4 January 2017
City Hospital : A Few Hours Later

Ishita woke up with a start, looking around her in confusion. She was lying on a narrow hospital bed, dressed in a white gown, and Mihika was sitting by her side.

"Akka" Mihika said in concern, as Ishita bolted up, swinging her feet over the side of the bed. "Please...don't move. I'll call the doctor."

Ishita winced as blood rushed back into her limbs, clutching at Mihika as a wave of dizziness assailed her. "Where am I" she murmured, looking at her cousin in confusion. "What happened..."

She spotted her handbag close by, covered in soot. And that was when the fogs of confusion dissipated, the acrid stench of smoke re-entering her nostrils, taking her back to the nightmare at the airport. Everything came back to her - the terrorists, the gun pointed at Raman, the desperation in her husband's eyes as he pleaded with her to go, the mad dash in her car, the terrorist in the rear vision mirror, arm raised to throw a grenade, her husband wrestling with the terrorist, the car behind her exploding ,the smoke, the fire, the darkness. Her husband. Her babies.

"Raman" she screamed, terror returning to fill her heart, tears gushing through her eyes. "Ishaan. Raashi. Raman" Her screams turned into desperate cries as Mihika rushed to gather her into her arms.

"Sshh akka, it's ok, everything is ok, everyone is ok" she said comfortingly, tightening her arms around her sister, just as two nurses came rushing in. "Please akka, everyone is ok"

Ishita lifted her head, gazing at Mihika through her tears. "Raman? " she said questioningly. "My babies?"

"Raashi and Ishaan are both fine akka. Amma and Vandu akka are with them. Abhi laate hai yahan unko" (We will bring them both here soon)

"And Raman?" Ishita noticed her cousins evasion. "Raman kahan hai." (Where is Raman?)

"Akka, jeeju is out of surgery. He is still in ICU, but he is stable." Mihika knew her sister deserved nothing but the truth, but she also knew just how much her akka loved her jeeju, that she had had to be sedated at the airport after she had seen Raman getting injured. She knew that her akka would not be able to survive if anything happened to jeeju. And so Mihika told the truth, but at the same time tightened her arms around her akka, trying to reassure her , holding her close.

Ishita's face blanched as Mihika's words registered.

"Sur...surgery?" She whispered, tears cascading down her face. "Kyun? Kya hua unhe?" (Why? What is the matter with him?)

"Akka, he got injured by one of the grenade explosions. He has head injuries. But the surgery was done successfully and he is stable now. They just won't know the extent of his injuries until he wakes up" Mihika tried to soften the blow, but Ishita's tears confirmed her understanding that her husband had been gravely wounded. She tried to shake off Mihika's arms, trying to get off the bed, wanting to go to her husband, to hold him and to transfer her love and strength to him, so that he would wake up and come back to her.

"Leave me Miku" she said desperately. "Mujhe Raman ke paas jaana hai." (I need to go to Raman)

"Mein lekar chaloongi akka, lekin please, aap khud ko sambaliye. Aur Raashi aur Ishaan bahut ro rahe theh, pehle aap...." (I'll take you akka, but please, calm down. And a Raashi and Ishaan were crying a lot , first...)

Ishita wiped desperately at her tears, staring at her cousin in horror. "But you said they are fine Miku, kya..."

"They are fine akka, they were just scared and upset" Mihika said quickly as she helped Ishita down, one of the nurses bringing forward a wheelchair.

"No" Ishita brushed the wheelchair aside, clutching at Mihika instead. "I'm fine. I can walk. Please let's go Miku"

***********************************
Five Minutes Later

Ishita kissed Raashi softly one more time and put her now quiet daughter down next to her brother. She caressed both their heads, thanking God once again that her babies had made it through the ordeal unscathed. They had been fractious and upset at first, she had been told, but they were quiet and sleepy now, both giving gummy grins to their mother when they saw her.

Ishita's hand lingered on her babies heads, then she straightened up, looking at her mother and sister gratefully. Vandita and Mrs Iyer had come to the hospital as soon as they had been told of the attack, had stayed with the babies throughout, while the other family members had split up to stay at Ishita and Raman's sides. Vandita and amma had been the familiar faces her babies had needed, had soothed them in their mother's absence, had comforted them while they had been examined.

"Thank you amma, Vandu akka. Aap please in ke saath hi rehena. Mein...mujhe... mein Raman ke paas..." (Thank you amma, Vandu akka. Please stay with them. I..I need to... Raman...)

"Don't worry Ishu, don't worry about anything" Vandita said softly, reaching up to touch her sisters face. "I told you, the doctor said they are both fine, they just need to be here for observation for a few more hours. We will take them home when they are released. And appa is home with Ruhi. Neelu came back too, Ruhi is fine, so don't worry about the children at all. Go to Raman."

"Thank you akka" Ishita's eyes filled with tears again, and she brushed them away, not wanting her children to see her cry. "Raman.. woh...."

"Ishu, Raman ko kuch nahi hoga. Trust me" (Ishu, nothing will happen to Raman, trust me) Vandita hid her own fears behind her reassuring words and Ishita gave her another grateful smile, before turning to Mihika.

"Miku..."

"Chalo akka" Mihika understood her akka's need for support, and offered her her hand. "Let's go to jeeju"

***********************************
An Hour Later
Outside the ICU

"Ishita puttar, kuch nahi hoga hamare Raman ko. Tu chinta mat kar." (Ishita, nothing will happen to our Raman my dear. Don't worry so much)

"Lekin mummyji, kitni der ho gayi, woh uth kyun nahi rahe hai?" (But mummyji, it's been so long. Why isn't he waking up?)

Ishita stood outside the ICU door, gazing at her husband through the small glass window. She had refused to sit with the rest of the family, refused to listen to anyone. All she wanted was to see her husband, to see him open his eyes, to hear him say her name. And she was determined not to miss the moment he woke up. She looked anxiously at her mother in law now, as Toshiji put her arms around her, trying to get her to come and join the rest of the family on the benches just opposite.

"Uth jayega puttar. Rab pe bharosa rakh, kuch nahi hoga mere puttar ko. Kuch nahi" (He will wake up soon my child. Trust in God, nothing bad will happen to my son. Nothing)

Ishita nodded and then looked inside the window again. "Raman" she whispered as she looked at her husband, swallowing the tears that were always close to the surface. "Please Raman.."

Raman was lying still, quiet, unmoving, on the single narrow bed in the room. He was hooked up to several monitors, a drip attached to his hand, and his head was swathed in bandages. She could not see his face from this distance, could not see how badly he had been injured. A nurse sat at his bedside, periodically noting the readout on the monitors, her gaze never wavering long from her patient. Ishita's gaze did not waver either as she joined the nurses vigil, her eyes fixed on her husband's still form, as she remembered their conversation of a few hours ago. He had been so happy to be coming home, and she had been so happy that she would be in his arms again soon. And now, this....

Her thoughts were interrupted as someone touched her shoulder and she turned around hastily. It was Mihir, and he was with a middle aged, distinguished looking man, dressed in a surgeons suit and trainers.

"Bhabhi, this is Dr Kumar, the Chief Neuro surgeon. He did bhai's surgery."

Ishita looked at the doctor with gratitude.

"Thank you so much Doctor Kumar, you saved my husband's life. But why is he still unconscious, why..."

"Mrs Bhalla, please, sit down" Dr Kumar ushered Ishita away from the door, making her sit on the bench next to Rinki, and then grabbed a stool to sit in front of her. He motioned to Rinki with a slight gesture and she immediately moved closer to her bhabhi, putting an arm around her. Ishita did not notice, did not notice either that mummyji and papaji had moved closer, that Simi and Romi had similarly put their arms around their parents. She did not notice either the fear that was etched on everyone's faces, the silence that had become pronounced. She continued to stare at Dr Kumar, waiting for his answer

"Mrs Bhalla, Ishita..... uncle, aunty." The doctor looked around at the Bhalla family. "I'll tell you what I was just telling Mihir. Raman has suffered major trauma.The impact of the blast and his fall have caused bleeding and swelling in his brain. His brain needs to heal, and until it does, I don't think it's advisable to bring him out of the coma we have placed him in. I am going to keep him in ICU, under observation for three days, and then we will see."

"Three days?" Ishita whispered, horrified. "But why? Kya hua hai Raman ko? Sab keh rahe theh surgery sucessful tha, phir kyun? Kyun?" (Three days! But why? What is wrong with Raman? Everyone was saying the surgery was successful, then why? Why?)

"Ishita, the surgery was successful" Dr Kumar said reassuringly " We stopped the bleeding and there was no shrapnel inside. Raman should recover completely, but the brain is a very sensitive organ. Sometimes just a little damage can cause major issues and sometimes the patient recovers fully. We operated on Raman straight away, and he was not deprived of oxygen at any stage so I'm very hopeful. But there is swelling in his brain and I can't say anything for sure until we wake him up. Now, I suggest you all go home and get some rest. Especially you Ishita, you have been through a lot of trauma yourself."

"No"

"Bhabhi" Mihir moved over to Ishita's side and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He looked over at the sobbing Toshiji and the worried looking Bhallas and cleared his throat, knowing how worried everyone was about Raman. Mihir was as terrified as the others but he knew he had to be the strength of his family now. Especially for his bhabhi.

"Bhabhi" he repeated. "Mummyji. Papaji. Aap sab ghar jayiye. Abhi mein rukta hoon. Hum sab turns lekar yahan rahenge, bhai ke paas. Mummyji, aap ka bp high ho gaya na, toh bhai mujhe maaf nahi karenge. Aur papaji, aap ko bhi phir chest pain hone lage toh? Simi di, Romi, Rinki, ghar lekar jao mummy papa aur bhabhi ko."
(Bhabhi. Mummyji. Papaji. Please go home now, all of you. I'll stay back here. We can take turns here, with bhai. Mummyji, if your bp gets high, bhai will never forgive me. And papaji, what if you start getting chest pains again? Simi di, Romi, Rinki, take mummy papa and bhabhi home)

"No Mihir" Ishita repeated, her voice firm. "You're right, Mummyji aur papaji ko ghar jaana chahiye. Rinki, please. Ruhi ko tum sab ki zaroorat hai, aur babies ko bhi discharge karenge, toh unke saath rehena please. Abhi amma aur akka hai, lekin I need you too. Aur Adi, Adi ko wapas bula lo please. Ussko news se pata laga toh kitna upset hoga. Romi, please."
(No, Mihir. You're right, Mummyji and papaji should go home. R8nki please. Ruhi needs you all, and when they discharge the babies, you need to stay with them too. Amma and akka are with them now, but I need you too. And Adi, get Adi back home please. I don't want him to read about this in the news - he will be so upset. Romi, please)

"Bhabhi, lekin aap?" (Bhabi, but what about you?)

"Mein apne pati ke saath rahoongi. Aur mujhe kisi se kuch nahi sunna hai bas"
(I am going to stay with my husband. And I don't want anyone to try to talk me out of my decision)

Ishita looked firmly at her family and stood up, striding over to the ICU door again, peering in at her husband. He was still lying there so quietly, so unmoving. She brushed away an unbidden tear and resumed her vigil.

"Bhabhi" Mihir started again, but he was interrupted by Toshiji's voice.

"Rehne de Mihir. Woh nahi jayegi Raman ke bina. Mihika, tu chal saath mein, Ishita ke liye kapde wagera lekar aajana, theek hai puttar. Rinki, puttar, tu ja bacho aur Madhu ke paas. Hum subah ko aayenge wapas. Chalo Bhallaji."
(Leave it Mihir. She won't go home without Raman. Mihika, come with us, and bring back a change of clothes for Ishita, ok dear? Rinki, dear, you go and stay with Madhu and the babies. We will come back in the morning. Let's go Bhallaji)

"Lekin Toshiji, Ishita ko yahan chod kar?" Mr Bhalla said worriedly. (But Toshiji, will we really leave Ishita here?)

"Haan Bhallaji" Toshiji smiled through her tears. "Agar Raman ko koi wapas la sakta hai, toh woh Ishita hai, uska pyar hai. Raman chahe kitni takleef mein ho, chahe duniya mein sabkuch bhul jaaye, lekin Ishita ka pyar uski sachai hai. Woh wapas aayega, toh Ishita ke liye, uski pyar ke liye. Mujhe pura bharosa hai apni bahu par. Chalo."
(Yes Bhallaji. If anyone can bring Raman back, it's Ishita, it's her love. No matter what difficulties Raman is in, whether he forgets everything in the world, Ishita's love is his reality. If he comes back, it will be for Ishita, for her love. I have full faith in my daughter in law. Come)

She looked at her daughter in law as she spoke. Ishita was standing at the ICU door watching...and waiting.

***********************************
An Hour Later
In Raman's Room
Ishita sat in the chair the nurse had pulled up for her, as she looked down at her unconscious husband.

She was glad of the support of the chair, for her legs had seemed to buckle seeing her Raman in this state. He had always been the one protecting her, their entire family, the one in control, the provider, the protector. Even though she had seen him defeated and vulnerable before, this stillness, this utter and complete void in which he now lay, this was new.

She had been standing outside the ICU when Dr Kumar, realizing that Ishita would not leave until Raman woke up, would remain at the ICU as she had said she would, had told her she could see her husband, could sit with him occasionally as long as she was very quiet. And so she had been allowed in for five minutes, had finally seen her husband's face after those frightening seconds at the airport, when she had thought she had lost everything.

He was pale, so pale. His cheeks almost as white as the bandages around his head, his eyebrows standing out starkly like gashes on his colourless forehead, his lips bloodless, his eyes closed. His face was marked by scratches and gashes, a few stitched, others daubed with antiseptic. Tendrils of hair peeked out of the bandages wound around his head.

Silent tears coursed down Ishita's face as she softly took Raman's hand in hers. The touch of his skin on hers, coupled with his unresponsiveness threatened to push her over the edge. She quickly took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

"I'm sorry Raman" she whispered under her breath " I know this happened because you were trying to save us. You deflected that terrorist, otherwise that grenade would have hit us. And it worked Raman. You saved us. Raashi and Ishaan are fine mere jaan. Kuch nahi hua unko. Their strong papa saved them. You saved us. Bas ab aap jaldi se theek ho jayiye , hamare paas wapas ayiye. Raman, mein aap se bahut pyar karti hoon. Raman, please uth jao na, I need you"
(I'm sorry Raman. I know this happened because you were trying to save us. You deflected that terrorist, otherwise that grenade would have hit us. And it worked Raman. You saved us. Raashi and Ishaan are fine my love. Nothing happened to them. Their strong papa saved them. You saved us. Just get well quickly now, come back to us. Raman, I love you so much. Raman, please wake up, I need you)

"Mrs Bhalla " the nurse interrupted her silent monologue. " Five minutes are up. Mr Bhalla can obviously feel your presence. His heart rate is going up, and doctor said he needs to be undisturbed. Please wait outside, I'll call you back later."

So she had left.

And over the next,  excruciatingly slow four days, that had been her routine. She remained at the hospital, sitting outside the ICU, seizing moments beside Raman's bedside whenever she was allowed, eating only when forced. Mihika brought her clothes to change, and she slept on the bench outside the ICU whenever fatigue overcome her, but she resolutely refused to leave the hospital until Raman woke up.

People came and went, but nothing made much of an impression on her. Only the children would break her single minded devotion, but even then, all she could see in their faces was their papa. Her only concern, her single focus was on her husband. If she could will him to recover, then she would make sure her every waking thought was the same - Raman, get up, get up Raman, her heart and mind screamed silently in unison.

And so four days had passed.

***********************************
8 January 2017
Four Days Later

Ishita rocked her babies in her arms, smiling despite her nervousness, as Raashi blabbered away in baby talk at her, and Ishaan scrunched his face in protest. She was sitting with them in the waiting room next to the ICU, Ruhi and Adi sitting at her feet. They had all been together, attending a briefing with Dr Kumar before he brought Raman out of the induced coma, but the babies had started to scream and Ishita had brought the children away with her.

She was now waiting for Dr Kumar to call her , waiting to join her husband as he woke from his coma.

"Mumma, papa theek ho jayenge, na?" (Mumma, papa will be ok, won't he?) Ruhi asked again, her big eyes peering up at her mother worriedly. Ishita smiled down at her older daughter, and nodded reassuringly.

"I told you baby, papa will be just fine. Doctor uncle ne kaha tha na, uss ne sleeping medicine stop kar diya hai, papa will wake up very soon." (I told you baby, papa will be just fine. Doctor uncle said didn't he, that he has stopped the sleeping medicines, papa will wake up very soon)

Raashi's little ears had perked up at the word papa and she gave a delighted yell.

"You miss papa too, don't you darling?" Ishita looked at her younger daughter and then kissed her forehead softly as Raashi resumed her blabbering baby talk. She looked around at her four children, relieved that they were all fine, all back with her. As her husband would be soon.

The door to the waiting room opened and Ishita looked up, swallowing in sudden nervousness.

Mihir and Mihika stood in the doorway, and she could see amma and Vandu akka just behind them.

"Bhabhi" Mihir's voice was tired, but with a hint of hope, of elation. "Doctor Kumar said to call you, bhai is waking up now. Periamma aur Vandu akka bachon ke saath rahenge, aap aayiye." (Periamma and Vandu akka will stay here with the children, you come with me now)

Ishita stared at Mihir, her heart hammering, tears springing into her eyes. She watched mutely as amma and Vandu akka took the twins, nodded reassuringly at Ruhi and Adi, then took Mihika's proffered hand, suddenly desperate herself for reassurance.

"Ishima, can I come too, please?" Adi's scared voice reached her and she nodded, holding out a hand to him as well. And then, hand in hand, they walked together to the ICU room next door. The door was open and mummyji, papaji, Bala, Romi and Simmi were standing at the entrance, Rinki a few steps behind.

Ishita's steps suddenly felt leaden and she was glad of the support of Mihika on one side, Adi on the other. Adi pressed her hand reassuringly, as Rinki beckoned to them.

"The doctor is waking bhai now bhabhi" she whispered, as Ishita and the others reached her. Tears filled Ishita's eyes, blurring her vision as she stood behind the others already at the doorway, watching as Dr Kumar spoke to the silent man on the bed.

"Raman" Dr Kumar was saying. "Raman, can you hear me?"

And there was pin drop silence in the room, as they all waited for Raman to respond.

Pal, do pal, ki hi kyun hai zindagi
Iss, pyar, ko hai sadiyaan kaafi nahi
Toh khuda se maang lun
Mohalat main ik nayi
Rehna hai bas yahaan
Ab door tujhse jaana nahi
Jo tu mera humdard hai
Jo tu mera humdard hai
Suhaana har dard hai
Jo tu mera humdard hai

Teri muskurahatein hain taaqat meri
Mujhko inhi se ummeed mili
Chaahe kare koi sitam ye jahaan
Inme hi hai sadaa hifaazat meri
Zindagani badi khoobsurat hui
Jannat ab aur kya hogi kahin
Jo tu mera Humdard hai
Jo tu mera Humdard hai
Suhaana har dard hai
Jo tu mera Humdard hai

Woooo...

Teri dhadkano se hai zindagi meri
Khwahishein teri ab duaaein meri
Kitna anokha bandhan hai ye
Teri meri jaan jo ek hui
Lotunga yahaan tere paas main haan
Waada hai mera mar bhi jaaun kahin
Jo tu mera humdard hai
Jo tu mera humdard hai
Suhaana har dard hai
Jo tu mera humdard hai

hmmm.. humdard hai
hmmm.. humdard hai
hmmm.. humdard hai
hmmm.. humdard hai