TejRan- short stories, proses and poetry

Grief(2)

Mishti's POV:
TW//: Mention of su*cide and blood.

"Excuse me? Hi, I'm here to visit Ruhaan Varma. He's a friend of mine and got admitted just yesterday I believe. Could you please tell me the room number?"

The receptionist smiled at me and started typing his information onto the computer.

"Room 206."

"Thank you so much! Have a great day!"

I rushed through the halls, anxious at the thought of seeing my friend after ages. Barely could I stop myself tripping for the umpteenth time. Squeaky clean floors and plain, white walls bedecked the corridors. Some empty, some buzzing with life.
After walking a few more steps, I had found the room.

"Tch. Tch. Tch. Look who it is! THE Mishti Khanna." A voice I knew all to well announced loudly as soon as I pushed the glass door open.

"Ruhaan Verma. We meet after 5 years and this is how you decide to welcome me? In a hospital bed? So Ruhaan of you," I replied rolling my eyes with a huge smile on my face.

He looked exactly like he did 5 years ago. This man does not age, I tell you! The same dimpled smile, the same waxed hair, the same Cheshire Cat grin. He was still the Ruhaan Verma I had left behind 5 years ago.

I had just come to Mumbai for a few days and was planning to meet up with a few old friends. Meanwhile, this idiot decided to ram his motorcycle into a car and get hospitalized. To be fair, it was mostly the car driver's fault.

Speaking to Ruhaan took me back to our undergrad days. I missed that period of my life often, after it had passed. The canteen, the classes, the friendships , the teachers and our dreams- I remember it all.

The room was a shared unit and a curtain was separating the other patient from Ruhaan.

"Why did you take a shared unit? Didn't you use to think the idea is atrocious?" I scoffed, my volume as low as it could get.

"I still do. I was not into it at first but when I saw the patient, my heart compelled me to stay." He replied, suddenly his voice dropping an octave.

The confusion was visible on my face perhaps.
Just as he was about to elaborate further, an unfamiliar figure walked into the room. We could only see their shadow with the curtain restricting our visions but I could hear them settling onto the hospital bed beside the patient.

Ruhaan looked at me as if all my questions were to be answered that very instance.

A deep, rich velvety voice forced me to shift my attention towards the other side of the curtain.

"Ira, Daddy's back baby. I know you've been a little miffed with me these past couple of weeks. It's been weeks since I've heard you talk. Weeks since you've sung me your favourite song. Or told me animatedly about your day. Weeks ever since," he took a pause, "since you've tried ending your life."

Everything around me went stagnant. The air left my lungs, leaving me gasping for breath.
No I can't. I can't go through this. Not again.
Yet, I couldn't move.

"It's okay baby. No one blames you. Absolutely no one. No one is angry at you. We don't have that right, love. Especially after what we made you go through. We are sorry for not noticing the signs earlier. We are sorry for not trying to help earlier. We are sorry for not understanding you. You mean the world to us, Ira. And you forever will. In fact, you are our entire world. Your friends have started school again, they miss you loads though! You'll enjoy reading the plethora of letters and cards you received. They have started moving on baby but our world has stopped. It has been like that since the day we found you in a pool of your own blood. We cry every night, me and your mom both. But we know you will come back to us again Iru. You're halfway there champ, keep pushing. But I need you to promise me one thing, okay? When you come back, you will never try to harm yourself ever again. Okay? Not for us, not for your friends, not in fear of what the society will say but for yourself. You told me you wanted to be a writer. You told me you wanted to pick wild flowers from a field one day. You told me you wanted to visit the little villages in Europe all by yourself. And so much more, Ira. You wanted to do these things for yourself. The world is a beautiful place and you've not even seen a fraction of it. There's still a long journey awaiting you darling. Don't give up on this world so quick, don't give up on us. Please come back. Give us one more chance."