Till The Count Of Five ✓

Chapter 51

Chapter 51

I did not hear you say goodbye when you vanished through the door.

Vee

15th May 2019, Wednesday
20:30

He had said he'd be back in a minute and he'd bring her with him. She had smiled at me and said sometimes it wasn't really our fault. We had shared a drink that he had forcefully pushed down my throat. I had ended up wheezing it out because I had been laughing hard, so hard that I had almost forgotten what Kiara had done.

My eyes snapped up.

Pankaj was sitting in a chair, tapping his foot restlessly while Papa leaned against the wall. He looked at me and I said, "Kiara."

Pankaj, then, realized, "Did you see Nolan or her?"

I shook my head. He cursed and searched for his phone. Papa offered him his. I turned away and stared towards the staircase that led to Shay's room. A nurse walked past me and I stepped back.

"Hello, Nolan."

I finally pulled my eyes away from the crowded hallway and raised an eyebrow at Pankaj. He nodded and I sighed in relief. She was fine. At least someone was fine. I had been too shaken up to notice her. A vague memory of watching her leave after talking to Nolan was there in my mind but it ended there. Everything was a blur after that until the noise began. People had rushed outside, pushing each other. I had made a mistake of looking up the stairs, a little confused as to where Hardik was. So, I had decided to check myself.

"Can you come here?" Pankaj asked. "And bring Kiar-" I shook my head. He frowned. "Nevermind–"

I didn't want her to see the mess, the horrifying blood that had seeped into my clothes and my flesh, wrapped around my torso like skin stretched tightly over my bones. I had opened the door to the sight of Mehak's limp body. I could still hear their noise in my ears when I had rushed to Mehak. I could hear footsteps coming up.

"Ambulance, someone call an ambulance." My throat still hurt from shouting. I was surprised at my steady steps as I had brought her downstairs. Then, my hands had trembled and I had felt people take the weight away from me. Hardik.

I shut my eyes and held my tears back as his image rose in my mind. He'll be fine. He'll be okay. Shay was fine, Mehak was fine. He'd be too. He just needed some time. I nodded. Time, yes. That was all.

I slid down against the wall and sat on the floor. Papa moved to come to me but I shot him a glance and he stopped. Someone wailed. I tilted my head and saw a woman cry as the staff pulled out a stretcher. Suddenly, I was thankful that I'd kept my anger under control and simply walked away from Kiara. A silent goodbye was better than an end on bad terms. She was fine, I reminded myself. It still did not settle the storm in my chest. Something seemed wrong. I shut my eyes and saw nothing, endless black, then white and oblivion. It had always scared me how white was the colour white, like a spiral of never ending tale.

Everyone I had a good moment with at last, left. I told Shay the truth, she had still not woken – doing better, the doctors said but asleep. I wished Ashiamma a Happy Eighteenth Birthday and now she only came at night. I said to Hardik that I wanted to apologize to Mehak, and their silence continued to reign.

"Vicky," Pankaj called and pointed at Papa. He was talking to the doctor with Mehak's father. I looked behind them and saw Roy.

"Mehak will be fine," Papa said. "It is just a head wound, not just, I mean but it's not anything severe."