The letter

 

There are certain moments when you want nothing more than watch a single movie a thousand times or listen to your favorite song on a loop to get the certain comfort you’re looking for. Sometimes the comfort isn’t through the songs or those movies; sometimes the comfort is the person with you listen the songs to or watch the movies with.

Daniel had been reading that letter over and over again in his mind.

‘MY DEAR DANIEL’

‘MY’

He tried so hard not to crack the genuine smile after reading the first word. The strong persona that he had reserved was saved for just a few moments after the letter was in his hands. The neatly folded paper kept in an envelope was just a reminder of how she was. Elegant and neat.

The letter read:

“My dear Daniel,

I couldn’t ever tell this to your face so here is this letter.

I have found a better opportunity in New York and would have to immediately shift there. London has been my home for so long and I will surely miss it and the people too. I am not really good with my words but I would like to thank you for all you’ve done. Thank you, Dan.

Now, as r many including u knowing this n wishing me, save that smile yourself for me.

I’m sorry.”

She was going to leave. She was going to leave without telling Daniel. How could she? After all that they had been through? In this condition? With so many unanswered questions.

The smile from his face was just as quick to wash away as soon as it was projected. With some faltering steps towards her bed and a long sigh, after checking her vitals, he gently tried to hold her free hand. “Why?” he whispered, so silently that one would wonder if he ever spoke at all.

The questions were unending and she wasn’t up yet to answer them. Two days had passed and she still wasn’t up. He had been wishing now that instead of here, they had taken Rose to Potato’s hospital. The third morning Daniel’s patience level was on a brink and the minute that the doctor had come up to her to check up on her he had attacked the doctor with his usual questions and when he got the same unclear answers, his patience had been exhausted.

With a low ruffled voice he spoke, “Doc, see I’m trying too hard to not sue you right now for the hoarding of information. So, help me to not do so and tell me what is wrong?”

The doctor let out a sigh and motioned towards the couch and said, “Have a seat first.”

Daniel sat on the couch and shook his head after saying, “So, something is wrong.”

“I didn’t say so, just listen to me calmly. For the first 24 hours, she was heavily sedated. Due to that, she was in an artificial comatose state. Now, the sedation must have worn off. She still hasn’t woken up yet so she might have drifted off in an actual comatose state.”

Daniel furrowed his brows and with another shake of his head he said, “So she’s in coma?”

“There’s a possibility-“

“So, she’s in coma and you guys didn’t think of informing?!” Daniel now said in a louder tone.

“Um yeah, I think- “

“YOU THINK? WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?” he bellowed.

She is in a coma.

She is in this state because of you.

‘Stop. Please, stop. Not right now. Not right now,’ he mumbled to himself.

The doctor said something that Daniel couldn’t catch; he didn’t really want to hear anything. The doctors knew, they knew about it and they didn’t tell. She couldn’t do this, she had so many answers to give.

The doctors must have known it, why didn’t they say anything? Did they not consider him responsible too?

She is in this state because of YOU.

The doctor felt that he needed some space so he left the room while shutting the door behind him.

This all felt too similar. ‘It can’t be happening. It can’t be happening again’ was the thought that kept running inside his mind. There was some eerie uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach.

There’s a feeling that you can’t name, that no matter how hard you try to let it go, you just can’t. Daniel had a hard time adjusting to that, he had tried so hard to forget the past and move on to the present but the consequences of him forgetting the past always were coming to trouble his present.

Something in him shifted and again after checking Rose’s vitals, he called Sophie and asked her to come to the hospital. Within half an hour she reached there and after asking Daniel where he was going, she just got two words as a reply, “Rose’s home.”

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And now what's up with Daniel's past? Why did he get a panic attack?