Celebrity Castaway |ONGOING| MaNan Fiction

52| A Star Is Born

A/N: Hello readers! Here we are..almost all of you are waiting to read Manik's reaction to the news of Nandini's accident, right? Well, here you have it! This is a super LONG chapter.

Hope you enjoy. Happy Reading!

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It felt like the entire world around him was moving at the speed of light and there he was rooted to his spot, unable to move, breathe, think or process. The blaring white light panelled in rows, at the ceiling of the hospital, was infiltrating his senses and washing over his deep, dark mind and lighting up dark corners that he desperately wanted to keep in the dark. The light was refreshingly bright, like it won't let a spot stay hidden but that was Manik's bane. In this exposed moment of clarity, he could only think of ways his life would fall apart if Nandini left him forever today.

"Too late, Manik.."

Those were her last words to him, what if they became her last words to him forever? No. He wouldn't be able to live, then.

He squinted his eyes to make sense of his surroundings, but he was not able to grasp much, owing to his preoccupied mind that was scattered in fear of losing Nandini and his tear smeared eyes that made every sight before him blur. There was Cabir, moving around and arranging for bumping up security on the floor & ensuring no one other than them could step in, Ranbir & Zubin on the other hand was managing the crowd & the press outside and ensuring no inside news escaped. Aryamann, Alia, Zain & a few other of Zain's close friends, were huddled in a corner, discussing something with morbid faces and his mother was sitting next to Navya and Mukti, with the girls reassuring her that Nandini would be fine.

Everybody seemed to know what to do, and him? Strangely, he noticed, no one was assuring him and promising him that his Nandini will be fine. Why? Were they afraid to lie to his face or they thought she didn't matter to him? Standing outside Nandini's OT, as he let the dread of losing his one true love wash over him, Manik felt a sob threatening to unfurl, and curbing it back took all the efforts he was left with. He shut his eyes, letting the momentary darkness in the back of his eyes sooth him, as memories of the recent past rushed back in.

Manik was working with Zubin & Navya when a rather frantic Ranbir had called him to inform that he had just received a call that Nandini had met with a terrible accident. Manik had frozen for a moment, as a truckload of questions ensnared his senses. She was with Zain, right? Then why was she out on the road? Where was she headed? Why was Ranbir not with her? How bad was the accident? Who was with her? Had she been admitted to a hospital? What hospital was she admitted in? How was she doing?

Manik gulped and held back his questions, as he tried to make sense of the information that was passed onto him, without feeling sick at the pit of his stomach & resisting to throw up in panic at the same time. His voice was hoarse, as he tried enquiring where she was and his insides choked him when he asked the inevitable question, that was going to be the foundation of all his rest reactions.

"Ranbir, she..she..my Nandu..she's..she's still the..there, right?"

Upon affirmation, his heart calmed a little, but instantly his mind was plagued with worry for her condition, with the grim tone with which Ranbir had affirmed she was alive. Was she going to make it for long enough to recover?

Manik vaguely remembered, dropping his phone, as his hands shook violently when Ranbir with a choked voice had advised him to hurry up and reach the hospital before it was too late. Too late?

"Too late, Manik.." he shuddered as her voice played in his mind.

The rest of it was all a big swift blur, where Zubin and Navya had taken his phone to receive the news; they managed to make Manik reactive enough to move, drove to the hospital in Godspeed, beat through the sea of flash lights at the entrance of the hospital, asking abhorrent questions, videotaping his reactions, making ungodly polls about Nandini's chances at life, all in an attempt to garner more TRPs, till, with the help of Cabir & Ranbir, they escaped the madness and entered the hospital, rushing to the floor where Nandini was being treated in.