"Where are you Rudy?" asked Gauri.
"I am with Bhavya. Why?" he asked back.
She nervously began to speak. "Actually, Ma and Papa have gone home along with Om. Annika Bhabhi is asleep. I don't want to wake her up for this."
"What? What happened?"
Gauri sighed dramatically. "Actually...uhm, Bhaiya is kind of out of control."
Rudra panicked at once. "Huh? What? What is happening Bhabhi?"
"He...he is just awake. He does not want to sleep and is just not listening to me. I don't know how to handle him..." Gauri muttered sadly. "Should I call the Doctor?"
"No. Not the Doctor..." Rudra refused. "They will come and give him sedative and again I don't want that."
He took a pause and then said, "Okay. I am coming in half an hour. Just distract him. Speak about nonsense. Any nonsense works but Annika Bhabhi's brand of nonsense will get you his full attention."
Annika's jaw fell down as did Shivaay's even as the rest of the family kept their chuckles in check. Gauri mischievously asked, "Oh okay. Any example?"
Ignoring Annika's glare, she listened to Rudra regale a whole lot of possibilities to her. "Say that she wanted to wake him up by throwing a bucket of water. Or say that she thinks that shares are a rubbish thing. No one should buy a company's shares. Or sat that you hate aaloo puri. And she how an olive oil lover defends the desi grease."
"Wait, what?" Gauri chuckled.
She heard shuffling and then shifting of gears. Then Rudra said, "Okay I am on my way. Just hang in there for a few minutes. I will be there."
"Okay," Gauri nodded. "Come soon."
When she cut the call, Shivaay shot her a look. "Kooch bhi huh Gauri."
Annika also crossed her arms. "Swear!"
"Okay guys," Om intervened. "Let's not fight now. Let's set the stage for Rudy instead. We know how fast he drives and now to he is trying to get to his dear Bhaiya soon. He will drive like a maniac."
"Yes..." nodded Pinky and pushed Shakti and Om in the bathroom. Annika settled on the couch and pretended to sleep. While Gauri stood outside the door with a worried expression on her face, all ready to greet Rudra.
Shivaay laid back on the bed with a small smile playing on his lips. Om was Shivaay's conscience, his partner, his friend. He was the ying to his yang.
But Rudra was his child. He still remembered the first moment when he had seen Rudra. He was sleeping in a small swing cot in the maternity home where Jhanvi was admitted. Shivaay was in awe of the small new human in front of him. When they gave placed him in Shivaay's lap, he was the happiest soul in the world. And well, Rudra had made him happy on his worst days. He was truly Shivaay's sunshine.
The door squeaked open and in walked Rudra while rubbing sanitiser on his palms. He whispered, "Bhaiya?"
The darkness in the room helped. Shivaay didn't answer. He said some rustling and the bed beside him dipped. Shivaay felt a hand on his forehead. Then he spoke in a hushed tone, "They didn't put him on oxygen tonight?"
Gauri was about to answer when Annika switched on the small lamp beside the couch. Rudra's head snapped there. She grinned at him. The washroom's door swung open and Om yelped, "Happy Birthday Rudy boy!"
Before he could register anything, everyone had enveloped him in a giant hug. Rudra sagged in their embrace. His eyes darted towards Shivaay. He was now sitting on the bed and looking at him with a sweet smile painted on his face. It was the same smile that had Rudra and Om mesmerized since their childhood.
