Chapter 53: chapter 53

SRUTHII open my eyes to the white ceiling. The smell of medicine is what hits my nose first. It takes a moment to realize where I am. The hospital. IV trip is attached to my wrist and I feel a slight discomfort in my chest and arms. That should probably be the stitches. I don’t for how many days I have been lying unconscious. My right hand is enclosed in something warm and I turn to the side to find Madhav holding my hand. He is sitting in a chair but his head is on my bed and he is fast asleep holding my hand. I feel relieved seeing him safe and sound. I wonder if Jaya Ma is okay. I look around the hospital room to find it filled with a lot of monitors and machines. I could make neither head nor tail of what those signals mean. I still have a lot of questions in my head but I am not fully awake yet. A drowsiness takes over me and I fall asleep again.❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥My dreams are filled with hazy memories of my life. Sometimes, they don’t even make any sense. I dream of a gun firing bullets at Jaya Ma again and again. The next time, my brother becomes the target of the gun. In another one, it's Madhav and it goes on. But in all the dreams, I am unable to save anyone. All I do is stand in the corner and watch with horror as they spill blood like water. Seeing the blood, I feel disgusted and fear coils inside me. In another one of the dreams, I am drenched in the blood. My body is covered in blood and I reek of it. The panic sets in and my memories of the past collide with the present. I see repeated visions of my parents getting murdered and Jaya Ma attacked. My mind goes as far as to add my brother, Madhav and even Neetu in the scene. They are all brutally murdered while I am standing all alone unable to save them. I feel furious at my inability to save them. A man covered in full black laughs at me. His mock laughter irritates me more and I wish I could strangle him to death. I am not even surprised at the violent nature of the thought. Somehow it seems befitting to see him suffer. The man tips my chin up using his gun. I peer into his black mask to find him looking at me with pity and mockery.“What are you going to do Sruthi?” he asks mockingly.  “Your loved ones are all dead because of you. Don’t tell me that you are an Ariyian. You aren’t fit for that name. Ariyians have a long history of protecting people but you didn’t protect them. Instead, you stood in the corner and watched as their lives were taken. You can’t do anything.”I scream at him in anger. Because he is right and screaming is the only thing I can do. A net falls on me and I struggle to get free of it. Something stops me from moving my arms and legs. Then, all of a sudden, I hear the voice of my brother, “It is okay. We are here with you.”His voice is followed by a deep rich voice that crushes my fears, “Sruthi. I have full belief in you. Fight your monsters and come back to me safely. I kept my promise to return to you safely. Now, it is your turn to keep your promise.”I open my eyes to find people hovering over me in a panic. Blurry faces that resemble my brother, Madhav and Gabe. I don’t understand what is happening around me. My chest aches like it is set on fire. I wish the pain would go away.  An unknown face alone stays by side as all the other known faces disappear. The face belongs to a man. He is bald and is wearing wire-rimmed glasses. He has a sharp object like a knife in his hand. He brings it closer to my chest and I want to scream at him because it seems like he is going to cut my skin.  I feel a pain in my arm. A sharp and short pain like an ant bite and the next thing I know is darkness.❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥When I open my eyes again, I find a familiar figure sitting next to the bed I am lying in. My brother. When did he come back? He is supposed to be in abroad. This has to be a dream. I miss my brother so much. Vikram looks surprised seeing me. I try to smile at him but I feel weary and it is hard to make my muscles work. I open my mouth to ask him what he is doing here but my mouth is parched and it is difficult to get the words out. I still feel drowsy and tired. Vikram stands up from his chair and comes closer to me. He pats my head like he used to do when we were kids. His eyes look teary and his voice is relieved as he says, “Don’t worry. Your big brother is with you now and no one would dare harm you.”“Ja..ya Ma?” I ask in a croaked voice. It is hard even to talk a couple of words.“She is alive. She has recovered and will be discharged.”“Mad..h..av?”“Oh, he just went out to take a call. Do you want to see him?”I nod my head. My brother ruffles my hair and says in a cheerful tone, “Then hang on for a few seconds. I will get him inside. He would be elated to see you conscious. Poor man, he wanted to be the first one to see you conscious.”I try not to fall asleep again as I wait for Madhav to come. I can hear their faint voices outside the room. My heart skips a beat as I hear the sound of Madhav’s voice, “Are you sure? Did she wake up?”“Yes, idiot. She did,” my brother replies in an annoyed tone. “She even asked about Jaya Ma and then you.”“She asked about me?” Madhav’s voice is surprised.“Yes. Now, go inside instead of making her wait for this long.”The next thing I know, the door to the room opens and Madhav walks inside. I take in his form after who knows how many days. But from the growth of his beard, I would say I have been unconscious for quite some time. He looks pale and dark circles are below his eye. His hair is untidy and I smile to myself knowing that he would have run a hand through it.“Sruthi,” Madhav calls my name. The tone conveys all his emotions. His voice is filled with gratitude, joy and relief. It is like a blanket that engulfs me in warmth. I try to keep my eyes open as he comes near me. I give him a weak smile.My mind slowly drifts off to sleep again as he leans down to me. He kisses my forehead softly and whispers, “Thank you for coming back to me…..”I don’t hear the rest as I give in to the urges of sleep.❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥