Chapter 85
Rishab reached forward to caress her face but her words I don't want anyone else touching me right now kept ringing in his ears. The words were said to Deepali but it felt like she had said them for him. Why wouldn't she? He... he was the one that failed her. He didn't get to her fast enough. It was because of him she was hurt. All because of him.
"Rishab Sir, Ms. Malik...the premises is secure. Sik... uh.. the accused party is secured in the other room. The doctor is here to tend to your wounds and conduct a check up." The Inspector informed them hesitantly. He was unsure how to handle this situation, it being so unique, considering both the parties involved, the victim and their families and the culprit were well-known personalities.
Sensing the tension the doctor crouched down beside Madhu and spoke up,"Hello Ms.Malik. I am Dr. Mehta. I would like to take a look at your wounds and bandage the same, if it is okay with you?"
Her reaction was immediate, she shivered at the thought. "No! I mean it's not that bad. I am trained in First Aid and can bandage myself." What she didn't say out loud but was loud enough for all to hear was that - I don't want anyone touching me.
The Inspector and Doctor moved away giving them space.
Rishab wasn't happy with her choice. His voice began to take on a warning tone. "Madhu."
She cut him off. "No, Rishab. It's my choice, and I want to heal in my own way. You can't fix everything just by willing it. Now tell me what happened."
He knew she was changing the subject and so badly wanted to argue. He looked as though he was about to continue arguing with her but with one fiery look he reconsidered. He could change her mind later. "I figured out that you were being held here and I came to look for you, to bring you back home safe and sound... (he got quiet, having his failure wash over him yet again) As we got close, I heard you yell my name. We ran to your room and he hand you on the bed."
His voice was so low from anger it was almost all vibrations. "He was on top of you taking about how he is the better choice. You were just lying there, staring at the ceiling. You didn't even respond when I yelled your name. I thought we were too late. I thought you were…"
He couldn't finish the sentence as if realizing what he'd said was too deep, too raw and too close to his emotions. He got himself under control before daring to continue. "I grabbed him off of you and threw him to the floor. I kicked the shit out of him and would have continued to do so if Adam didn't step in... and the thing is I don't feel bad. I wanted him dead, I couldn't think of anything else. My mind saw him as a threat and eliminated it."
"Human instincts.."
Both Madhu and Rishab looked over to see who had spoken, having forgotten Adam's presence in the room. Madhu still looked particularly confused so Adam took it upon himself to clarify.
"In your words - You saw him as a threat and eliminated it. Isn't that what every Tarzan does to protect his Jane? Human instict takes over and his need to protect and eliminate threats to his beloved overrides any rational thinking."
There wasn't really anything to say to that. Madhu looked at him for a moment before standing up, tightening the bed-sheet around her. She grabbed the clothes Deepali had handed her earlier. "I'm going to change."
"Not alone your not. I'm not letting you out of my sight. What were you doing alone in the first place? Mr. Malik and Maya sent you with the driver. There was no need to ask him to leave. Damnit, Madhu. What if we hadn't come? Do you know what could have happened to you? Do you want to die?"
His reaction had been immediate, without any thought. Her words had been the last straw and he just exploded all of his angers and fears rushing out.
"Stop it, Rishab." Her voice was low as if daring him to contest it.
He ignored her, he was already too worked up about it. He was angry with her for getting so stupid but really he was angrier with himself for not protecting her. "What were you thinking? First you say you love me. Then you go get engaged and God with Sikander too. And then disappear out of thin air and then I find you. But where and when? Why? Was it to spite me? Get even over Kapoor or Deepali or maybe you really are just that slow..."
She hit a breaking point.
"I said stop it. God, Rishab. Just stop it. You have no right to do that and no idea what happened. I screamed for you, I screamed and screamed. Where were you? Huh, were you with her (indicating Deepali) when he was slamming me against the wall? ….. I screamed and you never came."
She was in tears, big angry loud tears. She was on the verge of an emotional breakdown and abandonment. Wet hair clung to her flushed face and she angrily pushed it out of her eyes while she screamed at him. Now that the situation was over the magnitude of what almost happened and what did happen were finally hitting her. She couldn't keep it at bay by coddling Rishab anymore. Madhu couldn't deal with it, didn't want to. She wanted to shove it to the back of her mind and forget about the bruises and flashes it evoked but she couldn't, she had to deal with it.
He'd screwed up big time and he knew it. Watching the tears roll down her cheeks he understood he'd gone too far and that his chances of fixing it were low. He stepped closer to her reaching out; offering comfort. He could have tried words but words were what caused their problems. Words were insecure, untrue; and right now words with them were being said in anger, disbelief or in the heat of the moment. Actions and silent connections were what could hold them together, what could bring them back from their problems time and time again.
His hand touched her shoulder and she flinched away as if he'd hit her. Her words were reactionary. "Don't. Don't touch me, I can't take you touching me now."
He felt the knife shed stuck in his heart earlier, with the comments about Deepali and him not protecting her, turn. Yeah, the knife had just done a full 360. He stepped back as if he'd been burned, pulling the hand she'd shied from to his chest as if cradling it would heal his heart and alleviate the guilt of letting her get hurt.
She was in a similar position. She dug her nails into her palm, needing to remind her to feel again, needing something to remind her that he loved her. The tears were slowing as she managed to push everything behind a wall and seal it up, effectively turning off her emotions. She couldn't afford to be consumed right now.
Adam watched the two of them fight with anger, frustration, insecurities and guilt causing them to lash out right and left aiming to wound. It was hard to reconcile these two broken individuals with the once so in love beings they had been. But then again in the end all this anger, frustration, insecurities and guilt were the result of love. They were hurting each other on purpose, love and hate are merely two sides of the same coin. He supposed some people were bound together by gentle silver cords tying their souls into one and other while Rishab and Madhu were bound by flame and lightening. Fires that burn both in passion and hatred.
Adam watched as she rebuffed Rishab's overture at reconciliation. They had so much to learn, it made him almost happy that he had no partner at the moment to experience the emotional excesses they experienced.
*******
"Madhu is with me." Maya's grip on Mr. Malik's hand relaxed and she let out a shout of joy. Abby and Akash moved closer to hear the news. "Is she okay? Where is she? When are you bringing her home? Is she there? I just want to hear her voice." In her excitement, Maya babbled away, asking question after question, without giving Rishab time to answer. "Madhu... I am taking her home with me." "But.." Mr. Malik stopped Maya by laying a hand on her shoulder. "Okay Rishab. We will see you at your place later. When Madhu feels upto it we will take her home with us." Mr. Malik responded taking the phone away from Maya.
"But why will he take her to his home when she has a home of her own? What will people say?" Maya protested.
"Maya..." Mr. Malik placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her down, "they have lots to deal with right now. Before Madhu was kidnapped, they were taking steps to resolve their problems. They didn't have time to resolve those and now they have more issues to deal with."
"But people.." "No matter what, they will always say what they want to say. If we live our lives or force our children to live their lives according to what people say, they will never be happy. And what matters most is their happiness. Look at Adam and Abby, if they bothered about what people thought, they would not be happy, would they?"
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