Veritas - AbhiRa FF

Chapter 6 - Of Frogs and Mules

Naksh really wanted to talk to his niece but Akshara made an excuse about a sudden headache that night and disappeared early in the morning, telling the servants that she had important work to get to.

He knew she was avoiding him, he knew it had to do with Abhi but till he got a hold of her, how was he supposed to help them fix anything? He had never been the kind to impose his wish on his children, instead, letting them find their own way in the world but...he sighed. Maybe his parenting technique was failing yet again.

He was distractedly going through a few files in his office, when his secretary announced the arrival of one Dr. Abhimanyu Birla.

Abhimanyu entered his cabin, his eyes still red, his walk a little dejected, and Naksh waited for him to take a seat before beginning, "What's the matter? Why do you look like a nomad? What happened?"

Abhi sat there, unseeing the man before him and his surroundings, his eyes fixated on a random piece of fuzz on the table. "Your niece happened."

************

Harsh looked at the girl before him questioningly. She looked stoic as she sat in his cabin, no fidgeting, no emotions on her face.

"How can I help you, Miss Goenka?"

She quietly passed him a paper. "My resignation."

Harsh's eyebrows raised on their own accord as he read the piece of paper she had presented. She was resigning? Months of trying to get her out of the hospital hadn't worked and now all of a sudden she was just giving up?

"Why, may I ask, are you handing in your resignation, Miss Goenka?"

She looked at him right in the eyes. "Personal issues, Dr. Birla. I'm sure you won't mind it though, right? It's what you've wanted for a long time.

He inwardly smiled at her chutzpah but sat there looking at her contemplatively. He didn't understand Akshara Goenka. He didn't understand what his son saw in her. He didn't think she suited his son in any way - too mellow, too soft, not academic enough. She reminded him of his own wife, and he knew how his relationship with her had turned out. And Abhi, though he was loathe to admit it, was too much like Harsh. Harsh didn't know how his son and this girl sitting in front of him would ever make a relationship work.

"Ms. Goenka, even if I accept your resignation, you have to understand that this post was opened up for you. It is in your contract that you cannot leave the hospital unless we find your replacement which will take a few weeks. Just because you are related to Mr. Singhania does not mean you can bend the hospital's rules. I'll start scouting for a new therapist but till then, I'm sorry but the hospital cannot let you leave at this moment."

Akshara hid a groan but didn't let her frustration at his words show. "Okay, Sir, I understand. Thank you."

As Akshara left the room, Harsh stared at the door. He thought about his son who was ready to give up everything for this elusive girl. He had seen his appearance yesterday and come really close to asking him about it but stopped himself before he could. He didn't understand Akshara Goenka but his son needed her in his life like he needed his next breath.

And Harshvardhan Birla might not be the most sensitive father on the planet, but he would be damned if he let his son's love run away again without giving him a fair chance.

*************

Naksh listened to everything Abhi said and run hand through his hair, exasperated by his niece. She was stuck in a vicious cycle of guilt and stupid decisions.

"Look, Abhi, there are a few things you still don't know. I'm sure she'll open up to you in due time."

Abhi scoffed at Naksh's words. "This revelation in itself was enough for me, Mr. Goenka. That...that stupid girl uttered all her words so convincingly that for a second there, even I was convinced that I would be better off without her."