Nandini felt her legs numb. She remembered Navya's words and tried to walk few steps. She got from her bed and tried to walk. She walked 3 steps and she wants to relax. "Mujhe kya ho gaya! I can't even walk in my room! How will I go till fridge if I need to eat something!" Nandini thought. "I can't wake chachi for every small thing" she thought. She rigorously tried walking many steps but she was tired. She drank water which were placed behind her bed and walked through the bedside and saw through her window.

"Manik ka car" she recognized. "Tho Phir Manik kaha hai" her eyes searched for him. "He didn't even come to see me when I was discharged" she thought. Manik was standing in front of the car but his attention was somewhere else. He was sitting on car bonnet. "Yeh kya kar raha hai?" she tried to see but couldn't because of short window and she couldn't bend more than that. She, with all her might, walked few more steps to another window and opened it. She then saw a gang of 8 dogs were in front of him. "How is he going to deal with them now!" she was anxious. Manik used a stick to escape from the dogs but dogs took the stick finally. Nandini had a hearty laugh after seeing him in that situation. He was talking something to the dogs which obviously she couldn't hear but looks like he made a deal with them. He slowly got down from the bonnet and surprisingly dogs didn't come near him. He went inside the car and proudly came out with a packet. Nandini's curiosity went to peaks. He threw biscuits from the packet and threw them out to all the dogs. The dogs ate biscuits. "Seriously! Manik already got the dog biscuits!" Nandini thought. She went to bed and tried to sleep.

"How should I understand you Manik? I know you love me, but we are always at extremes. Kya pata kal jaake hume phirse break leni padi tho! No I can't bear it. Please leave me, I don't want to take that pain again" she said to herself. She switched on her light to have water. She drank it kept down the bottle. She received a message on her phone. "Everything OK?" the message was from Manik. "Manik would have noticed the light in the room", she thought.

Her mobile rang and the screen flashed Manik's number. She waited for this since long and she immediately picked it up. "Hello Nandini, is everything OK?" he asked anxiously. "Tum iss waqt idhar kya kar rahe ho?" she asked faking anger. "If you had seen I'm here, don't you know what I was doing here?" he asked. "Tum yaha street dogs ko biscuits khilane aaye ho?" she asked. "I had to do that and I didn't know you were seeing, light tho switch on karti, I would have know you are awake. By the way, I'm here to take care of you not your street's dogs" he said. "Dean ho kar tum har patient ke ghar aise jaa rahe ho?" she asked. "No, you are not just patient for me" he said quickly. "Tho Phir?" she asked.

"Ye surgery ke baad Nihal died in front of my eyes, I was a failure. You have encouraged me inspite of hating my decision to do it. Aaj same surgery tumko, I was scared of losing you" he said. Nandini's heart melted as she heard it. "It's okay now, how are you feeling? Are you able to walk?" he asked curiously. "Tumhe kyu batau! You left me when I needed you the most" Manik held his head. "Nandini, give me a break ab tak tumhara ye street dogs mujhe pareshan kar rakha hai ab tum?" he said. "You know how to deal with them now" she said.

"So, let's deal now. Humesha ye jagda mode mujhe acha nahi lag raha hai, ek kaam karo, hum doctor patient hi theek hai, tab tho tumhe jawab deni padegi" Manik said. "Hmm" she said. "OK say now, how are you healing?" he asked. "I couldn't even walk few steps even, I feel so tired, it doesn't pain but I feel I need more energy to walk" she said. "That's because you are not eating well, you were just surviving on intravenous fluids since your accident, you need to eat well" he said. "But maine khaana kha liya" she said. "Not just eating, you should practice walking too, you are just weak" he said. "Manik please mere liye wait mat karo, leave" she said. "Ek baar chodke chala gaya hu, iss baar jo bhi ho jaye tumhe chodke kabhi nahi jaunga" he said. Nandini didn't know what to say. "Mujhe neend aa rahi hai" she said. "Yes, you should rest now, bye" Manik said. Nandini thought of her relationship with Manik, "Why we both are always complicated?" she drifted to sleep without knowing.

***********************************
Manik went home early in the morning after 5 am. "Itni late ho gaya?" Nyonika asked. Manik didn't answer and came back as he got ready in two hours. "Tum itne jaldi kyu ready ho gaye?" she asked him. "I'm leaving for hospital" he told her. "But you came early in the morning" she asked. "Mom, I have much work in the hospital, I should leave and please eat and sleep on time, don't wait for me, I will eat at the canteen" he kissed her forehead and left before she could speak.

He went to hospital and saw a letter on his desk. He read the letter which said about the seminar. Manik quickly decided that he would not go. "Me and seminars ka combination hi kharab hai" he thought and sighed. "Mukti nahi jaa sakti hai na" he thought. "Abhimanyu?" he said it aloud. Abhimanyu entered just then. "Good morning Manik" he wished him.

"Subah subah mere naam le rahe ho, koi kaam" Abhimanyu asked. Manik gave the letter to him and Abhimanyu dropped it down. "Do you want me to go?" Abhimanyu asked. "But I can't leave Mukti now" Abhimanyu added. "I was also thinking the same, kisi aur ke bhej nahi sakta, you know" Manik said. "Tum jao phir!" Abhimanyu suggested but Manik didn't budge.

"No, I can't go. I have work here" Manik lied. "Me and Mukti will take care of here" he said. "Hospital ke kaam hai tho hum sambhaal sakte par Nandini ka kaam hai tho!" Abhimanyu stopped. Manik had to face his friend now. All these days he hid it but now he had to answer. "Yes, I want to be here with Nandini now. I don't want to leave her alone" Manik said. "Relax, main mazak kar raha tha, I will go. Mukti also asked me to go. I have already seen the letter. Anyways Mukti wants to be with her parents this week, I'm free anyhow" Abhimanyu's words cooled down Manik.

"Thank you so much" Manik said. "No need of formality dude. I always wished ki tum aur Nandini agar saath hote tho acha hota, and now you are one and I'm happy for you" he said hugging Manik. "No, her chacha chachi and my mom are against us now" Manik said tight lipped. "Aunty ka tension mat Lo, she will accept Nandini eventually as she also liked Nandini" Abhimanyu said. "I had promised Chacha chachi that I won't talk or meet Nandini" he said. "And I don't want to hurt anyone now, neither mom dad, nor chacha chachi" he said. "Nandini?" Abhimanyu asked. "I don't know" Manik said and left. "Manik ko kya ho gaya? He said he can't leave her and now he doesn't know what to do!" Abhimanyu said to himself.

************************************
Navya came to check on Nandini's condition and said she is quite improving with each day. "Nandini, tum walking practice karo but zyada der tak nahi" she told her. "Yes Navya, now I can take little steps within my room" Nandini said. Navya was about to leave, "Take medicine on time, if you feel sleepy ask chachi to give it to you" Navya left. Her chachi gets ready to sleep with her. "Chachi aap idhar so jayegi?" Nandini asked. "Yes, I will sleep with you for few days" she said. "No need chachi, I can manage myself your sleep will be disturbed" Nandini tried to convince.

"Nandu, don't think like that! I'm always here to help you, meri neend kya tumse pyaari hai?" her chachi said. "Chachi please samajna emotional aur senti baatein karne ka time nahi hai ye" Nandini thought. "I have been sleeping all day so mujhe neend nahi aa rahi hai and you might be feeling sleepy, I will call you if I need something, you can go and sleep in your room chachi, please don't make me feel guilty please!" Nandini asked.

Chachi goes out and Nandini breathe a sigh of relief. "Finally chachi ko room se nikal diya! Par Manik aaj bhi aaya hai kya! Should I check on him!" Nandini thought. "No, wo har roz thodi aayega, moreover ab wo Dean ban gaya zyada kaam bhi hoga" she thought again. "Agar wo yaha hota tho kitna acha hota! I'm a fool! Why did I send chachi away? I should have let her sleep here, that's the only way I could stop thinking of Manik" her heart and mind were struggling.

She decided to call Manik to know if he's there. "Call karu?" she asked herself. "Will he think that I'm desperate? What if he ask me that why should he come! What if he doesn't answer my call at all? Why did he come last night? Is it because he was feeling guilty! Or is he just very caring towards his first successful surgery surviver! Or does he still love me the same way?" Nandini's thoughts were endless.

She remembered how Manik cried like a baby when she met with an accident that day. He shouted I love you all the way from Alya's house to hospital. His thoughts didn't let her sleep. She thought of an idea to know if Manik was there. She had got up from the bed and switched on the light, just like the other day. "Manik called me yesterday when I switched on light" she thought and waited for his call. She keenly looked at her phone expecting a call from him.

"So Manik isn't here!" she thought. "I know Manik you won't come. Kitni stupid hu main yaha Issi room main tumhare liye wait karti thi, just because you came yesterday my everything seemed changed" Nandini broke out into tears and heard her phone ring. She saw Manik's number on display. She immediately answered without any delay.

"Hello" Nandini spoke. "Nandini, I'm sorry mera mobile ka battery low ho gaya tha, I have just kept my phone on charge" Manik voiced his reason for being late to call. She wiped out her tears and sniffed strongly. "Is everything okay? Did you catch cold?" he enquired. "No no I'm fine" she said. "Thank God" he sighed.

"Manik! Can I ask you something?" she asked. "Why are you here now? You were here last night too, aren't you going to hospital?" she asked and he said how he managed his day and night shifts. "No you should take rest, please go home and rest" she said. "No I'm not going anywhere" he was stubborn as usual. "I wish tum ye pehle karta, hum kabhi alag nahi hote" Nandini said and he was silent. "We know the importance of few things only when we lose them, I already lost you and can't afford to lose you again, never!" Manik said. "I love you Nandini, main ye pehle baar nahi bol raha hu but whenever I say it I mean it. Please iss fool ko maaf karo, I beg you and I know you are totally worth it. I'll always promise to be by your side, I know how it feels to be away from you, I felt it everyday and every minute" Nandini listened to him. "Manik!" she said. "Yes" he was all ears. "I want to see you now" she asked.

"Nandini, mujhe tumse kuch kehna hai?" Manik said. "What's it?" she asked. "I have promised chacha chachi that I won't meet you or talk to you" he said to her. "Then you can't come to meet me but I can come na, that's not even violating your promise" she found a solution. "Wah, how will you come down by the way! With your fractured leg?" he made fun of her.

"Don't laugh, I can walk now, I accept they are little steps but at least I'm trying. By the way my hand got fractured not legs" she said and he asked her to come then. She took a maximum of half an hour to reach him and he helped her from the gate. "Shh! Don't make noise" she said. Manik hugged her tight and she felt relaxed in his arms. She missed his hugs and fishy kisses he gave on her earlobe. It was heaven for her.

"Why did you come down?" he asked. "Because I want to see you" she said and she hugged him. "Manik! Mere paas aao" she asked. He came closer. "More closer" she asked again and thus time he was so close that her hand kissed his cheek. "Nandini!" he was taken aback. "Ye love me again tho itne baar bol chuke ho but never got what you really deserved" she said. "If you feel happy by slapping me then come on slap again" he said. She slapped him again. He hugged her tight and she burst into tears. "You need it because you left me and went away from her, ek baar bhi mere baare mein nahi socha" he consoled her.

"So Miss Nandini Murthy, just say it, will you love me again?" Manik asked her. "Of course yes, a thousand more times" she said.

"So, Let's get married" Manik said to Nandini.