A Young Love Story...

Part 25 - Goodbyes Are Tough...

As soon as Ananya reached home, her parents hugged her and greeted her. They were happy she had come after a long time. Her mother was even excited about having the baby talk with her own baby. Her mother asked her to freshen up, while she would serve dinner in a while. 

"Mumma, I need a nice tea with dinner. It has been ages I had the tea you make. Please, will you make me your trademark cardamom tea?" she asked like a young girl. 

"Of course Ananya. Anything for you." She vanished into the kitchen.

Ananya and her father sat at the table, while her mother arranged the items on the table and served alongside in their plates. She had made tandoori rotis and a spicy vegetable curry, just as Ananya liked. She had also made Veg. Biriyani, with Raita. Ananya had come after a long gap of 6 months, because her work had kept her busy. So, her mother left no stone unturned in fulfilling all her wishes. 

They ate with great taste, talking all the while about general things. Her parents asked her about Rishi and his mother. She answered as if everything was normal. She basically was indifferent to the pain she had inflicted on Rishi's loving heart. She was so lost in her own excitement of a future with her Vishu that she was blinded to the pain of the one who had loved her immensely and selflessly, without expecting anything in return.

She retired to her room, after talking to her parents for a while. She also had office the next day. She slept after a brief talk with Vishesh. There was a call at about 12 in the night. She saw her own home number flashing. She frowned. She ignored. After another few minutes, her phone buzzed again. "Home" calling. She was very irritated as to why was Rishi calling her that late in the night. Finally she picked it, and screamed, "What is it, at this hour?"

"Beta, its me!" said Rishi's mother. Ananya sat up straight. "Ohh, mumma... tell me. So late? Is everything okay?"

Ananya heard loud cries and sobs for almost a minute. "Mumma, what happened?"She was quite nervous. 

"Rishi... rishi has.." she was crying without a break now. Ananya got worried to no end. She immediately got up from her bed, whispered "I am coming there.." and hung up the phone, changed her clothes. She did not tell her parents anything, and just left. She immediately got a taxi, and reached her own house in another ten minutes. 

She went in and saw no one in the hall. She rushed to her room. She saw her mother-in-law sitting there and crying, holding Rishi's hand. But on a closer look, she could see Rishi was asleep. Why then was his mom crying? Ananya wondered. Suddenly she understood the seriousness of the situation. "Oh Shit!" she whispered to her own self. 

"Mumma..." she went in. 

Sukanya cried some more. "Anu, see what happened to Rishi. See this...." Ananya could not believe her own eyes. Rishi's wrist was bleeding profusely. "Whaaa...." she just thumped on to the bed. 

Senses suddenly prevailed, and she checked his heartbeat. It was on. She immediately dialed the number of her office, because she could only think of them for an emergency ambulance. To her good luck, the ambulance was in the same vicinity and came over in less than 5 minutes. By the time, the ambulance arrived, Ananya tied a huge cotton stole of hers on to his wrist. They rushed Rishi to a specialty hospital near their house. The hospital took him in almost immediately and the doctor attended to him almost immediately too. 

After a while, Ananya came and sat next to her mother-in-law. "Mumma, you wasted a lot of time. I hope we can save Rishi." Sukanya hugged her and cried for a long time. Then she said, "My senses have stopped working Anu. You left, and he shut the door. I asked him for dinner. He said he did not want. And by 11.30 I had slept, but he came and sat next to me. He held me and started crying. I asked him, what happened. He just said," Mumma Sorry". I don't know why. Then he went back to the room. And I tried to sleep again, but could not. So, I thought I will go and talk to him. But all I saw was his cut wrist. And I was shattered. All I could think of is to cry! Then I called you. I don't know, what happened to Rishi, why he did this. Did he ever tell you anything? Any tension of work or something? Rishi was always a strong boy. I can't understand why...." her voice trailed.