"Sweetheart." The lady in a plain white dress smiles at her. She has the same exact hair color and the same exact smile as Karishma. The only obvious difference between her and Karishma is the fact that she hasn't been considered as a living one for a very long long time now; at least that is what Karishma thought.
"Mom." Karishma immediately reaches out for a hug and ignores all the questions that start to form on her mind. As soon as the warmth from her mother's skin touches her, she knows this is not just a dream. Then, another touch lands on her shoulder. It is solid and it is comforting. She looks. "Dad."
"What are you doing here, beanie?" The man who is also in a plain white outfit asks as he shoots her the gentlest smile she has always missed. "You shouldn't be here."
"What do you mean?" Karishma is confused. She doesn't know where she is but it feels like a good place to stay. It might be spontaneous but all she wants to do now is to stay as long as she possibly can. "Is this a dream or something?"
"You can say that." Her dad says. He is still everything she remembers; not a single grey hair, not a single worry and not a single extra wrinkle. It feels almost like their time stopped right when they stopped breathing.
"But you need to wake up soon." Her mom takes her step back to keep close to her husband. He puts his arm around her shoulder as his eyes are still on his daughter. "Haseena needs you, sweeHaseenart."
"Haseena?" Karishma furrowed her eyebrows. Her memory isn't playing tricks on her but hearing the name from her mom's mouth is something she has never anticipated. Somehow, it sounds like a perfect melody.
"She's really got your head spinning, hasn't she?" Her dad makes a remark as if he has seen everything that happens between them. He smiles sneakily and raises one of his eyebrows. "You need that, beanie. Someone who..."
Her mom is nudged to fill in the blank and that tiny nudge almost ignites a fight her dad would not win. "... can keep up with you. Keep you on your toes."
"Yes. That." Her dad looks at his wife so adoringly and looks back at his daughter with the same degree of love that doesn't know how to fade away. He sighs. He sighs because he knows his daughter. She is not a stubborn child but in the time like this, she undoubtedly chooses to be one. The only person he sees her give in to so willingly is no other than Haseena. "We're glad that you're doing so well, beanie. We are so proud of you."
"We really are." Her mom backs up her dad's words with the biggest smile on her face.
Karishma is suddenly overwhelmed. She covers her eyes and starts to sob uncontrollably. Her parents had said this to her before; a million of times. They had said it enough times that she eventually thought that they were just saying it without really meaning it. Then, there were these years going by without her being able to hear it from them. There were these years she wanted nothing more than to hear this again. She gets to hear it now and she doesn't want to let it go.
"Beanie..." Her dad approaches her and holds her tight in his arms. He rocks her gently like the time she fell off her bike when she started learning how to ride it; like the time she got her first heartbreak. Once she falls in his arms, memories and flashbacks start to play. "You really need to go back."
"You don't want to leave Haseena all by herself, right?" Her mom mentions Haseena for a second time but this time, there is a question attached to it; a question Karishma knows the answer to but saying it out loud might not be the thing she wants to do.
……….
"Karishma!"
Haseena starts to scream and holds on tighter to Karishma's hand when the heart monitor beeps slower and slower. Karishma has an intubation tube hanging from her mouth since she seems to forget how to breathe properly. Also her heart; her heart seems to forget how to beat when it normally beats so fast when Haseena is this near.
