The Unnaturals . Book 2

Part 40 Healing and Hurting

Healing and Hurting

The weeks that followed, passed slowly , painfully . Piku spent the days in misery , hoping every day that Duke would visit him, somehow . He spent each night in silent tears .

Duke did not visit him . He could not .

His pain was doubled by Uma's repeated enquiry about Duke .

' Duke elona na ?' she asked every day , making Piku want to tear his hair out in frustration .

Finally, after three weeks he was asked to try to walk with crutches.

Gradually , he put his weight on his legs and tried . Just a few steps and he stopped . 

The immense pain had brought tears to his eyes.

He had internal plates to fix the shin bone fracture and since there was an open wound , it wasn't plastered up . His other knee had been plastered . 

So , every day , he hobbled back and forth trying to gain back some degree of movement and strength in his legs .

It was going to be a long and uphill task . The right leg with the compound fracture would need prolonged physiotherapy and the doctors warned that he may never gain back the full range of motions . They said that he may develop arthritis and the dislocations may happen again .

It was just a depressing , morose time .

He missed Duke terribly and wanted him next to himself .

Doing physiotherapy alone made him angry and deeply frustrated . He felt like crying all the time and felt oppressed by his lack of freedom .

Suddenly, one evening, Duke appeared . He'd managed to give Lalloo the slip . He looked anxiously at Piku's face . Piku didn't look happy to see him . He looked angry and upset .

'Look what I've brought for you.' He exclaimed in a forced cheery voice and brandished a box of goodies from Nahoums'.

' Come on ! Cheer up now ! I've got Marzipans and plums cakes for you . Your favorites! Smile now and you'll get your treats!' Duke said and waved the box in front of Piku's face .

Piku loved them . He smiled grudgingly and put his hand out . He gobbled up the entire box of sweets and cheered up for the first time in days.

He turned away from Duke when it was time to say goodnight and lapsed into grumpy silence after Duke left his side . He refused to lie back and stared out of the window into the black night . Uma and Bhattacharjee moshai exchanged worried glances . 

That night , Duke climbed over the fence of the hostel and sneaked up the dark staircase of the hospital . He entered Piku's room silently .

On the floor next to Piku's, Bhattacharjee moshai was asleep in a makeshift bed . Duke crept across his sleeping form and climbed next to Piku . Carefully he lay down next to him .

When he hugged him , Piku woke up with a jerk .

' What the hell are you doing here . Get out immediately ! Baba is asleep right next to me !' he whispered angrily as he lay there, stiff as a piece of wood .

' You were crying , so I couldn't sleep .' Duke replied . He cuddled Piku and settled in deeper next to him .

Piku whispered back frantically, ' I wasn't crying . Don't be silly . Go back . What if Jethu finds out ? We'll both be dead this time . Get up !! Aviii !!!' He craned his neck to look at his father's sleeping formed silhouetted against the gloom . He tried to push Duke off the bed but Duke didn't budge .

' You're lying to me . I saw you . You were wiping tears . First tell me why . I'll go . I'll leave if you tell me why you're crying .' Duke said as he held Piku in a tight hug .

' Ok . I was feeling miserable . Ok ? I hate it . I miss you all the time . I need you next to me . I need to feel you . I need to touch you . These weeks have been hellish torture for me . I can't stand it , Avi . Ami ar parchhi na .' Piku drew in a breath and started crying.

' I love you ... I need you ...... I can't live without you .' He said through his heaving breaths, 'I'd rather be hanging from a rafter than be apart from you like this .' 

 The dam of his self-control was completely breached .

Duke gathered Piku closer to himself and spoke in a strident whisper , ' Shut up . Shut up . Mukh bondho koro . Enough . Pikuuuu , I'm not going anywhere . I love you too . You know that . I need you too . I miss you too , my love .' 

' Don't say these things again . We'll get over this . We'll manage somehow . He can't control me forever . I'll , I'll break free of his shackles . We both will . We'll survive this together . You are the strong one . You are supposed to give me courage . Don't break down now ... ' Duke started crying as he nuzzled Piku's face .

' I'm not strong . I'm not brave . I'm a coward . Hiding was my only solution . You are the one with the strength . You are the courageous one . So, tell me now what to do . What do I do babe ? Being apart like this is worse than death .'

Duke shook him gently and said , ' stop it ! There you go again . Stop being so dramatic ! I'll try to visit you again . Eat well , exercise and sleep . Just focus on healing . Leave the rest for later . Ok ?'

He kissed his cheek and said , ' we'll find a way , my love . Ma will help us . For now , just get better, ok ? I love you . With everything in me . So, for my sake , please babe , just think of getting better . I'm going now . I'll come again whenever I can slip out unnoticed .' he kissed Piku's teared drenched face over and over again , caressed his body and kissed his lips firmly for one last time . Then quietly crept out of the room .

Piku lay back and cried continuously , completely heedless now of his father's silent presence .

Bhattacharjee moshai lay on the ground , wide awake .

He had heard everything .

The shock had turned him to stone . Word by word he recalled what his son said . Word by word he recalled Duke's statement .

" Being apart like this is worse than death ."

"I'll break free from his shackles."

It finally dawned on him that the boys were in the middle of a war . He lay in the dark , listening to his son's breath hitch repeatedly . Piku's crying was making the bed shudder . He could feel it as he lay on the floor . Bhattacharjee moshai lay still as the ground vanished from underneath him .

The next morning when Uma reached, Piku was still asleep . Bhattacharjee moshai gestured Uma to join him outside .

' He didn't sleep at all last night . He must have dropped off at dawn . So, I didn't disturb him in the morning . Let him sleep .'

Uma nodded , her forehead creased with concern .

' I'm going home today . I need to meet Adhiraj . I may stay the night if it gets late . You stay here tonight . Don't leave him alone . It's not safe . Bujhechho ?'

' Hmm , thikachhe . I'll stay , don't worry . ' Uma responded .

Bhattacharjee moshai took a long look at his son and turned to go and confront the person responsible for his state .

Uma had brought ilish machher jhol and spicy mutton bone soup for Piku . Now that his throat had healed, he was allowed spicy foods again . She had researched how to heal bone injuries and discovered a recipe of mutton bone soup and a fish curry of tiny sardines which could be eaten whole , bone and all .

So, when Piku woke up , unrefreshed from a miserable night , he saw his mother's smiling countenance . She fussed over him, fed him his favorite dishes and cheered him up with her cosseting and scolding .