Third Person POV:

Arav, with a heavy heart and eyes full of concern, approached Jay's parents, who were seated in the waiting room.

The sterile atmosphere of the hospital seemed to amplify the tension in the air. He took a deep breath before asking, "What really happened?"

Gopal sighed deeply, his eyes reflecting a mixture of exhaustion and worry. "It's hard to believe, but we got a call from the hospital. They said Jay had a critical internal concussion. We rushed here as soon as we heard."

Meenakshi looked like she was on the verge of breaking down. The worry lines on her face deepened as she struggled to hold back tears. "It was so sudden, and they wouldn't tell us much over the phone. We just had to see for ourselves."

Karan's father, sensing the distress, offered a comforting hand on Gopal's shoulder. "It must have been a shock. But he's in good hands now. The doctors will take care of him."

Arav's parents standing nearby shared sympathetic glances. Arav's mother reached out to gently touch Meenakshi's arm, a wordless gesture of solidarity.

Gopal continued, his voice trembling with a mixture of disbelief and worry. "We never expected something like this. Jay was perfectly fine when he left home."

Arav, struggling with his own emotions, nodded in understanding. The gravity of the situation settled in, and guilt clawed at him.

Meenakshi's composure slipping, she added, "He's our only child. We couldn't bear the thought of something happening to him."

Arav's parents exchanged concerned glances, empathizing with the pain radiating from Jay's parents. The waiting room felt like a holding space for shared anxieties.

The room remained heavy with unspoken fears, the ticking clock a reminder of the uncertain wait. The unfolding tragedy had woven an unbreakable bond of shared concern among the people gathered in the hospital waiting room.

Two hours.

There was no news from him, and Karan was starting to panic. The doctor had said that he was resting.

But was he really?

The sun had already set, and the sky was painted in hues of orange, red, and blue. It slowly faded to shades of gray and black, much like my life had become.

Restlessness consumed Karan as he paced around, the unsettling uncertainty gnawing at the edges of his resolve. When his dad called, he couldn't muster the courage to admit the truth. Instead, he spun a tale about staying overnight at Jay's home, clutching a fragile shard of hope in his trembling hands.

The pivotal moment arrived when Dr. Aditya Saha granted permission to visit Jayant. Silent glances exchanged between the friends, each silently questioning who would step through the door first.

Catching Karan's eye, Arav nodded, and together they approached the entrance, wrapped in a heavy silence.

As the door opened, the room unveiled itself—Jayant adorned with bandages and tethered to various medical contraptions, their names eluding understanding.

One.

His smile, though strained, greeted them. What other pains did that warm smile conceal?

Two.

"Too good to be true? You probably never knew me," his words echoed, laying bare the depth of struggles behind the brave façade.

A mantra repeated in Karan's mind, urging him to stay strong for Jay's sake, even if the facades were transparent to him.

Life is all about second chances, but how long can you break before you're finally shattered?

Karan couldn't bear to witness him in this condition, yet he couldn't bring himself to leave. A small, painful smile graced Jayant's lips.

Karan could feel the effort it took for him to summon even that.

His left arm, broken badly, hinted at the brutality of the attack, and his head bore the signs of a minor concussion.

Karan wished he could assure him that everything would be fine, but the words stuck in his throat, his own disbelief in the promise stifling any attempt at reassurance.

"Well, this is awkward," Arav began, nervously breaking the palpable silence that hung in the air.

The hospital room, though sterile, seemed to amplify the tension, creating an uncomfortable space for the three friends.

Jay, lying on the bed with an array of medical equipment surrounding him, managed a weak smile. "Understatement of the year," he replied, attempting to infuse a bit of humor into the heavy atmosphere.

Karan cleared his throat, breaking the lingering quiet. "Let's just address the elephant in the room, shall we?" The phrase hung in the air, and they exchanged uneasy glances.

Arav took a deep breath, mustering the courage to speak. "I messed up, guys. Badly." His eyes shifted between Jay and me, guilt etched on his face.

Jay's expression softened—a mixture of understanding and pain. "Arav, it's not just you. We all messed up," he said, glancing at me.

"Yeah, about that," Karan interjected, the weight of the unsolved mysteries looming over them. "We've been chasing answers for a year now, and there's no avoiding it—we had to involve Suresh sir."

The unspoken implications of that admission hung in the air, a foreboding sense of dread at what lay ahead.

As Karan glanced around the room, he could feel the weight of their collective unease.

He knew full well that Suresh's involvement meant they were stepping into uncharted territory—a dangerous game with high stakes. It was clear that the stakes had never been higher and the risks had never been greater.

Arav's eyes widened, realization and worry intertwining on his face. "Suresh sir? Seriously?" He exclaimed, a touch of panic in his voice.

Karan nodded solemnly. "Yes, seriously. We need to connect the dots. Once Jay's feeling better, we'll get to the bottom of this. It's time to put the pieces together."

Jay's gaze shifted from one to the other, a quiet understanding passing between the friends. "Look, guys, we were a team once. Friends. We can't change what happened, but we can choose what we do next," he urged, his voice carrying a sense of hope.

Arav nodded, a silent apology lingering in his eyes. "I never wanted things to turn out like this," he confessed.

A heavy sigh escaped Karan. "None of us did. But we need to face the consequences and find a way to move forward."

The room fell into a thoughtful silence, the friends contemplating the shattered camaraderie that lay before them and the daunting path of rebuilding that lay ahead.

The gravity of their mission settled over the group like a heavy fog. And as the conversation stalled, the only sound in the room was the ominous ticking of a clock, counting down to an uncertain future.

❛To forgive is to set a prisoner free and
discover that the prisoner was you.❜
— Lewis B. Smedes

A/N:

ANDD FINALLY THEY TALK!

Did you notice the title drop? No? Okay xD

And then, there's the mention of my sweet friend Adrak 7Lone__wolf7 the constant companion in high and low tides similarly. Its been a while since I talked to him, but, he is studying for doctor, so, probably just as busy.

What do you think about the camaraderie? Will they be able to fight their odds and make a difference?

A lot will go down, and Suresh sir's involvement won't be without consequence, so, we'll see some drama xD

Third person POV writing is tough, but, I think, for the current chapters, it suits, maybe, in the next chapters, it might change to Karan's or Arav's, but, we'll see :D

Feel free to leave loads of love and feedback <3