A CHRISTMAS GIFT

Chapter 2

Narrator:

The room was small, the paint has faded and had only a small single bed and a small side table. It was not very clean even! On the bed lied one girl, her whole face covered with layers of cotton and bandages. Channels of saline and blood were connected with her hand and the bags of blood and saline were hung at a side with a metal rod. The girl was slowly flattering her eyes open but she was not able to keep them open for long.

She groaned in pain as her head was exploding with severe pain and her vision was blurry. Moving her head from left to right and back very slowly she tried hard to open her eyes again. She squint them as the light fell on her eyes and soon through the blurry and hazy vision she saw a doctor in white coat standing at her side and beside him stood a man, a woman and a young girl.

“Miss, how are you feeling?” Dr Fernandez bent over and asked the girl but she stared back a bit confused and probably intimidated. She shifted uncomfortably trying to get up!

“Ry….Ry…” she tried to speak but a groggy and hoarse sound only came out of her voice and tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes.

“Please Miss, don’t stress yourself! You are safe and you have to rest. You had an accident!” the doctor said and she turned her head slightly to look up at him.

“What is your name?” the doctor asked her.

The girl looked at a distance and closed her eyes but couldn’t speak anything. She again struggled to get up. The doctor gestured a nurse and she made her lie down again. “Please miss, please rest. You are going to be fine. Don’t have to worry.”

The nurse smiled kindly towards her and as she moved away, Zoe approached the girl with a bunch of Daisies and showing her the flowers she said with a warm smile, “Thanks God you are awake! My name is Zoe and he is my father Jose and she is my mother Mariana! You rest well and soon we will take you home with us! You will like it!”

Zoe smiled and then placed the bunch of daisies in a glass of water on the small side table and she felt as if she saw a smile on the unknown girl’s mostly covered face.

“Mama! I think she likes the Daisies! Since she can’t tell her name yet why don’t we call her Daisy?” Zoe chirped and Mariana nodded in agreement smiling at her daughter with teary eyes! They all took a breath of relief seeing the girl alive!

--

Six months later---

“I called you all here because, Daisy is now stable and it is not possible to keep her longer here. This is a government hospital, I agree but still it will cost a lot more money.” Dr Fernandez said to Jose and his family.

“Doctor! We still have some money left and we are willing to pay it for her treatment if that what is needed! We just can’t abandon a girl with two babies!” Jose said after exchanging a glance with Mariana who smiled to show him her support.

“I understand Jose, but it is not needed! She is good now. The injury in her neck will heal even if she stays out of the hospital. Right now there is nothing special we can do for her in the hospital!” Dr Fernandez said.

“What about her face? And her babies? Could she speak? Could she tell, what is her name? Where is her family?” Mariana asked.

Dr Fernandez sighed and replied, “I am sorry but nothing more can be done here. A large part of her face has healed but the severe marks on left side of her face can only be removed by plastic surgery and you can’t afford it. Her babies are fine now, fortunately. Umm.. and about her memory…I don’t think she has lost her memory…at least not all! But she is in trauma!”

The couple exchanged worried looks and then focused back to Dr Fernandez when he started speaking again.

“Look! There are two ways from here now. One, we can let the police take it forward from here. Maybe they can publish an advertisement and try to find out her family and relatives and then they can take care of her!”

“But that can be dangerous Dr Fernandez! You know that very well!” Jose frowned and then whispered bending over, “It is clear that someone tried to kill her and what is the guarantee that the person won’t finish the job when he or she finds out that she is alive?”

Jose leaned back on his chair and shook his head randomly and said with determination, “No! No! We can’t let that happen! We can’t risk that! She needs to start a new life, she needs to remain hidden at least till we know who wanted to kill her and who all are there to save her!”

The Doctor nodded understandingly, “Hmmm..”

“Then you can go with the second option and that is, take her home with you and keep her in your house. Slowly she will get back her memory but her voice won’t come back till she undergoes the surgery!” Dr Fernandez suggested.

“Papa! Let us take her home! If God wishes, we can help her build a new life papa! Maybe God sent her to us so that we can help her?” Zoe held Jose’s hands and pleaded.

“Alright! Let us take her home!”

----

Jose and Mariana spent three fourth of their saved money to pay the hospital bills and finally got Daisy discharged and brought her to their home. They had only two bedrooms and Zoe happily offered to share her room with Daisy who was more than seven months pregnant.

Zoe made Daisy comfortable on the bed and covered her with an old duvet which was torn at several places.

“From now on, you and I are going to share this room Daisy. I know this is small, but you will gradually like it here!” Zoe said opening the curtain and through the window Daisy could see the waves playing on the shore. It was beautiful.

--

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One more month has passed and Zoe and Daisy have become close friends, though Daisy never talked and Zoe never asked about her past. But it changed one day evening, when Zoe walked Daisy to the bedroom after a walk on the beach.

“You take some rest and I will get you something to eat.” Zoe smiled at Daisy and left to get some food for her. It took her only a couple of minutes to return with a boiled egg and a glass of milk.

“Here! The doctor has asked to feed you good food, but we don’t have a lot of money! But don’t worry! We will take care of you.” Zoe sat beside Daisy and spoke.

Daisy took the glass of milk and sipped slowly as she looked around.

“So, do you remember your past? Your Name?” Zoe whispered leaning close to Daisy so that her parents don’t hear her prying! They have strictly told her not to talk much about her past, and all these days she obediently followed their instructions but her curiosity was getting the best of her!

Daisy looked blankly at her and then gestured her something with her hands.

“What? You need more milk?” Zoe asked.

Daisy nodded a ‘No’

“A book?”

Daisy again nodded a ‘No’..

“Wait! I got it! You want a pen so that you can write! Is that what you want?” Zoe asked grinning ear to ear.

Daisy this time nodded her head to say ‘yes’.

“One moment!” Zoe quickly took out an old diary and a pen and gave it to Daisy. “Here! There are a few empty pages here.”

Daisy opened the diary and bending over it she started writing with trembling hands. She was still weak and recovering. It took her some time to write on the diary and once done she handed it over to Zoe and raised her eyebrow at Zoe.

Zoe took the diary and read the note written in a terrible handwriting.

“You have been very kind to me, just like a sister. I consider you a friend with whom I can share everything! Will you be my friend and will you keep my secret?”

Zoe’s mouth opened wide reading that she has secrets and she quickly nodded yes! And then extended her hand and giggled, “Friends?”

Daisy’s serious face broke into a big smile and she hugged Zoe in return. After a long hug Zoe pulled back and then whispered, “So, what is the secret?”