Chapter 47: chapter 47

MADHAVMy heart shatters as I take in the state Sruthi is in. Tubes come and go out of her mouth. An oxygen mask is put on her mouth. Monitors beep with various colour signals in the otherwise quiet room. My throat feels dry and I can’t breathe. My palms sweat and I clutch my heart. I lean on the hospital to calm my nerves down but nothing seems to work. The possibility that Sruthi would leave me and this world keeps playing in my mind. Someone calls my name but I cannot focus on anything else other than my wife who is on the verge of death. I am the one responsible for her state. My heart pounds wildly in my chest. Black spots cover my vision. Someone shakes me up but I don’t feel anything. Only Sruthi’s happy face on the day of her engagement keeps playing in my mind. Heck! Even before I can make her smile in happiness like that, she is on death’s bed.  I wanted to give her all the happiness in the world. I wanted to be the man to whom she would turn when something bothered her. But, in the end, I become the man who bothers her. The fear of losing her becomes so much that I can’t handle it anymore. I don’t realize what is happening around me as my body hits the floor and I fall into a sweet oblivion.❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥“Does it pain to see me in this state?” Sruthi asks in a weak voice. She is standing before me in a hospital gown with bandages covering all her body.“It hurts like hell. I am sorry. I shouldn’t have left you,” I apologize.She shakes her head, “Why are you sorry? What is going to change if I die? Haven’t you taken the lives of many people already? Add me to that list and just move on with your life.”Before I could answer her, she vanishes into thin air. Rain pours on me all of a sudden. I hear my name being called somewhere far away.❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥I open my eyes to find water dripping off my face. Two of the hospital nurses are staring at me in relief. “Doctor, he is finally up,” a nurse calls to someone and I see a male doctor walking towards me. Shit! Did I just pass out? The male doctor has an easy smile and his name tag reads, ‘Sanjay’.“What happened to me?” I ask sitting up on the hospital bed.“Nothing serious. You just had a panic attack.”I should probably be surprised that I had a panic attack but somehow I don’t. My mind is still whirling from the visual I had.“If you are well, then the police are waiting outside for you, Mr. Madhav,” the doctor says with a pleasant smile.I nod my head, “Send them in.”The doctor nods and walks out of the room. The nurses whisper something between themselves. A plan starts to form in my head. I need to meet with Vishnu. I need to somehow convince the police to allow me to meet with Vishnu in private.The door opens and a couple of men in police uniform walk in. To a normal citizen, they may seem intimidating but not to me.“I am sorry for what happened to your wife,” says the older man among them as he takes a seat next to my bed. I politely nod my head. I have a role to play now. The role of a grief-stricken and shocked husband who is as confused as the police. Who has no idea why his wife was targeted?“If you are okay, then can we ask a few questions?”I don’t right away nod my head but I seem to consider it before saying, “What else is there to ask me Sir? Don’t you have the person who did this with you?”“Yes, sir, we do. But, this is a formality and we have to show reports to our higher officials that the case has been looked into from every angle. Kindly cooperate.”“Okay, then, ask me what you want to?”“Where were you for the past three days?” the younger man asks leaning forward.“I was on a business trip to the Noghot city.”“The city famous for its notorious jail,” the young man comments with a knowing look. My face is neutral.“I don’t know about that sir,” I say with a shrug. “I am a jeweller. All I know is that the city is famous for its platinum ores. I am planning to increase the platinum jewels in my shop and I went there to for business.”“Did you finish your business?”“Of course, I did,” I answer honestly. Because I did get the bag a profitable deal along with meeting the criminal.“How did you recruit Vishnu into your employment?” the older policeman asks.“He was recommended to me by my brother-in-law Vikram. Vishnu worked for him. I wasn’t okay with leaving my wife all alone in the city for three whole days. I was concerned for her safety. Prevention is better than cure. I wanted to be prepared before anything could happen to her but I didn’t expect…,” my voice breaks and look away. The room is silent except for the ticking of the clock and the tripping of the IV into the trip bottle. The older policeman notes down all my statements. I wait for the correct opportunity to ask them. “Did he tell you, sir? Why did he attack my wife? Was it for my money?” I ask all innocent.“He hasn’t opened his mouth. He is a stubborn man. The police are trying to get an answer out of him but that man is tight-lipped.“Can I talk with him?” I ask with a hopeful expression.“I am sorry sir. But, the protocols don’t allow it,” the older man says.“Just five minutes, sir,” I plead. “I think you know how my wife and I got married. It was seven years of unrequited love and then suddenly I am married to her. The past few weeks have been like a dream. I felt like living in heaven. But, before we could fully understand each other and live out all the dreams we had, this happened,” I pause and catch my breath. My eyes tear up again at the thought of Sruthi. The image of her in the ICU pops into my mind and I try hard to rein in my emotions. The older policeman places his hand on mine and squeezes it, “The doctors are saying that she wouldn’t live. I don’t even know how I will live without her.” The younger policeman’s eyes soften. “Please, sir. I know you can make me meet him. I just want to ask him one question, sir. Only one question. I need to know why he did what he did to my wife.”The policemen meet each other’s gaze and nod their heads at each other.“We will see what we can do,” the older policeman says. ‍❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥