Her protector

39. Together

Abhi entered Shreya's hospital room only to see her looking out of the window. He sat beside her and called her.

"Look, Shri, Doctor said that you can eat this tasty soup made by me."He said making her look at him.

He smiled at her only to make her look at him baffled. She couldn't understand how he was still treating her so well even after she talked so rudely with him last night.

"Let me feed you." He said trying to take the bowl from her hand but she held it tight "Shri please." He tried to snatch the bowl from her hand "Your hands are not healed properly and you might drop that hot soup." He said but Shreya just tightened her hold on the soup not able to eat due to her guilt while Abhi thought that she was still angry.

And in all this scuffle, the bowl tilted and the whole soup fell on Abhi's hand making a hissing sound escape his throat.

Shreya immediately came out of her trance on seeing him hurt. She stood up and took his hand in hers. She looked at his hand which was slowly turning red and held his hand dragging him to the washbasin in the bathroom.

"You are so careless. Can't you even take care of yourself?" She said putting it under the tap forgetting about everything "Look at this, it's turning red." She said with pain in her voice.

"I didn't know my pain would make you care for me," Abhi said making Shreya shocked and she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Ab......"

He took his hand from her hold "If I knew it sooner then I would have hurt myself a thousand times only to make you talk to me." He said as his jaw clenched and eyes filled with tears. He rolled his sleeves up and showed her his arms which had many cuts "Look at them, I made these when I didn't find you anywhere." He said and showed his wrist to her "And this one. This one almost cost me my life." He said and a painful gasp escaped her throat.

He took his shirt off and turned his back to her Shreya saw a huge scar on his back and she covered her mouth with her hand.

"This scar is the one I got when I drunk for the first time and couldn't handle it and fell and the nail protruding from the wall tore through my whole back." He said as tears flowed from his eyes "And you know why I did that? Because I was searching for a girl who is my life and I couldn't find her anywhere." He said taking a deep breath as Shreya's vision blurred due to tears.

"Is this pain enough for you to talk to me or do you want to know how many times I tried to kill myself without anyone's knowing, how many panic attacks I got or how many times I hurt myself when I failed to search for you." He said with anger in his voice.

"Abhi I am sorry." She croaked out in pain.

Abhi looked at her with pain on his face "Sorry?? I don't want you to be sorry Shri. I want your pain." He said putting his hand over her cheeks. "All this time I didn't force you because I thought you needed time but not anymore. It's been a week and you are not talking to me, not giving me replies, avoiding me all the time." He said sitting down in pain "It hurts me more than anything. Your silence, your ignorance pains me more than anything." He said holding his head in his palms.

"I am sorry Abhi please," Shreya said hugging him.

She wanted to comfort him at this moment and she forgot every problem for her. For the moment she only remembered that she was not the only one who suffered but there was someone who suffered with her but away from her.

"Please don't go away from me again Shri. Please I found you after so long and now this ignorance of yours is paining me. Don't go away from me like this Jaan please." He cried hugging her tight as she settled on his lap.