"I can't breathe! I can't breathe!"
"Everything is alright, the monitor here is reading your vitals, stop stressing and you'll be fine. The more you talk, the difficulty would increase for you"
She got convinced and stopped gasping for air, after all, the monitor was reading her vitals and the machine couldn't be wrong. Something got switched off simultaneously.
Faceless, quirky, froggy legged creatures, who jumped from one pillar to the next, much like the tree frogs, were chasing her; and she was running ahead, taking bigger steps, floating in mid air. The dilapidated structure looked much like the Tipu's palace in Mysore, with dark brown wooden pillars, dark brown wooden ceiling all engulfed by big balls of clouds. Her heart beating fast, she took faster, bigger steps in the air, from one pillar to the next, and now that she thinks of it, she resembled Hrithik in Krish, jumping from one skyscraper to the next.
The faceless quirky creatures were nearer, they seemed hungry, very hungry, saliva dripping from their mouthless bodies. She turned the next corner, dodging the nearest froggy legged creature, and felt the tube pushing on her mouth and nose, and she spit out some air. "She's breathing now!" Anxious voices died down into murmurs, and soon turned silent.
'beep beep' 'beep beep' 'beep beep' 'beep beep'
"That's rhythmic", the thought crossed her hazy mind and she tried to open her eyes, but shut them tight again. "Damn! My head!", Her temples throbbed with piercing pain due to the effort to open her eyes. She lay still, "one, two, three, now slow". Talking to herself was her poison.
Soft blue lights spread their wings all around her. Tiny, colourful lights, resting on the monitor to her right, blinked alternately, again in sync with the rhythmic beeps. "The second worst place to be in. Okay.." She whispered loud enough to be heard by a nurse, who came by her side and smiled, "How are you feeling?" "Not sure" She said truthfully and expected the nurse to act God, taking away all the anxiety and heaviness her mind experienced right now.
She saw her elder sister walk towards her but seemed as distant as always. "Can't do anything right, can't you?" She lowered her eyes, feeling guilty of being hurt in the accident. The elder sister had work to attend to, a family to take care of, she shouldn't have to be here, wasting time on her. "You will be able to stay in the PG, after you get discharged from here, won't you? My house is on the second floor and there is no lift, it would be impossible for you to walk up in this condition." Clear and correct.
"I am not as bad in a condition as I look. You bet! PG will be the best. Don't you worry."
The bestie came in after the sister, grief plastered on her face.
"Do I look dead to you?"
"What??" The bestie was aghast. "How dare you say that??"
"Hahahaha", the laugh! And the body hurt like hell. "Ouch!" She was unaffected.
The bestie was quiet, ran her fingers across her hair in soft strokes, sat down beside her in the same position for some seconds, kissed her forehead and moved out of the ward.
The boyfriend came in next and the monitor stopped beeping, maybe the heart stopped beating, or maybe, it was all a dream again.
"I am sorry."
Silence.
"I know, err.. I.."
Silence.
She kept on staring at him. He was getting uneasy about the questionless stare.
"You take rest and get well fast, then we will talk, okay?"
Silence.
He walked out of the ward and felt the stare pricking on his back.
She smiled. She knew she didn't want any answers now. The silence got it's response.
