Rishton Ki Dor

18. Pain

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*

Annie was just passing by Mihir's cabin when she heard the frantic shouts.

"Ayaan! Ayaan!"

Bewildered and concerned, she rushed inside. The scene that she saw shocked her.

Mihir sat holding an unconscious Ayaan. He was shaking the boy vigorously, yelling at him to wake up, but Ayaan did not seem to be responding at all. Food and vomit was spread all across the table beside them.

"Ye-what-what happened?!" Annie stammered out in shock.

Mihir looked up. The terror and desperation on his face made Annie's own fear rise. "Meri gaadi bulao," he ordered. "Abhi!"

Annie nodded. She was still pretty stumped by what was happening but she knew what she had to do. She ran out and immediately called for Mihir's car.

10 minutes later they were on their way to the hospital. Annie was driving the car. A driver would have taken a few minutes to come, minutes Annie was not sure they had. She had not wanted to take the risk. And Mihir had looked in no shape to drive, unable to even look away from his brother.

Right now Mihir was sat in the back, holding Ayaan's head in his lap. He felt like his world was falling apart. Each second that Ayaan did not wake up was tearing him apart more and more, making it difficult for him to stay sane and not give in to his panic and fear.

He caressed Ayaan's face gently. His baby brother; his child. Seeing him like this was wrecking Mihir; he felt like the most helpless man in the world.

"We're here," Annie announced. She had driven pretty recklessly to reach the hospital as fast as possible, but she did not care at the moment. She just jumped out of the car and yelled for help.

Ayaan was taken into the emergency room. Mihir did not want to leave him but the doctors pushed him back.

He stumbled, and would have collided with the wall if Annie hadn't caught him. Holding his arm gently, she guided him to sit on a chair.

He looked at her. The devastated look in his glossy eyes tore at Annie's heart.

"Kya hogaya use Annie?" he whispered raggedly. "Kya hogaya mere bhai ko?" A tear slipped out of his eyes.

Blinking back her own tears, Annie took Mihir's hands in her own. "Kuch nahi hoga Ayaan ko Mihir," she said softly. "He will be fine, okay? Kuch nahi hoga use."

But Mihir seemed to be barely listening to her. "Wo bilkul theek tha, fir achanak se...," his took a shaky breath. "Wo uth hi nahi Raha tha..." He shook his head. "Agar use kuch ho Gaya na Annie, to mai..."

Annie squeezed Mihir's hands, desperate to console him. "Kuch nahi hoga use. Bharosa rakhiye Mihir. He's young, he's strong. Just pray. Wo bilkul theek hoga."

Mihir nodded brokenly. He leaned his head back against a wall and closed his eyes. His brother's smiling face swam across his mind. Mihir prayed with all his heart for Ayaan to be okay. The sudden way in which Ayaan had lost consciousness had scared him very badly. Ayaan had even said he couldn't breath before passing out. And-

Mihir's eyes spanned open as something hit him. He sat up suddenly, startling Annie.

"Khaana," Mihir blurted out. "It was the food!"

Annie was perplexed. "Khaana? I don't-"

Mihir turned to her with a newfound urgency. "Maine khaana order Kiya tha. Wo khaake hi Ayaan behosh hua hai; usse pehle wo bilkul theek tha. Shayad us khaane Mai kuch tha, I don't know, but-" He stood up abruptly. "We should get that food. Ho sakte hai usse pata chale kya hua hai? I-"