~Easy it would be; to meet and greet. Easy it would be; to bid an adieu. Would it?~

At Manjeet Lifecare Hospital

It was chaotically silent.

People sitting in front of the operation theater were so silent that they could hear each others' thoughts. But they weren't really silent.

They were anxious. Anxious of the result.

Would their Nandini make it?

Or...

Would not?

Can God be this cruel? Or are they going to be grateful to him for returning her back to them?

So much to think! So many questions.

Yet, there were no answers.

"Manikkk!"

Suddenly the door to the operation theater was opened wide and exited someone calling out for Manik, almost breathing heavily.

Manik looked at the person, with his breath hitched in throat, hands sweaty and eyes wide, waiting to hear just one sentence.

"She made it!" Aadit exclaimed with tears running out of his eyes, smiling widely amidst those tears.

And they breathed a sigh of relief.

While Manik stared at him blank, and others were hugging him but all he could hear was his own heartbeat and he now knew that she's safe.

For his heart was beating again!

"Manik, buddy!" It was Arijit hugging him, and Manik looked at his best friend who was trying to get him back to the present. "She's back! Your Lilliput is back with you again. Smile, damn it. Smile!"

Arijit patted at Manik's cheeks so hard that the latter one started to come back to his senses and before he knew, he started to cry.

"Yes! She's... she's, she's back." Manik broke the hug and wiped at his face, before chuckling at Arijit. "She's back yaar. Yaha. Yeh cheez phir se dhadak ne laga. Tu sunn na." Manik took Arijit's hands to have a look at his heartbeat. "Sunn raha hai na? Hain na?"

Manik went forward and hugged the life out of Aadit, who let out a chuckle and patted at his back.

"I-I don't know what to s-" Aadit pointed at the door before Manik could finish. "She'll be awake in a few hours. Tab bol Kuch. Yaha Kuch math bol. I did what I'm supposed to do. Okay?"

Manik nodded thankfully at Aadit, who went ahead to Shekhar.

"She's fine. Tumne suna na, she's fine Raj." Shekhar was beaming, and Raj was helping his friend calm down. Shamishti on the other hand, was still weeping happy tears in her best friend's arms.

All this while, someone just looked at the happy faces and sprinted towards the theater, hoping to have a glance at her best friend's face.

"I'm pretty sure," Mrunal flinched before she looked towards her right to see the intruder, "That she's also waiting on other side to have a look at your face and then start talking like you both are going to take two separate trains in the next hour, to work and will never meet each other again."

Mrunal stared at the person, before smiling amidst her tears.

"Thanks...Arijit." Arijit looked at her surprised, for she didn't take any weird nicknames but his name, this time. "Anytime."

And they both looked back at others, before looking at each other smilingly.

Nandini would have really loved looking at these happy faces.

***

"No, give her some room to breathe."

"Appa, stop crying, please. She shouldn't have to see you crying once she wakes up."

"Okay, it's one by one. Nobody is gonna sit here and look at her until she's awake."

"Should we call that honey bee guy? She's still not awake."

"It's been what, an hour since the operation? I'm telling you, she should be up by now."

"Okay, maybe we all need to be a little calm?"

"I get that calmness you have in you, Bhai. But she's not awake and I freaking can't sit here and do nothing."

"That's it! I'm gonna get that bee."

And someone pulled at Asad's hand before he could move out and fetch Aadit.

"Manik, chod haath." Asad had his eyebrows crooked, and Manik let out a sigh. "When she's gonna wake up, she needs to see everyone. And by everyone, I mean every important person in her life. Aap usmein nahi hai Kya?"

Manik stared at Asad expectantly, who nodded before taking his seat. "Wo uthi nahi ab thak. And I just..."

"Twelve hours, Bhai." Shravan exclaimed while looking at Asad. "Twelve hours ke surgery tha. She'll take her own time. I get it aapko medicine ka Kuch bhi patha nahi, but patiently intezaar kar na. Bacho jaise harkath hai inke."

Asad looked up at Shravan to shoot a piercing glare towards him, who scooted closer to Manik. "Kya? Sirf M-Manik B-Bhai hi aapko samjha sake? H-ham bhi tho insaan hai." Asad didn't break the glare that Shravan went up to Nandini's bed. "Mein Bhabi se complaint karunga. Dekh na."

Manik shook his head, before he felt something different. His eyes went up to Nandini's face and he was right.

She was waking up!

"Lilliput!"

He was by her side the next second, holding onto her hand. While others were also moving to her bed.

"Give her room!!!" Rudr exclaimed again and pushed others away to let her be in a safe distance.

"Manik, don't touch her." Viren exclaimed and Manik's hands left hers the next second. "Yeah, shit. I forgot. I forgot about the infection thing."

He stepped back, and got to see her trying to open her eyes.

"Ow!" She winced, before opening her eyes completely. Her parents had tears in their eyes on seeing her in pain. Although she was healthy again, they knew she was in pain.

"Ma!" Nandini let out a whimper and Shamishti stepped forward but Shekhar held her back. "She shouldn't be touched."

She stared at her husband helplessly before looking at her daughter, who by now has closed her eyes.

"Please move. And please give her room to breathe." Aadit was in the room by now and checking on her.

"She's gained her consciousness, so she's fine. Lekin poore Tarah se hosh aane keliye waqt lagega. So I request all of you to leave the room. Please!"

They looked at each other and nodded, before stepping out of the room.

***

"Uhh!" She let out a cough. Her eyes were twitched, with the discomfort that she was going through. She folded her palms, almost wounding the inside of them with her nails. Although they were well trimmed.

"A-Ap-Appa!" She let out another cough, before her eyes were shot open. "Ow!" She felt her veins would pop out any moment due to the intensity of pain that she felt from her left side of the body.

"Uhh!" Nandini let out a deep breath, before she started to realize that she wasn't in her bedroom. It was a white ceiling, and there were curtains around the bed she was sleeping in. There were also machines beeping, monitoring her heart rate and blood pressure.

"I made it!"

She felt so blank. She couldn't blink. She was trying to understand that the surgery went successful and now she's alive.

Fit and breathing!

"I really made it!"

She tried to hold onto her face but her hands were not allowed to move up as there was needle pierced in one, through which medicines and IV fluid passing through her body. While the other hand was tightened with the belt to monitor the blood pressure.

"Oh my God! I...I made it!"

And this time she had tears in her eyes. She may be the strongest person in the world, but she still was a human being.

And humans can cry!

So can Nandini!

From the stream of tears to it became a pot full of tears coming out of her eyes, that she started to weep silently.

"Appa ke Aiyappa...Dadi ki Rab ji...Th-Thank y-y-you! Thank---you!" She rotated her face from right to left to wipe the tears away with the pillow she was lying on, and started to smile.

"I made it!"

And this time, she knew the smile she has on her face is out of gratitude and happiness.

***
Hey guys!

How was the chapter?

With love,
Affu.