Avneet's ear rang from the loud sounds of gunshots. With all the strength she had left in her body she pushed Verma to the ground. Though her whole body was shaking, it was rather easier to push him down.
A thumping sound in front of her made her snap her gaze to them. Her heart stopped seeing Siddharth dropping on the floor on his knees with such an expression, she was sure it would give her nightmares for months. His upper thigh bleeding heavily.
"SIDDHARTH!!!" she screamed in panic and dashed towards his bleeding figure who already had his eyes on her. She dropped in front of him with a thud. She didn’t care how much painful it was for her to move her upper body. All she wanted was him to be okay.
With shaking hands, she cupped his face delicately. Scared to hurt him even more. His eyes felt heavy. He blinked several times to clear the haze in front of his eyes. His Avneet was in front of him. Crying her eyes out. 'I need to comfort her.' he thought in his jumbled mind.
He exhaled shakily and gave her a weak smile. "Baby!! Oh my God! You’re bleeding so much!! Help!! Someone, please!!" she sobbed screaming for help, looking around frantically.
"Sush.." he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her narrow waist. She looked at him with red frantic eyes. He hid his face in her neck. 'Finally. My home.' he thought sighing shakily. It was as if holding her within the cage of his arms were the solution to every problem. He buried his face in the crook of her neck kissing her intensely beating pulse. He felt nauseous and extremely lightheaded. He knew he'd lost too much blood. He was already shot in the shoulder. And it hurt like a bitch.
It felt like taking a huge intake of fresh air having her finally in his arms. It was then he believed he had saved her. He felt like he won everything. Her shoulders were shaking as she cried holding him tightly. She didn’t know what to do or what to expect. She felt extremely scared. He was going to pass out soon.
Faintly she heard someone talk behind her. "Mission completed. We need medical help asap. Three injured. Verma being one of them." a voice said behind them. Though she didn’t care anymore. She was too scared to notice anything other than bleeding Siddharth.
Siddharth wanted to sleep. He knew he was going to pass out on her. But he didn’t want to let go. He had been very scared for her. He sent her to the danger even though it was his job to protect her. His heart constricted painfully remembering the bloodied and beaten up look of her. He didn’t want to see her like that ever again.
His hands tightened on her waist and without thinking about the pain he was about to face, he pulled her on his lap. He wanted her close. Closer to his loudly beating heart.
"Siddharth!! No! You're bleeding! Please! Let go of me!" she exclaimed in fright. She didn’t want to hurt him more than he already was.
"Never," he growled lowly, not letting her go. He will never let her go. 'Never till I'm dead.' he said to himself, putting his nose over her hair and taking in her scent to calm his mind.
His mind was a mess. A lot of things going on there but he couldn’t point on a single topic. It was rather infuriating that his mind won't give him a little break, after all, he'd been enduring. He just wanted to close his eyes and accept the darkness which had been beckoning at him.
Avneet started getting worked up when his body started to go limp. "Siddharth!! Siddharth!! No, don’t sleep! Please! Don’t close your eyes!" she cried out. When he didn’t reply, she became frantic. "Help! Help! Someone, please! He is bleeding!" she screamed frantically sobbing and hiccuping.
A gentle touch on her shoulder made her jolt in shock. "Di..." a voice said softly. She looked at them and a fresh set of tears started running down her face.
"Jai!!" she cried. Her brother. He looked tired and messy. She thanked God for not seeing any bruises over his body. "Now is not the time to cry, di. Let's get him some help." Jai said gesturing at Siddharth. Who was barely conscious.
She nodded hastily and slowly started pushing his heavy body. Siddharth groaned in protest. He wanted her close. Both Avneet and Jai untangled his hands from her waist.
As soon as she lifted herself from his lap ignoring all pain that erupted in her body, four males came rushing towards them with a stretcher. Avneet sighed out of relief seeing them. Thankfully, Verma did one thing good to keep them on the ground floor. The men rushed out with Siddharth who was passed out.
Avneet was ready to follow them out when a nurse stopped her. "We need to check you, ma'am," she said gently. Avneet shook her head looking at the way they took Siddharth. She wanted to be with him.
"No, I need to go-" she started to refuse when Jai interrupted her.
"Stop, di. He is going to be okay. You need medical help too." he said softly.
"No, Jai. He is bleeding. I need to-" she started to refuse again. Her eyes watering, remembering his limp form. She needed to be with him.
"You're also bleeding," Jai said holding her hands. She hiccupped looking back at the way they took Siddharth.
"He is going to be okay, di. He's a strong man." Jai said gently kissing her forehead and taking her to the nearest ambulance.
As the nurse started tending her, some police members approached her. "Ma'am, we need to ask you some questions, if you're okay with it." an officer who looked older and mature than the other asked.
Avneet wanted to end this and get over with it already so she could be with Siddharth. "Alright," she replied with a sigh. 'Please God, let him be okay. Please.' she prayed wiping away the stray tear away hoping her interrogation would end soon.
_______________________________________
One dreadful hour later, Avneet was still not allowed to go because of her injuries. The doctors had decided to transfer her to the hospital to take X-rays of her ribcage and arm. They also wanted to make sure there was no internal injuries or bleeding.
Avneet felt a little relieved seeing Jai and Reem both alive and okay. They were also interrogated. And by the looks of it, Verma was screwed.
Reem had approached Avneet hesitantly seeing her zoned out with a forlorn look on her face. Eyes rimmed red and lips quivering. Reem wanted to hug her and that's what she did.
Avneet was taken off guard when a human body tackled her with a gentle hug. "I'm so sorry, di." Reem's voice rang out sympathetically. Avneet didn’t know what she was apologising for but it was enough to let the dam of her eyes get broken. Her body shook from silent sobbing as she gave in to the comfort of her warmth.
"It's okay, di. He'll be okay. He has to be." Reem murmured. Avneet nodded in agreement. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She had to be strong for him. And she will be.
"I'll be right back." Avneet croaked out and slowly got out from the makeshift camp. There were police all around here. Doctors and nurses running around like headless chickens to treat the injured. The number of doctors was few in comparison to the number of injured criminals.
Siddharth had made sure not to kill anyone. Just wounded them enough to be alive. She was proud of his plan. But she didn’t like the outcome when it meant him to be injured like that.
Avneet marched to Jai who was talking with a senior officer very professionally. She immediately walked to him clutching her ribcage which was still hurting after the numbing cream she'd applied.
"I'm going to the hospital." She stated firmly when Jai glanced at her. She was far past the point to be seen as desperate. She didn’t care how it looked to others. She just had to make sure he was okay. She didn’t want him to be alone when he wakes up. Jai opened his mouth to protests but she stopped him with a stubborn shake of her head.
"No, I'm not going to wait anymore aimlessly. The doctors wanted me to get x-rays and whatnot. I'm going to do just that." she hissed at him annoyed. These were one of the many reasons she hated the government system.
They were too fucking slow.
Always coming after the main work is finished. Arriving after many people got injured. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at the officer who gave her an annoyed look. His judgemental eyes and stiff posture only confirmed her thoughts. He wanted to intimidate her. Well, too bad for him. She didn’t care about him. He could get his ass kicked for all she cared.
Jai sighed in defeat, "let me take you there." He knew there was no stopping his stubborn sister. He didn’t want to force her into staying here when she was in pain. Both physically and emotionally.
"It’s okay, Jai. You need to be here. To handle the situation. I'm sure officer.." Avneet glanced at his name tag. "Vikram is well aware of this situation. You can go home after that." She stated calmly.
"No, you need to take care of Reem." Avneet quickly added when he began to argue which shut his mouth immediately.
"Call me after you reached safety, di," Jai said knowing she had cornered him well. 'She could've been a good lawyer if she wanted.' Jai thought and smiled slightly when she gave him a firm nod.
Jai watched as she hurriedly walked away to see her man. Even in this situation, he was having a hard time suppressing a grin. The way she was behaving didn’t scream cautious of being caught in their not so professional relationship. She prioritised Siddharth before anything. Even her image.
"Siddharth you lucky bastard. You better put a ring on her fast or I'll be up your ass before you could think," he murmured to himself. He returned his gaze to officer Vikram, who was in charge of the police department. Jai's mood lifted a notch and his eyes sparkled.
Which only meant mischief.
_______________________________________
"I'm here to see Mr Siddharth Nigam!" Avneet said hurriedly forgetting courtesy to be polite. The receptionist lifted her gaze in surprise. Avneet's frantic eyes made her gaze more sympathetic.
"Okay, let me check," she said gently. Avneet's fingers drummed on the counter impatiently. She looked up the floors. He was close.
"I need to ask your relation with Mr Nigam. His case is confidential. Unless you're family and close friends I can't allow you. I'm sorry." she said apologetically.
Avneet closed her eyes to calm the rage which was surging forward. One thing she hated with her whole existence was someone bossing her around in her own damn personal life. Taking away her choices always made her snap. It was the main reason why she took a different route for her future. Taking after her father meant sacrificing her choices.
And today everyone and everything was testing her patience. They had the freaking nerve to tell her what to do. Order her to do shit. And she had to oblige it. They were playing with fire. And now this receptionist was.
Avneet breathing deepened in anger. 'How dare they stop me from seeing my Siddharth?!' she thought frustratedly. 'Screw them!' she spat internally.
"I'm his fiance!" she exclaimed punching the counter, throwing daggers at the receptionist. In the back of her mind, she knew it was not her fault. She was just doing her job. But she was too angry to negotiate.
The receptionist's eyes dropped at her left hand. Avneet in her impatiens, forget about the ring thing that she had to have to sell her act. The receptionist's eyes had a knowing look when she held Avneet's gaze.
Avneet exhaled loudly closing her eyes. She was too damn frustrated. And she knew what she was about to do was really impulsive.
"Look," she started gritting her teeth. "I'm Amandeep Singh Nandra's daughter. Google me if you want," she said looking dead in her eyes. The receptionist paled.
"Now, if you let me go without causing any problem, I'll let this slide." Avneet continued in a low voice so that only the receptionist heard her.
"But if you don’t, then I'll end your whole damn carrier before you can blink your eyes." Avneet hissed with a forced smile.
This was out of her character. She never misused her father's power. But the way everyone has been treating her today, she was far too pissed to feel guilty. She needed to be with Siddharth.
Even if it means threatening someone to see him.
The receptionist gulped harshly. She dabbed her sweaty forehead with a handkerchief. She swiftly typed on her keyboard without saying anything.
"Room number 304. Patient in the OT," she mumbled in a defeated tone. Avneet gave a firm nod and relaxed her tense posture.
"Thanks," she said and then looked at her name tag. "Tanya Thakur." she finished looking back at her eyes. Tanya gave her a small hesitant smile. And with that Avneet swiftly walked to the elevator.
Avneet barged into the room where Siddharth was. She heaved out a long breathe seeing him finally. He was wearing a blue hospital gown. But she could still see the white bandage around his shoulder. His eyes were shut and it seemed like he was sleeping. There was an IV connected to his other hand and a white sheet covered his stomach to his toes.
She staggered inside breathing shakily. Her eyes burned from tears. He looks pale. He had lost too much blood.
"Excuse me, miss." a gentle called from behind. Avneet was so lost in seeing him, she didn’t even notice another man's presence in the room. She looked at him immediately and sighed seeing a male nurse holding a file in his hands.
"How is he? When will he wake up? What did the doctor say?" she bombarded him with questions hurriedly. The male nurse smiled hesitantly.
"He had lost too much blood with two gunshots. One went past his thigh. Thankfully no major damage there. But the other barely grazed his artery and got stuck inside the shoulder. It was slightly difficult taking it out. He was lucky." he said softly. Avneet's eyes watered instantly. She took the seat beside him and her trembling hands reached for his hand. She sobbed quietly holding his cold hands delicately.
"Don’t worry, ma'am. We had his type of blood in our blood bank. He is stable now. He'd wake up in a few hours." he said sympathetically. Avneet nodded her head sniffling.
"May I ask who you are to him?" he asked gently. Avneet's back stiffened. She knew she had to lie to him too. She sniffed and sneakily hid her left hand between her thigh.
"I'm his fiance," she mumbled softly. Her eyes stuck on his peacefully sleeping face. The man wrote something in his file and then quietly walked out.
She felt slightly guilty for lying to the authority but she didn’t have any option. Siddharth was on duty. And his medical conditions can not be disclosed to his family. It was a rule she knew. And she couldn’t leave him alone knowing there would be no one beside him when he woke up.
She kissed his knuckles softly and wiped her eyes. Thankfully she had changed her clothes beforehand. Someone in the camp handed her clothes seeing her clothes were ripped in many places. She didn’t object and changed her clothes.
She found a box of wet wipes on the table beside his bed. She took out a few and rushed to the washroom. Though she knew her wounds were cleaned before they were first aided but she wanted to make sure there was no trace of blood on her face.
Avneet cringed seeing her face. No amount of wet wipes will make her face like before again. Busted lip, a cup on the cheek, purplish-blue jaw and red, puffy eyes. She looked like a mess.
Sighing, she cleaned her face gently, wiping the traces of blood away. When she looked presentable enough, she walked out and made her way to him.
She held her hand gingerly, rubbing her hand to return some of the warmth in it. Her heart ached seeing him like this.
"Come back to me. Please." she croaked out as her eyes blurred. He remained still. Her lips quivered but she didn’t let the tears fall.
Avneet waited here. For many hours. She couldn’t leave. Her phone rang many times. She had forgotten to call Jai. She texted him saying she was okay and she will be staying overnight. Jai was reluctant and he wanted to come too but she denied.
Avneet knew they had a lot of work to do today. Her father was extremely busy with the press and police and her mother must be busy handling the upper-class women. Jai needed to keep them sane. And he had Reem to take care of. She assured him that she was okay. And she'd be returning after Siddharth woke up. Jai agreed since he didn’t have any other options.
Avneet didn’t sleep an ounce in the night. She wasn’t comfortable. She had yet to take the tests the doctor had told her to. But she couldn’t risk leaving his side. She was afraid she'd leave and he'd wake up. So, she didn’t. 'I can go after he wakes up.' that's what she told herself.
She kept rubbing his hand, measuring his temperature, monitoring his heart rate, fixing the sheet over him so that he wasn’t cold, she had made sure to keep a glass full of water for him. So when he wakes up, he wouldn’t have to struggle much.
She kept doing little stuff like these all night to keep herself sane. She was tensed. She cried, prayed and kept walking all night.
When it was 5 am, the male nurse finally forced her to go to the cafeteria and drink some coffee. The man felt for her. He saw how tensed she was. He even offered to check her wounds but she wouldn’t budge.
Avneet felt restless walking to the cafeteria. She hurriedly ordered a hot strong coffee for energy and rushed right back to him. She sighed seeing him asleep.
She sat on the chair beside him and took slow sips of the coffee with her head leaned back to the wall with closed eyes. One of her hands slowly rubbing Siddharth's knuckles.
"Avneet?" a deep voice croaked out. Avneet's eyes snapped open. She immediately looked at Siddharth who was squinting his eyes like he was awake after a long nap. Her grip on his hand tightened and her eyes watered instantly.
"Siddharth..." she sniffled out and tears started rolling down her eyes. Siddharth finally recalled the previous nights incident. He started sitting up but hissed when he moved his left shoulder. He immediately sprang into action and helped him sit up.
"Here." she forwarded him the glass before he asked. She knew he'd be thirsty after sleeping for so long. He gratefully took huge gulps of water and sighed out of relief.
"How are you feeling? Does it hurt somewhere? Should I call the doctor?" she asked without giving him the chance to reply. He chuckled softly before shaking his head. Avneet heaved out a breath.
"No, stop fussing. And come here," he said patting next to him. She wanted to protest but he wasn’t having it. She hesitantly sat beside him, looking at his face for any sort of discomfort. Siddharth rolled his eyes wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his chest.
Siddharth closed his eyes feeling peaceful at last. Avneet's shaky hands reached up to his chest. He heard her breathing shakily.
"I-i..t-thought...y-you sc-scared...me so m-much. I-i di-didn't know w-what t-to do." she whimpered out between her sniffles. His chest constricted at her words. She was scared for him. The way her body was trembling, he knew she was feeling completely shaken. He tightened his hold on her and kissed her head multiple times.
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I'm sorry for scaring you so much." he voiced out his regrets. Her trembling went to full-blown crying.
"Don’t cry, baby. I'm fine. I'm completely okay." he murmured against her ear between affectionate kisses on her face. He held her tightly mumbling sweet words, till her sobbing stopped. He felt guilty to scare her so much. This was worse than her nightmare shocks.
Siddharth gently wiped her tears from her face while she looked at him like he would vanish any time.
"I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart. You’re stuck with me forever." he attempted to joke, wanting to bring back the smile he was craving to see. The corner of her lips lifted declaring his victory of making her smile. He grinned widely at her and kissed her cheeks lovingly.
"I love you so much. Thank you for being here with me." his words dripping with emotions which made her breath hitch. He held her gaze seeing the love and affection overflowing like a river. His throat clogged up. He had a few visits to the hospital here and there. It was confidential. And for that every time he had woken up alone in a hospital bed.
Siddharth never knew what to expect whenever he woke up in a hospital. He was used to waking up alone there but seeing her with him this time, patiently waiting for him to wake up, taking care of him, made him feel so strongly for her, it took his breath away.
"I love you, more than you'll ever know," she mumbled out leaning her face in the crook of his neck. He had never felt so special as he did at the moment.
"Sweetheart?" Siddharth called after some time. He took a few moments to calm his racing mind. A question was bugging him for a while.
"Hmm?" she replied. She was still clinging to him, afraid she'd wake up and this would be a dream.
"As far as I remember, I arrived at this hospital alone. And my case should be confidential. How did you manage to come here?" he asked thoughtfully. He was confused. He could feel her stiffening in his hold. She slowly sat straight looking at him guilty.
"Um..about that..." she started when she was abruptly cut off.
"Oh, I'm so sorry for not knocking. I'm doctor Amir Hossain. Mr Nigam is under my observation." the doctor who interrupted her said. His eyes landed on Avneet and his lips stretched into a warm smile.
"Ah, and you must be his fiance," he said with amusement lacing his tone.
Hey guys!
Here is chapter sixty. Hope you'll like it.
Omg! Sixty chapters completed!
I never knew I'd reach this! Thank you, everyone!
This chapter was difficult to write. It took me a long to finish. So many emotions here.
I hope I was able to make you see what they felt throughout.
Hm, Avneet threatened someone! Damn, you go girl! 😂
So, do I smell more teasing? Oh, yes I do! 😉
The next chapter is going to be a happy one. I can assure you that. ;)
What will happen to Shashank Verma?
What do you think will happen next?
Stay tuned to know more! 👻
Please vote, share and comment 🤗
Love ya'll ❤️
-Isa