" Ma'am the patient wants to see you. Please go in "

A nurse informed and went away with a smile. Annika with a nod walked towards the VIP Ward Room. Annika see how no matter the stresses laid upon her, in their  relationship that show more grace than many do in times of plenty.

It is in those moments of pain and fear Annika looked right to his soul and know that her faith in him, her love for him, is eternal. Annika faintly smiled seeing his head moving to her direction. 

S : An...Annika

Annika smiled which never reached her eyes. He could sense her and that one sorta magic he spell upon her, and the very moment not a single soul comes before him.

S : Come closer, Annika.

Shivaay extended his left hand towards her. Annika with slow steps placed her left hand into his hold. She sat beside him on the bed and bent down to kiss his eyes which were slightly shining with a glistening line of tears.

A : Everything is going be okay.

Annika pressed her lips into a straight line. He seems tired and drained out of his usual glory. Annika ran her fingers in his hair, the soft hairs tickling the tips of her fingers.

She caressed his forehead, his skin was rougher than she remembered. Before he was admitted his skin was smooth, but now it was as coarse as the stones that built the castle. But still she could feel warmth on his skin.

He is the light in every dark night of her, shining brightly into each recess of her mind, healing, igniting passions that would otherwise have died.

It was only his eyes that remained unchanged, coloured a bluish green that was colder than the winter sky, yet she found warmth when she looked deep into them. In his eyes, she saw her reflection. It was her who had changed.

As she looked upon herself, in his perfect cyan eyes glistening with love for her, she knew this wasn't the end. She couldn't look away, but more than that she didn't want to. She wanted those eyes to be the last thing she ever saw.

Annika bent down and parted his pale almost patched without moist lips and gently pressed her lips on his. He doesn't have the energy to kiss her with full passion as he always does because he's tired. Annika felt the medicine in his breath but she didn't bothered. She moved back and kissed on his forehead.

S : I can't even kiss you ba—-

A : Shhh. Don't stress yourself. You have the whole lifetime to kiss me. Pari wants to talk with you. I'll give the video call request.

S : Hmm.

Annika leaned on him softly not wanting to hurt him tilted the mobile screen towards him. Their 5 year old daughter brightly waved from the other side of the screen, sitting on her grandmother's lap.

S : Pari

Shivaay called her while Annika kept her look on him. His voice was weak and that's killing her.

P : Daddy..when ard (are) you coming ?

S : Daddy and Mumma will come really soon.

P : Don't chib (skip) your medishen (medicine) papa ! Then I will punich (punish) you. And ton't (don't) trouble mumma.

Shivaay and Annika smiled. She's taking the turn of her father now.

S : Papa promise you and I will be a good boy with your mumma, ok ?

P : Good Papa..your eyech (eyes) are red. Sleep...no I'll sing song for you.

Annika laid her head on Shivaay's chest and turned towards the other direction. Shivaay kept his head on her head. He could feel the wetness of her tears on the fabric.

P : Goodnight my angel, now it's time to sleep, And still cho(so) many things I want to say.Remember all the songs you sang phor(for) me.When we went sailing on an eme...eme..papa what—

S : Emerald bay.

Annika turned towards them tears streaming down her eyes. Pinky was silently crying behind the camera.

P : And like a boat out on the ochen(ocean). I'm rocking you to sleep. The water's dark and deep, inside this anchent (ancient) heart.

Shivaay and Pari : You'll always be a part of me.

P : Yeayyy.

Pari clapped in happiness while Shivaay smiled with pain.

Pinky : Pari now let papa sleep. Come let's go.

P : Bye Papa Bye Mumma. Pari love you so much.

Pari exclaimed widening her both arms. Shivaay sniffed and muttered a slow I love you back. Annika kept the phone down and wiped his tears.

A : I love you.

S : I'm scared, Annika.

A : My Love isn't weak. I know My Shivaay will win this hurdle too.

S : I love you, Annika.

In her words he felt safe because they aren't just words. She was there every day, every year. She was there in the good times and the bad. Even knowing his faults, of which there are many, she was there to listen, to defend, to love him like anything.

Annika kissed on his forehead and walked out of the ward. She's scared to lose him, the worst fear. Omkara and Rudra ran towards her direction. Annika couldn't hold back and cried hysterically.

A : He's scared Rudra...he's scared...he won't go away from me ?! Om please tell me ?! Rudra—you please tell me ?

Annika cried clutching onto Rudra's shirt.

R : Bhabhi look at me. Bhabhi !

Rudra cupped her cheeks and made her look into his eyes which were equally showing the trepidation.

R : Bhaiyya won't go away from us. He promised us..he promised to be with us always. Superheroes wouldn't cheat and so Bhaiyya..he will come back to us...ha—haina Om ?

Rudra asked in a broken voice while Omkara nodded while wiping his tears.

R : Bhaiyya don't like tears in your eyes, and he'll scold me if he gets to know that I let you cry.

~

3 Weeks So On

P : He tried to take my penchil (pencil) papa.

S : But you mustn't push him. He's your classmate which means he's your friend.

P : He ich (is) not my friend yet.

S : Then go and become his friend tomorrow. Friends are the people who were strangers for us once. Apologise with him and shake hand as a good buddy.

P : Chud (should) I share my penchil (pencil) with him ?

S : Of course you should, because what mumma had thought you ? Sharing...

P : Ich (is) caring.

S : Yeah! Be like your Mumma and everyone will like you.

P : Chachu wach (was) right papa. You love mumma more than anything.

Shivaay smiled.

P : You love mumma more than me ?

S : I won't lie, baby. I love your mumma more than you, more than myself and more than anything in the world.

Shivaay expected an argument but instead Pari grinned sitting on his lap.

P : Even I love mumma the more. More than you do.

S : Hawh! I love her more.

P : No Papa! I love her more.

S : No way.

P : Same to you back to you no deturn (return) Papa !

Shivaay smiled hearing his wife's infamous dialogue being used by his daughter now.

"Both of you're wrong. I love her more"

Rudra exclaimed from behind while walking towards the bed to pick Pari.

"In your dreams !! I love her more"

Omkara passed a competitive look and walked inside to pick Pari from his hold.

R : Jealous Cooker! I love my bhabhi more.

O : You're a Jealous Lorry! I love my bhabhi more.

R : She's my Bhabhi!

O : She's my Bhabhi!

P : She ic (is) my mumma!

S : Excuse me.

OmRuPari : Excused / Echkuched.

Shivaay glared three of them.

S: She's my wife.

As the debate of ' Who love Annika more ' three of them halted in their zone hearing the voice behind. 

"Four of you are wrong. Because I love myself more"

Annika walked inside the room with a cup of coffee and eyed four of them. She raised her eyebrows and questioned OmRuPari but they nervously shrugged off and went out of the room and leaving a poor man.

Annika sat beside him on the bed and chinned him up with her index finger. He pressed his lower lip forward making him more adorable than he could. Annika noticed his fresh face and serene, charismatic look back. She missed him,
a big time.

S : I love you more know..

Shivaay muttered looking into her eyes. Annika smiled.

A : I know. Now have this soup.

S : Annika, you said the you'll make me meet the donor today ?

A : Yes.

S : At least tell me the donor name so I could greet.

A : The donor name is—

S : Is ?

A : Annika Shivaay Singh Oberoi.

Shivaay lips stopped moving and he looked at her in bewilderment. Annika kept her eyes down. Shivaay placed the bowl aside and went near her. Shivaay slowly lifted her white floral crop top from below and the colour drained out of his face. He stared being out of blue.

His eyes brimmed with tears seeing the suture marks on her low side of her right abdomen.

S : Why Annika ?Why did you do this ?

A : Because I don't want to lose you Shivaay.

Shivaay sat on the bed being dejected. Annika cupped his cheeks and wiped his tears.

A : You have a very rare blood group. AB negative was out of 1 in thousand type. I couldn't risk my life in taking any delay. So I decided to be the donor as I'm an O group and my kidney was eligible to transplant. I'm sorry.

S : Why you hide this from me ?

A : I'm sorry.

S : It must've been so painful for you.

A : It must've been so painful for you too.

S : Why you love me so much ?

A : Because of your beard I guess. What say ?

Shivaay frowned while Annika chuckled kissing on his forehead.

S : Nowadays you're kissing me a lot on my forehead.

A : Yes, because I love to.

S : That's my signature of kissing you on forehead. Copy cat.

A : Once you told me to follow your good signatures excluding your phone throws. Remember ?

S : You're talking as if you're following my says. You still have the habit of snatching my phone and throwing right in-front of me. At times you even throw my Bluetooth.

A : Babloo.

S : Bluetooth.

Annika again chuckled and again kissed on his forehead.

The end.

~

Gratitude, Love Comrade