SaiRat FF: You&I *updated epilogue* on page 27 - Page 5

Part 27

https://youtu.be/kATPrvzg5tI

They did not realize when they dozed off. Sai woke up in sweats…

She didn’t dwell on the nightmare much because while looking around, she realized that she fell asleep at Virat’s place. Sai cursed under her breath after looking at the time. She immediately called her mother to let her know. Alka was understanding and did not question her. She saw Virat sleeping peacefully and decided not to disturb him. She laid him down comfortably and put a blanket on top of him, before leaving his place.

***

Flashes of her younger self kept haunting her, as she drove back home. She hadn’t had a nightmare about her past in forever…

“Why now ?” She thought.

She made it back home, disturbed. Sai tried to sleep, but only got a few hours in before it was time to head to work.

***

Virat woke up on the sofa and realized what happened last night. He looked at his phone to see if Sai left any messages, but he saw nothing.

He instantly called her, worried.

“Hello” he heard.

“Sai..sorry ! Kal time nahin dekha aur..”

She interrupted him “Viru..don’t worry ! I woke up and left. I didn’t want to disturb you, that’s why I didn’t wake you up.

“I’m about to get ready, pick you at 7 ?”

“Viru, you don’t have to..I can go to work on my own” she replied.

Virat frowned “Kyun ? All good ?”

“Han..all is good..woh tum aise hi mereko chodo ge..phir station jaoge..rehne do na..”

“But I really want to Sai…” he conveyed.

She melted a bit hearing him say that “Okay, I’ll be ready at 7…”

***

He stopped right in front of her house in his police jeep, while she walked out. Just the sight of her was enough to bring a smile on her face.

“Was this really happening ? He thought.

“Waise kafi acche lag rahe ho uniform mein” she said, winking.

Virat was left speechless at her flirting, but he was glad she was back to being herself. He was a bit worried earlier after talking to her on the phone. She seemed a bit off.

“Well..I’m all yours Dr. Joshi, so..lucky you !”

She snorted “Chalo ab..late hojayega..”

He nodded and took off.

***

“Lo..agaya tumhara hospital” he announced.

She smiled and thanked him. She was about to exit the car, but he stopped her

“Andar nahin bulaogi kya ?”

“Sar par chot to nahin lag gayi ?! Abhi abhi discharge hue the…issi hospital se..” she said, giggling.

He glared “Uss time pe patient tha..as your official boyfriend nahin invite karogi..”

She smiled “late nahin hojao ge ?”

“Nahin..I have time”

She closed her door and pulled him out “Chalo phir..”

***

“Hi Sai” she heard, as she entered the hospital.

The nurse smiled at Virat, remembering him from when he got shot.

“Hello sir” she greeted.

He nodded and walked with Sai.

“Good morning Dr. Joshi. Hi inspector Chavan, nice to see you recovered” said Sai’s boss.

“Hello sir” she replied.

“I hope you don’t mind me bringing inspector Chavan with me..”

“Not at all. We are honored to have him with us” he said, jovially.

Everyone kind of knew that they were a thing after the hospital meet. Her boss let her go “5 minutes Dr. Sai and then, back to your duty” he said.

She nodded and took Virat to her favorite ward.

Virat’s eyes twinkled when they stood in front of the glass through which he could see tiny little bundles of joy.

“This is my faaavoriite place to be” she confided, locking her gaze on his.

He smiled back, feeling his heart swell at the idea of having a child with her in the future.

He let his hand graze the glass, loving the peacefulness of the moment.

“Now, it’s my favorite place too..” He said.

She smiled, putting her hand on top of his.

***

They had almost made it to the exit, to drop Virat off, when Sai heard her name being called “Hey Sai ! Wait up”

Virat turned around to see a young boy, around Sai’s age, walk up to them.

Sai smiled “Hey Dr. Aditya, what’s up ?” She said, casually.

“Was about to start my shift, but saw you there and thought why not ask you out for lunch today… ?”

Sai’s eyes widened, not sure how Virat would react.

“Uh…I..don’t know..I’ll have to go over my schedule again ! I’ll let you know…” she said in a rush.

Aditya finally noticed Virat and his smile fell off a bit “Hi, Dr. Aditya” he said, extending his hand.

Virat shook his hand with a firm grip “Inspector Chavan, nice to meet you.”

Aditya looked between Sai and Virat.

“Uh..woh..this is Virat..my..old friend !” She blurted, not wanting to announce her relationship status to everyone. She liked to keep things private.

Virat looked at her with questioning eyes.

Dr. Aditya cleared his throat “It was nice meeting you, I’ll take a leave now Dr. Sai. See you around..”

He left, leaving them alone. Sai walked Virat out. She could see he was a bit upset about what she said. She stopped him in front of his jeep and said

“Viruu..I want to keep things private for now..that’s all..”

He softened a bit at her words and nodded. He was about to go in, but she held his arm and stopped him again.

She leaned forward and pecked him on his lips, taking him by surprise.

“I love you..”

He pecked her twice and replied “Love you too…”

She waved him goodbye and left for her shift.

***

Sai had a long day at work. Unfortunately, an emergency came and her shift got elongated. She called her parents to tell them to not wait up for her.

It was late at night when she was walking in the corridor to get to her ward. She jumped at the first sound of thunder breaking out. She peeked through one of the windows and saw that it was pouring outside.

“Great…” she muttered under her breath.

She started walking to the ward, when she heard an odd sound and stopped again. She frowned, but decided to ignore it.

***

Virat was still at the station, but Sai was constantly on his mind. He was about to check up on her, but he was interrupted.

“Sir, there is an emergency ! We have to go now..” He heard, before leaving with the others in a jeep.

***

Sai finished up with her patient and walked out to get ready to head back home, but a scream stopped her in her track. She panicked and ran to find the source of the sound. She tried to take the elevator down, but the lights went off, making her yelp. She sat down, her heart ready to jump out of her chest. The “beep” of her pager made her jump. Her eyes widened in horror when she read “code red”.

It was too dark and the sound of heavy rain and thunder made her panic even more. “Viruu..” She whispered under her breath, as tears cascaded down her cheeks. Sai held onto her locket and closed her eyes. After a few minutes, she looked at her phone and saw a message.“There are intruders in the hospital. Please stay calm and find a place to hide…”

Sai started hyperventilating, fears resurfacing. She remembered her therapist’s strategies and found a way to calm herself down, never letting go of the pendant around her neck.

Just then, she heard a gun shot, making her whimper. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed. After a moment, she opened her eyes.

“No !” She whispered. “I can’t stay here and do nothing” The sudden surge of courage brought a new found determination in her.

“I have to help !”

She slowly got up, letting the light on her phone guide her to a window. She was about to dial Virat’s number, but sounds of footsteps made her retract. She hid behind a wall, her heartbeat picking up once more. Sai felt like she waited forever, before she could move again. When she saw the coast is clear, she pulled her phone out, but unfortunately the batteries were dead. “No..” She cursed, her eyes welling up again.

She looked around and saw that she was very close to her office. Suddenly, there was a ray of hope.

“Thank you bappa..”

She tip-toed to her office and made her way in, as silently as she could. She finally breathed a sigh of relief, holding in her sobs. She saw the power bank sitting on her desk and quickly grabbed it. Sai made sure no one was around before exiting her office.

She was about to leave from the fire escape to find help, but the cries of a baby halted her movement. She could hear her heart thumping in her ears.

“No..” She choked on a cry before bolting towards her save haven in the hospital. At the moment, nothing mattered more than protecting those innocent lives for Sai. She didn’t care for her own life, as she ran towards the maternity ward.

***

The police jeeps halted in front of the hospital, as heavy rain poured around them. Virat looked up and felt his heart sink “No !” he whispered, dread clear in his eyes. He rushed out of the jeep, not caring about anyone or anything. He ran to the main entrance, before being held back.

“Virat ! What are doing ?!” He heard from his superior.

“Sir ! I have to go in ! I ca..n’tt ! I..” He tried to get out of their hold, distraught.

“Inspector Chavan ! Calm down and wait for orders !” His superior said, sternly.

“Please sir ! Mera koi bohot khaas andar hai..I have to go !” He pleaded, desperately.

“Virat ! This is not the time to let emotions get in the way. We have to operate smartly. If you really care about the person in there, you will follow instruction” he heard, making him rethink his decision.

He stopped struggling and looked up “Please Sai..be okay..”

They finally let go of him and he stood there, helpless. They were soaked within seconds, but it didn’t matter because they were ready to put their everything to catch the intruders.

Virat tried calling Sai, but to no avail. He cursed under his breath, his hands shaking with anxiety.

“Kahan ho tum Sai…”

***

Sai made it to the maternity ward safely and cried watching the babies sleeping peacefully in their cradle. She leaned on the glass, putting her forehead to it, helpless.

Sai went in, closing the door behind her. She searched for everything she could find to barricade the door and make sure no one could come in. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much. She took what she could and put it in front of the door. The baby started crying again and she rushed there to calm him down. Sai gently picked him up from the cradle and rocked him. His cries turned into whimper, making her smile in relief through her teary gaze. She gently placed a peck on his forehead, before sitting down in front of the furniture she used to block the door. She leaned her head on it, closing her eyes, with the baby still in her arms, fast asleep.

She suddenly remembered the power bank and connected her phone to it. She waited a bit and right on cue, her phone opened.

Sai saw Virat’s multiple missed calls on her screen display, making her tear up. She caressed her screen with trembling fingers, dialling him up.

***

Some officers were given the green signal to infiltrate the hospital, while Virat waited impatiently.

“Sir please, let me go in too !” He said, anxiety hitting him up.

“Virat ! I need you for the next part of our plan..please remember my words and stay calm“

Virat closed his eyes, flashes from the past making him panic. “Please bappa, Sai ko strong rakhna..” He prayed.

Just then, his phone rang, making him snap out of his thoughts. “Sai” he whispered, his eyes widening in disbelief.

He immediately picked the call “HELLO ?! SAI !!? TUM THIK TO HO NAA !? SAI !!?” he said, unable to control himself.

“Viruu…” he heard her broken whisper from the other side, making his eyes well up.

“Saiii..please tell me you’re okay”

“Hmm..” She whispered, through her cries.

Virat felt like he could finally breathe after that small nod of reassurance from her side.

“Main yahin hun Sai..please stay strong ! Hum arahe hein…main araha hun…” he said, giving her strength.

“Please stay on the line with me” she said, vulnerable.

“Hey…listen up.. I’m not cutting this call until I find you okay !?”

“Okay..” she whispered, wiping her tears.

She got up to put the baby back in his cradle, not realizing that someone was lurking right outside of the ward.

She had just put the infant down, when she heard a loud knock on the door, making her scream. She crouched on the ground, her heart rate picking up.

Virat heard the ruckus and panicked “Sai ?! Are you okay Sai ?! Please Sai..SAY SOMETHING !!! PLEASE” he yelled in the phone, desperately.

She blocked her ears, shutting off the loud banging and any other sounds around her. “You’re okay Sai..you can do this Sai..you’re okay..you have to stay strong…” she chanted.

“EEEYYY..DARWAZA KHOL” the man on the other side threatened.

Virat lowered the phone, fear running through his veins.

“SHIT” he said, before bolting to the front entrance again.

However, he stopped, knowing he needed to think with a cool head.

***

The man kept banging on the door. Sai couldn’t ignore him longer. She remembered Virat on the other side of the line and picked her phone up “Viru” she said, as low as she could.

Virat’s face lit up as soon as he heard her tiny voice “Sai…I’m here..”

“He’s trying to get in” she said, in a trembling voice.

“I know..but please please stay down..protect yourself first..”

“I can’t” she said, sobbing.

“Sai ! NO ! WHAT DO YOU MEAN ?!” He said, holding his head.

“I’m with the babies..” she let out, closing her eyes as more tears marred her cheeks.

He closed his eyes simultaneously, his head tilted towards the sky as his tears mingled with the rain droplets.

“Sai..please ! Don’t do this ! Please..listen to me !” He said, desperately.

“I can’t lose you…please don’t !” He cried.

His pleas almost made her cry out loud, but she bit into her hand, keeping her sobs in.

Sai hung up on him, making him numb.

He fell to the ground, the pain in his heart, too hard to handle…

To be continued…