There comes this time in everyone's life when they have to bring that hidden extra effort which remains cognizant to ourselves also. Weakest times makes the strongest beings. That's the rule of survival. Either you fight or just watch yourself getting destroyed.

Sanskar also had to make this choice right now. The dripping the blood drop from his wife's head touched the ground and suddenly he felt an electricity jolt running all over his blood. He gritted his teeth so hard to gather all the energy he possessed right now. And it surely helped making him pick himself up to stand in next moment.

Was that the extreme pain in his head or the helplessness to watch Ragini lying on the ground lifelessly which made him furious right now. He had no idea. But he knew one thing that was he has to protect his precious possession. His wife.

His fingers closed forming a tight fist and he limped in the direction Ragini was lying. He held the man who was holding the thick wooden block and watching Ragini as if waiting her to breath her last breath. He felt a strong hold on his collar and looked over his shoulder to find Sanskar looking at him with flared up nostrils and his nerves at the side of the head bulged.

Sanskar did not wanted to waste a second also to send the man in front of him to hell. Almost strangulating the man he shook him vigorously.

The man struggled to get out of the strong hold but did not succeed. His survival instincts told him to act in a crooked way and he did the same by stabbing Sanskar on his shoulder with a pocket knife from his free hand. Sanskar's shoulder started to burn and the blood oozed out dipping his shirt in the red liquid.

Sanskar's hold loosened and the man utilized the situation and made a run from there. Holding his paining shoulder Sanskar tried to chase the man but he was too quick. Suddenly he realized that Ragini still needed his attention more than anybody Sanskar rushed to her.

“Ragini” he lifted her weak body placing it over his lap and balancing her with his wounded shoulder. His head was sending sharp intervals of shooting pain. But when he held his dear wife near his chest looked like he could feel her pain more than his.

“Ragini” he shook her face holding her jaws but she could not answer him. Her ears could only hear a faint voice which seemed like coming from a far place.

When he found her still non reacting Sanskar lifted her up and held her in between his shoulders and a sharp pain first passed through his shoulder and then his head. Closing his eyes tightly he took a deep breath and that painful face of Ragini made him forget his pain and he moved quickly towards the car placing her inside it.

He needed to be strong. He needed to concentrate till he reached a hospital or a safe spot at least. There was a small bottle on the bonnet which he took and poured the whole of it over his face.

When he shook his face the water droplets traveled on every corner of his face skin and further moved down to his neck. The sun was shining and its sunlight was getting harsher as the time passed. Taking a deep breath Sanskar sat inside his car igniting the engine.

The pain shot up at times and he has to control it and tolerate it. That was the only thing he could do right now. He drifted his eyes to look at his wife who was lying in the backseat and the blood kept oozing out.

Every damn time he warned her to stay out of it flashed in front of his eyes. He banged the steering feeling it was all his fault that he could not protect her. He was going to lose his love again. Why the fate is so bad to him. A tear dropped his eye and he felt the peak of helplessness growing inside him.

He wished he could take her somewhere they were away from all this. Where he need not worry about her safety. Where they had though just each other but they were together. But was that even possible to have such a life was the real question. Certain things just remain as dreams. And certain dreams slip out of our hands at the most unexpected turn.

He banged on the brakes when he found a hospital and walked to the backseat to carry Ragini inside. She had lost more blood by now. Sanskar's shoulder had completely reddened due to his wound too. Though he felt the sharp pain while lifting her he did not cared. Right now his life depended on the life of the person he was carrying.

“Doctor” he walked inside the hospital building screaming intending to drag immediate attention and he was successful doing so. A nurse and the doctor rushed to him and a ward boy walked there pushing a stretcher. Sanskar carefully placed Ragini over it.

“What happened?” the doctor inquired. Sanskar drifted his eyes from his wife and registered the face of the doctor. “She...” he gulped down the sore lump. Some tears fell off his eyes and he wiped them with the edge of his shirt.

The doctor looked at the bloodied shoulder of Sanskar. “You're hurt too” he moved to Sanskar. “I'm fine..” he nodded his head. He was nowhere considering his own pain. “She was... she was hit” he said in fractions of words. “My... my wife is hurt...” he could not talk further as his body gave up and he landed on the ground with the thud.

The doctor jumped a bit back and looked at Sanskar. “Ward boy” he called out one more ward boy and placed Sanskar on a separate stretcher. “My... wife...” Sanskar kept blabbering.

Both the stretcher moved towards the emergency ward. On one Ragini lied unconscious blood still dripping off her head. On the other her husband lied with his bleeding shoulder and bulging nerve at the side of his head.

******.******

Swara was watching something over the T.V when she felt foot steps. Her eyes gleamed finding Laksh walking inside the room. “Hey” she walked to him and snaked her hands across his neck covering him in her embrace.

Laksh stretched his lips and moved her hands away. Swara looked at him confused. “You look tired. I will get you some coffee” she walked out of the room.

Laksh left a sigh of breath and stood in front of the mirror loosening his tie. As the fabric of his collar touched a spot on his neck he felt irritation. He looked at his image in the mirror and slightly moved the cloth to find a bruise. He rubbed it a bit to get rid off the itching.

“Here is your tea” he covered the bruise as Swara entered the room with a cup of coffee. He smiled taking the cup and sat on the bed. His face twitched at the taste of it but he maintained his expressions when his wife turned to him with a bright smile.

“Er Swara. Why are you getting bored inside the room like this?” he asked her. Swara sat covering her lap with a cushion.

“Um. Everyone are busy with the works. Nobody lets me do any work. What am I supposed to do?” she looked at him pouting. “Oh. But when I walked over the hallway I found Mom and Chachi relaxing on the couch and Parinita bhabi was reading a magazine” he listed. “And I did not found Ragini though” he looked at his wife whose face stiffened.

“I don't want to talk about her” she said sternly. “Don't tell me you're still pissed off” he joked. “I am. And I will be always. The way I did not forgave her husband for trying to risk your life and then manipulating her, I cannot forgive her for sending you jail and acting as her husband's puppet” she said with the serious face.

Laksh smirked taking a deep breath. He hid his lips behind the cup and sipped the next drop of coffee. “But she is your sister” he covered his crooked smile behind that innocent smile.

“I think she needs to realize this more than I should” she walked away from there towards the balcony and Laksh's smirk deepened as he shook his head feeling victorious.

Downstairs Sujata was giggling over a joke Parinita read from the magazine when the landline came alive ringing. Before Sujata could hold the receiver Uttara held it and spoke “Hello”

The sentences which came flooding afterwards made her numb and she dropped the receiver. Sujata looked at her daughter in confusion. “Uttara” Annapurna held her shoulders. Uttara looked at Annapurna with horror stricken face which gave a nasty feeling to Sujata who for sure was feeling restless.

****.****