~~Diego's POV~~
I caught her just in time before she hit the floor.
I touched the blood that dripped from the nose and without hesitation, I carried her to the hospital, ignoring the confused stares of her parents.
As soon as we were in the hospital, poor Delilah was strapped right into a white bed and rushed off by two nurses. I tried keeping up but I stopped when I saw her open her eyes and did something unusual.
She raised her hand and whispered my name.
I couldn't take it anymore. My wife, my newly wedded wife is now in hospital for the third time.
"Be strong," I whispered.
I tapped my foot vigorously against the white tile as the parents sat with Delilah in the ICU. Apparently only family can be let in. I can't tell her ignorant parents what is wrong with her because I'll break down if I hear the word, Meningioma, again.
The nurse told me I could stand behind the glass, the glass that separates us.
So I did.
I looked at her pathetic condition and I could only hear a some murmurs coming out of her throat as she tried to communicate with her parents.
"How's my sister?" She asked.
Her father and her mother who were choked in tears, nodded.
"Isn't my husband more handsome than hers?" She asked as she was looking at me affectionately.
They chuckled and nodded again.
"Don't tell her, though. She'll be very jealous." She continued, laughing in between her tears.
She gestured at me to come inside so I did and stood with my arms crossed in front of her, trying to hold back my tears. Just then, the doctor came in.
He smiled. "Nice to see the whole family here. Congratulations, on your wedding."
Her father chuckled. "Doctor, we still have to give Delilah's reception party. When can she go home? We have to invite our family from all over the country, and her sister, who's in the US, you see? We've to invite her as well. All this takes time.
"How much time do I have left, doctor?" Saru asked immediately. "At least till my henna fades out?" She looked at her trembling hands.
The doctor sighed and shook his head slowly.
The parents looked at Saru and back at me in confusion. Little did they know...
"Excuse me." Said the doctor before he left us.
Her father broke down in tears and so did her mother. They held her hands together while Saru tried to comfort them. Her mother wailed and sobbed.
"I said... I said let's perform her final rites... what kind of father says that for his child?" He choked and rested his head on Saru's lap. "Whether a parent give a blessing or a curse, God fulfills it all... you said that!.... but I didn't listen."
He looked at his wife as he stammered. "I thought, she will come back, say sorry and I will forgive her... I thought..."
Using all her might, she lifted him. I could feel the tears pouring down too.
"Papa... Papa!" She said as she held his hands. "A very intelligent man once told me, if things go your way, it's good and if it doesn't, that's even better. Because that's the will of God!"
I couldn't take this anymore, I just stormed out of the room, to calm myself. I just could handle this.
The general came up to me. "She left this purse, at the court." He said as he handed me a colourful little purse.
"I even found this book in it. She was trying to issue this book to the library for three months. Do you know why?"
I looked up and shook my head as I looked at the book.
"There's a dried rose on page 65. Maybe as a bookmark." He lifted the delicate rose and handed it to me as he pointed to some small pencil marks made on the side of this familiar picture.
It says '1994 - 2016'. What... what does this mean? Page number 65 also has the picture of you and your father. Who's destination is page number 65."
And that moment, something clicked. She was trying to send me a message. I ran out, to the taxi and told the driver an address which I thought I would never mutter again.
***
I arrived to the familiar mansion. In a hurry, I stormed into the office and saw him. He looked the same.
"Sir..." I said, knowing that I can't call him my father.
"Diego?" He whispered. "Please, sit."
I sighed. "Is that tree still in the garden? The tree from 1858?"
"Yes."
"I want two yards of land under that tree." I said.
He leaned against his hair and dropped his pen on the table. "May I ask why?"
I looked down and back up at him. "I just want it."
He chuckled. "Who did you kill this time?"
I got up and turned away, walking towards the door. How are he assume that I killed someone, a living person? turn out I was wrong about how he thought of me.
I am nothing to him.
"There are blood stains on your shirt! Don't I have the right to ask you? Inder!... You haven't stopped turning your back and running away."
I stopped and without turning back, I whispered, "I learnt it from you."
Without waiting for his reply, I drove off, back to the hospital. The parents were sitting opposite her and walked out when they saw me walking in. Delilah looked at me with her deep blue eyes.
I held her hand and with silence between us, I sobbed quietly. "Saru, before our wedding, you never asked why I committed that murder."
She looked at me. "I know you would have killed someone in order to save someone else."
I nodded but then shook my head. She deserved to know the whole story.
"When I was 9, I got a nanny, Ms. Lily. I considered her as my second mother because my real mother died when giving birth to me. One day, my uncle barged into her room and in order to save herself, she killed my uncle...I knew dad wouldn't believe her so... I said that I killed him." I paused an chuckled at my pathetic sob story but Saru remained silent.
"The biggest criminal lawyer in the country, my dad refused to take my case. He abandoned me and I could never forget-"
Delilah traced her soft finger along my arm tattoos, that showed something more than ink... "Diego. People don't stay together because they forget. People stay together because they forgive."
"I can never forgive him."
Saru groaned in pain and I held her hands together tightly. "Inder. Come closer."
I leaned my head closer and kissed her forehead.
"Now say bye." She said.
I shook my head vigorously.
This can't be happened. Please, not today! No...
"Never!"
She ticked her tongue. "If you don't give permission to your wife, how can she go?"
"You can't go!"
"When it's your turn to come, I'll meet you at the gate, with henna on my hands. Now say bye." She looked at her hands and tears streamed down her face.
I couldn't take this anymore. I couldn't bear the pain. I rested my head on her chest and cried. "You can't go! It's your parent's prayers. He has to answer them."
Delilah shook her head, weakly. "He did. I found you!" She patted her soft hand on my back and I looked at her beautiful face. She continued. "You're God's personal love letter. I've read the love letter and made him mine. Now I'm not scared to go."
I sobbed. "I love you. I love you. I love you!"
She sniffed as she grabbed my arms. "I love you... To the square of infinity!"
There was an unusual long beeping sound. I looked up and touched her cold, lifeless cheeks.
"Delilah..."
***
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Dear reader,
I'm going to keep it short so I don't ruin your mood... I may have already!
QOTD: What different ending to this chapter would you have been interested in too?
Please vote and comment if you have been touched by this chapter, or even if you didn't, please vote because I know you love me."
Thanks a lot!
~Imperfect Perfectionist~
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