The Wounded Hearts
By Vijay K Kerji
Copyright 2015 by Vijay K Kerji
Table of Contents
Chapter 01
Chapter 02
Chapter 03
Chapter 1
“Oh, my God, you f****g guys,” Nitin moaned.
Punita turned her head back, and her boyfriend Nitin was being beaten by a group of youngsters with hockey sticks. Nitin had been trying his best to defend his foes but the strength of six armed people overpowered his struggle to escape. Her adrenaline rushed into her veins, and she sprinted towards the scene.
“Hey, please leave him alone.” She held a guy’s arm, and stopped him from kicking Nitin.
“Hey, you,” Punita said, holding another man’s hand from beating Nitin. She pushed him aside, and the guy looked at her with a knitted brows.
Another man in his black t-shirt with a hockey bat in his hand stared at Punita. “Hey guys, let’s stop. He had enough.” He stretched his hands wide to stop his men from assaulting Nitin.
“If you ever come near her, you will face the dire consequences,” a man in yellow soiled clothes shouted, and they walked towards a black Scorpio.
Nitin was bleeding with his teeth broken and lying on the ground. Punita sat beside him. “Nitin, who are they?” She wiped his teeth soaked in blood with her nylon scarf.
Nitin moaned in pain and sat on the ground. “I don’t know. They started beating me soon after I stepped down from our college bus with you. I remember two of them came from your brother Mohan’s car.”
“Mohan’s car?” Punita’s heart raced. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, it was a black Ford Fiesta with Mohan in the driver’s seat. He wore red checked shirt,” Nitin said, rising from the ground. He wiped his dust covered pants and his shirt.
Punita remembered her spat with Mohan in the morning over her love affair with Nitin when she had left her home to the college. Mohan had sternly advised her not to hang with Nitin in the college.
I know you’re in love with that nerd who is good for nothing. You still have time to get out of your friendship before it is too late to regret later. Otherwise he will face severe consequences if you continue your affair.
A cold shiver went down Punita’s spine.
“Punita, I’m not able to walk,” Nitin said, limping while he walked.
Punita held his arm around her shoulder and walked him to a nearby bus stop. She sat him on the metallic bench inside the bus stop, and waited for the bus to arrive.
“I never expected Mohan would act like this,” Punita said, staring down.
“I am sure it’s your brother who is behind this.”
“I know, he argued with me today morning about our love affair, but I ignored his warning,” Punita said.
“What did he say?”
“He doesn’t like our togetherness.”
“Anything else he said?”
“He whines about our caste difference,” Punita said.
“But how he realized we’re in love with each other?” Nitin asked.
“Someone from our college must’ve informed him, and being an active member of a political party, he has many sources to get the information about me,” Punita said.
“I will discuss the matter with our classmate Gopal and ask for his help to protect us from him,” Nitin suggested.
Punita held his hand. “You don’t worry, Nitin, I will speak with Mohan and try to convince him.”
“I don’t think your parents and Mohan will consent for our togetherness.”
“Why?” Punita asked.
“I would have hoped if we belonged to the same caste. Our castes being poles apart, I don’t have any hopes for amicable solution,” Nitin said, gazing at expanse.
“Yeah, I agree with you. We can only hope for our classmates to help us,” Punita said.
“Gopal is the perfect person to seek help. You remember Swati and Rishi? Our seniors in the college, and passed out a year ago?”
“Yeah, I remember, they used to always hang together in the campus.”
“Swati’s parents were against her intention of marrying Rishi, and Gopal helped them,” Nitin said.
“Do they belong to the same caste?”
“Yes, I think so. But after their marriage, their parents remained quiet,” Nitin said.
“Do we face any legal complications if we go against our elders wishes and get marry?” Punita asked.
“Well, we are not minors. It’s legal to get married since we have crossed the age limit,” Nitin said, looking at her.
“Do you think Gopal is strong enough to protect us from Mohan’s intervention?”
“Gopal is a vice president of a labour union, and he is close to our family. Moreover, he is studying with us,” Nitin said.
Punita’s chest lightened. “Okay, let’s talk to him in private, and convey our intention before Mohan acts further,” Punita suggested.
“We can wait for our exams to be finished next month,” Nitin suggested.
“No, Nitin, let’s not wait. You don’t know the kind of person my brother is,” Punita said.
“But I suggest…..”
“No, No, you listen me else you lose me forever, you act immediately and talk to Gopal.”
“Sure, I will,” Nitin said.
Punita walked out of the bus stop to an approaching auto rickshaw. She negotiated with the driver to go to the hospital to treat Nitin for his injuries.
The driver took them to the hospital amidst evening heavy traffic. The smoke emanated from the vehicle choked her.
“How are you feeling now?” Punita held his hand.
“I think my left wrist is broken, I’ve severe pain in it.” Nitin said, dangling his left hand in the air.
“We almost reached the hospital, please be patient for few more minutes,” Punita said.
The driver stopped the auto rickshaw in front of the hospital. Punita stepped down, and paid the metered amount to the driver before walking Nitin inside through the ramp.
A medicines and disinfectant smell wafted in the air, and the main hall was crowded with people. They watched a television mounted on the wall.
Before going to the front desk, Punita paused and looked at Nitin. “Let’s not reveal the actual fact. We tell them you met with an accident.”
“Yeah, it makes sense, otherwise they may ask us to register a complaint in the police station which will complicate the matter,” Nitin said, staring into her eyes.
Punita handed Nitin’s identity card to the lady at the front desk who wore a pale blue sari and had a fair complexion.
“Where is the patient?” The lady asked.
“He is seated there,” Punita said, pointing to Nitin in front of the front desk.
After a couple of minutes of paper work, the lady said, “Please take him upstairs to ward number twelve. An attending doctor will examine him and guide you.” She handed few papers to Punita to sign.
Punita signed the papers and walked back to Nitin to take him to the ward number twelve through an elevator. An attending doctor was examining the patients who stood forming a small queue in front of his room. When Nitin’s turn came, the doctor told him to lay himself on the bed. He carefully observed his bruised face, bleeding teeth, and broken wrist.
“What had happened?”
Nitin remained silent, and curled his eyebrows.
Punita came forward. “Doctor, he met with an accident.”
“The injuries don’t look like they are caused by an accident,” the doctor said, examining his wounds. “He should be admitted for a couple of days.”
Punita’s heart raced. “Um…do you strongly suggest to get admitted?”
??
?Yes, we need to examine the x-ray of his wrist and treat for the wounds.” The doctor held his stethoscope hung around his neck.
“All right, doctor, we are ready to get him admitted,” Punita said.
“Please be waited outside, I’ll tell a nurse to arrange a room for you,” the doctor said.
Punita walked outside the doctor’s room with Nitin. “Should we call your parents? I must go home before my brother comes here and takes me home.”
“Yeah, I need someone to stay with me during night. Please tell my parents that I met with an accident,” Nitin said.
Punita took her phone from her purse and called Nitin’s dad. After a couple of rings, he answered. “Hi, are you guys still in the college?”
“No, Uncle, you please come to Central Hospital at Mount Street.”
“Why? What happened?”
“Um…Nitin met with a minor accident, he is being treated here,” Punita said.
“Oh my God, is he all right now? When did it happen?”
“A while ago, and Nitin is perfectly alright. Please speak with him,” Punita said, handing over the phone to Nitin.
“Dad, I’m all right, please come to the hospital with Mom soon,” Nitin said.
“All right son, we’ll be there in no time. Please tell Punita to stay with you till we come,” Nitin’s father said, disconnecting the call.
A nurse in her white sari approached Punita. “Please come with me.”
Punita walked Nitin behind the nurse and entered a room. The room had two metallic cots placed apart, with a cotton mattress on each. A metallic saline holder had been kept beside the bed. A disinfectant odour wafted inside, and a cold breeze from a small ventilator made Punita shiver.
The nurse spread the bed sheets on the mattress and walked out. Nitin laid on the bed, and Punita sat on a chair adjacent to his bed.
“I hope they make it fast since you’re suffering from pain,” Punita said, looking at Nitin.
“Yeah, I too think so.”
“It’s better if I leave the hospital as soon as your parents arrive,” Punita said, staring at Nitin. “Otherwise, Mohan will get me from here, creating much chaos in the hospital.”
“Sure, my Parents may arrive in any moment,” Nitin said.
“Once you become all right, we together speak with Gopal. I am hurt by the way Mohan had behaved,” Punita said.
“Sure, I will contact Gopal as soon as I’m discharged from the hospital,” Nitin said.
A couple of minutes later, Nitin’s parents entered the room. His mother sat beside him with her eyes welled.
“What happened, my son? You need to be careful while you’re on the road,” his mother said, wiping her tear drops on her cheeks.
“You don’t drive but still you met with an accident,” Nitin’s father said, keeping his bag on the table.
“A bike hit me when I got down from the college bus, Dad. I am all right, just minor injuries,” Nitin said.
“Please be seated. “ Punita rose from her chair and sat on the bed.
Nitin’s father sat on the chair. “What the doctor said?”
“Well, the doctor…..”
Meanwhile footsteps of approaching people heard outside, and Punita’s stomach churned. She sensed Mohan’s guys must have arrived, and immediately sprinted to the attached bathroom and locked the door inside.
A bang on the cot was heard from outside. “Where is she?” Mohan said.
“Hey, who are you guys? What do you need?” Nitin’s father raised his voice.
“You first answer me; otherwise you will face the consequences. Where is my sister?” Mohan asked.
Someone knocked hard on the bathroom door. “Mohan, Punita must be inside. The door is locked.”
A hard bang and kicks pounded the bathroom door. Punita held her hands to her ears and slid away from the door. She nauseated to the toilet smell, and closed her nose with her right hand.
“Hey, you, what are you doing to him?” Nitin’s father shouted.
Nitin moaned in pain. Punita felt a knot in her stomach. Someone must have hit him!
The reckless pounding on the bathroom door continued and the latch inside unfastened to the outside force. When the latch fell down, Mohan wide opened the door. “You are hiding here, don’t you get ashamed of yourself.” He held her hand tight and dragged her outside.
“Hey, leave her alone. Don’t you know how to behave with women?” Nitin’s mother came on Mohan’s way.
Mohan pushed her aside. She fell on the ground with her glasses broken.
Nitin tried to wake up. “Punita, I love you. Mohan, please leave her with us.”
One of the guys hit hard on Nitin’s head. His father held him from falling down from the bed.
Mohan pulled Punita away from the room.
With his hand firmly held to her arm, Mohan pushed Punita inside his car and locked the door before sitting in the passenger’s seat. His men followed his car in a separate van.