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Part 36...
The ambulance and the two ETF cars zoomed towards the City Hospital. Riya drove the car while Arjun sat in the passenger seat, his eyes fixed on the back of the ambulance.
"He'll be alright" Riya whispered.
"I shot him" was all Arjun could say.
"Arjun, if you didn't, Sikander would have. And his shot would have killed Shree" Riya said the obvious. Arjun sighed and said nothing.
She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. His hands and clothes were still covered in blood, she knew most of it was Sikander's. As she remembered the raged Arjun in the forest, a shudder passed through her. She took a deep breath and pushed that memory to the back of her mind, hoping that she'd never see him like that ever again.
Riya took a good look at Arjun and stopped the car at the side of the road.
"What are you doing??" Arjun asked as the car came to a halt.
"You should wash all the...blood off, before going to the hospital. People will freak out" Riya said, grabbing a water bottle from the back seat and handing it to him. Arjun quickly took the bottle and got off the car splashing the water onto his face and arms. Arjun's phone which he left in the car started to ring, it was Rathore calling, so Riya picked it up.
"Hello sir"
"Riya tum log rukh kyun gaye?" he asked. Riya could see Rathore's SUV slowing down some distance before them.
"Sir, Arjun is washing his face...toh...aap ambulance ke saath chele jaayiye hum bas aa rahe hain" she informed him.
"Accha thik hain. Oh and Tanvi ka call aaya, aunty and uncle reached hospital a while back. Sab wahi hain abhi..."
"Okay sir, hum bhi aa rahe hain" Riya spoke and cut the call as Arjun sat down in the car.
"Maa aur papa hospital pahunch gaye" she informed him and started to steer the vehicle onto the road.
Arjun nodded and spoke, "Mein drive karoon? You look tired"
"Who isn't? It's okay, I'll drive" Riya said.
A few minutes into the drive Arjun called his dad,
"Arjun?! Beta tum thik ho?" Mr Rawte spoke before Arjun could even say hello.
"Main thik hoon papa. Anu kaisi hain? Doctors ne kuch kaha?" Arjun asked, fatigue obvious in his voice.
"Haan woh keh rahe the ki ab woh stable hain, we are waiting for her to gain conscious"
Irritation boiled in Arjun, "That's the only thing I have been hearing since she was admitted in the hospital papa! Aap doctor ko phone dijiye main baat kartha hoon..."
"Arjun hum sab hain na yeha pe sambhalne ke liya, tum bas ab wapas aa jao beta" his father's voice cracked as he spoke.
Arjun rested his head against the seat and shut his eyes tight. Gulping down the bile that was raising in his throat he tried to speak, "aa rahe hain"
"Aur...aur Sikander?" his father asked in an almost whisper.
"Uss ka naam phir kabhi math lee jiye papa! He's gone from our lives forever" Arjun spoke through clenched teeth but relaxed when he heard his father's sigh of relief and a plea to come as soon as they can.
The rest of the drive went silently except for a couple of exchanges between Arjun and Riya. Half way through the drive Arjun took over driving.
~oOo~
Riya lay her head against the window and snoozed off as fatigue took over. When Arjun woke her up about twenty minutes later it felt like she has been sleeping for hours and yet she needed more sleep. She looked around groggily as Arjun cupped the side of her face and gently made her look at him,
"Tum thik ho?" he asked.
"Haan bas ankh lag gayi...Shree??" She asked looking for the ambulance.
"Usse andar leke gaye hain..." he replied and added eyeing a cut on her upper hand, "...you should get this stiched"
As if waiting for Arjun to notice it, the cut started to sting. Riya winced looking down at her wound and nodded.
Both slowly made their way through the corridors of the hospital till they reached the ICU area. A small group of people were gathered there. Tanvi, Rathore and Chotu were already there, and so were Shree's parents and Arjun's parents. Rathore or Chotu must have informed Shree's parents, Riya assumed.
As she stood there looking at them, Arjun took few steps ahead of Riya. As soon as his father saw him, he enveloped Arjun into a hug. After holding his father for a few minutes, Arjun moved to his mother who was sitting in one of the chairs, she looked tired and anxious. As her son kneeled in front of her, taking her hands into his, her eyes filled with tears.
Arjun lay his head on her lap, when she spoke, "Sorry beta. Phone pe jo bhi kaha...mera matlab woh..."
"Maa please...mujhe maalum hain. Aur Anu ko kuch nahi hoga...kuch nahi hoga usse" Arjun assured her, all the while hoping his words would come true.
He then turned to Shree's parents who were standing a few feet away with Rathore and Chotu, who were trying to comfort them. He slowly walked to them dragging his tired feet along. He wasn't sure what to say to them, he just shot their already wounded son - although that act may have saved his life, it has also put his life in danger.
"Main aapse maafi maangna...woh...jo haalat the, meine wohi kiya jo mujhe thik...mujhe maaf kardijiye, main..." Arjun struggled for words.
Shree's father patted Arjun's shoulder lightly before walking away and took a seat on the chairs lined against the wall. Shree's mother though looked at Arjun with utmost anger and disgust before turning away from him and joined her husband.
Arjun sighed, his shoulders slumped as he walked back to his parents. Once there he saw that Riya was still standing where he'd left her, awkwardly and away from the rest. Slowly, grabbing her hand he was about to lead her to his parents but his eye caught the attention of the cut on her arm. Deciding that needs immediate attention he took her to a nurse instead.
Once Riya got her cut stitched up she walked out to find Arjun at the end of the long corridor where there was a huge window overlooking the city. Arjun stood looking outside at the darkness that was engulfing the city. He felt a soft, warm hand touch his shoulder before he felt her lean into him. he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and let out a deep breath.
Yeh hosla kaise juke,
Yeh aarzoo kaise ruke
Manzil muskil to kya,
Bundla sahil to kya,
Tanha ye dil to Kya...
They did not speak. The silence was soothing and just what they needed after the chaotic past few hours. Arjun found himself in a familiar situation again, one he hoped he'll never have to face and dreaded. It was a day similar to today all those years back when he sat in a hospital waiting for the news of his wife. The news he got though, became the worst nightmare of his life.
Raah pe kante bikhre agar,
Uspe to phir bhi chalna hi hai,
Shaam chupale suraj magar,
Raat ko ek din dhalana hi hai,
Rut ye tal jayegi,
Himmat rang layegi,
Subha phir aayegi...
Riya's soft touch and the warm embrace made him look at her. She slowly nuzzled her face into his neck and stayed in his arms for what felt like hours. With every passing second, Arjun felt his heart calmer.
As a new day broke and its warm, golden sunrays fell on them, Chotu came running to them,
"Sir... woh Anu..."
A teaser for next chapter - four posts below!
Riya was about to go outside when the door opened and in came Arjun. He quickly closed the door behind him and to Riya's surprise locked it.
"Arjun what are you doing?? Lock kyun kiya?" Riya started to walk towards the door but Arjun stopped her.
"Riya main…" Arjun started saying wrapping his arms around her waist only to be cut off by her.
"Arjun, door lock kiya…maa baahar hain, kya sochengi woh? Please, Arjun…." Riya struggled in his strong hold.
"Chup!!" Arjun said, a bit louder than he meant to and effectively silencing her.
Riya looked at him for a few seconds with wide eyes before he spoke again,
"Chup chap khadi raho!"
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