The Innocent Mistake

The Innocent Mistake - 24

Recap: Sidharth and Sana discharged the baby. Sidharth's acquaintance John agrees to sublet a room for Sana and the baby. John tries to molest Sana and Sidharth arrives and beats John black and blue.

"He is unconscious. Leave him.", Sana yelled.

"No, I want him dead. How dare he try harming you.", Sidharth said. John's words had reminded him of his deed which had spoiled their lives. Indirectly, Sidharth was taking all his month-long guilt and frustration on John.

"How different are you from him Sidharth? You did the same to me.", she yelled. Though, he already knew it, her words struck him like lightning bolt. His hand froze as he recalled John's lustful face. He loathed imagining himself with that face.

I probably looked the same to her eyes that day.

He was ashamed to even look at her in the face. He nodded his head to her sentence in agreement, while tears kept flowing from his eyes.

Lowering his head, Sidharth picked up the feeding bottle which had fallen from his hand when he saw John misbehaving with Sana.

Flashback:

Sidharth left John's house bidding bye to Sana. He sauntered through the silent streets at night and stopped at the closed shutter of a shop. The surrounding was brightly lit as any other closed shops at night in the city, opposite it was a telephone kiosk and a little further was a metal bench. The temperature had dropped to 12°C, hence when he sat on the bench, the metal felt cold against his butt. He was glad that at least Sana and the baby would be warm inside the house.

Pushing the bag to one end of the metal bench, he lay his head on it and curled up on the bench. The cold metal ran chill throughout his warm body when it couched his back. It would take sometime to adjust gradually he thought. However, the bag under his bag felt hard and different. It wasn't comfortable enough and also hurting his neck. He touched the bag to feel something cylindrical in it, but he still had no clue as to what it was. Hence, he sat up straight and unzipped the bag to see it. That's when he found the baby's feeding bottle in it.

'Oh no! What if the baby feels hungry at night. I must give it to Sana now.', he thought and immediately took on his feet back to John's house. When he reached there, he was about to knock when he found the door unlatched. Upon entering his eyes widened in shock to see Sana trying to escape from John's grip on her hair, while the baby was crying in her arms. Her condition looked miserable and it didn't take him much time to understand what was happening.

Flashback ends.

Sidharth caressed the bottle as he mentally thanked it for helping him reach before the disturbing event could happen. He heard the baby cry and walked towards the direction, where he saw Sana stuffing the bag to leave the place while the baby was lying on the bed, crying. He passed the bottle to Sana with his shivering hands without looking at her face. She snatched it from his hand and stuffed it into the bag.

Sidharth picked up the baby into his arms and cuddled her softly and the baby immediately stopped crying. Sana's hand froze on the sudden silence. She looked at him through the corner of her eyes. She felt the same sting in heart and possessiveness for the baby that she had felt in the hospital.

What in the world has he done to the baby that she stops crying in his arms and not hers. It hurts, hurts a lot especially when she was the one who carried the baby in her womb safely for months, while bearing all the abuse and curse her parents threw on her for bearing it. Why wouldn't the baby love her? She had lost everything in her life to be with the baby, yet the baby hated her.

All these years, while growing up, she thought everyone was good. Suddenly they all looked like beasts who would pluck, tear and gobble her mercilessly at the blink of her eyes. Everyone was indifferent and everybody betrayed her - her parents, best friend, Sidharth and even strangers like John. All she wanted was the love of her baby now which was being betrayed as well. Without any effort, the jealousy over Sidharth turned into anger and disgust.

"Where do we go from here, Sidharth? Park, Petrol pump or some random street? Or do you have any other rap!st friends, who would want to rip my clothes away in the name of providing shelter?", Sana questioned in a cold and harsh tone.

Sidharth, who was rocking the baby gently, froze. Her words were like daggers and he had lost a count of how many wounds he had gotten due to that sharp dagger.  He had no answer to her question. Few minutes back, he was so relieved that atleast her and the baby had a warm shelter but now he was helpless.

"Huh!! As usual, silence. Let's go!!", Sana taunted with a smirk. She pulled the suitcase out of the room with her without waiting for him. Sidharth immediately followed her lead. In the hallway, she heard a subtle yelp and glared at John, who slightly moved his fingers in semi-conscious state.

"BASTARD!!", Her rising anger needed some venting, so she spat and kicked his face with all the might. The kick was so hard that the blow sent him back to being unconscious. To say that Sidharth didn't shiver from the fear of her sudden wrath would be an understatement.

Sana walked past the unconcious body and Sidharth followed her glaring at John's figure. Sidharth's eyes widened within seconds as an idea flashed his mind.

"Sana..", he called halting in his trail.

Sana paused and looked back with piercing gaze at him.

"I have paid him for a week's stay plus another week's advance.", Sidharth said.

"So? Do you want to wake him and ask for money back?", She asked sarcastically.

"No.. we will stay here for that stipulated period.", Sidharth said.

"Are you suggesting that I get molested by him for 2 weeks?", she asked gritting her jaw.

"I won't allow him to even lay his eyes on you.", Sidharth said lowering his eyes.

"What are you suggesting Sidharth?", she asked tilting her head as she was piqued.

"I will tie him up and keep him in his room until I find another place to stay.", Sidharth said.

"Wow!! I want to wash your feet and worship them for such a brilliant idea. After two weeks, he will sue us and we will get a permanent place to stay and 3 meals to eat in jail. Isn't it?", another sarcasm was thrown at Sidharth.

"He won't go to the police, Sana. Trust me!", Sidharth said.  Sana chuckled at his words.

"I've trusted you enough Sidharth. Care to enlighten, why wouldn't he go to the police?", she asked. Her first sentence was an invisible whiplash which though wasn't seen to eyes but surely gave an excruciating pain.

"He is an illegal immigrat. He would dig his own grave if he went to the police. This house belongs to his girlfriend who is out of the country for sometime.",  Sidharth explained.

Sana mentally nodded and walked back dragging the suitcase into the room.

"You are staying here and making sure that he is not getting loose.", she ordered and he hummed. He left the baby with Sana before dragging the unconcious body of John into the room. He tied his legs together, hands at the back and at the mouth to stop him from screaming.
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Sana couldn't sleep, hence she opened the bag and pulled out the pamphlet provided by the hospital which gave so many information about baby. She saw and read them one by one when she found one template on feeding the baby. Curiously, she read it carefully understanding how she should feed the baby.

After reading the pamphlet multiple times, she finally felt the need to try it on the baby. She found the opportunity when the baby next woke up crying for the feed. She closed the door and unbuttoned her blouse and followed the instructions carefully. It wasn't that it was painless, but this was a little tolerable. She was happy that finally she succeeded in it.

_____

To be continued..

Sorry for the short one. Feeling a little unwell..

Something is better than nothing, right.

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