The car rushed down the sloping mountain road, headlights illuminating the way ahead. The speedometer pointer quivered at 100km/h.

I thought of asking him to slow down, but my anxious warnings were the last thing he needed right then. My heart throbbed frantically when he rashly turned a bend, nearly throwing us into the valley. Brute whimpered, involuntarily sliding from one side of the back seat to the other.

Avinash didn't say a word, accelerating the car to its limit. My phone rang, penetrating the deadly silence inside the car.

"Where the fuck are you Naxi?" Mia shouted from the other side of the line, "I thought you were in Avinash's room, but Danish said Avinash isn't there. Your clothes are strewn all around the room, it's a complete mess here."

"Mia I am on my way to Jaipur," I tried to speak, my voice barely audible, "Avinash's dad isn't well, he had to be admitted to the hospital."

"What?" Her indignation was replaced by shock. "When did it happen? Don't tell me you are going by road?" I winced at her alarmed tone. She was feeling exactly what I felt before leaving. Even though nothing horrible had happened yet, I doubted it would be long before Avinash's mental state messed with his driving.

"Yeah we are going by road, Avinash is driving," I was already prepared for her reaction.

"Naxi are you nuts, you are letting him drive in this wrecked state, that to in the middle of the night." She screamed.

"We didn't have a choice. There were no trains or flights before six in the morning."

"You could have asked Danish to drive you people." She said concerned. "Have you reached Dehradun yet?"

"Yes we have..." before I could say anything else my eyes were blinded completely by the sudden glare of headlights. The car swerved immediately, merely dodging the truck that honked in shock.

The impact threw me against the window, and made Brute squeal.

"Are you okay?" Both Avinash and Mia asked together.

"Yes." I panted, realizing how close to death I was, a second ago.

"What happened?" Mia asked anxiously.

"A truck was driving on the wrong side." I replied. "Mia I will let you know once I reach." Before she could say anything, I disconnected the line.

The phone screen showed one missed call. It was that unknown number V. Sen. I decided to give it a call, while Avinash pulled the car to stop at the toll plaza.

A lady answered the call after a couple of rings.

"I received a call from this number may I know who this is?" I spoke into the phone.

"Naxi this is Vrinda" Her voice told me something was terribly wrong. I prayed she didn't say what I feared she was about to say. "Dad is no more." Her voice broke into sobs. I stole a glance at Avinash. He had rolled down his window, to pay the toll tax.

"Is Avinash with you?" She asked in that pained voice.

"Hmmm. He is driving." I half whispered.

"Don't tell him anything before you reach." She said in a hushed yet agonized voice.

"I know." I muttered. "I will call you once we reach."

"Take care of my brother Naxi." She replied, sobs breaking each of her words.

"I will." The line went dead.

"Who was it this time?" Avinash asked driving out of the toll plaza leaving Dehradun behind.

"Olivia. She had called from her roommate's number, she has lost her phone." I tried to sound convincing. He bought my lie nodding lightly.

My alarm went off suddenly. I looked at the white screen, taking in the two words that flashed. 'Avinash's Birthday'. I turned off the alarm, blinking hard, to prevent the tears from pooling down.

What a sick joke of nature? Snatching away the man, who on this very day, twenty one years back, was waiting at a Hospital to hold him in his arms for the first time.

"Happy Birthday Avinash." I tried not to let the despair reflect in my voice.

I gently squeezed his legs.

"He is a fighter." Avinash spoke finally. "He will fight through this." He fervently nodded his head. "I know he will get through this." He turned his gaze from the road to look at me. "He will be alright." My heart ached looking at hope those eyes reflected. "You too feel he will get better. Don't you?"

I nodded, trying my best to control those tears.

"It's just this bad feeling...that is gnawing at my heart." He crunched his face in frustration. "Once I see him, I will feel better." He said more to himself. "I know he will be alright. He fought off the cancer. I guess he probably had hypoglycemia or something. Mom tends to get paranoid." He tried to laugh.

"This...this...this...bad feeling," he waved his hand infront of his chest. "Got me all worked up."

His heart knew, already. The blood that pumped through it, was a part of his father. It knew, that its creator was gone. Yet he didn't want to listen to his heart, he wanted to listen to the last voice of hope, that kept him driving.

We stopped for a minute to let Brute relieve himself.

"Can we keep the windows open?" I asked.

"I wouldn't be able to speed up then." He informed.

"Just for a little while." I said flashing the gold flake.

"Okay." He shrugged.

We climbed back into the car, rolling down the windows. For the first time Brute didn't plunge his face out of the open window. Instead he lied on his belly, with his face between his stretched front legs. His eyes, mirrored the pain I felt. The dog's six sense. He too knew.

I ignored Brute's expression and clicked the lighter, igniting the cigarette that dangled from my lips. The smoke hit my lungs, shortly relieving the gloom that filled my mind.

"I gave up smoking for him." Avinash said quietly, making me cough out. How could I be so irresponsible?

"Do you think my sacrifice will go waste?" He said with those hopeful eyes, begging me to tell him, everything was going to be alright.

"Never," I pursed my lips trying to smile.

"You know when I was a kid I had bad dreams, that dad had died." He said absentmindedly. "I would wake up, covered in perspiration, and creep out of my room. Trying my best not to make any noise, I would open the door of my parents' bedroom, and find him snoring peacefully on the bed. You have no idea, the sense of relief and joy I felt, just looking at my dad sleeping in his plaid shorts and crumpled tshirt."

I knew that feeling. We often have such nightmares where our parents die. I myself had it numerous times. My parents probably got irritated when they found me suddenly snuggling between them, in the middle of the night. I never told them the reason though.

I realized it was no more going to be just a bad dream for Avinash. He won't ever feel that sense of relief after that bad dream. The bed won't anymore have his father snoring in his plaid shorts and tshirt.

The burden of keeping the truth from him was suffocating me. But Vrinda was right. This was not the correct time to tell him. The highway had hardly any traffic yet I couldn't let the news distract his driving, risking his own life along with Brute.

We spoke few times during the journey, each dwelling in our own thoughts. Dawn broke as we crossed the Haryana border. The speedometer pointer never moved below 100km/h. Avinash had been driving for more than six hours only stopping to refuel once.

The chill radiating from the air conditioner intensified the despair I felt. The guilt of keeping the truth from Avinash was even worse. He had the right to know, but I couldn't bring myself to break the ugly news.

"Just a few more hours." I told myself, unable to bear the suffocating burden of truth.

By the time we reached the Multispeciality hospital it was half past six.

"I don't think they will allow Brute inside." I told him, "You go ahead. I will wait in the car."

He didn't argue, and left with a nod. His mother needed him the most now and I didn't want to break into their space. His mother may not be comfortable in breaking down infront of me.

I called up Mia in the meantime, and told her about Avinash's father's demise.

"You did the right thing not telling him about it." I could hear the sadness in Mia's voice.

"I guess I am going to miss quite a few classes. I don't want to leave him alone." I felt the tears finally rolling down my cheek.

"Don't worry we will take care of it." She said quietly. I disconnected the call with a thank you.

Then I dialed the number I had been aching to speak to, since Vrinda's call.

"Ba," My voice quivered.

"Ma'am he is in the middle of an operation, do you want to leave a message." My father's assistant informed from the other side.

"Tell him his daughter called and said she loves him a lot." I sobbed uncontrollably.

"Please hold on ma'am." The assistant sounded alarmed. I heard her speak to my father.

"Meena is it urgent?" My father's exasperated voice came from the other side.

"Nothing Ba, I just wanted to say I love you Ba. Never leave me Ba." I wish I were not sobbing like a Banshee. My father was probably in the middle of an emergency operation.

"I will talk to you later Ba," I disconnected the call before he could say something.

I felt blessed that I could hear his voice. I felt blessed that my contact 'Ba' didn't go unanswered. I looked at the colossal Hospital building standing infront of me. I could never fathom the pain Avinash was going through.

Well I never believed in god, being a pure atheist, but for the first time in my life I folded my hands and prayed to whatever force that existed above us.

"If you ever have to take my parents or Brute or Avinash, take me before them. I don't know about Avinash, but I am not strong enough to endure this pain."

A knock on the car window broke my prayer. A bearded man in his mid forties stood there peering inside. I rolled down the window, wiping away my tears.

"You are Meenakshi?" He asked uncertainly. I replied with a nod.

"I am Avinash's maternal uncle. He asked me to send you up." The man said kindly.

"I..I cannot leave him here." I jerked my thumb at the back.

"Don't worry I will stay with him." His small smile was reassuring.

Hesitantly I climbed down from the car and immediately Brute started to bark.

"He is not really a well trained dog." I chewed the inside of my lower lips nervously.

"I have five dogs of my own. He will be fine, don't worry." Avinash's uncle said, pushing his hand through the passenger window and ruffling Brute's fur.

I thanked him and walked towards the entrance of the hospital building, not knowing what to do next.

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