"Parents, alone or together are always there to love their kids with the whole heart!"

Days passed slowly and gradually in the absence of Bondita. Though she called daily, the load of her work didn't allow her to talk a lot as she was mostly tired after the long days of work and meetings.

Anirudh had also busied himself in work and taking care of Rudhi. He would spend the whole day being busy so that he couldn't get the time to miss his Bondita. But what about nights? He couldn't sleep without her afterall!

Although, his Mishti was his new favourite person to hug and sleep, Bondita would always remain the first in the list!

It was just after a few days of Bondita's departure, Anirudh was in the court, preparing for a hearing when he got a call from Rudhi's school.

"Hello, Barrister Anirudh Roy Chowdhary speaking." He answered the phone, the receiver held between his ear and the shoulder as he was writing something.

"Mr. Roy Chowdhary, I'm speaking from your daughter's school." A lady spoke from the other side, making Anirudh frown as he kept down his pen and held the receiver carefully now.

"Yes, what happened Madame? Is everything fine?" He asked, worry making it's way to his heart.

"I'm scared it's not." The woman murmured.
"Rudhaanshi Roy Chowdhary had been complaining of a head ache since morning and now she has a high fever, I'd request you to please come and take her home with you." The lady informed.

"Headache? F.. Fever?" Anirudh gasped.

This morning, Rudhi had told him that she had a little headache, but he let it go thinking she was just doing this so that he didn't send her to school. Also, he didn't want to make his daughter so weak just from a headache.

"I... I'm coming right away! Please take care of her!" He quickly got up, almost throwing back the receiver on the telephone and reached out for his car keys quickly.

"Subhash Da!" He called on his way out and a peon came running.
"I'm leaving now, it's an emergency. Please tell Subodh Babu to take care of the sase alone." He commanded, running straight into the car and driving off quickly.

The school was a little far away from the court, but he would reach there in ten minutes if he rushed the car.

"Baba's coming Mishti!" He murmured, feeling a sense of guilt building up in the pit of his stomach.

"I... I should've listened to you i... in the morning itself! Baba shouldn't have sent you to school, my Baby!" He sounded like he could cry anytime now, but he didn't have time for all this, he needed to rush.

Reaching Rudhi's school, Anirudh quickly rushed inside, asking the way to the school medical room.

"Rudhi!" He ran into the room upon reaching and the lady doctor quickly came to him.

"Mr. Roy Chowdhary! Thank god you're here! Rudhaanshi was crying and asking us to call you quick." She informed as she directed him to an inner room where there were 5 single beds laid down and Rudhi was laid on one of them.

As soon as Rudhi saw him, she sat up straight and looked at her Baba with tears in her eyes.

"Baba!" She cried and Anirudh quickly ran to her, engulfing her in his warm hug.
"I was so scared Baba!" She informed, starting to cry now.

"It's okay Mishti, Baba's here now! We'll go back home!" He gently brushed his hand over her hair, tears making way to his eyes already.

"Wh... What has happened her?" He turned to he doctor, still not letting go of his daughter.

"Sir, we couldn't do much in this small emergency clinic, but I think you should take her to a doctor for check-up cases of Varicella are quite common these days." She informed with concern and Anirudh had already picked up Rudhi in his arms.

"I'll just rush her to home first!" He said mindlessly and quickly walked out with Rudhi, almost running to his car.

He hadn't even listened to the lady doctor properly, he was so worried.

Rudhi had wrapped her arms around Anirudh's neck and buried her face in his chest. She was feeling weak and cold too. He could feel his little girl shivering in his arms.

A peon had followed them with Rudhi's backpack and water bottle as Anirudh laid Rudhi on the back seat comfortably.

"We'll reach home just in a while, Baby! Don't worry!" He soothed her, placing a loving kiss on her head as she curled up on the back seat.

Anirudh quickly sat on the driver's seat and rushed the car straight back to the Haveli. He could've taken her to the hospital as well, but he didn't like the idea of taking his Mishti to a place full of so many sick people.

Hospitals have so many germs afterall! What if Rudhi got even more sick?

He just drove back home. On the way he kept on soothing his Mishti with words but that wasn't just enough.

"Baba, hug me." Rudhi requested, raising her arms.

"Mishti we'll just...." He started, but looking at Rudhi, he couldn't deny.
"Okay wait!" He spoke and pulled the breaks, getting off the car and going to pick her up in his arms.

"Baba's here, okay? There's nothing to worry, we'll just go home and Somnath Kaka will check my little princess and she'll be absolutely fine, okay?" He told her with a worried smile and sat down back on his driving seat.

"I want Maa!" Rudhi murmured before falling asleep in his arms as Anirudh had started to drive, holding her in his arms.

"Bondita..." He murmured to himself.
"She'll come back soon, Mishtu!" He assured, continuing to drive quickly with her.

......

Bondita was sitting in middle of a conference. A senior lawyer from Banaras was speaking about the importance to keep religion mindfully intact with law.

Bondita was listening patiently, she agreed with him too. Afterall, religion if understood wisely, only supports justice and truth!

But suddenly, she could feel her heart beating a fast. As if it knew something wasn't right, but her mind wasn't able to comprehend the reason. It was like her heart knew that Rudhi wasn't well or something might have happened to her daughter but she couldn't realise.

Bondita quickly picked up the glass of water in front of her and gulped it down her throat, trying to calm herself down.

"Pati Babu," She murmured like an inaudible prayer.
"I hope you and Rudhi are fine..."

Call it magic or a parent's love, Bondita could sense the pain and discomfort of her daughter from a distance too. Even if her limited human mind couldn't comprehend, her heart knew her Pati Babu and her daughter needed her.

It's not always what we can think or see or understand, universe and its deeds are beyond the limited powers of our brain. What the soul knows and feels could never be understood by us so easily.

......

"Maa! Mallika! Bihari! Koyeli! Where's everyone?" Anirudh called, shouting as he entered the haveli with Rudhi in his arms.

"Bihari call Somnath quickly! Ask him to come home right away!" He instructed as veryone had come to see what had happened.

"What's it Anirudh? What happened to Duti?" Trilochan Babu asked worriedly as he ran to Anirudh, touching Rudhi's arm.
"Her body's burning in fever!" He gasped, gently brushing a sleeping Rudhi's hair.

"Kaka she has got really high fever, Som needs to check her quickly!" Anirudh informed, rubbing Rudhi's back with love as she slept due to weakness.

"Anirudh take her to the bedroom, I'll bring cold water and a cloth." Shubra Maa asked worriedly and ran to the kitchen.

"Come Dada, let me help you." Mallika followed him to the room and helped him change Rudhi's clothes.

"She'll feel better in her comfortable clothes." She told him as Anirudh buttoned up Rudhi's night suit shirt.
"You don't worry Dada, Kaaju shall be fine soon!" She assured.

"I just hope it's a normal viral fever." Anirudh murmured with a tensed face as he touched his baby's cheek with love.

"Everything will be fine!" Mallika placed her hand on his shoulder and he just nodded looking at Rudhi.

Shubra Maa had brought a bowl of cold water and a cloth which she drenched and placed on Rudhi's forehead. This would lower her body temperature sooner.

Anirudh paced in the room, feeling helpless until Somnath would reach. He just wished Rudhi didn't catch Varicella.

........

Somnath had come quickly, leaving all his other work and checked Rudhi while she was sleeping.

"Dada... I think I need to consult another doctor, just wait for some time. Kaaji will will be fine, I assure you!" Somnath told Anirudh as the latter sat beside Rudhi caressing her hair with love.

"Do whatever you feel like, just cure her at any cost, Som!" Anirudh said, feeling like he would cry now.

Somnath just ran down to telephone someone.
After sometime another doctor had come on Somnath's request. He was a child specialist, researching upon a few diseases deeply.

"Thankyou for coming here so urgently, Dr. Rustogi!" Somnath said as he lead him to Rudhi's room.

"It's okay, Dr. Somnath, let's check the little girl first." Dr. Rustogi smiled and sat down beside a sleeping Rudhi.

Anirudh was sitting on the other side of Rudhi on the bed, he had clutched her hand tightly and was caressing her hair lovingly. 

"Don't worry Sir, your daughter will be okay!" The doctor smiled at him but Anirudh didn't seem to register any of these right now.

He was so worried!

After a short check up, Dr. Rustogi held Rudhi's arm and saw a small red rash over there.

"Are there more of these on her body?" He asked the family members.

"Yes sir, when we changed her clothes, I saw one on her stomach too." Mallika informed.

"Okay, This isn't a normal fever then Mr. Roy Chowdhary. It's Varicella, or what common people call it, Chicken Pox. It's quite common in India already but with such high temperature, it'd be tough for the little girl to recover." The doctor had said before handing a bottle of quinine as the only solution he could think of at the moment.
"Just one drop of it in a glass of water!" He had instructed, before leaving."

"Quinine? But she's so young, how will she....?" Anirudh started with a worried look.

Quinine was a highly bitter medicine used to cure fever, malaria and any similar diseases. It's bitterness was such that it kept the patient's mouth bitter for three days!

"You need to bring her body temperature down Sir and that's the only solution I see right now." The doctor told.
"You can mix it in honey and then give it to her, she'd be able to eat it." He suggested and walked out with Somnath.

Anirudh just nodded, still not happy with the idea but he had no other option either.

"Don't worry, Beta! We'll first try to bring her temperature down using cold water cloths. If that still doesn't work, only then will we give her this medicine.

Anirudh had just been staring at Rudhi's face, feeling terrible about his daughter tasting something like that!
He just nodded and sat beside her, taking her in his arms and cradling her with love and care.

"Anirudh Dada won't catch what Rudhi has? It's an infectious fever afterall!" Mallika asked worriedly.

"No Mallika Bahu, this is a disease that doesn't affect one who has already been exposed to this before. And Anirudh has had Chicken Pox when he was 15." Shubra Maa informed.
"Also Anirudh, you recovered quickly at that time, so don't worry about Rudhi at all! She's also our strong girl, she'll be fine soon!" She told with a smile.

"I'll bring something to eat for both of you." Shubra Maa said and went away with everyone else.

Anirudh smiled looking at his Rudhi and got inside the covers beside her. He hugged her to himself as she stirred in her sleep, slowly opening her eyes to look at her Baba.

"How're you feeling now, Mishtu?' He asked, caressing her cheek with love as she snuggled more into his arms.

"Baba... When will Maa be back?" Rudhi asked in a weak voice from her lying position on the bed as Anirudh continued caressing her hair lovingly.

"She will come back soon, Mishtu! You don't worry, Baba's here, right?!" Anirudh consoled her with a smile, trying so hard to control his tears as he saw his daughter so ill for the very first time.

"Baba, I'm hungry." She murmured.

"You're hungry?" Anirudh smiled.
"Tell me what does my Princess want? Mallika Chachi must be bringing something for you."

"I... I want to eat Puchka!" She giggled teasing her Baba, because even she knew he'd never let her eat that when she was ill.

"Mishti," Anirudh glared at her and she giggled happily.

"I was just joking Baba!" She laughed and hugged him tightly.
"I'll eat what Chachi brings."

Anirudh laughed too and hugged her back with love. He couldn't rest just now though. Bondita still had no idea about what had happened behind her. She would worry so much and only he'll have to console her with love.

........

That's all for this part! Hipe you all like this!❤️

Precap: Someone special to come and meet Rudhi! Who could it be?

What do you think about Bondita's soul connection with Rudhi? Do you believe in it?

Do you think will Anirudh give quinine to Rudhi? And what if he won't?

Rudhi's Varicella will be cured soon right?

Do you think Bondita would be able to come back on time or will something occupy her there?

Do let me know your thoughts in the comments!❤️

Love,
Author!❤️