Treat You Better

Chapter 6

Raghuvaran hesitantly walked into the hospital lobby once again. He had taken a vow to keep away from this case and Revathy as much as possible. But he couldn't drive himself crazy anymore. He could only see Radhika's bloodied face wherever he went. He tried distracting himself at the gym and the club. But now the media people had adopted Radhika's case as the face of that week's news campaigns. Every news programme and article only wanted to discuss her plight and what lead to it happening and that caused everyone around him to discuss about it.

He knew he would only get closure after meeting Radhika and confirming she was healing better. His sister would say he had PTSD or something, but he just wanted to get the comfort of seeing Revathy's face, even if it was by using Radhika as a proxy. So finally he gathered his courage and arrived at the hospital.
He walked up to her room and entered only to find her father fuming at his presence. Her father surprised him by throwing the newspaper at his face.
'You have ruined her life! I will take you to the court.'
'Look Mr.Shenoy, I don't know where Revathy is and I believe I had made that clear two days earlier.'
'I am not talking about Revathy, you moron. The media is calling our Radhika a characterless girl. When I lodged a complain against them for divulging her personal information. They told the ACP's office had gave them permission to do so and the last time I checked the ACP of the district is you.'
Raghu was astonished. He had no clue. He had in fact tried his best to ignore the relentless pursuit of the journalists looking for their next big break.
'It wasn't me', he whispered helplessly, looking at the now awake Radhika.
Her face showed no despair. As a matter of fact, she showed up emotion. He eyes were as lifeless as of a corpse.
He mother broke into a wail. 'Who is going to marry her?'
Raghu was mildly disconcerted by this. After all that her daughter has been through, she was more concerned about who would marry Radhika?

Rekha entered the room to find out who was creating the commotion and was not at all surprised to see her brother there. She knew he would return. Her brother was a kind soul in spite of all the hardness he displayed on the exterior.
'What's happening here?', Rekha asked in a very displeased tone.
'This man ruined both my daughters' lives and now has the cheek to show his face again to me.', barked Radhika's father.
'Last time I checked my brother saved Radhika's life and Revathy had dumped him over 6 year ago over an immature decision', Rekha informed him coolly with a slight iciness to her tone. Her father was short for a comeback and was surprised by the newly revealed information that Dr.Rekha was Raghu's sister.

'Why did you save me? It was better to sit than live a life like this.', Radhika asked in a broken voice looking at Raghu with her red eyes brimming with tears.
Raghu opened his mouth and closed it again unable to answer her question. He did what any self respecting man in this country would do and it moreover it was his duty to protect everyone of this country. He had taken an oath.
His train of thoughts was again interuppted by Mt's. Shenoy's lamenting.
'Radhika's engagement has been broken off. They don't want an impure  and characterless girl. Who will marry her now? Oh, my poor child. Death was better. Now that's our only option. We all would rather commit suicide, than live in this misery.', cried Radhika's mother.
Dr.Rekha was irritated by her words. She wasn't worried about her child's health or happy that she had escaped a near death experience. She preferred death for her own child over a healthy life because her engagement had been broken off.

'Mrs.Shenoy, don't you think Radhika would be better off without a person who don't think anything of breaking off an engagement when she was fighting for her life?', Rekha questioned her.

'No, the groom's side was wrongly informed. But forget that, the whole world thinks our child is a girl of loose morales and no one is ever going to marry her, Thank to your brother.', Mrs.Shenoy spat the last words.

'Well then, if that is your concern, what are you thoughts about Raghu marrying Radhika? If the investigating officer marries your daughter, no one will question her purity.', Rekha suggested as if she was giving them a movie suggestion.

All the other four people present in the room only managed to gape incredulously at her.