Kabir dropped to his knees and pulled her out of the water. She didn't open her eyes, nor did she show signs of any consciousness.
“Dhara?”
He whispered in a broken voice. His shaking hand came in contact with her neck and he felt her pulse. It was there but very weak. He felt her breath. Again barely there.
“Dhara! Dhara wake up baby. You cannot leave me like this. No! No no no no! Dhara wake up. DHARA!”
He yelled and ran out of the room carrying her limp and drenched body in his arms without caring about anything else.
Everyone else came out of their rooms hearing his voice and were frozen to their spots. Karan recovered first and ran towards the door grabbing the car keys on the way and muttering a loud ‘What the fuck?’.
“Hey bhagwaan! Ye sab kua hua?”
His father said but Kabir could only focus on Dhara and her pale face. They reached the hospital in record time and Kabir rushed inside yelling for the doctors.
Dhara was tranferred on a stretcher and was and taken away into the ward. The doctor checked her and informed them that her lungs were full with water and she needed to be operated immediately.
As soon as the door of the OT closed, Kabir fell on the chair with a thud and cried silently. Karan, who hadn't spoken anything until this point started with anger filled voice.
“If anything happens to her, it will be your fault.”
Kabir looked at him with a frown.
“She was insecure about a lot of things but usse ye bhi yakeen tha that you are always with her. But today, you triggered her biggest insecurity. That you'd leave her. For some other woman.”
“It was a joke. I teased her with this so many times. A couple joke Karan. And I thought she'd catch the joke this time too.”
Karan snickered and shook his head, his eyes blazing with anger.
“Joke? Her insecurities, her fears are jokes to you, to all of you. She would have caught your joke is not for her. She made Dhara so insecure about her not being enough for you because she couldn't conceive.”
Karan spoke pointing towards his mother which made Kabir's attention divert to her too. His mother looked nervous and guilty all of a sudden and Kabir felt sick. What all was going behind his back? Was he so clueless and careless?
Karan told her everything that had happened. About Niharika and the taunts. About everything else she had been going through since the past year. All the comments and looks she's endured at the family functions.
“And she did not stop here. Koi bahar wala kahe phir bhi itna nhi dukhta jitna ghar walo ka kaha chub jata hai. But you know what she did to break her more. She accused her of sleeping with me. Of sleeping with her own brother.”
Kabir stood up with a jerk and looked into his mother's eyed with disbelief and shock which turned into anger and disgust.
“How could you? How dare you speak such vile words about my wife maa?
Kabir sighed in exasperation and pulled his hair in frustration. How was everything going so wrong?
“Karan usse kuch ho gaya toh mai kaise jeeunga yaar? I don't even remember how my life was before her anymore. I don't remember what it was like waking up without her beside me. I don't remember what days without her smiles and giggles in them felt like. I don't just want her to be okay. I need her to come out of that room healthy and fine. Need, Karan! Dil baith raha hai mera. Saans atakne lagi hai. It feels like she has become the oxygen I need to even breathe. How am I going to live if anything happens to her? How will I ever forgive myself for being the cause of her condition?”
He cried and fell on his knees. Karan knew how much his brother loved Dhara and rubbed his shoulder to calm him.
“I've called her parents and informed them about her condition. They were out of town for a wedding. Next available flight se wapas aa rhe hai. And I don't think I need to tell you that her father is going to give you a tough time.”
Karan informed and Kabir sighed in defeat.
“And I deserve it. I deserve every pain and suffering he puts me through. I deserve it all for hurting my Dhara.”
It had been an hour since the operation was going on. But to Kabir, it felt like 60 hours. Every tick of each passing minute felt like an hour. Thoughts, bad thoughts started clouding his mind. What if he loses her today? What if she never wants to live with him anymore? What if she denies to come back home with him? Leave him for good?
He wished the answers to all of them to be in negative. He didn't want any of it to happen.
He couldn't remember how long he waited but when the light in front of the OT was switched off, Kabir sprung up from his seat and waited for the doctors to come out.
“Doctor! How's my wife? She's fine right? Kuch nhi hua na usse? Please say something! Doctor!”
Kabir was getting restless which Karan noticed and pulled his brother back while asking the doctor about Dhara's condition calmly.
When the doctor responded in positive, Kabir released the breath he was holding since he'd brought her here. She was fine. Jis Dhara was fine. She didn't leave him. She was fine. Tears of gratefulness fell from his eyes and he thanked the heavens.
Dhara was shifted to the general ward since she was out of danger now. She would regain her consciousness any minute according to the doctors and so Kabir refused to leave her side in case he wakes up and needs anything.
He had her hand between his and was kissing and caressing it continuously. It felt like she'd disappear if he left her hand. Now that she was fine, he feared two things. One was her father's reaction. And the second was her decision.
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