"Negative. She doesn't have any sexually transmitted disease", said Dr. Naren, after completing Aashi's screening test. Armaan released a sigh of relief he didn't realize he had been holding. He touched his forehead with two fingers and rubbed gently.
"But she was raped once, right?", asked Armaan nervously.
"Unfortunately, yes", replied Dr. Naren. He was an STI/STD specialist and was probably used to such cases by now. His voice didn't quiver at all, which made Armaan feel even more nervous. He continued, "She was raped once but molested multiple times. There were injuries to her breasts, stomach and arms. Mild to average internal bleeding, but I think that can be taken care of quickly"
Armaan swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He was glad that Aashi was not diagnosed with any sexually transmitted disease, but the word rape rung in his head multiple times. Until now, it was just his hunch, but now that it had been proven, it felt all the more hard hitting.
"When can I get her reports?", asked Armaan after half a minute of silence. "In another 2 days", replied Naren while taking his latex gloves off. Armaan nodded and looked at Aashi, who was lying on the bed like a lifeless soul, staring up at the ceiling with dead eyes. She seemed completely oblivious to the conversation that had just taken place. Although Armaan and Naren had been talking in soft voices to make sure Aashi didn't listen to the brutal facts firsthand, Armaan was sure that it wouldn't make her any better.
He walked over to her head and placed a hand on her forehead. She snapped out of her reverie and jerked her head away from him. He slowly brought his hand back and smiled at her, "You're going to be just fine, Aashi. We'll take really good care of you", and after a small pause, "You will never have to go back to that place again. Never again. I promise"
She stared at him for a while. For a moment it looked as though she was about to cry, but she just seemed to relax a bit at those words. Armaan couldn't fathom what was going on her mind at this moment, but he had to make sure that no permanent psychological damage could happen before it was too late. He immediately resolved to consult their in-house psychiatrist about this case.
"I'll be back soon. Remember to have your meals in the meanwhile, and someone will here with you all the time, okay?", he said in a gentle voice. When he got no response from her, he simply turned away, and with one sad look at Dr. Naren, walked out of her room.
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Shilpa stole a glance at Ridhima as she sat in the locker room, smiling to herself. She wondered what had happened that had turned this eternally pissed spirit into a cheerful one. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Sid walk in with a similar smile plastered on his face. He looked at Ridhima and they both exchanged warm smiles. It took a moment for Shilpa to realize that they actually seemed happy, not in spite of each other, but because of each other.
She smiled to herself and shook her head. She didn't know what had happened between the two to make them so cheerful but she was glad that Ridhima seemed to have got the closure she needed. Perhaps she, too, had started to move on with her life.
Shilpa closed her locker and said, "Guys, have any of seen Armaan lately? I haven't seen him since morning"
Sid, whose locker was right next to hers, replied, "Nope, I saw him going towards Room 104 in the morning, but I haven't seen him since"
"Room 104...?", Shilpa thought to herself. Then she realized. That was the room Aashi was kept in. Something must have bothered Armaan, that's why he's not around, she thought.
Grabbing her labcoat, she dashed towards the locker room door. She had to find him to make sure he was okay. Ridhima looked at Sid quizzically, "What was that?"
He shrugged, "No idea. This is Shilpa we're talking about. Since when have any of her actions made any sense?"
"Point", replied Ridhima with a chuckle.
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She found him in the library, his nose stuck deep into a thick book, sitting alone in a corner. I never thought him to be a book worm, wondered Shilpa as she walked upto him. He seemed completely oblivious to a new presence around him. Very gently, she tapped on his shoulder. Slightly surprised, he looked up at once, "What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here? I have never seen you in the library before", said Shilpa. She glanced down at the book he was reading. 'Psychological effects of sexual abuse on children'. Her heart sank, he was allowing himself into slip into a very disturbing truth.
She slowly sat down in a chair next to him and kept her hand on his shoulder. His eyes remained fixed on the wall behind her. It seemed as though he couldn't find the right words to explain the reason for reading the book. Distinct lines of stress were etched upon his forehead. He was positively disturbed.
"How long have you been here?", she asked softly. He returned his gaze to her, but quickly looked away again, "About 4 hours", he replied in a very low voice.
She sighed, "Armaan, I know that this is very hard for you. Had I been in your place, I would have been just as disturbed. It's horrifying how some people can be so inhuman", she paused for a second, "But you need to know that you're doing the right thing. You're trying to make her life better. You're trying to keep her away from that hell. You're doing a noble thing, Armaan"
He finally met her soft gaze and something inside him broke. Two thick tears rolled down his cheeks and he allowed her to hold both his hands. She caressed them softly and both remained quiet for a long while.
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So. I know most of would have probably forgotten that this fic existed. But hey, I was experiencing a writers' block :( Not too much ArSh romance int his but I hope you like it anyway 😃
Here's an AR vid that I made long time back when didn't share it with you guys!
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg-XEKSwYbY[/YOUTUBE]
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