Pranbir Short Story Collection

The Accident Part 1

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He was trudging through the corridor of the hospital. He was walking slowly as if the heaviest weights were chained to his feet and his shoulders were drooping as if the weight of the world had been placed on his young shoulders.

He still couldn't understand how his world turned upside down in a matter of minutes. Just half an hour, ago he was planning a special proposal for the very special girl with whom he was head over heels in love with but instead the nightmare took place that crushed all his hopes and dreams.

He still remembered the moment when that fateful incident happened. He was busy making arrangements for the special day.

"So, today is the D-day. Your brother is gonna propose the love of his life in front of the whole college and once she accepts my proposal, I will talk to my family about us." He grinned joyfully.

"And then you will be together forever. I am so happy for both of you, Ranbir." Aryan, his best friend, grinned back.

Aryan was as much excited as Ranbir and was happy in his happiness. He had helped Ranbir with all the preparations and was very meticulous in his job. He truly was more than a brother to Ranbir.

Just at a moment like this, when Ranbir thought that nothing could go wrong, came the truck that collided with the girl on whom he was planning to shower rose petals, and left her lying in a pool of blood.

With a jerk, he came out of the vivid recollections of the recent nightmarish past.

And now he was walking through a hospital corridor with a heart drumming harder against his ribs, a heart which was full of an intense fear of losing the girl he has come to love more than life itself.

At a moment like this, someone placed a hand on his shoulder. He whirled around to see his father, Vikram Kohli, in front of him. Beside Vikram were standing the whole Kohli family, Sahana, Saritaji, Aryan, Abhishek, Aliya and Rhea.

Ranbir, who had till then controlled himself by sheer force of will, couldn't manage to do so for a minute longer. Finally, the storm raging inside him broke free of the constraints. Finally, Ranbir Kohli gave vent to the emotions that he had kept at bay till then. 

He opened his mouth to speak but nothing but a whimper of an excruciating agony came out. He squeezed his eye shut, as the agony was too much to bear and tears freely cascaded down his cheeks. 

"Ranbir! Ranbir, look at me. Look at me I said." Vikram placed both of his hands on his son's shoulders.

"Dad! Dad, what if something....what if Prachi doesn't...." Ranbir trailed away as his body was wracking with silent sobs of a pain that was too intense to describe in mere words.

"Nothing will happen to her, Ranbir. Nothing will happen to our Prachi. Our prayers are with her. She will be absolutely fine." Vikram assured his son, his own eyes brimming with unshed tears as he witnessed the dismal state of his beloved son.

"Are...are you...are you sure, dad?" Ranbir managed to speak between sobs, staring at his father with all the hope in the world shining in his eyes.

"Yes, son. I am." Vikram pulled Ranbir into his embrace.

Ranbir reciprocated the hug and sob out his pain silently. Abhishek and Pallavi, who thought Prachi to be merely a very good friend of Ranbir, were stunned to witness the depth of his affliction. His dismal state raised doubts in their minds about Prachi's true importance in Ranbir's life.

There was someone though, whom every tear shed by Ranbir for Prachi was burning in the infernal fire. Rhea curled her fingers into a tigh fist, her nails piercing her palms painfully. 

Aliya rolled her eyes in exasperation and sauntered towards Ranbir, who was till shedding tears silently in his father's protective embrace, flanked by his mother and grandmother on one side and Aryan and Sahana on the other. 

"Calm down, Ranbir. Control yourself. I know that girl is your friend and all but ..." Aliya began.

With a jerk, Ranbir pulled back from his father's embrace and glared at Aliya. He was furious with this emotionless woman who talked about Prachi as if she was nothing. Aliya Khanna couldn't be more wrong. Prachi was his everything and the whole world needed to know that.

"Friend? She is not my friend. Atleast she is not just a good friend. She is the only love of my life. My soulmate. The girl whom Ranbir Kohli loves more than himself and more than his life. Today that girl is fighting between life and death. And you are asking me to calm down? Control myself? I can't calm down. I can't control myself. You want to know why? Because if something happens to her, I will die. If she goes away from me, I will go crazy. That's why." Ranbir's bloodshot eyes were reflecting the sincerity in each of his words.

Ranbir's outburst produced varied reactions in the people around him. Abhishek and Pallavi were stunned to hear these revelations. Aryan, Sahana, Saritaji were awestruck at the intensity of Ranbir's love for Prachi while Vikram and Daljeet, who had an inkling about the same, smiled slightly through tears. Aliya, unnoticed by others, stomped her feet on the ground in helpless frustration.

Rhea staggered back as a sense of futility washed over her. She had done everything, everything possible to snatch the man she wanted for herself from Prachi. But what did she get? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He had declared not only his love for Prachi but also made his inability to live without her clear to everyone. Even if she had a slim chance of getting him, today he had put an ultimate end to it. 

"You are in love with Prachi?" Pallavi stared at her son in utter astonishment even as she wondered how could she have been so wrong about the feelings of her own son.

"Yes mom, I love her too much to survive losing her." Ranbir looked back at his mother with eyes brimming with tears.

"You won't ever loss her. She is going to be alright. She has to. Your love won't let her go away from us like this. Right?" Pallavi smiled through tears as she cupped her son's tear stained cheek.

Pallavi might have thought that Ranbir loved Rhea, she might have liked Rhea and Ranbir as a couple but for her only her son's happiness mattered, even more than her personal choice. And, Pallavi thought with a slight smile, she couldn't have chosen a better life partner for her son. Because her son's choice really was the best. Prachi was the best.

Abhishek looked at Rhea who stared back at him with teary eyes. Shaking her head, Rhea turned on her heels and strode away. Aliya instantly ran after her. Abhishek was about to follow suit when someone clasped his hand. He turned to see Ranbir looking at him with bloodshot eyes.

"Chief, nothing will happen to my Prachi, right?" Ranbir's eyes were brimming with as much hope as tears.

Abhishek was silent for a moment and then he sighed.

"Nothing will ever happen to your Prachi.  Don't worry. Okay?" Abhishek affectionately patted the boy's cheek who was not less than a son to him.

He knew his daughter was hurt very badly but he also knew that love couldn't be acquired forcefully. Compulsion may result in submission but it could never bring love. And Rhea, too, needed to understand this.

Suddenly, the door of the operation theatre opened and the head surgeon walked out.

Ranbir roughly wiped the tears off his cheeks and strode towards the surgeon.

"Doctor, what happened? How is Prachi? She is alright, isn't she? The operation has been successful, isn't it? She will soon be back to normal, right? Why aren't you saying anything?" Ranbir's heart began to beat faster and a sense of foreboding began to grew due to the doctor's silence.

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