Chapter 37

Hey girles 💞
So maybe this chapter can be boring for you. But i am not the one to skip this. I did a lot of this in my past, thinking what if you guys won’t like it,  but i realised i was skipping out the emotions the feelings the reality touch .. so here’s the chapter.

Do vote and comments if you like

Total words:- 2439

“NAVVVVVVVVVVV!!!!”

My scream tore through the burning air

The warehouse was in flames. The heat stung my skin, smoke came in  my throat, and pillars groaned as they fell, one by one.

Uncle stumbled out, Nav had pushed him. Dad held him back, arms locked tightly around his chest.

But where was Nav?

Uncle thrashed in Papa’s grip, tears streaking down his soot-covered face.

“Let me go! Mera bacha andar hai!”

( My child is inside.)

“ no.. no i won’t deep. He’ll be back”

“ vijay i am warning you ….let me go!” he shout. His eyes dark and fiery

He even punched Papa,his best friend, but Papa didn’t flinch, didn’t let go.
Because they both knew… if he went back in, he might not come out.

I collapsed to my knees.

“Navvv! You fucker… you can’t do this to me…”
My voice cracked, raw and broken.

“I promise… I promise I won’t fight with you again.just….. please just come back. I swear I’ll do anything you say… just come back.”
My sobs turned to gasps. Loud. Ugly. Desperate.

This is my fault.
He came to save me.
He ran into that fire because of me.

“Please… please, Nav… please come back…”

“Waise tumse ladne mein maza toh bhout aata hai Kareli… pakka nahi ladogi?”

(Fighting with you is kind of fun, Kareli… Are you sure you won’t fight anymore?)

“ pakka” i said without realising, but when realisation hit me,

( Sure?)

My breath caught. I turned around,
He was standing there. Burnt around, shot,

But alive.

“Pakka,” I whispered, already running toward him.

(Sure.)

I crashed into him, arms wrapping around his neck, smoke-stained feel of him.

“ maar hi dalo gi kya?” that bastard said.

(“Are you trying to kill me or what?”)

“Nav… Nav—”
I cupped his cheek, half in disbelief.

“Mujhe pata hai, Miss Rathore. I’m still handsome. You don’t have to drool on me.”

(I know, Miss Rathore. I’m still handsome. No need to drool.)

That idiot. That absolute idiot.
I could kill him for this.

Uncle rushed forward, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug.

“Navvv… mere bachheee!”

(Nav… my son!)

“Papa, I’m perfect. Dekho!”

(Papa, I’m perfect. See!)

Uncle was already crying.

“Khote da puttar! Ki lod si ae sab karan di? Je tenu kujh ho janda?”

(You stupid son! What was the need for all this? What if something had happened to you?)

Nav’s voice dropped,soft and steady.

“Agar aapko kuch ho jata… toh main waise bhi zinda nahi bachta, Papa.”

(If something had happened to you… I wouldn’t have survived either, Papa.)

But before he could say more—

“Nav! Nav!”
We all shouted as he swayed, and his knees buckled.

We caught him,just in time,as he slipped into unconsciousness.
✧

After 2 days

The smell of antiseptic.
That cold, sharp smell I’ll never forget.

The hallway outside the ICU was too  quiet. It felt like a pause button had been pressed on life itself.

Nav was inside.

And we were outside.

The glass pieces had been removed from my arm, and the dressing still stung every time I moved. But I didn’t feel pain. Not the physical one, at least.

Subh stood a few feet away, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed tight over his chest, like he was trying to hold himself together. His shirt was soaked near the collar, from sweat or tears, I didn’t know. Maybe both.

His eyes hadn’t left the ICU door for an hour.

He hadn’t spoken in longer.

This Subh was silent.

Terrified.

The doctors had said it clearly.

“Next seventy-two hours are critical. If he doesn’t regain consciousness… we fear he might slip into a coma.”

Those words kept echoing in my mind.

Its nearly 48 hours.

Ayanshi sat beside me on the bench, holding my uninjured hand gently.

“Didi, look at me,” she whispered. “Nav bhai will be okay. He’s stronger than this.”

I nodded, but my lips trembled.

“Waise bhi,” she added softly, “he has to wake up. He promised me that he’ll give me a gift after the galla, even if we won’t win.”

She gave me a small smile. It almost worked.

Almost.

But inside… I felt like something heavy was pressing on my chest.

I looked at the ICU window again. Machines beeped in a rhythm I couldn’t trust. So many tubes. So many wires. His body still, bandaged. Part of his chest burnt. His right side covered in dressings.

I had watched it happen.

Nav’s mother sat on the other bench, her eyes red and swollen. She look half dead. Her lips moved silently maybe a prayer, maybe just his name.

“Beta uth jaa…” she kept whispering. “Please uth jaa…”

(( Child please wake up… Please wake up)

My heart broke a little more every time I heard her say that.

Maa sat beside her. For the first time in my life, she looked… lost. Hands shaking. Saree pallu crushed between her fingers. She holds aunty’s hand and was comforting her.

“Vani,” she said, placing a hand on my head. “Tum bhi rest karo thoda.”

( Vani.. you too take some rest)

I shook my head. “Nahi, Ma. Mujhe yahin rehna hai.”

( No mom.. I’ll stay here)

Just then, the door opened, and the doctor stepped out.

We all stood.

“Any change?” Uncle asked immediately, (Nav’s father),  the one who never looked scared. But today… today, there was sweat on his neck and a tremble in his voice.

The doctor sighed, looking down at the clipboard.

“He’s stable. But still unconscious. No internal bleeding. No infection so far. But like I said, seventy-two hours. After that…”

He didn’t finish.

He didn’t need to.

Uncle nodded once and turned away. He leaned against the wall, head lowered. His hands were clenched into fists. Silent, but raging inside.

Papa came forward and put a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“We won’t let anything happen,” he said quietly. “Nav is our son. And we don’t lose our own.”

Papa’s voice cracked just a little on the word “son.”

But that was enough to shake me.

I looked through the glass again.

Nav, please.

Please wake up.

You can’t just do this ..

Please…

My fingers curled into fists.

I turned to the nurse passing by.

“Can I go in?” I asked.

She hesitated. “Only for a minute.”

I nodded.

She opened the door and I stepped in.

The beeping got louder.

I walked slowly to the bedside, heart thudding.

He looked peaceful. Too peaceful. Like he was pretending to sleep so he didn’t have to explain anything.

“Nav,” I whispered, kneeling beside him

I placed my palm over his hand. It was warm, but still.

“Come back. Please. Just open your eyes. Once. That’s all I need.”

My voice broke.

“ you need your client back? Done. You want to mess with me. Done. You want to keep calling me kareli. Done. Anything you want. I’ll even start calling you by your name. I promise.
But please . Please wake up.”

No response.

Just the beep.
And my heartbeat.

I stayed there, forehead resting against his hand.

Seventy-two hours.

But even one second without him felt like forever.

The hospital corridor was quiet now. Visiting hours had ended. Lights had dimmed. Most of the family sat slumped on the metal benches outside the ICU, too tired to cry, too scared to sleep.

Subh walked away.

Not far, just around the corner away from the waiting area

He didn’t want anyone to see him like this.

He pressed both hands against the wall, his head hanging between his shoulders. His breath was shaky. His chest rose and fell too fast.

He had tried. Really.

Tried to stay strong. For his brother, for his parents, but

But he was breaking.

Because no one tells you what to do when your brother might not wake up.( His thoughts)

No one gives you a manual on how to pretend everything’s fine when it’s not.

His legs gave up first.

He slid down the wall, sitting on the cold hospital floor, his hands now tangled in his hair. His lips trembled.

And then,

The first sob, low, heavy, like it had been sitting in his throat for hours.

“veere ” he whispered, voice cracking. “veere aye na kr yr … Please. If you want I’ll start calling you veere instead by your name. Just don’t do this ”

( Brother don’t do this)

He tried to stop it. Wiped his face roughly.

But the tears kept coming.

“veere i know i said you are too strict with me but but I’ll handle it you can be more strict, take my cards, take everything from me just you. I just need my brother. Please veere please”

He wiped his nose on his sleeve. Cried like a little boy who just wanted his elder brother back.

He hugged his knees to his chest and shook, quietly begging whatever god was listening to not take Nav away.

And behind him, she stood.

Ayanshi had followed him. She hadn’t meant to. But when she saw him walking away, something made her get up and go.

She didn’t say anything.

Just stood there, watching him fall apart.

The same boy she had fought with hated in the last few weeks.

The same boy who now looked like a shattered child.

And somehow… all her anger felt distant.

She walked forward, slow, careful. Subh didn’t notice.

Until she sat beside him.

Their shoulders didn’t touch.

Their eyes didn’t meet.

But her presence said what words couldn’t.

She was there.

With him.

Subh didn’t say anything. He couldn’t.

“ he’ll be fine. Its just a bad time subh, he’ll wake up.”

But the second she said those words he broke harder.

And Ayanshi… didn’t stop him.

She just let him cry.

She caressed the back of his head

✧

The clock on the hospital wall read 3:12 AM.

The ICU corridor was dim, quiet, except for the beeping from Nav’s room and the occasional footsteps of nurses.

Most of the family had fallen into an exhausted silence. Slumped shoulders, glassy eyes, dry prayers whispered with join palms. Their fear was loud even in the silence.

Nav’s mother sat closest to the door. Her eyes hadn’t blinked in a while.

Papa stood by the window, looking out at nothing.

Subh was still in the corner, legs pulled up, back against the wall. His face was calmer now, or maybe it just look calmer.

Ma sat beside me, her hand clutching mine, her thumb gently rubbing my bandaged wrist like I was the one who needed comfort.

I looked around at all of them.

This wasn’t strength.

They are exhausting themselves.

They weren’t helping Nav like this.

I stood slowly, squeezing Ma’s hand.

“Everyone… please,” I said softly, “go home for a few hours.”

Nobody moved.

Not one blinked.

“He’s stable now,” I continued gently, “and you’ve been here all day and night. You need sleep. Real sleep. Food. Water.”

“No,” Nav’s mom said immediately, her voice thin but firm. “Main nahi jaaungi. Mere bete ki halat—”

( No..i won’t go.. my child’s condition -)

“Aunty…” I knelt in front of her, looking into her eyes, “Nav won’t be happy seeing you like this. Agar woh aankhein kholta and sees his mother weak, pale, drained, would that make him feel better? Or worse?”

( If he opens hia eyes and see his mother weak…..)

She looked down. Her lip trembled.

“You always say he’s your lion,” I whispered, smiling softly. “Toh sher ki maa thak gayi toh kaun sambhalega usse?”

( And if lion’s mother get tired who’ll take care od him?)

Maa looked at me. “Par beta—”

( But child…)

I turned to her gently.

“Ma… you always say we have to take care of ourselves before we take care of others. And I need you strong tomorrow. Nav will need you. Subh will need you. I will need you.”

Subh looked up slowly at that, but said nothing.

Still, no one moved.

“Please,” I said, walking up to nav’s Papa. “You haven’t even sat down in the last five hours. What happens if you collapse? You’re Nav’s father. He will open his eyes and look for you. But what if you are not okay then?”

He turned his face away, jaw tight.

I turned to papa
“ papa aap smjhao na inhein. You all need rest. How will you take care of him when he wake up when you all gonna be exhausted?”

( Papa make them understand…)

Silence.

“ uncle, he saved us, not to be see like this. Please.”

Then finally finally, he exhaled, closed his eyes, and nodded once.

A tired, defeated nod. But also trusting.

“ we can’t leave you guys alone.” papa said..

“ sir.. I’ll take care of them.” his name is maybe victor. Nav’s head security guard, he said.

“ victor if anything happens behind my back. I will kill you. I promise.”

“ I promise on my life sir, i won’t let anything happen.”

Uncle and papa nodded

uncle helped up aunty while Ma stood beside me, eyes misty but proud. Mene koch kiya kya? Never the less

“Subh,” I said softly, walking to him.

He shook his head before I even finished. “I’m not going.”

I gave him a look, stern but warm. “You haven’t slept. You haven’t eaten.”

“I’ll manage,” he said simply. “Yahi theek hai. Main yahaan hi rahoonga.”

( Its fine here.. I’ll stay here.)

Before I could argue again, Ayanshi walked up beside him. “Main bhi. I’ll stay.”

( I’ll too)

I looked at both of them.

Two people who could barely breathe a few days ago without fighting.

Now standing like a wall beside each other.

I sighed. “Fine. But only if you promise me you’ll at least eat something and get a little sleep.”

Subh gave a half smile. “No promises.”

“Don’t make me get a nurse to inject you with sleep meds.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You would?”

“I already made your father  go home. Don’t test me, Brar junior.”

That made him chuckle, just a little. But it was enough.

Everyone else slowly started gathering their things.

Nav’s mother kissed subh’s forehead gently and whispered something

Divya Ma cupped my face before leaving. “I’ll be back in few hours.”

“Five,” Papa added. “Max.”

I nodded. “I’ll call if there’s anything”

One by one, they left.

The corridor fell quiet again.

Subh pulled a chair beside the window. Ayanshi curled up with a shawl beside him.

And I walked back into the ICU.

The machines still beeped.

Nav still hadn’t moved.

I sat beside him, brushing a strand of hair off his forehead, and whispered, “Okay, Mr. Brar… now it’s just us.”
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