Happy Birthday

"I am with you; all you have to do is close your eyes and see me holding your hands," Arnav says over the phone. Before going to bed, Naina gives him a feeble smile and wish him a good night. Naina wakes up the next morning, but she is still not feeling well. She has a severe infection in her lungs as a result of covid. She looks at the sun rays piercing the glass window of her ICU room, forming a rainbow prism. She attempts to be cheerful, but deep down, she knows she isn't. "Good morning, Naina," says the nurse, who is dressed in full PPE. "Good morning," Naina responds faintly. Naina was unable to understand the person behind the PPE suit since she couldn't see her entire face. She has the impression that they are all different nurses come to check her vitals at different times. Except for the nurse visiting time, which is also quite brief, she often feels quite lonely at the ICU unit. "Will I be able to recover from this infection?" "Will I be able to live for a long time after that?" "What happens to Arnav and his parents after that?" "How will they deal with themselves?" "Am I wasting Arnav's hard-earned money?" "I'm losing faith in myself," She was suffering from depression. Naina intends to take her life as soon as possible so that she can relieve everyone and put an end to this illness for everyone. Everyone outside the hospital is hoping and praying for her recovery, but she is not well. "Why keep them waiting in the hope of my survival when I am not going to survive?" "It's good to end this waiting as soon as possible and let everyone move on with their lives than to be stuck with me, my disease, and continue spending money on my hospital treatment," Finally, tears that had been suppressed for so long fall down the cheeks. She was unable to stop it. "Naina, it's time for medications," the nurse adds. "Is it really necessary when I'm going to die soon?" Naina asks. "Never lose hope and confidence in God." "You will celebrate many more birthdays on Earth," nurse continues. "Look over there," the nurse adds, pointing to a window. Beautiful balloons (red, blue, white, pink, and many colorful hues) are floating over the sky. Heart-shaped balloons were flying up with a string linked to the board. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEETEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL SOUL-MATE!" Naina's eyes glowed as she saw and read it. Even though she couldn't get up and walk up to the window, she felt a surge of joy in her heart and delight in her spirit. The first board was joined to another board, which was just visible through the glass. "I WISH TO SPEND ALL YOUR BIRTHDAYS, NOT ONLY THIS LIFE, BUT EVERY LIFE I TAKE ON EARTH FOR YOU," The third board comes up, "GET WELL SOON, LOT TO DO IN LIFE TOGETHER... XOXO, ARNAV" Naina was overjoyed and felt very special. She did, in fact, forget her own birthday while in ICU with so many negative things racing through her mind. But she is now on cloud nine, flying in a wonderful paradise. She began to feel so much better inside and tries hard to get out of bed when she suddenly feels someone holding her hand... "Good morning," says the nurse, who is dressed in full PPE. "Happy birthday, Naina," the nurse wishes. It took Naina a moment to understand she was dreaming from the start. "Thank you," Naina says. The next thing she knows, balloons with a board attached to them are flying up through her windows. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY... MY LOVE, MY LIFE, MY EVERYTHING... XOXO ARNAV,"

Author : Luvv A Sanwal ( Ahmedabad, India )

( Instagram Handle : @luvvasanwal )

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