"Bhai?" called someone "bhai, wake up!" Someone shook his shoulder. He wanted to slap that hand away. He was having the most beautiful dream and had no wish to be disturbed. He was somewhere with Khushi. they were holding hands, gazing into the horizon together.
"Chhote please wake up!" called another voice frantically. The voice was full of tears. Was that his di? Arnav wondered. Why was she crying? Was something wrong? He struggled to come back. But he could not open his eyes. What was wrong with him? Suddenly his face was splattered with something cold. Water. Someone shook him again.
"Wake up, chhote!"
Slowly, Arnav opened his eyes, unsure of where he was and why everybody was looking at him like that. "What the- why is everyone looking at me like that?" he asked, a little irritated. He looked around. And the reality came crashing down on him. The gunshot. The hospital. Khushi. He tried to stand up, but Akash pushed him down.
"No, bhai. Eat this first" he said, extending a bar of chocolate towards him. Arnav looked at him as if he was insane.
"Are you serious?" he asked incredulously. Akash nodded.
"You haven't eaten anything since morning. That's why you fainted. Please have this. You can't afford to skip meals, and you know that".Arnav's temper flared.
"You want me to eat this when Khushi's in that condition?! I'll tell you exactly what i NEED! i NEED you all to leave me ALONE! understand?" he shouted at them.
"You can scream as much as you want to, Chhote. But only after you eat something" Di said "and don't argue with me. I know you're worried, chhote. We all are. but we have ten hours. And ten hours is a long time. We're all praying for her. Khushiji is going to make it, don't worry. Now please. Eat this".
Arnav took the chocolate and ate it, not wanting to argue with her. But felt as if he were chewing sandpaper. Nothing else held any meaning for him, apart from the fact that Khushi had only ten hours. And then he was going to loose her forever. And he could do nothing about it, but wait. And waiting was torturous. Each second seemed to stretch on for a lifetime. Questions clouded his mind, completely disabling his ability to think straight. 'What if Khushi didn't make it? What if he lost her? What if she died? What if she never opened her eyes again? What if.. what if... what if... Arnav stood up. He needed some space. He needed to get out of this place. He couldn't stand it anymore.
He went back to his mother's garden, the only place that gave him peace and a true sense of belonging. He sat under the tree he had once so lovingly planted with his mother, and looked up at the night sky, adorned with small, twinkling stars.
"Don't do this to me, ma" he said, his voice breaking "don't take her away from me. I won't be able to live without her. What are you punishing her for? What has she done? If you're so angry at me, punish me. I didn't show up for the marriage, not her. I left without explaining anything, NOT HER! Why did u let the bullet hit her? Why did she have to love me so much to throw herself in front of me? Why does everyone I love have to go away from me? WHY MA?!" he screamed, looking at the sky.
Khushi had told him that their parents were somewhere up there, looking after them from above. That the brightest star was his mother. Then why was all this happening to him? There had to be a reason behind this. For the first time in his life, he let the grief take over him completely. He lost himself in his pain and gladly surrendered to the tears that he had been fighting to control since this ordeal started.
Arnav returned to the hospital a long time later. He found that most of his family had gone home. Only Payal and NK remained. They looked up as he came towards them.
"Hey, Nannav" Nk said "how are you feeling, man?" Nk had been a silent spectator all this while, not uttering a single word. But he had seen what nobody else had noticed. He had seen his brother crumble in front of his eyes. For the first time, he had seen the real person behind the mask of 'Arnav Singh Raizada' his brother usually wore. And he knew that Arnav needed some time alone. So he had stopped his family members from saying anything when Arnav had left the hospital three hours ago.
"Much better, thanks" Arnav replied. Nk got up and hugged him.
"Tum ghanta mat karo, Nannav. Khushiji is going to be just fine. i know it" he said, reassuringly. Arnav actually cracked a smile.
"Ghanta nahi, chinta" he said, feeling glad that he had Nk with him. He was always fond of his little brother. Nk might irritate him a lot, but it was in situations like these that he felt that he could actually connect to him. it had something that he'd never felt, even with Akash.
"Oh sorry" Nk replied, feeling genuinely sorry for goofing up his hindi at a time like this.
"Nk?" Arnav said, feeling that this was the right time to say it.
"Yes?"
"Thank you for being there, bro. Thanks for not letting anyone stop me when I left".
Nk wordlessly hugged him again. He always thought Arnav didn't like him much, because he was so carefree and childish. But again, somewhere he always knew that his Nannav loved him. And he was right.
"Mr. Raizada?" Dr. verma called, emerging from the ICU Khushi was kept in. The three of them hurried towards him.
"What happened, doctor?" Arnav asked impatiently "is Khushi all right? Has she regained conciousness?"
"Mr. Raizada. Listen to me very carefully. Your wife is not responding to the medications at all. I don't know why, but it seems as if her body has given up on her. Its like she's lost all her reasons to live and that's why she's stopped fighting. Unhone jeene ki ummeed chor di hai. If this continues, then I'm sorry we won't be able to save her".
Arnav's world froze. He went numb, not wanting to believe what he'd just heard. Khushi wasn't responding. she didn't want to.. live anymore? No. Why? Why would she ever do that to him? This man was lying. It couldn't be true. Khushi was a person who gave people the courage to face life and all its problems with a smile. She, of all people, could never, ever loose hope. She'd always lived up to her name. And now she was backing out? Arnav felt himself moving closer towards the edge. He couldn't take it anymore.
"Please, Mr. Raizada. Sambhaliye apne aap ko. Listen to me" Dr. Verma said, holding him by his shoulders. "Sometimes it happens that even the best medicines in the world cannot heal what some words of love can. Love is magic. And i can see that you love your wife very much. Go and talk to her. Sometimes, love can make all the difference, Mr. Raizada".
Arnav nodded. Love. That was the only thing which could save her and he knew that his love for her was so strong that it would cross oceans and infinite dimensions to get to her. He made his way towards the ICU and slowly opened the door. His vision was blurry. He couldn't see properly. He wiped his eyes, only to realise that they were filled with tears. Khushi lay in front of him, surrounded by wires, medicines and machinery. She looked paler than she already was, devoid of any color. Her once pink cheeks were now ghostly white and her lips were chaffed and dry. The woman who lay in front of him was a mere shadow of the Khushi he knew.
He walked upto her and sat down on the stool beside her. He took her hand, the one that was free of any wires, lifted it to his mouth and kissed it softly. He closed his eyes, inhaling her wonderful scent, which still lingered despite all the medication she'd been given.
"Khushi" he breathed, drowning in that moment completely. he lifted his head to look at her lying totally still. He remembered the way she used to toss and turn at night, not giving him one second of a peacefull night's sleep. He smiled at that memory. It seemed so far away now.
"Khushi, please come back. I know you can hear me and even if you can't, I want to say that I love you. I love you with everything i have. My heart and soul belong to you. If you leave me, i would never be able to bear it. I'd be a living corpse, Khushi. I can't imagine spending one day without talking to you, holding you or listening to your wonderful voice. Don't leave me alone, Khushi. You might not need me but I need YOU. I need you more than anything in the world. I don't want anything if i have you with me. Earlier, my life used to be my own. But now, i live for you. You have to come back, khushi. You're not that weak. You were never the one to give up hope. Then why now? Why did you give up now? You have to fight Khushi. For me. For all of us. For the family that loves you so much..." and Arnav went on talking to her, whispering in her ear, caressing her forhead.
He didn't know for how long he spoke to her. He lost track of time. The nurse came in occasionally to check on them but nobody else disturbed them. He was almost about to doze off when he felt it. That small movement in his hand. His eyes flew open as he looked at the hand he was holding. He couldn't believe his eyes. Her fingers twitched slightly, paused and then moved again, like she was trying to hold his hand. The movements were faint, hardly noticable, but she was MOVING! He almost started crying with joy.
"Doctor!" he called. The nurse came rushing in. "She's moving!" he told the nurse. She looked at Khushi and then at the hand Arnav held. She smiled.
"I always knew it would work" she told him, smiling at him kindly. "You love her a lot, don't you, Mr. Raizada?" the nurse asked Arnav, who kept gazing at Khushi lovingly. He nodded. "Well, im sure you know now that she loves you a lot too".
Dr. verma came in and hurried to Khushi's side. "Mr. Raizada. Please wait outside. I'll get back to you in a while". Arnav chose not to argue and silently left the room. By now, everyone was now back to the hospital and had gathered outside the ward. They looked at him happily.
"Chhote!" Anjali cried, and hugged him "is it true?" Did Khushiji really respond?" Arnav nodded, smiling for the first time, in what felt like years to him. Nk, Akash, Payal, Nani... Everybody hugged him one by one, congratulating him and thanking God for bringing khushi back. Dr. Verma came to them, smiling.
"You did it, Mr. Raizada" he said, clasping Arnav on the back "you made her stay. Your wife is out of danger now and you may meet her when she wakes up". He smiled at everyone and left.
Half an hour later, the nurse informed them that they could meet Khushi, Everybody rushed in, except Arnav. He made his way slowly towards her ward, and peeped inside through the glass on the door. He saw her sitting upright, smiling at her jiji, amma and buaji. She looked tired and worn out but she looked happy. Arnav closed his eyes and looked up.
"Thanks, Ma" he whispered, and opened the door to go inside.
So?? how was it?? thoda filmy ho gaya??? 😛 well, DON'T forget to leave your comments.. because as always, its a pleasure reading what u guys write... And im really grateful for the amazing response to this SS!!! 🤗 stay tuned for more... Until next time, then!!!! 😊
p.s- those who want pms can buddy me! 😊
****EDITED****
you guys!!!! this SS isn't over yet!!!!! 😆 there's lot more to come!!!! 😃 i always say- woh story hi kya jisme drama na ho... 😉 so i won't end this so easily!!!
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