Love Is A Lost Cause

chap 1

She was a beautiful child. So sweet,so innocent. What made her so strong,so hard,so lonely…?

She chuckled shaking her head. Really, what was she thinking ? She chuckled again.

Her flight is in a few minutes. Her parents had met with an accident. Even though her cousin Nathan has been updating her, she was not satisfied.

Actually, who would?
If she was some other person, it would have scared the living daylights out of them.
But she was calm and composed in exterior. Her friend Rishi was worried about her. Rishi has been watching her friend since she knew about the accident. She wondered what had made Veronica laugh at.

"Rishi, do you think life is unfair?" Veronica asked out of nowhere.

Not knowing where this is leading to, Rishi answered.
"Till now life had been fair to me. Sure i had many ups and downs but that is what makes life, LIFE. Why?"

"No,nothing." Veronica said.

Upon a few minutes pondering, Veronica said " Life has been clearly unfair to me. I too had many ups and downs. Some manageable,others excruciating."she said with a faraway look.
Rishi looked at her with painful eyes. She knew what her friend had undergone and what she implied by 'excruciating'. Sometimes she used to and still wonders about her friend's survival,courage, her whole character.

Veronica sat there with her friend Rishi in gate lounge while the rest of all passengers ran to first enter the plane, wondering why everyone hurries to board the plane.

Four more hours then she can see her parents and take care of them. Her brother has already landed and is waiting for her. Can't say she isn't worried about her younger siblings.

All the passengers have boarded the plane. Rishi and Veronica is sitting in nearby seats. When the plane started running in the runway, Rishi took Veronica's hand and squeezed it. Rishi had always been afraid of heights and nauseating turbulence.

Four hours had flown by so fast. They landed and collected their baggage. She saw her cousin and brother waiting for her. They put everything in the back of the car and left to the hospital.

Father has not regained consciousness from the accident and is still in critical condition. Mother is missing. No information. Who took her? Why did they take her? No one knows. Just like Nathan informed her. Veronica talked with doctor for hours to understand her father's medical condition.

Veronica returned to the waiting lounge where her family and Rishi has been waiting. James, her elder brother asked her "how is he?"

"Just what Nathan said." Veronica said. They knew he was in critical stage but they dont know that his survival rate is very low.

Nathan gave her favorite coffee and made her sit down.
"Ron, why don't you eat something and rest. Rishi told me that you didn't eat anything this whole day. You didn't even eat in-flight meal. Come." Nathan said with worried eyes.

"No thanks, Nath. This coffee is fine." Veronica said.

"Ron, Gus and I can handle here for a few hours. You go eat and take rest at home. Or else rest here." James said.

"What about you?" Veronica asked.

"What about me?" James asked.

"You also has been working and traveling. Come with me and eat something."

"Fine. Gus, take care of Anna and we'll be back." James said to Augustus, his younger brother.

"I can take care of myself, brother" Anna scowled.

"Of course you can." James said smiling.

"Okay and you" pointing to Jean "Come with me. Let's eat something buddy." James said to his youngest sister.

3 siblings alongwith Nathan and Rishi went to eat outside.
After eating, James and Jean went home with Nathan to rest.
Veronica and Rishi came back and sat with Gus and Anna.