FF: Unloved (Complete) - Page 75

After Rudra's operation had been completed he was moved to a separate room. The doctors and nurses already knew to take extra care of him because he was the BSD General's son. Dilsher had made sure Rudra had a private room, and being the BSD General, he would have his way, especially when it came to his son. The head doctor spoke with Dilsher, Mala, and Parvati after he came out of the Operating Theatre. The operation was successful and the bullet was safely removed. The bleeding was also tended to, and shouldn't reopen as long as Rudra didn't exert himself the next few weeks. There was no serious damage, but he will need time to heal. He had been heavily sedated but will wake up. All in all, Officer Rudra Pratap Ranawat was going to be okay. It was only a matter of time.

Once Rudra had been moved to his private room, Mala and Dilsher had gone to the room to wait for the moment their son awoke. Parvati, on the other hand, went to the small mandir in the ward and thanked Bholenath for saving her husband and hoping that he would wake up soon to put her mind at ease. She recalled how he had momentarily died in front of her. She remembered how she felt the lack of warmth as she held his hand. It made her shudder as she remembered feeling the life leave her as well. However, Rudra was going to be okay. He just needed to wake up first.

~

Twelve hours had gone by, but Rudra had not woken up. Mala and Dilsher had remained by their son's bedside. Parvati was in and out of the room, checking on him and praying for him to wake up. Nurses came in and out to check on him, monitoring his health and injecting medicines into his IV. Every hour that went by only increased the restlessness between the trio. None of them dare to go home, fearing that something would happen the minute they left.

The sun had finally risen, and with a new day there was a new hope. As the rays of the sun came through the window and touched his face, Rudra sensed the light and groaned.

The sound of his voice caused Dilsher and Mala to spring up from their seats like daisies. They rushed to either side of the bed and leaned over their son.

"Rudra," Dilsher spoke.

"Rudra beta," Mala choked through tears.

Again, he groaned. Rudra turned his head away from the light as he began to regain consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes. Careful as to not directly stare at the sun's rays, he blinked a few times to bring his surroundings into focus. As he did, the vision of his parents on either side of him became clear. He watched as they both let out a sigh of relief while he tried to figure out where he was and what was going on. Realizing that he was in the BSD General Ward, Rudra looked back and forth between his parents.

"Rudra," Mala said as she wiped the corners of her eyes. "Thank goodness you're okay."

As he tried to sit up properly, Rudra felt a surge of pain shoot through him. He hissed as he placed a hand on his chest. Dilsher moved forward and helped him sit up properly.

"Easy there," Dilsher said once Rudra was sitting up right. "You were shot. It's going to hurt for awhile."

Rudra looked down at himself. He was shirtless. There was a huge bandage wrapped around his chest and left arm near his shoulder, with gauze securely placed on one side. He tried moving his arm, only to have pain shoot through him again. He closed his eyes and groaned; it felt like he was being electrocuted. As the throbbing subsided, Rudra opened his eyes again. He looked at his mother, then father before looking around the room. He frowned.

In a raspy voice, he questioned them both, "Paro?"

"Parvati is okay," Mala assured him as she moved his hair from his face. "She'll be here soon."

Rudra shook his head. He didn't want her here soon'. He wanted Parvati here with him, now. Knowing that he was on the verge of dying, he felt that he needed to see her, hold her, assure her that he was okay. He knew that she would be worried, and Rudra needed to make sure that she was okay too.

He looked at his mother, his eyes pleaded as he said, "No. I need to see her now."

"I will go get her."

Mala knew his stubbornness. As long as Parvati wasn't with him, Rudra wouldn't answer any questions or speak to anyone else. She left the room and went to get Parvati, leaving Dilsher alone with Rudra. As his bapu-sa asked him what had happened, Rudra told him the events that led to the sudden shootout, resulting in him being shot. Just as he had finished narrating the events, the doctor walked in to examine Rudra.

~

Parvati stood with her hands folded in front of the small mandir. Her eyes remained closed as her mind was only focused on praying for Rudra to wake up. Other strangers and officers passed by and noticed her. She was still dressed in her Karva Chauth outfit: her red sari and gold blouse. With her gold choker, long pearl necklace, and dozens of bangles, she looked nothing less than an aristocrat straight out of Sanjay Lee Bhansali's film, Devdas. Random bystanders saw her, but didn't say anything, simply gazed at the troubled beauty before them. They saw how she was so devoted to her prayers, and some of them hoped that whatever she was asking the deity for would be given to her.

Mala had found Parvati in this position. She sighed happily knowing that her bahu would be happy hearing that her prayers had been answered. She came to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. Parvati opened her eyes and looked at her maa-sa hopefully.

"He's awake," Mala said. "And he's asking for you."

Parvati smiled. She bowed her head to Bholenath's statue before running to Rudra's room. Nothing would stop her from getting to her Rudra.

~

"Everything looks good," the doctor concluded after examining Rudra. "But you will have to stay off duty until the wound has fully healed."

Hearing this, Rudra groaned inwardly. He loved working in the BSD and wanted to get back to work as soon as possible. Learning that he would have to take a back seat for awhile did not please him in any way. He rubbed his face with his hand before roughly dropping it back to his side.

Dilsher, who had been standing to the side with his arms crossed against his chest, smirked seeing the irritated look on his son's face and said, "It's doctor's orders. You don't need to reopen your wounds and make them worse. I'll make sure you take it easy until you're completely better."

"Fine," Rudra grumbled under his breath.

The doctor nodded, "I will send in a nurse with some food and medicine. Make sure you take it. We're going to keep you here for observation for a few days, as standard procedure. You're also going to need plenty of rest, so I suggest not too many visitors."

Rudra and Dilsher both nodded.

"General Ranawat, when you have a minute, I would like you to sign some forms. It's just a formality."

Dilsher nodded once more. As the doctor left, he turned back to his son, who ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He knew that Rudra did not like being inactive. He was just like his father, always on the go, never wanting to take a moment to rest. This was not going to be a relaxing time for him. If anything, Rudra was going to be more anxious than ever to heal and return to duty. He watched as his son looked at the door, his gaze softening as his eyes began searching. Dilsher smiled knowing all too well who Rudra was looking for.

"Relax," he said. "She'll be here soon."

Rudra looked at his father as he realized he was staring at the door like a lost puppy. He looked down at his lap in embarrassment as Dilsher let out a soft chuckle.

He patted his son's head, "I'm going to go fill out the paperwork."

"You don't need to pat my head like a child," Rudra laughed.

"I will always pat your head. You are my son above everything else."

Rudra looked at Dilsher. Neither of them were ever vocal about their feelings for each other, but both of them knew the love that was there between them. Seeing his son fighting for his life made Dilsher emotional. He knew that being with Rudra a BSD officer his life was on the line, but knowing that he almost lost his son had the ability to constrict his heart. That simple pat on the head was his way of saying that he loved him and was glad that he was safe. Both of them understood that. Dilsher gave a half-smile before leaving the room to deal with the formalities.

Rudra looked down at his chest. He tried to move his arm again, but stopped as he could feel a dull ache growing. He closed his eyes as tried to come to terms with the fact that he was going to be off duty for awhile. Then, he thanked his lucky stars that he survived.

He was so busy in his thoughts that he didn't hear the creaking of the door open. It wasn't until he heard the soft chiming of anklets and bangles that Rudra opened his eyes. The air changed around him. He didn't even need to look up to know who it was, his rapidly beating heart already told him who had just entered the room. As Rudra looked up, his eyes widened as he saw Parvati standing by the door, tears pooling in her eyes. It felt like years since he had last seen her. It wasn't long ago when he thought he would never see her again. Now that she was before him, Rudra wondered if he had died and gone to heaven. She looked breathtakingly beautiful. He drank in her appearance as Parvati took in his.

Finally, she spoke in a barely audible whisper, "Rudra..."

"Paro," he said softly as he extended his uninjured arm out to her.

And that was when the dam broke. Parvati let out a sob as she rushed over, sat on the edge of the bed, and embraced him. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, pulling Rudra against her as she sobbed against his shoulder, thankful that he was safe. Parvati felt herself able to breathe again. He radiated the usual warmth, which she know greedily took in. She raked her fingers through his hair, basking in the feeling of being in the arms of the one she loved, the one she had almost lost hours ago. Parvati knew this is where she was meant to be.

Rudra wrapped the arm that wasn't hurting around her waist tightly, pulling her as close to him as he possibly could, leaving no space between them. He nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck, breathing in the fragrance that was specifically and uniquely his Paro. He closed his eyes and took in all the tenderness and affection she had to offer. He had the love of his life in his arms; he didn't need anything else. This was where Rudra was meant to be. This was home.

**********

Awww...that is the end of this update! I love Parud. Anyways, let me know what you think by leaving your comments and feedback below.

Next update: All Parud!

Thanks for reading!