Amends In Your Arms

SS: Lockdown (part 2)

Abhi sat in his cabin all morning, looking through every single detail of Tanvi's autopsy report. He wanted to be sure that the hospital had taken all required precautions, that the doctors had not failed their patient. Just as he was finishing the last few pages, he heard a knock on his door. Thinking it was one of the interns, he quickly told them to come in. Not looking up from what he was reading, he gestured for whoever it was to take a seat. 

"Kya aap Dr. Abhimanyu Birla hain?" 

Hearing this unfamiliar voice, he finally set the file aside to see a middle age man standing in front on him. He looked as if he had been crying for hours, his eyes swollen from the tears. He knuckles were battered up likely from smashing them against a wall. He was carrying a ripped up backpack that had been drenched in the rain outside. Abhi immediately knew who it was. He got up from his seat and walked up to him, gently resting his hand on his shoulder. 

"Mr. Asit Gupta? Please have a seat. Hum baat karte hain. Liken us se pehle, mein aap ke haath ki dressing kar deta hoon." He said quietly, grabbing the first aid box from his drawer. 

Asit glared at Abhi, not uttering a single world. He watched as Abhi carefully wrapped both of his hands, wondering how such an attentive man could have let his wife die in this very hospital...how he could have let the only person he ever loved leave him entirely alone in this world. Once Abhi was finished, he handed Asit a glass of water, telling him that he was here to listen. He expressed his deepest condolences, saying that he could not imagine what he was going through, but that he was ready to ease any uncertainties he had about Tanvi's death. Abhi gave him the autopsy report, assuring him that there were no mistakes on the part of the surgeon...he was extremely qualified, and unfortunately the risk with this procedure was quite significant, as the hospital had made him previously aware. 

After a few minutes of silence, Asit finally spoke. 

"You killed my wife." He whispered. 

Abhi looked at him in shock, unsure of what to say in response. 

"You killed my wife." He said a little bit louder. 

"YOU KILLED MY WIFE." Asit began yelling, pacing back and forth in Abhi's cabin. 

Abhi tried to calm him down, asking him to take deep breaths. But, Asit kept getting louder and louder, beginning to lose sight of where he was, what he was doing. He took the water that Abhi had given him and threw it onto the ground, sending glass shards everywhere. 

Realizing that this was no longer a safe situation to be in, Abhi began walking towards his door, telling Asit that he would be right back. He intended to go to the psychiatric department and bring back a professional who could help Asit relax and regain control over himself. But, before Abhi could exit his cabin, Asit latched on his arm, ordering him to sit down. When Abhi softly pushed him back, Asit screamed at the top of his lungs, 

"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH." With that, he reached into his backpack, his hands shaking as he pulled out the gun he had purchased earlier that day. 

***

Akshu had arrived to the hospital a few minutes earlier, desperate to see Abhi. She had been unable to shake off the pit in her stomach since the very moment she woke up...and the only thing that would make her feel better was holding her husband close to her. She asked one of the nurses- Sister Rose- where Abhi was. Sister Rose responded that she had seen a man enter his cabin around half an hour ago, so she assumed he was in a meeting. Not wanting to disturb him, Akshu made her way to the children's ward, surprising all of her patients. They immediately ran up to her, laughing as they asked her to sing them a song. 

Akshu tried her best to smile as she sang, not wanting to show her distress to the kids. But, she could not keep herself from glancing at her phone repeatedly, praying that Abhi's meeting would end, and he would see the voicemail she had just left him, telling him that she was here with lunch and that she could not wait to see him. 

And yet, right as she was about to finish her song, she heard an echo in the corridor...an echo that  sounded almost like a gunshot...