Chapter 55: chapter 55

SRUTHI“I am so glad that you are recovering,” says Gabe pulling me into a tight hug. I wince when she squeezes me a little hard. I am still getting used to the feel of stitches in my body. I only remember getting shot at. I don’t have any memories of Vishnu stabbing me. But there are a total of eight stab wounds in my body that range from minor cuts to deep ones. Gabriella says that it is a miracle that I survived all that blood loss. Thank heavens, the bullet that went through my chest didn’t harm any of my vital veins. If that had happened, then I would have stood no chance against death. It is been two weeks since that incident. I had been unconscious for nearly two weeks. “When can I go home?” I ask adjusting the hospital gown.“In a week at most.”I gasp, “A week? Can’t I get home any sooner?”She pursues her lips in thought, “No. You have to be in observation. We need to make sure that there are no side effects.”I groan. It is been two days since I regained consciousness and I am already done with the hospital. I don’t want to be confined to this room and eat all those tasteless foods. I want to go home and eat a hearty meal prepared by Jaya Ma.Jaya Ma!“Gabe, how is Jaya Ma?” I ask. I have asked this question to my brother and Madhav. Both of them reassured me that she was fine and doing well. But, I am still worried about her. Maybe it is because, the last time I saw her, she was unconscious and bleeding.“Jaya Ma? Oh! Do you mean that middle-aged lady who was admitted together with you?”I nod. “She is well and good. I was assigned to take care of her and God, that woman is a chatty one. I liked her very much. I think she will visit the hospital today for a checkup. I will bring her here if you want.”“Please, do that,” I say just as the door opens. Madhav enters and I look anywhere else except at him. We still haven’t talked about things between us. We never got a lone moment. Even when we did, I was not in the state to stay awake for long. Gabe looks at Madhav and then says to me, “I will visit you again in the evening.”Before I could ask her to stay, she is out of the room. I look at my hands as Madhav takes the chair beside my bed. “How are you feeling?” Madhav asks. His tone is gentle and concerned. “Tired and bored,” I answer still keeping my eyes on my fingers. “Just tolerate this for a week and then we will go back to our place,” Madhav says.I wince at the words ‘our place’. I was just starting to get comfortable in his place when things turned out like this. I don't need Madhav to explain to me how Vishnu was able to dodge all the security gadgets. I knew the moment the power went off that no security gadgets would work. “We will move to some other place if you aren't comfortable returning there,” Madhav says looking at my reaction.I shake my head, “No. We will go back to that place.”“Sruthi, I am sorry for not being there to protect you,” Madhav says in a heartbroken tone that makes me finally look up at him. His eyes are furious and sad at the same time. I hate the sadness in them. I don't blame him for what happened to me. “You don't have to apologize. I should have learned to protect myself. I was too afraid to face the reality that I kept living in a delusional world. It is not your fault that I was a coward.”He opens his mouth to contradict me but I quickly change the topic, “What happened to Vishnu?”“He is detained in the police station. He has confessed to attacking you. But—” Madhav stops short and looks away.“What is it, Madhav?” I press on.“It is nothing,” he says. I am done with all the lies around me. I know he doesn't want to tell me things because he thinks that I may not be able to handle it. But, I am done with living a passive life. I realised how much I was missing out on my life by playing it safe. “Don't hide information from me, Madhav,” I snap. “I need to know what is happening. Be honest with me.“He sighs, “You brother would have my head if I tell you this.““I will take care of that. Just tell me what is going on exactly. Who is Vishnu? Why does he hold a grudge? What did my brother do to him?““Are you sure you want to know?““I am damn sure.“❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥“So, Vishnu wanted to take revenge on Vikram for his brother's death?“ I ask in a low tone. “Yes, that is the case. But, the problem here is the brother he is talking about had no blood relation when he was alive.““Will he be locked up in the jail now?“ Madhav nods his head grimly, “But, we can't let our guard down easily. There are still a lot of loopholes in the story he told and I am still not convinced that he is the mastermind of all this. I am certain that Vishnu is just a puppet in a larger plan. You need to be more careful.““Does you offer to teach me self-defence still stands?“ I ask in uncertainty.“It still stands. Do you want to learn it?“ “I do want to learn it for real this time.““Then, I will teach you but only after you recover fully.““Can you also teach me how to harm someone with a gun and knife?“ I ask.Madhav's jaw hangs open in shock. He looks at me like I am someone from a different planet. He leans forward in his seat and asks in a very low voice, ”Are you the real Sruthi?““I am the real deal, Madhav. I just realized how incompetent  I was on that day. I couldn't even stop him from attacking me. I won't be in that position again. To stand by helpless and watch other people fight for me. If something like this happens again, I want to at least throw a couple of punches at my attacker before going down. I never again want to go down without a fight. So, tell me, can you teach me how to fight someone?“Madhav takes my hand in his and gently squeezes it. It somehow feels reassuring that all the words of reassurance he could have given me. ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥