Serendipitous Saturation ✔ [Completed]

Chapter 12 - Pain

Riddhima woke to the incessant beep of a monitor at her side. A dull pain across her shoulder blade caused her to open her eyes with a grimace.

"You're awake," Sahil said in deadpan manner, sitting in a plastic chair beside the wall. He put away his book.

"I think I am," she frowned, her throat dry. She attempted to raise herself higher in the bed. "Damn it," she muttered when a shot of fire ran through her collarbone as she moved up on the pillow.

She looked around, coming to. "Kinley?"

Sahil got to his feet and poured some water into a plastic beaker, handing it to her left hand that wasn't strapped up. As she sipped he replied, "Local PD came after you passed out and took him in. Transferred him to CBI. Kabir and Sara are questioning him now."

"Good."

"Lucky you came across him when you did."

She raised an eyebrow at him and then at her right shoulder. "Lucky, yeah. Did they operate?"

He nodded. "Yeah, they got the bullet out. Physical therapy's going to be a bitch for a few weeks but you were lucky."

"Yeah," she sighed at his second usage of the word in seconds. "Guess so."

She looked around the room again and licked her dry lips.

Sahil said, "He went to see his daughter."

She nodded, "Right, of course. He called you?"

"Yeah. Left as soon as I got here. Said he'd be back in to see you later."

Nervously, "Just how bad a state was he in?"

Her second in command shook his head. "Not good. But trying to act like he was together."

She nodded sadly. "He's not used to all this stuff like we are."

"He's not a cop," he agreed, no more needing to be said between them.

"No, he certainly isn't," she sighed to herself more than to him, laying her head back on the pillow and reminded of Vansh's face the last time she'd seen it, gaunt and terrified.

She took a deep breath. "You should get back to the CBI, Sahil. Make sure Kinley''s case is tied up. I'll come in tomorrow and give my statement." She rolled her eyes. "Shooting Kinley means a damn psych session for me too."

The corners of his lips twitched upwards. "It's a slam dunk. Local PD got the names and addresses of witnesses and they've corroborated Vansh's version of events."

"He gave his statement already?"

He nodded. "While you were in the operating theatre he wrote it all down, I suppose. Had it ready for me when I arrived."

It sounded like he was in a hurry to wrap things up and her stomach clenched as a sense of foreboding hit her. Or maybe, she considered optimistically, he was just trying to keep his mind busy to stop worrying about her when she was in surgery.

The door opened and Vansh popped his head in.

To anyone who didn't know him better they'd suspect he was blasé. "Ah, you're awake then, are you? Thought I heard voices. Sahil talking your ear off again, as usual, is he?" he quipped with a bright smile, grabbing a chair by the wall and pulling it closer towards the bed.

But Riddhima could see the worry behind his smile, the anguish in his eyes, the fear.

Sahil huffed and smirked. "I'll get out of here. Rest up, boss. Sara and Kabir said they'd call in to see you later."