Well, I am really sorry for the late update, got stuck up with a few things. And the next update will be after the 20th as I'll be leaving for my vacations.

Happy Reading! :D :D

Chapter-22

Ishani now came out from the clinic, the air becoming sultrier with every second as she now descended the steps. Ranveer is bipolar. No, he is not. He is not, bipolar; Ishani reassured herself but the fact about him never changed. What would people think of him now? How will he come out from his own clutches? Ishani kept on thinking, the flashes of the meeting with the doctor reflecting on her eyes, her heart thumping in an eccentric exasperation. Her feet now directly went along the White Stag Leas, the park where she was sitting before getting inside the clinic. She now treaded towards the unclaimed benches, sitting down, devoid of an emotion. Neither was she able to feel anything nor say. Stirring herself and hugging her bag, she slowly sat cross-legged, leaning slowly. Her eyes did not have tears today, for them being tired themselves. Minutes later, she now turned to see the peonies around the corners of the park, its white coloured petals creating a soothing effect on her. Leaving a fainted smile, she clenched her bag tightly, letting go of her pain and grief as her eyes shut robotically in a twinge.

She sat in the same position for myriad number of minutes before she felt herself wobbling. She checked the time. It was thirty minutes past eleven. She felt her head whirling as she decided to get back to her room. Getting up slowly, she trod towards the exit when her phone beeped, in incessant string. Letting out an irritated groan, she looked the blaze screen. It was Abel. Attending the call, she sighed, "Hello."

"Hello," she heard an agitated tone of his as she asked, incensed, "What's wrong now?"

"Madame," his voice now sounded nervous, "where are you?"

"Erm, no. Tell me, what's wrong?"

"Madame, come back home, as soon as possible!" he said, demandingly the minute she retorted, "Why? Why should I?"

"Madame, the sight of Monsieur's room is perilous."

"What?" she ejaculated, her mind now blocked completely. She would now cry for eternity but she decided to ask him again, "Why, what do you see?"

He sniffed twice before answering, "There are glass shards everywhere in the room and blood stains on the mattress and floor." Her face now looked the palest of all her expressions, her emotions now ebbing away. She now imagined the condition of his room; the strewn glass fragments and blood stains gave her chills through the spine. Where was Ranveer now?

"Are you sure…sure that it was his room? It could be mine, too," she stuttered, her voice having a tinge of optimism in it. She was still hoping about Ranveer and his behaviour even after knowing about his wildest of behavioural changes.

"No, no Madame! It's not your room! I am yet to clean your room. I just came to Monsieur's room for cleaning when I noticed these. And Monsieur is not at here, too. I am afraid, Madame," he cried whilst Ishani's mind now swung a hundred thumps; fear, tension, pain and writhe; everything hitting a paroxysm in her heart.

"I'll just call him, Abel. Don't fret," she assured herself mentally and him when his voice interrupted, "He's not picking up his phone, Madame."

"Bullcrap! Let me see, Abel," she hung up the call with the outburst when she decided to call for him.

-x-

"I know. Ishani is here, inside the barn," he claimed the ground now, getting out from his car, flickers of her sleeping in the barn one of the times; hindering his view. Climbing the stairs as fast as he could, he now stood before the janitor of the barn, wanting for oxygen.

"Ranveer?" the janitor raised his voice. His entry was unexpected for him as Ranveer looked on with his red eyes.

"Ish-Ishani. Where's she?" he exhaled in succession as the janitor threw his hands to the air, giving him a how-do-I-know look. Frustrated as he was, he clasped the shirt of the janitor and shouted, "Don't try to play fool games with me, you!"

Afraid, he let go off Ranveer's hands from his amber coloured shirt and cried, "I-I don't know, Ranveer. But yes, she came here yesterday. She asked me to take care of your dog and left the place, in tears."

He looked at the janitor with an apprehension, feeling guilty for what he had done the last noon. "Okay, tha-thanks," he fled from the place in desperation and claimed his car quickly, revving up his car when he heard his phone buzz at him. It was a message from her. He stopped the car as his legs automatically settled at the brake in a sudden, not even minding to apply the clutch. He grabbed his phone and gazed at the phone with his dewy eyes before opening the message.

I tried calling you but you never attended my call. I am at the White Stag Leas, near the Knolls Bay. Will be waiting for you :) :)

Ishani

Heaving out a huge sigh of relief, he clenched his phone and smiled in joy as he now revved up his car in happiness, a happiness that he wasn't able to figure out.

"Ishani, I am coming to give you the surprise." Ranveer smiled for himself and drove the car towards the Knolls Bay.

-x-

He now applied the clutch and the brakes, stopping the car in the most stylish way he could. He has to apologize to her for all his wrong-doings. Calling her a bitch was no joke; he thought and slowly got down from his car, observing at the peonies from a distance but Ishani was nowhere to be seen. Slamming the car's door, he propped towards the tree beside and let his hands hold the belt loops tightly.

"Go face, her!"

"No, you can't, Ranveer. Don't."

"Idiot! Don't fret! She won't kill you for this!"

"What if she pushes you?"

A series of thoughts passed through his mind now, the magnitude only getting bitter and bitter before he banged his arm at the branch of the tree. Crowning himself with another scratch, he groaned in pain as tears rolled down his cheeks involuntarily. He shifted his legs now as he felt the wobbly limbs of his before he claimed the ingress of the park, looking out for Ishani in the thirty populaces. Finding her after a three minute search, he quickly grabbed all his strength and strode towards the bench where she had sat.

"Ishani?" he whispered her name as she now felt something cold tracing the root of her neck subsequently she turned towards the call to see him. Giving him a bare smile, devoid of any reaction, she whispered almost to herself, "Hey."

He quickly gave her his best smile and swung over to the seat next to her, making sure that his wounds are not visible to her. Both of them sat in the same position for a numberless amount of time, looking into each other's' eyes and drooping back to their own world in the next few seconds before Ranveer decided to break up with the silence.

"Ishani, I'm-I'm" he breathed out heavily, "I'm sorry, Ishani."

"It's okay," came her reply, her eyes not meeting with his own. Disturbed, he looked at her back aloof and raised his voice, "Ishani, what's wrong? Why are you evading from me? Look at me, Ishani!"

She now got up and strode quickly to the end of the park and turned to the left of the road, secluding herself in a solitary place. Confused as he was, he quickly ran over to the exit and shoved away all the people who came in front of him nonchalantly as she now gazed at Ishani, whose eyes were tear-filled.

Jogging until her, he clasped her upper arm and pinned her against the long fence and whispered, "Hey, tell me, what's wrong?"

"Ranveer, don't do this. Get away from me. You cannot do the thing I ask you to." Ishani knew how to tackle him with her words. This was the right time to, she thought.

"What?" he asked sluggishly, his eyes reflecting a proud twinkle, full of pride.

"That can wait. What's wrong with your hand?" her voice turned hoarse now, her eyes becoming moist and red whilst he took his hands off her upper arm now, feeling unnerved and maladroit.

"No-Nothing," he simply whispered, deliberately lying as his head drooped down, in fear. She would never spare him now, he thought as he now felt her finger lifting his slouched face. Clasping his shirt in a fit of rage within an instant, she yelled, "Why do you do this to yourself, Ranveer! Can you just see how deep the cut is?" hot tears welled up, crunching down her cheeks as her lips now quivered, a pang hitting her heart again. Her face now looked completely pale and her nose pink, all thanks to the untold number minutes of crying.

"And who asked you to break all the glasses into shards? Who asked you to introduce the pieces to your arms? Are you crazy? Do you even have a brain?" she shouted to her maximum, each of her words fading away in strength and sound with each second as her eyes drooped now, her feet shifting. She now closed her eyes in a strange pain before clenching his shirt once again, "You are impossible, Ranveer. You'll never change," she felt her eyes go blurred now as he retorted back hastily, "It wasn't me. I was driven to do so! Trust me, Ishani!" his eyes slowly welled up whilst Ishani's vision was completely hazy now, for her finding everything undistinguishable when she slowly fell over his chest, falling unconscious.

"Hey, hey! Get up, get up, Ishani," his voice was deep, his hands gently patting her cheeks as he felt her warm; warmer than usual. He gently stroke her cheeks and whispered right inside her ears, "Ishani, get up, sweetheart, please!" Tears rolled down from his cheeks involuntarily as his eyes now patterned for a remedial centre when his eyes directly landed up at the Pearl River Medical Centre, the place where she had just gone to visit the psychiatrist.

Slowly carrying her in his arms he groaned in pain, for his wound making him numb as he slowly drifted to the medical centre, making sure that his wound wasn't disturbed.

Admitting her into the cabin and getting his dressing done quickly, he sat dejected at the waiting lounge, waiting for the nurse's call now for sixteen hours now. Swinging around the same place for some time, he felt his limbs weak as he looked at the watch at a steady interval. No one came in heed and told about Ishani when he decided to check on the hospital officials. Nippily treading towards the reception desk like a zombie, who hasn't slept for years, he questioned the receptionist aloofly, "It's been sixteen hours since a patient had got admitted and I am still receiving a message about her health. It's one in the night now, for Heaven's sake! Can you please update about her developments?"

"We are sorry, sir. Can we have the patient's name?"

"Ishani," he replied, annoyed with the lethargy of the hospital.

"The patient was shifted to the common ward at six in the evening, sir."

"And why the hell wasn't I informed?" his voice rose now, his teeth gritting in irritation.

"We thought-" the receptionist started but was stopped by him.

"Where is the patient now? I want to meet her."

"Sorry sir, but this is not the time for visiting. I can assure you at ten in the morning, tomorrow."

"May I have the ward number?" he asked the receiver with an elongated brow, his voice only getting parched in a peculiar anxiety.

"G45Q7," came the reply instantly as Ranveer, without paying any heed, ran through all the wards to seek for Ishani like a freak in misery when he saw Ishani's ward finally, at the end of the hall.

Pounding to the entrance, he stepped inside the ward slowly to find her sleeping, her features content and placid, quiet and taut. Making himself comfortable in the couch nearby, he gazed at her silently, hoping that she would open her eyes at least once and smile at him. As the night passed, sleep claimed Ranveer as he slowly dozed off without his own sense, for his own medicine working on him very lately.

He checked the time once again before looking at her sleeping façade. It was almost seven and finding her still sleeping made him worry for her as he now gently caressed her forehead, making sure that she wasn't disturbed. She now stirred slowly, her eyes opening in a sluggish fashion. Yawning softly, she found her vision blurred and hazy before she blinked her eyes thrice. Realizing the surroundings, she speedily whined, her voice tired than usual, "When did I land up here?"

"Hey, good morning," he gently clasped her hands into his own and looked at her with a smile, a smile that wasn't seen in him for a long time. She now looked at his bandaged arm and recollected all the events as she gave him a scrutinizing look before asking, "How's your hand now?"

She now noticed that his eyes welled up as she gave him a baffling look as she heard his usual baritone turn into a soft voice, "I'm sorry Ishani. I had hurt you so much the other day. I went to our resort after a gap of one month yesterday and I had no clue of what was happening. Gasper informed me about the meetings and that it had got cancelled and I had no idea of what to do. It was, was just my dream! My dream to tie up with the giant, Diamora! And when everything clicked, I thought of joining hands and binding up with them. I felt shattered and deceived when I heard about the cancellation," tears rolled down from his face in guilt as she heard him continue, "And I just spoke junk to you, I am really sorry. Punish me whichever way you want, Ishani. But I am really sorry."

"And why did you go to the resort all of a sudden?" she asked detachedly as he now whispered, "I got a call from Gasper."

"Oh."

"We are leaving to Paris on 3rd August, day after tomorrow."

"Oh, why?" she asked, her voice wasn't shocking at all, he felt as he continued, "For the inauguration of the restaurant."

"That's great," she gave him a mirthless smile as he felt a pin prick his heart. "What have you named it, Ranveer?"

"Melting Pot," he smiled back, hoping for a smile from her.

"Have fun and congratulations!" she remarked, her tone slightly rose comparatively as he claimed, "Aren't you coming?"

"Who am I to come?" she replied back sardonically as he felt the pin prick harder this time. His lips quivered in shame as he countered, "Ishani, don't! Don't say that! You are still a part of our family, I swear!" his voice rose, lips getting pink just like his nose and all she did was to laugh sarcastically.

"So you want me to join again?" she asked, in finality whilst he replied a 'Yes' in the same tone.

"Will you do something if I ask for? Anything."

"ANYTHING." He replied back in a stubborn fashion as she concluded, "I want you to meet a person."

"Who?"

"Yvon Leclere," she whispered as he looked at her baffled, He quickly asked, "Who is that?"

"No questions, you have to meet him that is it. Will you? No questions."

"Okay," he replied lukewarmly whilst his voice rose the next second, "But not today. Only after we return back? Will that be fine?"

"Done," she beamed happily, happy that he accepted her command and held his arm which made him hiss in pain as she hard-pressed him on his wound.

"Ouch," he groaned as she took her hands away in an instant and muttered, "I am sorry, really sorry."

"No, it's okay," he gave her an assuring smile as it led to her next question, "Why did you do this to yourself?"

"I told you! It wasn't me; I was driven to do so!" he cried as she remarked, "Don't lie, there were broken shards of glasses in your room, isn't?"

"Yeah. But let me explain it to you. I was well, drinking. Now don't scold me," he distanced himself from her by two inches in fear and continued, "and I saw the same devil, it was grotesque, Ishani; trust me. I once again had an uncanny encounter with it and it warned me that it would kill you. I was petrified and argued with it when it asked me to kill myself and I just tried to when it ripped off to shreds, again," he was about to cry as she got up in a haste and looked at him unnerved. It was making its presence again, no. NO! She slowly inched closer to him as he looked at her frightened, as usual.

He was almost to break down when Ishani pulled him forcedly and embraced him once again, caressing his hair in fear and tension. Hearing him weep, she whispered slowly into his ears, "Nothing will befall you, sweetheart, not until my death. I promise."

He broke from the hug in shock as she looked on with a weary smile, their breathe hunting each other's oxygen. She slowly mounted until his forehead and placed her quivering lips as he now closed his eyes in dread. Hugging her once again, he cried as soon as he heard, "Another time you try to commit suicide, I'll kill you and then die, understand? Don't!"

"Never, I swear upon you and I mean it," she kissed his hair as they heard the door getting opened. Alarmed, they quickly broke form their hug and Ranveer took his seat once again in the chair as the doctor now entered Ishani's cubicle.

"Hello, Ishani, how are you feeling now?" the doctor asked, his voice confident as Ishani gave him an exhausted smile.

"Hey doctor, what's wrong with her? Well, I tried to ask the officials in the reception desk and they did not pay any heed to the case. Is everything alright?"

"Certainly! Everything's normal, chap. Just dehydration and food poisoning, nothing else. She hadn't had anything for the past one day and the dinner which she had had the other day spoiled her digestive cycle. She wasn't used to one of the dishes and she had got herself drunk, too." Ranveer now looked at her with a shock and asked the doctor, "So when can she get discharged?"

"Noon? Has she got a health insurance?"

"No," came Ishani's reply as the doctor continued, "Oh. It's okay, I'll make a move now and Mr. Ranveer, get your dressing done once more before leaving, okay?"

"Sure," the doctor smiled and left the room in hush as Ranveer now settled to stare Ishani strangely.

"What's wrong, Ranveer?" she asked, confused but he chose to stare at her.

"Ranveer?" she called him once again when he smirked, "Ahem, so someone got drunk," he laughed as she twitched her lips in embarrassment. He laughed too hard that seeing him, she started to giggle too, in coy. She wanted to confess it right away to him but she chose to wait. Happiness finally overshadowed all the fear and dread in the atmosphere and they only enjoyed it.

Done! Constructive Criticism will be more than welcome and sorry for typos :D :D