Acceptance heals everything

Part 16. Comeback

"Are you even paying attention to me?" Ritika asked him, clicking her fingers in front of him.

Before he could answer, her phone rang and she picked it up.

"Yes", Ritika said, and saw her eyes widen at whatever she was hearing on the other end. But before he could say anything, she abruptly stepped out of the room.

Rohit had a bad feeling seeing Ritika's unreadable expression as she was talking on the phone.

The helplessness hit him again. The harder he tried to push it out of his mind, the more it came back to him from everywhere.

He turned his head towards the window, only to be reminded of 'Virat hugging Sammy, him cupping her cheeks and listening to her so intently as she was blabbering anything and everything to her Chachu'

'The couch where Virat was laying silently staring up at the sky, the emptiness which surrounded him', he could still feel that silence and emptiness looking at the couch.

"What happened?" He asked as he came out of his thoughts sensing Ritika entering the room looking disturbed more than she was before.

Ritika shrugged her shoulders, "it's nothing, what would you like to eat for lunch?", she asked instead.

Rohit looked at Ritika, who looked as if she was about to cry at any min. 

"Ritsy, please don't make me feel any more helpless and guilty than I already am. At least I didn't push you away to hide things from me. Please, I can't take it anymore" Rohit literally pleaded seeing her sad face which he couldn't handle, her smile was one positive ray in all the darkness of his life. 

Ritika took a deep breath listening to his words, "It's about Virat" she said. 

Rohit glanced up as soon as he heard his name and wondered if he really wanted to find out what it had to do with Virat. He wanted to shut his mind off and not think about it, but there was a part of him that really, desperately wanted to know.

Ritika folded her hands, wondering if Rohit was still interested; she knew he was, but would he speak up? She desperately wanted that to be the case. "Do you still wish to know?" she asked.

She wanted to hear, 'What Rits? What happened to Vi? Tell me, is he okay' but she knew it was not gonna happen.

Rohit just nodded that he wanted to know. 

"He was found unconscious in the middle of the road. The last number he dialled was mine so the person who found him called me. They got contact of Mahi bhai so Mahi bhai is reaching to him, he is admitted in the hospital", Ritika said informing him the whole thing. 

"I talked to Ash, they are on their way to him", She said further. 

He was in a daze and didn't even know what Ritika was saying. He could tell her lips were moving, but he couldn't make out what she was trying to say. He kept hearing the words "Unconscious" and "Middle of the road" coming back to his mind.

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As Mahi drove to the hospital, he kept repeating the phrase, "Please be okay". It was almost as if he was convincing himself that Virat would be all right.

As soon as they got to the place where Mahi and Ash were supposed to go, Mahi bumped into someone and to his shock, it was Virat! He grabbed him and forced him to stand up.

"Cheeku?" Mahi patted his cheeks to get his attention. 

When Ash observed the doctor and personnel exiting the hospital and looking at Virat, he exclaimed, "This is your management?! The patient is wandering aimlessly and has no sense whatsoever! What if he was hurt or something, whose responsibility it would be?!"

"Sir, He was not listening to us, we really tried" the staff said. 

Ash scowled at their feeble excuse, as they were medical professionals and could not simply provide him with sleeping aid. Ash enquired, "What is the diagnosis?', not wishing to lose his temper with them.

The Doctor said that, "there were no physical injuries sustained as a result of the patient's unconsciousness, however, it was necessary to obtain his blood sample in order to determine the cause of the incident", He further stated that the patient refused to cooperate and instead pushed his way out.

"Let me go", Ash heard Virat's voice trying to free himself from Mahi's arms. 

"He is really weak and not yet fully out of his unconscious state" Doctor informed Ash.

Mahi took him to the car as he swayed at every step, Ash just paid whatever the fees was and then followed them. He helped Mahi and they made Virat lay down on the backseat. 

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"They are coming back to the hotel nearby they were staying at", Ritika informed after 10 mins of silence. 

Rohit asked Ritika, "Can they bring him here?" without looking up, knowing he had let everyone and specially Virat down.

Ritika held his hand and cupped his cheek, "You mean that completely?", she asked not wanting Rohit to push them away again. No one will be able to handle the consequence of that neither Virat nor Rohit.

Rohit nodded in a yes at that as a lone tear tickled down his eye. 

Ritika wiped it with her soft fingers, "Let me call Ash and ask, okay?", she said softly. 

"What if he denies?" Rohit asked scared about it. 

Ritika, "I dont think he will", she said giving him assurance and called Ash. 

Rohit kept wondering that, Will Virat come back? given he himself had pushed him away.

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