The grey canvas

📌Chapter 19- Not mine

Dev:

I swayed to and fro infront of the gynae ward, just like an absolute pendulum.

This ward never had any good memories with me. But yes, it was always there to give me a bagfull of jitters. Whenever I used to be there, in and around or even in its close vicinity, I was always reminded about the 3 years old incident when the appointed lady cardiologist of this ward was absent and I was called by Dr. Priyanka to check that patient who was none other than Tara!.. Like seriously? Out of all the places, I had to meet her in a dingy room of this ward, that too when she was preg.....

Gosh!

I shut my eyes closed and chided myself for running and hovering behind those oh_so_unpleasant flashbacks of mine. Right then, Tara's health was more important than anything else. I heaved a sigh and muttered few helpless prayers before focussing upon the closed doors of the ward all over again.

Soon enough, a gentle tap on my shoulders broke my attention for the moment.

I turned around to find Adit standing behind me. The sight of his very face led a fresh batch of adrenaline rush through my system in full swing, that made my blood boil within no time.

To worsen the matter further, Adit started speaking-
"Dev, I...."

-"If you don't want to create a scene in our workplace, please leave." I said cutting him off midway, with my hands folded and eyes not looking at him anymore. My body was trembling with anger but I was supposed to sensible. Hence the only way I could chalk out, was avoiding him for the time being.

"I'll leave I promise. But before that, you need to listen the complete story." He insisted calmly.

And now it was my term to act calm!
-"Adit, you want to receive the same treatment again?" My crunched eyebrows pointed him the incident he had faced an hour ago, i.e, the shower of slaps and punches and kicks everywhere on his body. It was the first time in life I had so brutally hurt someone, that too, someone so close as Adit. But I had my own reasons, hadn't I? That moron had dared to touch my Tara and god knows what else he did to push her to this extent of pain of misery. The very sight of her crying and cringing in pain, being laid in a pool of blood, sent shivers down my spine yet again.

"You can definitely go for that treatment, but not before listening to my part of the story." He paused and stared at me hard through his hazy glasses. "Dev, I had gone there to check on her...only becoz you were absent for a week and didn't even care to contact her or ask her whereabouts!"

-"And you had to do all these when Kshitiz wasn't around right?" I snapped.

"So what if Kshitiz wasn't there? Didn't I go to your house too when you weren't around?" He charged back. And damn, he was correct! "Dev, I've one suggestion for you. Judge yourself before judging others okay? Becoz whatever you did today, was just the same. You also went to Kshitiz's place when he wasn't around!!" He added.

What to tell him now? I gulped.
-"I had taken Ayan with me, if you remember." I said with a fake air of confidence.

"Wasn't that more risky eh?" He zoned me out momentarily.

-"Risky? Are you nuts?? We were the ones with whom Tara lived for 3 good years of her life dammit!"

"And I was one of those doctors who gave her life.... I was the one who gave her this face, this identity."

Okay. So there was no more space left for any arguement I guess. I had clearly lost!

"Now can we proceed?" Adit asked sarcastically. I didn't answer though, not even in the slightest nod. However he was intelligent enough to take my silence as the cue and started- "She was fine when she opened the door and allowed me in...or maybe she was sick inside but she didn't show anything on the face. Whatever it is, she asked if I would like have some tea. Honestly speaking, I wasn't in a mood, not atleast without you. But then I realised that the poor girl must have been missing her previous daily chore.. she was missing you, your habit...something that our fitness freak Kshitiz can never possess."