"Not for the first time I feel that this place is haunted, by the ghosts of those not yet dead, my own included."

Chapter 18 - when the time comes ...

No one teaches you about how to grieve , about how people will judge you if you don't cry just as much or if you cry too much , how you have to follow certain norms to grieve, how your emotions should be in control and yet at the same time uncontrollable, they don't teach you how to answer to people who asks you ' how are you?' because you can't say that you are not fine nor you can say that you are . That's life, they teach you to catch happy moments but what about the sad moments ? How do you deal with death?

Navya - Amms wanted to talk to you .

Nandini - send her in after some time, now I want to spend time with you .

Navya was now in a fix ,how could she say that Amms wasn't here, she didn't come for her when she needed a family memeber the most.

Nandini looked at Navya a little confused as if gauging her expressions and that's when she realised that talking meant on phone and not real . That broke her already broken heart a little but then she gave a small little smile to Navya as if a little more would hurt her.
Nandani - May be some other day.

She said and turned her head to look out of the window . Knowing Nandani so well , she made her way out of the room slowly while not disturbing her .

Sometime grief needs to be dealt on its own. Leave it be. Let it be .

Looking out of the window seeing the birds chirping, leaves falling , wind blowing made her feel like being a part of this world , the one which has beauty in it , not the one with demons that she faced for days . Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes for a moment , gathering her courage and pressed the button to call the nurse .

In a minute, two nurses came inside asking her about her health and everything ...
Nandani - I feel a little pain in my stomach , it's different kind of pain , something I haven't experienced before . It's not too much but i just wanted to make sure it's not a problem .

The nurses immediately called Mukti as well as Alya who made their way in the room .

They both smiled seeing Nandini and Mukti gently pressed her stomach to which she yelled in pain .

Manik who was passing by the room heard it and rushed inside being all panicky...

Manik - what's wrong ? What's going on here?

Mukti - stomach infection, a few more meds to be added and an ultra sound at 3.

Manik sighed, this whole thing was torturing and he could only imagine what she must be going through.

They left the room one by one but he stayed and sat down on the sofa present in the far corner of her room.

Nandini - I'm sorry, if i could raise my hand and hold my ears, i wo-would have done that. If i could get up and do sit ups, i would have, if i could have the access to use  the phone, i would have ordered flowers to say how sorry I am but I can't do any of these and somehow I know you a little  to know that my g-genuine sorry will be enough for you.

By the end of it, she was breathing heavily, it was too much for her to talk and all the more too much of emotions but still she managed to give a weak smile in the end, a smile that could put a thousand suns to shame.

Manik knew she was sincere and being disappointed with her was exhausting, so he sighed, again and have her a smile nodding his head.

No words came out for a minute, sometimes silence speaks louder than any word ever could.

Nandini - Go home doctor. I'm here and I'll be here when you come back. Not that i can actually think about standing and going somewhere. I know you feel responsible for me but there are others too, who feel responsible for you.

Manik - For someone who did something so stupid a while back, you do talk sense at times.

Nandini

He said and smiled which she returned with equal favour before he walked out not before glancing at her for the last time today, feeling light and heavy at the same time.

No one knows what lies ahead, it was Manik's world till now, it's gonna be Nandini's from now on. The dark clouds are passing giving the moon space to shine for a while, not long before it covers the whole moon though. But till then, let the shine reach everyone.

More than 1.5 years.
I'm sorry.
That's not enough but we'll life happens. This was written long back I just didn't get the time to upload it.
Anyways here it is, short but nonetheless here.
I won't leave no matter how late I'm for the update, this story will get it's proper end and that's a promise .

Till then, stay happy, healthy and safe.

Love,
The author.