Who's there for you?

Chapter-4

"We got you, bhai!!!!"

Sundar was the first one to notice the beginning of the panic attack. He had his eyes locked on his brother and captain as soon as the Rohirat fight began. Well, being quite aware of his brothers state it had kinda become a second nature for him.

He noticed the way Virat bhaiya went pale. The way all the colours disappeared from bhaiya's face. The way bhaiya's eyes went wide and unseeing.

He heard Yuzi bhaiya trying to interfere. He heard Rohit bhaiya ignore Yuzi bhaiya along with everyone else and he felt the flame of his anger burn bright and brilliant. He was feeling so pissed at the team for their apparent blindness or it might have been pent up frustration on himself for failing to notice his Virat bhaiya's symptoms before it was too late making its appearance again, in the form of spite against his teammates for their apparent blindness.

Couldn't they see beyond themselves for just once? Couldn't they be serious for once in their life? Couldn't they see their so-called jokes were hurting Virat bhaiya? Couldn't they see their words were piercing Virat bhai's armour-like arrows? Couldn't they see the bloody arrowhead of their words sticking out of Virat bhaiya's back proudly after piercing Virat bhaiya's heart? Couldn't they see the crimson blood of their bonds dripping down the arrowhead splashing on the ground, mocking the so-called strongest bonds in the world?

And Sundar wanted them to stop with their absurd sense of humour. He wanted them to stop speaking altogether. The testing look on Virat bhai's face and the mocking curl of his lips as he locked his eyes with Rohit sir, prompting the ringing of various warning bells in his mind. Sundar could see the same realization dawning on Yuzi bhaiya's face as he tried in vain to interfere again.

Yuzi bhaiya was ignored again and Virat bhaiya's eyes had donned that faraway look. He looked tired. Empty. Small. Sundar knew he didn't have any right to interfere in the matters of permanent members of ICT, leave in the matters of legends like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma but at that moment, he knew, he should say something before it was too late.

But it was too late already. Sundar felt it before he saw it and then it all became a big blur for him. He didn't remember anything else besides the fact that six hands came under Virat bhaiya's head at once protecting it from colliding hard with the cold floor. Sundar didn't know whose hand felt the most impact of the collision with the ground. He just knew they had somehow succeeded in preventing Virat bhaiya from acquiring a serious head injury. Navdeep and Siraj's hand was below his so maybe they faced the burnt of the impact most, Rishab and Kuldeep's hand was above him.

Washington didn't know why or when they ran towards Virat? He just knew they had prevented Virat's head from colliding with the hard floor and sustaining some serious injury and it was all chaos around them. Rishu and Kul were wailing out Virat's name panicked and it took Washy back to the day, they found out about Virat's depression and PTSD. The fear they felt, he felt, when they couldn't feel Virat breathing. Virat was lying on the bed motionless. He just won't wake up. He won't even breathe. The terror that passed through their veins when the doctor informed them that Virat had a slight sleeping pills overdose but he'll be fine.

They had known about the nightmares terrorizing their brother, the depression sucking out his energy then, it wasn't a good feeling. Sundar still remembers the terror from the night and the sleepless nights that followed that night. Dev, Miyaan, Shiv, Nav, Yuzi and he had spent nights just watching Virat's chest rising and falling as he slept. They had spent days and night living in the terror of losing their Virat bhaiya to himself, for that's the thing about Virat Kohli, no one but he can defeat himself and they couldn't let it happen. They just couldn't let it happen.