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Veer

I opened my eyes and the strong smell of antiseptics and disinfectant hit me instantly, hospital?

I remember the explosion, screams for help, me running towards Aadhya and then darkness.

Wait, darkness…

Where is Aadhya? Is she safe?

I sniffed two times more to make sure I hadn't mistaken it, I can't smell her scent…She is not in this hospital ward.

I tried to sit up desperately with the help of my elbows and my movements pulled at the ivy drips attached to me, pain shot through my body. That's when I felt hands on my shoulders pushing me down, gently. “Sir you need to rest, don't move please or you'll open the stitches.” A panicked male voice reached me.

I instantly grabbed one of his hands tightly, “W-Where is Aadhya? Is she safe?” I shuttered not caring about pain in my body, God I sounded pathetic in that tone that came out of me.

“Sir she is absolutely fine.” he murmured, hissing in pain, only then did I realize how tightly I held his wrist.

“Sorry. Can you please take me to her? I just want to see her and confirm for myself that she's safe.

“Sir—” He hesitated, but before I could react or start to argue.

I realized something terrifying.

I have woken up and my eyes are open then why can't I see?

Why is there darkness?

“Wait, why are the lights off?” I murmured to myself, my eyebrows pulling together in confusion.

I blinked or at least I tried to when I felt something tightening over my eyes, something that felt rough at the edges and soft at the center.

Bandage? But why?

“You are awake?” Aadhya's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I turned my head towards her voice.

“Aadhya? Are you hurt? And why are you still working? You should rest.” I said my hand lifted up to touch her to feel her,even though the darkness surrounded me.

She sat on the bed in front of me and helped me sit up.

She held my hand in both of hers, “I'm fine Veer.” Her voice cracked.

“Are you in pain?”

“Yes.” She answered sniffling.

“Where does it hurt heaven?”

“Here.” Her voice was barely above a breath as she put my hand flat against her chest right where her heart was beating fast.

“Heaven remove this bandage from my eyes. I wanna see that you are fine.” I felt her breath hitch as a sob tore through her.

“Heaven? You know I go insane at the mere thought of not seeing you, please don't cry.”

A few seconds later I felt her slander arms wrap around my torso and her face nuzzling into my neck.

A sharp breath left me in a harsh exhale.

“Hey, heaven why are you crying?” I asked, my voice shaking as I wrapped my arms around her rubbing soothing circles on her back.

“Remove the bandage from my eyes I wanna see you.” I murmured kissing the top of her head when I felt her breath hitch and her grip tightened on the back of my shirt.

“Veer.” She sounded unsure.

“What is it heaven?” I murmured as she pulled away from the hug as I felt her trembling fingers touch the bandage that was tightly wrapped around my eyes.

She cupped my face with her hands, her thumb creasing my cheekbones.

“Veer, you can't —” Her words dissolved into a sob.

“You are scaring me now Aadhya remove this I wanna see you.” I said my voice laced with frustration as I tugged at the bandage desperately but before I could take it down two strong hands grabbed my wrists prohibiting me from touching the bandage. Those hands weren't Aadhya’s I know her touch.

“Veer don't do it.” Aadhya pleaded.

“Why's the bandage around my eyes? And why the fuck these people are not letting me remove it.” I asked.

“Actually Colonel, you've lost your eyes in that explosion.” A calm male voice said.

It took me some minutes to process what he'd just said, lost my eyes? What kind of joke is this?

It can't be true, I've done countless missions in the fourteen years of my service, I've been shot more times than I can remember, I've rescued countless civilians from life-threatening situations and not once something like this happened to me.

“Heaven whoever this is, tell him to stop joking and remove the bandage from my eyes. I want to see you.” I murmured moving my face to where I assumed Aadhya was sitting in front of me.

“Veer he's—he’s not joking.” Aadhya said and my world stopped, my blood ran cold.

Her voice didn't seem like she was joking.

No, No, No.

This can't be, if my eyes are really gone that means I'll never be able to serve my country after this day.

“Is it temporary?" My voice shook due to the force of emotions trying to overwhelm me. I hated it.

I felt pathetic, a useless loser.

“The chances of recovery are twenty percent.” Aadhya said and I gripped the blanket tightly.

At this point probably for the first time in my life I didn't know how to react, how to stay in control anymore.

In a quiet corner of my heart there was a relief that I was able to protect Aadhya at least though it doesn't erase the pain I am feeling right now.

“Heaven I want some time alone please.” I said, but when she still didn't move, “Don't worry I'll be good just want to process this alone.” I reassured him.

Then I felt her standing up and then footsteps of four people retreating and then I heard the door shutting quietly.

I sat in silence for exactly a minute, maybe less but I didn’t care about time anymore because for me the world had stopped completely.

A string of cruel memories from my service days flashed through my mind.

My breathing grew erratically heavy as I realised I'll never be able to see my Aadhya's face ever again and my patience snapped, I scrambled and pulled the IV drip from the back of my hand pain shot through my body as I swung my legs off the bed desperately reaching for something anything that can make the pain bearable.

It's not even about the physical pain anymore. I've handled worse but the pain of not being able to do anything on my own, that from now on I have to depend on other people for even the smallest stuff.

I kicked the table beside my bed trying to stand up as it clattered on the floor somewhere across the room.

I heard someone opening the door so fast it slammed against the wall, followed by footsteps running towards me,“GET LOST.” I shouted.

“Veer.” Aadhya said, hugging me tightly yet gently somehow, as she made me sit back on the bed.

“Doctor Aadhya, he's bleeding.” The same male voice from earlier exclaimed.

”I know.” Aadhya replied, wiping the sweat from my forehead.

“Heaven, I'm not me right now, get away from me I-I might hurt you.” I muttered my voice cracking despite the anger.

I was terrified, truly terrified that I might do something irreversible. I can't trust myself with her anymore.

But despite my warning she didn't let go so I started pushing her away as gently as I could.

“Sister, get the injection now.”

“No heaven.”

But they injected me anyway and the fight drained from me as my head dipped against her shoulder. The last thing that I felt before going still was her laying me on the bed gently pulling the blanket up to my waist.