Arohan - The Ascent

Ties of Heart

3 Days Later

"You will need to get back in shape," said an officer, coming into the room.

Vikram was standing at the window, his hospital cloths, dangling unflaterringly on his well toned body. At the voice of his superior, he immediately turned around, and did the customery crisp salute.

"Yes Sir," he answered, standing stiff in attention.

"At ease," commanded the officer. "You are being nominated for Shaurya chakra. Your unit is very proud of you Vikram, Major Rangappa, personally recommended your name. Congratulations Sepoy Vikram Singh. Prepare to return to barracks ," he ordered.

"Ji Sir," Vikram repeated the stiff salute and stood at ease.

The officer came closer, patted Vikram on the shoulder and walked out of the room.

Vikram packed what few personal belonging he had in the room into his knapsack and walked out of the room. His parents had already left, the day before.

As he stood outside of the door, he turned around once, to take a good look at the room. The room, where Madam ji had nursed him back to health.

Padrauna, Urvashi's House

She had locked herself up in the house since the day she arrived back in Padrauna, 2 days ago. Urvashi, lay in her bed and starred emptily at the ceiling over her. 

His face seemed to project from her mind onto the ceiling. Uravshi saw how he lay on the hospital bed, a practical vegetable. Nothing except the vital organs of his body, functioned in the those few days. It was as if he had been swallowed by a deep , deep void. 

The 3rd after she had moved him to the private hospital, she tried waking him up. She had gently touched his forearm and called out to him. "Vikram... wake up. Get up..." 

There had been no response to her call. She sat back in her attendar's chair, watching him, for any movement , or sign of regaining consciousness. That's when she noticed it.

A single stream of tears flowed from both his eyes. She stood immediate, alarmed at the tears. She held his arm firmly now, "Vikram... what is it? Do you feel pain? what's happening?" 

Urvashi turned immediately and went to the right of his bed. She pressed the small bell, kept for calling attention of the nursing staff in case of an emergency.

"Vikram.. Vikram, can you see me?" she came back to his left and tried to shake him gently.

Suddenly, Vikram's eyes flew open, and he kept staring at the ceiling, his eyes blank.

Urvashi touched his face, trying to see if he is able to orient himself. Just as she cupped his left cheek and looked down at him, the duty nurse came into the room. 

"Can you please check him, I tried to call out him, as the doctor suggested. Then suddenly I saw tears come from his eyes and when I called out to him, he opened his eyes. But ... he is not looking ... his eyes... they seem blank!" urvashi blabbered.

"Relax madam, calm down. It's common for patients of Coma to have tears. It's a good sing, that he is showing, there is nothing to panic," she said. The nurse flashed light into Vikram's eyes . She checked his BP etc and gently closed his eyelids. He is still unconscious. But nothing to worry. Any movement in his eyes, tears etc is a good sign," said the nurse, before going back to her station.

Urvashi looked down at him, as she sat down into the attedar's chair. "Why tears?" she wondered!.

It happened again the next day. Throug out the day, Urvashi had been observing Vikram, as he slept in what seemed like a tranquil state of meditation. There was no change in his state of being. But that night, as she had just come in after her dinner in the canteen, she noticed the tears in his eyes again.

Urvashi walked over to him and as she watched she saw the tear emerge from his left eye. She looked around and found a box of tissue on the side table. She picked up a tissue and gently dabbed his eyes. And then right before her eyes, she saw his face contort in a grimmace. He seemed to be trying to say something. Although his lips moved, he wans't making any coherent sounds.

His whole body seemed to shrink in somekind of panic. Instictively, Urvashi hugged him, placing herself gently over his sleeping form. She wrapped her hands around him and gently tapped him to comfort him . A few seconds later, he seemed to have quieted down. Urvashi separated from him and kept staring at his blank face.

His face... She could feel his chest go up and down evenly, as his breath regained its rhythm. His bruises were mostly gone. There was a slight radiance in his face, thanks to the warm glow of the yellow lights in his face. Urvashi looked at him closely. Her mind flashed back to that strange old man at the temple, who had told her, this was no ordenery man.

Urvashi bent over slightly and took a closer look at the face in front of her. It was a handsome face. But more than the beauty of the face, the determination, his face had caught her attention. He had come a long way, from being Vicky. He had indeed made something of himself, just to prove to her...

Urvashi looked at all over his face, trying to comprehend, what she needed to do. And then suddenly his eyes flew open. Startled, Urvashi jumped away from him and watched him petrified.

As she watched, tears began to flow from his eyes. "Sor...sor...maamchi. So.."

Urvashi stood with her back pressed against the wall of the room. She shut her eyes tight, as her own eyes welled up.

On the bed, Vikram continued to mumble the half words. "Sor...I..." and fresh tears emerged from his eyes.

She walked up to him slowly and saw his eyes stare blankly at the ceiling. His face was blank, tears flowed from his eyes and he mumbled half words of apology to her as well as something else, incohorently. She watched him for a couple of seconds, but couldn't bear his suffering anymore. She dabbed his eyes with the tissue and gently closed his eyes.

She stroked his forehead gently as his delirium slowly ended and sat down next to him."What did they do to you?" the words escaped her, as she continued to stroke his forehead gently. "What has happened to you? Why aren't you waking up? Vikram..." her voice , was almost a whisper.

Urvashi had not realized how close she had come to his face. Any closer and she would be almost kiss him. Urvashi bolted up from the bed. Urvashi stood shocked at what she had just done. "What am I doing!" She looked all around herself. "NO... TIM, I can't betray you. TIM," she collapsed to the floor, her hands covering her mouth, to stop the sobs threatening to overpower her.

She needed Tim, she needed his embrace, she needed to see his face, his smile. She closed her eyes, but his familiar face refused to come to her.All she could see instead was Vikram, up close, tears rolling down his eyes.

Her eyes jerked open.She grabbed her hair with her hands, pulling it hard to kill the pain in her heart. "What do I do," she looked up the ceiling. "TIM... don't let go. I need you," she sobbed silently.