Vikrant's words enraged Daksh. How can he talk like that for Vineet?  He has no right to make fun of him for no reason.

''Apni zabaan sambhal ke agar aap baat kare toh aacha rahega inspector!" Daksh roars.

Vikrant laughed,''ohh!! Dr. Shergill ko fir gussa aa gaya. Shekhawat, kabhi socha hai ye doctor saab itne khunnas mei kyun rehte hai? Phone pe bhi chillate hai yahan bhi chilla rahe hai hum pe aur dusri taraf bhai ko godd mei le jaate hai, kya baat hai. Bhaiyon mei itna pyar kahan dekhne ko milta hai aaj kal? Bas ye hospital hi hai jahan sara melodrama chal raha hai.'' He gave a sarcastic look at Daksh who shot him fierce glares.

''Inspector, what's the matter?'' Dr. Mathur questions.

''Dr. Mathur don't worry hum yahan ladne nahi aaye hai bas kuch sawal puchna change hai kuch logon se. Aab aap logon ne Vineet se sawal puchne se mana kar diya toh baki logon se hi puchna padega na humei? Khair, Dr. Shergill, we need to clear out many things. And yes, aab hum aapke no asking, no talking wale rhyme pe nahi reh sakte. Humei aab Vineet se bhi baat karni hi hogi, kyunki bhale hi usse pehle accident ka kuch yaad na ho but obviously jo recent incidents hai uske baare mei toh wo bata hi sakta hai. And Dr. Shergill, please, humare saath bhi thoda pyar se toh aap pesh aa hi sakte hai.” Vineant asserts, emphasizing on his words.

Daksh rolls his eyes, he knows what Vikrant is trying to say but chooses to cooperate, after all he needs the guy to help him solve the puzzle of Vineeet's condition.

“Meri tum se koi personal dushmani nahi hai Vikrant. Khair, go on!! Mere paas bhi tumhe batane ko kuch hai. I was supposed to call you in a moment, aab tum khud aa gaye ho toh we can talk in person.” Daksh replies while gesturing to Dr. Mathur to leave, Dr. Mathur nods and takes his leave.

Approach to the bed and offered a seat to Vikrant, gesturing towards the stool. Without a word, Vikrant secures his place, gazing at Daksh intently, waiting for him to disclose the piece of information he holds.

“I think Vineet is reviving some of his memories from the accident day, it's not clear to him but in bits, he seems to remember them. Abhi wo bata raha tha, usse koi jungle dikha hai. Ek ladki hai jiske piche do log hai, ek ladka aur ek ladki, jo usse pakad rahe hai shayad, aur koi uss ladki ko bachane ki koshish kar raha hai aur ussi bich uss aadmi ke sar pe koi puche se vaar karta hai. Vineet said usko lagta hai jiss aadmi ke sar pe mara gaya wo wahi ho, kyunki he feels the pain aur fir uski aankh khul jaati hai. I feel yeh incident uski accident se related hai kyunki jab Vineet mila tha uske sar ke piche bhi bahut bada ghav tha aur ussi wajah se uski aisi condition hai, uske back head ke kai nerves mei swelling hai, jo time ke saath hi heal hongi and aab wo thik hone lage hai!!” Daksh discloses the news, Vikrant taps his fingers on his knees.

“Vineet ki koi girlfriend hai!?” Vikrant questioned him, his gaze questioning.

Daksh was taken back,”what? No!!” He exclaims, confidently, a little shook up by sudden interrogation over unrelated and personal topics.

“Are you sure?” Vikrant smirks.

“Yes I am!! Agar hoti toh wo poore shehar mein dhindhora peet chuka hota aur mujhe toh batata hi!!” Daksh replies, he was sure enough that Vineet wasn't in any relationship because he never told him anything about it. It's not like it is mandatory to share but the guy who can't keep secret his washroom schedule how would he hide a girlfriend? There was no chance of it.

“How can you be so sure about it, Dr. Shergill? There is a chance he didn't share this specific information with you. I believe he had a girlfriend, and that girl he's talking about was his girlfriend!!” Vikrant exclaims, laying his point.

"A girlfriend?" Daksh scoffed. "You're grasping at straws, Vikrant. Vineet is a simple guy. He wouldn't hide something like that from me. And that girl, she might be a friend." He spoke.

Vikrant raised an eyebrow. "Maybe not from you, but people have secrets, Daksh. Especially when it comes to matters of the heart. You know na, log kai baar khud sure nahi hote apni feelings ko le ke, fir dusre ko kaise bataye?"

Daksh sighs, the guy is bluffing around with his own assumption. Let him be, if he thinks that way then let it be the truth because all he cares is to find the culprit behind all this nothing else.

Vikrant leaned in, his eyes narrowing. "Khair Daksh, you said Vineet mentioned a jungle. Was it a specific jungle? Maybe somewhere he's been before? Kuch bataya iss baare mein?"

Daksh paused, thinking. "I didn't ask him that. But now that you mention it, it could be somewhere he's familiar with. Maybe a place he visited with friends or family. Jahan tak i remember,we have never been anywhere around jungles so it could be with friends."

“Kabhi usne jikra kiya hai, kissi aisi jagah jaane ka?” Vikrant asks, getting curious about it.

Daksh twisted his memory, “I guess, uske college se kai baar unhe bahar le jaya gaya hai. Ek baar kissi jungle mei bhi, I don't remember the name par wahan unka 10 din ka camp tha. Wahan se aa ke Vineet was disturbed, kissi se behes ho gayi thi uski, shayad camp mei aaye dusre college ke student se. But it was somewhere around Kerala, I don't think it's related!” Daksh concluded, bursting the bubbles of curiosity.

"We should look into that," Vikrant said. "Let's try to jog his memory. Maybe a picture or a description of different jungles could help. Aab hum toh ye kar nahi sakte kyunki aap ukhad hi jaaoge toh ye bhi aapko hi karna padega." Vikrant sighs, a tinge of anger audible in his voice.

“You can try it yourself!!” Daksh offered, startling Vikrant. He gazes at him curiously, trying to figure out what's going on with him.

“Yeah!! Aab kyunki he's having episodes of flashbacks, you can try your way. But remember, wo bahut kuch bhool chuka hai. Apni life ke, college ke, aur bhi kai incidents hai jo usse yaad nahi aur kuch waqt pehle ka toh kuch bhi nahi. Choose your words wisely, but now on, I don't think I should be stopping you, kyunki aab, he can say many things which he's not going to tell me considering my condition.” Daksh sighs, he believes now that Vineet was getting hold over his memory Vikrant can easily get a way, but at the same time he's concerned about the trauma Vineet might face.

A smirk forms on Vikrant's lips, so now he can try his way. The investigation will surely get a pace having Vineet's statement by them. No matter what Daksh says, Vikrant is sure to get some solid evidence talking to Vineet.

But as they discussed their next steps, Dr. Mathur rushed in,"Doctor, there's a problem with Vineet's vitals! Wo….wo, ajeeb se behave kar rahe hai." He said, his breath uneven.

Daksh and Vikrant exchanged worried glances. They knew this could be a significant setback. Daksh's heart skipped a beat as he had just made him comfortable in his room and he was perfectly fine, then what happened to him all of the sudden?

Daksh tries to rush, the remote of the wheelchair falls from his hand and gets crushed under the wheel. Daksh grunted and tried to stand, it's all that he could do but he terribly failed.

Finding him fighting with himself, Vikrant led a helping hand. He holds the handle of the wheelchair and gives it a push, after all serving the citizens is his prime duty.

Dr. Mathur led them to Vineet's room, where they found him gasping for air.

"His heart rate is skyrocketing," Dr. Mathur said, his voice filled with alarm.

Daksh immediately began to assess Vineet's condition. He checked his blood pressure, oxygen levels, and other vital signs. Vikrant stood by, watching with growing concern.

After a few minutes, Daksh looked up. "It seems like he's having a panic attack," he said. "The stress of the recent memories, combined with his physical condition, is causing him distress." He concluded - actually assumed.

Vikrant nodded. "We need to calm him down,” he said.

Daksh gazes at Dr. Mathir, “Do you have any sedatives?"

"Yes," Dr. Mathur replied, retrieving a syringe. "But I'm not sure if it's a good idea to give him something so strong right now." He spoke in concern.

Daksh hesitated. "We can't let him suffer. If the sedative doesn't help, we can try something else."

Dr. Mathur injected Vineet with the sedative, and he began to relax. His breathing slowed, and his heart rate stabilized.

As Vineet drifted off to sleep, Daksh and Dr. Mathur exchanged glances. They knew that this was just a temporary solution. The real challenge would be to address the underlying cause of Vineet's panic attacks and to help him recover his memories safely.

Daksh let out a deep sigh, he felt so helpless. His brother is suffering and he can't even help him. How can God be so cruel to him? His brother, who never hurted anyone, who never did wrong to anyone but had always been a helping hand to all who came to him. How can one hurt such a person?

Dr. Mathur patted his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

“Aapne kaise dekha Vineet ko?” Vikrant suddenly questions, taking him by surprise.

“What do you mean?” Dr. Mathur asks, his voice laced with surprise and anger.

“I mean Dr. Mathur, Vineet ko toh abhi hi kuch waqt pehle hi Dr. Daksh yahan chorr gaye the fir aap yahan kya karne aaye the?” Vikrant inquired, this time emphasizing on his words.

“Main bas yahan se guzar raha tha toh mujhe his room se TV ke high volume ki awaz aai. Main yahi batane ke liye andar aaya toh Vineet ko aise dekha. Issliye main Dr. Daksh ko bhag ke ye batane gaya. Samajh aaya aapko? Ya do i have to be more precise?” Dr. Mathur spoke, sarcastically, clarifying his stand.

Vikrabt just nods, though not satisfied but arguing when one is lying before him equipped with a machine and the other sitting helpless, doesn't seem to be a good idea.

“Vikrant, is it ok if we continue this later?” Damsh requested, his eyes glued on Vineet.

“Sure!! Let us know when he's sound.” Vikrant articulates and takes his leave with his other two officers.

Once outside, Vikrant stood at a distance, his mind racing over thousands of things.

“Sawant, keep an eye on Dr. Mathur. I believe he has much to say and do with the case.” Vikrant asserts.

His officers exchange glances, “you mean, he's behind everything?” Sawant asks his senior.

Vikrant shook his head, “no! Not the master mind but surely a member. If not, how can he hear the noise from a soundproof room? He was in Vineet's room to do something, maybe he caused him the panic attack and then went back to Daksh to inform him about the same so that we don't suspect him. And then, he was angry with me for no reason, I had just asked him a simple question. I'm sure, the guy has layer of lies. He's just acting innocent and caring in front of Daksh!” Vikrant exclaims, he can clearly see the fish cooking.

The officers nodded and they left the hospital building.

Here Daksh requested Dr. Mathur leaves the room while he wants to spend his time with Vineet.

“Lekin Dr. Shergill, aapki bhi tabiyat thik nahi hai.” Dr. Mathur reasoned.

“Main yahin rahunga!!” Dansh repeated, his voice authoritative.

Dr. Mathur let out a sigh and took his leave. While Daksh holds Vineet's hand, his eyes fill with tears.

“Ye sab kya ho raha hai Vinu? Kya ho raha hai? Mujhe kuch samajh nahi aa raha. Ek hi pal mein kaise sab bigad jaa raha hai, kyun? Meri kuch samajh nahi aa raha? Shayad ye sab meri hi galti hai. Agar uss din meine tujhe ghar se na nikala hota toh ye na hota. Main hi zimmedar hoon na teri inn sab pareshaniyon ka?” Tears started to roll down his cheek, “meine kuch jaan bujh ke nahi kia, main toh jaanta bhi nahi tha aisa kuch ho jaayega. I'm sorry Vinu, I'm really very sorry. Meri galti hai jo meine bina suna tujhe ghar se nikal dia aur phir tera call tak nahi uthaya, jaane yu uss din bhi kya kehna chahta tha, mujh se aur meine teri nahi suni aur aab main chah ke bhi nahi jaan sakta wo kya cheez thi. Kash meine teri baat suni hoti.” Daksh sobs, as he places his head on the side of the bed, seeking for forgiveness again and again, his tears rolling down his cheek and soaking the bed, he know he'll have to live with the regret all his life, with that burden pressing his shoulder suffocating him to death but with no escape, Dajah knows all this and somehow feel he deserves all this pain, because it was him, because of whom all this started.

While Daksh grieved out his pain through tears, Vineet lay lifeless on the bed. Unaware of anything and everything.

… .

To be continued..