Manzilein

11. Don't let me go

Hlo darlings

ENJOY READING 💕💕💕
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A mixture of happiness, guilt and surprise escaped her droopy eyes in the form of tears as she saw her family infront of her. She could see love in their eyes for her. But why ? Don’t they hate her after what she had done ?

Her Chhoti Ma sat bedside her and caressed her hair, then cheeks and then her shoulders, confusing Anika. For Arpita it was a way to ensure that it wasn’t a dream and that, her Bulbul was infront of her eyes. Arpita bent down and kissed her for head, making her feel the warmth of love once again.

“You scared us so much. Why do have you have to be so good to everyone all the time ? Can’t you take care of yourself ?” Arpita asked, faking anger but her voice choked when her Bulbul couldn’t speak but only sob that too with difficulty.

“S...Sorry.” Anika managed to whisper in between her sobs and the oxygen mask on her face was not letting her speak properly.

“Shhh ! Don’t, just don’t. Why are you crying ? We should cry. Why are you apologising ? We should do that. We were the ones who didn’t trust you and behaved with you as if you were a criminal. We couldn’t understand you. We accused you of something you didn't do. You suffered because of that evil woman. Our sorry would do nothing to soothe the pain you had to bear.” Arpita cried and kissed Anika’s hand that had the IV tube attached with it, piercing her skin painfully.

Anika nodded negatively and tried to wipe Arpita's tears but she was too weak to even move her hand. Then her eyes fell on Gauri and Bhavya who were holding their ears in apology and crying. She could do nothing but cry. It was then, that she noticed her Baba  (Manish) and Mr. Bumble (Neil) standing in one corner, away from her bed.

Manish and Neil couldn't see Anika in pain and they were angry with her, for hiding her helplessness from them. They were about to leave the room but stopped listening to Arpita's voice.

"What are you doing, Anu ? Don't remove the mask." Arpita panicked as Anika removed her oxygen mask. Manish and Neil ran towards her and tried to make her wear the mask but she turned her face away, indicating that she is not going to wear it.

"T...alk to me, please." Anika said in her broken and choked voice. "Why do you want to talk now when you didn't talk to us that day ? Just decided to do everything on your own." Manish said with anger and Neil stayed quiet but angry. Neil put the mask on her face and tried to leave but she removed it again.

"Agar... baat nahi karni.. thi toh bachaya kyun ? ( If you didn't want to talk then why did you save me)" Anika said while holding Neil's pinky finger. Though he was younger to her but he was always there  like a shield to protect her the way an elder brother does. He remembered their childhood days when he uses to not leave her pinky finger, not even when she used to go to school and he used to ask her to take him with her. He was seriously angry because she had not even given her a chance to hold her pinky finger and stop her.

"Stop it. I'll do the thing I never did in my life." Manish said with fake anger and sat beside her on the bed. She tried to keep her head in his lap but couldn't do it on her own. Manish himself helped her and kissed her for head causing his tears to fall on her hair.

"What will you do ?" Anika asked in a playful manner.

"I'll slap you." Manish answered and her faint smile told him that she's not going to buy it.

"You can't do that, even in a dream, and not even in a drama because you and my Busy Bumble (Neil) love me a lot." Anika said in a weak but confident voice.

Anika was still holding Neil's finger. He would have burst out into tears but his phone rang and he rushed out of the ward to attend it, leaving a heart broken Anika behind.