EK DIN
Ek din teri zindagi kisi aur ki ho jayegi aur tujhe pata bhi nahi chalega.
Om found him in the General Ward, after searching the entire floor of the VIP suites, where Anika's ICU cabin was. Rudra had already headed home with Dadi-ji and the others, though it had been hard to get any of them to agree to leave the hospital. But the women had all been here for more than 20 hours, and there was no change in Anika's status. Perhaps her luck had run out. Perhaps the God who watched over the innocents of the world had simply stopped watching over this one. This time the killer had found his victim. Alone, unprotected. The injuries had been brutal, it was a miracle that she wasn't dead, had survived long enough for Shivaay to bring her here to the ICU. But the bigger miracle--that she wake up from the attack-- that had not happened. And given the way the doctors were acting...
Rudra had done the responsible thing, for the first time in Oberoi family history. He had forced the women into his car and taken them home to rest. Everyone needed to rest.
But they had not found Shivaay. So rather than letting the women return to Anika's cabin, Rudra had left Om behind, and taken the ladies back with him. No one was expecting to take Shivaay with them, of course. He was still here in this hospital, his clothes still freely splashed with Anika's blood. They all knew it was not possible for him to leave her here. But the women had hoped, at least, to say goodbye. To tell Shivaay that they were praying for a miracle. To prepare him, in case that miracle didn't happen. But since Shivaay was missing, the women all went home, leaving him to Om. And after screaming his brother's name for what felt like hours, Om had found Shivaay here, in front of the little statue of Ganesh, out on the terrace in the General Ward.
Royegi wo aur aansu tere bahenge. Chot usse lagegi per dard tujhe hoga.
Shivaay turned to look up at him, his brilliant eyes red rimmed, his skin damp with sweat, as he stared up at Om. Red streaks of blood had darkened to a dirty rust, stark against his clammy white skin. A fear, too big for tears, had dried Shivaay's heart. He had tried, but there was nothing left to cry with. Om sank down next to Shivaay, his breath catching at the sight of his brother's frozen face and devastated eyes. And as if he had been waiting for Om, Shivaay turned into his brother's embrace, shoulders heaving. The tears now finally came. Om held him through the explosive grief, rocking Shivaay in his arms as the storm of pain ravaged Shivaay, stroking his back until the tears finally ceased. Om was himself struggling for control when, for the first time since they had bought Anika here, since the doctors had come out of surgery, shaking their heads, Shivaay spoke.
"Dard.." Shivaay whispered, rubbing frantically at his chest, right over his heart. "Om, I can't breathe. dam ghutne lage hai. Bohut dard ho raha hai, Om. But I can take it, Om. I can take it all. I can take more, as long as she doesn't have to, I can bear it for her, Om. Yaha pe aya hu. Yaha mandir hai na, so me yaha aya hu, to beg Ganesh-ji ke woh muje sari dard de de. Tu bhi bol de. Let me take it, let her live, let me bear the pain she is feeling. Dard muje de dene ke liye tu bhi bol de, yaar".
Hasi uski rukegi per dam...dam tera ghutega.
"Shivaay..." Om struggled to find the words. "Mera bhai...The doctors are saying there has been too much blood loss. Its been 20 hours, and use hosh nahi ayi. The wound is too close to the carotid artery, you have to be prepared for the chance that she wont..."
"No Om. Don't say it."Shaking his head, pushing his brother's restraining arm away, a frenzy came over Shivaay as he stood up, backing away from his brother, the mandir, his prayers. Away from his very sanity, perhaps.
"Don't you f**king dare say the words, Om. You know what? This is just not happening. This cannot be happening. I am Shivaay Singh Oberoi, dammit. She is... she is just a stupid, careless, silly girl. Everything was going to be fine Om. She knew what was happening between us. I needed time, that's all! I needed time, and she, she knew I was.. I was going to be there for her. It was all a mistake, I was going to be fine! She was supposed to be safe! I was not going to leave her alone, ever again. Why did she put herself in danger?Why did she go off alone, not telling me, not being careful, when she knew she was in danger?
She cannot do this to me, Om. I won't take it, do you hear me? You go tell her. I wont be destroyed by a mamuli girl who is too stupid to take care of herself for the few hours I left her alone!! It can't end with her leaving me, because of a small mistake, I made by not protecting her in time!! How dare she? I won't let it happen! It cannot happen because I won't...I won't go on breathing if she does this to me. How dare she not wake up, Om? How dare she try to leave me? How dare she go off, and get hurt? How dare she forget that she is mine? Doesn't she know that? Mine Om! Shivaay Singh Oberoi's! Then how can this happen?"
The sounds of a Code Blue call burst in the air, stopping Shivaay's words, stopping his very heartbeats. Doctors ran, Crash carts were wheeled by them. Somehow, they both knew it, right then. What Om had told Shivaay so many months back floated before them both, and they knew.
Aur us din duniya ki koi bhi takaat, koi bhi paisa, koi bhi naam tere kaam nahi aayega.
There was nothing more they could do. All the money, all the power, all the strength in the world was of no use to them now. Now would come the real test--and it was a test Shivaay could not fail, and still live. They both knew it when Shivaay collapsed before his brother, falling to his knees, his breaths coming in gasping, heaving pants. He would not survive her loss. Helplessly, Om watched as Shivaay's hand rubbed and rubbed against his heart, as his body contorted with a grief that was too big for his soul to contain.
Om turned to the smiling God sitting in the mandir before him.
In the distance, by her cabin, they could both hear the commotion. Blinking machines screamed warnings, doctors swarmed her bed. The brothers could not move. Om now faced the only takaat left to them, the only force that could do this miracle for them tonight. As Shivaay fell before the mandir, as his blood stained hands and ashen face bowed in desperate prayer, Om dully realized there was only one force left, who could give his brother his salvation. Only one power was left that could give his brother's soul the peace it craved, and Shivaay Singh Oberoi-- with his naam, paisa, khoon-- was not that power tonight. Bowing his head, his own tears tracking down his cheeks, Om folded his hands and sank down next to Shivaay.
And prayed.
Mr And Mrs Parshuram
