He was on the cold floor, still in hospital clothes. His body shivered a little due to the cold yet it was the only thing that was offering him some comfort. His brain was so foggy, so confused that he really didn't understand a thing. It felt like a throwback to the day he had woken up in the hospital; he felt like he was in a fishbowl and seeing the world through it.
"Good morning, Shivaay!"
Shivaay could hear someone's cheerful voice greet him. He strained his eyes to look at the source of the voice but could see only see a blob there. What was wrong with him again? He was getting better from what he remembered. He also remembered that he was waiting for Om and Rudra to come to the hospital so that he could sit and chat with them for a while. He had some faint recollection of him looking at Annika. Then there was darkness. What had happened after that?
"Did you have a good night's sleep? Or was the floor too hard? I am sure that the Oberoi Prince isn't habituated of sleeping on the ground. Isn't it?"
A few words filtered through Shivaay's woozy brain. He still tried hard to wrap his head around whatever the person was trying to speak. It all still sounded like a foreign language to him. Shivaay turned his face and rested his head on the cold tiles, trying to absorb some of the coolness.
"You know," the person now touched his hair. "I can help you. I have a nice slab of ice. I can make your bed on it. What say?"
Shivaay just heard one word. Ice. And somehow he thought of water. He was thirsty. He needed some water. He remembered the swimming pool in his room. The time he spent with Om and Rudra there. The rain. The occasionally waterlogged streets around his house. The water he boiled for the pasta. The water that flowed out of Annika's eyes. The water Annika threw on him. The water he threw on her. Their smiles. The laughter.
Where was Annika? Where were Om and Rudra? Where was his Mom? And his Dad? Were they alright?
"Aw! Are you tensed about something my brother?" the person asked. "Don't worry. I won't harass you anymore. I will just give you your breakfast and leave. Okay?"
Brother? Shivaay knitted his brows. He raised his head and channelised the last remains of his energy in trying to see the face of the person beside him. That's when he noticed another person standing behind the first one. Was that his Bade Papa?
But before he could understand anything, something poked his arm. Then he felt a shooting pain at the base of his spine. It spread throughout his body within seconds. It suddenly felt like someone was trying to rip off his limbs, every single hair strand, his flesh. Or least, that's what he felt like. Shivaay screamed in agony. Curling up, he struggled to breathe through the blinding pain. Had someone set him on fire?
Shivaay wished and prayed that they had. It was enough. He didn't wish to endure the pain anymore.
"There, there," the person stroked his arm as Shivaay continued to scream in pain. "I guess you don't like this breakfast. Don't worry, I will give you something else for dinner. I am sorry but we will have to skip the lunch."
Shivaay remembered the pain he had felt when he had fractured his pinky finger. This felt the same. Just the entire body. He helplessly cried for it to stop.
"Scream Shivaay," the person encouraged him. "Scream more. Screaming always helps."
A hot, searing pain shot through Shivaay's chest and he doubled over. Screaming was the only thing he could do. Until, after a few minutes, darkness blessed him again.
****
