'Could you get me a glass of water?' I asked. Slowly. It hurt to speak. Even a week afterwards it did.
Bhash laughed.
'The hospital's gotten to you? When has Carla ever said the magic word, please?' She wiggled her eyebrows and I scoffed. Lightly, of course.
'Oh please.' She said, sarcastically. 'You never did. No use contradicting me.'
I sighed. Ever since the accident, Bhash had continuously been trying to act as if nothing had really happened. Like we were back to normal again and she just hadn't seen the worse of me at all. And I was so, so grateful for that.
I guess she was too scared to lose me again. Her and Adriano. Strange.
Who enjoy your company. Me- Adriano. Those sentences were now buried in my heart. Even when I was sedated, which was all the time, it was there. It helped me.
They both took shifts, which made me want to cry even more. This showed that they cared for me. How much they cared.
Bhash took the morning to evening shift. Adriano took the evening to night. There wasn't much to do anyway. I was always asleep.
But when the night came, memories still fresh in my mind, resurfaced and came as nightmares. Haunting images of my old neighborhood, my Mom. Even Amy. They made me tear up, and scream through the pain again.
Adriano always was there by my side though. We didn't talk much. But we understood.
'The tell tale.' I had whispered, once in the night. 'You don't have to be here, we made an agreement. You don't have to stay with me out of any obligations-'
But he'd taken my hand in both of his own, and looked gently at my eyes.
'I want to.' He'd said. 'Now sleep.'
He'd shown such kindness to me, even when I didn't deserve it.
Not like Amy. Not like Amy. Not like Amy...
I had friends now. They cared. They mattered to me and I to them....
'Thank you.' I said, once she helped me gulp down the water.
She chuckled.
'Two magical words in one day!! Oh my God Carla. I think I'm in love!'
I looked at her. She sighed harder, like she was trying to fan herself. That almost cracked me up. Well, it would, if my head didn't give a splitting throb.
'Carla?' Bhash asked concerned.
I just held up a finger. Then two. Then three. That was my way if communication when I was in pain and couldn't speak. Three fingers to show that it was done. The first to show that it was ending.
My head was the most problematic situation then. I'd broken my wrist with splintered bones inside, bursted quite a lot of blood vessels, broken multiple ribs, and fractured my left leg.
But what was the most dangerous was my head, now. Multiple glass edges had broken off and lodged inside my head, as well as my sides. It had very nearly damaged my brain, so, death had been quite close. But they'd mages to take it out and save me in the last moment.
The problem was, it was long term now. I'd never get rod of the headaches. If I spoke too long, if I shouted too loudly, if I exerted myself for too long. I'd have these splitting headaches.
They would serve as a reminder of what I'd gone through and what I'd almost lost.
I'd never be myself again. I'd never be able to run as much as I wanted, or exercise till my breaths were labored or jump or scream or kick it shout. Even cry for too long.
'Okay. Good.' She said softly. Guilt stabbed at my gut. I'd treated her like shit that day. The day I'd gotten into the accident.
'Bhash?' I said. She turned around, getting my medicine for me. I owed her an apology. They'd both been through Hell. They'd gotten no sleep either. If I so as their main concern, at least I could make it not hurt for them.
'Mm?' She asked.
'I'm sorry.' I said, tears blurring my again. But I held them back. 'I don't deserve this. I don't think I've ever done anything fir you at all. I've treated you like shit.'
She gave me a blank look, then sighed and looked at the ceiling.
'Yes, you haven't been the best friend ever.' She said, smiling faintly. 'But you've been enough. Haven't we both laughed and had fun? We deserve the help. Both of us. Look, I know you have secrets, but I won't push you to tell me. We all have secrets, and we all fight those wars, you aren't alone. You don't have to tell me now. I can wait. You can tell me whenever you want to.'
I nodded, tears falling down. We didn't hug, but words served as a comfort then.
'Adriano too.' She said. 'I don't know what goes on between the two of you, or what made you two come together like that, but he cares you know. More than you can imagine.'
I stayed silent. Contemplating.
'But oh come on.' She joked, trying to lighten the mood. 'Three words in a row? The whole set dude? Unbelievable. I'm on love!!' She cried.
I laughed.
'Shut up.' I said kindly. She laughed softly and turned to my medicine again. My phone beeped. A message. Bhash's casually looked at it. Then froze.
'You've got to be kidding me.' She murmured. I tried to crane my head in her direction, but ended up hurting myself more. Injuries and a near death experience tended to do that.
'What?' I croaked. She gave my mobile's screen a strange look.
'Bhash.....what?' I asked.
She looked at me with that strange expression again. Then she lifted my phone up to show me. I froze.
It was Ben. He was outside. And he wanted to talk to me.
©AkshayaGadre