Always- His and Hers

Why Always?

"Akshu!"  He screamed.  His eyes opened to the dim-lit room.  He looked around for his glasses and spotted them on the small table. He didn't remember taking them off. There were tears. He had been sweating while dreaming. Thirsty, he looked around for water.  

"Kairav?"  Abhimanyu turned around, "Akshu is okay. Are you fine?" The lamp by the hospital bed was on. Abhimanyu was sitting beside Akshara, holding his phone. 

Nightmare...Kairav thought for a second if he should tell Abhimanyu of what he dreamt as Abhimanyu walked towards him with a water bottle, "Have some water!" He was much more composed now.  "Akshu will gain consciousness in some time."

 As Abhimanyu turned to walk back to Akshara, when Kairav trembly voiced, "I had a nightmare. And I want to tell you because I don't want it to ever come true."  Abhi turned back, he nodded to him to continue.  "I dreamt that Ma had come to take Akshu with her."   Abhi walked to him and hugged him tightly, he was trembling, "Your fear made you dream of this.  She is with us and will always be,"  he assured him, calming him down by patting on his back,  "come sit," they sat on the couch.  

After a prolonged silence, as they both looked at Akshu,  "where was she going in the morning?" finally Abhimanyu asked. 

Kairav frowned, "I don't know." He kept looking at his sister, "she has no work over there, I have no idea? 

"That too, in the bus, she was traveling in a bus headed to Dehradun,"  Abhimanyu frowned, why did no one give him proper answers in this family, ask them anything and they don't speak the truth or walk around clueless, "why was she going to Dehradun?" 

Kairav shook his head in disbelief, "she was leaving us," he looked at him. 

"She was running away from this situation," he gritted, looked at his ring, "she was escaping her feelings."  He wiped the lone tear, "Kairav," he turned to question, "what is right for Akshara and Aarohi? They are your sisters; do you think everything going on is right?"

Kairav was shocked by the way Abhimanyu questioned him. He wanted to speak his mind, but these sisters were his world, how could he choose one's happiness over the other?   "Abhimanyu,"  he thought for a moment, his sister lay in front of him, even though he knew what Akshara wanted, he could no way forget how she felt.  Here was a man, who was soon going to marry his sister,  questioning him, while he just wanted to speak his heart out,  he stopped himself as he didn't want to complicate anything. He just wanted his sister back with him, safe and sound.  "It's not the right time for any of this."  

Abhimanyu stood up annoyed,  "right.  It's not." He looked away,  to hide his tears, her brother was irritating him as much as Akshara had, "just think why she was on that bridge? And if you get an answer,  pray this never happens again."  He walked to Akshara, gently held her hand in his, placed his fingers on her wrist, and felt the calm rhythm of her heartbeat. He was an audiophile, but he didn't know her heartbeat could touch his soul. It calmed his emotions and annoyance towards these Goenka siblings. He didn't think twice before bending down and gently speaking in her ear,  "please just wake up Akshu," and without moving much, lovingly touched her bruised forehead with his lips. He placed her hand on the bed, captured her face in his memory, stood up, and walked out of the room.

 With heavy tears in his eyes,  he walked in the hallway with so many questions, which kept coming to him.

 Why always him?  Why was his life written in this way? Why were things not clear? How did so many misunderstandings happen?  

Was he naive? Or Was he more immature than he thought?

He made so many good, quick decisions during surgeries, how did he fail to make a good decision for his life? 

Would marrying Aarohi truly solve the tension his mom had for his marriage? 

Would one day, his daughter and he sits down like he does with his mom and talks about how lonely they truly are? 

He didn't want to think about any of these questions. He refocused on what needed to be done for Akshara.  He checked his watch, it had been twelve hours since she had come out of the operation theater, she must gain consciousness in some time. He had walked too far from the ward, that by the time he retraced his steps, he could see the sunrise.  He stood by the window to watch the sunrise,  folding his hands and praying that as the Sun is rising, Akshara does too. With some commotion taking place at the end of the hallway,  he saw the staff wheeling someone out of the ward. Before he could react further when a worried Kairav ran behind them did Abhimanyu realize, that was Akshara.  

He sprinted to reach them, but she was already inside the ICU, "what happened?" he asked apprehensively. 

"Her breathing became erratic, " Kairav spoke, "she was fine, sleeping, and then suddenly..." 

A young doctor exited out of the ICU. Abhimanyu offered, " I'm a heart surgeon, I can help." 

"Our senior doctor is on the way.  There are depressed brainstem reflexes,  no response to painful stimuli nor any response to the limbs,  she might be falling into a coma, but I'm just an intern, I'm not hundred percent sure," Abhimanyu entered the ICU, leaving his fear behind, he had to save her and he would do whatever it would take.  

After a few minutes, which to  Kairav felt like a decade, Abhimanyu came out, distressed. "She's in a coma."  Kairav frowned, "how did that happen?" 

Abhimanyu and Kairav looked at the door as the nurse left the ICU. Just a few minutes ago, they all were peacefully sleeping, and now, she wasn't. Kairav took out his phone, " what should be done?"

Abhimanyu shook himself out of the shock. It had all happened in front of him, he had her and then she wasn't there. He turned towards Kairav, who was scared and worried. he got control of his voice, "Kairav, this happens." He tried hard to control his fear, "she will be out in a few hours. We need to..." he took out his phone, " to shift her. I need to be able to see her. Due to Covid cases, they are not allowing us in the ICU, we will have to take her to the Birla Hospital.."

Kairav simply nodded. Abhimanyu managed to dial his father's number, "Papa...." he voice cracked, "we are bringing Akshu...Get the ICU ready."

 "Abhi? What happened?" He looked around him as both the families looked at him with hope.

"Coma," is all he managed to say as a nurse interrupted him, "Sir, her clothes and accessories were placed in the wrong room," Abhimanyu held them close to his heart, when the cold metal slipped to his hand, "Akshu," he managed to whisper, why always,  his and hers.