Little girl's wild side

Chapter 41

Gautham was working in his office when his phone blared. He was surprised when he saw his wife's name blinking. Sindhu never really calls when both were at work. If she wants something, she usually just sends a text. That is why he was pleasantly surprised when he saw the call. He picked the call with a big grin that spread from one ear to another.

"Hello" Gautham said expecting to hear his wife's cheerful voice on the other end but all heard was silence from the other end.

"Sindhu... baby." Gautham called out frowning confused.

"Can... can you come and p... pick me?? I am not able to drive. My head is pounding and my hands... my hands won't stop shaking." Sindhu asked stammering at every other word. She seemed shaken from something.

Gautham did not even think. He took his keys and was out of his office in a flash.

"Sindhu... where are you now??" Gautham asked.

"I... I don't know. I was just driving and then... then some guys were... were... bikes in a group and... they.. th.. they shouting... and... and suddenly I had this splitting headache... And... and..." her voice shook several times while she tried to tell Gautham what had happened.

"Sindhu... baby. Shh... calm down. Just concentrate on my voice okay.... I am right here... and now take a few deep breathes okay... Deep breathe baby. Like this," Gautham said and took a few deep breathe so that Sindhu could copy him.

And Sindhu obediently followed Gautham and took a few deep breathes.

"Now look around and tell me what you see??" Gautham said in a very soft voice in order not to startle her any more than she already was.

Sindhu looked around and spelled all the shops she could see.

"Okay baby. I know where you are. I will be there in 10 minutes okay?? I want you to stay put okay?? I want you to stay calm and count to 100 slowly okay." Gautham said getting on his bike.

Sindhu bobbed her head furiously.

"I will see you baby." Gautham said and hung up his phone and rushed through the traffic.

Sindhu's head was hurting and her mind was reeling. So she very obediently started counting to 100 slowly in order to keep her focused until Gautham came.

Gautham sped through the city. He even violated a couple of signals on the way and came to an abrupt stop when he reached the junction Sindhu described. He looked around and found Sindhu's car parked in a corner on the opposite side of the road. He quickly parked his bike and crossed the road by foot.

When he finally reached her car, he could hear her soft voice counting numbers. When he peaked in, he saw her head rested on the steering wheel while her eyes very closed shut. Her brows were frowned in concentration.

"Hey... baby..." Gautham first called out softly not wanting to scare her.

Sindhu sat up abruptly and turned sharply towards Gautham. What he saw in her eyes broke him. For once, she seemed absolutely scared. Terrified even. He softly opened her passenger side door and sat beside her.

She clumsily slid towards him in order to embrace him but she ended up hitting her arms and legs in the process.

"hey... baby... Shh... I am here okay. Don't be scared. Come here." Gautham first comforted her by rubbing his hands over her cheeks and tried to calm her down. Then he carefully lifted her and slid her over his laps. Sindhu embraced him like her life depended on it while Gautham kept rubbing on her back and whispered sweet nothing into her ears to calm her down. Sindhu did not cry but her whole body was shivering and shaking.

After what felt like forever, she calmed down. Gautham took the bottle of water from her dash board and fed her a few sips.

"Are you okay now??" Gautham asked softly wiping away the sweat that had formed on her forehead with his shirt sleeves.

Sindhu nodded.

"Let's get you home. We will talk once we get there if you want to say anything okay??" Gautham said softly once again.

"But your office??" Sindhu asked tentatively.

"Don't worry about it. I can deal with it later. First let's just get you safely home okay." Gautham said gently caressing her head.

Sindhu bobbed her head once again without saying another word.

"You want to go back and lay down???" Gautham asked before sliding into the driver's seat. Sindhu shook her head.

Gautham started the car and drove them home. Sindhu leaned on his shoulders but other than that she stayed very quiet.

When they reached home, Sindhu followed him in mechanically. Gautham took her hands in his and guided her in.

"Where's mum??" Sindhu asked at last seeing Gautham unlock the doors rather than ringing the bell.

"She is out with a friend. Now come on." Gautham replied and let her in. Then he took her to their room. He prepared a warm bath for her. Then he went in and got her one of his shirts and a pair of leggings.

"Go on. Take a shower. You will feel better. Did you have your lunch yet??" Gautham asked placing the clothes in the stand.

Sindhu shook her head.

"Okay, go on. I will get you something to eat." Gautham said and left the room.

Once out of the room, first thing he called his office and informed them about his sudden departure. Then he called Sindhu's and asked them to cancel her appointments if there were any for the day.

Then he went into the kitchen. He noticed the rice and other things in the fridge but then his eyes landed on the Maggie packet on the shelf. He quickly grabbed and made some for Sindhu. He knew how much she liked Maggie. So he wanted to give it a try. If it can lift her mood just by a little, he will take his chances.

When he reached their room with a hot bowl of Maggie, he saw Sindhu lying down on the bed curled up with her eyes staring straight. Her hairs were still dripping wet from the shower.

"Hey... come on. Get up. Have some when it's still hot." Gautham said and pushed bowl into her hands. Sindhu's lips spread very minutely seeing the Maggie. Then he took a towel and sat behind her and dried her hair.

Sindhu quietly slurped the Maggie without protest. Once she was done, she curled her hands and legs in front of her and snuggled closer to Gautham. Gautham scooted right behind her and engulfed her in his arms and made her lean on him completely.

His anxiety reduced at last when he could feel her in his arms safe and sound. God knows how terrified he was when he got that call. He breathed in on her scent and reassured himself that she was actually okay.