Dark Night Dawning

Chapter 15

I wanted to protect to you from everything bad and here you are Di -not seeing, not talking, not hearing. I want you to come back. You have got to come back to me. Please Di.' Arnav said these words, unshed tears in his eyes, holding his dear sister's hand. Anjali lay motionless, strapped to machines that monitored her condition, unable to respond. Arnav's heart wrenched at the sight of her looking so weak and defenceless.

He had landed in Delhi around 12 AM and driven directly to the hospital. He had sent his family members home as he wanted to spend some time alone with Anjali. He had made it clear that he didn't want to talk about anything else other than Anjali right now. Knowing Arnav's nature, everyone went home without any argument.

After he had sat by Anjali for a hour, a doctor came up to him and told him to go home and get some rest. He assured him that it was highly likely that she would come out of the coma pretty soon.

Arnav then went to the ICN to take a look at his little niece who was sleeping peacefully in her crib. I will not let anything happen to you ever. Having made that promise he headed toward home.

Arnav stepped into the dark recesses of his bedroom and switched on the light. There was something wrong with it. He realized what it was. It had become his room again. Gone were the chimes that tinkled when he stepped in, the stars hanging on her side of the bed, the pink and white half bed sheet, the lights and even the Salman Khan poster. He opened the cupboard to see all her clothes were gone as well. She really had left.

In the past two months he had thought a lot about his relationship with Khushi. After the Nainital trip, he had even wanted to turn the 6 months temporary marriage into a permanent one. But she had betrayed him again.

He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. About the way she had taken care of him when he was injured, the way she had saved his life in Mussoorie, the way she responded to his touch and finally the way she had confessed her love for him. He didn't know what to believe. Somewhere in the corner of his heart he wanted to believe in her.

Couple of days ago, when he sat in the conference room in the middle of a meeting he had experienced an odd sensation as if she was calling out to him. He had felt restless the entire day. It was the same day he had received a call from Akash, telling him that Di was having the baby a week earlier than she was due. In the 24 hours that it took to get back to India, he had made up his mind to get into the root of the matter. Now that Di had safely delivered the baby, he had wanted to confront Shyam about the issue along with Khushi, so that the matter could be resolved one way or the other.

But he had come down here to find her gone. She had just up and left without so much as a good bye, leaving him to explain this entire mess to the family. Dammit! What was he supposed to tell them? That a saali had eloped with her jeejaji? How would he explain it to his Di of all people? She had put that two-timing twerp on a pedestal. She had loved Khushi like her own sister. As Arnav sat on the bed, he wondered how he was able to think about all this so calmly and realized that his mind had gone numb with shock. Then, his eyes fell on an envelope on the dressing table.

Arnav went up to the table and picked up the envelope on which his full name was scrawled in hindi. As he opened the flap, he found 300 rupees and a letter that looked all too familiar. His temper rose as he read the letter.

"Hum Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada! Arnav Singh Raizada se 300 rupiye udhaar le rahe hain."

That was not all. He found another letter that in which there was more money.

Arnavji,

I have re-paid the loan that I took from you some time back. You will also find more money in the envelope. Though it is not much, I hope it will cover some of the expenses of my stay at your house in the last six months.