|VEER|

Meera had a bandage wrapped around her head and I could make out a lot of bruises on her neck. I don't remember seeing those bruises on her neck. Something must have happened after I was shot. The moment I gained conscious I asked for Meera, Mom told me that she was in another room. That very second I removed all the IVs that were attached to me and ran straight to her room.

My chest kind of hurt but to see Meera, I will tolerate any kind of pain. She's my light and I needed her now more than ever. I brushed her hair and she sighed in my arms. The nurse outside was giving me a nasty look but Dad spoke to her and requested her to give me ten minutes after which I will go back to my room. She glared at me but nodded. She wasn't happy about the stunt I had pulled.

The entire family had seen us together. The cat was out of the bag after all. I didn't really care. Mom and Annie Aunty were looking at us with sparkling eyes. They had their palms pressed against their chest and by the looks of it, they were cooing at us.

"Well, at least we don't have to tell them now. They already know! Plus they can't even give us a hard time about it. Perks of being injured." Meera whispered and kissed my cheek. I chuckled and pecked her forehead. "You're not wrong there Miss Raichand!" They couldn't hear us because we were whispering.

She grinned and finally everyone left the room giving us some privacy. Annie Aunty clicked some of our pictures while Meera whined beside me. I couldn't help but find it cute. I kissed her nose and she giggled. Mom gave me a pointed look that meant I had to tell her everything. I rolled my eyes nodding at her. She squealed and shut the door. Meera laughed and wrapped her hands around my arm.

We sat there in silence for a few minutes. I glanced at Meera to find her biting her nails and frowning at the wall. That definitely meant she wanted to say something but didn't know how to tell me or she was nervous. "Okay, Meera tell me what's on your mind? I know you want to say something! I can already sense it!" I told her. She smiled at me but her eyes looked sad.

She traced the bandage that covered my chest. She leaned closer and kissed my lips. I  sighed and brushed my thumb across her cheek. She moved back and traced my bottom lip. "Just tell me!" I whispered kissing her forehead. I know for a fact that my good-for-nothing birth father and Adam are still alive but for now, I didn't care about that. Meera was safe and that was all that mattered. We made it through this and if something else comes up then we'll face it together.

"Veer I need to tell you something! Did the doctor talk to you after you before you came here? Did anyone tell you anything?" I frowned and shook my head. "No Meera! The moment I got up I wanted to see you so I came straight here! I didn't care about anything or anyone! I had to see you and make sure that you were okay."

The moment I said that her eyes welled with tears and she hugged me tightly. "I love you so much!" I chuckled lightly and kissed her hair. "I love you too Meera!" Meera pecked my lips and cupped my cheek again. I smiled at her and kissed her palm.

"Meera, tell me what is it? This is starting to freak me out now!" She sniffled and kissed my cheek again. She sighed against my face and leaned completely towards me. I entwined our hands together and kissed her knuckles. "Tell me!" I urged her again and she finally nodded after taking a deep breath.

"There are two things that you need to know!" I frowned but nodded. "Are you breaking up with me?" I asked her hesitantly. I wouldn't be surprised if she did. I have put her through hell and back. I will always have that tiny fear. To be honest I'm surprised she's here. Meera glared at me and twisted my ear until I screamed a bit. I laughed when she screamed frustratedly and shoved my shoulder.

"Shut up Veer!" She screamed and wrapped her palm around my neck yanking me closer to her. "One more time Veer! I swear to god talk to me about leaving me one more time! I'll actually leave you and go find another man!" I wanted to laugh at that because I knew she was joking and I loved the fact that she was so possessive about me. Her cheeks were red and puffed up. I snorted a laugh.

She slapped my arm. "I'm very serious about that!" She said with a warning tone and crossed her arms across her chest turning the other side. I felt bad for assuming and blurting out such a lame thing. I pulled her cheeks and poked her belly until her beautiful giggles filled the room. "I was just kidding! Now back to serious talk! Tell me what's wrong? The two things? I want to know! I'm sorry! I was you know just making sure!"

Meera narrowed her eyes at me for a few seconds and I smiled at her cutely. A few minutes later she held my face between her hands and bored deeply into my eyes. Her beautiful brown eyes were gleaming. "I'm not leaving you ever! We're in this together Veer! For the rest of our lives! You were my first best friend, my first kiss, and just about everything else that's special to me! We have been through hell I know that but don't even for a second doubt that I will walk away from you! I won't until you tell me to go!"

She said each word with so much conviction and love that all my fears just disappeared into thin air like speaks of dust. I nodded and smiled at her. "I love you Meera!" I whispered and kissed her lips. She deepened it and moved her lips against mine with my passion. I pulled away when my chest began burning a bit. I sighed leaning against the pillows and rubbed my fingers across the bandage.

"Hey, are you okay? Should I call the doctor?" Meera asked frantically and began fussing over me. "I'm fine Meera! Relax!" She sighed in relief and kissed my forehead. "Now tell me the two things!  That's enough stalling! I want to know!"

Meera gulped and nodded. She clasped my hand in hers again. "Okay, here goes nothing! I killed Adam and Mihir!" I gaped at her and blinked my eyes several times trying to digest what she had just said. "What?" I spluttered shaking my head. As per the latest intel, Adam wasn't even here.

"What? What are you saying? When did this happen? Is that how you got these marks? Did that bastard do this to you?" I traced the marks on her neck and the bandage on her forehead. "Relax! I'm fine! Okay, you need to stay cool for what I'm about to say now! Okay?" I nodded my head but I knew I was already going to lose it but I controlled my emotions.

For the next few minutes, she narrated everything that had happened. I clenched my fists hard when I heard the part where that bastard hit her. She caressed my fist and entwined her fingers with mine asking me to calm down. She told me about how Karan set the bombs and apparently Officer Karthik had died when the factory blew up.  Good fucking riddance! I'm not really surprised he was with them. I had always found something suspicious about him. It's a good thing that our team had been handed over to Officer Khan. I was shocked to find out that my Dad and Arjun Uncle were linked with TIIS. They are really good with being undercover. Karan my best friend had been there with her and had protected her. I can't thank him enough.

My eyes widened when she told me how she went back to kill Mihir. A few tears rolled down my cheek. "Meera you're crazy!" I almost wanted to break the wall when she told me how Arjun's Uncle had saved her. I was angry, no scratch that I was livid. Why would she risk her life like that? I glared at her as she smiled at me nervously.

"Meera, why would you do that? That asshole would have burnt anyway! What if something would have happened to you? Did you ever think about me? What if your Dad didn't come there on time? What then huh?" At this point, I was screaming. My throat hurt a bit and my bullet wound too.

"Veer! Can you calm down?" She poured a glass of water for me and rubbed my chest as I gulped it down quickly. I panted trying to calm myself down. I leaned my head against the side of her face as she held me. She ran her fingers through my hair in a soothing manner.

"Veer, I did this for you and us. I didn't want him to escape again or even survive for that matter. Let's face it! He was never going to let us live peacefully if he was alive! Plus I was consumed with anger for all the things that he put you through! No one does that to the man I love and gets away with it!" I sighed closing my eyes as she kissed my head.

My love for Meera has officially hit the peaks. She went back for me! She did it for me. There's no one else who will match up to her. She's the one and I have never been more sure of this in my life. Who would risk their life like that? But she did and that too for me!

I moved back and tilted her face so that she would look at me. I put my finger under her chin and leaned forward until our faces were only inches apart. She smiled and traced her fingers over my stubble. "I love you so much! I can't say that enough. Besides I have a lot of making up to do for all the seven years that we lost."

Meera giggled and nodded. "Then What are you waiting for? Make it up to me Veer Gupta!" I laughed gripping her waist. "With pleasure Meera Raichand!" I whispered against her lips and captured them with mine. She moaned and gripped my hair. She was straddling my right thigh. I moaned and opened my mouth. Our tongues battled for dominance. I let her take over and her body rocked against mine with excitement. She smiled against my lips. We were forced to stop when we heard a knock on the door.

I groaned and leaned my head against hers. "No, it was just getting interesting! I want more! I want more of you." I rasped and sucked her neck. Meera moaned and pushed me away. "Veer I think we have taken more than ten minutes and the nurse must be outside. You need to go back to your bed and rest." I rolled my eyes and kissed her lips.

Meeta pushed me away glaring at me. "I'm serious! This wasn't a normal bullet wound Veer! You need to rest and heal!" I sighed and leaned against the pillows. "What about the second thing? You still haven't said anything about that! I want to know!"

Her face turned somber but she covered it up quickly. "I will tell you about it soon! Don't worry! But, for now, you need to go!" I wanted to argue but right on queue, a nurse barged in throwing a nasty glare at us.

"Time's up! You need to get back to your room." I groaned and shook my head. "Captain Gupta! You need to get back to your room right now. There are still a few tests that are needed to be done. This is not recommended! I have let this gone for a long time now."

Meera giggled and pushed me out of the bed. "Go! She's right! You need to get checked out. We'll talk more later!" I kissed her forehead and hugged her. I slowly put my legs on the ground and followed the nurse to my room. My Mom fluffed the pillows behind me and helped me rest. She did a regular check-up. I was so tired that my eyes fluttered close.

***

I felt someone holding my hand and kissing it. I opened my eyes to find Meera seated on the stool that was next to my bed. "Hey!" She whispered and I smiled at her. The nurse came in again to change the dressing on my wound. The scar looked nasty and a huge chunk of my chest was marred. Meera stayed with me the entire time.

"Are you feeling better now?" I grimaced and nodded. "Well, a bit peachy but nothing I can't handle." She smiled and kissed my cheek. We sat there in silence holding each other's hands. Dad entered the room with doctor Vinod. He is a cardiologist and he's also one of the surgeons who removed the bullet.

Mom too stood next to Dad and held his hands tightly. They shared a look, what the hell was happening? Even Meera was fidgeting on the stool and smiling nervously at me. Something was off. The doctor went through the clipboard and glanced at Dad who nodded at him.

"Veer remember there is a second thing that you needed to know?" I frowned and nodded. "Well, you're going to find out what that is! I want you to be calm and patient okay? Just listen to what the doctor has to say and then the rest we'll figure out! Okay? Promise me that you'll listen patiently?" I knew this was something huge else why would Mom and Dad look at me that way and why would Meera ask me to promise?

"Fine! I will first listen! What is it?" I asked the doctor with a stoic voice and maintained a blank expression. Doctor Vinod took a deep breath and Meera squeezed my hand. "Okay, Captain Veer looks like you're recovering pretty well. You might feel breathlessness for a few weeks but it should stop after that. Here's the thing!" He said and I had a feeling that things were about to hit the dead end.

"As per your reports and the severity of the bullet wound you can't go back to the borders. I'm sorry to say this but you can't do any more field postings and can't be in any sort of action. I'm really sorry!" I glanced at Meera and Mom both of their faces were glum. Their eyes were glistening with tears. I glanced at Dad to find him trying to conceal his emotions but his eyes gave away.

Was this some sort of sick joke? I have had bullet shots before! This can't be happening. I laughed loudly and everyone stared at me as if I had gone crazy. "This is some sort of a joke right? You are kidding right?" I screamed at the doctor. He shook his head smiling at me sympathetically.

"Veer I am not joking! This was a very close call! You can't put too much pressure on your heart and you certainly can't go back. I'm sorry to say this but you will be medically discharged from your duties. You are lucky that the bullet did cause much damage. I'm really sorry. The Physical and medical examination board will fail you. You need to take care of yourself and heal. I have already prescribed the medicines and for the next few weeks, you need to take things slowly. No exertion whatsoever. Thank you for your service Captian Veer Gupta!" Doctor Vinod exclaimed and walked away after smiling at me.

My head was spinning after everything that I had just heard. I can't be part of the army anymore? This was it! My asshole of a birth father shot me and ruined everything for me. My ears were ringing and my vision blurred. The one thing that I loved to do was forever snatched away from me. I could vaguely hear Meera shaking my shoulders and saying something.

But, all I could feel was rage. Every single cell in my body was filled with rage and hate for that asshole. "Leave!" I shouted and Meera's eyes widened. I'm sure that my eyes were bloodshot but I didn't want to be near anyone at the moment. I will do something or say something that I might regret forever.

"Veer baby listen it's not like.." My Mom started saying something but I wasn't ready to listen to anything. "All of you leave! Just leave me alone for now! GO!" I shouted and my vocal cords vibrated. Meera flinched and stood up. She wiped her cheeks and stood up. Before walking away, she turned back and kissed my forehead. "I love you Veer! I hope you remember that! I know this is all my fault I'm really sorry!" She sobbed and walked away.

I didn't know what to say! I knew it wasn't her fault! Hell, I would take the bullet a thousand times if it meant saving Meera. I could have said that to her but I just sat their mum and clenched my fists until I felt one of the IVs piercing hard into my skin. I could feel the blood flowing out but I didn't care.

I know Mihir was dead but the urge to find him again and kill him was building up slowly. I wanted to punch the wall, I wanted to scream and shout because life had always treated me so unfairly. The one thing that I was passionate to do! The one thing that I enjoyed doing was snatched away from me. My chest hurt from all the hard breathing.

I closed my eyes and a few tears cascaded down my face. I sobbed and sobbed until there were no tears left. Why was life always so cruel to me? Ever since I was a kid! I cried until there were no tears left in me. I cried for my birth mother, I cried for all the things I had to go through and I cried for the way my fate had played a joke on me. Just when I finally thought everything was falling in place it had to come mock in my face and take away the one thing that I loved the most.

I cried until my eyes were burning and my head felt light-headed. I closed my eyes and the next thing I know I was losing my consciousness. I fell into the abyss of darkness trying to forget how cruel life had been with me. My chest hurt from all the crying but the moment I fell asleep it was numb just like all my feelings.

I squeezed my eyes which were still close when I heard some voices in the room. "Meera! It's not your fault! He knows that too. It's just something that happened. It was unfortunate but Veer would do that again if it meant saving your life! Don't blame yourself!" It was Mom and my heart felt heavy when I heard Meera sobbing.

I knew it wasn't her fault. It was my own decision and even though I pulled it through I still had to face the consequences. Fate had definitely played a nasty joke at me. I got Meera, Mihir was dead, and so were all the others who were a threat were dead, yet I lost a huge part of me. If this wasn't a mockery of my life then I don't know what was.

I slowly opened my eyes and glanced at my knuckle which wasn't bleeding any more. It was now dressed with a new bandage. I found Mom rubbing Meera's back as she hugged her tightly. I closed my eyes briefly and I wanted to talk to her for a few minutes.

"How are you feeling now son?" I turned my head to the other side and found my Dad seated on the other side. I shrugged my shoulders and swallowed the lump in my throat. "Fine!" I gritted out and stared at the wall. Dad sighed and asked me to look at him more like ordered me.

"Look Veer I know what happened was unfortunate but it is what it is. You did a good job as a soldier even better than I did! You had that raging passion and you may not realize it but you have inspired many. I know it's hard to hear that you can never go back but there are things to Veer. Other ways that you can help. Think it over! I know it's unfair but please don't push her away. I can see how much she loves you! Don't make that mistake again. Second chances are hard to come by and you got one don't let it go, son!" He patted my shoulder and ruffled my hair.

I know he was right. But, I'm immensely hurt too. I will never be able to go on missions, I will never be able to stand there at the border and get the amazing sense of feeling that it is because of me that the people of my country are sleeping peacefully. I will never be able to feel that exhilaration.

I snapped out of my thoughts when Meera held my hand and stood on the stool. I smiled at her tentatively and sighed in relief. I scooted back until my back was rested against my pillow. The room was again empty except for Meera and me.

"Meera it's not your fault! I wanted to say this at that time but I couldn't! Trust me this isn't your fault Meera!" Meera shook her head and tears flowed down her cheeks. I leaned forward and held her face in between my hands. "It's not your fault!"

Meera sobbed and hugged me. "Maybe if I was more careful, then this wouldn't have happened!" I sighed and held her tightly. Maybe, we can always argue about this and think about all the things that could have been done but there's no use in going over the scenarios again and again. What's done is done, it can't be changed. The more we overthink this the more it will hurt us both.

"Meera! Listen to me!" I pulled her on the bed until she was laying beside me. "It's not your fault okay? I would have taken the bullet a hundred times if it meant saving you! Don't blame yourself for this! It was just shit luck that's all!" She sniffed and I kissed her hair. I gave her a few minutes because what I'm about to say next she isn't going to like it especially after everything that we have been through and all the things that I put her through.

"Meera, I know we just got together and I love you so much!" Meera tilted her head and looked at me. I could feel my heart racing and my palms sweating but I had to say this! "I think we need a few days away from each other. It has nothing to do with you but I just want to gather myself. I swear I'm not running away this time nor am I pushing you." I ranted hurriedly and she narrowed her eyes at me.

"So, you aren't breaking up with me but you just want a few days off?" She asked and I nodded. Meera took a deep breath and crossed her arms across her chest. "How long?" That was the question I didn't know the answer to but I had to give her something.

I took a deep breath and kissed her forehead. I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and sighed. "I don't know Meera! Just a few days. You and I both need that. Way too many things have happened. I want to be with you but before that, I need to figure out a few things. I know I said that I'll never leave you and I'm not leaving you! Just that things have changed and I need time! I'm not going anywhere! You're still mine and I'm still yours. Just need a few days for me!"

Meera wiped her eyes staring at our hands. I could tell that she was hesitant about this entire thing but it was for the best. I'm just so angry and frustrated. I need to let go of many things, and I can't hurt her in that process. I need to heal myself before we can be together. "Fine! Take your time Veer! I'll be waiting for you!" She kissed my lips and walked out of the room. I sat there and watched as the love of my life left the room. I knew she was controlling her emotions but I needed to do this. I wondered if I had taken the right decision or not. Only time will tell. My chest tightened and I closed my eyes hoping everything would fall in place, more importantly, I hope I didn't push her away.

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A/N: This was honestly a very hard chapter to write! To pen down all the emotions that Veer was going through was hard. I teared up but here we are. Will Meera and Veer find their way again? How does Meera feel?

Healing is necessary and Veer is doing just that!

Hope you liked this chapter! If did please so vote, comment, and share! I would love to know what you guys think!