Armaan stood like a frozen statue in the OPED corridor. He was numbed to the bone and totally unaware of the chaos around him. He could hear distant voices ' of nurses , the new interns , Dr.Shashank , maybe Padma also . He was not sure at all and he could barely register anything. A few seconds ago Sue had pulled him by his collar , asked him questions but he doesn't remember what she was saying . He only faintly remembered tears streaming down her cheeks and she was screaming at him'.
But Armaan was lifeless right now. He could only see the blood on his hand , his right arm , his collar , his cheek. He could only hear a screaming Riddhima running towards the parapet as , he could only hear Sid's scream for help as his hand slipped out of Armaan's hand and he fell of the terrace. With a pounding heart , Armaan pushed Riddhima aside and ran down the Sanjivani building blindly screaming for wardboys , screaming for help. Ridhhima's heart wrenching scream of "Siddhanth!" slicing through Armaan's ears and his heart , Armaan reached the groundfloor. Sid was being rushed to emergency already and Armaan had leaped to him to check his pulse. He wanted to make sure that Sid's pulse was running , his heart was beating. Armaan , totally numb and only feeling Sid's heartbeat had attended to Sid in emergency as a frantic Dr.Keerti immediately called Dr.Shashank to emergency. Sid had to be operated upon immediately.
As Armaan attended to Sid , Riddhima had come rushing and pulled his hands off Siddhanth with such an icy glare in her tearful eyes that Armaan had frozen on the spot. But Armaan was not concerned about what Riddhima was thinking of him now , he was still stuck in the moment where he had innocently and unconsciously snatched Sid away from Riddhima.
As Armaan, coloured and stained in Sid's blood had stepped out of emergency and seen Dr.Shashank run into the same room, he had only remembered Sid. Armaan was leaving Sanjivani , bitter with Riddhima and betrayed by Sid and Sid had come to stop him. Armaan didn't hate him but he was hurt and Sid pleading with him , pacifying him was only irritating him. Sid was explaining himself and Armaan was only getting more furious. And the last words that he had heard from Sid echoed in his ears '
Sid- Armaan , please listen to me'.
Sid had been sitting next to him on the parapet wall and he had held Armaan's arm to stop him and in one impulsive moment he had yanked off his arm and IN THAT ONE UNFORTUNATE MOMENT, they all had come so close to losing Sid''
And now, Armaan was standing outside the OPED like a ragdoll. He was not in sync with what was happening around him. Yuvi, Naina, JP, Jiggy, Sue , Dr.Keerti were sitting around with tearful eyes and pounding hearts. Nobody had asked him anything ' they all were at panic buttons right now. Armaan's eyes searched for Riddhima who was told by Dr. Shashank to leave the OPED as she was not in a state to even touch Sid , forget assisting his surgery. Armaan took a few steps that seemed too much of an effort and then , he saw her. Riddhima was lying slumped on a bench on the corridor ' her eyes at the ceiling , tears rolling down her cheeks and absolutely quiet''
Armaan wanted to go and comfort her but what will he say to her? She must be thinking that he deliberately pushed Sid off the parapet wall. But he could not see her in that state. He took a step towards her'
Armaan ( wavering voice )- R-Riddh..Riddhima'
Riddhima ( still looking at the ceiling )- Sid is going to be okay, right? 'He will not leave me '.( turns her swollen eyes towards Armaan)'I know' I know you' you didn't do anything deliberately' but' ( voice cracks )' but please tell me he will ' he will come back to me.
Armaan looked at her stunned and he felt a lurch in his heart. He remembered his moments with Sid 'Riddz ever since he came back ' meeting Riddhima in Pune, her running away , his liking and attachment to Sid , the slipping away of Riddhima and the slipping away of Sid, the hurt , the anger and Riddhima calling Sid her husband, Riddhima fighting with him for Sid , Armaan holding anger against Sid and Riddhima.Tears roll down Armaan's cheeks as he looks at his hand again , Sid's blood had dried on him now'..Armaan walks up to Riddhima and looks down at her , keeping a reassuring hand on her shoulder'
Armaan ( surprised at his own tears )- Sid is not going anywhere , Riddhima'..( gulps a lump down his throat)'.He taught you to live when I was not around, isn't that what you always tell me?....Then , how can he leave you to die again? Don't even think about it'
Riddhima ( anxiously )- You... you don't want Sid to...
Armaan ( cutting her short with stung sentiment)- NO! NO!....I... how can you...I want Sid to ... to LIVE for you... for himself.... for... for me.....
Riddhima's face cracks into sobs and Armaan doesn't know how to comfort her'.Just then , Dr.Shashank comes out of the OPED and Riddhima runs to him even before anyone else can react. Armaan stands up with wobbly feet'
Armaan ( pleading within)- Please' please' tell me he is okay! Tell me he is fine! Tell me that I will see him looking at me again. Tell me Riddhima will see him again. .....Don't fail me Sid , please! ....Don't give up on me....don't give up on me.
Riddhima ( clinging to her father hysterically )- Papa! ' Papa!.... ( her tears not stopping and Dr.Keerti and Naina holding her )' Sid! How is he? I WANT TO SEE HIM RIGHT NOW! Papa, tell me he is fine! He will wake up and speak to me right now!
Dr. Shashank calmly holds her by her shoulders and wipes her tears.
Dr. Shashank ( his own voice mild and cracking )- Riddhima, Riddhima, Riddhima'.Sid is FINE!
The moment Dr. Shashank says that one sentence , Armaan feels a load lifted off his chest and due to the shock of this relief he sits down on the bench, holding his face in his hands'
Riddhima ( bursting into tears )- Papa, I .. I need to see him rightaway!... Please'
Dr. Shashank looks at his daughter and then at Dr. Keerti who nods wiping her tears. Dr. Keerti and Padma nod at him.
Dr.Shashank ( holding his daughter's face )- Riddhima, Sid will not gain consciousness before 48 hours. The injuries are serious ' multiple fractures on his ribcage , legs and we have barely managed to save his spine'..the only relief that his head injury was not lethal'.He is being shifted to the ICU'.you can only see him'.
Riddhima ( crying)- I only want to see him once' I just want to see him.
Riddhima turns on her heels and rushes to the ICU. Armaan squirms in his seat as Dr.Shashank's list of Sid's injuries hammer in his head'.The image of Sid's hand slipping out of his hand keeps jabbing him in his heart as tears well up in his eyes'.
Armaan ( walking towards the ICU with cardboard feet)- I have to see him with my own eyes''
Riddhima runs into the ICU to see Sid as the doctors and nurses are just leaving having set up the machines and placing Sid in proper medical care'Tears swimming in Riddhima's eyes and the water fogging her vision , she walks towards her unconscious husband'.Her whole life with Sid runs through her head and her heart'. Their first meeting at the airport to their fights to their marriage to Riddz' first bud of love for Sid and everything that they went through'.
With Sid's soul-stirring "Mat Jaao" echoing in her head , Riddhima stands over Sid and touches his face with her trembling hands, his neck , his shoulders , his arms, his chest ' as though making sure that he is there, he is still there with her and for her. A sob escapes Riddz' throat as she sits down on the chair next to the bed- kisses his forehead softly, and holds his hand next to her cheek like a small child. She puts her hand on his head and tears roll down her cheeks'.
Riddhima ( holding Sid's hand between her cheek and her own hand )- Listen to me Sid and I know you can register what am going to say'.( pauses to stop herself from breaking into a sob)'Don't you ever ever do anything of this sort again. Don't you ever dare to scare me like this again''don't you' don't you ever dare to ''
Riddhima is not able to finish her sentence as she looks at her husband's face and clasps his hand more firmly'.
Riddhima ( putting her head lightly on his chest and closing her eyes)- Get up Sid'..just get up and fight with me '.irritate with me'talk to me' hate me' hug me ' tell me what you never told me Sid'..just open your eyes and call me by my name'..please call me by my name'..Riddhima'.Riddhima'.Riddhima'.
As Riddhima clings to
Sid for her dear life, her delicate body shivering with light sobs she rests
her head on Sid's shoulder '..Armaan
watches from the ICU door , tears rolling down his cheek. For the first time he
realizes that he has been crying. The tears are not angry or anguished ' he
himself doesn't know what they are. .And as he wipes those tears , they mingle
with the blood on his hands ' Sid's blood and as he looks inside at Sid ' Riddz
pensively , he rubs the wet blood between his fingers and then , closing his
fist as if to stamp the communion
between himself and Sid , Armaan walks away , still wondering why his tears are
not stopping. They are not unhappy tears' they are simply something else'.
Love and luck always to everyone,❤️
GOD Bless everyone. 🤗
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