Dr. Lavanya entered Arnav's sleek, modern office, her briefcase in hand and a determined look on her face. Arnav, engrossed in paperwork, looked up, concern etched on his face.

"Mr. Raizada, thank you for meeting with me on such short notice," she said gently.

Arnav gestured to the chair opposite him. "Of course, Dr. Lavanya. Please, have a seat. What’s the update on Muskaan?"

After sitting down and opening her briefcase which had some reports she analyzed, Dr. Lavanya began, "I've spent considerable time with Muskaan, and after thorough observation and initial sessions, I’ve concluded that she’s showing signs of early-onset schizophrenia."

Arnav's eyes widened in shock. "Schizophrenia? But she’s just a child..."

Dr. Lavanya nodded sympathetically. "It’s rare, but it can happen. Her vivid imagination and the conversations she has with her mother are manifestations of this condition. She’s not just pretending; she genuinely believes in these interactions."

"She never even saw her mother," Arnav said, his voice trembling. "How could she imagine her so vividly?"

"That’s a crucial question," Dr. Lavanya replied. "Muskaan’s hallucinations about her mother and spending time with you indicate that she’s using these fantasies to cope with her reality. Someone must be telling her about her mother for her to have such detailed visions."

Arnav sighed deeply. "I’ve been so distant... I don’t even know what she knows or doesn’t know about Khushi."

"It’s imperative that you start giving her your undivided attention," Dr. Lavanya said, leaning forward. "Your presence can provide the stability she desperately needs. If we don’t address this now, her condition might worsen."

Struggling with guilt, Arnav said, "I... I’ll do whatever it takes. What’s the next step?"

"We need to find out how Muskaan knows so much about her mother. I’ll talk to Payal; she might have more insights. Also, I’d like to speak with Muskaan’s teacher to understand her school life better," Dr. Lavanya explained.

"You have my full support," Arnav said, nodding. "Please, do whatever you think is necessary."

"Thank you," Dr. Lavanya replied with a slight smile. "Here’s my plan: we need to blend into Muskaan’s imaginary world and gently introduce reality. I suggest we create a scenario similar to her fantasies, where you gradually become a part of her day-to-day life."

Arnav looked determined. "I’m ready. Tell me what I need to do."

"We’ll start by recreating some of the positive experiences she imagines with you. This will help her see you as a real, consistent presence in her life. Over time, this approach will help her differentiate between her fantasies and reality," Dr. Lavanya said.

"Let’s do it," Arnav said, nodding resolutely. "I can’t lose her too."

Placing a reassuring hand on his desk, Dr. Lavanya said, "We won’t let that happen, Mr. Raizada. We’ll take it one step at a time."

__________________________

Next Day

With the family's support, Dr. Lavanya set the stage to blend Muskaan's vivid imagination with reality, carefully crafting an environment that included her father and family members but excluded the imaginary presence of her mother. She had asked Muskaan about her daily routine, recording whatever she revealed and now trying to recreat the same scenario. They were all nervous yet hopeful, eager to help Muskaan reconnect with the real world.

Muskaan lay in bed, snug under her covers. She felt a gentle shake and heard a familiar voice.

"Musky, wake up mera baccha," came a sweet voice

"Let me sleep more, Maa," she mumbled, burying her face in the pillow.

Soft tickles on either side of her stomach made her giggle, and she peeped out to see her dad and another figure who was not her mother, but the presence was comforting nonetheless.

"Okay, Princess, it's bath time now," her dad said, his smile bright. "We don't want you to be late for school."

Muskaan frowned playfully. "But I want to sleep more!"

"Nope, time to get ready," her dad insisted, picking her up gently and taking her towards the washroom. The familiar routine of being taken care of was soothing.

Once she was out of the bath, her dad was waiting with her school uniform ready. "Make her ready, I'll check on breakfast until then," said a voice that was not Khushi’s but was caring and warm. Before muskaan could see her face, she quickly turned and went out

"Sure thing," her dad replied, starting to help her into her uniform, his hand shivering. As he arranged her school bag, he chatted with her. "By the way, what’s your top score on the PS?"

Muskaan’s eyes lit up. "Yesterday, I broke your record by five points!"

"Did you now? Well, let's see who holds the top score by the evening," he teased, picking up the controller.

"Yeyy!" Muskaan cheered, happy to share this playful moment with her dad. They played for a while until a knock on the door interrupted them.

"Come on, you two. Breakfast is ready," said the voice.

This time Muskaan frowned seeing her dadi standing at the door. Wasn't her maa the one who daily calls them for the breakfast? Before she could decipher or ask anything Arnav screamed to divert her, which bought some time for Sunaina to go away from there

"Heyyy.. Look.. I'm leading" Arnav sounded jovial

"Let’s go, Dad. I’ll beat your score later," Muskaan said, taking his hand.

Downstairs, breakfast was a lively affair. "Maa, you cook the best aaloo paratha in the world," Muskaan said, hoping to see the familiar loving smile she missed so much.

Family members noticed how Muskaan was looking at an empty spot while talking, to break her reverie Arnav nodded, joining in. "Absolutely delicious."

"Eat up, you two," the voice encouraged, serving more food from backside. Muskaan and her dad exchanged glances, laughing softly.

After breakfast, they both headed out, with Muskaan’s school bag on her back and her Arnav's laptop bag in his hand. They walked side by side, sharing a comfortable silence that was filled with the promise of a new beginning for him.

When Arnav was about to start the car, Muskaan peeped through the window, searching for her mom to wave bye to her with her usual kisses

Not finding her Mom for the first time, she frowned and turned towards her father to confirm if everything fades away like always. But he was sitting there, looking at her with love. Love? Why didn't her father's image fade away like it always does?

She extended her hand and tried to touch him and it felt so good. She touched his cheek and felt him. Arnav understanding what's going on in her daughters mind couldn't control himself anymore. It was already too hard for him to act like it was his daily routine to take care of his daughter, when in reality he has always abandoned her. Now when his daughter touched him with so much yearn, all hell broke loose.. He swayed her from the seat and hugged her tight like never before.

"I'm sorry.. I'm sorry princess.. I'm sorry for everything" His tears fell on her shoulder but she couldn't understand anything

Muskaan was too confused between the imagination and reality to comprehend anything.

Lavanya who was noticing all this from afar couldn't help but feel upset about the ongoing. She wanted to bring muskaan to reality, step by step, not overwhelm her with the emotions at once. She can also, understand Arnav's point of view. But now she can't go there in between them, it will confuse muskaan more than she already is. So Arnav has to be aware of what he is doing, and what impact it will make on muskaan.

As if hearing Lavanya's thoughts Arnav collected himself and tried to handle the situation. He gently wiped his own tears before coming out of the embrace.

"I'm sorry for breaking your record in the game" He smiled hiding his pain

Muskaan blinked at him, and then laughed forgetting what happened just before sometime. If Arnav was feeling relieved to hear her laugh, he was also equally confused on her sudden change of behavior

"No problem dad, don't worry about it.. As usual I'll break the record at evening" She seemed normal while saying those words or that's what he thought

Feeling a little bit relieved, he watched Dr. Lavanya standing afar from rear view mirror and blinked at her. He started the car after she gave him a nod.

They have talked about the plan thoroughly and Lavanya has told him, how and when to act accordingly.
________________________

Arnav and Dr. Lavanya sat across from Muskaan's teacher, Sneha, in staff room, discussing Muskaan's recent behavior. Sneha looked concerned as she listened to their explanation.

"We've noticed some concerning behavior from Muskaan," Arnav began, his voice heavy with worry. "Can you tell us more about what's been happening in the classroom?"

Sneha nodded, her expression grave. "Muskaan is a wonderful child, but she's been struggling lately, especially when it comes to activities involving family. One time, we gave an assignment for the students to paste family photos, but for Muskaan, I had to refuse it."

Arnav's brow furrowed in concern. "Why did you refuse her assignment?"

Sneha sighed. "When everyone submitted the assignment but muskaan didn't. The other students started teasing her. It led to a confrontation, and Muskaan became quite upset, she even threatened to kill a girl. I had to refuse to collect the activity, thinking how hard it must have been for her to cope up with such things.. I had to dismiss the project, so that she doesn't put more efforts on it"

Arnav's heart sank as he heard about Muskaan's pain. "I had no idea she was going through this."

Dr. Lavanya placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "It's important to remember that Muskaan is dealing with a lot, and she may not always express her feelings in a typical way. We need to create a supportive environment for her."

Sneha nodded in agreement. "I've been trying to understand, but it's difficult when the other children don't always treat her kindly."

"We need to educate the other students about Muskaan's situation. Being teased about her family situation only exacerbates her struggles" Dr. Lavanya suggested. "It's crucial that they understand she's not like them, and that's okay. We're all different in our own ways."

Sneha nodded, reality dawning in her eyes. "I'll make sure to handle the situation more delicately in the future. I understand, Muskaan needs our support, not judgment. We'll do whatever it takes to ensure Muskaan feels supported and accepted at school."

Dr. Lavanya smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Sneha."

"Thank you for your patience and understanding" added Arnav

As they concluded their meeting, there was a sense of determination in the air. Muskaan's support network was growing stronger by the day, and with it, her chances of overcoming her struggles grew as well. But they knew there was still much work to be done, still they were hopeful that with love, understanding, and support, Muskaan could thrive in both her school and her life.

"Dr.Lavanya .. " Sneha called out to her just when she was going out of the staff room, Arnav went way ahead "I have something else to share" The teacher was visibly petrified while saying the words, only her lips moving.

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Uzma