ᴍɪʜɪᴛʜᴀ-𝓗𝓲𝓼 𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓪𝓷𝓮𝓵𝔂 𝓸𝓫𝓼𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷

chapter 50

            Author's pov

Rudransh paced the hospital hallway, every step feeling like an eternity. His mind was a storm of emotions fear, guilt, and helplessness crashing over him like waves. He had always been in control, always the man with the plan, but now, in this sterile, white-walled corridor, he was powerless. Every passing second felt like a countdown he couldn’t stop.

Mihitha was in surgery, fighting for her life, and Rudransh couldn’t bear the thought that it was his fault. He had been the one driving, the one who couldn’t protect her. His hands were trembling, blood from small cuts on his palms drying but still stinging. The cuts didn’t matter, though. None of his physical pain mattered compared to the pain tearing him apart inside.

His heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice, each breath he took heavy and ragged. He stared at the closed doors of the operating room, as if sheer willpower alone could force them open and reveal that Mihitha was safe that she was going to survive this nightmare.

The image of her broken body, pinned in the wreckage, haunted him. Her pale face, the blood, the way her chest barely rose and fell he could still hear her voice, weak and desperate, calling his name. Her voice had been filled with pain, and he hadn’t been able to help her. He had failed her in that moment, and it was tearing him apart.

A nurse walked by, offering a small, sympathetic smile. Rudransh couldn’t return it. His hands went to his face, rubbing his eyes, trying to stop the flood of tears threatening to spill over. He couldn’t break down now. Not here, not when Mihitha needed him to be strong. But it was impossible. The more he fought the tears, the harder it became.

With a strangled sob, Rudransh collapsed into a chair against the wall, his elbows resting on his knees, his head in his hands. His chest heaved as silent sobs shook his body. It had been so long since he had cried like this, so long since he had allowed himself to feel so deeply. But Mihitha she had always been the exception. She had broken through the armor he’d spent years building, and now she was the only thing that mattered.

He thought of all the times he had held her, kissed her, made promises to her. He had told her they’d always be together, that nothing would ever come between them. But now, there was the very real possibility that he would lose her, and it was a reality he couldn’t accept.

“Please…” Rudransh whispered, his voice cracking as he spoke to the empty corridor. “Please don’t take her from me.”

The words felt inadequate, but they were all he had. For the first time in his life, Rudransh felt small, powerless, like a child begging the universe for something he couldn’t control. His love for Mihitha was the one pure thing in his life, the one thing that kept him grounded. Without her, he didn’t know who he would become.

The door at the end of the hallway opened, and a doctor stepped out, removing his surgical mask as he approached. Rudransh stood immediately, his heart leaping into his throat. His legs were weak, but he forced himself to meet the doctor halfway.

“How is she?” Rudransh asked, his voice raw and barely above a whisper.

The doctor’s expression was solemn, and that look alone was enough to make Rudransh’s knees buckle. He gripped the back of a chair to steady himself, his heart racing.

“She’s stable for now,” the doctor said, and Rudransh exhaled a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “But it was close. Her injuries are extensive. She has a collapsed lung, internal bleeding, and several fractures. We’ve stopped the bleeding, but she’s not out of danger yet. The next 24 hours are critical.”

Rudransh’s world swam around him, the doctor’s words barely registering. “Can I see her?” he managed to ask.

The doctor hesitated for a moment before nodding. “She’s in the ICU. You can sit with her, but she’ll be unconscious for a while.”

Rudransh didn’t need to hear anything else. He followed the doctor through the maze of sterile hallways, his feet feeling heavy with dread. When they reached the ICU, the doctor pointed to a room at the end of the row.

“She’s in there. Take as much time as you need.”

Rudransh nodded, but his throat was too tight to form words. He walked to the door, his hand trembling as he reached for the handle. When he stepped inside, the sight of Mihitha nearly brought him to his knees.

She lay motionless in the hospital bed, surrounded by machines that beeped and hummed, their cold, mechanical sounds a harsh contrast to her fragile form. Her face was bruised, her lips pale. Tubes ran from her arms, and an oxygen mask covered her mouth and nose. She looked so small, so broken, and it shattered him all over again.

Rudransh pulled a chair up to the side of the bed, his hands trembling as he reached for hers. Her hand was cold, limp in his grasp, and he brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. His tears flowed freely now, hot and bitter as they slipped down his cheeks.

“Mihitha,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “I’m so sorry. I should have protected you. This shouldn’t have happened.”

He rested his forehead against her hand, closing his eyes as the pain of seeing her like this became too much to bear. His shoulders shook with silent sobs, and for the first time in years, he felt truly helpless. There was no enemy he could fight, no threat he could eliminate. All he could do was sit here, hold her hand, and pray that she would come back to him.

“Please don’t leave me,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “I need you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

The minutes stretched into hours as Rudransh sat there, holding her hand, never letting go. The world outside that hospital room ceased to exist. It was just him and Mihitha, and the endless, agonizing wait for her to wake up.

He thought of all the moments they had shared the laughter, the fights, the passion, and the love that had always brought them back to each other. He thought of their future, the life they had planned together. The thought of losing her now, after everything they had been through, was unbearable.

Rudransh leaned in closer, his forehead resting gently against hers, his tears dampening her pillow. “I love you, Mihitha,” he whispered. “I love you more than anything. You’re my everything. Please, just... come back to me.”

He stayed like that for what felt like hours, whispering words of love and promises into the quiet room, praying with everything he had that Mihitha would hear him that she would fight to stay with him.

The machines beeped steadily, the only sound breaking the heavy silence of the room. But to Rudransh, each beep was a reminder that she was still there, that her heart was still beating. And as long as it was, he would hold on to the hope that she would come back to him.