Me: Riddhima, please wake up. There’s much I had to know about you and only you can solve these unending mysteries. The most heart-breaking information is you are married Riddhima!!! No, am not blaming you. I know am late. I should have told you my feelings that night when we met last during farewell, maybe you’d have had an idea that this idiot senior of yours loves you desperately. I should have at least tried to reach you but I didn’t even do that expecting you to come back. I am a fool right!!! Now am late in finding you and so am I late in not expressing my feelings. Now after learning that you are married, am confused about how do I react! I know I can’t have any expectations from you. But… but Riddhima if you are married and you shifted here with him almost 2 months back then where is he? When all this was happening with you then where the hell was he? Why didn’t he reach you in all these 2 weeks? Isn’t he bothered? Or is he searching for you? Does he love you? And… and what about you? Do you love him too? You both are happily married? And what about your parents? We have been searching for them for 2 weeks whole around Mumbai but didn’t find them! Did they move to Mumbai with you or did they stay back as Angre informed a few minutes back that you were previously settled in Delhi! So, are they there? Aren’t they worried about their princess being missing for 2 whole weeks? Why do I feel like am missing something!!! It’s like a mystery!!!
After speaking to her for a while, I slid into my bed beside her, thinking of her and the newly found information, I drifted into sleep. In the middle of the night, my sleep broke with a loud shriek
: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
I woke with a startle to find….. find my Riddhima finally awake. With a loud shriek, she woke and I rushed to her to see her sweating and crying aloud. I held her to comfort her which she jerked my hand over her and gave me a petrified look and started shouting afraid of the surroundings. I called the doctor and it took them many efforts to give her a sedative to calm her anxiety. After a thorough check-up, the doc gave me the good news for which I was eager for days which felt like decades, but the good news didn’t come alone, it came carrying another bad news
Doc: Mr. Rai Singhania, she is out of coma and her vitals are all good but her condition isn’t good. She just woke up and the shock of being raped is still in her thoughts and it’s going to take time for her to get normal. I suggest you to consult a Psychiatrist as she needs counseling which’d help her to get normal of the trauma. She needs love and affection with care which’d help her get back to normal soon. We have given her a small dose of anesthesia, to calm her, so she’d wake up tomorrow morning once again. Till then I’d prefer her to rest. Being in coma for 2 weeks turned her body to numb and senseless, it’d take time for her to feel the senses again.
I just nodded and once again sat beside Riddhima, caressing her hair and taking her hand into mine, I was feeling her soft skin make some changes to me. Unaware I drift to sleep with her hand in mine. My sleep broke with something jerking and before I could wake up or even open my eyes, I felt something getting out of my grip and then heard a loud shout, which led my senses to come back and I opened my eyes swiftly and I saw Riddhima crying and pulled her hand off my grip, pushing me back and was shouting. I was confused but then reality struck that she doesn’t know me, taking a long breath I tried to comfort her
Me: Riddhima!!! Riddhima calm down. You know me…
Riddhima: Ahh!!! Don’t…. do… nt …. Tou…ch me!!!!
Me: Riddhima, don’t panic am… am Vansh
Riddhima: I… I do…nt kn.. ow you!!!! Don’t hu…. rt me!!! Pl…ease
She was continuously weeping; she wasn’t identifying me and was murmuring not to hurt her. I was wondering how do I tell her that I cannot hurt her not even in my worse dreams. But I can’t let her breakdown so I once again tried to introduce myself
Me: Riddhima, am not going to hurt you. Am Vansh…. your senior Vansh, the so-called king of our school… Vansh Ra..
Riddhima: Vansh … Vansh Rai …. Singha…nia!!!!
My happiness had no bounds!! She finally identified me and unaware my eyes showed their happiness by falling off their territory in the form of tears. She was glaring at me as if she saw an alien! I took baby steps towards her making sure she doesn’t freak out. Once I reached her bed, I tried to touch her hand to assure her she is safe but she flinched back and I pulled my hand back
Me: Riddhima, calm down, please! Am here, I won’t let anything happen to you. I won’t hurt you.
She was glaring at me as if she’s reading me, wiping her tears she tried to speak
Riddhima: You … you are Vansh… Rai Singhania?
I nodded my head in approval
Riddhima: You are the brother of… Aryan?
I once again nodded, after that, she didn’t utter anything, instead just adjusted herself on the bed and covering herself in the duvet, she slept and I pulled the chair beside her away from her and sat away from her to avoid freaking her. I checked the time, it was 8 am and I realized it’s time for her regular check-up and the doc may come any moment. After a while, the doc came and was checking her when she woke up jerked and was about to freak out but then I tried calming her
Me: Riddhima, relax! He is the doctor, examining you
She was vigorously moving her head in disapproval not willing to get examined by a male doc, so I had to call another doc who’s female. In the beginning, she didn’t let even her touch but after much persuasion she let the doc examine her. I informed her about Riddhima’s behavior in the morning
Doc: Mr. Rai Singhania, she is trying to figure out her fate. It happens with the victims, nothing to worry about. She’ll be fine.
After a while, she was about to get out of bed but as her feet were numb, she couldn’t step out and was losing her balance and when I reached to help her out, she jerked out afraid. I asked a nurse to assist her. With the help of a nurse, she used the washroom and once again reached her bed and lay there motionless. Her eyes which previously had life in them were now dead, her lips which were continuously moving while chattering were totally sealed, her hands which moved in gestures were now sealed to many equipment’s; her tiny legs which never let her stay at a place for a second were locked on to that bed!!! She isn’t my Riddhima!!! My Riddhima was full of life but this Riddhima lacks life in herself, she is dead!!!! Breaking the silence in the room, my phone rang and she turned towards me and gave a blank look
Me (sticking my tongue): Am… am sorry!!! Excuse me!!! No, wait!!! It’s Aryan’s call, let me give this good news about you
Riddhima didn’t react but I answered it in a go and put the call on speaker, but before I could speak, that idiot started his blabbering on business and some meetings
Aryan: Bhai, that Verma’s are asking for the T & C’s of the project and I have the file which…
I realized he won’t let me speak so, I burst the good news to him making him fall off his place
Me (excited): Riddhimaisawake
That’s it!!! I conveyed the information in a go. I waited for his reaction but I didn’t receive any and I glared at Riddhima who was staring at my phone without any expressions. Then we heard a gasp
Aryan: Bhai… is it t….ru…e?
I gave a chuckle as I know how tough it was for him to digest the fact that his sister is awake after killing us for 2 weeks with her silent torture
Me: Idiot!!! Yes!!! Yes our Riddhima is awake
I heard a loud voice of excitement and it was of Aryan’s,
Aryan: Bhaiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!! Am … am coming!!!
Me (laughing): RUN!!!!!
He cut the call and I know he might be running towards his car to reach here soon, but all this while Riddhima had no expressions on her face. The glow from her face was missing!!! Later, the nurse got some soup for her to drink and she was helping her and was feeding it to her. Even after drinking that tasteless soup, her expressions didn’t budge. And suddenly the door of the room opened and she flinched and we turned towards the entrance to find Aryan sweating and panting, I giggled while Riddhima was glaring at him suspiciously. He was taking baby steps towards her unable to believe that she was awake, his eyes had tears and he was blinking often trying to avoid them to flow. Her expressions turned from confusion to fear and sensing that I took the initiative to introduce him
Me: Riddhima, nothing to worry about! He is your friend Aryan
Riddhima (blinking her eyes): Arya…n!!!! Ary…an Rai Sin…ghania!!!
As soon as she uttered the word, Aryan almost ran to hug her but she flinched back and I gestured him a NO!!! He nodded his head and forwarded his hand for a shake which she didn’t even accept, understanding the situation, Aryan took his hand back and sitting beside her, he started talking non-stop but Riddhima didn’t even budge to anything. We both started talking to her but it was one-sided as she was least bothered about what we were speaking of. Her glare was only on the wall in front of her. After a while, she dozed off due to the medicine’s effect while I and Aryan sat there staring at her sleep.
Aryan: How did this happen bhai and when?
Me: It happened last night…..
And so, I told him everything in detail about all the incidents which occurred from last night. He was first in awe and then his expressions turned to anger! Wait, now what did I do?
Aryan: Bhai, she woke up last night and you hid this from us? You’d have not informed us if I haven’t called you right!!
Me: My drama queen, it’s nothing like that! It’s just ki I was just consumed by all that happened and I had no time to inform varna how can you imagine me not sharing such a happiest news of my life with you all!!!
We were discussing some random pieces of stuff when we saw, the doc coming for the regular check-up of Riddhima, but she was fast asleep, so the doc was going through her reports by me and Aryan on either side of her bed when the doc touched her hand to check her pulse and she woke up in a jerk shouting
Riddhima: NO!!!!!
We all reacted and I and Aryan tried to hold her for support but seeing her condition we refrained ourselves and I calmly spoke
Me: Riddhima, she is here for your check-up, she isn’t going to harm you!
Riddhima stared at me for few seconds before turning towards doc and she passed a genuine smile to which Riddhima didn’t react but relaxed herself and let doc examine her. Once she left, we took our seat beside her bed and Aryan started blabbering about their childhood memories expecting her to react but nothing sort happened but she was at times glancing at me and Aryan as if trying to examine or recollect something. We lost track of the time unless Angre barged into the room shocking us trio and he seemed to be angry but wait… Angre and angry!!! Something is fishy but what’s the matter!!! Before I could ask, he pounced his questions on Aryan
Angre: What do you think of yourself? Why do you carry your phone when you don’t want to answer? No reply to either calls or messages!!! Do you have any idea how I managed the Verma’s…
We were trying to indicate him towards Riddhima but he was on his flow and then after a few seconds or minutes, his eyes fell on the third figure which was glaring him confused and then his eyes popped out and he calmed himself before looking at we brothers as if asking something
Angre (shock & happy): Boss!!!!
I patted his shoulder and gave him a smile while Aryan chuckled and Riddhima was all this while giving him confused and suspicious glares. I realized I had to give another intro,
Me: Riddhima, this is Angre, my confidant, my PA, my Bodyguard, and my brother from another mother.
Angre (excited): Hello Riddhima!!!
He gave his genuine smile and forwarded his hand for a shake but not receiving her reply, he pulled his hand and with the same smile, he spoke
Angre: It’s ok Riddhima, we aren’t friends right so you might be not comfortable but let me tell you, I know everything about you…
Before he could complete his sentence, Riddhima gave him a panic look and her sweat beads formed about to fall and before she could break into tears, Angre completed his sentence. Being in the investigation for years he understood her panic so, completed his sentence
Angre: I know about you of how you used to spend your time with Aryan and boss!!!
She gave a confused look
Angre: Oops I call your Vansh as Boss and Bhai so; I was talking about these brothers. And you know what after you left, Aryan missed you a lot. He had many stories to share with us daily and so did bhai. They both filled our ears with you and your banter so in short, we all know about you for years.
Riddhima didn’t react but her expression changed from panic to calm. We trio were speaking to her but I wasn’t sure even if she was listening to us. But nothing stopped us from chitchatting with her. And then something strikes me, Angre’s anger
Me: Acha Angre, what happened? Why were you angry with Aryan?
I saw his expressions changing and so did Riddhima’s glare, even she was glaring at Angre as if expecting him to reply or solve her confusion.
Angre: Bhai, how come this guy is your brother? How do you bare him!!!
Me: Aryan, what did you do now?
Aryan: Bhai even am clueless (raising his hands into the air)
Angre: Boss, I’ll tell you his irresponsibility. Today Verma’s wanted to have a discussion on our T & C’s and that file was with your great bro and I thought he’d reach the office and discuss with them but the saint was missing from the board room
He was throwing death glares towards Aryan while he was gulping, and I was chuckling
Angre: And I have called him a number of times and even dropped a number of messages but no response to any!!! I somehow managed the Verma’s and after tracking this person’s phone I understood he is with Riddhima so I came here to give him a good lecture on irresponsibility
Aryan (puppy eyes and making face): What should I do!!! In the morning when I called bhai to discuss about the file, he blurt the news of Riddhima being awake so I couldn’t concentrate on anything and ran to meet her and totally forgot about the meeting. And my phone was in silent so didn’t notice
I was chuckling seeing him being afraid of Angre, his brother’s confidant not his brother himself. Isn’t it irony!!! Aryan gives me pleading eyes asking to save him from Angre, I giggled and nodding I turned to Angre, who was giving death glares to Aryan
Me: Angre, it’s ok. Let it go! I’ll speak to Mr. Verma. I’ll handle it later.
Angre: Bhai you can’t always back him, he needs to be responsible.
Aryan: Arrey angry Angre! Aaj se I’ll be responsible but ab ke liye please leave me. You are insulting me in front of my sister, whom I met after years. Please do understand yaar
Angre: Acha okay! Last warning Drama Queen
We all got back to our blabbering while Riddhima was just listening or at least I felt so. We tried hard to make sure she breaks that bubble she created for herself of distancing herself from the world. It’s been 3 days since she woke up from the coma, but till today she didn’t utter a word with anyone. I as usual used to stay back with her while Angre and Aryan used to visit her twice a day and would try to bring her back to normal but nothing sort of happened. In these 3 days cops paid numerous visits but she didn’t even speak to them, but with a hope that someday she’d speak to us and share her ordeal and fight for herself, we still kept doing our part of the investigation and in this process, Angre informed me of her divorce but the reason was still a mystery. And we still didn’t get details of her parents and husband. Seeing her lifeless pierces me, I want her to get back to normal, the same bubbly girl whom I met years ago, the same self who snatched my heart with her cuteness and innocence. Every day I end my day with a hope that one day she’d speak, one day she’d once again smile, one day she’d share her ordeal, one day she’d fight for herself, one day she’ll call my name in her angelic voice and that’s going to be the most beautiful moment of my life. They said it right, Hope gives reason to live, and I was living in that phase of my life.
The next day being a weekend, Aryan and Angre came to meet her in the morning itself and we planned to play games with her and spend our time with her totally. Though she didn’t participate in any of our silly board games, she did watch everything enthusiastically without uttering anything. I and Angre were defeating Aryan and he was mumbling like a cry baby, and we were chuckling at his antics
Aryan: You both are so mean; you always make sure to defeat me not that being younger you should help me (making a face)
Angre: Boss, there’s no doubt why Siya gave him the name drama queen!!!
I and Angre give each other hi-five and chuckle and then we find the nurse coming to feed Riddhima. Being still unwell, she was on hospital food, and trust me I was damn sure she hates the food, as it’s so tasteless but she never obliged and ate whatever they fed. I used to wonder how can she!!! As once to make her respond, I and Aryan ate a spoon of her food and we puked it the very next moment as it had no salt and no taste. I accept it’s my hospital but doctors suggest that patients have to have this tasteless food for their so-called benefit. I don’t understand how is tasteless food going to benefit their health. Even today she isn’t uttering anything but is calmly taking the tasteless food. Breaking my thoughts, I find the door opening, and here comes dadi and Siya. I didn’t expect their arrival, I accept they were informed of Riddhima waking up but they’d come was something I didn’t expect. I saw Riddhima glaring at them confused and reading her mind, I took the charge
Me: Riddhima, she is my dadi and my little sister Siya
Dadi and Siya gave her a warm smile to which though she didn’t give any response but a small blink of her eyes was seen. I was happy that at least a response was given by her side after all these days. Siya went towards Aryan and started hitting him for something
Siya: I hate you Aryan bhai, how can you forget to give me what I asked you to? Last night I came to ask you about that but then I saw you were sleeping so didn’t disturb you and in the early morning when I came I saw you already left! This isn’t fair… how can you hurt me?
Dadi: Siya, beta 11:30 am isn’t early morning for your kind information
We all laughed as Siya was pouting and Riddhima had a small spark in her eyes as if she was trying to open up and why will she not… after all, after all these days she’s finding 2 homely women varna it was only we 3 idiotic men’s trying to help her and ha even doc’s and nurses. I was glad dadi came along with Siya and expected that maybe this could break Riddhima’s bubble and she might open up. And then my thoughts were broke by dadi’s voice
Dadi: Acha, vaise what did you do now Aryan?
Aryan: Dadi even am clueless as to what I did!!! Angel, can you please elaborate!!!
Siya stamped his leg and he left a cry showing his pain
Siya: So, now you don’t even remember what you promised to me?
Me: Siya, you know him right, he is the tube light of our house so he won’t realize what he did unless you remind him properly so say what he did?
Siya: Bhai actually you are right! What happened is, I had a project to submit next week and for that, I had many designs and I couldn’t actually go for shopping of some addons and asked bhai to get it 2 days back and I thought he got it and I went to collect it last night and he was sleeping so went to collect in the morning too but he left by then. It’s so important to me bhai, I am done with all my designs I just had to add them and then am done with my project and if my designs are selected then I’d be selected from our college for an inter-college fashion competition.
Me: Aryan, how could you be so careless… you know how important it is for her. At least you should have told her where you placed those bags, she would have collected
Aryan (brushing his hair and nervous): I’d have informed if I got them
Everyone (shock): WHAT!!!!!!
Siya (on the verge of crying): Bhai!!! How can you!!! Next week is the deadline and you didn’t get it
Aryan: Am so sorry Siya, it totally slipped off my mind (feeling sorry)!!! Trust me I’ll get it by evening. I promise
Me: Aryan, you messed it!!! Siya, you could have told me, I’d have bought it
Siya: Bhai, how can I disturb you. I know you are busy with Riddhima di and I know what she means to you so how can I intervene and disturb you!
I somewhat felt guilty as I thought was I neglecting my family in all this chaos? Was I not fulfilling the duty of a brother? My sister had such an important project and she who always asked me every small thing if Aryna wasn’t available was now in the pretext of not disturbing me was asking the help of only Aryan! I accept they are close more than me but she never hid anything from me but this… I felt low… I felt as if am losing as a brother. And as if reading my mind, Siya broke my thoughts