Chapter 7: The Past.

TARIKA was waiting outside of the O.T. and saw the Dr coming out of the O.T. She stood up seeing Dr. walking to her and asked: Will he be fine?'

Dr: He wouldn't have made to the hospital if he hadn't received first aid on time. We can't say anything until he gets consciousness. If he is able to pull it well he can survive otherwise he has 50-50 chances to survive. Either he can recover or can get worse. So hope for the best and be strong.' Dr walked away saying this.

The world around TARIKA went numb as she felt it hard to breath. She fell on her knees breaking down at the hospital corridor. Her eyes burned as tears welled up in them. Finally she let out her long suppressed turmoil of emotions that she was holding back from a long time as tear went down her eyes effortlessly.

She sobbed bitterly in the middle of the corridor. ABHIJEET who has overheard everything rushed to her side. In the whole day this was the first time ABHIJEET saw the emotion in her unfazed eyes.

ABHIJEET sitting in front of her asked: Are you ok?'

TARIKA looked up at him: He is like this because of Me.' Fresh tears run down her cheeks. ABHIJEET don't know why but felt his heart ached seeing her like that and he said to her: It's not because of you.'

TARIKA nodded in no: It is because of me. All this happened because of me.'

ABHIJEET held her by arm making her look up at him: It's not your fault. He was trying to save you. Any brother in his place would have done the same. He wouldn't have been able to forgive himself if something happened to his sister in front of his eyes.'

TARIKA looked at him through tears: you don't know anything. How mean and selfish I was. How bad and a terrible person I am.'

ABHIJEET said: All that doesn't matters. He is your brother and he loves you. It's all that matters.'

Tear flowed down her eyes as she said: He is not my brother.' with a pause she continued: he is my father's second wife's son.' ABHIJEET looked at her.

TARIKA narrated her past-

My father was a CID officer. When I was 4 year old he went on a mission for two months. It was a collaborate mission and there he met a lady CID officer. She was his partner in the mission. He was attracted to her and started liking her by the end of the mission. They completed the mission successfully. On the night of the mission's success party, he committed a grave mistake.

6 years later accidentally that lady showed up in front of my father. That day it was revealed to my mother that before returning from that mission my father has married that lady who had a 5 year old kid by her side. My mother felt cheated by my father but the thing she doesn't know was even that lady was cheated by my father. None of them forgave my father that day.

Before leaving with her son the lady promised my father that she will go far away from his life with her son and will never show up again. She left with her son without any resent towards my father asking him to live a happy life and not to worry about them.

But for my family everything changed after that day. My mother decided to divorce my father and left to her parents place with me and my brother. My father apologized and did everything to convince my mother to come back. Finally a week later my mother agreed and we were happily returning to our home.

On the way back to home my whole family got into a huge car accident. Everyone thought that my whole family got killed in the accident but the fact no one knew that actually me and my father survived in that accident. We were able to survive but my 15 year old brother and my mother both died in that accident.

I couldn't get over the grief of losing my mother and brother when my father brought that 5 year old kid to our house only after three days of my mother and brothers death saying that he is my brother and he will live with us.

After few days later my father sent both of us to Bangalore promising that he will come to us soon finishing his pending works. He had already arranged and planned everything for us there in Bangalore from our school to our future security. He had even employed a loyal caretaker to take care of us.

After a month he didn't come but news of his death come to me. Then I realized that he did that all so we don't have any problem growing up without parents as if he already knew that something was going to happen to him.

It was too much for me to handle at that age but my father made it a lot easier for me before leaving. RAJAT was too young to know anything. He never asked me about his mother or father neither I have ever told him about them.

I always believed his mother was the reason of misfortune of my family. So, it was hard for me to live with him. I couldn't hate him for the mistake of his parents when he even doesn't know what his fault is but I couldn't accept him either.

But that was not the case with him. Unaware of the reality he kept indulging me in his innocent acts. I didn't like him but he didn't give me a reason to dislike him either.

One day he come running to me from school and handed me paper card that his teacher taught them at school to give their mothers on mother's day. That stupid kid gave it to me. I tore the card right in front of him into two pieces throwing it away saying: I am not your mother stupid. I am your sister.' He looked at me saying: sister.'

10 minutes later, he again came to my room handing me another card written "Happy sister's day!" instead of Happy Mother's Day. I threw the card in the dustbin saying: I am not your sister because you are not my brother. So, get lost from here.'

In the evening I realized he really left the house making me a dash run around the society looking for him. Finally I found him sitting in the society park looking at a direction with earnest eyes. When I looked at the direction I saw he was watching the kids playing with their mothers.

I found him very similar like someone. That was me. I too missed my mom. That day I realized we have something in common. We both were alone and missed our mom.

We lived together but not like loving or hating siblings. We just lived like that. But from that day, every year on mother's day he gave me a card written "Happy Sister's Day".

By the time he was in middle school, he started to become hostile. Unlike at home, he was always grumpy around people. He never talked much and was unresponsive to his teachers at school. I was called twice by his principal when he had a fight with his classmate.

That day again I said to him: Don't call me your sister. Now everyone at the school calls me the weird guy's sister who beat up his classmate. So, don't ever call me your sister.'

When I turned 18, seeing his behavior I sent him to the boarding school thinking it will be best for both of us. He just leave without asking any question to me. He visited me on every vacation until my graduation.

After my graduation I decided to join CID, not because of my father but because of my late brother. He always wanted to become a CID officer. He always used to say me "I will become a CID officer and will always protect you." he couldn't live his dream so I thought seeing me as a CID officer; at least it will make him happy.

In that year's vacation when RAJAT visited me, I asked him to not to see me or call me his sister ever again. I even told him not to recognize me in public. We were grown up enough, so we can live by ourselves now.

He never complained or asked me anything like always and just went away. After that day he never visited me nor did I try to contact him. And now it's been 5 years since we were living like this.

TARIKA sighed as ABHIJEET looked at her. It was almost night and the two were sitting in the dimly lit empty waiting room of the hospital.

ABHIJEET looked at her as she continued looking down fidgeting with her hands: I didn't know sending him away like that will be more dangerous for him. I didn't wanted him to be my weakness. But I was wrong like always. They targeted him to get me.'

TARIKA looked up at ABHJEET asking: you know why I am a terrible person?' ABHIJEET looked at her as she answered: I hated his mother and resented him all my life for no reason. The truth was something else…

FLASH BACK: Green Warehouse –

After KAJAL told TARIKA about RAJAT'S whereabouts on call TARIKA asked: um… KAJAL.'

KAJAL: yes ma'm.'

TARIKA: can you do me a personal favor?'

KAJAL: sure ma'm.'

TARIKA: Can you find out all the detail and minute information about former CID officer PRITHVI and VASUDHA, specially the one which co-relates or has connection between the two.'

KAJAL: Of course I can but I will need a little time for it.'

TARIKA: take your time and as soon as you find anything just inform me.'

KAJAL: yes ma'm. By the way ma'm, who are they?' And why do you want to know about them?'

TARIKA: I will tell you everything later. Just find out everything about them.'

KAJAL: ok ma'm.'

TARIKA: and yes KAJAL, keep it personal.'

KAJAL: you can trust me ma'm.'

TARIKA: Thanks, KAJAL.'

KAJAL: Sure ma'm.'

Next Day Morning:

Before ending up in the jungle, on the way TARIKA gets a call from KAJAL. She pulled her car aside and picked up the phone: yes, KAJAL.'

KAJAL: Ma'm, as you asked me to find about former CID officer PRITHVI and VASUDHA. Though there were no much records of them as it's been more than 25 years, but there are some interesting facts I found about them that co-relates the two.'

TARIKA asked: What is it?'

KAJAL: 23 years ago the two officers PRITHVI and VASUDHA were together on a collaborate mission in Goa and they successfully completed the mission. After a month of the mission, VASUDHA voluntarily retired from CID and there is no after record of her. But…'

TARIKA asked curiously: But?'

KAJAL: After six years she was found dead in Mumbai. It is said that she had a kid with her. She was stabbed in front of her son. The only witness of the murder, her son, went missing from there. Police wasn't able to find the murderer or her son and eventually the case got closed.'

KAJAL continued: And do you know she was murdered just after the two days of PRITHVI'S whole family died in a road accident. Not a month later that PRITHVI was also found dead.'

TARIKA asked holding her breath: What's the connection between the two cases?'

KAJAL: It's a major connection no one can guess. It was the same timing the criminal got released from the jail whom the two officer has caught 6 years ago in the collaborate mission. Don't you find it a bit strange?'

TARIKA: Do you mean that after 6 year the criminal took his revenge releasing from the jail.'

KAJAL: It's the only conclusion I came up to after joining all the dots.'

TARIKA remembered the call from Mr. Z and his words 'I want to kill you just like I killed your father and family.'

TARIKA's trance break as KAJAL continued: I have mailed you all the details about that case. You can check it by yourself.'

TARIKA: KAJAL, I am a bit busy. I will talk to you later.'

KAJAL: Ok, ma'm.' and she hung up the phone.

Flash back end.

TARIKA cried looking down as tear fell through her eyes unstoppably. ABHIJEET kept his hand around her to comfort her as TARIKA said: I thought it was me who went through all this but I had no idea how he would have felt seeing his mother stabbed right in front of his eyes. I never wondered why he didn't ask about his mother nor did I try to know.'

She continued while sobbing: I mistreated him all the while without knowing the truth. Now I feel like hating myself.'

She kept crying while ABHIJEET let her empty her heart on his shoulder as the night slowly passes by.