Always- His and Hers

Silence

Aarohi Goenka,  shook her head in disbelief,  she just wanted to wish him Happy New Year.  She wanted to talk to him about the wedding and about her dreams, but he was always too preoccupied. And today, he didn't even talk to her.  As much as she wanted to believe that all will be fine one day and that Abhimanyu will consider her his life partner,  he barely shared any words with her,  not once asking her how she is doing, but she remained  optimistic about her ideal future.  

Badi maa looked at her and questioned, "Did you get to speak to him?" 

She shook her head, "he must be busy, i'll call him soon."  She smiled looking at the breakfast that laid in front of her, her favorite chocolate kachoris,  "Perfect start to the day, who made these?" 

Bade papa smiled, "Akshara, of course. But where is she right now?" He looked around him.  As he picked up the kachori, his phone rang,  "Doctor  Harshvardhan Birla! He must have called to wish new year."  

"Bade papa,  ask if Abhimanyu is around, i wasn't able to talk to him!"  Aarohi requested.  He nodded his head, and spoke, "Namaste Doctor Harshvardhan, may this year be a great year for you.."  His expression drastically changed, "How did you? What?  No...that's not possible. But Akshara was at home..." he looked around the house.  "Akshu! Where is she, Vansh?"  He questioned Akshara's cousin. He worried looked around,  "Ill check the room."  

Everyone asked at once, "what happened?" 

Kairav walked down the stairs, "What happened?" 

Vansh frantically asked,  "where is Akshu?"

Kairav looked at Bade Papa, "what happened?"

Bade Papa shouted, "Get the car...we need to go to Amar Hospital!"  As the chaos  continued, he shouted again, "NOW!"

Elsewhere, in the car, Abhimanyu, Neil, Parth and Shefali were headed to the hospital, where  Akshara was taken.  "She will be fine, bhai," Neil spoke.  Parth squeezed his shoulders, "Abhi, Akshara is a strong girl, she will be fine, we will reach in no time...". "Just eight minutes more, Abhi," Shefali noted, all trying to control the fear in their voice.   

Now they all understood,  Abhimanyu hadn't moved on from Akshara. The pain of his heart was radiated from every part of him.  He closed his eyes, the image of his bruised face couldn't leave his memory.  With tears flowing from both the eyes,  he refocused on the last time he had seen her,  those brief two seconds when he had spoken to her and told her, for her, he was Abhimanyu, not Abhi. Her last words, 'bye Abhi' repeated in his ears. He had ignored her throughout yesterday and all he wished now were just a few more moments with her, if he could have just hugged her and kept her safe in his arms, none of this would have happened. 

Parth spoke on the phone, "Get the Operation Theaters ready in case any victims come to Birla Hospital."  

Shefali looked at Parth and proudly smiled at him, she called up her colleague, "I won't be able to report,  please send someone else."   Then taking a moment to listen, "my family member was in the accident, I need to know she is fine. Her name is Akshara Goenka,  around 22 years old. She was hurt on the face, that's all we got to see.  Veer, I need to know about her sooner than anything." 

Parth mouthed a thank you and they both looked towards Abhimanyu  who finally spoke, "Neil, faster."  Neil sped the car, breaking all the limits. This was the first time, he was driving so fast,  his hands trembled, but a glance at his brother and he knew, he had to get to Akshara quick for his brother.   

They parked the car outside the hospital. The entrance  was lined up with Ambulances, nurses getting out the victims.  They frantically searched for Akshara, shouting her name and trying to look at stretchers. 

"Shefali," a young man with a camera shouted,  "she is in the operation theater, she didn't look in a good condition." She nodded and shouted to the boys, "inside!" As they all ran inside the hospital, Neil asked the receptionist, "Akshara, we have been informed she is in the operation theater."

The receptionist was on the call, she looked troubled,  "Sir, let me ask. Is any ma'am in the operation theatre?" She looked at them and sighed deeply, "I won't be able to tell right now, Sir, please head to the 1st floor, they might be able to get you a better update." 

Before she could even finish, Abhimanyu was already sprinting towards the stairs.  The other three followed, bumping into nurses and people. The hospital staff were desperately trying to organize the number of people who kept coming to the hospital. 

As they ran through the hallway of operation theaters, a male doctor came out of the operation theater exclaiming to the nurse, "Please ask the police to identify her and notify her family. Send the body... "  

Play this song and close your eyes,  maybe it would allow you to imagine the feeling that he must have felt.

Silence, that's all that was heard after that.