A Journey From Tears To Happiness | ✔

Chapter Five

The ambulance sped into the hospital premise, startling everyone around who halted and watched as the horrified family followed the blood-soaked body that the paramedics channeled onto the stretcher before rushing inside.

"Payal! Payal, keep your eyes open! Payal, please. Please keep them open!"

"Payalji!"

Payal groaned, struggling to keep her dropping eyes open to look at those hovering over her but owing to the stabbing pain in her stomach, she could hardly concentrate on the voices calling her, let alone respond to them. She coughed, her face contorting into an excruciating pain as her waist jerked, sending a wave of extreme agony in her whole body and causing every part of it to twitch as if electrified. 

"Please stay here." She heard another voice, this time an unfamiliar one and as she squinted her eyes to make sense of her surroundings, she saw her family standing still while she moved back. Confused and scared, she tried to scream but with another shot of pain, she felt her head closing up, until darkness spread everywhere.

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The family stood helplessly outside the Operation Theatre trying to make sense of the turn of events - how and when they ended where they are now, when just a few minutes ago, they were laughing and celebrating. Those who seemed to have already taken the events in, were slowly reducing into shambles for their head ached as if just hit with a hammer whilst the others simply stood mum.

Amidst her own moment of grieving, Anjali caught the sight of Akash. Her heart dropped looking at her younger brother who stared at the OT light with a lost face, as if not knowing what was going on. 

"Akash?" Her shaky voice called out as she fleetingly touched his shoulder. He looked at her, then again at the closed door.

"Di, Payal?" He asked, in a tone that though sounded stable, she knew was a result of his devastation.

"Di, Payal?" He asked again, this time raising his voice which finally trembled. Anjali's shoulders sagged and she bit her lips, unable to say anything as Akash's face suddenly morphed into anguish. His body shook and she knew it was the start of his breakdown, so she hurriedly took him in her arms, dropping to the floor with him as he started lamenting loudly at the hurt his love was going through behind that closed door.

His wails brought moisture to every eyes that stared at his broken demeanor - including the eyes that supposedly had disowned him.

Arnav's heart ached for his brother as he sat not so far away from them and as much as he wanted to go and console him, he knew the bundle that was cuddled up in his embrace needed him as well. 

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"Khushi, let's go home, please."

Arnav's voice, though was a fleeting whisper, made Khushi jerk in his arms and look at him with a start - her round hazel eyes blinking in a sort of perplexity. 

She shook her head, redirecting her gaze onto the floor whilst her hands tightened on the edge of her dupatta lying on her lap. 

"No, it's, um, I'm fine." Her eyes shifted side to side awkwardly fast and Arnav sighed. He sent a glance at his family members - sitting at a distance and lost in their own gloomy thoughts - before settling Khushi back into his arms. 

"It's been an hour." He mumbled when her head was well tucked under his chin. "You should get some rest. You need it."

"I'm fine, Arnavji." 

The edge of Khushi's voice was laced with a sudden obstinacy as she replied and Arnav waited patiently as she took a deep breath before lifting her head to him - her eyes displaying a tint of guilt for the tone she used.

"Nanheji already brought my medicines here. I'll take them on time and if I feel weak or even sleepy or anything wrong, I'll inform you, I promise. I, I just want to be here. Please?" She requested and even though he was not the slightest ready to let her stay in that tensed environment, he had to relent. 

Thus, he nodded and smiled when she gave him a small smile of her own before winding her arms around him once again. Silence filled the corridor again, until around half an hour later, the doctor came out of the Operation Theater, only to be bombarded with frantic questions that barely made sense to him. 

"We have removed the bullet but for the time being we can't say anything precise about the status of her condition. We will be transferring her to the ward and she will be under close monitoring. We can just hope for the good." The doctor informed regardless, knowing the frenzied questions were bound to be revolving around these answers itself. He passed them a last reassuring yet pitiful smile before striding back into the ward, leaving the family to dwell in another mourning silence, occasionally broken by the sobs of the ladies. 

Arnav blew out a breath, feeling his own eyes misted as Khushi sank back against his chest - her posture as well as her face embodied sheer pain and so he hid her in his embrace, helplessly feeling her tears against his neck. 

Another body brushed against his arm and he looked down, to see his brother slumped on the bench. His heart thumped as he saw the first drop of tear escape Akash's eye and he turned his face away hastily when Anjali and NK reached to comfort him. The thumping in his chest soon turned into an ache when the muffled sounds of Akash's sobs reached his ears and he inhaled, sharply and deeply in an attempt to stabilise himself. 

But he couldn't. Unwillingly, his head turned back to his siblings and on its accord, his one hand unwound itself from Khushi's back and found its way to caress Akash's head. 

Akash's cries halted as he lifted his head to his brother whilst both Anjali and NK sat unmoved, afraid to break Arnav's trance if that was what made him sympathise with Akash. 

"Bh-ai." Akash's whisper was choked with emotions, ones that Arnav had himself once experienced when Khushi fell into that elongated valley right in front of his eyes and he couldn't do anything to hold her. 

The memory as well as the realization of the extreme of Akash's anguish, stirred something in him and he simply wiped Akash's dampened face. 

"She's going to be fine." He reassured softly and watched as Akash blinked before winding his hands around his brother's waist, careful not to hurt Khushi who  was still tucked in the latter's arms. 

Arnav exhaled, freezing on the spot for a quick second before the breath that had stuck in his throat, found its way out. His moist eyes also let out few drops of tears as he brought his hands and caressed his brother's head in an attempt to calm him down, whilst still holding onto his wife. He ignored the other stares he was getting and stubbornly fixated on the Operation Theater, praying for the recovery of the one inside, while consoling those who were currently in his embrace. 

After all, at the end of the day, regardless of the past and the resentments, they are one family - bounded by threads that were impossible to cut off completely.

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