"Grandma, you must not talk much. You need to rest." Nia talked softly in a soothing voice as if she was trying to put a baby to sleep.
The old woman lying in the hospital bed was a little restless. Noticing that Nia felt fear creeping into her heart. She cast a glance at the door, wondering if the doctor would return to the room. She was sitting on a stool near the bed. The little angel on her lap stirred in her sleep. Nia tensed up and rocked the child back to sleep.
Mrs Lucinda Fiona Sinha stared with a longing at the beautiful woman and the sleeping child. The sight appeared hauntingly beautiful to her. It soothed her ailing heart, yet remorse pained her. The guardian angel hugging the child looked up at her and the old woman's lips quivered,
"My dear, I couldn't have blamed you even if you've hated me. But you've forgiven me and have saved my life." A deep sigh escaped her.
The agitation in the old woman's voice alarmed Nia. Grandma must be stopped from riding on an emotional rollercoaster. She hurried to comfort the sick woman.
"Grandma please, the past will never return. We must not lament over it. What matters is the present. We should better try to make it pleasant." Nia smiled reassuringly at her.
Dr Eden Bairagi who had gone out to receive a call, came back and checked his patient. Then he talked in mock anger,
"Grandma, you deceived everyone.Yougal is on his way to here. Nicholas is about to reach too." He then looked at Nia, his eyes hinted what she needed to know and again talked to grandma. "You're a strong lady but you shouldn't have misled Yougal."
After Nicholas was able to contact Yougal Lucas and informed him about his grandmother's critical condition the latter immediately contacted Dr Bairagi. It was him who was on the phone with the doctor a while ago. Yougal Lucas was angry with his grandma for lying to him regarding her illness but he was more angry with himself. Dr Eden now knew how the old lady had misled her grandson.
Yougal's grandmother said nothing to Dr Eden in reply. He noticed that grandma was looking at Nia and the sleeping Yana in her arms. He could swear that he saw a twinkle in the old woman's eyes for a brief second. As if on cue he continued,
"What about Yana? She doesn't like her nanny." He let out a long sigh. Dr Eden could not blame the headstrong old woman in the bed for plotting something for her grandson and the beautiful woman in the room. The image of Yana in the lady's arms was a perfect one.
"Nirvana sweety, I know I've lost the face even to make a request and you've already saved my life." Grandma mumbled feebly.
Nia felt bad for the sick old woman. She wanted to ease her mental discomfort and provide some consolation. She could do at least that much.
"Tell me grandma, what is it? You should be relaxing, not worrying about things."
"Please look after Yana, at least for a few days. Take her with you. I know I'm asking for too much." Grandma pleaded in the most pitiful tone possible.
Someone poured ice cold water on Nia, that someone being grandma. Nia now felt bad for herself. This was July, still the water from Arctic was too much. Even the ice queen shivered inwardly. She was put in an awkward situation. Nia looked with hope at Dr Bairagi. The man just shrugged his shoulders showing he would not be able to help.
Grandma was looking at her with a pitiful gaze. Nia felt uncomfortable. It seemed it was not exactly ice water that was poured on her. Rather the hot mid July sun was burning a hole in her head. All of a sudden the past had started rushing into her life, yet she could not do anything to block it.
Nia surrendered mentally. She strangled Yougal Lucas for a thousand times in her mind. His throat, by now would have been flatter than the sheet of paper if that had happened in reality.
"Okay." She said in the tone that resembled one in which a death row prisoner would answer to the warden.
She took leave of grandma as Dr Bairagi hinted that Nicholas had arrived. But grandma stopped her.
"But dear, Yana will need her things and you'll need someone to drive you to home. Haru, the driver, he'll take you to our house first, then to your home. Thank you my dear."
As she walked towards the car parking, followed by Haru, Nia mused. 'So that's it. I'm entangled into the very thing I want to stay away from. I'm happy grandma is okay, but to have Yana with me...this is not good.'
Haru drove her and a sleeping Yana to the Sinha's home. The car stopped in front of a beautiful three storey building with a huge garden but Nia was in no mood to admire even the Buckingham Palace now. She followed a maid, probably Yana's nanny, who was told by Haru to accommpay the madam, to Yana's room.
Nia quickly packed a backpack with a few clothes, her favourite floral print shorts, undies, after asking the nanny about the little girl's preferences, and her favourite pikachu Pokemon soft toy.
It was a room tastefully decorated, suitable for a five years old girl but Nia paid little to no attention to the details of the room. She picked up Yana from the bed, where she had laid her down, so that she could select the things the little angel would need, and to pack them. Nia was in a hurry to leave the house, as if it was haunted by hundreds of ghosts.