Advik ran to his little Doraemon running from Naina. He barged in the room. The little girl was sitting on her bed looking out of the window lost somewhere deep, her eyes numb. As if she was waiting for someone who will never come back. Advik watched her from a distance. She wasn't even aware of his presence. Derek sat down afore Advik and held his littler hands. 

"Kuwar sa, aap already bahot shaitani kar chuke h. Ab ghar chaliye warna problem ho jaegi."

"I am sorry nahh. I promise ab koi shaitani nahi karenge bas Hitler ko mat batana warna......tumhe pata hai nahh." Advik said folding his hands with innocent authority. 

"Ha ha warna jab aap CEO banenge hume job se nikal denge aur gun se shoot kar denge. It will be a secret between us, I promise." Derek said cupping his small face.

"Derek hume ghar nahi jana h abhi. Please nah bas thoda sa time aur?" Advik pleased his hands joined. 

"Aapke papa 2 hour mei ghar aa jayenge, usse pehle we need to go." 

"Ok deal then" Advik pushed Derek and ran to the girl. Naina chuckled standing at the entrance. Derek gritted his teeth at her presence and sat on a chair watching Advik chat with the little girl.

"Hii, mai wapas aa gya." Advik shouted pulling her out of her world and he handed her a chocolate. The girl smiled with wet eyes. Her skin radiating sun's glow, her wet orbs and brown eyes captivating the innocence of angels. 

"Are we still strangers? I even gave you extra chocolate now." Advik looked at her angelic crying face.

"Lavanya." She said and extended her hand Adi took her hand at once and smiled at her. The girl smiled back, and a drop fell as she blinked.  

"Why are you crying?" Advik uttered wiping her face with his handkerchief and cupping her little round face. 

"Mumma said she will never come back." She burst into tears, but she looked away trying to hide her face. Advik pulled her into a hug. 

"Mayke chali gayi kya? Don't worry tumhari papa manayenge toh aa jayegi." 

"Papa nahi manayenge, wo bhi chale gaye." She burst out loud. Naina ran to Lavanaya. 

"Aisa kuch nhi h bache. Mummy Papa jaldi hi ayenge. I promise you." She cupped Lavanaya's face wiping her tears.  "Now smile." Naina kissed her forehead. She sobbed and hugged Naina.

Days kept on passing and Advik started to visit hospital daily. And Lavanya found comfort in his embrace. She started talking, playing. When all she used to do is stare at walls before. She got her crime partner. But things turned upside. 

Advik came running to hospital after school with his mom to introduce to his new friend. He barged in the room pulling his mother and shouted. 

"Lavanya" But as he entered the room was all empty. Cold breezes pierced through his skin and he left her mother's hand and ran away. He stumbled as he crashed in a lady. 

"Advik, dhyaan se bache." Naina mushed picking him up and checking his hands.

"Chot toh nahi lagi nahh?" She asked. 

"Lavanya kaha h?" He asked with his welled-up eyes, feeble voice. Naina's face fell, her eyes glued to ground, her eyes a little wet. She wiped her numb eyes cupped his face.

"She is in ICU. She will be fine soon. Thoda sa wait kar lo bass." She said holding his little hands and getting up. "Muje zara kaam h, mai baad mei baat karti hu okay?" Naina said leaving.

Advik grabbed her apron and pulled back sobbing. His mother came and checked up on him, but he pushed her and held Naina's hand.

"Aap humse kuch chupa rahi h, hume pata h. Kya hua h use?" Advik asked wiping his teary eyes. 

"Kuch nhi hua h bache bas normal si surgery h abhi kuch time aa jayegi woh." 

Advik's mom pulled Naina aside and asked her, "Is she really going to be okay?"

"Actually, mam she needs urgent bone marrow transplant. And we are not getting donors."

"Where are her parents?" 

"They are too busy with their own issues that they left this little soul to suffer here alone. I don't even understand what kind of parents they are. She is admitted here in the last 2 months and they hardly visited for 3 to 4 times that too for hours only." Naina ranted frustrated. 

"They don't deserve to be called her parents. Is she going to survive, Adi is too attached to her. I am a little scared......" Advik's mother asked looking at Advik sobbing in distance.

"Only if we get the transplant on time...." Naina fumbled. 

"Mai apni kidney donate kar sakta hu kya?" Advik called behind Naina. 

"Nahi Advik, you must be 18 at least to donate your kidney." Naina answered. 

"Mumma aap apni kidney de do nah please. Mai dubara kabhi shaitani nhi karunga aur papa ko Hitler bhi nhi bulanga please nahh." Advik sobbed pulling his mother's Pallu.

"Adi, Calm down bache. She is going to be fine." Naina took her hands and squeezed lightly.

He pushed Naina and ran out of hospital crying. His mother followed him but she soon lots him in the crowd. She looked around in hospital but ended up nowhere and sat on a couch resting there and took out her phone when she heard sobbing sounds.

She followed the sobs and saw Adi sobbing in front of a little Shivling. 

"Agar wo theek nahi hui toh mai kabhi khana nhi khaunga." Advik threated the god. Her mother watched him sitting on his knees begging or threatening god. She sat to his level.

"She will be fine don't worry. Duaa kabhi khaali nahi jaati." her mother picked him up and cleaned his clothes and made him sat on a sofa in a corner. His sobs filled the hall. She dialled a number on her phone. 

"Dr. Sameer?" 

"Ji Mrs. Ahraya kahiye." A voice on other side rang. 

"There is a girl named Lavanaya who needs a bone marrow transplant. May I know her details?" 

"Ji mam aap cabin mei aa jaiye mai wahi hu."

And the call hanged. 10 hours passed, it was almost midnight and Advik denied going home until he sees Lavanya. Sobbing sometime, silently staring at walls other times. 

"Adi, khana toh kha lo. Thoda sa bas" His mother said holding his favorite snacks, but he swayed his head in no and burst into tears, pushed the snacks and hugged her mom tight. 

"I won't eat until I see her, I promised god." He murmured his burying his head in her mother's shoulder sobbing. 

"Ok then mil lo Lavanya se pehle. Promise bhi toh pure karne h chote miya ko." Naina mushed with a smile on her face. And Advik ran to ICU pushing his mom away again. 

3 days passed and Lavanya started recovering. Advik would come running after his school as usual. But he didn't appear today. Lavanaya refused to eat, stared at walls waiting for her. Again distressed. Sobbing for her parents. But no one came. The Night fell and she sat staring out of window alone as Adi entered the room silently.

"Happy birthday" Advik shouted excited with a cake in his hand. Lavanaya flinched turning back.

"Who told you, it's my birthday?" Lavanaya asked wiping her cheeks roughly. 

"I am not a stranger toh pata hi hoga nah." Advik said keeping the cake on a side table and sitting there.

"Mummy papa bhi toh strangers nahi h nah, unhe toh nahi pata." She burst into tears again. Naina wipes her face softly.

"Choro mummy papa ko abhi, you got a friend like Adi." She held her little hands." And we have another surprise too. Wanna see?" She whispered. And Lavanya nodded.

Adi took her hand and took to the hospital garden all decorated with lights and flowers.  Few children singing along with a birthday song playing on a speaker. Adi's father moved close to Lavanya and clicked their pictures and took out a picture and handed it to her. 

"Happy Birthday bacha." Adi's dad uttered handing her the picture. 

"Thank you, uncle." She took the picture staring at it with wet eyes still wondering if her parents too planned a surprise for her, but they didn't. It was her delusion and she soon realized it. But at least someone was there for her. Someone she knew. She constantly noticed Adi playing with his parents, laughing, giggling. And she only wondered if she will ever get loved like that. If she deserves the love? How does it feel to be loved unconditionally?

Adi ran to her, and she wiped her eyes, smiled wide. When her heart cried, tell me they are a part of surprise. The mild pain in her chest growing with each stretch on her lips to smile. And the night she hugged the pictures and cried in Adi's arms. 

"Mai hu nah." Adi whispered pulling her into a hug.  And she sobbed all night in his mother's lap.

"Hamesha toh nahi rahoge nah tum. You will also leave someday." Lavanya pushed him.

"I will always be here for you. I promise. I will never leave you, no matter what." Adi uttered making a pinkie promise. 

"And what if I leave?"

"Then I will wait for you. I know you will never leave me like that." Adi uttered his eyes glimmering. 

A week passed as Advik and his mother visited her regularly now with new surprises. 2 months and Adi was attached to Lavanaya so bad he refused to eat or drink if he didn't get to meet her. He bunked school to meet her threatening Derek. 

And he did it again, bunked his school and came running shouting Lavanya. But the room was once again empty. The past memories seized his mind, and he sobbed looking for Naina. 

"Lavanaya kaha h?" He shouted at Naina barging in ICU. 

"Adi, aram se." She pulled him out of ICU and made him sit on a chair out of ICU and sat on her knees. 

"She has been transferred to another hospital." She mushed. 

"Why?" 

"Adi, again? papa ko pata chala toh pata hai nah kya hoga?" Adi's mom uttered entering the hall. But Adi paid no heed his eyes were glued to Naina for a response. 

"Why?" Adi shouted again.

Naina got up moved to a corner with his mom.

"She got a heart attack last night. She is no more" Naina uttered with wet eyes. 

"What, it can't be. You are lying." Advik's fumbled as he again ran to his god praying for a dead soul.