Anubav stood there watching BP lecturing him as usual, he was there, but he could only see his lips moving, what he was saying he could not hear...
The man was still blaming him for his divorce with Akriti, but Anubav had enough of his tantrums, he was about to leave when he heard a thud behind him.
Badi Maa screamed and the whole family got up in slow motion.
Anubav was anaesthetised from their madness, so he didn't immediately understand what was going on before his eyes.
The old man held his chest and struggled to breathe. He heard his uncle Golu calling for an ambulance, still in slow motion, he watched as Yug held his mother in his arms, but he said nothing.
"Anu, shouted his father. Do something."
What could he do? He reached out and positioned BP in a way that made it easier for him to breathe.
The old man finally passed out when the paramedics arrived. He followed his father and uncle. He felt his phone ringing, but did not answer it.
They arrived at the hospital, waiting to hear from the doctor. His uncle was crying, he would have liked to be sad, but for a while he had come to hate the old man. His father put a hand on his shoulder.
"Can you take care of the admission papers?"
He nodded his agreement, on the way to the reception, he felt his phone vibrate again. He answered without looking at the name.
"Yes?"
"Anubav..."
He sighed... He didn't want to hear that voice again in his life. He gritted his teeth and listened to her.
"I'm sorry..."
"What are you really sorry about?"
"Everything!"
Anubav laughed derisively. He wanted to hang up on her, but he was too well brought up to do so, so he let the void fill the conversation. After a few minutes, losing patience, he finally told her he was busy and hung up.
After filling out the paperwork, he called the one he needed.
"Anubav? Are you okay?"
"No..."
"What's going on?" asked Gungun.
"BP had a heart attack."
Gungun made a sound of surprise. He knew she had to remember her father's death, he would have liked to spare her, but he couldn't find anyone better to support him.
"Which hospital are you in?"
"Your father's."
"I'll be right there."
"No, could you please come by the house? Things are going to be difficult for them. I'll give you an update."
"Are you sure I can go?"
He would have liked to tell her whoever was stopping him from going to the house was currently between life and death, but that would have been cruel of him.
"Yes, he replied simply."
An hour later the doctors came to inform them that he had managed to stabilise BP's condition, but that nothing was certain for the next few days.
Anubav's father asked him to return with Golu who was inconsolable. Anubav promised to return after calming down the situation at home. His father just asked him to inform him by phone, and as soon as there was any news he would do the same.
When he arrived at the K-house, he found all the women crying and Gungun trying to feed Badi Maa, but she seemed to be in another world. She was not crying, not saying a word. Yug was pacing back and forth, Neeti was crying silently, and his own mother was busy feeding the other family members, occasionally wiping away a few tears.
The first person to see him was Gungun, who jumped to her feet, causing the others to react. Questions came from all sides.
The only thing he could tell them was that the doctors would do their best to save him.
Badi Maa had no reaction and this finally started to worry Anubav.
He sat down beside her and took her hand. He squeezed it waiting for a reaction from her. A few minutes later, she put her head on his shoulder and began to cry silently.
He knew that Badi Maa had a special bond with him, he should have reacted faster, but too much was going through his mind.
He felt Gungun's hand on his knee, another hand on his shoulder, gradually everyone surrounded him as a block. One whole. Khushi and Ankit were behind Gungun to include him.
He could finally sigh and let himself be overwhelmed.
He didn't know how much time passed, but little by little everyone drew strength from each other as if they were preparing for something.
Days passed, he had to take a leave of absence from work, which would come to Akriti's ears, she eventually came to their house, but no one was paying attention to her. She didn't know it, but when you're in the family, they'll include you, but as soon as you leave the family, the person doesn't exist anymore. That was what Gungun had experienced, but now no one seemed to want to part with her.
Her compassionate heart kept them on their feet. She never left them alone. She slept with Badi Maa, who had finally let go of Anubav to take Gungun as her support.
It was on this scene that Akriti returned to their home, with her usual air. She began by saying that she had heard the news, why no one had told her, she asked what she could do and especially how to go to BP.
Anubav answered with little sentences, he noticed how she looked at Gungun and it did not please him, but he did not want to make a scene. But eventually he told her to leave them and that if there was any news he would message her. She was about to say something, but changed her mind.
Anubav's father was beginning to show signs of fatigue so Yug took his place, and a few hours later he called him and said only one word, "finished". Anubav finally understood what he meant.
He looked back at his family and shook his head.
Badi Maa had no reaction as usual, but the others cried, he was inconsolable. But that is how it is, you are born and then you die.
Gungun looked at him with sad eyes, tears in the corners of his eyes. But he felt absolutely nothing. He was sad when he thought of the man who had been BP before this whole thing, but the last three months had been so complicated that their relationship had gradually cracked.
The rituals had gone very well, his father had to be strong, now he was the one in charge of the family. He had told Anubav his doubts about this, he finally understood that BP had held the whole family hostage by not leaving a place in the family's decisions and it broke his heart to see his father so confused.
But what was even worse was that Badi Maa refused to speak, she has not spoken for over two weeks. The doctor told them that this was due to shock, so they had to give her time to recover from her trauma.
After a month, the mourning period ended. The only thing that changed was that he did not have to go to Gungun's house before going home, it was his house. It was not the entrance he had envisaged, but for the moment it was enough.
When Badi Maa got better, they would do things better and he thought that now everything would be better.
He had lost a member of their family, but his family will recover from this loss and life will go on.
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