"Akash, how is your mother?" a voice woke him up the next morning. He found himself squatting when he opened his eyes. He turned to look who the person was. Then he saw Prof. Nishi in his tennis shorts. His family knew the Prof and his son Roshan was one of Akash's best friends. " She bled again last night and no more donors left," Akash told him quietly. "What do you mean, boy. Run to the Hostels and mobilize for the donors," he thundered. Suddenly he could feel the surge of confidence and strength and energy within him once again. Till now he would never give up, he was a fighter fighting back all odds in his life. The next moment he told his sister, " Bem. You take care of Mom. I am going to the Hostels."

He ran towards his hostel and that morning he knocked yet many doors again asking for blood. Some donors came up-a Naga friend, a Tripuri, a Garo. Soon he was filled with hope. But deep inside there was always this fear lurking, " But for how long? You may keep replacing the blood but if you don't treat the cause …" For the cause no definite diagnosis has been made till now. That morning his news and his request spread in the campus and by evening he was handed a list of his friends who matched with his mother's blood group and were ready to help them. There were even three girls in the list.

Two more units were transfused that day and for the next 24 hours, she was stable with no bout of bleeding. The following night Akash went to see his friend Roshan whose father, a Professor in Anaesthesiology had pumped in all hope when he had lost everything. That night Roshan's mom told him, " Akash don't worry so much. May god be with you. Even if things go wrong your Baba says he will take care of you and your studies. And for your sweet little sister, I love her so much and you know we were longing for one loving daughter."

Akash listened and kept quiet. On one hand he was overwhelmed with emotions because of the kindness he was showered by this nice family. On the other hand he didn't like this pity on him. He was a fighter deep inside, he wants to fight back all odds." I will earn and support the family," he told himself. But where was he? He was still in first year MBBS and that too only 6 months old.

After two days his mother was discharged and Akash returned to his hostels again. One night he woke up hearing the sound of some footsteps coming towards his room. "Oh my God! It has happened again", he thought. The footsteps closed in towards his room and stopped right in front of his room. Akash waited for the voice of a relative to say, "Your mom is in the Hospital again." No one spoke and he could hear his heart pounding. Terrified he opened the door and there was his opposite room senior Dr. Doren standing trying to open the lock of his room.

"Akash still awake?" he asked. "Yes Tamo", he closed the door quietly and lied down on the bed thinking about his family. "Tomorrow I will go and see them," he told himself.

To be continued....