Happy birthday to the most beautiful girl I've ever known.

Thank you for sharing all your happy days with me. I can't be thankful enough.

Thank you for always staying by my side, and for not giving up on me even on the hardest of days.

Thank you for being you. I'm honestly proud of the woman you've become.

I'm glad that you don't have to wear a mask(not referring to COVID-19)to hide who you really are.

You've inspired me to do things I don't want to do and I know that some days throws you off a cliff, and makes you miserable, but it's okay, you're still learning. It's okay to make mistakes.

Entering your 20s, you're stepping into adulthood, but never give up on your inner child

You annoy me like hell, but you're me and I'm you.I will love you with all my heart no matter what.

Happiest birthday to me❤

• • •

• •

Composing himself, Vikram gave a huge blow against Suhana's cheeks after failing to wake her up with gentle pats for the past few minutes.

Suhana's eyes shot open, as pain shadowed her face.

"You better keep your eyes open" Vikram said sternly, as he picked her up in bridal style and carried her inside his tent.

"Your slap is much more painful than dying" Suhana said breathlessly, clutching her shoulders as Vikram put her down and adjusted the pillow underneath her head.

After settling her down, Vikram took a deep breath, as he pushed small strands of hair away from her face, "Listen...no one's dying today, Suhana. Definitely not you"

"Now do me a favor and count how many stripes my shirt has. Keep counting and don't close your eyes. Not even for a split second" He managed to convey as he turned back furiously.

"Where did he go?" Vikram screamed at Vinay.

He yelled at Vinay.

He knew he was wrong because he couldn't be thankful enough for what his PA had done 10 minutes back.

For arriving on time.

Vikram had no idea what to do with every second passing by, with Suhana collapsed in his arms, a bullet put right into her chest.

He was glued to the ground, shedding uncontrollable tears, as Vinay had arrived with help to get them out of the woods, when he had recalled himself contacting Vinay previously, when they were wandering around the woods, not knowing their way out, before their encounter with the half brained psycho.

Vinay had the simplest route ready to leave the woods, as Vikram followed him desperately, with Suhana in his arms.

Vinay had arrived in his car. "Sir we should take mam to the hospital immediately " Vinay gasped, low-key scared at the amount of blood Suhana was losing every second.

"I barely have 15 minutes" Suhana's voice was still ringing in his ears, echoing inside his head, making him lose his mind.

'But would I still be able to take her to hospital on time?' Vikram shuddered under the very thought that crossed his mind.

He was scared.

He was scared of losing her.

He was scared of time. He knew what time was capable of.

He knew that time could give a person everything they wanted and could also snatch everything they have the very next second, Whenever it wants.

But he didn't want to lose Suhana the same way he had lost HER. Not like this.

But he didn't have to be scared of time anymore, because destiny had other plans for him, not alone, but with HER. With his Suhana.

When he had arrived back at the camping site with Suhana, he was finally relieved to see that one person he literally despised till a few seconds back.

"What are you looking at? Where is he?" Vikram raised his voice once again at Vinay, scared by the amount of blood his eyes were witnessing.

"Sir, he is--" Vinay paused as the man Vikram hated till today, entered the tent.

"Vikram, move away" Harshad kneeled on the ground as he grabbed the pen light from his pocket and examined Suhana's eyes.

"What on earth did you even do to her?" Harshad clenched his teeth, as he continued his examination.

Amidst every single cell that was panicking, Vikram could still figure out the crack in Harshad's voice. He was tearing up as well.

'Who wouldn't, after looking at her like this, lying in her own pool of blood for she didn't do anything to deserve this' Vikram thought to himself.

'He is worried as her FRIEND' Vikram convinced himself.

"Ugh! She needs to undergo a surgery to get the bullet out of her"

"Then do it! You are a doctor right?" Vikram lost his patience.

He had no idea what he was doing? Or how he was reacting. So many things were happening around him and still he couldn't help her. He was helpless. He was standing there helplessly watching her bleed to death.

I am of no use, Vikram banged his head mentally against an imaginary tree, as he despised himself for not being of any use.

"It's not as simple as that Vikram, we need to run tests to identify where the bullet is stuck first. So many procedures are involved, I can't jump in and magically save her" Harshad yelled back.

Harshad had no idea what was happening inside him. He had performed various surgeries, witnessed various patients but still his heart stopped the moment when he found Suhana like this, drowning in blood.

'I should have confessed my feelings' Harshad bit the inside of his cheek, trying to hold back his emotions.

"I will do everything to make this situation less bearable for her...after that we have to rush her to the hospital for the surgery" Harshad claimed at last as he finally realized what he had to do.

Every second felt like years, as Vikram kept patting on Suhana's cheek to make sure she didn't lose her consciousness.

Harshad glanced at Vikram, wondering what happened between them for her to end up like this.

'Did he do this to her?', 'Is he the reason for all of this?' Harshad questioned himself.

He realized he was wrong about Vikram the moment his eyes landed on Suhana's hand that was tightly holding on to Vikram's shirt tip.

"I know you weren't supposed to be here today. I know that you left this place yesterday. And I have no idea why you came back here Harshad, but for all I know, I am glad that you somehow ended up here, on time "

'He is worried as her FRIEND' Harshad kept reminding himself.

"We need to take her to the hospital now, I have bought her some time" Harshad replied after treating her with everything he could, ignoring the affection he heard in Vikram's voice.

As far as Harshad knew, she had more than 15 minutes.

• • • •

"Listen, the Patient is too critical and needs to be admitted immediately. Please don't delay if you want them alive in one piece"

"Too critical?" Vikram questioned, unfazed.

"Yes, extreme chest trauma has led to two broken ribs along with a broken ulna bone in the right forearm causing traumatic forearm fracture and a ligament tear in the left knee" The doctor expounded, examining the X-ray.

"What? A ligament tear?" Vikram gasped, a hand over his forehead.

"Yes, Mr. Vikram, but please don't worry, the ligament tear isn't as serious as the rib and forearm fracture." The doctor tried to comfort him, as he put aside the X-ray reports.

"Just a ligament tear? So you're saying that he doesn't have a fracture in his leg and can walk around freely in a week?" Vikram clenched his teeth.

"Excuse me?" The man in his 40s adjusted his spectacles, creeped out by his patient's guardian.

"Maybe I didn't give him a good blow for him to break all his 206 bones at the same time" Vikram yelled as he walked to the room's right corner as he detached a wooden plank from the wall, which was used as decor and paced forward, furiously.

"Vikram, please stop!" Rohit held him back, stopping him from smashing Vivaan with it. But still, it would take Vivaan a million years to move from his position, without hurting himself.

Vivaan tried to get up from his bed, but couldn't move an inch, with his broken ribs and forearm, covered up in bandages from top to bottom.

"Mr. Vikram, this is a hospital, please behave accordingly!" The doctor stood up adjusting his white coat.

Megha rushed towards them, and pulled Vikram out of the hospital room, as Rohit helped her.

"Oh please! He deserves to die!" Vikram removed their hold over him, as he tried to sneak back into the room.

"But you don't deserve to wear jail clothes" Megha replied with derision and disbelief.

"I don't care, but he deserves to die" He gritted his teeth as he moved back and sat on the seat opposite to a private patient's ward.

"Who is patient's guardian?" A nurse emerged out of the blue, as she stood in front of them.

"Me" Vikram and Megha said simultaneously as Rohit mentally slammed himself.

"It's him! He is the patient's husband" Rohit blurted out immediately, while tightly holding down Megha's hands from springing up again.

He narrowed his eyes at Megha, signaling her to control her sisterly love for sometime as the nurse interrupted them.

"The patient might wake up in some time, one of you can wait inside. Patient's next dose of medicine is scheduled only when she's awake" The nurse instructed as Vikram nodded and entered the room leaving Rohit and Megha outside.

"Our parents are heading over here" Megha continued, "Do you think they would buy your story?"She looked up at Rohit, confused and worried at the same time.

"Of course anyone would fall for such a believable story" Rohit snorted, self-satisfied.

• • • •

"What?" Kaashvi, Suhana's mom exclaimed, shook upon what she just heard.

"Hunting?" Varsha, Vikram's mom, shot a look at Rohit.

"Suhana and Vikram went hunting with a gun and somehow Suhana ended up in an accident?" Varsha questioned.

"And this happened while they were in a medical camp?" Vikram's mom glared at him, not buying his story.

"Y--Yes exactly" Rohit stuttered, as he moved his gaze back to Megha.

"Are you sure it was an accident?" Ashish, Suhana's dad gulped down his fear as he put forth his doubt.

"Yes" No, Megha told herself, contradicting what she just said, as she felt a pang of guilt surging upto her throat.

"I'm sorry to ask this question this late and in this situation" Ashish turned towards Rohit and his parents.

"Is my daughter really happy with your son?" His eyes spoke of everything he had inside his heart.

"Dad" Megha tried to stop him from bursting out in front of everyone.

"I have never seen her undergo such a bad phase in her entire life. The 2 months have been the worst phase in Suhana's life ever" Ashish tried to control his tears, which came out uncontrollable.

"A forced marriage like that? An Accident? Living a life and sharing a bedroom with someone who doesn't give a damn about her existence?"

"Maybe it was all my fault" Kaashvi hugged her husband weeping, as the reality of their daughter hit them.

"We brought this upon ourselves Kaashvi! We put one child into misery only to save our other child" Kaashvi stood stunned by her husband's emotions that was taking over the entire situation.

"I forced this marriage upon Suhana, Mr&Mrs. Sharma, but I have always treated her like my own daughter" Varsha confessed.

"No matter how much we put the blame on ourselves, nothing is going to change. What happened has happened. Let's make sure that Vikram and Suhana don't have to go through something like this again!" Arnav, Vikram's dad, spoke out.

"I am sorry, I can no longer convince myself that my daughter is happy with your family and with your son. The minute she wakes up, she is moving back to my home" Ashish wiped his tears away as he turned towards his wife as she nodded, assuringly.

• • • •

"No way!I can't let Suhana leave our home. She is my daughter-in-law, and she will live with Vikram, in our house" Varsha grit her teeth, as Rohit tried to make her understand.

"Mom, do you want grandchildren?" Rohit looked at his mother, as he made sure Suhana's parents were away.

"What?"

"Then you have to go with whatever Suhana's parents say. Only if your beloved Daughter-in-law leaves our house, your stupid son will realise everything his heart already knows "

"But how is that related to grandchildren?" She asked, confused.

"Grandchildren...that will happen only if you get us both married. Because my brother is a slow dim-witted dinosaur and anything that involves children isn't going to happen between them until they reach their 60s." Rohit shot an heart at Megha as she hit him hard against his shoulder.

"Listen mom, I have the perfect plan, and fortunately it goes well with Ashish uncle's plan...listen whatever he says, let Suhana go to her home. And rest of the plan...Vikram will execute that part"

"Another plan?" Megha hit him again, now with much greater force. "You won't change, will you?" She hit him again.

"Where is Vikram?" His dad came forward as he turned his head back and forth looking for him.

"He is inside with Suhana" Megha answered, as a nurse came out of the patient's room.

Amidst all the drama, they hadn't even noticed when the nurse had entered the room.

"I have given the patient the next dose of injection. It's a high dose, so the patient will be asleep for a while "The nurse instructed as she walked back.

"Rohit" Varsha called out, her voice dropping down.

"Do you think...Suhana has a place in Vikram's heart? I don't want to do anything stupid again and break that girl's heart if your brother is still stuck in his past"

Megha stood there confused, not sure about what his mother intended as she decided to leave the conversation.

"I'll check up on Suha," Megha told them, as she moved towards the room and asked her parents to calm down before entering the room.

Composing herself, Megha pushed the door open, as she stood frozen, with her feet magically stuck on the floor.

"What's wrong with her" Varsha questioned themselves from a distance as they witnessed Megha standing frozen in front of the room, with the door wide open.

"I'll check up on her" Rohit assured his mom as he moved next to her and placed a hand on her shoulders.

"What's wrong?" Rohit asked as Megha closed back the door.

"What happened? " Rohit asked once again, freaked out by her behavior.

"Rohit--they--" Megha swallowed almost all her words as Rohit asked her what was wrong again.

"I think..." Megha gasped, closing her mouth shut with her hands.

"You think what? What's wrong Megha??" Rohit cupped her cheeks, confused.

"I think...they were about to...KISS '' Megha paused, as Rohit's face turned pale on hearing the unimaginable.

"What?"

"I saw Suhana and Vikram...and they were about to....Kiss" Meghq stressed the last word.

"Maybe you entered the wrong room?"

"No no! I didn't" Megha stomped her foot on the ground, with her eyes failing to accept what she just saw.

"Haha, you're joking right?" Rohit brushed off what he just heard.

"No no, I swear I saw them. And they were...this close to each other, and both of them lying on the same hospital bed" Megha showed off the distance between Suhana and Vikram with her thumb and index finger.

"My brother? And...your sister? Kiss? What? No no, I swear there must have been some dust and Vikram would have blown air on her face. And...you might have seen that and...you mistook that for something else" Rohit knew how stupid it was to believe something that unrealistic.

"But didn't the nurse say that Suhana was given a high dose and that she would sleep for another few hours?"Rohit glared at Megha, as his mouth started falling apart.

"But...I saw both of their faces so close to each other... and their eyes were closed, I am sure of what I just saw" Rohit dramatically closed his mouth, on realizing how confident Megha was.

"Then...I don't think Ashish uncle would be taking Suhana back to his house anymore" He replied self satisfied.

• • • •