The Recipe of Love ??

Two days had crawled by, each second stretching out like a lifetime. The 48 hours given by the doctor were almost over.. but Ishki still hadn't regained consciousness.

The hospital's corridors, once bustling with life, now felt eerily silent around Devyansh. Ever since she had been admitted here, he hadn't left.. not even for a fleeting moment.

He had stayed right by her side.. silently keeping vigil outside her room like a forgotten statue.

Yes, it was a different matter altogether.. that he hadn't stepped inside her room even once.

He couldn't. Somehow, something inside him wouldn't allow it.

Maybe it was guilt.

Maybe it was just the unbearable pain of seeing her like that.

The rest of the family had come and gone over the last two days, visiting her whenever they found a few spare moments in their busy lives.

But Devyansh.. he had anchored himself here. As if his leaving would somehow make her condition worse. As if she needed him to stay even if she didn't know it.

Now, he sat slumped outside her room, his head resting against the cold back of a steel bench, his eyes closed. His handsome face, usually full of life and mischief, now looked tired. Worn out.

Exhaustion was carved into every line, every feature and yet, he hadn't once thought about going home.

How could he, when she was lying unconscious just a few feet away?

The air felt heavier with every breath he took. The world around him blurred into a haze of hospital white and beeping monitors.

He was so lost in his own suffocating thoughts that he didn't even hear the approaching footsteps.. until a familiar voice snapped him back to reality.

"I'm sorry to say this, Kunwar sa, but she's in a coma." The doctor said gently, yet his words hit harder than any storm.

His eyes snapped open. Before he even knew what he was doing, he was already on his feet. His heart thundered against his ribs, a thousand questions screaming inside his head, none he could form into actual words.

Around him, the rest of the family.. Baba sa, Maa sa, Kaku sa, Kaki sa, Abhir, and Shravya also scrambled to their feet, their faces pale and stricken. A stunned silence blanketed the hallway.

Everyone stared at the doctor as if trying to will him to take his words back. As if this was all some horrible mistake.

"What are you saying, Doctor..??! You never mentioned anything like this before." Devyansh somehow managed to choke out, his voice low and trembling.

The doctor sighed heavily, looking down at the floor, unable to meet their desperate gazes.

"I had already informed you that her condition was critical and that if she didn't regain consciousness within 48 hours, her situation could deteriorate further." He said, his tone soft, almost apologetic.

"But.. there must be some way to bring her out of the coma, right?!" Meenakshi asked, her voice cracking under the weight of her emotions.

"We will try our best, but still, I can't guarantee anything." The doctor replied.

"You see, coma has four stages and she's still in the first stage. That means her chances of recovering quickly are higher. But if she crosses into the next stage..." He hesitated, choosing his next words carefully, "then we can't predict when she might wake up. It could be days, months.. or even years in rare cases."

The words felt like sharp knives slicing through the little hope that still clung to their hearts.

"What do you mean?" someone maybe Kaku sa, voice barely above a whisper.