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“Disha Didi?” Dhatri thought for a while.. “Disha Didi? Can she...? Will She..? No! .... She must be cursing me.... She would disown me... ! I messed up.... She ... she will not do anything to find me ....!” Dhatri buried her face in her knees.  

“Rini Didi..?” She looked up with hope...!

“Hey... you ok?” D’amama asked her touching Dhatri’s chin with her finger.  Dhatri looked scared.   “I ... I thought it was Rini Didi...!” she looked away dejected.  D’amama looked at her curiously.  Dhatri shrunk trying to move away from the lady.   D’amama took a step back and waited patiently.  After what seemed an hour or so, Dhatri looked at her and asked stuttering... “Wha... What date?” 

“June 23...!” D’amama replied and Dhatri was shocked.  “So many days.... almost 20 days... I am here and no one has.....!” she didn’t complete her thought.  She knew... no one will be there for her... Not even her hungry gudda... ! Her heart filled with emptiness... Nothing will change the situation...! She was alone... all by herself...! She tried to clutch her kirthimukh for strength... She was shocked..! “Where is it?” she looked around horror struck.

“No..!” her last ray of hope had gone.  She didn’t know, where!! 

“Aain... I’m sorry... Aaain... Winfree gave me that mask.... Aain... I lost it....Aaain...!” D’amama’s nasal accent gave creeps to Dhatri.  She looked up seeing a ghost...! D’amama came closer, holding her hand she said apologetically...

“Aaain.... Sorry.... Girl....” Dhatri jerked away her hand.  Her Papu Mari’s emblem... That lady had lost it...! Dhatri felt someone had sucked her life out of her body...! She wrapped her arms around her knees staring at a distance, unfocused....! D’amama felt a stab in her heart.... 

“Aainn.... look! I’il  find out...!” she said trying to hold Dhatri’s hand.  Dhatri jumped to the other side of her bed.  D’amama froze in guilt.  She turned and moved out hanging her head....! 

“Gone.. Everything is gone... /My Kirthimukh is gone....! Papu Mari...!” Dhatri cried for the first time hiding her face in her knees.  Her Papu Mari had left her.... forever..!! She had no one...! Hopelessness crept in....!

“I am going to end my life.... in this empty room... like my empty heart!” She had lost hope... She had no one ...! No desire to escape, now!! 

Someone walked in hurriedly accompanying a team of paramedics.  “Shift her to Block II, 29!” the man ordered and the paramedics strapped her to the trolley again.  She closed her eyes....! 

“Twenty days.... And no one even bothered to search for me....!” teardrops rolled down from the corner of her eyes.  For the first time, she was crying in realization.  Up till now, she was drugged heavily... had lost her mind, her thinking capacity... her brain had stopped... it seemed...! The effect of the drug had worn off.  She was gaining her consciousness....! 

“Hah.... Take a deep breath..!” the man ordered her when she was shifted.  She obeyed...! The sleep deprivation for last 48 hours had made her delirious... ! She had started hallucinating...! She saw her good boy.. Appa, Rini didi.... All were standing on the edge and smiling at her....! She went into deep sleep the moment the drip pricked into her wrist....! Smile spread over her face.  The man looked at her pleasant face and sighed.

“Prepare for ECT (Electroconvulsive therapy...!” the man ordered walking out of Block II.  One of the paramedic followed him and others moved to the Lab ...!  She was to be given shock treatment...! “Treatment? For what?” No one knew.  Her records stated Catatonia or Tension Insanity coupled with ‘post traumatic stress disorder’ and ‘Drug abuse’...!! She was hence shifted to Block II 29, rehabilitation section....! 

The man breathed a sigh and relaxed leaning back on his chair.  The cleaning up was almost done.  His phone rang.

“Yes...!” he answered the call, listened to the other person for a while and then said confidently...

“Done... The records are clear.... The audit report is ready... We are ready for the enquiry...!” 

The other person sounded satisfied.  The man disconnected the phone and drank water.  A glint appeared on his face.  This is the third time he was facing such situation.... There were inquiries and interim audits on false grounds and complaints of unethical practices in the Hospital. 

A smile spread over his face.  “Inquiry...Welcome...!” he spat disdainfully....! 

He jerked with a loud thud on his door.  He heard a lady shouting her lungs out holding a security guard by his neck, spitting, abusing and bashing him...! 

“What the hell....!” He opened the door of his huge cabin and stood there horror struck.  The lady was dragging the security guard grabbing his gun and kicking him in the butt. 

“What?” he asked bewildered.  A paramedic running after them stopped.  “He stole something...” he told what he knew.  The lady had already moved ahead dragging the man.

“No! Wait!” he too ran behind.  He didn’t want the slightest trouble at this point of time.  The Boss would arrive anytime with the team of Institutional Review Board....! He intervened....

“Bring them in...!” He ordered and entered his cabin again.  They were brought in.  The lady was furious shouting with abusive words.  The security guard was in denial mode.  

“He took it.  It is mine...!” She accused.  He had to work fast...!

“Ok. Get the footage...” he ordered and his assistant looked aghast.  “What?” he barely asked in a ghostly tone.  

“Aainnn... he took it from the room in the basement....” the lady said ... That room had no surveillance.  In fact that entire block was cut off from the other hospital premises.  His assistant was not sure what to do...!

“Aaainn... Its my togo mask...!” the lady yelled holding his neck.

“Search him..!” the man ordered hurriedly.  Nothing...! They found nothing...! The lady suddenly remembered...!

“Aain... he drove me out of the room and it fell in the corridor...!” she said in realization.  The security guard turned pale...! 

“Look, there will be no action... Just give it back to her...!” the man ordered.  The security guard shook his head still not ready to plead guilty.  The lady lost her control.

“I am going to the cops...!” she threatened.  The man behind the table gestured.... She was taken away still yelling and shouting...! 

“Look... there is going to be the inquiry... give that damn thing back... don’t jeopardize you job...!” threatened the man behind the table.  The security guard looked reluctant.  The man understood.

“Look... throw it in the rest room... Some one will pick up and return it..” the security guard looked relieved.  

One hour after the drama, D’amama got her pendent, her togo mask back, found in the rest room handing over the mirror...!” She kissed it relieved and went back to see her son, Winfree, in Block II, 23...! Now she will have to return it to its owner... 

Dhatri was shifted to Block II, 29, rehabilitation center...! D’amama didn’t know...!! 

****************  ********

“Damn this girl...!” Disha threw the book in frustration.  Bhanu gaped.  “I am never happy, when she is around... !” Disha muttered... Bhanu looked at her in disbelief.

“Now what Disha? They are all trying their best...!” Bhanu defended.

“Yeah... Trying... And she’s just disappeared in the thin air... isn’t it?” Disha threw her hands in the air.

“This is what happens... whenever I try to take a leap in my career... she pulls me down...!” Disha had tears of anger.  Bhanu gaped at his self centred wife.  “How could she think like this?” he shook his head.  “Disha, stop it!” he said but Disha had gone beyond her rationale... !! 

“Damn it...! I am recommended for JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) to work directly under Paul Hertz, the Director!” she yelled in frustration.  Bhanu had nothing to console her.  

“Why this happens to me, always...! I am this close, Bhanu... And this Damn girl...!” she clenched her fists, fuming with rage.  “Wish, she had not come here...!” she blurted and Bhanu got up from his seat.  

“Stop it Disha, she is your sister...!” Bhanu held her hand.  “ Yeah! The unwanted one!! Wish.. she had not born..!” Disha stomped out.  She might have to give up on this new opportunity because of her sister, Dhatri who was fighting for her life, being used as Laboratory Rat!  There was no clue, no trace of her...! Ravi and Jim’s mission had failed to get a glimpse of Dhatri in the Hospital...!! There were no cameras installed in the basement....!!