi... Please... We need to work on helping him regain his memory... We have to remain strong... Please Dr Juhi .. " Anjali tried consoling her..
" You need to examine him first..Please calm yourself.." she pleaded with tears brimming her eyes ......
Still sobbing Juhi realised Anjali was right...
She needs to exam him first and monitor his progress... Five minutes later. composing herself and saying a quick prayer she whispered " This too shall pass..."
Wiping her tears dry and tucking the strands of hair behind her hair, Juhi spoke out saying "Anjali let's go inside.."
Anjali looked up to see her now all calm and composed and determined ..
Nodding her head in agreement both of them stood and walked towards the door.. Juhi took a long deep breath before pushing the door open..
There he lay staring blankly at the wall ahead of him.. His face looked pale and tired .. Dark circles were beginning to form and a day old stubble was surfacing out..
She gasped when he turned his head to look towards the door.. Her heart skipped a beat when their eyes met..
He stared at her with a blank expression on his face as she took baby steps to reach his bed...
Tears brimmed her eyes.. She immediately turned away and wiped them while Anjali walked towards the other side of his bed..
"Dad, this is Dr Juhi... The neurosurgeon who is treating you..."
Shashank acknowledged her with a slight nod after she turned to face him...
Gathering courage Juhi finally spoke "How are you feeling Dr Shashank ..."
He shot back a stunned look at her....
Juhi was confused with his look...
In a feeble voice he spoke " Why are you addressing me as Dr Shashank.. Am I a doctor??
Juhi and Anjali felt someone pull the rug under their feet... This was only the beginning Juhi thought...
Words failed to come out of her mouth...
Realising she need to respond quickly , she replied
" Yes Dr Shashank, you are a doctor yourself, a neurosurgeon and the best in the country ...." Juhi smiled
There was a perplexed look on his face... He turned to look at Anjali who nodded her head in affirmation... Shutting his eyes tight, he let out a deep sigh..
"Why am I unable to remember anyone or anything, doctor.." he asked his voice still feeble
Crossing her arms over her chest and bracing herself for more questions, Juhi replied ..
" I'm afraid you have lost your memory, Dr Shashank..."
There was absolute silence in the room except for the beeps from the monitors...
" Will I ever regain my memory..." he asked
Nodding her head positively without even thinking for a second , Juhi replied... "Yes Dr Shashank, you will and very soon...
This is a case of retrograde amnesia.. When a person suffers from retrograde amnesia, what becomes lost is that person's episodic memory, meaning memories of loved ones, personal experiences, their name, and so on, with more recent memories being the most susceptible to loss.
Shashank looked at her with a blank look
Knowing what was going on in his mind, Juhi placed her hand over his and said " You are a fighter, Dr Shashank... You will fight this one too.."
The touch of her hands sent an electrifying sensation throughout his body.. The touch felt very familiar... He noticed the doctor's eyes were watering .. she was looking at him, though . He didn't know whether to hold the gaze or look away ... He felt familiar yet so out of place...
Removing her hand, she spoke " I need to examine you, Dr Shashank.. Please relax yourself..."
He shut his eyes tight as she began to examine him.. Her voice, her touch , everything felt familiar to him...
"You okay ?? Juhi asked since he looked lost in deep thoughts...
" I ... I think so .." he stammered
"My head is hurting .. I want to rest...." he said
Nodding her head and briefing a smile she said " I'll see you soon.. Dr Shashank" and walked out of the ICU..
Shashank looked at Anjali who was still standing beside his bed.. She smiled at him and said " Dad, I have a surgery to attend to... I will be right back once I'm done.."
Letting out another sigh he asked "So you are also a doctor..." holding her gaze
" A Gynaecologist... and a smart one... after all your genes, dad..." she beamed....
And for the first time he smiled back...
"Duty calls for now... We shall catch up soon..." she pouted ..pecking a kiss on his forehead she walked out of the ICU..
Shashank shut his eyes tight ... His mind was in utter chaos... He failed to recognise the woman who is calling herself his daughter although he feels some kind of attachment towards her... His doctor tells him he is a neurosurgeon himself and the best in the country .. but he doesn't remember anything.. he felt frustrated and helpless and clueless.. If this is how he is going to live the rest of his life , it's going to drive him completely insane ... he thought letting out a long deep sigh
Meanwhile , Anjali walked to Juhi's cabin who was seated on her chair with her face buried in her palm ...
Hearing the knock in the door, she looked up to see Anjali who walked in and sat opposite to her on the chair..
"Dr Juhi, you confidently told him he would regain his memory but I want to know what are the odds..." Anjali asked her
After a brief pause, Juhi replied "If memory doesn't start flooding back, If he doesn't start remembering things in the next three to four weeks, I'm afraid no... it can take months or even years..." gulping a glass of water.
Anjali let out a frustrated sigh hearing that..
" We will fight this one too, Anjali.. Let's remain positive as we have always been.. As I mentioned , He is a fighter.. he will fight this one too..." and in a low voice she whispered "he has to fight this one too..." making Anjali look up with a confused look..
As the day progressed, Shashank was shifted to a private ward... Juhi visited him every 20 minutes to half an hour although she wanted stay glued beside him... but felt he needs his space..
Later that night, Juhi decided to stay back at the hospital while Anjali went home to rest..
After grabbing a light dinner from the hospital cafeteria, she walked into his room... He was fast asleep due to the effect of the medication.. She stood beside his bed, admiring his charming face... as much as she wanted to touch his forehead and run her fingers through his hair, like the way she always did, she abstained from doing so since she didn't wanted to wake him up ...
Walking towards the window, she closed the window blinds, and dimmed the lights off... Walking back to the sofa on the other side of the bed, she relaxed herself by folding both her knees up on the sofa ...
Trying to adjust herself into a comfortable position, she heard someone call her "Doctor.."
Surprised she looked up to see Shashank awake and looking at her..
She immediately rushed towards him...
" How are you feeling Dr Shashank.." she asked with a concerned look..
" Better..." he answered
" You were fast asleep when I walked in..." she stammered " I hope I didn't disturb you.."
Nodding his head in negation , he spoke "Your perfume... I knew it was you...."
Juhi was stunned hearing what he said... he always used to compliment her for her perfume...
As tears clouded her eyes she looked down to avoid his gaze.. while Shashank remained clueless about the impact of words ..
A deafening silence followed... breaking the silence Juhi finally spoke "I will be here tonight monitoring you, Dr Shashank.." her voice trailed trying to ascertain his reaction
" You don't need to, Doctor... I'm sure the nurses are good enough to monitor.. You must rest too.. You look tired.." he added
Caught off guard she didn't have an answer to justify her stand...hence she nodded in agreement and said " I will remain till someone else relieves me.. Is that okay with you..." she asked
Nodding his head he closed his eyes...
Juhi walked back to the sofa and sat folding her one leg up and held a cushion to her chest... She watched him as he slowly fell asleep and began to snore softly..
How much she missed hearing him snore.. she blushed..
"It's only a matter of time, Dr Shashank..
I'm sure you will be back soon...for us and... for our baby.. " rubbing her palm gently over her stomach she smiled to herself ..
Watching him sleep, she gradually fell asleep resting her head on the armrest of the sofa...
Shashank woke up thirsty in the middle of the night.. Adjusting his eyes to the dim lights he looked for water and found a glass of water on the bedside table.. Unaware of Juhi's presence, he stretched out his hand and removed the lid over the glass and took the glass of water.. Gulping half a glass of water, he placed back the glass and covered the lid back ...
Resting his head back on the pillow he turned left to see a petite frame sleeping in an uncomfortable position on the sofa...
it took him a minute .. and then it dawned on him that it was his doctor who was fast asleep... He recalled their conversation where she said she would leave once someone relieves her... But here she was ...
As much as he wanted to wake her up and ask her to go home and rest, he didn't have it in him to wake her up seeing her sleep so peacefully...
Lost in thoughts , he began to wonder " I see unexpressed emotions in her eyes... I see overwhelming love for me in her eyes , love we have for our dearest loved ones... despite keeping my eyes closed I knew every time she came to check me.. almost every 15 minutes??Those sighs and the silence in which she stood beside my bed staring at me unaware of the fact that I could feel her presence... he sighed
There is a sense of belonging I feel towards her... but when i try to pull any memory of her or anyone or anything.. why do I draw a blank.." he felt frustrated
Hoping to find answers soon, he closed his eyes fell asleep gradually ....