Chapter 27
Nisha
I sit by Sunita Aunty’s bedside, gently holding her hand as I watch her. Her face is pale and unnervingly still. The only signs that she’s still holding on are the faint rise and fall of her chest and the steady beep of the monitors.
My head pounds and a dull ache pulses in my heart.
Every part of me is screaming that I’m the reason she’s here.
I know Sidharth told me not to blame myself, tried to make me see sense, but I can’t help it.
The guilt clings to me like a noose around my neck, tightening with every breath.
If I hadn’t stayed over, if I had just gone home like I was supposed to… maybe none of this would’ve happened.
My fingers tighten around hers as my mind drifts back to the moment I reached the hospital, every muscle in my body wound tight with fear. I didn’t breathe, not until the doctor said she was stable and out of danger. Only when I was finally allowed to see her did my lungs remember how to work.
I thought maybe seeing her with my own eyes would calm me, but it didn’t.
Even after hours of sitting by her side, my heart refuses to settle.
Because she still hasn’t opened her eyes.
I must’ve asked the doctor a thousand times why she wasn’t waking up.
And every time, he just looked at me with quiet reassurance and explained that her body was simply recovering.
At her age, after everything she’s been through, healing would take time.
She’s okay, he said, and her sleeping is actually a good sign.
“Hey,” Sidharth says softly, placing a hand on my shoulder, breaking me out of my trance. But I don’t look up. My eyes sting with unshed tears as I keep staring at Sunita Aunty, willing her to wake up.
“You need to rest. You’ve been sitting here for hours,” he murmurs.
I shake my head, my grip tightening around Sunita Aunty’s hand. The thought of leaving her even for a moment twists my insides.
“I can’t leave her,” I whisper. “She needs me.”
“And I need you to take care of yourself too,” he says, crouching beside me. “She’s out of danger, Nisha. The worst is behind us.”
I blink back the tears and finally look at him. His eyes are trying so hard to hold me together when I feel like I’m falling apart.
“I know,” I whisper, my throat tightening. “I just hate seeing her like this… lying in this hospital bed. It doesn’t feel right.”
“I know it doesn’t.” He reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Seeing her like this… it guts me too. But she’s a fighter, Nisha. She’s going to wake up. And when she does, she’s going to need you to be strong.”
I nod slowly, tears welling in my eyes again as I glance back at Sunita Aunty.
Aunty, please wake up. I miss your voice. I want to hear you fuss over me for skipping meals, nag me about how much of a mess I look. Not like this. Pale and silent, surrounded by machines and wires. This isn’t you. It feels painfully wrong. And I hate it.
“I think Sidharth’s right, Nisha,” Inspector Viraj’s hesitant voice cuts in from across the hospital room. “You need to go home and get some rest. I’ll stay here and call you the moment she wakes up.”
I turn towards him. His arms are folded across his chest, his uniform creased from long hours, and his eyes carry the weight of fatigue. He looks just as worn out as I feel.
I shake my head automatically. “I’m fine.”
Inspector Viraj gives me a weak smile, then glances over at Sidharth.
There’s something unspoken in the look they share, something I can’t quite place.
But I don’t have the energy to question it.
My mind is already tangled with worry and guilt.
And before I can stop myself, I blurt out the one thought that’s been clawing at me from the inside.
“It’s all because of me,” I whisper, my voice cracking under the strain. “If I hadn’t left her alone… if I’d just gone home like I was supposed to, this would’ve never happened.”
Sidharth’s hand comes up immediately, cupping my face as he gently turns me to look at him.
“I told you, this isn’t your fault. Stop beating yourself up, Nisha,” he says, his eyes locked on mine.
“You couldn’t have known. You’re not responsible for what some twisted bastard did.
” His thumb brushes away a tear. “You hear me? This. Is. Not. On. You.”
I know he wants to pull me out of the guilt that’s swallowing me whole, but if I could let it go, I already would have.
“But I should’ve been there,” I argue, the tears falling faster now.
“She was alone.” I just can’t stop thinking about what it must’ve been like for her when Prakash and that other man broke into the house and attacked her.
How terrified and helpless she must’ve felt.
I imagine her calling for help, maybe even begging them to spare her.
I haven’t seen the CCTV footage, but my mind has already filled in the gaps with its own brutal version.
And just thinking about it twists my stomach.
Sidharth pulls me into his arms. “Please,” he murmurs into my hair. “Stop torturing yourself. I can’t stand to see you like this.”
I bury my face in his chest, my tears soaking through his shirt.
“I just… I don’t know how to stop feeling this way,” I whisper brokenly.
“Thinking about how scared she must’ve been…
how much pain she was in. And I wasn’t there.
” My voice cracks on the last word, and his arms tighten around me even more. “I failed her.”
“You didn’t fail her. You love her, and that’s why it hurts this much. I’ll keep reminding you it’s not your fault until you finally believe it.”
“If we went around blaming ourselves every time life took a turn, we’d never find peace. You love her. That’s what matters,” Inspector Viraj says, placing a hand on my other shoulder. I hadn’t even heard him move closer.
I nod, but I can’t shake the image of her lying there on the kitchen floor. I replay it again and again, like a curse I can’t escape.
“Can we at least go downstairs to the café to grab a coffee and get some fresh air?” Sidharth asks, taking both my hands in his.
“I’m scared,” I admit, the words trembling on my lips. “What if something happens while I’m not here?”
“Nothing will,” Sidharth assures me, squeezing my hands. “And Viraj will call us the second she wakes. Besides, you know Sunita Aunty. If she opens her eyes and sees you looking like this, the first thing she’s going to do is scold you.”
“Please don’t ask me to leave,” I beg, shaking my head. “I can’t. Not while she’s like this. I need to be here. Please, try to understand. This matters to me. She matters to me.”
Sidharth’s expression softens, and he doesn’t argue this time. Instead, he leans in and rests his forehead against mine. “We’ll stay here as long as you want, sweetheart.”
“I’ll grab you both something from the café,” Inspector Viraj offers. “Even if you’re not ready to leave, you need something in your system.”
Sidharth nods gratefully. “Thank you.”
After he leaves, Sidharth moves to sit in the chair beside mine, linking our hands. Giving him a smile, I glance at Sunita Aunty again.
“She’s going to be okay,” I whisper.
Sidharth gives my hand a reassuring squeeze, his thumb brushing over my knuckles.
“Yeah, she’ll pull through,” he agrees.
I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat as I continue to gaze at Sunita Aunty’s peaceful face.
“She has to,” I say, just as there’s a soft knock at the door. I turn to see a nurse step inside, dressed in pale blue scrubs with a clipboard in hand.
“Just here to check her vitals,” she says gently.
I nod as the nurse walks over to the other side of the bed and places her stethoscope against Sunita Aunty’s chest. I watch every movement, holding my breath, my eyes locked on her face for any sign of concern.
“How is she?” I ask softly.
The nurse glances at me and offers a kind, reassuring smile. “Her vitals are stable. Heart rate and oxygen levels are looking good. The medication is doing its job.”
“She is still not awake though,” I murmur, the helplessness creeping back in.
“That’s okay,” she replies calmly, adjusting the IV line with practiced ease. “Sometimes the body takes time to catch up, especially after a shock like this. But everything looks promising. She’s strong.”
“She is,” I whisper, my eyes stinging with fresh tears.
Sidharth squeezes my hand. “You heard her. Everything’s stable. Now stop worrying.”
The nurse offers him a small nod before turning back to me. “He’s right. Don’t lose hope. I’ve seen patients take days to open their eyes after a trauma like this, and they come back just fine. The body heals in its own time.”
I nod slowly, wiping a tear from my cheek. “Thank you for telling me that. I… I just needed to hear it again.”
“Of course.” Her tone is kind, almost motherly. “And don’t hesitate to call if you notice anything. I’ll be just down the hall.”
She scribbles something on her clipboard and turns towards the door. Before leaving, she pauses and looks back at me.
“Try to rest a little. She’s in good hands.”
I offer a faint smile. “I’ll try.”
And then the door closes behind her. I exhale shakily, my gaze falling back to Sunita Aunty. As I sit there, I send a quiet, desperate prayer, begging God not to punish her for what was written in my fate. Just… please, let her stay. Let this be one pain I don’t have to carry.
Sidharth shifts beside me. “She’s healing, Nisha. She’ll wake soon.”
I nod, my eyes resting on her peaceful face. “I know. It’s just that the waiting is the hardest part.”
He wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into him.
“Not when I’m here,” he murmurs. “Give your boyfriend some credit.”
That earns a small, genuine smile from me… the first in what feels like forever.