Scarred Love - Chapter 20

The walkie-talkie fell from Manna’s hand as the scream reverberated through the corridor. He ran towards the bedroom and stopped in horror.

Rudra was lying against the wall near the bathroom, his eyes bloodshot and chest heaving with ragged breathing.

Within a split second, Manna understood everything. He rushed towards Rudra and slid to the floor.

“Hukum, I am here,” he said circling his arms around him.

But Rudra’s body racked with the impact of the burning images swirling around him. However, he still had some sanity left.

“Manna, the shots!” he croaked hoarsely.

Manna nodded and dashed towards the bedside drawer.

Sanity slipped and Rudra’s mind went out of his control. As he heard a child screaming in pain, his body jerked uncontrollably. Hell-bent on saving her, he scanned the room and his eyes fell on the scissors resting on the small table next to the bathroom door.

But the moment he picked it up, he heard the swish of the knife and the child’s deadly cry. Rudra’s eyes fell on the child in front; her body quivering with pain as life slowly left her.

Again he had failed.

The room resonated with his blood-curdling scream and Manna turned fearing the worst. As he saw Rudra pointing the conical end of the scissors at his stomach ready to stab, he jumped and snatched it away just in time.

“Hukum, no, calm down, please,” he said clutching him in his arms.

But Rudra’s strong body protested with more vehemence than ever as his mind kept seeing the blood of that child on his hands. The excruciating pain was becoming unbearable and he wanted to numb this agony forever.

Manna felt his arms slipping away as Rudra wreathed violently under him. He knew he will lose him if he didn’t do anything soon.

“RAM BHAIYYA!” he screamed with full force.

Before even Ram Singh ran inside the room he knew what had happened. He quickly took out two injector shots from the bedside drawer. Shaking one vigorously, he punched it on Rudra’s arm and pressed the lever.

Rudra’s body slacked a little but not much.

“Quick the second one, fast,” Manna told him as he still held on.

As the second muscle relaxant shot went in, Rudra’s body slumped fully against Manna’s chest.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Manna slowly let go.

Both of them somehow dragged Rudra to the bed and Manna slowly laid down his head on the pillow. His body was still twisting with the pain of the bygone memories. Fearing the worst, Manna took out his phone and called Amar.

When he had told him everything, he heard Amar swallow hard.

“I am calling a doctor there. His name is Nayan Tripathi. He will know what to do,” he heard Amar say.

But before he disconnected the call, he heard Amar call out to him.

“Manna, don’t leave his side even for a second.”

He kept the phone on the bedside table and looked at Rudra, whose body was still twisting and turning. Manna could picture his mind replaying those events with graphic clarity.

Ram caressed Rudra’s forehead soothingly as his breathing became more and more ragged.

“NO!” screamed Rudra and Manna took his hand in his rubbing it trying to let him know that he was not alone.

“Hukum, please, calm down,” he pleaded tears forming in his eyes.

But Rudra thrashed with effort as he tried to fight the laughing shadows in his mind. And, as suddenly as the convulsion had come, his body collapsed on the bed motionless.

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

Dr Nayan Tripathi entered the building and pressed the lift button for the penthouse. He and Amar had been in medical school together but Rudra held a special place in his heart. It was because of him that he had landed a lucrative job as a psychologist in one of the biggest hospitals in London. He owed Rudra a lot more than he could think.

He walked into the bedroom and straight to the bed where Rudra lay completely immobile.

“When did he lose consciousness?” he asked as he sat down next to him checking his pulse.

“Almost 10 minutes ago,” answered Manna standing up wringing his hands in tension.

The doctor nodded and took out a syringe from his bag. As he injected the liquid into Rudra’s body he started to notice the change. His pulse normalised along with his heart beat. But the risk was still there.

He packed his bag as Manna and Ram pulled the covers on Rudra.

“I’ll send a heart monitor shortly. Keep a watch on that. If it goes anything above 100 or below 60 call me immediately.”

“And, one more thing; no travelling for the next 48 hours,” he said as he left.

Nayan Tripathi slipped behind the steering wheel and called Amar.

“Amar, it’s high time he stopped all this,” he said as his friend answered.

Amar sighed audibly and said, “I know but do you think he is going to listen.”

“You know what’s going to happen if he doesn’t?”

“Yes, I do.”

“For God’s sake Amar, how can you be so calm? His heart has started getting affected. The rate was below 60 when I reached him. We would have lost him today if I hadn’t reached him on time.”

“Nayan, I understand. But seriously I can’t stop him.”

Irritated, the doctor disconnected the call and started his car.

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

24 hours later, Rudra stepped inside his private jet ready to leave London. Even though everybody including Amar had told him to take another day’s rest but he was never the obeying kind.

He rested his head against the headboard of his seat and closed his eyes. His chest wheezed miserably as he tried to breathe. Dizzy and a little disoriented, he tightened his seat belt and stretched his hand towards Manna.

Shaking his head, Manna handed him the bottle of his sleeping pills and saw him take three.

As their drugging effect started, Rudra eyes closed in deep slumber but his brain became alert. In his mind’s eye, he saw her smiling at Kabir and this time the green monster did not stir up at all. Instead, his muscles contracted in determination.

Ishani Raijdas, it’s time I start my game.

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