Southern Avenue

Chapter #12

Chapter #12

Quickly moving towards the bed, Ranvijay took his seat beside the hospital bed and grabbed Hridya's hands. He didn't realize when Sharanya had slipped out of the room while he became too engrossed in talking with someone whom he had not seen for many years now.

Holding her hands, he realized that she had become frail and weak. There was a strength that shone in her eyes brightly, reminding him of the person that he knew from long before. His teenage years were filled with her hand cooked food, her laughter in the kitchen when he tried to cook and failed miserably; her loving hands ruffling his hair, while he grinned at her.

Ranvijay felt nice talking to someone who knew the real him, his grandparents, and his parents. His parents barely came to India, but his grandparents had talked enough about them to Hridya for her to be well informed about them. When she asked him how they were doing, Ranvijay just smiled and answered, "As they always were."

She, Sharanya's mother, had never been just an employee for them. She was an extended part of the family. Even Randhir's parents acknowledged her. They were distant from their roots but they were similar to the Shekhawat grandparents. The difference was, his parents were mostly busy outsourcing their money and need in small towns in Africa and the Middle East to be bothered with their own son and their roots. Yet, they always acknowledged and behaved like family when it came to his Hridya maa.

It hurt him, knowing that she was only a guest for this life now. He couldn't believe the fact that she had numbered days left.

They talked on various stuff, while he told her about his pets and the way Sharanya was so friendly with them. Hridya laughed when he talked about his friends, telling him stories about how Sharanya used to take care of the neighbour's pets for pocket money of her own in her younger days.

"Ranvijay baba, Guriya told me about your grandparents' letter. I know nothing that's written there, but can you promise me one thing?" Her voice croaked at times, as she couched painfully.

Ranvijay grabbed her hands and rubbed them affectionately. Her hands were cold.

"Yes, Hridya maa?" he asked looking at her with hopeful eyes.

"I have little time left; just can you please take care of her a bit?" She coughed again, almost choking on her breath. Ranvijay gently patted her back and called for a nurse. It was the least that he could do. He knew that he was helpless in the situation but he wouldn't let her down on her promise.

"I promise." He nodded and kissed her creased forehead as the nurse came and gave her medicines.

After a few moments, she dozed into sleep.

He sat there, holding her hands when his eyes started to close. The previous night he had been awake doing his work and barely had gotten sleep. So, he just let the tiredness claim him.

Sharanya returned back to the room to find Ranvijay dozing off holding her mother's hand on the side of the bed. She smiled at them and to wake him up, she poked his shoulder. Visiting hours were coming to an end and they needed to leave.

"Ranvijay, it's late. You should go back." She whispered walking him up. It was indeed late, Ranvijay thought as he looked at his wristwatch. He hadn't realized when he had fallen so deeply in sleep. Quietly he detangled his hand from her mother's, to not wake her up.

"So should you." He yawned, looking at her smiling face. Her smile was rather amused; her glance shifted towards her mother and it turned from amused to affectionate.

"Mom is here. How can I go?" She said. Ranvijay nodded understandingly.

Sharanya walked with him outside the hospital and they talked for a while about what he had talked about to her mother.

"What did the doctor say?" He asked.

"The usual," she sighed, "She has to stay for about ten days. They say that she is stable but if she is why would they want to keep her here for ten days? It doesn't make sense." She huffed.

Ranvijay gently touched her shoulder to give her a soft pat, "It will be alright."

"You think so?" Sharanya smiled sadly.

"I can't promise you, it's not in my hands," If Ranjivay was something, he was brutally honest, "What we can do about it is, take it as it comes and lets hope for whatever is the best."

To that, Sharanya felt oddly calmed down and smiled. Maybe she could just rely on the situations acceptance for that.

As Sharanya took her place beside her mother and Ranvijay went to sleep on his bed with both his pets by his side in his mansion they both realized that in the moments of just two days spent together, they had become untold friends who were supposed to take care of each other's back, since no one else was there to take care of themselves and each other.