SHIKWA

Chapter 8

Sanskaar woke up with a jolt. As soon as he woke up, he experienced immense pain in his whole body. Every inch of his body was paining like anything. But more than that, he was confused. Did he really saw Swara! Was it his dream! But it felt so real. He knew it was her touch. He knew it was her voice. But how could she be here!

"Bhaiya!"

Sanskaar turned to find Adarsh sitting near him. He smiled seeing his little brother.

"How are you?" Adarsh asked, "You are feeling well na?"

Sanskaar nodded in assurance.

"It's been a week. Thank God you are fine!" Adarsh said holding his palm, "We were so afraid."

"I won't go anywhere leaving you all. Don't worry!"

Two drops of tears fell from Adarsh's eyes. His gaze then fell over Ragini who had just arrived. He smiled seeing her.

"Bhaiya! You woke up!" Ragini too came near him. But she stopped seeing Adarsh wiping his tears.

"Adarsh! You stopped Laksh from crying when bhaiya was actually not fine. And see, when he got fine you want to create another Ganga in Rishikesh."

Sanskaar looked at Adarsh and laughed little.

"Go and inform ma!" Ragini asked him.

As soon as Adarsh went away, Sanskaar looked at Ragini. She knew what was coming!

"Ragini! Who is my doctor?"

Ragini got speechless. They never thought what would they all tell Sanskaar when he will wake up.

"You take rest bhaiya!" Ragini tried to avoid the question.

"Ragini! I want the answer." Sanskaar commanded.

Ragini sighed. But her expressions were enough for Sanskaar to deduce the answer. He got a little restless.

"Bhaiya! Even we did not knew! It was a measure for your safety. We...."

Ragini suddenly stopped seeing Laksh coming inside. She went out leaving the brothers alone. She knew Laksh could handle Sanskaar better.

When passing through Swara's room, she saw her sitting on the bed through the partially opened door. Her face had a clear dilemma which Ragini could not miss to identify. But she wondered a little, why Swara did not latch the door. Her door always remain unmatched.

When she was here observing Swara, her husband was trying to console his brother. Though Sanskaar tried to react as normal as possible, Laksh was well aware that it was not normal at all. He was pretending to be normal. The way his eyes twinkled with tears, the way he tried to divert the topic, the way he said he was feeling sleepy made Laksh realize how much his brother was hiding his emotions. And the second he cursed Swara under his breathe.

He stormed out his room and went towards Ragini straight.

"I wish she gets all the pains in this world. I wish she should never smile. I wish she will never get any happiness in this world."

Saying so, he hugged Ragini and cried his heart out. Ragini was struck now. On one side, she knew Swara was not completely wrong but on the other, she also knew that her husband was not wrong either. Even she had witnessed Sanskar's condition in last few years. He tried to drown himself in work. He tried to pretend to be happy in front of his family. But deep down everyone knew how wounded he was.

Swara was trying hard to avoid going inside Sanskar's room. She did not know how would Sanskaar going to react. Her courage whichever she accumulated in last few years, all seemed to be consumed now. She was feeling same vulnerability she used to feel when she first came to ashram.