FAMILY BEFORE ANYTHING - The Journey

CHAPTER - 23 A LONG NIGHT!!

Aryan and Sudha's faces jerked towards Akshara in shock. Aryan couldn't understand anything. What was happening? He looked back at Abhimanyu who was busy caressing his sister's face caring nothing about the surroundings. Why the hell did his sister lie? His heart thudded. What did Anya actually do and where was she all the time? He had so many questions and he needed answers. He didn't like the fact that Akshara lied to Abhimanyu but he trusted to have her own reasons for this. She never does anything without thinking. She might have had her reasons but that doesn't justify her lie. He couldn't stand there anymore and walked out of the room. The possibility that Anya did something stupid also troubled him a lot. He didn't know why!! 

Akshara looked at her husband and Arav who were just looking at Anya holding her hands from the either side. Both of them looked close to tears. She sighed. They couldn't bear her being missing even for 4 hours. How would they react if they gets to know what actually happened? She knew for a fact Anya didn't have alcohol on her own. She don't even have a doubt about that. 

The girl is too much like Abhimanyu Birla to do anything like that. But she feared her husband wouldn't able to be handle it. He has already been stressed for the past 4 hours. His BP sky rocketed. His heart is not that strong to handle all such stress. His heart suffered a blow after blow without even recovering completely from the first injury. Gauri cautioned them to be careful until the reports came out normal. It usually takes 6 months for such recovery but her husband's sudden BP issues proved to be a big hurdle in the journey of recovery. 

That is the reason she wanted to be absolutely sure before telling him what happened. She also needed him to calm down before breaking the news to him. She can't have him lashing out on Anya in anger and then getting hurt for shouting at her for the wrong reasons. She didn't want to take any chance. He always felt guilty for shouting at his siblings, even when the fault laid at their feet. 

For that she needed to talk to Anya first!! 

Akshara went down to get some food for the brothers. They didn't have anything from the evening. None of them had anything. She saw her bhaiyya waiting at the dining table and sighed. She needed to answer him. But if she has to do the talk, she would do it first with her husband. Her bhaiyya had to wait. 

Akshara walked to the table - Aapne dinner kiya bhaiyya?

Aryan didn't believe in beating around the bush, not when his brain was not working with all the questions - Kya horaha hai yaha Akshu?

Akshara sighed and sat down. Aryan - Abhimanyu se jhut kyu bola tune?

Aryan - Agar use pata chalega ki tune jhut bola hai.. Vo bahut hurt hoga Akshu.

Akshara looked away as tears rushed into her eyes. The whole evening has been nothing less than a roller coaster ride for her. First, her child was missing, her husband was making himself sick in worry, Police station, Anya fainting and above all this, she had to lie to her ABHI!! That last one weighed heavy on her heart. She should have told the truth to him. She would have done that even if Anya was in her senses to tell the truth. The girl fainted. If her husband gets to know that she had alcohol, without Anya telling them what happened, by the time Anya would get up, her husband would have gone too long judging his own parenting which she absolutely couldn't afford. She could handle the anger directed towards her for lying just fine. 

Aryan held her hand and squeezed it softly. He gentled his voice. His child looked like she needed him now - Kya hua bacha?

Akshara took a deep breathe to compose herself. She had to battle away the tears - I lied to Abhi to buy some time Bhaiyya. I will tell him the truth. I can't hide it from him, especially when it concerns his child. Lekin usse pehle mai kisiko nahi bata sakti bhaiyya. Pehle Abhi ko hi bataungi.