Another Half Of Me - Chapter 30

Rudy was standing in the corridor drenched in Siddha’s blood when Sid, Karan, Amit and his family members came running to him.

“How is he?”

Rudy was so stunned with what had happened that he could not react. Sid grabbed him and shook him hard.

“Rudy, How is Bhai? Where is Bhabhi?” he shouted.

Unable to reply, Rudy just stared blankly at him.

Prashant came out of the ICU looking drained and Karan rushed to him followed by others.

“His stomach has been pierced by the handle along with some glass pieces,” he said in a broken voice. Gulping down his tears, he further continued, “20% first degree burns on the left side.”

Siddha’s grandfathers collapsed on the chairs nearby along with his uncle and aunt. 

Not able to bear it anymore, Rudy turned away and started walking towards the exit.

Sid stared at Prashant trying hard to believe what had happened. Everything had become haywire in a matter of minutes.

Where is Bhabhi?

**************

Roshni protested hard as someone injected something in her arm. Even though her body became motionless, her mind and heart screamed his name again and again burning with anger and hatred. I will kill you, Siddha no matter what.

A man with shaded eyes came near the blast looking for the officer on duty. As soon as he found him, he passed the phone to him.

“Is the girl alive?”

“Sir, she is.”

“Move her to the ambulance I have sent. Take off all her jewellery and put it on the burned body there in the ambulance. Declare her dead. And, make sure you mention that she was 3 months pregnant.”

“But, Sir, there is too much of media involvement. This might not be possible.”

“I don’t care. Just do it. That’s what I have paid you for. I'll take care of the media,” the man on the phone said in a thundering voice.   

The unnamed ambulance moved away from the scene of the blast as the officer on duty placed Roshni’s ring and other stuff on the burned corpse, and then asked the attendants to move the bodies.

Registering the bodies in the morgue, he asked the attendants to put names against them.

Pointing at the half burned one, he said, “That’s Sandhya Manchanda.”

Pointing at a man’s body, he said, “That’s the driver of the cab, Mahaveer.”

Then, he pointed at the fully burned corpse and said, “That’s Roshni Thakur.”

************

As he came outside the hospital, Rudy breathed hard trying to figure out what exactly had happened. Everything had gone wrong in a minute.

Shaking his head, he remembered getting a call from the police. He has to speak to them. He was about to step towards the car, when Karan approached him followed by Sid.

“Where is Roshni?”

Rudy shook his head as he slid in the driver’s seat. The moment Sid and Karan sat down he started the car. He had left the scene of the blast the moment the police had arrived. He knew he shouldn’t have left Roshni ma’am there but he couldn’t just let the ambulance take Bhaiji alone.

***************

Siddha’s unconscious mind kept on playing the blast images one by one. He mouth opened in an inaudible scream as he saw her go up in flames. No, she cannot die. She has to live: for him: for their child. He has to go to her. He has to find her. Trying his best, he willed his body to move but nothing happened. Tears escaped his closed eyes as he tried to raise his body from the bed.

Prashant looked at him and wiped away Siddha’s tears while Amit gently stroked his forehead trying to soothe the pain a little. He knew it wouldn’t take long for him to wake up. The handle and glass pieces had been removed. Even the burns had been swabbed. But Siddha’s body was paralysed due to the shock and impact of the blasts. Prashant and Amit looked at each other their thoughts matching: what would happen when Siddha woke up. Looking at Rudy’s message on the phone, both tried to believe what was written.

God, Siddha, please rest now. You will need your strength later more than you think.

**************

Rudy stood outside the mortuary willing himself to enter. Sid was talking to the officer who had gone on the blast site. Karan looked inside and closed his eyes. What will happen when Siddha wakes up?

As Sid came near him, Rudy turned away from the door of the morgue finally losing his resolve. He cannot do this.

“They are asking us to take her,” Sid said, his voice breaking with the terrible emotion raging inside him.

Nodding, Karan started walking towards the officer on duty to get the formalities done.

Wiping his tears, Rudy said looking at Sid, “We have to arrange for a glass box and an ice chamber.”

************

As the effect of the tranquiliser faded, Roshni felt her body rocking to the motion of the moving vehicle. She tried hard to open her eyes but could not. Her body was completely paralysed. Tears fell silently from her eyes as she remembered about her baby. Somehow the intensity of the hatred and animosity she felt towards Siddha gave her immense strength to force open her eyes. Her body was inside a glass cabinet and all around she could see only white. Suddenly the vehicle came to a halt. She closed her eyes as bright light pierced them.

Some people lifted the stretcher and placed her on a bed.

“Make her live. Do whatever you want but she has to stay alive,” she heard someone say.

Who is he? And, why does he want her to stay alive? Mentally she was about to thank him when she heard the voice talking again.

“Siddha boss, don’t you worry. We will keep her alive for as long as you want.”

Burning anger seared her heart as she understood why Siddha was keeping her alive: for her to suffer more. 

No worries, Siddha, I’ll live. And, the day I come out of this will be the day you die.

The man with shaded eyes went out with the phone. He dialled Mr. Manchanda’s number and reported everything to him.

“She has to live no matter what. My daughter is dead because of her. She and Siddha have to suffer as I am suffering now. Call the best doctors and make her live. But keep her confined here. She should never see the outside world again and Siddha should never know she is alive.”

Keeping down the phone, Somesh Manchanda looked out of the window. If only his daughter had told him that she would also be boarding the car, then she would be alive now. His features hardened as he thought about Siddha and Roshni.

You broke Sandhya’s heart and she is dead now. I’ll make sure that Roshni gets more pain than she can endure. Everything, from attempts to kill her and her death will point at you, Siddha, and for once you will not be able to do anything. I’ll make sure Roshni hates you and dies hating you. You will never ever see her again.

“Make sure nothing points at me in all this. Plant the evidence accordingly,” he told his assistant. 

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