The accident
Ishita was shocked when she heard Raman's steady voice asking her to drive safely and reach the hospital as soon as she could. He also told his numb wife that they would need to break this news to appa gently and that they must bring him into the hospital quietly. Ishita ran into the Emergency deparatey searching for Raman. His blood soaked shirt made her wobble. Raman held her, answered the question that her eyes held out to him. He was okay he said. "Yeh amma ka koon hai?" said Ishita to herself and crumbled. Raman shored her up asked her to be strong for her appa and rock on which the Iyer family rested and re-couped for the next few hours. He took care of everything - the police , the hospital paperwok, of appa and then sent them all back home and chose to stay with Ishita for the night at the hospital.
Ishita was very vulnerable and obviously so. Supporting her came naturally to Raman. He teased her a little to bring a smile on her face, shared some of his own hurt , squashed hopes and fears with her. The stress of the day gave way to easy camaradrie, over tea they shared their fears and support. Ishita found Raman sitting on the floor to protect his soft back and drooping on his neck like a heavy bud tormented by a strong breeze. Ishita sat close and gently rested his sleepy head on her shoulder. Raman slept, Ishita leaned on him in turn and they slept unperturbed by the turbulence that was going to hit them all. For now they took turns leaning on each other and waited waited for good news.
Good news that had deserted them. Amma woke up briefly from her drugged slumber. She spoke enough to wreck havoc on Raman's tender heart and to cause agony is in Ishita's heart as Amma's truth involved all the people she cared for deeply. Mihika, Romi and now Raman and all the seniors of the families. Then there was Simi who was butchering their lives completely heedless of the damage she was creating to the fragile relationships around her, by relaying every truth to her disgusting husband who with savage glee lapped it all up. He hoped to use this to render Raman defenceless and break the Raman Ishita bond for his own selfish purposes.
Amma related in dis-jointed words to Ishita all that she wanted to. Ishita in turn understood and conveyed the same to Raman and Romi was in the dock. Romi running away only added to all the problems. It was a mean punch in the gut for Raman. He was shattered that his little brother did such despicable things, Mihika's morphed MMS, but what shattered him completely was the accident and why Ishita thought that Romi had caused it. Romi running away following his sister's suggestion had made him appear completely guilty. Ishita did not realise that Romi was guilty of other things but not of the accident. She was completely torn between her husband and her mother - pretty much like how Raman was between his sister and her with the Parmeet saga.
Amma woke soon after her surgery and insisted that she be taken home. Raman convinced the Doctor that she would cared for better at her own home, between the nurse and her family. The din settled later that evening. Ishita was at her amma's bedside trying to settle her in. Ruhi and Shravan were relieved to see Patti back home. Raman sat at the dining table staring at Romi's laptop trying to make sense of it all and wondered where to begin solving this problem. Ruhi ran upto her father who was trying to revive the laptop. She hugged him and kissed him on his cheek remarking how good he smelt after his shower. " OHH papa aap chachu ki laptop use kar rahe ho...aapki karab ho gayi hai kya??" she asked. Raman smiled at his little girl happy to be embraced by her. " Nahi beta isko mai kaise use kar sakta hoon ..muhje password pata nahi hai na..." Papa muhje to pata hai it's "ruhimydoll" she said with a sense of innocent accomplishment that she knew something her dad did not! The irony of the password only made him sink deeper into the abyss. That was how Ishita saw them. Ruhi on Raman's lap and Raman resting his chin very gently on Ruhi's head with this arms around her, biting his lip to stop those scalding tears from flowing out of his eyes. Ishita could almost touch his pain. And perhaps for the first time since dad and the daughter entered her life she had eyes for only for the father. Her heart ached at his pain and she walked over to the dad and daughter, put her arms around them and gave them both a kiss each on their heads and smiled at Ruhi saying " mera beta, awww, ka liya kya? "ISHIMA screamed Ruhi and slid off Raman's lap walked with her Ishima to get on with school work and get ready for the night. Ishita settled Ruhi in sometime walked back to Raman who was still trying to pick the pieces and devise a method out of this madness. The last 48 hours had turned their lives on it's head. "Raman aap kucch kaoge??" she asking walking to him. She touched his shoulder while he looked up at her. " We will get through this Raman" she tried to be as re-assuring as she could be and Raman managed a weak smile ,held her hand and nodded praying that they should.
It was indeed a really rude awakening. Raman was as clueless as Ishita was. He tried to make sense of it all. He decided he had to do what he had to bring Romi back into the family's fold. He wanted to step out briefly. He was rummaging through some files at the desk in his bedroom. He was privy to the hushed conversation between Ruhi and her Ishima. "Ishima muhje paati ko dekh kar daar lag raha tha." said Ruhi into Ishita's neck. Ruhi was lying on the bed next to Ishita with her right leg thrown over Ishita's waist and her hands around her mother's neck and face buried into her neck. Ishita was rubbing her back rather absent mindedly and said " nahi beta paati teek ho jayegi jaldi." she said. "Ishima" said a frightened voice " Meri bhi itni hee chot lagti na agar aap ne mujhe uss car samne hug nahi kiya ho to hai na Ishima??" Ishita froze at the thought of a defenceless Ruhi in front of the speeding car. " Instinctively she pulled Ruhi over her and said "KABHI NAHI beta , jab tak aap Ishima aur papa ke haath pakadke jagoge na tab thak hum apne Ruhi ko kuch nahi hone denge! " she said as gathered close to her bosom and tried very hard not to break down.
Raman too froze with fear. He sat at the chair motionless. Later, Ishita set the sleeping Ruhi down and wanted to check on her Amma one more time before she got to bed. She was walking out of the room and she noticed Raman sitting in the dark corner. " Kya hua" she asked him in hushed tones trying not to wake Ruhi up. Raman grabbed her hand and led her outside the bedroom. They sat at the table when he wanted to know what she was talking to Ruhi about. Ishita told him how she had met Ruhi for the first time that evening trying to save her from the speeding car. " Tum use tab janthi bhi nahi thi??" asked Raman incredulously. " uhm hummm ...aap ki beti bhi to muthu ko tab janthi nahi thi na jab wo usse bachene gayi thi!" she whispered back. Raman walked over sat on the floor next to where Ishita was sitting put his head on her lap and said " Main Romi ko wapas teek raste par lekar auunga Ishu, Usko punish zaroor karronga par use chod nahi doounga" he said. Ishita's fingers were rubbing his forehead as if she could erase the worry off. Raman looked up and smiled at her then let her go over to her amma.
He had found a way forward and his anchor - Ishita.
Thank you for reading! Links to my other OS if you'd like to read! Please do write back.😊
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