"It feels like Deja Vu..." Om's cried his eyes out as he told Gauri. "This has happened with Shivaay twice before as well. He keeps doing this shit to us."
Gauri held him. "Bhaiya is going to be fine even now. Please have faith."
Rudra was sitting at a distance from both of them. He watched Gauri's dainty arms around Om's waist and the way Om had leaned onto her. If nothing else, Rudra was glad that Om finally had some support in his life. He deserved this unconditional love. He almost smiled. But couldn't.
Because his heart was burning. Everything in his body felt like it was on fire. This was not supposed to feel like Deja Vu. His brother was not supposed to go through such life-threatening experiences every now and then. He didn't deserve it. His bhabhi didn't deserve it. Rudra didn't deserve it. They all were supposed to lead a peaceful life together. And quite simply, Rudra was at the end of his tolerance. Something had to be done. He could no longer sit in the waiting room whilst his family suffered. He could no longer fold his hands in front of marble idols and helplessly pray whilst his brother's life hung on a thin thread inside. Rudra wasn't that inutile.
Squeezing his eyes shut for a moment, he drowned his face in his palms. This was going to be tough. Every part of him didn't want to go away from his brother. There was no way to tell which would be Shivaay's last moment with all of them. But then, there was a part of Rudra's brain that was nudging him towards the exit door. It was the part that was telling him to go to Bhavya, help her find the culprits who did this to his brother. That part told him that his brother would be alright under the care of Annika Bhabhi and Om, that he didn't have to worry.
Despite the heaviness, he felt in his heart, Rudra got up from his chair. His vision blurred as he sanitised his hands outside the ICU cubicle and pushed his feet in the small machine so that they were covered in plastic. With tears trailing down his sunken cheeks, Rudra pushed the door open. But he kept his eyes firmly on the floor. He couldn't dare to look up. He didn't want to. His legs took him to the side of the bed where Annika was sitting on the dingy stool with Shivaay's hand firmly in hers.
"Bhabhi..." Rudra said hoarsely.
Annika removed one of her hand from Shivaay's and held Rudra's. She pressed the side of her face over their intertwined hands. In a swift reaction, Rudra's other hand gathered her in his embrace. She sighed and trembled in his arms.
"They want to put him in an induced coma, Ru!" Annika moaned. "He already looks so..."
She couldn't complete whatever she was going to speak. Fresh tears streamed down Rudra's eyes and he sat on the edge of the bed. Feeling hollow, he drew Annika close and hugged her. As harrowing as it sounded, the poison had wreaked havoc in Shivaay's system. Rudra choked on a sob as he remembered the wretched day when he watched his brother seize uncontrollably in that emergency room. The neurologist had told them that the poison had affected Shivaay's brain causing it to swell.
It sounded like a cruel joke to Rudra. For a man as intelligent and as bright as Shivaay for his brain to be affected. Maybe, that is what the person who did this to him wanted after all; to render Shivaay useless.
Sniffling, Rudra caressed Annika's head. "We have to do it, Bhabhi. His brain has to heal. We have to give it some rest. Say yes."
An inhuman squeak left Annika's quivering lips. Rudra held her. He held her till her trembling didn't subside. He knew what she was thinking. Then he pulled himself back. He brushed Annika's hair away from her face and assured her, "It's safe. Bhaiya will wake up when we want him to. But for now, we have to let him sleep. He has worked so hard. Don't you think he needs to rest a little now?"
Annika's bottom lip quivered again and a pained sob escaped her mouth. Her eyes however remained stubbornly dry. "He will wake up. Promise me."
Rudra leaned in and kissed her forehead. "He will. I promise you."
Completely exhausted, Annika rested her head on Rudra's shoulder. He let her. It was a nightmare for everyone. Stroking Annika's head, Rudra willed himself to say the next set of words. "I will find out who did this to Shivaay Bhaiya. And he or she will get a death worse than any death in seven hells. It's a promise of Shivaay Singh Oberoi's brother to you."
Bewildered with his words, Annika looked at him. "Ru? What are you talking about?"
"Don't worry about me, Bhabhi. I am okay..." said Rudra and ran a hand over her head. "Please take care of Bhaiya and yourself. I will be back soon."
Annika nodded and then cupped his face. "I won't ask you where you are going. I trust you. You won't let your Bhaiya down. I know that. But won't you look at him?"
Something in Rudra's chest broke. Did he want to look at Shivaay? Could he look at Shivaay? Was he courageous enough to do that? He stared at Annika's swollen eyes and confessed, "I am scared."
"I know. But tell him that you are going. Assure him that you will be safe. Maybe, Shivaay will listen to you..." Annika managed to speak. "Please."
Rudra didn't have the heart to refuse her. Giving her a slight nod, he slowly turned to look at his brother. And he instantly wished that he had not. Shivaay never looked that bad. Not when he was first poisoned on his engagement day. Not even when he was shot. He immediately felt faint and saw stars in front of his eyes. The hissing ventilator, the electrodes, the IVs, the monitors, the whole paraphernalia around his brother was overwhelming. Bile rose in his throat. He pressed a hand over his mouth to drown out his cries. Nothing could have prepared him for this.
Rudra leaned over the limp form of his brother. He let his head fall on Shivaay's shoulder. Hot tears soaked Shivaay's hospital gown as Rudra emptied his pain. Even in that condition, Rudra could find solace only in Shivaay's arms. No where else. He cried and cried until he could more. He waited for Shivaay to tell him that it was okay. The assurance never came. And it was the worst thing to have ever happened to Rudra.
Forcing himself to calm down for the sake of his brother and his sister in law, Rudra wiped his tears and looked at Shivaay. His heart skipped a few beats. But Shivaay's pathetic situation made Rudra's resolve grow stronger. He bent ahead and kissed his brother's feverish head, silently assuring him that it was the last time he had to go through this.
Taking a breath, Rudra got up. He hugged Annika and whispered, "Love you. Take care."
Then without a backward glance, Rudra walked out of the ICU and out of the hospital. The culprits were going to pay. Yeah. There was going to be blood alright.
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