Shivika SS: Ties that Bind ~22.3~ LAST PART + EPILOGUE pg 10 - Page 2

Rudra paced the corridor outside Shivaay's room. Om stepped out, gingerly closing the door.

"O... OMG Bhaiyya can't remember Bhabhi??! And we don't know where she is !!!" Rudra was beside himself in horror. "Veer had taken Bhabhi, and Bhaiyya had gone with the cops when they got her location. That much we know. But after that horrible encounter with the mob, only Bhaiyya was found. Shouldn't we be searching there for Bhabhi, in case she was hurt as badly as him? Oh God.."

"I just spoke with Commisioner Khan, he's sending a forensic psychiatrist to speak with Shivaay, to try and see what he can elicit in way of clues as to what happen to them both. Police are already scouring the place in search of Bhabhi. Veer is still on the run, so she's not out of the woods safe yet."

"O, if Bhaiyya was aware, he would be so upset and angry right now..." Rudra spoke of irony, watching his badly injured brother asleep through the window.

"We'll find her for him, don't worry, once she's back it'll all come back to him. We have to get her back. I just hope Veer doesn't get to her first."

***

Late into the night he felt a soft hand touch his face.

"Shivaay..." a beautiful female voice called out to him, but he couldn't wake up. She wept over him, he could feel kisses all over his face. The pain in his head ceased somewhat, as he grasped for more of her words. Surely she was a dream, a beautiful dream.

"I'm so glad you're alright Shivaay. Please get well soon. I love you..." she cried too much, the beautiful voice, he wondered why. But he couldn't move his hands to comfort her, had to be content with her warm presence in this dream.

He woke up to cheery sunlight in the morning, feeling like he'd slept well after such a long time. The machines beeped in a calm assuring manner as he found the room empty. So the beautiful voice was a dream. He loved the way she spoke his name. Was she someone he was in a relationship with?

The door opened and a strikingly attractive woman walked to his side with a sunny smile. He watched her in rapt attention as she fussed over his things and pillows. His eyebrows shot up when she took liberties to combing his hair just the way he usually did it. But he just let her, for some reason.

"Good morning SSO !" she drawled with a smile, "I got you nicely cleaned up, didn't I. Now you're looking spiffy again like you always do", she winked and he couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you ... Nurse?" he replied tentatively, reading her face for reaction. Her face froze for a second, uncertainty marring her pretty face, before sheepishly laughing it off. "You and your jokes! This is not the time for cheapde thoughts ok!", she giggled.

Cheapde? How is it that he understood such a weird term?

"Um, May I know when the doctors will arrive? I'd really like to be discharged home today. I can't sleep in this place." He watched her face fall, the shattered look in her eyes scared him a little, he felt horrified that he had offended such a caring person.

"Look, I meant no offense.. See, I seem to have lost some memories and I have patches of things I don't remember so please don't be upset. " he pleaded earnestly as he watched the beautiful stranger's eyes flood with tears.

Her voice broke with her sobs, and he couldn't make out what she was telling him, suddenly she was getting up and leaving, and he tried his best , unable to stop her. She rushed out of the room as he protested, the sudden wake of silence after her departure deafening.

Who was she? Why was she so upset with him?

Barely minutes later, Rudy walked in and Shivaay made him run out and find the crying girl who just ran out, hoping for resolution of the mystery, but she was gone.

***

"Mr. Oberoi, I am Dr. Sinha. I am a psychiatrist, do you mind if we have a chat?"

Shivaay, who had a great trust in doctors, welcomed the man to a seat, hoping he could trigger something to fill all those empty holes in his memory.

They chatted about his childhood, his brothers, his university life, his family, his profession. He remembers being engaged to Tia for the longest time, but can't remember them ever getting married. A pounding headache began as soon as the topic started. Waves of sickness and blinding light in his head.

The psychiatrist backed out of the topic. Tried asking about the night he got injured. As to which he remembered nothing. Absolutely zero. The session had to be called off when Shivaay started throwing up with the severity of the headaches he was experiencing. Dr. Sinha cut short his meeting and left.

Meeting Om and Rudra, he spoke gravely, " I'm afraid your brother is in so much trauma over what happened with his wife that night, he seems to have consciously blanked out that portion of memory. It's all there, it gives him massive migraines when he tries to recall."

"But he's the only one who would know where we can find our Bhabhi...!" Rudra said anxiously.

"I know, but he's not well himself, and I cannot risk his wellbeing for information at this moment. We'll have to find other leads. I'm sorry," Dr. Sinha shook his head thoughtfully.

***

After 2 weeks in recuperation, Shivaay was getting anxious to get discharged to get home. He couldn't shake that feeling, that he was forgetting something important. He got tired of asking himself what it was. He tried getting back into his routine for some normalcy.

Lost some memories, my foot. Felt like large puzzle pieces were missing. He seems to have forgotten than Om was married to Gauri and Rudy was about to be married to a policewoman named Bhavya. His head started to hurt something fierce whenever he tried to recall things, that he started consciously avoiding it. The whole idea of imperfection in his memories was annoying him. He prided in never forgetting things.

OmRu have been trying hard to fill in the blanks for him but his headaches were unbearable that he had to tell them to stop as he couldn't, he just couldn't. Doctors told everyone to take things slow.

He really needed to get out of this hospital.

For what reason he had no idea. He just needed to get somewhere.

Where? He didn't know.

***

One month later , he walked into his offices with Khanna, eager to get back to form. It was a good morning, he jumped right back into the seamless routine at work, feeling normal again. Home never felt like home, that unnamed restlessness hounded him everywhere.

And then suddenly during a coffee break, he felt his heart pick up pace for no good reason. He got up and opened the door to his reception area and saw her.

That beautiful crying woman from the hospital, who ran away. She locked eyes with him, it felt like the whole place was staring at the two of them. It became awkward, and he dismissed all of them. She was led into his office, to his surprise she had come to meet him after all.

She was dressed in yellow, and she looked so enchantingly pretty. He stamped down his boyish eagerness and offered her refreshments to which she silently refused.

She was nervous. Why ?

"Hi, we need to introduce ourselves here, before you run out on me again. Hi, I am Shivaay Singh Oberoi, and you are?" he asked a tad too forwardly.

"Annika." she said simply.

"Annika, ...?" He echoed. He loved the way her name just rolled off his tongue with familiarity, like he'd said a thousand times.

"Sirf Annika..." and a million questions burned his mind clamouring for answers. His head started pounding mildly, a sign of impending migraine.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Oberoi. I shouldn't intrude on your busy day. But I am the caretaker of an orphanage that you own, Hope Orphanage. You have given us a large amount of funds and we are obliged to give you regular reports as to our activities."

He was taken aback with the formality in her voice, like she was keeping it strictly business. But his headache faded away, and his curiosity was piqued. He invited, and she gave a short presentation as to how the funds were used.

He pledged a raise in between, suggested improvements to the facility, simply to see her eyes light up and a smile break the seriousness that didn't seem to suit her somehow.

He handed her a glass of water and as she took it, he felt the instinct to duck at the same time. An involuntary giggle erupted from her, escalating into a full scale laugh. Her eyes teared as she laughed, and he found himself grinning for no reason at all.

Lord, she's beautiful. But who is she?

Voice tinged with laughter, he offered coffee.

"Black , Sairabano..." she said with a smile.

He nodded, and pressed his com button, asking for two Americanos. He missed the look of utter incredulity on her face.

"So do you have the accounts with you, would you like my accountants to have a look for tax relief purposes?" She nodded and handed her handwritten ledgers, nervously watching him expertly spot all the arithmetic mistakes.

If he noticed the mistakes, he didn't mention them. He added the missing zeroes and somehow found the funds matching and balanced.

Annika watched her most beloved husband's serious work face, still covering up for her despite not recalling her at all. She was dangerously close to tears again, and got up abruptly to leave.

Evidently , the road back to each other was going to take longer than anticipated. She'd taken a risk and come out today. She had made Khanna promise not to tell anyone she came to meet him. She didn't want to force herself upon Shivaay as the wife he didn't remember.

He instinctually feels her , it'll all come back eventually. Those headaches worried her, if she told him the truth, he'd fall ill trying to remember it all.

No, this is better. She had to be patient. Plus she was still hiding from Veer Pratap Chauhan, who was at large. She had double reason to remain hidden. Shivaay was not all healed yet, and she...

When she got up abruptly, he was surprised that she was leaving so soon. Her heart broke with the disappointment in his eyes. He loved her a lot, she knew, but with the memories missing she can't just fly into his arms could she?

Patience Annika... You must be patient, at least for the baby growing in you.

Fresh flood of tears threatened to spill out, when his melting green eyes met hers.

He loves me, he doesn't remember it right now.

For you, Shivaay, I will continue to visit you as an employee until you find all the pieces again...

She said abrupt thank yous and made to leave.

"Will you come next week?" he quickly interjected, unwilling to see her go. She smiled to herself, These small signs will keep me going, and turned.

"Should I come by every Wednesday morning then?"

"Yes, Please..." he said softly.

And he watched the beautiful, smiling but sad woman leave again.

to be continued... Part 3

p/s: I will update Avoidance Waltz...🤗