Dr. Chhetri took her ventilator off an hour ago. This was a good sign. Adriti's mom made me take a shower when she got back with my food. Dhruv and Nitya showed up around six o'clock and stayed for an hour. Nitya cried the whole time, so Dhruv got worried and made her leave again. I've been giving my Uncle and aunt hourly calls, although nothing has changed. Now it's somewhere around midnight, and I'm just sitting here. Waiting. Thinking. Waiting and thinking. I keep imagining I see her toe move. Or her finger. It's driving me crazy, so I stop watching. I start thinking about everything that happened Saturday night. Our cars. Where are our cars? I should probably be calling the insurance company. What about my office? I missed office today. Or was it yesterday? I don't know if it's Monday yet. I probably won't be in office next week, either. I should figure out who Adriti's boss is and let them know she won't be there. I should probably let my assistant know, too.

I'm not leaving the hospital without Adriti. I may not even leave with Adriti if I don't figure out what to do about a car. My car. Where is my car?

"Ishaan."

I glance to the door. No one's there. Now I'm hearing things. Too many thoughts are jumbled up in my head right now.

"Ishaan."

I jerk up in my seat and look at Adriti. Her eyes are closed. She isn't moving. I know I heard my name. I know I did! I rush to her and touch her face. "Adriti?"

She flinches. She flinches! "Adriti!"

Her lips part and she says it again. "Ishaan?" She squints. She's trying to open her eyes. I flick the light switch off, then pull the string to the overhead light until it clicks off. I know how much these fluorescent lights hurt. "Adriti," I whisper. I pull the rail down and climb into the bed with her. I kiss her on the lips, the cheek, the forehead. "Don't try to talk if it hurts. You're okay. I'm right here. You're okay.” She moves her hand, so I take it in mine. "Can you feel my hand?" She nods. It's not much of a nod, but it's a nod. "You're okay," I say. I keep saying it over and over until I'm crying. "You're okay." The door to her room opens, and a nurse walks in. "She said my name!" She looks up at me, then rushes out of the room and comes back with Dr. Chhetri. "Get up, Ishaan," he says. Let us examine her. We'll let you back in soon." "She said my name." I say as I slide off the bed. "She aid my name!" He smiles at me. "Go outside."

And so I do. For over half an hour. No one has left the room and no one has entered and it's been half a freakin' hour. I knock on the door, and the nurse cracks it. I try to peek past her, but she doesn't open the door far enough. "Just a few more minutes," she says. I contemplate calling everyone, but I don't. I just need to make sure I wasn't hearing things, though I know she heard me. She spoke to me. She moved. Dr. Chhetri opens the door and steps outside. The nurses follow him out. "I heard her, right? She's okay? She said my name!" "Calm down, Ishaan. You need to calm down. They won't let you stay in here if you keep freaking out like this." Calm down? He has no idea how calm I'm being! "She's responding," he says. "Her physical responses were all good. She doesn't remember what happened. She may not remember a lot of stuff right away. She needs rest, Ishaan. I'll let you back inside, but you'll need to let her rest." "Okay, I will. I promise. I swear." "I know. Now go," he says.

When I open the door, she's facing me. She smiles a really pathetic, pained smile. "Hey, darling" I whisper. "Hey," she whispers back. I walk to her bed and stroke her cheek. I take her hand in mine, and I bury my face in the crevice between her shoulder and her neck, and I cry.

For the next few hours, she goes in and out of consciousness, just like Dr. Chhetri said she would. Every time she wakes up, she says my name. Every time she says my name, I tell her to close her eyes and get some rest. Every time I tell her to close her eyes and get some rest, she does. Dr. Chhetri comes in a few times to check on her. They lower the dose in the IV one more time so she can stay awake for longer periods. I decide again not to call anyone. It's still too early, and I don't want everyone bombarding her. I just want her to rest. It's almost seven in the morning and I'm walking out of the bathroom when she finally says something besides my name. "What happened?" she asks. I pull a chair up beside her bed. She's rolled over onto her left side, so I rest my chin on the bed rail and stroke her arm. "We were in a slam hall." She looks confused, then terror washes over her face. "What about Dhruv and Nitya?" "Everyone's fine," I reassure her. "Everyone's okay." She breathes a sigh of relief. "When? What day was it? What day is it?"

"It's Monday. It happened Saturday night. What's the last thing you remember?" She closes her eyes. I reach up and pull the string to the light above her bed, and it flicks off. I don't know why they keep turning it on. What hospital patient wants light three feet from her head?."I remember going to the slam hall," she says. "I remember poem but that's all. That's all I can remember." She opens her eyes again and looks at me. "Did My parents accept us?" I laugh. "Yes, they did. And they love us. A bunch." She smiles. "Good." "You were hurt. They had to take you into surgery." "I know. The doctor told me that much." I stroke her cheek with the back of my hand. "I'll tell you everything that happened later, okay? Right now you need to rest. I'm going outside to call everyone. I'll be back, okay?" She nods and closes her eyes again. I lean forward and kiss her on the forehead. “I love you, Adriti." I grab my phone off the table and stand up. "Again," she whispers. "I love you."