Meenakshi

C28: Praying for Her

A week had passed by and Meenakshi's health made no progress. The Vaidh ji and other physicians who tended to her were very scared of this response. It was not healthy to remain unmoved in a single position. It would lead to bedsores and damage her body. Since her wound was deep and had affected both sides of her body, laying her down without hurting her side was a difficult choice. The wound had closed due to burning it in the beginning but that did not mean that the damage was minimized. The burnt skin had to heal before it would harden. The sword had cut through her internal organs rupturing a lot of blood vessels and organs. It was very difficult to predict what had happened, because only if she woke up, could the physicians tell what had happened to her. Until then bringing her back to consciousness was the primary goal, which she made no attempt to.

Aditya had dedicated himself to taking care of her as dedicatedly as possible. His time was also demanded for the administration and for his kingdom, but Aditya managed to juggle everything perfectly. He would wake up in the wee hours, take a bath, go to the nearby temple and offer his prayers dripping wet, praying for her health and happiness. He would then offer the fruits that he had gathered in the morning and offer it to the deity. He would then get dressed and visit Meenakshi, offering her small drops of the holy water that he had offered. He would talk to her as he informed her about his schedule and plans, and ask her for suggestions wherever he felt he needed some help. Meenakshi's silence troubled him but that didn't deter him from coming back to her at the end of the day when everything ended. He would kiss her forehead tenderly as he would speak to her about the plans he had made for them when she would get better. He wanted to experience small joys of life with her and he would promise her his time and dedication every time he spoke.

Ever since the war had ended, the battlefield had turned into a hospital camp. Soldiers from both the kingdoms were treated with equal respect and attention. The commander as well as the king of Magadhika had been captured by the troops of Aditya's army and were detained in the royal prison. They were under special surveillance and subjected to harsh treatments under the command of the king. Their reason for treason and treachery was still hidden but would soon be uncovered. Magadhika was now without a king as the son and wife of the present king had fled away after hearing the king's arrest. Aditya wanted to crown his son as the new king and rule the kingdom with a regent so that the kid could take over when he was of age, but that plan didn't seem to work out for now. All it looked like now was that Aditya had to take over the kingdom until a new ruler was deemed worthy of kingship or he had to merge the kingdoms together as one big state. He had also spoken about this dilemma to Meenakshi even though he knew that she wouldn't respond.

Aditya's patience wore thin as he wished for Meenakshi's consciousness. He badly wanted her to wake up, lash out at him for being selfish, put his misery out by punishing him, but all he got was silence. He also dreaded as the days passed by. Meenakshi's destiny as she would turn 21 in two days. Aditya did everything in his control trying to wake her up. He had asked for opinions from physicians across the kingdoms, who had a different idea and perspectives on health and body, he had conducted rituals and given away wealth, food, clothes, land as donations to the needy. He would wake up and pray daily in spite of the pressure of the administration he had on him. He never complained and did every single task as an act of devotion, as a mode of redemption. All he wanted was his Meenakshi. Nothing else mattered to him.

The day Aditya dreaded was here. Much to his annoyance and surprise, Meenakshi's father and mother were also present. They were near the camp waiting for Meenakshi to wake up. Aditya's dad had come down to the camp to see Meenakshi and pray for her speedy recovery. He did not know why, but he felt like seeing the girl and wishing for her health. He felt emotional seeing Meenakshi. She reminded him of the innocent little daughter he had held once, before she was separated from him cruelly. When he came to know about Meenakshi's life, he felt miserable for the poor soul for going through so much. He did not expect his once best friend to be so ruthless and hostile to his own daughter. But after all, people change, they don't remain the same at all. He had tried convincing and talking to Aditya about accepting death and life in the same spirit but Aditya refused to listen to anything that was related to death. He wished, hoped and prayed for her to survive this night even though he knew that the chances were very low. Trying to keep his sanity sane, he went back to the camp where he was staying unable to deal with the negativity.

**********

Did you pray for Meenakshi?

You can, by clicking on the vote button.

Now.

See you in the next chapter, bubye.