Night of 25TH

CHAP 61: Anya's Plea

Past:

Shubman

My head lay near her hand, connected to a saline drip, which I gently caressed for hours, desperately hoping for her to wake up and bring back her usual annoyance. Sanket and Rahil had left an hour ago to visit Sameer and uncover the truth, understanding that I was in no condition to talk to anybody. Ishan had taken her parents home for them to get some rest, though they were reluctant to leave their daughter's side. After numerous requests, they finally agreed to go home.

I remained by her bedside, refusing to leave. I wanted to be the first person she saw when she woke up. It was 4 in the evening when the room's door burst open. My head shot up to see who it was. Siraj stood there, his eyes bloodshot, looking at his chotu. He moved quickly to her side, cradling her pale face and caressing her cheeks as he sobbed. However, his hand's movement ceased when he looked at me angrily.

My hand, which had been holding onto Chucky, detached as Siraj pulled me by my collar, shouting, "How dare you come here after everything you did to her?"

I didn't react, fully aware that I was at fault. I remained silent, allowing him to unleash all his anger. "Don't you dare come near my chotu!" he yelled, pushing me to the floor, just like how I had pushed Chucky just the day before.

I stayed on the floor, absorbing the brunt of Siraj's fury. His accusations and anger were justified; I had caused pain to someone he deeply cared about.

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, broken only by the rhythmic beeping of the medical equipment keeping her stable. I slowly rose from the floor, avoiding eye contact with Siraj.

"I don't want to see you anywhere near her," he uttered, his voice strained from the outburst.

"Please don't do that. Slap me, kick me, do anything, but please don't ask me to be away from her," I pleaded, my eyes welling up with the sincerity of my regret.

"No," he replied sharply, the word cutting through the air like a blade. His jaw clenched, and his eyes bore into mine with an intensity that conveyed his unwavering resolve. "You don't get to dictate the terms here. You've already done enough."

"I need to do what's best for her," he continued, his voice holding a mixture of frustration and sorrow. "And having you around right now isn't it."

I nodded silently, not wanting to prolong the argument with Siraj. Exiting the room, I found solace in the quiet hallway, perching myself on the ground. An hour passed in sombre contemplation before a familiar voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Why are you sitting here?" I looked up to find Sanket and Rahil approaching.

"Siraj came and threw me out. He said I don't deserve to be near her," I sighed, my gaze falling to the floor as I perched my chin on my knees.

"He can't just do that; you're her best friend," Rahil exclaimed with a hint of disbelief.

"Leave it for now. Just tell me what Sameer said?" I asked, gesturing for them to join me.

Sanket, visibly worn out, rubbed his face vigorously before taking a deep breath. "He said he did it because his sister was getting too much media attention for being the perfect Agnihotri. Meanwhile, he felt overlooked despite working hard for recognition and being constantly labelled a loser. And for you, he believed you took his place in the team, so to ruin both your lives, he decided to take this step."

"Hmm," I nodded.

"Are you not surprised?" Rahil asked from my right.

"To be honest, nothing at this point surprises me. Sameer and Anika share the same blood in their veins; the penchant for dirty work seems to run in their blood, I guess," I chuckled sadly, resting my head against the sterile white walls.

"We've got damage control for the article that might have affected you by bringing Sameer into the media spotlight to tell the truth. We handled it in our way," Sanket said, clenching his fist with determination.

"Doctor... Doctor!" Siraj shouted from inside. We quickly got up upon hearing his voice and rushed inside with the doctor.

"She was moving, maybe trying to wake up," Siraj said, huffing.

The doctor checked while she mumbled, "Manny... Manny." Upon hearing this, I quickly held her hand, not caring about the disapproving looks Siraj threw at me.

"She might be awake in a few minutes, but her condition is still critical. I can't say anything definitive," the doctor said, putting his stethoscope around his neck before moving out.

A few moments later, she opened her eyes, and a sigh of relief escaped me. Despite the doctor's warning about her critical condition, her waking up at that moment filled me with hope. She squinted her eyes before opening them, groaning, likely from the pain of her injuries.

She glanced at me for a few seconds, then weakly smiled at Sanket and Rahil before calling out for Siraj, "S... Siri," she called out weakly.

"Yes, Chotu?" Siraj responded, holding her other hand and gently caressing her head.

"I am not Chotu," she groaned weakly, making Siraj chuckle. Even in her critical condition, she didn't want to be called short.

"Yes, Anya?" Siraj asked again, his concern evident in his voice.

Anya struggled to speak through her oxygen mask, wincing in discomfort before conveying her plea, "Please ask him to just leave," she said slowly, detaching her hands from mine.