This is it—the end of my medical education. The only thing holding me together after the accident was medicine, and now even that's slipping away. Pierce is going to rip my life apart, and keeping my door shut is just delaying the inevitable. My heart hammered in my chest, begging for mercy, and the darkness of the room pressed in on me. My legs gave out, and I collapsed. But Mily caught me, lifting me effortlessly into her arms. How was she so strong? It didn't make sense, but in her arms, nothing else mattered.

"But Pierce..."

"Shh... Don't worry about her. There are far more otherworldly things you should be concerned with."

Otherworldly? I couldn't see her face in the dark and didn't know if she was joking or not. Her words lingered, unsettling and mysterious. I peered through the dimness, searching for the electrician, but he was nowhere to be found. The window was open. Somehow, he'd been kind enough to leave without asking for his payment, perhaps sensing the tension that filled the room.

But in Mily's arms, none of that mattered anymore. The pressure from outside—Pierce's attempts to break my door with her cane, the impending doom of my academic career—faded into nothing. I would happily let it all go if it meant staying right here, wrapped in her warmth.

She carefully laid me down on the bed, then climbed up beside me. As her body brushed against mine, a jolt of electricity surged through me. She lied flat beside me and took my face in her left hand and placed my face over her neck and held me tight. I curled in her soft and warm embrace. I could feel the soft, rhythmic pulse of her carotid artery tapping my cheek—lub dub, lub dub. Each beat was slow and steady, like a lullaby for my restless heart.

In that moment, every ounce of fear and anxiety melted away. Between the pauses of her pulse, I felt peace.

Then Mily slowly lifted my face up, and pulled it up towards her face. Very slowly, first she pressed my forehead against her chin and slid my face over hers brushed my forehead down the curve of her nose until we were in perfect alignment, eye to eye and lip to lip. And then, without warning, she gripped my waist, effortlessly rolled my body and came on top of me ,pinning me to the bed with a sudden intensity. Her lips crashed onto mine, her tongue parting them, grazing against mine, igniting a spark inside me. A rush of energy flooded my veins, as if some otherworldly force surged through us both.

My back arched, bowing against the overwhelming tide of sensation. Blood coursed through my body with impossible speed. Every cell of mine yearned for her. I was on the brink of something immense, like teetering at the edge of an abyss. I wasn't just feeling it—I was becoming it.

We were one.

In that split second, everything clicked. Everything made sense. This—we—made sense. We had been born for this, to exist in this endless dance of day and night, of desire and connection. I knew it wasn't one-sided. Like me, she had been holding herself back all this time.

When she finally withdrew, her lips left a searing trail. She kissed the edge of my ear softly and whispered, "You're ready to go now."

That's when reality hit me— Blood thirsty Pierce was still at my doorstep, predator-like, ready to strike. But this time, the fear didn't cling to me the way it used to. It was gone. I stepped forward and opened the door.

The corridor outside was packed. Everyone probably heard the commotion that Pierce had caused and stood outside to witness. Their eyes, filled with pity, trailed over me, silently passing judgment on my situation. But Pierce—her eyes were something different. They burned with the hunger of a predator who had finally cornered her prey.

She stormed towards me, her face just inches from mine, and barked, "What the hell were you doing behind this door?"

What once felt like a terrifying glare now seemed... absurd. Her fury, her presence—it all looked ridiculous, like the desperate tantrum of a clown. I had to fight to keep from laughing.

"I was just sleeping, you know," I replied, completely calm. "I was exhausted from all the work at the hospital today."

I could see in the dim light of the corridor that my sudden composure had caught her off guard. She blinked, momentarily thrown off balance.

"Sleeping, huh? So soundly, without a fan?" Her voice dripped with mockery. "Tell me, you girl, what are you hiding? I saw you sneaking around earlier. Are you sneaking in a boyfriend? Are you having a secret stash of illegal drugs or are you hiding the fact that you lost the power supply to your room"

She sneered triumphantly and flipped the switch on the wall.

To both our shock, the light came on.

"This is why you ran away from me? How old is your electrician?", Pierce smirked.

In that split second, I realized my problem. Mily was still inside the room.

My newfound calmness crumbled in an instant. My heart pounded again, and I was too terrified to turn around. Pierce's eyes narrowed, and all I could think was how the hell I was going to explain her presence.

Standing at the threshold, Pierce scanned my room and so did I. But Mily was nowhere to be seen. Pierce tried to enter my room but as soon as she put her right leg inside my room she began scrunching her face and held her stomach tight. It was like she was in pain. Like the 65 year old somehow got her period cramps. She withdrew her legs and became normal. Again she tried to come in with the other leg. Same reaction. It was like something inside the room was repelling her. Some magical force made her suffer with pain as soon as she put her legs in my room. For a second,Pierce looked confused. Then she scowled at me.

"Hey, you, get in and check if anyone is there" , Pierce pointed to Chaya. Chaya apparently used to be my best friend before my accident. Once she had come to pay me a visit in the hospital, after my accident, but scooted away as soon as she saw my blank face that lacked any memory of her. She avoided me when I returned to college, but since I was comfortable being lonely, it didn't bother me much.

So Chaya came inside my room. Nothing seemed to affect her, she was alright. She walked past me and searched everywhere. She went next to the window and peered. Surprisingly, the window was locked from inside. I wondered where Mily was hiding.

"There is no one in here ma'am", she told Miss Pierce.

"Oh helping an old friend are we? Check under the bed you moron", Chaya trembled and did as she was told.

"No one is in here"

"Sure? You know what will happen if I find out it is not true". Miss Pierce pointed her cane towards another random girl and nudged her in.

Random girl walked in and checked under the bed. "No one's here ma'am", she said.

Pierce grunted and threw her cane on the the corridor floor and walked with heavy steps and you know what the air smelled of? Her defeat.

We did it. Me and Mily we did it . But the question still remained. How did Mily disappear in that split second and leave my windows closed?

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The next day, I woke up earlier than ever, determined to meet Mily and confess my feelings. As I left, a beautiful red rose from Pierce's garden caught my eye. Pierce would be furious about this, but it no longer mattered to me; I plucked it, placing my nose close to inhale its sweet fragrance. Everything in the garden , every beautiful thing bestowed by nature somehow reminded me of her and this rose, its texture, reminded me of her soft lips . I kissed the rose and I raced towards the hospital to give Mily this rose and declare my love.

I reached her room and looked around for her.

"She left for work, Aira ma. She's used up all her holidays", her grandmother told me.

The words felt like a punch to the gut. I could feel my heart sink. How could she leave like that—after what happened yesterday? My newfound happiness evaporated in an instant. It wasn't a coincidence. She was ghosting me.

I stood there, the rose wilting in my hand, as the emptiness inside me deepened. But now, in this moment, I knew: No accident, no amnesia, could ever erase this feeling of abandonment.

I needed to escape. I bolted out of the room, my feet carrying me aimlessly through the campus. I walked past the dissection halls, through the physiology museum, until I found myself in a deserted area—the old students' council room.

It was quiet there and the silence offered some strange comfort. I sat for a while, letting the emptiness settle in, trying to absorb the stillness around me. It was nearing the time for my lecture so I decided to leave. I didn't want to miss my lecture, I really hoped it will help me get distracted from the ravings of my sore heart. After all it seems like medicine is the only solace I have right now,

But as I stood up, something on the wall caught my attention.

I froze.

---

Hanging on the wall was an old CME poster.

'Diffuse Axonal Injury: The invisible killer' 

PRESENTER: Dr. Raghav Chakravarthy, eminent neurologist and alumni.

In the poster was unmistakably the face I was very familiar with. The face that haunted the dreams that have become an obsession for me.

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 1618 words

Glossary:
Patti : Grandma in tamil. Indians refer to old age women as Grandma's even if not related.

Diffuse Axonal Injury: like the name suggests in simple words diffuse injury at the axons- shearing stress on axons. Leads to coma . But the worst part is normal MRI and CT of brain will look clear. This happens as a result of collision injuries during accidents.

A/N :
First of all dedicating this chapter to my best friend and gorgeous girl Puthiri. Have a beautiful birthday ahead.

I was in a coaching class hating my life and in the roll call I would hear her name . Her name was called the last. I always wondered who she was because the name seemed so different . But never made an attempt to turn back n look. Her name meant the class was over and I could leave . And then I join clg n she was my very next room! She tells me she was from the coaching and apparently she knew me . It didn't take long for us to get to know each other and become best friends. Anyway she being a sweet girl was able to tolerate me. So please kindly if you are reading this. wish my girl the best with your heart 💜 I love you dear. 

This song is for her. Also I received advice that I must not add images and that it is creating a break in the continuity so no more images . Or tell me should I add them ? Also please point out any grammatical errors or typos