Few months later .

Arun woke up to see the familiar figure slouched on his couch half asleep , he didn't have it in him to wake her even if she would be thrilled to know his fever has gone down .

He wasn't fully sick yet but the signs have started to show , his immunity is down that he gets sick often and each time the recovery takes longer than before ,last night it had been fever .

And the sound from her cell phone woke her instead , she saw he was up and rushed to his side first with worry.

" I am fine Gauri ,the fever is gone for now , relax,  " he assured her,  because he can't say it is gone forever because most likely it would make a come back sometime this week .

But when he was feeling better he tend to forget about such events , as his gaze found the cell phone in her hand and noticed the caller id was from his mother ,he asked her to respond .

Arun was sure that Gauri must have told her parents last night and they were calling for a update ,otherwise it was too early for a regular call . He didn't like that he was keeping her parents awake in worry as well but Gauri father had told him once that family worries about each other and Arun need to accept them fawning over him .

" Mom , " Gauri responded back,  to the call and then froze as if she stopped breathing , he had seen her terrified and afraid so many times ,he had seen her terror filled face after a nightmare and he had seen her when she was close to a panic attack .

But this one was different ,it was as if she simply stopped breathing for a moment and then her knees gave in as Arun reached to hold her from falling down.

He took the phone from her because she was not responding to her mother back but simply looked vacant. And before he could respond to her mother ,he over heard her concerned voice on the other line.

" Gauri ,talk to me please. Your dad wanted us to wait but I know you would want to know first. Talk to me please ,is Arun beside you ?" her mother voice was troubled,  and so he spoke up assuring her ,he was right by her side and he will make sure she was fine .

Even then he didn't know  what news got her so wrecked as she continued to sit in the bed beside him without making a sound . Her face was paler than ever before then the first drop of tear made its way down her cheeks followed by heart wrenching sobs .

Arun may not know what bothered her but he know enough of his wife to realize what ever that got her this upset must be something big or someone important in her life ,he didn't think he would have answer from her now but he held her still in his arms as she continued to cry her heart out offering the only comfort he can for her .

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

" Are you ready tell me what bothering you,  " Arun asked her ,it has been over two hours since the phone call but she still couldn't say a word to him.

After her initial outburst ,she pushed away those pain and locked it away as she turned away from his embrace with a empty words that said she was fine now .

And then she went on her routine, waking up her son and feeding him breakfast as if her mind wasn't already occupied by someone .

But Arun was waiting for her an outburst from her because Shilpa arrived on her day off Sunday to take care of Rahul few minutes ago.

Which meant she doesn't have the excuse of her son to hold on the silence as minutes ago,  Shilpa disappeared with Rahul to his room leaving both of them alone.

" Have you taken your pills , and you need to be on bed , " She answered back , instead trying valiantly to divert the topic but failed miserably when he refused to move an inch ,she knew he will wait it out till she answered him back .

" It someone I know , he was in the army and mom called to tell me that he was injured in the line of fire and may not make it , " Gauri was proud of the way she said those bare truth without telling Arun how much that someone means to her

" Arnav,  " Arun spoke up ,one word and she froze wondering how he connected the dots easily because he was one topic she never really confided in Arun .

" Yes , Arnav. " She answered back, and left before she could burst in to tears yet again .

Arun hadn't asked her any questions further ,so she hoped he would let the topic drop but she couldn't help but held on to her cellphone in an tight grip willing it to ring and give her the news he made it alive .

And the call came about six hours later, six hours where she continued to pretend she wasn't falling apart . And the call came to not her phone but Arun that she worried her parents called him because it was the bad news .

She rushed out of her room towards his bed ,he was with Rahul playing beside him and he was talking patiently on the phone, she heard him call the other person has dad . So she knew it was her father .

She grabbed the phone from him to talk with his father but he already cut the call leaving her scared out of her wits .

" Tell me , Arun . I won't break ,please tell me,  " She pleaded with her husband , who was looking at her with patience and somehow there was no worry in his face which was the only reason she relaxed because if it was bad news ,Arun would be worried for her.

But then her phone rang and she was so anxious that she answered without thinking or seeing the caller ID and froze at the familiar voice on the other end.

" He is fine beta , the surgery was over and he was just moved to the ward for observation and I have just reached the hospital , the doctors said he will become conscious soon enough ," the voice belonged to Arjun Khanna, Arnav father and she believed him .

She wouldn't have believed anyone else words more than his father.

" Thanks Uncle , you didn't have to call , " she spoke up,  feeling the familiar guilt that she had no right to expect answers from them when according to them she left their son long back .

" Adharsh asked me too beta , and your father wouldn't have asked if he didn't think it was important. Wait a minute ,I think he is waking up , " with that his voice was gone but the call didn't end so she continued to listen when another voice spoke up from the other end .

" Hello,  " his familiar voice,  sounded so weak but still it made her burst into tears because he was alive .

Back then she didn't know his father left the phone on his son's bed as he rushed to get the doctors. She thought his father gave the phone to his son instead .

" Arnav , You promised to stay safe , " She wouldn't have found the courage to say those words, if not for the last few hours where she was worried she lost him forever .

" Gauri ,please don't cry,  " his voice was hoarse but even in his state he still recognized her voice and it only made her cry all the more and then the line went silent until Arjun father was back on the line .

" Did he say anything beta, " Arjun uncle asked her, as he also told her that Arnav drifted back to sleep by the time he returned with the doctors .

" No ,uncle . Just said hello and must have drifted out of consciousness after that,  " she answered back,  as she ended the call because somehow she couldn't find it in her to relive the conversation again .

And Arjun uncle continued to call her every day for the next two weeks with updates about Arnav , it was why she knew Arnav had no memory of their conversation and it was also the reason she asked his father to keep it between them.

Then when he got discharged to be sent home , the call ended from Arjun uncle because he respected that she was married to someone else and she was glad because it meant Arnav was fine enough that she need not worry about him .

Because she can't say the same about Arun who had been getting weaker every single day for the last two weeks that she feared unlike Arnav ,she won't get a miracle the second time around .

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

Arun looked at his wife who was slowly getting back from the lost look on her face , he heard from his father in law about how much Arnav meant to her but hearing and seeing were different things .

Arun had believed that if he had prepared Gauri and Rahul enough about his death than they would be okay but now he doesn't think so ,they had told Rahul that he may be going far away soon since he was sick a month ago .

And while his son may not be able to understand death , he understood enough that every time Arun is bed ridden in the last two weeks ,his son hovers in his room with a worried expression thinking it may be the last he saw of his father .

And Gauri ,after the near death experience of Arnav . She was forever looking at him with the haunted expression that worries him about her as well .

It was why he decided to broach the topic of sending Rahul to a special school even when he will be the youngest in the school .

"No , He already doesn't have much time with you . What with you demanding I continue to work and now you want Rahul to miss time with you as well . " Gauri replied back .

" He is too young to be always worried Gauri , look I may not die today but very well die tomorrow and I don't want Rahul to miss out on being a child , let us send him away from the house for few hours where he can still be a child,  " he insisted , and she relented it was why they were both on the drive to his son first day at school.

Gauri at first protested when he asked to accompany them but relented when he played the death card which is always something that gets him the easy way out of an argument .

" I am not missing my son first day at school,  " he told her,  but agreed to let her drive as even he knew his limitations .

" You will have a nice day and meet new friends,  " Arun reassured his son,  who wasn't interested in leaving them but with a promise of ice cream and his favourite cupcake ,Gauri had managed to drop him off at his class room.

And when they returned home , the house felt surprising empty but he knew it was for the best , that both his son and Gauri needs little time out from him daily to prepare themselves for the future without him .

Yet when his son came home few hours later and rushed straight to his room to check if he was still there Arun knew that he may prepare them as much as he likes but his death would likely affect them for the rest of their lives .

Because that is the power of death ,that it will leave the loved ones forever in grief.

P.S :" That it for now . Let me know your thoughts and feedbacks . Hit the votes if you liked it"

Author Note

And we had reached the end almost , just one or two updates left and that was why I am asking my readers who given this book a try another favor .

Last time I asked you to rate the characters ,this time it more simpler than that . Just one word answer , a simple yes or no .

For the silent readers and those who have been kind enough to vote for , could you find it in your self to answer this one question . Again no pressure just a genuine request . You can answer or remain silent ,your choice .

Question 1) Do you like this book ?

A yes or no for the above question . That all I want to know as we reach towards the end for this book

Love

Juanita Reid