It's been a week since he came back from Delhi, a week of feeling lifeless, a week of her thoughts capturing of his mind and heart.
It was almost midnight when a emergency case was brought to the hospital.
She was a very familiar person to him and now she was his patient as well.
Checking on her and reporting her family, he took his leave to reach back home.
The next morning rolled in, he was on his rounds when a very known feeling irked him, the feeling of her, the feeling of her closeness, the feeling that indicated that she was near, the feeling of his heart beating in sync with her's.
Accepting this feeling he looked straight, waiting for her appear somehow. And, there she was rushing towards a ward, a ward he knows well would be her stop.
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Bringing her steps to a halt, grabbing the doorframe for support and trying to gain control over her breathing, she finally spoke,
"How's she now?"
These three words made the three people in the ward aware of her presence.
The yearning grandfather, Manish Goenka turned around still holding the patient's hand and looked at her granddaughter, finally standing infront of him after 8 long months. She still looked beautiful no doubt, but looked so grown up, so different, she didn't looked this different even after those 3 years when she away from them.
The brother, Kairav Goenka standing in the corner, stifled his sniffs and gulped down his tears as he soaked in his sister's presence. His chotu sister was not looking that chotu anymore, the sister whom he used to compare with the size of cats was looking like one dangerous cat that his father used to call her- Chotu sherni, but now all set to roar and attack.
He couldn't believe it was his sister, his Akshara, his Akshu, his Akshi. Perhaps she really was an Akira now, a fact that only he was aware of and none of the other family members knew.
His trance was broken when his sister finally took some steps inside the ward and moved towards the patient, he finally replied to her earlier question in a meek voice,
"She's fine now."
Taking a seat beside the patient, helding her hand she spoke,
"Mimi you almost scared me."
And the patient, the great-grandmother, Mrs. Sushasni Goenka became too emotional, too emotional that her lips started wobbling as she tried not to brust open with tears.
Raising her hand she lovingly circled her Kittu's daughter face,
"Akshu? Are you really here?"
Overwhelming. Everything Akira was feeling right now was Overwhelming, she was feeling the way Akshra would have felt- Emotional. And all this emotions were chocking her, before she looses control over herself she excused saying she needed water.
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She was pouring herself a glass of water from the water cooler when she felt her heart thudding loudly, it only acted this way when he was around, and who was she fooling, she was standing in Birla hospital, he definitely was very close.
To calm down her beating heart, she turned around only to let her eyes meet the most beautiful pair of hazels in the world.
Standing five foot away from her, he was still looking handsome and charming like always, only difference was that a week ago his eyes were shiny but now they were gathered around with darcircles.
He was looking at her as his usual way, the way that everything around him fades away, she was looking as elegantly beautiful as from his imaginations but only dissimilarity was that she looking even more thinner and paler from the last time he met her.
She passed him her warmest smile and he walked forward to meet her but was interrupted by a nurse with some urgency, she nodded at him with understanding and he smiled slightly before leaving for his duty.
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"Kairav you already know the question, so I am waiting for the answer. How did you made Akshu come here.", Manish Goenka asked eyeing his grandson.
"Don't look at me like that badepapa, it wasn't just my plan, Mimi was involved too. She told me to tell Akshu that she had a major heart attack and not just a BP shot-up, and look it worked, she is here, our Akshu is here."
Before they could continue this conversation they heard crackling of glass from behind.
Anger would be an understatement of what Akira was feeling right now as she crushed the water glass in her hold, letting the glass pieces pierce her and stromed out of the ward without giving them a chance for explanation.
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Completing his work Abhimanyu came outside to meet her or more like search for her as she was not in Mrs. Goenka's ward.
Finally he spotted her sitting on bench that was far away from that room.
Seeing the blood drip on the floor, he rushed towards her.
Grabbing her hand, he spoke with a panic in his voice.
"I have no words to explain how utterly stupid you are."
Listening to him her focus finally shifted to her wounded palm.
"I had no idea when I got this cut.", confusion wrapping her words.
"A cut? A CUT!? You have 'cuts' on your entire palm you so strong Iron Lady.", he mocked sarcastically with anger.
"Abhimanyu I am fine, don't wor--"
"In my cabin. Right. Now.", and this left no room for argument as she followed him to his cabin as instructed.
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His gaze was fixated on her would, as he picked out the glass pieces stuck in her palm, hissing before pulling out every single piece.
Her eyes were glued on him, his concern, those worry lines on his forehead.
Not an 'Ouch!', not an 'Ow', nothing, as he took out all the pieces. He couldn't believe he is still that Akshara who would yelp even after looking at the thinest injection syringe, he often used to wonder, has she became a master in masking her pain or does she not feel the emotion- Pain anymore, because truth to be told, sometime one become so habituated to pain that they don't feel it anymore.
As he started bandaging her hand, she whispered,
"Thank you Abhim--"
"Shut up!", he said without even looking at her being so mad at her but she couldn't help herself from finding him cute, cute as in a cute angry bird.
Taking a seat infront of her, he let her talk.
She chuckled dryly,
"They told me that she had a heart attack last night, not to forget how they highlighted that it's her wish to see me, putting focus on her 'Last wish'."
And now he understood her anger, it was from another betrayal.
"It was just a fluctuation in BP, low to extremely high.", he stated.
"I know now. I can't believe they lied to me again just to call me back, they did the same thing last time by using Aarohi's name. And me being the emotional fool, is here again. They didn't came once to meet me while they were aware of my whereabouts in Delhi for a month, but look how they found a smart way to call me here.", she held her head in between her hands as emotions overflooded her brain.
Taking a deep breathe he stated a fact.
"Look, I am your Mimi's doctor and to say that she is in her best health would be a lie, she isn't, considering her age that way her BP, pulse rate and other heart problems are triggering is not good for her, and it happens again and again. I think you should meet her before taking any decision."
"Yes, yes, I should.", she said in a small voice as guilt was again making its way to her, making her feel that she was somewhere responsible for her Mimi's worsening health.
Her guilt ridden face brought him guilt,
"Listen I didn't said that to be biased or to make you feel guilty. I just suggested something as your....being your.... as your friend.", as he finally got a word to fill up the space for now.
She just looked up to him and smiled to let him know that he is the last person on earth who can make her feel miserable.
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A/N
Another update for today, enjoy!
Also, is it me or do you feel that Manjari is being biased towards Akshu, I mean even if she is doing everything to unite Abhira, still her concerns lies only for Abhi, that her son suffered so much in a year, that Akshu's presence is necessary for well being of Abhi.
What about Akshu? Why she doesn't talk about her sufferings for a year? Still, after this how can she call herself Akshu's mother. I mean teaching a lesson to her is a different thing, but telling her she shouldn't call her "Maa" because she is getting divorced to her Son is so wrong, why make an orphan feel that she has a mother when she can't really be a mother to her.