Hello guys. Sorry for the delayed update. My board exams are over and now I am preparing for admission test. -_- and so my parents gave me a strict warning to focus on my studies. :/ but of course I need some time to relax and I love to write then. So here it is :)
I dedicate this TS to Mitali(SleepyPsycho), Zoya(orion23), Priyam(Sapphire3) and Poulami11(Poulami). Thanks for the love and support guys <3
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|Part ll|
Shravan's car screeched to a halt
"Sumo!"
Shravan shoved the car door open and ran to the lifeless body laying in a pool of blood on the road. That sight made him quiver. The moment his car hit his Sumo was the moment his world came crashing down. He took her in his arms
"Sumo, Sumo please look at me. Please. It's me, Shravan."
His pleading didn't work as Suman didn't move a bit. Her eyes were closed and face was covered with blood.
"Sumo..."
*******
Shravan woke up with a jolt. His shirt drenched in sweat, breathing heavy, pulse rapid and his heart beating so fast that for a moment he thought it would come out of his chest.
Bad dream. Thank God it was a bad dream.
Shravan clenched the bedsheets and leaned back on the pillow. It took a few minutes for his heart to beat rhythmically again. He took deep breaths and palpably his body had stopped shaking. But the traces of the nightmare still haunted him. He still wasn't assured. Firstly having those nasty feelings. Then Suman's phone being switched off. And now the dream. He knew it was a dream but then why it seemed so real? All those things.. Were they pointing at something? Was it a sign? Of his fears coming true? No! That can't happen.
Shravan gulped. Suman's blood clad face was still fresh in his memory. His hands were clammy due to sweat but it still felt like Suman's blood. He sighed and pushed himself up. He felt weak. That one nightmare was strong enough to suck out his life.
He stood in front of the mirror. For a moment he couldn't recognize himself. Why did he look so.. exhausted? He could feel the tension building up inside him like a whirling storm once again and he squeezed his eyes shut as if doing that would save him from the torture. He made his way to the closet to fetch something to wear, he needed a shower.
*********
"Someone is calling."
Pushkar's voice brought Shravan out of his trance
"What?"
Pushkar smiled
"I was referring to the phone."
He pointed to the telephone beside Shravan. Only then Shravan realized that it was ringing.
"Welcome back to earth!"
Pushkar chirped trying to irk his already edgy brother who seemed to be lost in 'someone's' thoughts from the moment he arrived in the living room. Shravan ignored his sarcastic remark clenching his jaw and picked up the handset
"Hello?"
"Sir, where are you? Aren't you coming to the office today? A client of yours is waiting for you. He said he had an appointment."
Oh damn the clients!
He wanted to shout. But his poor secretary was not at fault. He was just doing his job after all.
"Mr Shukla, please tell him that I'm sick and won't be able to meet him today. And also please apologize on my behalf for the inconvenience."
"Sure sir. And take care of your health sir."
Shravan smiled
"Sure will. Thanks for your concern Mr Shukla."
Shravan placed the phone back on it's cradle and turned to Pushkar
"Have you talked to Sumo recently, like yesterday?"
"Why?"
"Answer my question."
"Why do you care?"
"Pushkar, for heaven's sake I need to know."
Pushkar melted at his worried tone
"No. I tried to but her phone was unreachable. I called Preeti later and she said that they had gone to a family function and they would return by night."
"And they did? They did return safely right?"
Now It was Pushkar's turn to worry. Why was his brother acting so weird? He sounded desperate. Pushkar mumbled
"Yeah they should."
Shravan's eyebrows furrowed and then he signaled Pushkar as he got up from the couch
"Let's go."
"Where?"
Pushkar followed his brother who was already at the doorstep
"Tiwari Villa."
*******
They waited for someone to open the door. Strange. Ten minutes had passed since they rang the bell but still no response. Shravan was restlessly tapping his foot. Pushkar decided to call on the landline when the door opened with a thud revealing Preeti who seemed to be a little shaken at first sight. Her eyes were red, cheeks puffy and lips swollen as if she had been crying. She seemed to go through myriad of emotions and then as if their presence broke the barrier, she couldn't hold back anymore. And she broke down.
********
Shravan thrust the paddle with all his might. His car was speeding so fast it seemed like it was flying. Pushkar who was sitting in the passenger seat holding Preeti considered if he should ask his brother to slow down a bit. Then he decided not to because it wasn't going to work anyway. His brother was a mad man at the moment. And nothing, absolutely nothing could stop him. He wasn't going to slow down until he met his Sumo.
*********
The moment they reached the hospital, Shravan smashed open the door just like he did in his dream. Every detail of his dream flashed in his mind. Like every single thing was ready to take place in reality. His fears came true after all.
He remembered that last night when he was going up to his room fetching a bottle of ice cold water from the kitchen, he could hear the sound of the TV in the living room. Which channel he didn't bother. The important thing was that the news presenter was giving a brief report on the road accidents that had taken place that day. And his ears caught a very specific detail of an accident- an ambassador car which had collided with a truck causing the tragedy. And his heart had squeezed with an unknown fear which had eventually come true.
********
Preeti ran to her mother and hugged her tightly. Her mother hugged her back, both in tears. Everyone was quite fine with a few stitches. No one seemed badly injured. But Shravan's eyes were searching for the missing person, his Sumo. She was nowhere to be seen. Where was she?
Shravan walked up to Tiwari ji and hugged him. Tiwari ji patted his back
"Nana ji, where is Sumo?"
Was the simple question he asked and instead of an answer he got the biggest shock of his life. And then he just stood unmoved. Only tears streamed down his cheeks. Maybe the reality was worse than his nightmare.
*********
She looked so small in her large bed, surrounded by various machines. There was a tube in her mouth and various lines passed through drips into a needle in each arm. A small clamp was attached to her finger. A monitor displayed her heart rate: beep, beep, beep. There were four lines on the screen of her heart monitor, each moving steadily across. The constant beeping sound of the machines was the only thing that existed; everything else was blank. He didn't make any sound. Just made his way towards her. Something pushed him back each time he took a step forward. It was a force from inside of him. He knew he didn't deserve to be here. He knew he had messed up big time. All because of his ego. And the cost, he had his best friend and the love of his life on the brink of death.
*********
Shravan's eyes snapped to the door at the doctor's arrival. He might have fallen asleep; he thought. He stood up and waited patiently as the doctor checked his patient. When he was done, he forwarded his hand to Shravan
"Dr Khaleque."
"Shravan Malhotra."
Shravan introduced himself shaking his hand.
"How is she doctor? Will she be alright?"
"See Mr Malhotra, she is stable, but in a critical condition."
What does that mean?
Shravan's knees buckled beneath him and only The stool's support prevented him from falling to the floor.
"She suffered severe internal injuries. Our gravest concern is that she suffered severe contusions to the head and the MRI shows that she has swelling in her brain. We've induced a coma to keep her quiet and still while we monitor the brain swelling."
Brain damage? No.
All the blood disappeared from Shravan's head as he stumbled.
"It's standard procedure in these cases. For now, we just have to wait and see."
"And what's the prognosis?"
"Mr. Malhotra, it's difficult to say at the moment. It's possible she could make a complete recovery, but that's in God's hands now."
"How long will you keep her in a coma?"
"That depends on how her brain responds. Usually seventy-two to ninety-six hours."
"Thank you, Doctor."
Was all Shravan could mumble after a long pause.
*********
"Nana ji, You all look exhausted and you really need rest. You should go check into a hotel, eat and sleep. Your condition will worsen if you don't do so."
Tiwari ji frowned
"I don't want to leave her. My Suman needs me."
Shravan went ahead and held his hands
"She's in a coma Nana ji. I'll stay here with her.If there's any change, I'll call you. I promise."
Tiwari ji seemed convinced
"Thank you Shravan beta. For being with her in this crucial moment."
"Please Nana ji. How can't I? Sumo is my best friend."
And I love her.
He wanted to say but refrained himself.
"Now please go. Pushkar will bring you back tomorrow morning."
Shravan turned his gaze to Pushkar and he blinked in assurance
"I'll handle it. Let's go Nana ji."
*********
Shravan carefully clasped Suman's hand. It was surprisingly warm and that was his undoing. He sank on to the stool by the bed, placed his head gently against her arm and started to sob.
A middle aged nurse walked in and Shravan immediately changed his posture wiping his eyes briefly with his shirt's sleeve. The nurse gave him a sympathetic look
"It's ok dear. She'll be fine."
She smiled staring Suman for a split second and that somehow gave Shravan hope. She then went on to check the monitors.
"Her vitals are good."
Shravan smiled this time. His eyes spontaneously fell back on his Sumo. He lightly squeezed her hand
"Can she hear me?"
"She's in a deep sleep. But who knows?"
Tears trailed down his cheeks once again and this time he didn't bother to wipe them away
"Please Sumo, please get better."
*********
The next day Tiwari family gathered in the cabin. When they entered, they found Shravan sleeping resting his head against Suman's arm. Pushkar woke Shravan up and a few minutes later Dr Khaleque entered
"As the lead physician for Miss Tiwari, I'm pleased to tell you that all is on track. Her vital signs are stable and strong. We have every faith that she'll make a complete recovery. The brain swelling has stopped, and shows signs of decreasing. This is very encouraging after such a short time."
"That's good news,"
Tiwari ji's face lit up.
"That surely is."
Dr Khaleque smiled and left the cabin to provide the family a bit privacy.
Later that day, Suman was taken to radiology for a CT scan to check the swelling in her brain while Tiwari family waited anxiously for the results; praying to God for her well being. Dr Khaleque reassured them that she just needed time to get well.
***********
Shravan spent the whole day talking to Suman. He knew it was too much to expect but deep in his heart he believed that she could hear him. And so he kept on saying how everyone was worried about her and how they were desperately waiting for her to wake up. His voice was soft and caressing. Just the way his feelings were for her. In the evening, Shravan called his secretary to let him know that he won't be able to go to the office for a few days and told him to take care of the pending work as much as he could. He then returned to his former place and clasped Suman's hand and gave it a light squeeze. He felt a bit tired and closed his eyes resting his head on her arm. His slumber broke suddenly as he felt a squeeze. It took him a moment to register that it was Suman who squeezed his hand and now was blinking her eyes to adjust to the light.
Yes! She was back! His Sumo was back!
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Ok guys please forgive me if anything seems illogical. I don't have any idea about these medical situations. I just wrote what I found from the internet about brain swelling or brain Edema as it is called. Credit goes to google LOL :v
Fan Fictions
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