Fear

*City hospital, 6:00 pm*

              Abhijeet was silently sitting on the couch present in the hospital room... Room which was a semi private one. The one to be shared by two patients at a time... But here both the patients belonged to the same family and hence the semi private room of the hospital now seemed like the restroom of the CID beauro.
              On one bed, ACP sir was lying with closed eyes, although awake but resting and on another one lay Daya... Unconscious. He had a bandage on his forehead and one on the wrist of his right hand. The one on forhead due to a criminal but the one on his wrist due to his own actions...

*Flashback*

               A criminal who ACP sir had arrested a few years ago was now seeking his revenge on him. On the pretext of a threat to his life he called ACP sir to a under construction building and kidnapped him from there... And as Daya was accompanying him to the place he was also kidnapped along with ACP sir...
               Daya slowly gained consciousness. He tried moving his hand but couldn't. So he opened his eyes... But instantly closed them again with the immense pain shooting through his head. A few seconds later as the pain reduced he fluttered his eyes open again but even before his blurry vision could clear he saw in front of him a glass chamber filled with what seemed to be poisonous gas. He blinked a few times. And as his eyelids helped him do away with the blood that flew out of his forehead and blurred his vision, he saw a man lying in one corner of the glass chamber... Struggling to breathe and occasionally getting jerks in his body. Seeing closely he saw that the man was none other than ACP sir. Shocked, he screamed calling out...

Daya - Siiiirrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

             His struggles with his rope intensified and without caring about the bruises it made on his wrist he kept struggling meanwhile looking all around the room in panic and making a notice of everything... Including the objects, steel door, looking out for camera if any etc. But when all his struggles failed he dragged himself to the corner of the room picked up a piece of the broken glass lying there. Using it he started cutting the ropes... In the process making a deep cut on his wrist too which at the moment didn't even ache for him. Cutting them open he now untied his legs and instantly ran upto the chamber wiping his bloody eyes with his bloody hands.
              He banged on the chamber calling out...

Daya - Sir? Sir please aakhe khuli rakhiye! Sir kuch nahi hoga... Mai koi rasta dhundta hu... Please...

               ACP sir didn't open his eyes... Neither responded in any other way. Whispering a teary "Please" Daya turned away and started searching for a way to open the chamber. The chamber which was made of unusually hard and strong glass and wouldn't even crack despite Daya's desperate attempts. The electronic lock to the door was once again impossible for Daya to break through. The room had no tools or any hard object he could use and checking out he found that the swissarmy knife that he always kept in his socks for emergency was also absent. This only increased his frustration and anger. With teary eyes he banged his injured hand on the chamber again and it finally gained him ACP sir's attention...
               ACP sir slowly looked at him with his half closed eyes and saw through some blood that was dripping on the outer side of the glass chamber, teary eyes of his son looking at him... With some real efforts he gasped a few breaths and tried to give a small smile to Daya who now seeing him collapsed unconscious on the floor attaching his head to the wall of the glass chamber... The only words escaping his mouth being a low 'sir'.

*Flashback ends*

              ACP sir lying with closed eyes for the nth time played the scene in his mind... It had been 24 hrs since he and Daya reached the hospital... Just in time cause Abhijeet arrived with the team to rescue the two most important relations of his life. He had regained his consciousness today morning and then the doctor declared him out of danger... He said he might have some breathing problems for the coming few days but they would soon fade off. All that he needed was a few breathing therepis and good amount of rest to recover. But Daya who had still not gained consciousness was what was sacring the hearts of all the bravehearts of CID. The doctor said that it was the headwound that was very deep and the amount of blood loss through the wrist that was causing the problem and that it was important he regained consciousness soon.
              ACP sir could not get those teary helpless eyes of Daya out of his mind. He had seen something else in them today... Possibly in the whole of 22 years of being together and facing uncountable such life threating situations, this was the first time when both of them were struck together. And the amount of fear, ACP sir had seen in the eyes of his one of his bravest officer today was what had settled down in his heart.
              Opening his eyes he turned to take a look at Daya who was still lying unconscious on his adjacent bed. He adored his son for a brief moment. Yes he had always considered him and Abhijeet as his sons but what he felt today was something different. A pat on the shoulder was maybe a everyday business for them but today he felt an urge to simply hold him and protect him from all his fears and worries.
              Finding him awake Abhijeet came forward and asked slowly...