The Tranquil Predator ✔️

Chapter 34

Patricia's Pov

I woke up in a soft bed.

My head was aching. I finally opened my eyes and the bright light blinded me. It took me some time to adjust to my surroundings.

I was in a hospital.

I looked around and saw the different hospital beds, the medicines, and other instruments on some kind of table beside me. I was clad in a patient's outfit and my hands? They felt numb. My ankle felt numb too.

I looked down at my hands and saw some kind of bandage wrapped tightly around them. I removed my blanket and looked at my leg. That same bandage was wrapped there too. My mouth was open and my eyes aimlessly looked around the hospital room when finally the door opened the detective walked in.

Arjun's face brightened when he saw me. Rushing towards me he held my face in his palms. He grazed his thumbs over my cheeks and kissed my forehead.

"Finally you are awake! You have no idea how scared I was. I told you to stay put didn't I? I was on my way! Then why did you run?", he bombarded me with questions and without waiting for an answer, pulled me into a tight hug. "This is the second time you ignored my instructions. Promise me, you won't do anything rash like this again. If I tell you to stay put and hide! You better stay put and HIDE! You will not run around in the woods."

Memories of the previous night rushed through my brain instantly which made me flinch.

I started shivering and whimpering again. But he was there. Combing his fingers through my hair and tightening the hug he said, "It's over. You have nothing to worry about now. I promise."

His hug was tight and loving. It made me feel safe. I closed my eyes and hugged him back. My whimpering stopped and I became calm again. Once I was stable, I broke the hug and looked directly at him.

He was incredibly tired. It was evident on his face. There were dark circles under his eyes and his hair was in a mess. Now that I remember, he had slept for only two hours for the past few days.

"Did you sleep?", was the first thing that came out of my mouth as I looked at him.

"How could I? You were injured and had fainted. You were so weak, I was worried sick", he said in a worn out voice as he bent down and placed his head on my lap. I caressed his hair and looked out of the window. I felt empty. I had always considered Praveen my genuine friend. Did our times together mean nothing to him? Was it all just a facade? I remember his eyes. They were filled with malice. And his voice was filled with hatred when he was talking to me last night.

"Why am I feeling like this?", I questioned him without meeting Arjun's gaze.

"Because you are still in shock. Whatever happened to you was just too much to handle. Don't worry, you are one the strongest people I have ever seen. You will pull through."

"You think so?"

"I know so. The way you talked to me on the phone last night. Telling me to just shut up. I was stunned. Really", Arjun stated. "I would have expected a crying and terrified voice, but you! You sounded so brave. As if you were in your right mind and you knew what you were doing"

I looked at him with teary eyes. Really? I was brave?

"You are not experienced in dealing with these kind of situations. But you are incredibly good at adapting to your surroundings. Handling any obstacle thrown at you. And that is just marvelous", Arjun concluded. He was trying to cheer me up and it was working, a bit.

His words made me feel better. Stronger. I gave him a small smile but both of us knew I was just too traumatized.

"Arjun", I croaked.

"Hmm"

"Take me back home, please. I am done here. I want to go back", I said as I looked at him earnestly.

"Of course I would. But you need to get better first. You injured your ankle and still sprinted six kilometers. You can barely walk now because of that. The doctor said you need to rest first. Then when you are better, you will be discharged from the hospital. I will help you pack your bags and both of us will go back home"

"Promise?"

"Of course Ms. Fernandez", he smiled.

That was it. The next few days felt like torture though. The hospital food was awful. Arjun stayed at the hospital most of the time. But he did have a lot of paper work to deal with. Praveen's psychological report was to be made. He had to file a statement explaining why he shot the culprit that too in front of a civilian. The case was to be closed once and for all. He was extremely busy during the day. However, it wasn't the mornings that were a problem. It was the nights. Those ghastly memories would attack me in my sleep and I would often wake up screaming for help. Arjun was always there by my side, hugging me, comforting me. I was having serious PTSD. But I had people by my side to cope with it. Vinesh would come in often with food for Arjun and I would secretly taste a bit too. Times when Arjun had work, Menon would take his place and keep me company.

Days turned into weeks and finally, I was discharged. When I walked out of the hospital, I could feel how much the town had changed. It had become much livelier. People could roam around without the fear of being attacked. The sky and hills looked brighter. The tea gardens sloped down smoothly and the local birds chirped with happiness. The air smelt fresh and the day felt magical.

It felt like entire Munnar was finally celebrating the end of the vicious killer that had robbed her of its beauty.