"Amar, what are you doing? Just add a few drops of water. Don't empty the entire glass into it." Vennela was teaching him how to make basic Ayurvedic medicines.

"Let me put it in the mixer grinder." Amar stood up.

Vennela pulled him. He fell down on the ground with a thud. "Mixer grinder for something as simple as this? Do it manually."

"Vennu darling. My hands hurt." He pouted like a baby. "You grind this for me. I promise I'll finish the remaining work."

Vennela splashed water on his face playfully. "You are so adorable. Just like a kid. What will you do without me?"

"Without you? I thought we are inseparable." Amar flirted with her.

"No, seriously. How will you manage if I disappear suddenly? What will you do if I don't ever come back?" Vennela asked him.

"Though the moon disappears once in a month, it reappears the other day. My moonlight will be with me forever. I won't let you go. No one can take you away from me." Amar spoke with sincerity in each word.

"So poetic" Vennela splashed water on his face again.

---***---

"VENNELAAAAAAA!" Amar screamed and ran towards his wife.

"Vennela open your eyes. Look at me. LOOK AT ME VENNU." He was crying. "ANIRUDH! GET THE CAR."

Amar carried Vennela in his arms and sat in the car with her head on his lap. Shruthi sat beside him with Vennela's legs on her lap, pleading her to open her eyes. Her agony was beyond words. Her sister has always been there for her. The epitome of strength and bravery. Not even in her wildest imagination did she think of seeing her Vennu akka like this.

Rishi-Raj, who never shed a teardrop their entire life were sobbing continuously.

Anirudh has never driven faster in his life. He didn't care about anything else. His only aim was to reach a hospital as quickly as he can.

"Vennu. I admit I was rude. Please don't forgive me. Open your eyes and punch me like you always do. Slap me. Punish me. Do whatever you want." Amar kissed her forehead. "Please don't go away." He never wept like this before. Not even on the day his parents died.

His tears fell on her forehead which was already covered with blood. He, who couldn't even bear a single scratch on her body, had to look at her completely soaked in blood.

He didn't dare to check her pulse. He wasn't brave enough to accept what he might discover.

After the worst twenty minutes of their lives they reached the hospital.

"Move aside. Give way. It's an emergency." Raj yelled.

"My sister needs a doctor. Please attend to her." Rishi asked a doctor.

Amar placed her on a stretcher. She was taken inside. The doors closed. He collapsed beside the door, crying.

Anirudh looked at him with a mixture of anger and pity. He was angry because Amar was partly responsible for this. He felt pity because he knew what Vennela meant to his Amar anna. He made Shruthi sit down. She was sobbing uncontrollably. Rishi-Raj were hugging each other. Anirudh wanted to console everyone. But, there was no time for that. He called his parents and Vennela's family to inform about the accident. Breaking the news to them was the hardest thing he has ever done in his life.

Amar blamed himself. 'If only I wasn't so rude to her. My ego meant more to me than her.'

He remembered everything she has done for him. 'She married me to protect my reputation. She respected me and cared for me when she didn't have to. She served my family members dutifully. She came running when she thought I was in danger. She tried to shield me from all dangers. What did I do? I hurt her by lying to her. I hurt her by hiding everything from her. She forgave me. She gave me a second chance. But when she asked for a second chance, I didn't give it to her. I am the worst husband.'

He saw the nurse hurrying with bottles of blood. He remembered his first meeting with her. She scolded him back then. 'You will hurt him more, you moron.' He was annoyed when she called him moron on that day. But today, he would give anything to hear that from her.

He remembered how he was introduced to her because of an accident. He wondered if their journey was coming to an end because of another accident. 'No. What am I thinking?' He slapped himself.

"Her blood group is rare. O negative. We need two more bottles. The current bottle will last another half an hour. Please call someone you know while we try with other blood banks." The doctor advised them.

Amar stood up and called his manager and all his assistants. "Karthik, I don't know how you do it. Put it on our website, mail everyone, call everyone you know. There has to be someone with matching blood group." He ordered.

Everyone else was trying to contact blood banks and their friends. Amar was losing hope. Time was running out.

"Shruthi!" Ragini came running. "How did this happen?"

"Not now Ragini. We are trying to arrange blood." Shruthi ignored her.

"You idiot! Don't you remember my blood group is same as hers? Take me to the doctor."

Shruthi immediately called the nurse. Ragini went with her. She returned after a few minutes. "This bottle will last a little more than an hour. Just one more bottle is needed. Keep trying." The junior doctor told them.

Raj helped Ragini sit down and got some water for her.

"Let me get you something to eat. You look weak." Rishi offered.

"I won't be able to sit here and eat as if everything's fine. She's my cousin too" said Ragini. She didn't want her previous phone conversation with Vennela to be the last one.

Shruthi, Rishi and Raj hugged her. Ragini turned to Amar when they broke the hug. "She is the strongest girl I have ever known. She will come back to you. If you can't find a donor I'm ready to donate another bottle of blood. We'll bribe the management."

"You have no idea what it means to me. Thank you Ragini. I'll never be able to thank you enough" said Amar.

Everyone was busy contacting blood banks when a man walked in and talked to Amar. "Mr. Amar. Hello, I'm Madhav, Surya's friend. He sent me to donate blood to his sister-in-law."

"Did Surya send you? We need O negative blood. Thank you so much." Amar quickly informed the nurse, who took Madhav inside.

Amar immediately called Surya and thanked him. "Don't thank me, Amar. This is the least I could do for you. Don't cry. Don't lose hope. We are on the way. Will reach in few hours."

Amar stood by the door and waited for the doctors to come out and give update on her condition. Seconds felt like hours. 'Vennu. Ignore the last words I spoke to you. You know me. Right? I keep talking rubbish. Ignore everything. Stay strong. Fight. Keep fighting. Don't give up.'

Ragini and Shruthi were holding hands and slowly reciting Hanuman Chalisa. Anirudh placed his hand on Amar's shoulder. "Anna, God is not so cruel. Have faith."

"I brought this on her." Amar wept on his shoulder.

"No, you didn't. You didn't do anything on purpose. You wouldn't have lied to her if you knew how this would end." Raj consoled him.

"We do not blame you the slightest" said Rishi. "I'm sure our princess will be fine by tomorrow." Shruthi and Ragini nodded at his words.

Amar was deeply moved. He has given them so much agony. Yet they were here, supporting and consoling him. But, it only made him feel worse. He wanted them to yell at him. He wanted them to slap him, punish him and give him so much pain that he would never think of being rude to Vennela again.

One of the doctors came out. Everyone gathered around and bombarded her with questions. "We are doing our best. Nothing can be said as of now. Her situation is still critical."

The girls started praying again with tears rolling down their cheeks. Rishi-Raj and Anirudh joined them.

Amar looked at them. 'Please, God, please. Don't punish them for my sins. Have mercy on them at least. You have taken my parents away. I was shattered but stayed strong. Now, I don't have the strength to see my Vennela being taken away. Give her back to me. If you have decided otherwise, then let me accompany her. Because my existence is pointless without her.'

Hours passed. Nanditha, Prakash, Lasya, Surya and Vennela's grandparents reached the hospital. Vidya and Praveen were on the way. Shambhavi, Bharat and Archana have started from London too. Everyone was praying.

The moonless night passed. The sun illuminated the sky. It shone brightly bringing light into everyone's life. 

It was a new moon day.

The senior doctor came out of ICU. He smiled at everyone and spoke to Amar. "You are very lucky. Your wife is out of danger. She needs to rest."

Amar held his hands. "Thank you so much sir. You have given my world back to me."

"Can we go and meet her?" Nanditha asked the doctor.

"She is sleeping. I can allow only one person inside." The doctor told them.

Amar wanted to rush inside. But, he looked at Nanditha. "You please go and see her aunty. You are not only her aunt but also her mother."

"It was more painful for you because you saw it happen." Nanditha spoke while sobbing. "You please go inside. I'll wait for my turn."

Amar thanked her and entered the room. There was his precious girl with bandages on head, right hand and legs, needles inserted into her veins for injecting medicines and an oxygen mask for breathing. His tear stained face broke into a smile when he looked at the slant lines on the screen indicating her heartbeat.

"Vennela, my moonlight. I take back everything I said yesterday. The only thing that matters now is that you are fine. I promise, no matter what, I'll never sever ties with you. Because, we are inseparable." He kissed her forehead and sat down beside her, waiting for her to wake up.

---***---

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