Hi everyone, 

Not proofread, ignore errors.

Flashback starts

In the corridor in front of the operation theater, Karishma was sitting on the floor: her back supported with the wall, her clothes drenched with her own and Haseena's blood, her legs cuddled to her chest, her face drenched with tears, her breathing abnormal due to continuous cries, and her eyes glued to her opened palms. "She will come back to me.." she was repeating it without even bothering to breathe in between.

Just then Mrs. Malik arrived in hospital in a violent state followed by two lady police officers and one senior male Police officer. Of the two lady Police officers one was head constable Pushpa Singh and the other was Babita Sarkari.

With anger dripping through her long strides, she crossed the corridor and reached at the head of Karishma who was absolutely oblivious of the upcoming storm.

Mrs. Malik had pulled an injured Karishma through her arms, "How dare you? You pushed my daughter from the fifth floor. You killed her now I won't leave you." She was shouting in rage with tears in her eyes, and was shaking and slapping Karishma on her head, face, back or anywhere she could.

"What are you doing? Leave her!!" Pushpa ji who was waiting for her senior's order to stop Mrs. Malik when didn't get the one, stepped ahead and freed Karishma from Mrs. Malik's grip.

However, Karishma was into another world, her eyes were glued to the red light and her tongue was repeating the same line, "she will come back to me."

"Are you alright?" Pushpa ji shook her slightly but it didn't affect her. She checked her body for any injuries and found the deep cut on her belly. "Oh my God!! Sir, she is injured." She notified her senior.

"To hell with her injury, I want her behind the bars right now." Mrs. Malik shouted more loudly and increased the pressure on the officer in charge.

"Pushpa ji, get her treated first and then arrest her." He ordered and Pushpa ji glared at him for his cruelty but stayed silent. She just nodded and started dragging Karishma to the examination room.

Karishma was being pulled away from the operation theater. The feeling of being pulled away from her Haseena brought her back to reality. "NOOOO!!!" She shrieked horrifically, freed herself from Pushpa ji's grip with a jerk, and ran towards the operation theater while shouting, "My Haseena!! I won't go without her!! She will come back to me."

At the next instant they found her clung to the door of the closed operation theater. She had her tight grip on the handle of the operation theater and was crying hysterically.

Pushpa ji and her friend Babita ji shared a painful glance with each other. The sorry state of the poor girl had melted their hearts. "Pushpa, she is not the culprit." Babita ji uttered what her experience and heart was screaming. Pushpa ji nodded agreeing to her.

Right at that moment a connection was established between them. Whether it was Pushpa ji's soft heart or God's mercy on Karishma but she got a mother- a mother who did everything she could to protect her after Haseena.

"You can't pass the judgment. Get her treated and arrest her." The senior officer shouted at both of them. Both the lady constables were glaring at him angrily but were compelled by their duty.

"Nurse, treat her wounds." Pushpa ji called a nurse who treated Karishma's wound there only outside the operation theater. Pushpa ji knew it was the time to arrest her. "No, I won't let anything happen to her." She was feeling her inner voice so strong at that moment that she instantly engulfed Karishma in a hug and kissed her forehead assuring her support, "Beta, You have to be strong, I won't let anything happen to you."

She requested her senior, "Sir, the operation will be concluded in an hour. I think we should wait for that before arresting her. And anyways, look at her state she can't run away. Moreover, you know the student association, if they found out that you arrested her without any proof against her, then there would be major chaos in the city." He knew that she was right and he can't risk his job anyway so he nodded compellingly.

"How can you do this? I want to see her behind bars."

"Mrs. Malik I can understand that you want justice for your daughter but we need to follow protocols." Pushpa ji smirked at his senior's response to Mrs. Malik.

"Babita, be with the girl and don't leave her side until my return." Pushpa ji whispered in her ear and left the hospital.

...

That hour spent like 3 scores for Karishma: dried tear marks were appearing as crinkles; eyes swollen due to continuous cries were like eyebags. She had fixed her head with the wall of the operation theater and was repeating the line like a life saving spell, "She will come back to me." It was a fine ray of hope she was clung onto.

Just then the red light was switched off and the doctor stepped out of the operation theater. Stumbling at her numb feet, she leapt towards him, "My Haseena... She is fine. right? You have saved her, right?" The desperation in her voice and the pain on her face had wet the doctor's eyes too, and a helpless expression appeared on his face.

She joined her shivering hands and pleaded, "Please tell me that you have saved her... I have no one except her." Her innocent eyes, quivering lips, and soft pleas were heart wrenching for all the spectators except Mrs. Malik who was standing unaffected.

"This is the most difficult part of being a doctor." He sighed helplessly. Babita ji closed her eyes with a sorry face as she got his words even the senior police officer's state was no less.

Doctor looked at Karishma's puzzled face and began to give the news. Babita ji moved closer to Karishma, instinctively, in order to support her.

"I am sorry we have lost her. Operation is successful but her brain is not responding."

Doctor's words vibrated her eardrums, and her brain took a minute to register its meanings. At the next instant, her legs left her side and she fell on the ground. Fortunately, Babita ji held her in her arms and saved her from hurting herself once again. Fresh set of tears started streaming from her eyes.

She was feeling her body will explode because of the pain of her soul inside it. "HASEENAAAAA!!!" She screamed unable to bear the pain and emptiness. Jerking Babita ji away from her, Karishma ran towards OT. "Haseena, You cannot go leaving me alone. I will not let you. I will not." She shouted adamantly holding her hand and crying profusely. Her eyes were glued to Haseena and her brain was remembering all the moments she spent with Haseena, like a film.

Hi, I am Haseena Malik!!" little Haseena, dressed in Barbie costume, said forwarding her hand causing her to raise her head from her knees.

"Why are you crying?" She asked, getting shocked at her red eyes and tear-stricken face.

"You are bad....very bad...I hate you...." Little Karishma said standing up, jerking her hand and walked a little away from there.

"But what did I did? I don't even know you?" Haseena asked, perplexed.

Karishma looked at her and shouted angrily, "Today is my happy birthday but you stole it. You stole all the happiness from my birthday....look, look at your Barbie dress, these sooo many gifts and these sooo many friends....they all want to befriend you.....not me....everyone is laughing at me...." She gestured through her hands and ended up crying again.

"I had not told them to do it....i don't even know them....they are not my friends.....mom said I had to cut the cake in front of them so I came here...." She responded innocently but Karishma jerked her head away angrily along with shedding tears too.

She wiped her tears, held her ears and said softly and sweetly, "I am sorry I had not done it intentionally." Karishma looked at her intently, forgetting to even cry. She removed her hands from her ears and mumbled slowly, "It's okay..."

"You don't have any friends, right? Even though I don't have any....nobody understands me. Will you be my best friend?"Haseena flashed a big smile and forwarded her hands towards her.

Karishma looked at her hand, thought for a moment, did a handshake with her and said flashing a similar smile, "I will be your best friend."

They hugged each other and together mumbled, "Best friends forever"

"The first time you wiped my tears, the first time you solved my problem, the first time you hugged me, the first time someone had forwarded her hand for friendship towards me, it was my first best birthday......and for next sixteen years you made sure that my eyes never gets teary, you made sure to solve all my problems, your arms became my home, I never felt the need of any relationship let alone friendship, my every birthday used to be better than previous one......Now suddenly you can't leave me alone. Why Haseena? Why did you do all that for me in the first place if you couldn't do it forever?" She shaked her violently in between her heavy cries.

Haseena was lying in the center of her king sized bed with her pale face, dark circles beneath her closed eyes and her weak body. It had jolted Karishma terribly. "Haseena!!!" escaped her lips in a mere whisper with endless tears streaming down her eyes. She climbed up the bed and moved closer to Haseena.

Haseena was whimpering even under the effect of medicine, "Haseena!!" Karishma called softly but it had no effect on her state. She moved closer to her, put her head in her lap and started caressing her head lovingly.

"I should have been more careful.....how can I think that she no longer needs me......I am so dumb...."

"everything was in front of me.....but I was blinded by my rage.....I knew you love me Haseena, we have been together since we were 4 years old....however in all these years I could never understand the intensity of your love for me.....you....you...ruined yourself for me....for my tears....i had never seen such relation forget friendship.....i had the most prized possession and I had never realized its true worth....." She was thinking to herself while kissing her forehead, caressing her head in her lap, with tears streaming down from her eyes to cheeks.

Slowly she opened her eyes and found Karishma smiling at her, "Karishma!!" she mumbled and at once sat up straight with a jerk.

"Hold on Haseena....relax!!" Karishma at once stopped her from moving so much and adjusted her properly to the bed in a half lying position.

"What are you doing here?" Haseena asked, looking down.

Karishma stared at her for a few minutes, not able to understand what to say or do, "I came here to die with you...."

"What the hell?" Haseena at once cringed hearing her words.

"Why....why you felt bad.....first you had hidden the truth about your mother from me.....then forget asking my help you haven't even told me that you are unable to manage things......and when I bursted on you then instead of telling me the truth and making me understand you.....you had started to punish yourself and reached to deathbed.....Do you have any idea, what would have been my condition if something happened to you.....how I would have lived without you.....how I would have been able to forgive myself.....I agree I was angry but you could have wooed me like you did every time.....what was the need to be so harsh on yourself.......Haseena this madness just for me......you had ruined your life long hard earned respect just to punish yourself......and that too on something that wasn't actually your fault.....It was just a misunderstanding...." Karishma shouted with tears in her eyes reflecting her anger, worries and remorse all at the same time.

"I had tried....i came to talk to you....to make you understand.....but you.....you had snatched my right on you......you said i.....i am no one to you....." she choked and her eyes brimmed with tears.

"I had lost you.....forever.....you were so hurt....i could see your pain hidden behind your anger.....i went to that hill where you....you had.....buried the symbol of our friendship......ambience of that hill top had told me the extent of your pain and tears......all because of me.....perhaps you forget but I remembered the promise I had made to you....that I will never let tears and pain come near you....and I failed in that.....not only failed but I was the cause of them......how could I forgive myself.....i had to be punished....i had to......no one had the right to hurt you.....not even me....." Haseena responded back angrily and then sobbing loudly.

Next moment, in between her loud sobs, she held her ears and added looking down, "Please.....please forgive me....do.....don't please don't.....leave me.....i promise...I will be more careful next time.....please.....become my friend again....please...." Karishma could no longer hold herself and hugged her tightly.

Haseena too engulfed her in a hug and both started sobbing loudly. Still hugging her in between her sobs, "Why....why you love me this much.....how can even anyone love someone this much.....Why..."

"Because you are the most special gift God has given me.....There is only one purpose of my life: to keep you away from pain and sorrows and to fill your life with happiness....." Haseena responded softly while caressing her back.

"Haseena you had everything one could ever wish in this life. You could get thousands of friends like me but you chose me. You chose me to be my friend. The way you protected me against all odds, the way you kept me safe from all kinds of pains despite being of my age, you had never left the one who had hurt me not even yourself, I always thought that I got you because of my goodwill but I was wrong. It was my fortune that I got you and I never realized that until you are about to be erased from my fate......Almighty, if you are there, then please I beg you to return my fortune back to me......Please!!" She looked up and begged desperately.

She was crying, begging, shaking her but there was no movement in her. "Please, what are you doing? Do something? Please save my Haseena... Please." She ran to each one of the doctors standing there. She begged them, joined her hands and bowed at their feet to save her Haseen but they were also crying at their helplessness.

"I am very sorry uncle, If....if you want you can punish me too for what happened with Karishma at my house....I failed to keep up to my promise of keeping her safe......but....but....please...don't....don't keep her away from me....please let...let her be my friend....i...I promise...I will keep her happy and safe...." Haseena pleaded with her eyes down and holding her ears. Her sweet apology and request could have melted even a stone hearted man then Mr. Singh was a father only.

He freed her ears, kissed Haseena's head with a wide smile and said, "I didn't know that my Karishma is so lucky to get a friend like you....Karishma come here beta!!" He gave their hand to each other's and said proudly, "Mark my words Mr. Malik, no one could ever separate them both....because they are not two but one." Mr. Malik nodded happily.

Both Haseena and Karishma looked at each other smiling through their tears, both had wiped each other's tears and added together, "Yes, we are one!!"

"Not just outsiders but your family too, you have never thought even once before going against them for me. No one could imagine Malik's at the doorstep of an ordinary middle class man apologizing to a little middle class average child but you made sure that they do because I hold prime importance in your life. That day baba had finally accepted our friendship," She reminded Haseena of their friendship by shaking her once again.

The next instant, she looked up towards the sky and added, "Baba, you said that no one could ever separate us but look....look we are separated..... We got separated despite being one...." She fell down on her knees beside the bed dejectedly.

However at the very next instant, she stood up straight with a jerk, wiped her tears and added, "Fine, you are not coming to me despite my pleadings then I am coming to you. I have told you if you left me I will give my life... Without you my life has no point Haseena. I am going to give my life." With the mix of anger, pain and hopelessness, Karishma turned towards the door swiftly.

Just as she was about to step out of the OT, a doctor's voice stopped her. "Wait! Wait! Let me try one last time."

Karishma nodded, held Haseena's hand and placed it at her heart and placed her own hand at her heart. Doctor started his procedure for the last time. Karishma closed her eyes and prayed to God with all her heart.

Haseena's fingers at Karishma's heart moved causing revival of life and hope in it. "She moved... She moved her fingers." Karishma's scream made all the doctors and nurses attentive and they at once stepped ahead. The next instant, machines beeped and confirmed. "My Goodness!!! It is simply miraculous." The doctor uttered in bewilderment.

Karishma was at cloud nine. She instantly hugged Haseena and started crying and laughing; she was unable to express her emotions. Seeing her happiness and excitement all eyes were moist with tears of relief and happiness. None of them had witnessed such a pure and pious bond in their whole life. They were thanking their stars for being the witness of the power of their love.  

Do share your reviews, I am eagerly waiting. 

And Flashback will be continued for the next few parts.