Vishesh smiled when the aroma of freshly brewed tea hit his senses. He looked up to see his newly wedded wife, Surekha, enter their room with a tray of tea and snacks.

She blushed when she looked at him. Vishesh took his cup of tea and thanked her with a smile.

Him and Surekha had an arranged marriage. It had been only a week to their marriage but the two were yet to consummate.

Vishesh wanted to know her properly before diving into the physical aspect of the relationship.

“Mummy puchh rhi thi…ki humne honeymoon ke baare mai kya socha hai.”

(Mummy was asking…what have we thought about honeymoon.)

Surekha said, making Vishesh look at her.

“Phir kya kaha tumne?”

(What did you say?)

She blushed and looked away.

“Maine bola ki abhi hum ek dusre ko samajhna chahte hai. Jab thoda comfortable ho jaayenge toh chale jaayenge.”

(I told her that we want to understand each other first. We will go when we get a little more comfortable.)

Vishesh hummed and kept his cup aside.

“Tumhe chalna hai kahi? Hum plan bana skte hai.”

(You want to go somewhere right now? We can plan.)

She tucked her hair behind her ear and said.

“Jaisa aapko thik lage. Aap agar kaam ke beech mai plan bana paayenge toh thik hai. Nhi toh hum baad mai chal lenge. Shaadi ke liye aapne chhutiyan li hongi na bhut.”

(Whatever you think is fine. If we can go amidst your work then fine. Otherwise we will go later. You have taken leaves for the wedding too.)

Vishesh nodded and looked at her in gratitude. 

“I promise jaldi kahi chalenge.”

(I promise we will go somewhere soon.)

She nodded with a smile.

The next day, Vishesh got ready for work. He was putting on his cufflinks when Surekha entered the room.

“Breakfast nhi krenge aap?”

(You will not have breakfast?)

“Nhi. Already late ho raha hai. There’s an important meeting. Shaam ko milte hai.”

(No. I am already late. There’s an important meeting. We will meet in the evening.)

He said and kissed her forehead, rushing out in a hurry. Vishesh owned a small proprietorship. 

He had just stepped out of the meeting when his phone rang indicating his wife’s call. A smile formed on his lips as he picked up.

“Hello.”

“Hello? Meeting ho gyi?”

(Is the meeting over?)

He heard her voice. He hummed and waited for her to continue.

“Kuch khaaya aapne?”

(Did you eat something?)

“Hmmm. Lunch kia tha.”

(Hmmm. I had lunch.)

“Achha. Kitni der mai aayenge aap? Mummy puchh rhi hai.”

(Ok. When will you come back? Mummy is asking.)

He smiled and unlocked his car.

“Bas car mai baith raha hu. Ek ghante mai pahuch jaaunga.”

(I am just sitting in the car. I will be there in an hour.)

Surekha disconnected the call after muttering an ‘ok’ and ‘come soon’. Vishesh started the car and drove towards his home.

His phone pinged with a message. He had just removed his eyes for a brief second to peek in whose message it was, when a truck came out of nowhere and collided straight into his car.

The car did a complete 360°. His head bumped against the glass and for a second everything went black before his eyes.

He had no time to react or shield himself somehow. Everything happened so quickly that even the bypassers couldn’t understand what happened and how it happened.

The last thing Vishesh could remember was the sharp pain in his head before everything went black.

Nishtha was in the hospital, doing her duty when the accident case came. 

The patient was a young man in his late 20s. He was heavily bleeding and had multiple injuries. His parents and wife were crying and rushing him towards the doctors.

She had been overlooking a patient at that time. Nishtha paid a brief glance at the patient before going back to the one she was attending, mentally praying for that person.

The next day, she reached hospital and was called by one of the senior doctors.

“Doctor? You called for me.”

The doctor looked at her and nodded.

“Yes. There’s a surgery I conducted yesterday. Big accident. The patient has multiple fractures and internal injuries. He is not unconscious. Room No. 405. He’s your responsibility now.”

Nishtha nodded and took the patient details from the doctor.

People from the medical field please forgive me if I write something incorrect.

Nishtha went to the patient’s room. His family was already there. They looked at her as soon as she entered.

“Mujhe inki nurse allot kia hai. Aapko kisi bhi cheez ki need ho. Please let me know.”

(I am allotted as his nurse. If you need anything. Please let me know.)

She said with a soft smile. She then checked his vitals.

“Sab thik hai na nurse?”

(Is everything alright?)

She looked at the woman who asked her. She looked like she was the man’s wife.

“Yes mam. Bas vitals check kr rhi thi. Everything seems fine for now. But itni critical surgeries ke baad 24 hours critical hote hai.”

(I was just checking the vitals….But the next 24 hours after a critical surgery are crucial.)

She said, making all of them look at her in fear.

“Matlab?”

(What do you mean?)

“Matlab ye within 24 hours normally patient ko hosh aa jaata hai. But specially brain surgeries ke baad chances of coma kaafi bhad jaate hai. If he does not wake up in the next 9-10 hours, there are chances of him slipping into a comatose state.”

(I mean that normally a patient gains consciousness within 24 hours. But chances of coma increase after brain surgeries.)

Nishtha explained softly. As a nurse, it was her duty to disclose the full picture. She heard the two ladies present in the room gasp and sob.

“Lein agar usse hosh aa gaya toh koi problem nhi hogi na?”

(But there would not be any problem if he wakes up, right?)

His father asked. Nishtha looked at him solemnly.

“Kuch keh nhi skte sir. Reports ke according, internal concussions hai. We don’t know the nature of them. There are chances of memory loss.”

(We cannot say anything sir. According to reports, there are internal concussions.)

His wife sobbed loudly and hid her face behind her hands. She saw his mother hold the woman steady.

“Kuch nhi hoga beta. Sab thik hoga.”

(Nothing will happen. Everything will be fine.)

Judging by the bangles on her hands, Nishtha could figure out that she was newly wed. She looked at the patient and made sure that everything was fine before leaving them in privacy.

Vishesh stirred slightly. He doesn't know if it’s morning or night.  The first thing he feels is weight, like his body has been poured full of lead. His eyelids fight me, heavy as stone, but a sliver of light burns through.

His head… God, his head. Every pulse feels like a hammer striking inside. The world tilts, swims, then steadies just enough for him to realize he's breathing. Shallow, ragged, but breathing.

There’s a taste of metal in his mouth. His tongue feels swollen, useless. He tries to swallow, but even that simple act sends pain shooting down his throat. His chest aches with every inhale, ribs protesting like splintered wood.

He wants to move, but the thought alone makes his body scream. His arms are bound in fire, his legs…are they even there? He can’t tell. The pain is everywhere, layered, tangled, impossible to separate.