Sakhi

My eyes felt like they had heavy boulders on, it was hard for me to open them it was as if my eyelids were glued together. Every inch of my body is screaming in ache, the pain was horrible and it was even harder to breathe.

But the place I was in, was not quite, there was a feminine voice flowing across the room. So, I shut all my other senses, trying to focus on it.

Will you cry, If I die
Don't be shy, tell me why.

I am gonna pry until you reply
Don't lie, is it hard to say goodbye?

Don't sigh, my most handsome guy
I am the Apple of your eye, Don't deny

"Arjun was correct, hospitals do make you crazy." A manly voice said cutting off the lady who was reciting the quizzical poem.

"Don't call my mom crazy. Ayan, give papa a bite for saying that." I heard a little boy yelling faintly in the background.

"Oww...It's not just you, our whole family is crazy, he really bit me." The man grunted in pain and the woman giggled.

"That's what happens when you say bad things about their mom, baby daddy." She said proudly of her kid's actions.

"I am not a baby daddy. I hate it when you say that. I am your husband, we are married for god sake woman." He huffed and her laugh echoed through the room.

I felt my heart warming up to her smile, It was contagious and I wanted to smile too. I wanted that kind of happiness to fill my life.

I tried hard to open my eyes to be part of that happiness.

"Jamie, she is waking up. She is moving and..." She said and I felt the air around me move and the voice fades away.

After she left, My sense of taste kicked and I could feel the horrible chemical taste in my mouth, it felt groggy. I opened my eyes slowly and looked around, trying to get a sense of where I was. The pale white walls and all the beeping monitors assured me that I was in a hospital.

"The Anesthesia must be worn out, Let me inject some painkillers and page Dr.Arjun." Said a nurse wearing bluish-green scrubs followed by a woman in her mid 30's.

The woman was petite and beautiful,  Her eyes screamed innocence and pain looking at my state. She was looking at me like I was a fragile doll. It made me wonder if she was the lady in the room earlier.

"Sakhi, Can you hear me?" The petite woman asked me lovingly as the nurse left and nodded my head.

"Good! I am Amaya. Don't panic, you are at the Global Hospitals. Arjun will take care of you." She assured me holding my hand before my droopy eyes closed on their own.

After that, I was in and out of consciousness a few times, and every single time I woke up Amaya was there holding my hand, saying that it will be okay.

When I fully gained consciousness, I found General Prithivi and another Captain standing behind him.

They updated me on how I was bought to the hospital, and my health conditions.

They questioned me about what happened and how I gave them what I knew. He assured me that the threat is under control for now and no one can come here to the hospital. And as requested, he didn't inform my parents and sister about this.

That was the agreement we had from the start, I didn't want to stress my family with my burden when they have a lot on their plate.

I was habituated to this loneliness, waking up alone in hospitals, it was nothing new to me. But this time my brain recalled a voice of a woman who said that it was going to be okay multiple times and suddenly remembered the woman from earlier, her name should be Amaya if I remember it right.

"Was there a woman named Amaya here General?" I asked him and he went pale at my question to him.

"Yeah, she is here, her brother Dr.Arjun bought you to the hospital and he is the doctor who treated you," The General answered and the captain behind looked irritated by their names.

Dr. Arjun from Global Hospitals, I know him.

"Dr. Arjun, I think, I met him. He came by the cafe and the hospital before. Is he the one? " I laid my question out.

"Yeah, he is! I wanted to do this after you recover, but now that you know them. Amaya is the only one who can get you to safety from the situation we are in, and she wants something from you in return. Before you reject her offer, I want you to know something." He said with seriousness in his tone, as I listened with curiosity peaking at his words.

"Remember you wanted me to find out about Mr.Maheshwar, who helped you and your father 10 years ago?" He questioned me and I nodded vigorously.

Mr. Maheshwar was the man who saved my father's life, he paid my father's and my hospital bills when we were in dire need of it. He was the one who taught me my life's motive

If you wanna see the change, be the change

"He is Amaya and Arjun's GrandFather." He answered, my body froze in shock at this newfound information and my mind went back to the day I tried to kill myself.

11 years ago

"What happened to her? Why did she try to kill herself?" An old man who was in his 80s asked the doctor while I stared at the wall in front of me with a blank look on my face.

What do I tell him?

That I did that because I felt and have been told that I was nothing but a burden. I did it because I couldn't gather the money for my father who's on his deathbed right now.

My mom and I emptied our bank accounts to help and support my father's health. But it wasn't enough, so when we went to our relative's house to loan us some money for the treatment, their words were

"There is no way your dad is coming back, and it's not safe for 3 women to make a living and clear the debts you are gonna take. I would've given you the money if Sakhi had a bit more color to her face, and got her married to my son. But, I don't want that dark color in my family. So the better option would be to kill yourselves. That way you could save yourself from all the humiliation in the future.  " Said my father's brother's wife.

"You are not capable of anything. You didn't even finish 10th grade and your kids are no use to me either. I'm sorry I can't give you the money." Said another one of my relatives.

I felt worthless listening to that, I was of no use because I am a girl, and I was dark-colored. I couldn't help myself when I listened to the doctor say to my mother that we need another 7 Lakhs for surgery immediately.

All the voices in my head and people around me said the same thing to kill myself and that's what I did.

I ran out of the hospital and jumped onto the first car that was in front of me, which turned out to be this old man's. But instead of death, I was welcomed by a few bruises and much more bills to pay for my father and myself.

I failed and am causing more financial troubles now.

"They are having financial problems..." said the doctor who took care of me and my father when we first came to the emergency room.

"I will take care of her and her father's hospital bills." The old man announced to the doctor and left the room.

His words bought me out of the trance I was in, why would he do that? Does he need anything from me?

"Don't worry sweetheart, Mr. Maheshwar is a great person. It's your good luck that he saved you." Said the 40-year-old nurse while I sat there in bewilderment.

"Why would he do that? He doesn't know me." I mumbled into the thin air.

As soon as the pills kicked the pain I was feeling subsided and by the time I woke back up, Mr. Maheshwar was in the room with my mom.

"Thank you for your money, Please tell me how to repay you. I might not give it to you now but I will pay it in installments in the future." I said to him feeling really thankful because he helped me when my own family wasn't ready to do it.

He laughed at my words, sat on the chair beside my bed, and looked at me with parental love in his eyes.

"Do you know what a parent's worst nightmare is?" He asked me while I looked at him not knowing the answer.

"It's their kid's pain and no one can imagine the pain of their kid's death." He said with tears looming in his wrinkly old eyes.

"Don't make your family feel the same pain...It's horrible and not everyone can live with it." He ended while I looked at my mother who was crying uncontrollably.

He looked so much in pain, It was like he lost his own child once and he was reminiscing about it. He brushed the tears of his and said

"I lost my daughter Yashoda when she was 27 and no happiness in the world was able to fill the void. Coming to think of it, I was once foolish like your relatives. I didn't think women were capable of it all. For years I cursed at my luck because I had 2 daughters and no sons. I was a strict orthodox father to them, didn't give them basic rights like education, and kept them caged. I got my Yashoda married to a family like mine where there was no value for women, but she never complained. She took everything life gave her. But then I lost her...." He paused to brush the tears that were falling out without any control.

He looked so broken, all the pain he felt was so unbearably visible on his face. I wanted to get out of bed and comfort him.

"She left behind 2 girls for me to take care of, My wife and I lived for them, and my second granddaughter Amaya was a challenge god threw at me in my life. She changed me and with my change, I could see the world changing around me, when I sent them to school, my friends, and people around me started doing the same. When I ended my patriarchal ways of doing things for her happiness, so did the people around me. That's when I realized that the world is full of followers, and if you want to see the change, you have to change."  He said with an accomplished smile on his face.

"Let me tell you, Change is not easy, people will taunt you, they will degrade and make fun of you, but that's when you have to be strong. You should show that you are not weak, you are capable. Prove the world wrong, show them what you are worth, and make them eat their words." He completed and for the first time since my father got sick, I had hope, I had that fire in me.

I wanted to show everyone who taunted me that I was not weak, I wanted to show that my Color and my gender didn't matter. It's the will to do it, that's what matters so the most.

I am going to be the change and show the world, what a girl like me is capable of.

That was the day I killed the weak and emotional person in me, I made myself stronger and better, for the sake of my family. My relatives were shocked at the recovery of our family, but I wanted my parents to stay away from such toxic people in life, so I made sure they moved to the living quarters provided by the government.

I did everything possible to give them a better life, but I couldn't stay the same naive person I was before, every scar, every taunt, and all the humiliations I faced made me who I am today.

The door of the room I was in squeaked open bringing me out of my sorrowful past and It was Amaya looking at me with a smile on her face.

As she entered the room, she was followed by Dr.Arjun who looked sad and was pouting at his sister.

"Talk to me Ammu, I am sorry.." Dr.Arjun pleaded with her, but Amaya ignored it gracefully and turned towards me after giving an acknowledging smile to the General.

"Hey Sakhi, How are you feeling? " She asked me in a gentle tone.

That's when I observed the brother and sister closer, Dr. Arjun has a lot of facial similarities with Mr.Maheshwar and so does Amaya.

"I had worse days than this, Thank you for saving me Dr.Arjun, and thank you for being there Amaya," I said to her quietly observing their reactions.

Dr. Arjun gave me a curt nod, but Amaya came to me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders giving me a hug.

It's that physical contact, the warmth of her touch, the comfort it gave me, that broke me into tears.

It's been years since I've had someone hug me, touch me with love rather than disgust, someone showed me affection and love, it broke the barricade that I've been building for years.

She brushed the tears off my face and said

"It's all going to be okay, don't worry. I will be here for you."

Her words gave me comfort just like her grandfathers gave me the courage to live this life.

Why did the General say that Amaya can save me from the Lucas situation, and what does she want from me? Is that the reason behind her niceness towards me?

"I met Mr.Maheshwar, your grandfather in a hospital when I was 16, He told me about you, and how you changed him for the better. He is the reason, I still have a father." I told her reminiscing my old memories while she looked at me in shock.

I moved my eyes toward Dr.Arjun who was frozen as a block of ice at my words.

"You met him? And he talked about me?" Amaya whispered recovering from the shock and I nodded at her.

Dr.Arjun held Amaya's hand trying to comfort her as tears loomed in her eyes.

"I am sorry if I said anything wrong. I didn't mean to make you cry." I said to her with worry looking at her face.

"No, you didn't say anything wrong. You just made me stick to the decision I made. My lawyer is gonna meet us next Friday with all the paperwork, I hope you agree with the decision I made." She mumbled the last part slowly while I felt Dr.Arjun's piercing stare at me.

"Take care Sakhi, I am leaving in a few hours, My husband and kids are waiting for me. I will come back next Thursday and if you want to talk to me in the meanwhile, take my number from Arjun." She said and left the room in a hurry to catch her flight, Dr.Arjun and everyone in the room followed her leaving me alone with my thoughts.

A week passed in recovery, I am not fully recovered yet, all my stitches are healing, and I am undergoing some physical and mental therapy as suggested by Dr.Arjun. The General was with me every step of the way.

"You remember once I said Amaya can save you from Lucas? "General asked and I nodded.

"She also wanted something from me? What is it?"

General went quiet at my question, he sat still fidgeting his hands, after a while, he said

"She wants you to marry Dr.Arjun, her cousin."

Why would she want that from me, when Dr.Arjun already has a pregnant Janu in his life? Dr.Arjun and Janu, seemed in love the other day at the cafe. What went wrong there? or does Amaya not like Janu and is she using me to break them apart?

I always knew people were selfish but I don't know, I had a teensy bit of hope from Mr.Maheshwar's family, but what do I know about them to feel prejudiced?

That explains Dr.Arjun being professional with me this week, he didn't want this either. It's being forced upon him.

"I am sorry General, I can't do that. I do want to live but not at the cost of ruining others. Dr.Arjun has Janu, and she is pregnant too." I told him my honest opinion, and he looked confused at my last sentence.

He composed himself and started looking for something on his phone.

"Janu as in her right?" He said showing me a picture of Janu with our Chief Minister hugging her, I nodded agreeing with him.

He laughed at me while I sat there not knowing the reason behind his laugh.

"Janu is Jagati Jagadeesh Dhanraj, she is married to Devansh, not Arjun. Janu and Arjun are friends..."

And that's how he explained the story of Amaya, Arjun, and Janu. I was shocked would be an understatement.

While their stories are amazing, the only logical question that came to my mind was, why would people like them want a girl who lives from paycheck to paycheck, a girl whose life is nothing but a mess?

I personally don't have anything to bring to their table, to help them. 

The door opened wide breaking my chain of thoughts, and it was Dr.Arjun who is in for the daily check-in.

He inspected my wounds, after checking my vital while I sat there thinking about the questions that are popping into my mind.

"Looks like the stitches are healing, and everything is fine. How's the physiotherapy going on?"He questioned me and I nodded at him, not able to form an answer for him.

"Can I talk to you in private, Dr.Arjun?" I asked him when he was about to leave, stopping him.

The General left us alone giving us some privacy.

I had to do this because I had to know what they want from me.

"The General told me about Amaya asking me to marry you. I need to know why? "

He scoffed at my question and shrugged his shoulders before saying

"Who knows why my sister does things like this? If you are worried that she wants something from you, she absolutely doesn't. She is not that kind of a person, she is kind, emotional, and empathetic. After she heard your story from the General, she wanted to do something to help you and keep you safe, and asking me to marry you was her way of doing it." He answered with his shoulders slumped down and deep in thought.

"There must be other ways Dr.Arjun. I am not someone you can marry and have a beautiful life with after. My life is a mess and you deserve better." I said feeling sorry for him.

Marriage, kids, love, and normalcy, I never thought about having them in my life. It was all a far-fetched dream for me. To cheer myself up I always told everyone that Normalcy is overrated.

"There are none, and If my sister thinks that you are right for me, I will marry you. I respect her decision when it comes to me because she would never do things that hurt me and give me pain. Don't worry about me, be selfish and think about yourself and what you want." He answered and left the room.

Be selfish, think about yourself and what you want.

All my life, it was never about me. Is this the motive of this new phase of life, to think about myself? Because every time I hit the hospital bed there was a new motive to cheer me up and keep me busy.

Is death actually a beginning?

Death happens to the body, not the soul, my soul grew stronger and bigger as I passed through all the death experiences in my life.

If this is the new beginning that's gonna embark on my life. I am ready for that and I just wish for the next death there is no beginning waiting because I am tired. Tired of bearing the responsibilities, burdens, and sorrows that come along with it.

That was the end of the chapter and the start of a new story between Arjun and Sakhi.

I hope you all are doing better and having fun.

I know I haven't been active lately in updating this story, My personal life has been down the drain, dragging everything with it and it is hard for me to concentrate on anything lately. I am sorry to keep you guys waiting.

There will be slow updates from now on, I will do my best and update bi-weekly.

Let me know how you like the story so far.

Don't forget to vote and comment.

Love,

Sneha