The Voice Or The Echo? (COMPLETE)

Chapter 17

Kabeer's POV

It's been a week since she regained consciousness. She lays in bed sleeping most of the time or moves to sit up for a while, her eyes are transfixed somewhere distant, her pallor ashen, eyes sunken in their sockets, and weight loss. In short, she looks like a terminally ill patient or one that was giving up on life, reminding me so much of Arti during her last few months. For a man who claimed to be fearless even in the face of death, life  chose to pay me back with the death of all loved ones at one clean swipe, mocking me and burning down my ego to nothing. No more raging anger or fire that had sworn to destory all evil. The fire is put out, the hearth just left with small smouldering smoke kindled to keep my two precious ones safe and warm.

I see a nurse run inside with some medicines and injection on a tray. I wait outside the MRI screening room where Padmini was wheeled in about an hour ago with Meera by her side.
Meera had to accompany her since she got claustrophobic and panicked. Her terror stricken face flash before me, her eyes seem blank and lifeless as though envisioning something distant, anticipating some danger. I have seen that kind of look under two circumstances. Victims of some kind of attack or on faces of criminals when being tortured to confess. She for sure isnot a criminal. What could have transpired so much to stir that kind of emotion or rather the lack of any for that matter? Who caused it?

She wakes up every night or early morning with nightmares, sometimes she screams and sobs uncontrollably like going into a fit.

The doctor tried to reason, "It's clear you have had a traumatising past Mrs Padmini but unless you speak up nobody can cure you."

And she never did, she just isn't talking. Doctors wanted to rule out an internal injury leading to a blood clot or some internal damage, hence the MRI.

~~~~~~~

I'm nervously waiting for the call that might put an end to all the unanswered questions. My mobile buzzed in my hand indicating Rafiq's call. 

I'm breaking the oath made to myself, after losing everything precious in my life. If it would save an innocent human from being slaughtered, it's worth the pain. I was willing to even burn my soul, to prevent history from repeating itself. We are back in the room allotted for Padmini. Meera was trying to coax Padmini to eat. Meera's arm still has that odd angle due to the fracture even after two corrective surgeries. I was restlessly waiting for Rafiq's arrival, to put an end to my apprehension. 

"Dada!" Meera's snaps "Can you stop it?"

She gestures at my feet and that's when I realize I had been anxiously tapping my shoes against the floor.

"Sorry!" I glance at them and note that Padmini's eating is gradually improving. She notices me glancing between the food and her, avoids my gaze and lowers her head, I walk out of the room, while Meera whispers to Padmini while continuing to feed her.

~~~~

"Are you sure this is the lady who is with you? Is she the one you rescued? Positive?"

"Rafiq," I snarl at him "stop acting like a TV game show host. I have told you nearly five times that it is her" glancing at the picture of Padmini on his mobile phone and he shamlessly chuckles enjoying my reaction.

"Except that here she looks normal, now she looks like she's on death bed. Care to explain what you know!"

I felt so frustrated not being able to work on unravelling this myself, it's like functioning with a fractured limb, me not scouring the grounds trying to find the answers. My true nature, the inquisitive side is brimming on the surface to break free.