Ties that bind us together

Chapter 12

She slowly grabbed Neil's phone and wince when Kartik shouted from the other side.

"Hello!" Naira said softly.

"Where are you, Naira? It's 3 am, and you are not at home", Kartik shouted.

"Kartik, calm down. I am with Neil and Abhi", she replied.

"Calm down, Kartik, your blood pressure will rise", she tried lamely to calm her husband.

"Ohh, now you are tense about my blood pressure. Imagine my condition when I got up in the middle of the night and could not find my wife anywhere in the room.
And when I tried to look for her, I discovered she was not home. She was on her way to save someone she didn't even know. Do you know we are in Delhi, not in Udaipur?" Kartik angrily told her.

"Kartik, I am fine don't worry", Naira told him.

"Don't bullshit me, Naira. Now, tell me how you got there. I have told you to stay away from that girl", he shouted.

Naira got up from the chair and went near the entrance. "She has a name Kartik. Her name is Akshara", she also replied in anger. She got it. He was upset with her but had no right to talk about Akshara like that.

"Naira, for god sake, she is not your daughter. Her name is just similar to Akshu. There is no more similarity in them", Kartik shouted.

"I get it. I get it that she is not my daughter. But she is someone else daughter", she shouted, too. How can he be so insensitive?

"I don't care. Mujhe kissi se koi farq nhi padta. I am coming to get you now only", Kartik told her.

"I won't be going until I know that Akshara is fine. You can come, but I won't be coming with you", she answered in the same tone.

"Naira", Kartik started sternly, but Naira stopped him.

"Stop it, Kartik. Just stop it. When do you turn into this insensitive person? Mera Kartik toh aisa nhi tha na. Do you even know what is the condition of Akshara right now? Her whole body has been pierced with glass, and her legs and arms are pierced with thorns. And her leg...Tumhe pta bhi kitne ghav hai us choti si bachi pr. How can you be so insensitive? How?" She started crying, thinking about the pain that little girl must be in.

"Do you know what those monsters will do with her if we haven't reached her on time? What happened to you, Kartik? I get it woh tumhari beti nhi hai pr kissi ki toh hai".

Kartik had no answer for her. He is so worried about Naira that he forgets everything else. Naira is right; he is behaving so callous and insensitive right now. What happened to him?

"I won't be coming. Jab tak woh bachi hosh mai nhi aa jati mai wapas nhi aoongi. Mai use aise akela nhi chodungi. Tumhe jo krna hai woh kro but mai use chod kr kahi nhi jaoongi", Naira said with finality. She cut the call instantly. She fell to the ground and started crying. Her adrenaline finally got down. She cannot see her baby in pain. Her heart is shattering to the core. That girl has endured so much.

Kartik knew that she was not talking about only leaving the hospital. She won't leave this girl alone ever now. Naira has found her lost daughter in that girl, and she will kill anyone who will come in between them now. Even he is included in that list.

"Papa... Mumma theek hai na", Kairav asked his father. He was so worried about her. Today has been so stressful for them.

"I don't know, beta. I don't know", Kartik pats his shoulder and went from there.

Kairav looked at his father in confusion. What type of answer is this?

                                                                       ------------------

The doctor told the family and announced that Akshara was fine. Her injuries are not significant; she will heal soon with proper rest. And she didn't have any concussion. She will wake up soon.

"I think you should eat something, uncle. Your blood sugar level will go down", Neil told Sanjeev.

Sanjeev has a bad case of diabetes. If he couldn't eat something every two hours, his blood sugar level would drop dramatically.

"Neil is right, papa. You need to eat something", Panchi agreed with her boyfriend.

"I can't leave Akshara alone. I am fine. Don't worry about me", Sanjeev announced and wave his hand.

"We are not going out of this hospital, papa. Hospital canteen se hi kuch khaa lenge. Abhi Akshara ko humari zaroorat hai. Agar apko kuch ho gya toh hum aap dono ka khayal kaise rakhenge", Ayushi explained to him. After much convincing, they took Sanjeev to the canteen to eat something.

"Bhai, we are coming in a few minutes. If there is any emergency, contact me", Neil asked his brother. Abhi nodded his head absent-mindedly.

Abhi was still sitting on the ground when his phone rang, taking him out of his reverie.

"Hello", he said as he picked up the call.

"Sir, the driver is stable now. There is no significant injury to him. We have informed his family. Also, we have taken both the goons to jail. Ab age kya krna hai", his junior asked him, waiting for the next instruction.

"Talk to Kunal. He will guide you ahead", Abhi instructed and cut the call. He took a big breath and wiped his face. He got up and started pacing in the hall. "Get a grip, Abhi!"

"What are you doing with me, Akshara? Big, bad Abhimanyu Birla is scared to the core," he murmured. He was never scared for anyone like ever. Today, when they couldn't find Akshara, his heart was ready to burst into pieces. He felt like he would die if something happened to her. Her fragile state is piercing his heart.

He stopped near her room and look her reflection in the tiny hole. She looked so tiny in that big bed. He opened the door and went into the room. With careful steps, he reached near her. Her forehead is wrapped in a bandage. There were bandages on her arms and hands. There is one big gauze on the side of her neck. Her face is covered with dirt and dried tear marks.

He settled down on the stool and held her hand delicately, scared of any harm he could do to her.

"You are so special for me, Akshara. Your pain is affecting me so much. I didn't react like this ever. Today, when I can't find you, I feel so sad that I can't even imagine. Why are you affecting me so much? You're woving your magic on me," he whispered, caressing her cheek with his knuckles.

Akshara blinked her eyes and saw Abhi sitting in front. He is looking at her lovingly.

"Hi", he whispered.

"Hi", she replied slowly.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Pa...in", she replied. Abhi squeezed her hand to tell her that he understood her.

"Sleep, you will be fine. You have no serious injuries. This pain will go soon", he told her.

"Thank you", she squeezed his hand. It was the first time someone had helped her escape the crisis. She has never expected anyone's help. For the first time she feels that she is not alone. Someone is out there to help her. The world is not scary anymore.

"You are not alone. You are my angel, and your knight in shining armour will always save you", Abhi told her with determination. He understands what she wants to say. Her eyes are so reflective. You can see what she wants to say in her eyes. 

"Promise", she didn't know why she asked that. She is a self-reliant girl. She never depended on people because she didn't have a good experience in that department. But for the first time, she wanted to be dependent on someone. She got tired of carrying everything alone.

"I promise. Mai apna promise kabhi nhi todta hoon. I will always be your knight in shining armour. Any trouble on you will go through me first", he said earnestly. He kissed the insides of her palm to steal the deal.

Akshara smiled a little and closed her eyes. She is looking so serene to Abhi. He is caressing her hair, slowly putting her to sleep. He put his head down on the side of the bed and closed his eyes. Finally, everything is alright in their world again.

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N I will divulge a little about Akshara's past in the next chapter. Thank you for all the love you guys are showing on this story. I love you, guys...❤️❤️❤️😍💕