Prithvi... [Vol 5]

Chapter 125

Nandini was hazily aware that there were people in her room, and they were murmuring worriedly to each other. There were fuzzy images of their family doctor sitting by her side, and giving her an injection. He had told her something calmingly. Every now and then, she would feel cool, gentle hands on her forehead and cheeks.

Her body was burning. Her head was splitting with pain, and the nausea was unbearable.

She knew her mother had not left her side for hours. Occasionally, she would hear her grandfather's anxious voice, and feel his hands caressing her head. Once when she had opened her eyes, she had seen a blurred image of Prakash standing by the door, looking frightened.

She wanted to comfort him....to comfort all of them. But she lacked the strength to even keep her eyes open for longer than a few seconds.

Then again, if she could have spoken, her words would have terrified her family, because she would have begged them not to pray for her recovery...but to pray that she should die this night...

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Uday Singh gazed thoughtfully at the middle-aged man who was entering the small hall adjacent to his bedroom.

Looking weary and anxious, Sumer Singh greeted him respectfully and enquired about the reason for the summons.

"Sit down, Sumer," Uday Singh said kindly.

Sumer Singh stared at him with a sharpened attention. It was unlike Uday Singh to invite him to be seated near him. Had something gone wrong with Prithvi? Was that why Uday Singh wanted him to sit...to give him bad news?

"Your highness, what is wrong? Prithvi is fine, isn't he?" Sumer Singh asked fearfully.

"Prithvi is perfectly well," Uday Singh assured him. "If he was not, I wouldn't be fine either. But I did want to discuss something about him with you."

As his breathing eased, Sumer Singh awkwardly occupied the chair indicated by Uday Singh.

As soon as he was seated, Uday Singh gently said, "Prithvi is currently on his way to a cottage I own in the Neelkanth hills up north. It was one of Aditya's favourite retreats, and I had told Prithvi about it on his birthday. He called up Dilawar at around midnight yesterday to get the exact location."

Taken aback, Sumer Singh gaped at him.

"Now, Sumer, I want you to tell me about all the interactions you had with Prithvi yesterday after Priyamvada left," Uday Singh said intently.

Sumer Singh waited for a minute to collect his thoughts and then said, "After his mother had left, Prithvi told me he too would be leaving and would return in two or three days. He didn't tell me exactly where he was going. But I felt certain he was going to Shamli," Sumer Singh admitted, recalling the endearing awkwardness in Prithvi's demeanour. He had felt so happy at the idea that Prithvi would be going to Shamli. Not just because of the hope it offered in the form of Nandini, but also because it would have given the prince much-needed respite from the gloomy environment in the palace.

"Prithvi had met me before leaving," Uday Singh interjected. "And though he didn't tell me either about his plans, I too was sure he was heading to Shamli. Mainly because there was a happy spark in him that I hadn't seen for very long."

Sumer Singh inclined his head unhappily in agreement, then said, "Then last night, I called up Sankatmochan...Prithvi's childhood friend who stays in Ayodhya," he added distractedly.

Uday Singh nodded. "I know."

"I thought Sankat would be excited and happy at Prithvi's surprise visit. But he didn't mention Prithvi at all or wait for me to ask about anything. He was frazzled, and told me that he and the Bharadwajs were having a terrible time. First, when he had returned home in the evening, Ayodhya's doors were apparently open. He thought a thief had broken into the house, but then found everything to be intact. But later in the night, he heard a bit of commotion in Nandini's house, and learnt that she had fallen ill...severely so, with high fever, nausea, a terrible headache," Sumer Singh said unhappily. "Then today morning, Sankat called me up to tell me that they had to rush her to the hospital in the middle of the night. That's where she is right now."