Bhargavi was thirsty and had asked Prabir to fetch some water. Prabir left her cabin and did not return, as time ticked off she called him again and again but he did not receive her calls.

Half an hour later, she saw Mr. Banerjee approaching her. She instantly asked," Uncle where is Prabir?"

He had a downcast look on his face and said, "Umm... He's okay Bhargavi".

She furrowed her brows at him in confusion. What did he mean by he's okay? Where is he?

He cleared his throat and quizzically asked," You Know about Prabir's mother. Don't you?"

She replied softly, " Yes, Uncle."

"Bhargavi after his mother passed away, he has never been to this or any other hospital. I never thought that he would be suffering from PTSD ...umm...post traumatic stress disorder.

Because of the trauma he received in his early childhood...losing his mother...he is having flashbacks of his mother ...he is reliving those moments...his mother being taken in for chemo sessions and maybe particularly the last time when the cancer relapsed, she was burning with fever and we brought her here.

He was running around, screaming and calling out for his mother, and had to be forcibly dosed off. I...I have spoken to the doctor. He says Prabir needs both a cognitive therapy and an exposure therapy," he informed.

"He'll have to come to the hospital on a regular basis that means...to get treated?" Bhargavi asked anxiously.

"Yes, that's a part of his treatment...he needs to learn to cope with his memories. He's been stuck for so long with negative beliefs that traumatizing things will happen again and is always terrified. He confessed having nightmares...about Parul when Dr. Tripathy enquired," he informed.

"He will try his best to avoid coming to the hospital, not wanting to go through this Uncle," she added.

" I know, Bhargavi, it isn't going to be easy, the only person who can convince him to do this is Parul, but she won't be able to see him in this devastated state. She herself might face an emotional breakdown,"he sighed.

Can I manage to bring him to the hospital somehow? Will I be able to see him in such a traumatized state? But he needs to get treated.

"There's a good news for you Bhargavi, you will be discharged in the evening," Mr. Banerjee beamed.
But Bhargavi did not hear a word he said and was lost in her own thoughts.

"Uncle, can I see Prabir once? Please," she urged.

"Bhargavi, he's asleep and you have to rest, you cannot roam around,"he said sternly.

She did not try to further reason with him, as the logical part of her brain said that he was right.

***********

Shekhar and Rakesh slowly supported Prabir out of the car, he was awake but still dizzy, his steps were not steady. Parul rushed to him, unable to understand what had happened to him suddenly. "Bhaiya... what's wrong? What happened to you? Is Bhargu Di okay?" She quizzed.

Sarvesh couldn't get an idea of what was going on and slowly strolled back towards his house.

Prabir did not respond, he was trying to open his heavy eye-lids but even that seemed difficult. Vishwesh came forward to question him about the payment to the truck driver and those people, but looking at his condition, he felt it was of no use. He would have to deal with this on his own.

Abhijeet had brought lunch for all of them including Bhargavi's mother and sister. Shekhar and Rakesh, took Prabir to his room and left him alone to sleep for some more time. Abhijeet himself took plates and distributed the food on plates for them, he served food on two plates for Bhawani and her mother and took it to Mr. Ghosh's residence. He did not have to do a lot of convincing, as Mr. Banerjee had already called up Bhargavi's mother and assured her that she was with him, had eaten her lunch and taken the medicines.

Vishwesh had to plead and beg a lot to convince Parul to have her lunch as she sat beside her brother refusing to budge an inch, after he had cleared all the payments to be made to the people working throughout the day.

Bhargavi was worried about Prabir but couldn't refuse to have her lunch, and create more troubles for Mr. Banerjee.

Prabir finally came to his senses at five in the evening, feeling hungry. He was stable and in a much better condition than before. Parul was sitting beside him with her head buried in Vishwesh's chest, who was slowly patting her back, consoling her .

Prabir sat up to see her red, swollen eyes as she hugged him weeping and sobbing. He wiped her tears and delicately stroked her head, murmuring, " I am okay Paru."

Prabir's stomach made a growling sound that made each and everyone present in the room roar into laughter.

Abhijeet, Shekhar,Sachin and Rakesh were still busy helping Bhargavi's mother do the unpacking and organizing things such that it looked like a real home when Bhargavi is discharged from the hospital. Bhargavi's mother repeatedly insisted them not to help but they refused to listen.

Parking his car before their house at around seven in the evening, Mr. Banerjee called up Prabir. Prabir's face glowed and his eyes shined brightly. He ran to open the door of the passenger seat, and quickly pulled Bhargavi in his arms.

Bhargavi looked at his face trying to comprehend his emotions, there were no signs of distraught on his face. He carried her up the stairs like a fragile little doll following Bhawani, who showed the way to her room.He placed her on the bed gingerly, then pulled up some pillows to support her toe and then embraced her tightly almost squeezing her out of breath, whispering, " I am sorry, I am so sorry Bhargu...I left you alone in the hospital."

Bhargavi's mother had also followed Prabir to her room as she wanted to assure that Bhargavi was alright. She had not been able to be with her in the hospital, but now stood aghast at the sight, as Prabir held her firmly in his arms and kissed her gently on her cheeks and forehead crying and sobbing repeating the same line again and again, " I am sorry Bhargu...I left you alone...Bhargu...I saw Maa in the hospital...she was calling me..she was calling my name."

Bhargavi saw her mother and sister glaring at her, but Prabir was refusing to let her go, he was traumatized. Trying her best to ignore her mother and sister's presence in the room, she hugged him back, then softly ruffled his hair and mumbled, "Prabir...your Maa loves you, she will never call you. She will always want you to stay here with us...with Paru..with your Baba...She will always want you to be happy."

Prabir froze on hearing those words and drew back from her embrace, but this time she held him firm,gathering him up in her bosom, "Prabu... What you saw in the hospital might have felt real, but it was not. They were mere flashbacks of your own memory. Please Prabu don't elope with your past so deeply that it starts to hurt you."

Her words did cut him like a knife but he was jerked out of his delusions of having actually seen his mother, hearing her call out his name.

She softly tapped his back whispering, " You okay? My little cry baby. I love you."

He listened to her heart beating wildly and it felt very soothing and peaceful, he whispered, " I love you too..Bhargu.."

They had completely forgotten, that they had eyes staring at them and then hearing Bhargavi's mother clear her throat, " Aham Aham!"they drew apart from the warm embrace.

Prabir muttered under his breath " I'll leave now, take care, call me," and he turned around to leave the room leaving Bhargavi with a flame red face.

Bhargavi tightly clutched his T-Shirt and asked Bhawani to call Mr. Banerjee. Prabir frowned at her. Mr. Banerjee rushed in asking," What happened Bhargavi? "

She replied politely, " Uncle please take him home and let him rest. He's, burning with fever."

Almost everything in Bhargavi's house was arranged and organized with so many helping hands but all
of Prabir's friends were tired and had already left, taking permission from Mr. Banerjee.

"I am alright Baba," Prabir said casually as Mr. Banerjee held his upper arm and dragged him out of the room. Prabir looked over his shoulder and glanced at her once before leaving.

Bhargavi was obliged to answer all the questions put up by her mother after they left and was under her intense scrutiny. She briefly described Prabir's condition, but her mother asked her the real question- "You love him. Don't you?"

She shyly nodded in confirmation and added, " Maa he's very sweet and polite. He's not like Baba. He always cares for me."

" I agree, he loves you a lot but my dear love isn't easy and if it's easy it's not love. Your father too once cared for me, people change with time Bhargavi. I'll hope he loves you forever," she replied thoughtfully.

Bhargavi called up Parul several times to know if Prabir was alright, if his fever had come down, if he had eaten something and taken medicine. Prabir snatched Parul's phone once or twice and asserted softly, " Bhargu...I am fine. There is nothing to worry," but realizing that she wouldn't believe him, he let Parul talk to her and dismiss her fears.

Next morning, as it was a Saturday, early morning after breakfast, both Prabir and Parul decided to meet Bhargavi and cheer her up. Prabir still had a mild fever but wouldn't listen to anyone.Mr. Banerjee had prepared the breakfast today unlike the other days.

"Prabir? What are you doing here?" Bhargavi yelled as he stood leaning at the doorframe of her room.

"You still look feverish, look at your eyes...Why are you hovering around like a satellite? Come here!" She said sternly.

Prabir stood at a distance because he did not want her to know that he had fever.

He said desperately, " I..I am okay here."

"Fine! I'll not scold come here," she pleaded.

Prabir moved forward and placed himself on the bed beside her, she placed her palm on his forehead and smiled at him saying, " Lay down," as she moved aside making space and gave him a pillow from the two pillows supporting her back against the bed frame, then she pulled up a coverlet on him.

He tried to say something and was slapped in his head lightly, " Sleep! Don't talk," she said sternly.

Both Parul and Bhawani giggled looking at these two. They both could feel Prabir's pain. Seeing them giggle Bhargavi commanded, " Out you two, he needs to rest."

Prabir looked at them leave in dismay. Bhargavi gently said, " Close your eyes Prabu " and stroked his head.

Within minutes he was fast asleep and Bhargavi sat caressing his face unable to resist the temptation even though fear curled up inside her, that she could wake him up.

Her mother came in saying,
"Bhargavi, here's your break..."

She cut in " Shush! He's sleeping."

Her mother stifled out a laughter at her daughter's reaction, she had never seen Bhargavi being so sensitive about anyone. Even when Bhawani fell ill, she never used to pamper her.

If Prabir would not recover soon, all of their plans to celebrate her mother's birthday would fail as she wouldn't be able to do anything at all with a broken toe. Prabir would be the happiest person on that day, after all it was all his plan and Bhargavi wanted to ensure that he recovered fast,way before Wednesday.