"So this is how we are planning to move ahead with this product. We can look into the details further, to finalize a name for it." I say as I point at the presentation on the screen, as the meeting proceeds.
"Sir. Thisshoe has an updated look to it, so what if we come up with a name that matches thenew trend in themarket?" One of our employees speaks up and I look at our investors for their approval.
"We are okay with it Mr. Malik. Your team did an excellent job, and we believe in this too." They say and I smile, nodding.
"So... I was thinking how about we ta-" I was speaking when my secretary suddenly opened the door. I glared at him for barging into a meeting without knowing.
"Darsh wh-" I was about to scold him but when I saw him panting, with tension written all over his face, I stopped.
Something was wrong.Otherwise, he wouldn't interrupt the meeting in such a way.
"Sir... It's urgent!" He said gesturingtowards me and my phone that was in his hand.
"I will be back in a minute. Sorry." I apologize to everyone present there and after telling my manager with my eyes to handle this, I make my way out.
"What happened?" I ask him loudly.
"Sir... Someone called from Aditya Sir's phone... He..." He stops and my eyebrows furrow in confusion.
"What? Speak!" I shout, becoming restless and thinking of something horrible.
"He has met with an accident, not too far away from his office." He finally speaks and my eyes widen in shock.
Adi. Accident. No way.
My hands get cold as fear engulfs me about something happening to my best friend.
I quickly take my phone and call back on Aditya's number. My hands shiver as I wait for the call to be picked up.
Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.
"Hello?" I hear some unknown voice.
"Hello. Who's this?... Where is..." I was about to ask when the person replied.
"He had an accident, his car crashed into a truck. We are on the way to the hospital." He informs me and I am shocked. That would be an understatement.
"This was the last number on his recent dial list, so we thought to inform you. Can you come soon?" He asks.
Of course. I talked to him like just 20 minutes ago, before the meeting started.
"Yes... I am coming... Just please stay with him... Did you call the ambulance...and which hospital..." I shutter as I go to my office to pick up the keys of my car and immediately head towards the exit.
Darsh gives me a reassured look before I ask him to handle everything.
It was an important meeting. But nothing was more important than Aditya.
The person on the other side of the call gives me the details of the hospital. I drive the car towards the hospital as fast as I can. I connect my phone to the car's bluetooth and contact Aditya's father to inform him.
As soon as he picked up the call and I informed him, he turned silent. He asked me how the incident occurred, but I just told him to go to the hospital immediately. I can't even imagine how Aunty willreact knowing about her son's accident.
My mind suddenly reminds me about Bhabhi. I should inform her too. I don't even know how am I going to do it but I have to. I click on her contact and her caller tune plays until she picks up.
"Hey Sid!" She says in a cheerful voice and my heart breaks imagining how it's going to change the second I tell her about the accident.
I take a deep breath before telling her and as soon as I tell her, the other side of the call falls silent as expected. After two minutes, she still doesn't speak.
"Bhabhi?... Bhabhi?" I call her out, followed by a familiar voice calling her out.
Kiara. I recognise it.
"Hey, what happened?" Kiara asked.
"Adi met with an accident. He is rushed to Apollo Hospital. Please bring Bhabhi there." I inform her. I know she is shocked but she mutters 'okay' after a minute and I cut the call.
I reach the hospital in no time and rush towards the reception.
"Aditya Malhotra?" I ask urgently and the receptionist looks at the monitor quickly before looking at me.
"He is admitted to the ICU, Second floor." She informs me and my heart beats rapidly as I rush towards the lift and move to the second floor.
As soon as I reach there, I see a couple sitting onthe side chair. They get up as soon as they see me understanding that it's me who they called.
"He's inside." The man says softly looking at my tensed face.
"Thank you so much!" I tell them and they nod sympathetically.
"It was our duty. We will pray that he gets well soon." The woman, who I assume is his wife, tells me.
Good people still exist in this world.
"Thank you." I say again and the man taps my shoulder giving me a smile before they walk away.
I sigh, rubbing my forehead and was about to sit down when I heard hurried footsteps.
"Aditya... Adi... Bhai!" The four of them shout as they make their way towards me, their eyes full of tears.
"He's inside and the doctor hasn't come out." I inform and explain them the whole story.
Aunty sobs and Ishaan makes her sit down, wrapping his arm around her, trying to calm her down. Diya too cries and I pull her into a side hug, patting her head. Uncle sighs, rubbing his forehead as he walks around impatiently waiting for the doctor.
"Did you inform Anisha?" Uncle asks me as he stops for a minute.
"Yeah. After informing you, I called her... She was shocked, she didn't say anything, but Kiara was with her, so I asked her to bring her." I told him and he nodded.
"Aditya?" We hear a faint voice and look up to see Bhabhi and Kiara. Her eyes look red, as if she cried all the way from her office to here.
I point to the ICU and she looks at it, and again a tear escapes her eye, which she tries to hold back. Kiara rubs her arm and makes her sit in the chair beside Aunty.
A few minutes later the doctor comes out, removing his spectacles and mask and all of us gather in front of him.
"We are Aditya's family. How is he?" Uncle asks him and he nods understanding that it's the patient's name probably.
"We were informed that the car crashedinto a truck, so it was a major accident. There are serious injuries to his head, his hand is fractured and there are small cracks in the lower limb." He informs us and I hear a gasp from my side. Anisha Bhabhi.
"But don't worry, we have treated the injuries, and the patient will probably regain consciousness tomorrow morning, and then, with medication, he will be cured." He tells us, and we sigh in relief.
Why did he have to scare us first and then tell us there was nothing to worry about?
Uncle goes with the doctor to complete the formalities and Aunty walks to the hospital temple to pray.
"Bhabhi... He will be alright." I tell her, wrapping my arm around her shoulder as she looks at Aditya through the small glass on the door.
She still looks and I can tell one thing:she definitely loves him.
The fear in her eyes of losing him or seeing him like this tells everything. It screams her love for him.
I only wish she realizes it soon, because the day she does, Adi will be the happiest.
I was in shock when Sid told me Aditya had an accident. I was unable to process the news, as the thought of Aditya being hurt was too much to bear.
Kiara however managed to bring me out of my trance and got me to her car and we immediately left for the hospital.
"Anisha... are you okay? Speak something?" Kiara asked as she takes the left turn, driving fast.
"I.. I don't know... How did this happen... I just hope he is okay." I shutter as tears flow down my cheeks.
"He will be fine... Don't worry." She calms me down as she looks at me for a second.
Just be fine, Aditya. I don't even want to consider the possibility of something happening to you.
As we approach the hospital, I cover my face with my hands while praying.
Kiara rushedly pulled me inside the hospital, because she knew if she left my hand, I might collapse.
She asks the receptionist and we go to the second floor. As we get there, I see Aditya's family and Sid.
"Aditya?" I mumble as we reach them and everyone looks at us. Sid points towards the ICU and I feel my heart beat rising.
I just want to see him, now.
A tear escapes my eye again and Kiara holds me, rubbing my arm and then makes me sit in the chair beside Maa.
I look at her and her face says she had been crying badly. Of course, it's her son.
I keep my hand on her shoulder, biting back my own tears and she holds my hand, her eyes watering again.
"Don't worry Anisha...he will be fine." She assures me, patting my hand, though I knew a mother's heart was assuring herself that her son was going to be alright.
I nod, wiping her tears, and she smiles, maybe because she knows what I feel too.
I take a deep breath and lay my head on my intertwined hands in my lap. When Kiara asks Sid how this happened, he explains it to her.
A truck hit his car. It crashed and led to the accident. A couple brought him to the hospital on time. And the doctors haven't come out yet.
That's all he said and I mentally thank the couple for bringing him to the hospital on time.
Several minutes later, the doctor comes out and removes his mask and spectacles. I immediately stand up and we rush to him.
"We are Aditya's family. How is he?" Dad asks him.
Please tell me he is okay. He must be okay.
"We were informed that the car crashed into a truck, so it was a major accident. There are serious injuries to his head, his hand is fractured and there are small cracks in the lower limb." He informs us and I gasp.
"But don't worry, we have treated the injuries, and the patient will probably regain consciousness tomorrow morning, and then, with medication, he will be cured." He tells us and we sigh in relief.
I wouldn't believe he's fine until I saw him and he saw me, when I held his hand and he held back mine, when I kissed him and he kissed me back, until he teased me with his cheesy lines, until he flirted with me, until he gazed into my eyes like no one else could, melting my heart.
I place my hand on the door, and look through the glass, leaning my forehead on it.
He lay on the bed in a blue hospital gown covered with a white blanket. His eyes were closed and he had white bandages on his head and leg. His left hand was completely cast.
I again feel tears clogging in my eyes, but I exhale deeply not letting them fall.
"Bhabhi... He will be alright." Sid tells me wrapping his arm around my shoulder but I don't move.
He should be in front of my eyes, and that's all I want to calm my heart and mind.
◆
"Anisha." Kiara calls me out in a whisper as she sits beside me.
It was late at night and I was sitting on the couch inside the ICU looking at Aditya from a distance.
Mom-Dad, Ishaan and Diya had returned back home as we asked them to. Me, Sid and Kiara stayed for the night. Sid had asked Kiara to go home and rest but she wanted to stay back for me.
She had also informed mumma- papa about this and they were about to come immediately, but Sid told them it was already past midnight so they could come in the morning.
"Where is Sid?" I ask her as she passes me a cup of coffee she brought and I take it.
"He got some urgent call, so he is outside." She tells me and I nod sipping the coffee but as soon as it touches my lips, my mind wanders to our evening conversation.
"I should get back to work. Plus, my coffee is getting cold." I said sipping my coffee.
"How many cups?" Aditya asked and I grinned sheepishly before answering.
He scolds me for drinking so much coffee and tells me to reduce it.
"Just 5" I answered.
"Just?" He asked in disbelief.
"All right, bye." I quickly bid him goodbye before he scolded me for this. Which I knew he would.
"Of course, bye. I will get back to you about this." He said and I chuckled taking a sip again.
Why doesn't he wake up right now and get back at me? I am even ready for his scolding.
"Anisha?" Kiara calls out.
"Hmm?" I glance at her.
"He is fine and will look at you tomorrow morning, don't worry okay?" Kiara says placing her hand on my shoulder.
"I know but what if...." My mind shivers at the thought of what if something really terrible happened? What if this was our last conversation today?
No. No. No. Why am I thinking about all this?
"Nothing like that has happened. Relax, think positive, you need to be strong." She tells me and I nod laying my head on her shoulder.
"You love him. Don't you? It's high time you realised." She mumbles softly and my heart flutters as I hear her words.
I love him?
*********
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