SWARAGINI (HIS COUNTRY GIRL) CHAPTER 1 CONTINUED (PART-2)

Hi Guys This is Sowmya Johnson Aka Berdilla

He fastened his gaze on Ragini. Everyone in Wild Horse wants me to let you know that they are all praying for Shivansh. That’s a lot of prayer coming this way. I know i can feel it
She didn’t seem as alone. Somehow it was as if all those loving prayers and well wishes wrapped around her like an invisible hug. There’s nothing like the community of a small town. I would be lost without everyone there.

We’re all anxious for you and Shivansh to come back home safe and sound well again. For a happy-go lucky man, Laksh could be steady and solid. Dark hair tumbled from beneath
his hat, which he swept off as he raked the strands out of his eyes. I’m praying for Shivansh, too. I was touched that he asked for me. He could have wanted a visit from an ex-president or a celebrity.”

There’s no accounting for taste. The quip surprised her. She hadn’t been in a light mood in many months. Laksh’s chuckle rumbled through the sterile hallway like sunshine, causing a nurse and a patient in a wheel chair to turn his way and share a smile.

Shivansh’s door was open, and the little boy was on his hands and knees on his bed watching for the first glimpse of his hero. Ragini stayed behind and let Laksh go in first, love overwhelming her at the happiness chasing across her son’s pale face.

“Laksh!” Shivansh beamed up at his hero. His hand swiped at his dark hair falling into his big blue eyes. You came. You’re really here and everything.”

Sure I am buddy If I remember right you and i have met before. The man swept off his hat his tone warm and friendly as he stuck out his hand. Once at church when I was back home for Christmas and a long time ago at the dinner.

Yep i was almost done with my chocolate milk shake when you came in. You had a big shiny belt buckle then too. Shivansh slipped his small pale bluish hand into Laksh’s sun-browned one and shook like a little man. Is that cuz you were the champion?

You know it Of course i haven’t won anything lately.

You got a thrown off a horse. That’s why you’ve got that cane right. If his eyes got any bigger they would have roll right out of his head.

Goodness lie back Shivansh . Ragini moved into the room using her mother’s tone because she was comfortable in that role. It created distance between her and Laksh as she circled entirely too close to him to reach her son’s side. She plumped his pillows and patted the top one. Come on you need to take it easy.

But Mom it’s Laksh Maheshwari! We sam him on TV when he showed the bull who was boss and set the new record. I saw. He’s the best.

Laksh warm chuckle’s rang with good humor and not self-importance as she’d been expecting. Hold on there little cowboy. I just had a good day. You didn’t see me a month later get
thrown off a bronc and break a bunch of bones.

Wow, Shivansh flopped against his stack of his pillows, his entire attention focused on his hero. Did it hurt lots?

Sure did That’s why I am still walking with this cane. But I’m better now. Laksh Maheshwari shrugged one big shoulder as if his injuries were no big deal. Ofcourse in her opinion grown men should not be trying to ride a horse that didn’t want to be ridden in the first place. Men like that regardless of how impressive they seemed were the kind who refused to grow up. She had issues with that sort of a man, since she’d regrettably married one of them.

I hear you have got a big surgery coming up. Laksh sat on the edge of the bed his deep blue gaze tender with concern. Do you know I had some surgeries too?

Wow did it hurt?

Not too bad but then i did everything the doctors said to do. And i didn’t have a nice mom to take care of me like you have. He kept it light his tone easygoing but it was impossibl to hide the worry. Look what i brought for you.

A backpack? Cool!.

Not just any backpack. It’s an official rodeo association one. I had a few buddies of mine sign it for you. He gave the pack a turn to show the dozen autographs and read each one loud.

Okay that was thoughtful. That had to have taken him a lot of time. But she couldn’t let that influence her opinion of the man——of men like him.

Fine so she was projecting. She could admit it. But the pain of Dev’s swift and abrupt abandonment was still raw. He’d been for nearly two years, and the wound made by his departure had never healed. She had talked to pastor, turned to prayer and handed it over to the Lord. Yet the injury remained one that haunted her.

Laksh Maheshwari was not Dev, she remained hershelf although her ex-husband’s carefree attitude was not so different.

Wow! A horse! Shivansh had unzipped the backpack and began pulling out treasures. The foot high plastic sorrel horse with matching mane and tail was beautiful,

Not just any horse Laksh explained. That’s just like Jack.

Jack’s your horse It was good to see Shivansh so happy. I saw you win with him too It was awesome.

Thanks buddy Cute kid. Tough to think that tommorow moring he would be undergoing open-heart surgery. He could see the strain on the mother’s face. Ragini Sharma since her marriage. He zipped the backpack open wider. Go ahead and dig in Shivansh There’s more.

More? The little guy didn’t let go of the jack replica. He plunged his free hand into the depths of the bag, hauling out a rodeo T-shirt in his size a child’s book about a rodeo horse and several G-rated DVD’s Laksh figured the boy might like.

Last of all was a stuffed bull wearing a T-shirt and a nose ring. Something for the boy to cling to when the going got rough. It couldn’t be easy recovering from that kind of surgery. Since he’d spent his share of time in a hospital bed, Laksh could empathize.

To be Continued