"Shreya?" He called her name in a gasp.
The hot blood pounding in his head as the vision of her laying in his arms cladded with red haunted his daydreams. The sight had his stomach churned in the scariest way possible and the urge to dry heave in the nearby bushes heightened as he patted her face to make her unfocused gaze meet his.
"H-how could you..." The words evaporated his inbuilt vocabulary, leaving him stranded. Shaking his head, he bit his lips and took a deep breath to calm the bile in his throat before he acted on the muffled commands his brain sent yet he sat immobile. "S-Shreya, meri jaan, can you hear me?"
A tear slicked down his face and he blinked harshly as he felt her slump in his hold. The panic was hovered by a rush of adrenaline that made him jump back at once. Her limb form hugged to his torso.
The blood droplets trickled their way, marking their trail as Rakshit hurriedly carried Shreya towards his car. His shaky arms had to be pushed as he engulfed her closer to his chest, not wanting to let her go. The fear of her leaving him clenched his senses as he maniacally ran into the deserted piece of land.
His Range Rover clicked open and he placed her inside, long forgotten were his premium leather seat covers. His movements halted as he took in her slashed wrist. Searching his pockets, he dug out a handkerchief and tied it up to stop the bleeding.
Taking a quick look at her pale face, he jogged towards the driver's side and jumbled with the door lock. His fingers slipped the hold and the door kept locked. He tried again but his limps lacked coordination. Kicking the tires he banged his bloodied palm on the window.
"Fuck! Why it has to be her?." Rubbing a palm on his face, he calibrated his actions and unlocked the door.
He kicked on the gas pedal and the car sped through the empty roads. His eyes oscillated between her and his gory fingers, while he bit back a lump in his throat.
"Why would you do this to yourself, damnit?" He asked her sullen form, blinking his misty eyes harshly to focus on the road. "Why?"
It was nearly midnight and the streets of their gated community deserted making him drive like a beast on a rampage. The tires screeched to a halt as he stopped abruptly on the gravel road outside the hospital nearest.
The emergency wing of the hospital blared in bright neon lights. Two guards rushed towards him but stopped taking in his soaked crimson shirt and knuckles that were able to create hundreds of miscommunications. They stepped back as he jogged towards the other side and scooped Shreya in his arms.
"Get me some fucking help!" He gritted towards them as he pushed the glass doors open with his shoulder and carried her inside. He saw two people dressed in dark blue scrubs and he felt his heart squeeze a little in hope. "It...is an emergency." Willing himself not to stammer he tried again. "She is bleeding. Cut her wrist open and..."
Before he could lace more words, Shreya was taken out of his arms and laid on a stretcher that was being rolled into the emergency wing.
He was held back by another staff nurse who held his arm to restrain his movements. "I am her..."
"We need her details, sir." She pressed cutting him off, unbothered by the scowl shot at her. "This will be reported to police officers being a suicide attempt. Please cooperate with us."
"She...she wasn't thinking." He glanced between the bed the doctors and nurses hovered above and back at the paper pad passed by this woman who seemed to have a spine of steel instead of bone, daring him to cross the doorway. "Just don't report her."
"It is a protocol, sir." The nurse pursed her lips.
"Did I not make myself clear? She was not in the right state of mind." He pressed, heels digging into the floor as he stopped himself from strangling the infuriated woman.
"We will see what can be done. Fill in her details, please. Will you?" Another woman in her mid-forties stopped near them and then turned towards the wing to join the commotion.
"Fine." He begrudgingly snatches the pad and quickly starts scribbling her details in the form. He handed it over and she walked away without another word.
Rakshit peaked through the curtains. The elderly woman talked with the physicians in hushed whispers. Her eyes communicated in gestures with the attending physician who passed her a nod in assurance for whatever question she had asked and her frown dropped to support a small twitch of relief, something that seemed to calm his entangled nerves as he stepped back and took a shaky breath he kept on hold for a period unknown to him.
He exhaled his panic out and leaned against the steel chair at the opposite wall, closing his eyes, and letting the past hour play back. His mind played games playing the scenarios of what ifs and if only that he failed to achieve.
Not that he blamed himself for her acts yet he felt the undying regret of acting like an asshole in the morning. He could have found the source of those pictures and acted rationally rather than a petulant teenager who never tired out by showing his possession.
He was no teenager yet he was possessive of her.
He was obsessed with her.
"Are you family?"
His eyes snapped open. He had informed none. "I am her fiancé."
"I see." Another nurse he didn't see before nodded forwarding a plastic bag, the contents were too familiar to him. "We will be taking her for surgery. Please sign these forms."
He swallowed the bile that burned his dry throat. "Will she be okay?"
"The doctor will be the one to answer it for you." She grimaced, yet her eyes were soft and gentle. "The cut is deep, something that will require a quick surgery. Luckily, The attending physicians think that no vital vein is damaged. Once the surgery goes well, he will be able to inform you more on her state."
"Thank you." He bowed in gratitude quickly scribbling his name on the dotted lines.
"Please inform your families. In normal scenarios we require family's confirmation before operating on the patient. However, this is urgent and severe, we will be working with yours. Are you really her fiancé?"
"I am." He stated firmly. "She is Shreya Thapar and I am Rakshit Chauhan. Dr. Vidyut Chauhan's twin brother."
The introduction earned wide eyes and flashing recognition.
"Oh, of course." She nodded fervently taking the papers from him. "I will be taking them to the doctor."
"Sure. Thank you." He piped and glanced at her.
His fingers fisted unconsciously as he saw her being wheeled out. The powder blue hospital gown made her pale face look worse and those eyes he related as firecrackers were shut.
The device in his lap vibrated pooling him out of the staring in void. Her phone kept amidst her other things buzzed with incoming calls. Zipping the packet open, he pulled the device and unlocked it using the password that she had not once changed in the past 10 years.
'Brother dearest'
"Hello? Did you rent out your sense of time against some ice-cream?"
The voice hollered the moment he answered.
It is 2 at night, you little chum. Or have you forgotten your way back home because if you have, better never come back because if the mother India gets a whiff that you are spending your night out, she will assume it to be with that good for nothing frog, Rakshit and she will go on a rampage in all the malls of the city to prepare for her grandchild which I suppose you are no-where planning to have in this lifetime, Shreya. Well, speak up, you dimwit. Are you even there?"
Rakshit grimaced at the hushed insults thrown by Shresth at the other side of the phone. "I will if you let me speak, Brother-in-law."
"What the hell?" Shresth hissed venomously and Rakshit feared for his neck that this man hulk could twist in seconds seeing he loved that stupid girl with everything in him, if not less than himself. "Where is my sister, you asshole? You better keep your hands off her or you could go and get a disability card for you in advance."
"Look, man." Rakshit stuttered bracing himself for a verbal attack and the physical one that would be coming later from Shresth Thapar. "We are in the hospital."
"What?" The whisper was enough to knock the breath out of any normal human being. "What happened to you? Are you making my sister nurse you back to health?"
"It...It is not me."
"Then?"
"It is Shreya." Rakshit could swear he could hear all sorts of breathing exercises Shresth practiced in those 30 seconds that we waited for him to respond. "I found her near the old tree we used to hang around in our childhood. She..."
"She what?" Shresth sounded pained, like a bruised lion ready to pounce on the attackers who harmed his cubs.
Repeating those words brought the same anguish in Rakshit that he has been trying to push back. "She...She had cut her wrist."
The long pause felt suffocating to him.
"Where are you?" The whisper brought goosebumps to him.
He informed me of the name and insisted on sharing his live location before the call dropped.
Rakshit thought informing her family would remove a burden from his chest yet now he nowhere felt relieved. His gaze lingered on the sleek diamond ring he had made her wear not long before, clutching it closer to his chest, he dialed the only person he could afford to.
"Hello?" The gruff voice answered on the third ring.
"I need you here..."
This call made his body droop in relief, but not for long.
"Can we have a word?"
The gentle voice made him look up at the woman who had rushed inside to check on Shreya sometime back. He stood straight at once.
"Sure, Dr. Gayatri?" He read the name on her tag.
"Yes." The doctor smiled a little with a small nod. "I am a general psychologist assigned for the suicide cases here."
"How may I help you?" Rakshit blinked at her in confusion.
"I have a few questions, Mr. ..." She trailed.
"Chauhan. But Rakshit would be fine." He supplied.
"Thank you. Mr. Rakshit, I heard you are here as the patient's fiancé. If you could answer my questions, it would be helpful."
"I will if I can." He nodded, shoulders dropped like a high schooler being sent for his final Viva.
"Please follow me."
He was led towards the end of the hallway, round the corner, and inside an opaque door to an average size cabin with a dull cream color that he would often correlate to old, rich, and successful doctors who would hardly spend an hour in their cabin from their busy schedules. Doctor who live like robots, some one like his twin- Dr. Vidyut Chauhan.
The large potted plants and metal leg desks were the only things that added color to the place.
"Take a seat." The psychologist gestured towards the couch that matched the color of the wall.
He looked around at the soulless place and grimaced glaring at his blood-soaked shirt and palms. "Before that, may I use the washroom, please?"
She glanced at his hands and back at his face before nodding towards the door.
He quickly washed the blood off and tried to lighten the stain on his shirt but gave up after the tenth attempt. He dried the shirt a little and stepped out.
"It was her blood." Dr. Gayatri commented taking in his shirt and now clean hands.
"Yes." He admitted lowly and took the opposite seat to hers.
"How long have you known her?" She watched him attempting at small talk.
All his life. "Longer than I could remember." He answered with a hint of a faltering smile. "We grew up together. She is my best friend."
She nodded taking in the details. "It must be hard watching her attempting to take her life."
"I don't believe it to be her." He confided gritting, fingers steepled together tightly. "She isn't that weak. She would rather kill the other person than try to kill herself."
"The strongest person also falls weak, Rakshit. All it takes is one little moment of weakness." She cracked an empathizing smile. "Your fiancée may be a strong woman no doubt but she will also need backing from her loved ones. Without a foundation, no building stands."
"I...I might have failed her this time." He confessed in a whisper.
"Was she under stress?"
"Can you not lend me money because I am your friend?" She tried again keeping her pride aside. "I can choose neither of the two."
"Doesn't look like my problem." He remarked coldly.
"I don't know." He bit his gums. "She came to me in the morning and we had a few disagreements. She stormed off the building and by the time I could get hold of her, she was already bleeding."
"I understand." She nodded with her brain working overtime. He could see wheels turning in her head. "That is pretty much what I wanted to know from you. You may go now. Once she is conscious I will be talking to her."
"Will this be reported?" He asked the question nagging him as he was signaled to leave.
"It depends on what Ms.."
"Shreya Thapar" He filled in the name, the name slipping out like a breath.
She smiled in gratitude. "...Ms. Thapar has to tell us. If there is a valid reason or an actual person responsible, we will have the police involved. Till then you may take some rest. Also, please get her family here soon. We will require her blood relations to be here for further paper work."
He nodded in understanding and turned the knob. He glanced at her one last time. "Thank you, Dr. Gayatri."
Rakshit slumped down the same chair while the nurses prepared to shift her to a private ward as the guilt gnawed at his conscious.
Why couldn't he have given her that amount? Not that he would be bankrupt because of such a meager share. And, why did she want that piece amount? Was she under some trap?
Are there things she could be hiding from him?
Or, was it he who failed to see between the lines all this time?
The questions were eating him alive.
â â â â
Anirudh stared at the device with narrowed eyes, trying to make out a sense of the words that Rakshit babbled on the phone a few minutes back. The brightness of the device was enough for his sleep to drain away and the words from his brother had him sit back at once.
Shreya was in the hospital and Rakshit found her bleeding.
He had always been the pillar to his brothers, giving them autonomy to call Anirudh for help at any time of day, including 2 a.m. at night.
The shuffling from the other end of the bed made him frown. Did she wake up because of him? Because there was no way the ringtone disturbed her. His phone had vibrated near his ear and being a light sleeper, it would be enough for him to wake up.
"Dhwani, are you awake?" He whispered in the darkness feeling her rolling to the other side being uncomfortable in her previous sleeping position.
The side lamp was switched on and he could now clearly see her eyes void of any sleep.
"I couldn't sleep." She admitted sheepishly and her eyes took in his phone. "Who called?"
He contemplated sharing the urgent call back from Rakshit a few minutes back yet he decided against it. "Rakshit did."
"Why?" She wondered glancing at the clock. "It is late. Is he not home yet?"
Her frown made him yearn to share his thoughts yet he refrained as he slid out of his comforter and turned away from her. "No. He will not be coming today. I am going out. Take some rest."
"Anirudh?"
His steps halted at her worried whisper in the silence of the night.
"Is everything okay?" She asked hesitantly as if fearing his answer.
"It will be. I will take care of it." He answered looking behind his shoulder and entered the washroom not turning back to watch her worry-laced face.
If he had taken up the role of the bearer of all the problems in the house as the eldest son of the family, Dhwani was not lagging behind. She had automatically observed all the charts in the house taking up the reigns of day-to-day tasks until they had moved out. It took him one whole month to convince GM after his marriage to allow him to move out and in that period, Dhwani had successfully created a place in the house like a missing puzzle piece.
He may not be an ideal husband to her but she never let his family see otherwise.
He changed inside the washroom and stepped out taking a spare shirt and a pair of sweats of his for Rakshit in case he required cloths. Stepping out, he found the bed neatly made up and her standing leaning against the vanity table adjacent to the closet gate, ready.
"Where are you going?" He asked fixing her with a sharp stare.
"With you?" She offered.
"Not happening, Petal." He declined her hopes and nodded towards the bed. "Get some sleep."
"I am not sleepy." She repeated "Neither I will be at peace knowing you...Rakshit out this late and he called you out as well."
Her little correction made him bite his lips back from smiling and he nodded slowly as if analyzing her lame excuse.
"Fine." He played the word fetching his car keys from the vanity drawer. "Now that you are worried about me...Rakshit, you should better accompany me."
He felt her blushing at the small intentional slip he created.
Keeping the door open, he turned back to watch her stealing glances at the mirror to stop her flaming cheeks.
"Let's go, petal." He called out loudly and she hurried out with wide eyes as if caught in a crime.
He trudged down the hallway smiling as he watched her taking slower steps so that he could match hers. They entered the lift and pressed for the basement. It was night and he did not wish to make the servants fetch his car outside the gate.
The gates parted in the basement and he led her towards the garage. The automatic doors parted as he entered the passcode.
"...rich people love showing off..."
An amused smirk paved its way to him watching her roll her eyes as the gates for the garage parted and a series of cars came into their view. Most of them belonged to his father and Rakshit as Anirudh preferred only two out of the wide collection.
The cars he bought on his own after he earned chunks of money from share trading in his high school days and later from the days of his internship under his father's managers.
"We are taking the one at the end." He informed her and guided her towards the end of the pathway where stood his beloved car. Among the shiny, ostentatious display of vehicles, anyone could spot the black sheep that was nowhere a sports car or a brand-new piece.
It was well-used.
"We are taking this?" She asked bewildered. "Is this even yours?"
"Yes to both." He hummed in response and brought it to life. He must have dreamed of Dhwani smiling at the sight of the familiar beauty.
"Really?" She gaped. "This is so...not Chauhan?"
"Sit." He ignored her shock and gestured towards the open gate for her to sit inside.
"Thank you." The small confused curve on her lips was intact while she put on her seatbelt.
He jogged and took the wheel.
"Why do you have this car?" She mumbled as he reversed and made it out of the gate.
"Why should I not?" He glanced at her with an amused jump of eyebrows.
"You have never used something...like this. All I see you are with the driver in that black Audi of yours and other stylish beasts."
"Those are the office cars. Papa and I shared the ride to the office on every alternative day so I had but to drive them. He won't let me take my car." He filled her on the routine he had been following. "He thinks this is too simple to be used by the CEO of Chauhan group."
She rolled her eyes playfully. "I knew he liked a little display of wealth."
"He will be so hurt hearing you talk like this." He shook his head biting an amused grin back.
"Why? Will you snitch me to him?" She dared him with a bubbling grin.
"As if." He rolled his eyes dramatically. "He would never believe me above you."
"That is not true." She stated bashfully, averting his eyes from him to stare at the empty roads.
"You wanna bet on that?" He cocked a brow. "The men in our family adore you, Dhwani."
"Do they, really?" Her eyes reverted back to him, the words lacing an entirely different meaning that he was quick to catch.
"They do, Petal." He affirmed, holding her eyes for a long second before turning towards the road and accelerating at the empty roads.
Her fingers clutched the hem of her long shirt and played with it keeping her words back yet her face went through all sorts of thoughts.
The urge to break her fingers apart from the cloth and intertwine them with his took hold of his actions and he ended up taking her hand.
Startled at the sudden contact, she snapped towards him with wide eyes.
"You were pulling the threads. It will open the stitched part." He left her hand almost immediately in the pretense of changing the gear. Licking his gums, he waited for her to say something, anything more than a little "Oh."
He came to a standstill sooner than he expected. Parking the car outside the hospital earned another frown from her.
"This is a hospital." She mused with a confused face. "Why are we here?"
"I will tell you everything." He piped with a grimace and passed her the packet of clothes from the backseat. "Hold this for me, please."
"Is Rakshit okay?" She held on to it not before stealing a glance at its contents.
He unlocked her side of the door and took her palm to step out.
"Anirudh, you are worrying me. Did something happen?"
"It is Shreya" He gave in to her ashen face. He squeezed her palm and gestured her towards the glass doors. "We will know everything inside."
"God, please keep her safe." She mumbled a prayer not meant for his ears yet he heard. He smiled at the gesture and led her inside holding her closer.
"All will be fine, Petal." He smiled down at her and she tried nodding.
The hospital was well-staffed for past midnight. They were ushered towards the operation theatre wing where Rakshit was supposedly present. The steel chairs were deserted as he tried spotting his brother among the few people who lingered around, most of them were staff or cleaners.
They heard hushed yelling behind the closed waiting room and the protective stance of Anirudh made him push the door with more force than necessary. The loud slam flinched Dhwani and his daze cleared at once as two other pairs of eyes stopped at him.
"Bhai." Rakshit's relief-filled sigh made his eyes stop at him in curiosity.
Dark circles prominent, face tired, and clothes stained.
Anirudh hummed taking in another man â Shresth Thapar looking disheveled from the amount of times his fingers moved through his hair as he huffed like a frustrated animal, hungry for his prey.
Right now, his brother was a priority.
"Dhwani, please give the bag to Rakshit." He watched Rakshit pouting like a small child towards Dhwani who looked pained watching his bloodied clothes. "Change your clothes and freshen up, Rakshit."
"Here." Dhwani passed him the bag with a reassuring smile.
"Thank you, Bhabhi." Rakshit could cry any moment now.
Rakshit passed them and Anirudh faced an enraged brother who paced the lengths of the waiting room, all the while gritting his teeth.
"She will be fine." Dhwani tried to reassure Shresth with a small smile that made Anirudh clench his fist, yet he spoke nothing.
"Come sit, Petal." He took her towards the chairs holding her shoulders and eyed Shresth. "You should too, Mr. Thapar. You will only be wasting your energy right now when you will have to take care of your sister."
Shresth followed his words begrudgingly. He slumped on the chair on the opposite side of the room and slammed his head between his palms with his knees supporting his elbows. He sat defeatedly.
Rakshit was quick to join them back in the fresh pair of clothes and slumped beside Dhwani, leaning his head against her lap making Anirudh grit his teeth.
"Rakshit." He called for his attention and watched him sit back at once, something he was glad for. "Tell us what happened."
Rakshit swallowed before he started on to his tale of how he found Shreya hours back after a thorough searching.
Anirudh remembered calling Rakshit on the orders of Dhwani who could not sit still as this man-child forgot to drop his customary text to his Bhabhi stating his plans for dinner. He had told him those cryptic lines before ending the call just out of a daze, not thinking much about their meaning as he talked to his youngest brother.
"Did she mean that?" Dhwani mumbled unconsciously and Anirudh squeezed her palm in reflex.
"She will be fine." He repeated, both for her and the other two men who sat stiffly after the narration of the events.
"I shouldn't have let her leave." She said to no one, the guilt dripping from her voice. "I should have forced her to stay back. This wouldn't have happened if I had tried a little more. Oh god! This shouldn't have happened."
"What do you mean, Dhwani?" Anirudh frowned taking in her hazed eyes which snapped towards him.
"Did you meet her before this, Mrs. Chauhan?" Shresth questioned sitting upright at once, his eyes dominating his words. "Was she with you in the day?"
"Yes." She admitted with a small nod. "We were at the orphanage. She left soon after..."
"What?" Rakshit snapped. "Why were you two together? You both don't gel well."
"I know. I was leaving the office when I met her." She cleared trying to find the right words to explain the situation. "She was...distressed."
"Did she say something?" Anirudh probed.
"Shreya does not like you, Mrs. Chauhan. Why will she go with you?" Shresth stated in confusion.
"I tried asking but she wouldn't tell me. Then I forced her to come with me to the orphanage..."
"Why would you?" Rakshit let out frustratedly. "You know Shreya is not the warmest person towards you. She ends up insulting you each time you both encounter and today you forced her to go with you. Why did you, Bhabhi?"
He stood up and faced Dhwani. "Did you say something to her? I know she acts like an impudent brat while talking to you but did you...did you say something that triggered her to do this?"
"Check your tone, Rakshit," Anirudh warned him.
"I just need to know, Bhabhi." He ignored Anirudh. "Did you say something to her? You must have forced her and I know that you wouldn't let her insult you without a reply back. Did you say anything that could lead her to do this?"
"Rakshit, behave."
"You are blaming me?" Dhwani flinched back, the hurt prominent in her features. "You think I will hurt her?"
"She did it a lot of times so I wouldn't put it past if you insulted her back too." Rakshit shrugged. "That is why, did you say something harsh to her? Something she couldn't take well?"
"Mind your words." Anirudh hissed pulling his brother's collar to push him away from her. "Think your thoughts through before voicing them out. You think she will hurt Shreya?"
"Bhai, it could be a reason..."
"Shut up!"
I know no amount of excuses could cover the long two-week break I was on. I am trying to compensate you all with this long update though I know it wouldn't suffice.
This writer's block has got to my head and messed up a lot along with this tedious viral fever.
I hope you will keep showering your love on this story.
Any questions for any of the characters, they will be happy to answer them all. So shoot it guys.
- Your author