The peacock leaf plant

"He painted it there the night that the last leaf fell." The last line ended and 

I shut the book close as I finished reading the story of "The last leaf" By O. Henry. Like most of the people who have said that they cried while reading this, I felt different from them. I was confused. Who doesn't understand the difference between a real and a fake leaf?! I guess I was reacting like this because of my pessimistic nature. I've always been like this until an incident that happened in June 2011 which changed my views towards life. 

It was late spring and I was working in the library for my part-time job as a customer took that book right in front of me. The crowd was a bit less that day and I was daydreaming about buying my own house one day and seeing my sister established in her career, while I got a phone call.... 

"Hi is it Leah? The sister of Alexis ? " 

"Yes.. " I replied in a curious way. 

" This is the General Hospital, your sister has been found attempting suicide in her college dorm please come as soon as possible she's not in a very stable position right now, the doctors need to speak to you. " 

It felt like my world stopped and i ran out of the library carrying my phone and wallet. 

I took a taxi and reached the hospital as soon as possible , I hastened through the hospital only to find my sister in the ICU (intensive care unit). 

The doctors said that she tried to strangle herself and while doing that she hit the nerves of the lower part of her brain and the beginning of her spinal cord was injured badly. They said that it was a relief that she was still alive but will take several months to recover if not a miracle takes place... 

"She might heal quick if she has the will to live but it seems like she has no intention of living anymore and wants to leave this world, as soon as she can " Said the doctors. 

Those words broke me. How blind was I to not see that she was losing her will to live?! 

I questioned myself everyday as I came to the hospital. She was shifted to the general ward a few days later, she didn't speak to anyone including me, I would sit beside her everyday, try to explain her the beauty of life and see her staring soullessly at the peacock leaf plant kept beside her on a cabinet and caress it's leaves and then come back . I got to know from the nurses that she was often heard murmuring to the plant "If you die, I'll die too there's no point of living anyway". 

Days went by like this, I kept coming

 in the hope of seeing her smile but as hopeful was I, as hopeless was she.... The plant was the only hope she had for which I would water the plant everyday I visited. 

One day while I had arrived earlier than usual and was waiting for the visiting hours to begin, I met an old lady staring and smiling at me. 

She suddenly handed me a cup of tea and said "Drink this, my child, this will relax you a bit, you look very tensed, you can open up to me if you want to" 

I broke down and started crying like a baby as I told her about my sister. 

" Don't worry dear, it'll take time but things will be alright. "

" Whose admitted from your side maam?"

She said " Oh- no one it's just that I live alone nearby and time doesn't pass quickly alone and seeing so many people in stress from my window doesn't seem that good so I just come here and have tea with them. " She smiled and replied. 

Since then, I would come early everyday and have tea with that lady. Her sporting, positive spirit really shocked me. She always had a smile on her face no matter what. 

A month later I had to go for a very important from my main workplace. The place was a bit far and could only be reached by train for 48 hours. 

I had to leave my sister for 2 weeks. 

On the day of my arrival, I got to know that the train was delayed for another 24 hours. 

I was agitated as I rebooked my hotel or another night. At that moment, I got a call knowing that the plant at my sister's ward was half-dried due to summer and with grief my sister consumed a lot of sleeping pills, as the plant was drying my sister was slowly losing her life too." 

I realized that everything was going according to that story and I had to reach quickly to water the plant and restore my sister's will to live. I decided to go by car although it was very tiring, but I thought that even God wasn't by my side as my car broke down in the middle of nowhere. I broke down and started crying as I became helpless. I thought that I might not be able to see my sister again as I took out a picture of her and continued crying while hugging it tight for as long as I can remember.

 After many hours, a tow truck finally came and I reached the hospital 2 days later. I had lost hope and didn't expect to see my sister but as I entered the war I saw her smiling at me although she looked very weak.

 I was shocked to see her like that and I saw that old lady in the bed beside her, watering the plant which had a few new green leaves, while staring at me with her memorable smile. I got to know that she was admitted a few hours after my sister took the sleeping pills, she watered the plant day and night and kept it a bit away to not let it dry. When my sister would be a bit conscious see saw the plant gaining new leaves and restored her faith in life and somehow overcame the dosage of the pills. 

With extreme gratitude, I wanted to thank her and the next day I brought flowers for her. But I saw that her bed was empty and there was a photo of hers kept on the bedside table with the same shining smile on her face with flowers kept near. I put a rose there and kept the rest of the flowers on the table and went back to my sister. 

This incident changed me a lot as I became way more optimistic than I ever was.