Mild air was making their way in the room through the half-open window but the room was still hot because of a bright sun all day. To give the airs a better way into the room she walked to the windows and opened the latch and fresh air touched her face along with the muddy smell of the wetland.
Entering the room he closed the door behind him and looked for a place to sit and she turned after opening the windows.
“he is not awake yet so papers still need his signatures?” she asked without attempting any topic to lighten up the temperature.
“Signatures !!!” he was still thinking what could it be that she needed a discussion along with a place to sit properly after the day-long runs here and there.
“oh Yes, he recovered from the momentary shock . “honestly speaking its the stubbornness of Neha and not a proper nuptial.”
Suddenly he was so calm and peaceful and she wondered how could he be this poise after such a big thing.
“i can not believe you, I mean you were someone she used to believe and” leaving a deep breath she looked up again. “she loved you if you had tried she had reasoned with her thoughts.”
“she used to love, I used to love, you used to love … they are all past tense now. Today situations are not how they were 3 years ago or nearly a year ago or how they were 24 hours ago,” he spoke taking his time.
“doesn’t change the fact that you could have stopped her, what if Dhruv doesn’t make it, don’t you think she is going to take all the blame on herself.” she cut him off.
“See, don’t overreact… we all have to act a certain way in one such situation, for Neha it is her guilt that she wants to be with him and as for me its also my guilt that I don’t feel any rights on her.” he left the bed and crossed the distance between them.
“Neha’s brother thinks I am the reason for all of this, I see a hidden aversion in her mother’s eyes… the least I could have done was to support her,” he answered as they stood shoulder to shoulder looking away.
“This was all uninvited, unpredicted and on the verse of when all three of us were trying to accept our lives and giving it a chance whether full-hearted or half-hearted.” he took a gap and continued.
“let’s just see where it leads us to, no matter whatever we are going to do is not going to change the things that have already been done.” he turned and leaned taking the support if window rails.
“only if we had wished it differently it had been so different,” she mumbled as his words seeped in.
“our wishes are just a medium, things happen as they are pre-decided… one who understands this fact doesn’t wallow in his/her own grief after wishes fail them.” he sounded reasonable, this was again a new side of him, talking spiritual and going the philosophical lane.
“so how is he,” she asked after all the anger has subsided. “and please tell me the real thing.” she looked at him properly.
“in the evening they performed a surgery to remove the clots, he may survive this but doctors are fearful about a partial paralysis for the time being
She took a deep breath as she heard paralysis, her eyes welled up thinking about the whole thing that happened last night.
“I’ll call Di to check whether they would be visiting us tomorrow or not..” she didn’t want him to see her breaking down again.
“hey… can we just stay here for a few moments.” the change in her voice didn’t go unseen by him, also he wanted to be with someone at this moment.
Sharing your heart is easy with someone you trust, you love but then it is difficult to deal with the void that is created after the words are out. he might have said all that he felt, relived the unsaid accusations of Neha’s family, tried to look at the positive sides but he too was a human and things hurt him the same.
“it will all be fine.” for a change the words were from her side and with that, she slid her palm in his.
She expected a change in his composure but he didn’t give one instead inter wined their fingers and together they focused in front of them, perhaps the seven horses of the painting on the front wall just beside the door.
A few minutes passed like that… a few more minutes and like that moments kept passing, the room turned cold with the air entering from behind them and the dancing water bolls on the road in the dark.
The shuffling under the sheets broke the trance, and Kavya turned on her back and stared here and there with the sleepy eyes.
Twinkle was about to go to her but their inter wined hands stopped her and she looked at him asking him to leave her.
“let’s see what she does?” he suggested, his focus totally on the little princess getting accustomed to the world.
“but… she protested lowly but when she understood what he wanted she stopped the protests.
Throwing her small feet out of the sheets the baby kicked the bed with one of them and this action earned her a smile from her parents.
Next, she turned to her right and with the support of her small hands sat on the bed, her back to them. as if thinking about her next move she rubbed her tiny ears and then pushed the pillow wall and the pillows tumbled to the floor.
“i can’t believe my eyes,” he whispered lowly.
“i just got to know about this habit of hers this morning, by the way, we are witnessing the drama together,” she answered smiling on her tactics.
“What is she trying? He could not hold herself to go to his little girl but the same inter wined hands stopped him.
“we can not miss the ultimate action…” she smiled when his eyes asked her to leave the hand.
And in no time all four pillows were thrown down and next to the little girl took the pillow-stairs down the bed and as she turned her face to them in the process she caught the glimpse of her parents and on getting caught she stopped at the bed hanging out
“oh my god, I can’t believe kids nowadays are this smart.” he laughed suddenly and walked to her. As soon as he grabbed her in his arms she made a face and a small cry came next.
“look at our very own drama queen, now why are you crying…haan?” he asked her still laughing on the scene he just witnessed.
“Twinkle, could you please get the pillows?” he requested as he took his baby to the balcony for a walk.
“yeah, just check whether she needs a nappy change?” she smiled on the scene.
Perhaps the most beautiful moments were part of one of the toughest times. When they were marred in their guilts and griefs, this little kid unknowingly pulled them out to life and blew life to them.
She was able to hear their talks and occasional giggles and uffs as she cleared the room and made their bed.
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“You should take some rest, Ma’am. He needs some time alone.” the middle-aged nurse’s words didn’t tell her to leave the patient alone but the man sleeping beside her some space.
“i was waiting for him to wake up. And don’t worry I slept for the most part of the night.” she tried a smile on her lips.
“you might be truthful since I just joined my shift but anyway you should freshen up and in meantime boys will change his clothes, is that okay?” the lady was so soft with the words.
She pulled her arm from the bed and clicked her tongue due to the pain it shot through her body, it had gone numb due to all the long hours she had kept her head on it.
“some problem Maam?” the nurse who was busy in checking the drips and oxygen levels inside the ward.
“No, no.not at all Sister,” she answered immediately and turned to grab the hair clip and her water bottle she has kept on the little table.
“Sister !!!” she called her. “you might have seen a lot of cases all your life na ?”
“Yeah, Ma’am…
“please call me Neha, its better that way…” she cut him midway.
In response, the nurse momentary squeezed her eyes shut with a smile and opened.
“you are worried about him? don’t worry and leave everything on him…” she assured her pointing to the little Krishna idol kept beside him which her mother had put sometime in the night.
“so you are not going to answer me?” she had this salty smile on her lips.
“its not like that Neha, I just don’t want to interrupt his processing.” and the nurse smiled again.
“boys are here, so time for you to have a little time for you.” she declared the arrival of boys in green coveralls.
“okay…” when she made sure that the nurse was busy in the machines she touched Dhruv’s stretched out the palm and whispered she was coming back in no time.
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Hey everyone!! I apologize for the unprecedented delay but I had to write a few exams and then shifting from my old place. Also, I know it was again one of those frustrating updates but I am assuring you, this along with the next chapter(coming this week only) is last of such chapters.
I’ll be waiting for your response,
With love, Morusya.