KARTIK
" I-I can't remember.... O-our last kiss. "
But I do.
And it's making me sick as I stand outside the ICU.
I don't want to remember our last kiss Because that would mean I'm not getting her back.
2 hours ago,
Few seconds into the kiss, Naira stopped responding. I pulled back slightly to find her eyes closed on me. Her hands curled around my neck went limp and fell lifelessly to the sides.
" Babe? " I shook her.
I pressed my lips over hers to infuse some warmth, but in vain. Her dry parted lips were cold and her skin became paler by every minute.
" N-naira.... " I choked, fear clogging my throat.
Every effort of mine to bring her to consciousness was a failure.
" You promised -- you promised to wait. Don't- " I whispered, sucking in a ragged breath.
" We need to get her to the hospital. " Rudra urged anxiously as Dhruv fetched his car.
I swept her off the ground in a bridal style. Her face pressed against my chest as she barely breathed into the fabric. My grip tighter than ever as I held her unconscious body close to mine.
I glanced down at her, a desperate plea left my lips as I pressed a kiss against her temple.
" P-Please Don't leave me. "
I rushed to the car, climbing into the backseat carrying her fragile body.
The drive to the hospital felt painfully long. All the way I held my wife's hand, refusing to take my gaze away from her tired yet beautiful face.
" Just hold on, babe. " I muttered into her hair, dropping a kiss.
When we lose someone we love,
we feel like we might just die without them. But the truth is we survive.
We stay alive despite the ache. Life keeps moving forward and so do we.
I'll survive in a world without her.
I know I can,
But I just don't want to.
-------
Present
" Thank you " The nurse who tended the bruises in my knuckles, smiled with a nod.
The knife stab in my abdomen required some stitches. Luckily it wasn't deep enough to cause any Internal injury. The doctor said it would heal in a fortnight.
" Kartik " my mom's tender voice hit my eardrum.
I snap my head to the side to see my parents walking up to me worried. Mom enveloped me with her tiny frame.
" How is she? " I don't have an answer.
Pulling back I sighed. " They haven't said anything. "
" Oh my baby! " She caressed my hair sitting beside me, and all I craved was to rest my head on her lap and cry because I'm reminded of the awful fear.
The last time I felt this kind of fear was when I held my twin's cold lifeless body.
" How are you holding up? "
I'm breaking mom and She isn't here to hold me.
I just managed to give her a nod. " I'm fine mom, I guess. "
Dad rubbed my shoulder, a gesture of reassurance " She'll be fine, son. "
" Dad, the police- " I didn't have to complete the sentence for dad had already looked into the matter.
" Arjun is dealing the official matters with the police. I have talked to our lawyer. He is positive the gun firing won't cost us. Naira shot a guy beneath the knees and that too it was a case of defence."
" File a case against the Malhotras. For everything they have done, I'm not going to stop until I bring them to ruins. " I hissed in rage.
I'll make sure they suffer for touching my women.
" We won't let them get away with their crimes. You worry about her, son. I'll take care of the rest. " Dad assured me.
Yet an another 30 minutes flew by before the Doctor stepped out of the ICU ward.
" Mr. Oberoi. " I rose to my feet instantly. My heart thumping fast against my chest, both in fear and hope.
" How's my wife? " I managed to ask but in a quivering tone.
" She is stable. However her body is extremely weak and dehydrated due to lack of food and water.
There are bruises on her forehead and marks of strangulation on her neck. " I clenched my fist hard, boring my nails into the flesh of my palms.
" but good news is there's no sign of any major physical assault or Internal injuries. She will be unconscious for the next 10 hours. We can discharge her by tomorrow after a full check up." The doctor said and I heaved a sigh of relief.
" There's something else you need to know, Mr. Oberoi. "
I frown anxiously," What's wrong? "
" Mrs. Oberoi is pregnant, Sir. "
I was knocked out my breath.
" Your wife is only 2 weeks far so it's not surprising she wasn't aware of it. "
" What! Wait... A-are you sure? " I fumble.
" Yes, Mr.Oberoi. You are going to be a father. I have prescribed - "
The rest of the conversation faded out as I stood there letting the new piece of information sink in.
We are having a baby.
I'm going to be a dad.
A freaking Father!!
-----
The IV drip was almost done as I watched my wife lying on the hospital bed, hooked to machine that indicated her heart rate.
It's absolutely not my favourite sight of hers but atleast this is better than the sight of her cold breathless body.
It's only midnight, meaning there's still 8 more hours until she wakes up.
I sat on the stool beside her bed and held her hand.
" I don't know If you can hear me, but I am gonna talk like you are listening to me now.
The last 4 days were horrible. I would be lying if I say I wasn't scared. I pretended to be okay But it was hard. So hard than I imagined.
There were days I wondered what my life would be without you and now I know it sucks! Only 96 hours with you gone and I lost my s**t in the first four hours! God knows how I managed this far.
There was only one question in my mind. When will I see you again..?
You knew I never believed in God, but I prayed, Naira. Asking him to keep you safe until I find you.
Oh, And Your voice note...it helped. I was holding on to them to keep myself sane. "
I drew circles on her skin, looking at her closed eyes.
" What have you done to me, Princess? " I whispered, knowing I won't get a reply from the other end.
" It's funny how a person can be both your strength and weakness. You might not know but you,
Mrs. Oberoi, own the power to destroy me as well raise me from ashes. "
I leaned in to press a kiss on the back of her palm despite the tubes attached to her hand and the redness it caused on her skin.
I placed my other hand on her tummy, where a baby of ours is growing. To say I'm happy would be an understatement. I did even ask Rudra to pinch me hard to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
" I wish you were awake so I could tell you how I feel. This feeling is surreal, Naira. I can't wait to see your reaction. Don't make me wait long to celebrate, cause My happiness remains incomplete without you. "
I trailed my thumb across her cheek,
" You said you didn't want a reply since you already know..... but I would never get tired of saying it over and over again.
I love you, Naira. "
---
I tucked the loose tresses behind her ear as I watched her slowly regain consciousness.
A disoriented look skated on her face as she flung open her eyes.
" Hey. " I smile at her softly.
Raising her head rest, I add a few pillow helping her sit comfortably.
" Comfortable? " She nods leaning back just as the doctor walked in.
" Are you feeling better, Mrs. Oberoi. " She shook her head positively.
" Let's quickly get some test done. Will that be okay? "
Naira muttered a yes and glanced at me. I pressed her hands. " I'll be waiting outside. "
She held my hand, refusing to let go. " Stay. Please. "
" That's okay, Mr. Oberoi. You can stay."
I took my previous position near her. Threading my fingers with hers, I pressed a kiss on her knuckles.
The doctor took a series of quick tests.
" What? " The doctor smiled at Naira, "You are pregnant, dear. "
Creases on her forehead eased and was replaced by a blank look.
" I'll give you both some privacy. Take care Mrs. Oberoi. " Naira mouthed a thank you in reply.
For the next 60 seconds Naira stared at the white wall without uttering a word.
" Babe Did you hear what the doc said. We - "
" Can we go home? " She muttered, cutting my sentence.
" Huh" I blinked slightly blown by the reaction.
That was definitely not was I expected !
That's all is her reaction?
I get it she must be tired, but at the least she could have smiled or showed some sign of joy.
We are having a baby. It's supposed to be a thing to be celebrated but her expression doesn't suggest happiness.
I couldn't help but think, she isn't happy with the news.
Maybe she just needs time to absorb the news. We can talk this out, right?
" Kartik? Can we go home. Please. "
Masking my disappointed, I mumbled " Yeah. Sure. "
---
With a cyclone approaching the city, the night wasn't a calm one.
The drive back home was silent except for the whooping sounds of winds. Neither of us initiated a conversation.
A mix of emotions were surging through me and most of it was relief.
My eyes were constantly shifting between her and the road while she had her face tilted to the side staring at the world outside the car window.
The 15 minute drive came to an end as I pulled into the parking lot of our house. Naira didn't wait to step out and walk inside.
What took me by surprise was the fact that the loud rumble of thunder had no effect on my astra phobic wife!
I entered our bedroom and Naira wasn't there. Then I heard the shower.
I quickly changed into fresh clothes and sat on the bed, waiting for her.
After about 10 minutes, she came out of the washroom dressed in her pajamas. I gave her a small smile looking up from my phone.
" I'm sleepy. Can we go to bed? " She said walking to her side of the bed. It was evident she didn't wanna have a conversation.
" Naira " She stopped on her tracks but didn't make a move to turn around and face me.
Reaching her I palmed her face, gently lifting her chin to meet her eyes.
" It's been a long day and I know it wasn't easy for you. I'll give you all the time you need. We can talk whenever you are ready. But I want you to know that I'm here for you. Okay. "
She stared into my face for a good few seconds before nodding her head. " Okay. "
I tucked her in the bed and sat beside her. Lowering myself I planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "Good night, babe. Sleep tight. "
" Good night. " She mumbled and I watched her drift to sleep.
I caressed her stomach, a gentle smile crept on my face. " Mommy needs some time buddy, but It's all going to be good. "
Dimming the lights I climbed onto my side of the bed. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I pulled her closer. She nested her face in the crook of my neck, breathing steadily into my skin.
And slowly I drifted into a much needed sleep, listening to the sounds of her breath and the pitter patter of rain.
-----
The next two days went in a swift and Naira's health was much better. We haven't talked about the pregnancy yet. Forget that we haven't talked about anything much. Yesterday Naira spent her entire day in Aditi's place and the day before, all day in the bed.
Today was the judgement day of the trail against Vinay Malhotra and Raghav Malhotra. Both men had been convicted of drug and child trafficking. Additional Vinay is established guilty for Murder of Mr and Mrs. Basu.
They have to serve long years of jail sentence. The company is sealed along with all properties in the name of Vinay and his son.
Instead of coming home, I drove to my office after the court session. I needed to cool down before I meet Naira.
Rage was still raw in me.
" She just got lucky this time. "
It took everything in me to not go out there and beat the hell out of Raghav.
That bastard has no remorse for his actions. It sickens me to see such people being a burden to this land.
Some people never change and you simply got to accept that.
More than getting them punished for their crimes, The real victory of this case is that Naira has got no one to fear anymore. My only regret is that I wasn't able to do this sooner.
It was 8 at night when I reached home.
" Dory, where's Naira? " I asked stepping inside a placid house.
" Ma'am hasn't stepped out of her room every since she returned from court. "
" She went to the court?? " I exclaimed annoyed.
My wife has an innate habit of not listening to me. I refrained her from visiting the court. She has already been through lot and I didn't want the trial to add to her stress.
But no! Heck! This girl is really testing my patience.
" Naira! " I ascended the stairs to reach the master bedroom.
Once again the room was empty. I knocked at the door of the washroom.
" Babe! You, in there? "
The lock was left open and She wasn't responding. After waiting for about 2 minutes I broke in.
" Nairaa!! " I yelled her name in dread.
*********
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A realistic pov
Time to address the trauma!
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