A B-town Soap Opera

Episode 13

Simmy, Comet and Mohit spent a restless night trying to figure out what they were going to do. They had driven out to a remote part of the island and stayed at what appeared to be a local cabin. It looked like this was where Comet had been hiding out.

Simmy saw that he had a small amount of clothes and belongings stashed there. They were to stay here until tomorrow evening when they had a private chartered flight arranged to Toronto.

Simmy had no idea what contacts either Mohit or Comet had. She was quickly realizing she and Mohit actually needed to discover much more about each other. She felt like he knew a lot about her but that he'd kept some secrets from her. Still, she loved him. Ride or die, she thought.

As a caution, Mohit had called their resort to find out if anyone had called for them or inquired about them and found out that Shallu was trying to track them. Her message was for them to contact her as soon as possible. He knew Shallu was like a dog with a bone. She would definitely find them and find out Comet was with them if she didn't already know. Sometimes he wished Simmy didn't tell her friends everything but he was glad she had friends to turn to and support her through anything.

Simmy, Mohit and Comet were silently sitting together around a crackling fire. The air was still and heavy with humidity. It felt like a storm was brewing.

Comet stared into the fire. He was frowning and rubbing his jaw in contemplation. He didn't want any harm to come to Rupa. He had tried calling her home multiple times from his burner. He tried her cell and messaging as well but he's not sure why he couldn't reach her. Does she hate him after learning about his past? Would she believe then truth? If need be, would she be on the run with him? He wouldn't blame her for hating him and refusing to associate with him further. Maybe he was naive to try.

He thought she might be at Shallu's or Nimmy's but he also knew if he called there Shallu would hound him for answers. He was not ready for that yet. Each moment he spend without Rupa was tearing him apart. The staged breakup was the hardest thing for him to do but he felt had to do it at the time. Now he regretted it. What if he had told her the truth then instead of asking Dev to help him out?

He saw Simmy and Mohit move closer to each other in front of the fire. His heart ached for that closeness with Rupa.

If anything happened to her it would be his fault. F it he thought. He picked up his phone and dialed Shallu's number. Rupa had to know the truth and he would do his best to protect her.
———

Shallu was ecstatic about the call she had just received...from the Brampton Civic Hospital. Abhishek was improving. He could now speak and was regaining his strength and he wanted to talk to her as soon as possible. He was also asking to see Nimmy and if she was okay.

Shallu texted Rupa to let her know where she was headed and jumped in her car with Nimmy. Nimmy's whole dementia has changed. She still seemed to be processing what was happening. She was also very short with Rupa. Shallu suspected it was because she blamed Comet for targeting Abhishek and for her arrest. She had also remained oddly silent when Rupa told her about her pregnancy. Shallu missed Nimmy's carefree, silly and bubbly demeanor but understood that she needed to work through this situation. None of them really knew what was going on but finally it seemed like they were going to get some answers.

As Shallu pulled out of the driveway she heard her phone ring. Shoot, she thought. What wasn't it connected to her Bluetooth? She glanced over at Nimmy who was sitting silently and as still as a statue. She wasn't going to risk starting a fight or
interrupting Nimmy's thoughts. Shallu decided she would follow up with whoever it was after her hospital visit.
——-
Rupa arrived back at Shallu's. She had gone to the doctor's office for a physical exam to make sure everything with her pregnancy was okay. She had asked Nimmy if she wanted to go with her but Nimmy did not appear keen. Rupa had noticed Nimmy eyeing her warily and walking away from any conversation about Comet. Rupa was happy to get Shallu's text that Abhishek was improving and that they were going to see him. Hopefully now they could get answers and hopefully some proof that Comet wasn't behind any of this. She also hoped Nimmy would talk to her again.

Gingerly Rupa walked to the kitchen. Her stomach was rumbling. She knew it was too early to have cravings but she had chocolate ice cream on her mind and knew Shallu always had some stashed in her freezer.

Reaching for the freezer handle she froze. She could see a dark figure in the reflection of the silver handle approaching her. She could glimpse something covering their face. Thinking quickly she remembered she had left a broom on the other side of the freezer. She grabbed it as it was within her reach. The figure lounged for her at the same time and missed. Rupa lashed out with the broom, wacking them a few times to no avail. The figure was not deterred and overtook her. He shoved her into the kitchen table and covered her nose with a damp cloth. She passed out.
———
Comet was back in Brampton. Less than two hours ago his flight had landed. He headed straight to Rupa's house. He didn't find her there and suspected as much. It was evident she hadn't been there for a bit. The snow was melting but there were no footsteps and no attempts at shoveling.

He then headed to Shallu's just to see a red suv speed away. He knew neither Shallu or Rupa drove a vehicle like that. He knew something was up. Intrigued he decided to follow.
——-
Simmy, Mohit, Shallu and Nimmy all reached the hospital at the same time. The doctor told them that Abhishek was already exhausted- with making calls and didn't seem well enough at the moment to answer questions. He told them that he could benefit from their emotional support. The doctor also informed them that the police had not been permitted to see him yet.

Shallu was prepared. She intended to record their whole encounter. She was disappointed that they would not be able to see him right away. He was sleeping and the doctor did not want him to be disturbed.

Nimmy of course decided to stay at his bedside. As a precaution, the hospital has placed security with him and so they were not alone. Abhishek had let them know that if Nimmy came he wanted her there with him.

Simmy and Mohit decided to go out for dinner and then come back to see how Abhishek was doing. Apparently he and Mohit had met in University and were fast friends especially after finding out they were both from Brampton and knew some of the same people.

Shallu politely declined their invitation to dinner and decided to wait around. She didn't want to lose any opportunity or miss visiting hours.

Simmy and Mohit had laughed off her questioning of whether Comet was with them on their Honeymoon.  They told her that it was definitely the static and Rupa must have just been anxious about Comet and misheard what Simmy had said. They had ordered room service before leaving the resort early to do some exploring on their own their last day there. Their phones had apparently not been able to catch a signal after that.

Seemed plausible enough, Shallu thought.

Shallu decided to go for a walk around the hospital and look around as she waited for a chance to talk to Abhishek. She always found hospitals to be gloomy and depressing. She saw people hooked up to various machines and family members coming in and out of rooms. She saw an elderly woman sitting with her daughter crying in a patient room. Looked like her husband had passed away.

Shallu felt sorry for them. She knew what it was like to lose or almost lose someone you care about and love. She continued to walk past the room to where she could see there was an in memoriam board. She looked at all the pictures and read the messages making a silent prayer for these individuals and their families.

A picture caught her eye. Nasira Mohamed it read. The picture was dated Sepetember of last year. She looked very familiar. Maybe they had worked together?

Walking back to Abshishek's unit, it dawned on her. She had seen a picture of Nasir's in Felix's office on his desk. Damon had told her that it was his wife and she remembered thinking that she also had gorgeous eyes like her husband. A green like she'd never seen before.

Shallu was taken aback. She felt sorry for him. Felix's wife had passed away? This was not common knowledge at the office. Was it?

She thought back to moments in the office. He still wore his ring and definitely still acted married, she thought remembering his disclaimer to her. She had so many questions but brushed them away. It wasn't her business. Didn't change anything. Although she did feel sorry for whatever had happened. Maybe that explains why he's such an ass.