Abhira- The untainted love.

20. She's the saviour.

Past few days were not very eventful yet there was a lot of happenings.
With Neilima returning the next day to Delhi and Neil coming back to Birla house, everything seemed fine, but it was not. Everything that happened was too much and everyone needed time to come to an acceptance and closure.
The reputation of the Birlas were harmed but was repairable, although the relationships Harshvardhan Birla had tarnished were way away from getting back normal at any point of time.

All this time Abhimanyu was trying to build a balance between his own family and his attention on Akshara. He was keeping everything that Neilima said in his mind all the time, he was not going to force his love on her but was also not going to back out this time.

She was playing the part of a 'Good Friend' really well, making his concerns as her concerns and letting him know every now and then that everything will be alright, her mind was always at a constant war to keep her steps in check but her heart was winning this time telling her that she needs to be with him in his hard time, somewhere she knew how it felt to be all alone in your hard times and doesn't wanted him to ever feel the same.

It was past 10 in the morning and yet she didn't showed for work till now, quite odd and strange he thought, she was not someone who was usually late for work.
An uneasiness was settling inside him, telling him something was not right, his worry for her particularly was increasing with every passing second.

Just as he was about to dail her number again, he saw her rushing with someone on the stretcher, that someone was none other than his younger sister- Nishtha.

"Nishtha!!", he called out as he ran towards her.
"Akshu, what happened to her.", he asked frantically.

"Abhi, I'll tell you everything, first do her checkup.", she tried to calm him down.

With that Nishtha was rolled in inside a ward.

<>

"How's she?", she asked.

"Everything just seems fine, still need to figure out why she is unconscious. What happened? Where did you find her?", he questioned.

"I was on my way to an NGO programme this morning, it was scheduled a little outside the city to help the natives of that locality. I was returning back from there in my cab when I spotted Nishtha running down the street, she looked very terrified and scared, I just got out of my cab to ask her but when she saw me, she just fainted. So, I brought her here.", she explained.

He let out a breathe that only he knows from how long he was holding.
"Thank you, thank you so much. Infact thank you is a very small word for everything you have done, first Neil, now Nishtha. I can't tell you how grateful I am for this."

"Abhi please, don't embarrass me by saying all this, whatever I did, I just did because I had to.
And keeping all these formalities aside. What was Nishtha doing in that area, that location is far away from her school and she is in her school uniform. Do you have any idea?."

"I don't know. She left today morning to go to school only, let her wake up, even I want to know what's all going on."

After a few minutes later they heard Nishtha murmur something as she was gaining consciousness.
"I won't tell anyone, please let me go..."

"Nishtha, bacche we are here, please open your eyes.", Abhi ran his hand on her head.

"Nooo, don't touch me, stay away.", Nishtha sat with a jerk and pushed Abhi's hand away.

Abhi stood stunned there looking at his younger sister who was not even ready to open her eyes.
For Akira, this behaviour seemed very familiar, infact similar. Passing away these shadows for now, she wrapped Nishtha in her arms to stop her from panicking.
"Nishtha! Nishtha, it's alright, everything is fine. I am here and look your Abhi bhaiya is also here, he won't let anything happen to you. Just open your eyes."

"Yes baccha, I am here, just look at me.", Abhi spoke gently.

Finally after a while, Nishtha opened her eyes and looked around, registering the fact that she was in Birla hospital and her most protective brother was sitting beside her, still she hugging Akira tightly, trembling in her embrace.

As Akira was running her fingers through her hair to calm her down her eyes fell on something, removing her hair from the back of her neck she saw nail marks making a scratch.
Horrified with the possibilities of why the sleeve of her shirt was also torn, Akira broke the hug and looked her in the eyes.
"Nishtha, did someone tried to...?"
And with that question Nishtha's sob broke out into loud cries.

Akira looked at Abhimanyu and conveyed with her eyes that something bad might had happened with his sister but he already was burning with rage seeing the mark on his sister's neck.
"Who did this to you?", he asked so calmly that it was scary, a calm before the strom and as anticipated, he screamed,
"I'LL KILL HIM WITH BARE HANDS!!"

The loud voice of her brother made Nishtha flinch, making her hold stronger on Akira, she blurted out with sobs.
"No one, no one did anything to me, nothing has happened.", as she tried to hide hereself in Akira's soothing hug.

Before Abhi could shout once again, Akira stood her ground.
"Abhi! Calm down, you are scaring her."

Mahima Birla entered the ward very next second, eyes filling with tears looking at her young daughter.
She had just exited the OT when she was informed that her daughter was brought to the hospital in an unconscious state, and she ran towards the told ward.

"Nishtha." Mahima Birla cried taking her daughter in her embrace after sitting on the bed.

"Mom...", Nishtha weeped.

"Thank you Akira, I don't know what would have happened if you wouldn't have reached her, thank you bringing her to the hospital on the time, the staff informed me.", as Mahima folded her hands infront of Akira.

"Anuty please, don't. It was my moral duty."

Nishtha again started becoming restless and started panicking.
"Nurse get me the injection.", Abhimanyu commanded.

"Abhi, no, don't give her injection again and again. Let me try something.", Akira said before moving her attention to Mahima.
"Aunty is there any particular song that you used to sing to Nishtha as a child, that can calm her down instantly."

Mahima Birla was dumbfounded, apart from giving birth to her children she never really had such memories with them, and a song, maybe there was but she wasn't able to remember it.

"Here it is. This particular lullaby is the one that Maa used to sing for all of us.", Abhimanyu put an ease for Mahima.

Getting the lyrics, Akira sang the lullaby lovingly to Nishtha while soothing rubbing her back as she digged her head on her mother's chest for comfort and Mahima helded her strongly in her arms. As, the lullaby came to an end Nishtha drowned into sleep and Akira excused herself to get the mother daughter hold on each other.

She saw Abhimanyu was about to say something but before he could she grabbed his hand.
"Abhi not right now."

"How can you ask me to keep silence.", he gritted his teeth.

"I am not asking you to stay mum, but right now let Nishtha rest, she already is very scared.", as she tried to explain.

"Fine. But when she wakes up, no one is stopping me.", he declared.

"Sure. Just come with me, I need to talk to you. Not here, outside please.", as she let out a defeated breathe.

Nodding his head while still looking at his sleeping sister he moved out of the ward as they made their way to his cabin.

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A/N
P.s.- Unedited
Something very interesting is on its way.
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