The Sibling Saga

21) Injection!

The next day, Aarav had set his alarm as he knew nobody would wake him today as well, but when he finally stirred awake, he realised that he had overslept, missed his alarm, and consequently, missed his classes too.

Today was an annual sports day in college. Pihu, excited, took blessings from her elders before hurrying out the door. When she reached Veer and took his blessings, he greeted her with a proud smile and pulled her into a warm hug.

"Meri jaan," Veer said, patting her back.

"Remember, competition mein haar-jeet lagi rehti hai. First aayi toh achi baat hai par nahi bhi aayi it's still gonna be absolutely fine hmm"

Pihu nodded, her eyes shining with determination.

Veer kissed the top of her head and added, "Important yeh nahi hai ki tum jeeto, important yeh hai ki meri Pihu ne participate kiya hai."

Pihu made her way to the parking area, where Karan was finishing a phone call. She walked up to him and bent to touch his feet, smiling as she straightened up.

"Sports day, right?" Karan asked, his tone softer than usual and took her in a side hug.
Pihu nodded eagerly, and Karan unlocked the car.

As they drove toward her college, Karan glanced at her. "Is baar kisme participate kiya?"

"400-metre race, tug of war." she answered with excitement.

Karan smiled. "Good. Aur ek baat yaad rakhna—"

But Pihu cut him off with a grin. "Jeetna important nahi, participate karna important hota hai. Pata hai mujhe!"

Karan chuckled.

After a brief pause, Pihu hesitated before speaking. "Bhaiya, ek baat bolun?"

"Do baat bolo bacha" Karan replied, his attention on the road.

"Aap Aarav ko maaf kar dijiye na," she began softly. "He’s really guilty this time. Uska muh bhi do din se utra hua hai, aur aaj bhi aapne mana kiya usko uthane. It’s high—"

Karan’s expression immediately hardened as he interrupted  "I’ll see what to do, tum uski parwa mat karo."

At college, the sports day began with enthusiasm. Pihu’s house won the tug-of-war competition, and she felt a surge of pride. However, her luck turned during the 400-meter race. As she pushed herself to the limit, she tripped, crashing onto the track.

The gravel tore into her skin, leaving her knees, elbows, and knuckles bleeding. Pihu tried to stand but winced in pain as blood trickled down her legs. Tears blurred her vision, and she couldn’t hold back her sobs.

Her friend rushed to her side. "Pihu, tu thik hai??!!" And she shook her head with tears streaming down her face. Her friend guided her to the medical department.

Once inside, the nurse immediately began to clean the cuts, but Pihu flinched at the sight of the antiseptic.

"Nahi please" she protested, trying to pull her arm away. "Bahot dukega, I'm fine like this"

The nurse frowned. "Pihu, you need to let me clean the wounds properly or it would get infected"

But Pihu was stubborn. Her stubbornness came through as she refused to let anyone apply the antiseptic. The very idea of the sting terrified her, and she didn't allowed the nurse to apply it.

"Bola na mein thik hu please" she protested, her voice trembling.

Her friend, seeing Pihu’s distress, tried to calm her down. "Pihu, thoda sa jalega, phir thik hojayega."