Parked...forever

She wanted to hold on for longer,hold on for ever, every second every moment of her life. Holding on to him was more important than holding on to her own life was.
"Please don't go"
Riya held back her tears as she saw him through the window of the intensive care unit. The masks, the tubes bandages, through all that his eyes were still visible. Eyes which were full of life, life that had filled her with joy always.

One of the doctors looked at a meter placed next to Anil's bed, it was showing an erratic sequence of pulses the non uniformity was not good, Riya could read that from the doctor's face.

"Damn it don't stand there looking like that do something" Riya muttered under her breathe as she banged her fist on the wall next to door.

"I will be home in an hour"
Riya recalled the last conversation she had with Anil.

"Its been a lot more than an hour Anil, please come home" Riya rested her back against the wall next to the door and gently banged her head to the wall. "Its been a lot more than an hour..."

A doctor rushed out with a few sheets of paper. "Mrs Anil? "
"Yes" Riya nodded, wiping the tear off her cheek
"We will need to perform an extremely risky operation as there seems to be some major injury to his brain"
Riya simply nodded waiting for him to say that everything will be fine.
"We need you to sign this consent letter that you understand the risks of this operation"
"Risks?" Riya repeated the word, looking up at him from the form he had handed her
"Ma'am his condition is so critical now that we can not guarantee any thing. The operation is the only possible way we can try something "
The doctor paused taking a breathe knowing very well that it was a very sensitive issue.
"We can not guarantee his recovery even after the operation."

"What the heck, what do you mean you can not guarantee, do you mean my Anil will not come back home,how can you say that" Riya wanted to shout at the doctor, shout at everyone standing in there, everyone treating Anil. But she just did not seem to have the strength to even raise her voice, the lump in her throat was choking her words, making it difficult for her to even breathe.

Riya closed her eyes, took a deep breathe and collected herself. Taking the form from the doctor she mutely signed the form where it was marked
"Consent from a relative"

"Thank you ma..." The doctors words trailed away as she turned and walked away, she wanted some air she was feeling suffocated,wanted to think, wanted answers.

"Is it Riya?"
Riya had looked at the phone wondering who was speaking from Anil's phone "Yes"

"Ma'am how is the person whose number this is related to you"

Riya could sense the anxiety in the voice and it sent chills down her spine.
"Anil is my husband, what.."
"He has been admitted to Columbia Asia hospital after a major accident, please come as quickly as you can"
The words went through Riya's ears as if some one had pushed a stack full of needles into her ears.

"Ma'am are you there" the words got Riya back to her senses
"I will be there in half an hour"

"I am here for the patient Anil, he is my husband" Riya had just spoken to the receptionist.
"Mrs Anil, please come with me" Riya turned to be greeted by a police officer who was gesturing to follow him down a hallway.

The officer started walking down the hallway at a quick pace, making Riya to jog to catch up with him.
"What..what happened" Riya wanted to know how Anil a driver who she prided was one of the safest and drivers she had ever seen, someone who followed the rules at all hours how did he meet with such an accident.

"Two other cars which seemed to be engaged in some kind of race on the highway, probably driven by some teenagers, rammed into your husbands car which was parked in the by-lane"

"Parked..." Riya muttered "He had only stopped to call me that is all..." Riya whispered,shaking her head in disbelief.
"We we will catch the culprits ma'am we assure you"
"You catch them or don't I don't care. I want Anil back home in an hour, he had said he will be back in an hour and he is never late" Riya though to herself but the police officers voice was sincere and apologetic and Riya simply walked on towards the ICU where she had been informed Anil was being treated.



Riya stood at the by-lane, the cars zipping by making her hair to blow, the cool breeze of the evening making her shiver a little as she looked out at the road.
"He was just making a call, after stopping the car, what wrong did he do" She looked up at the sky, looked at the cars passing by, looked down at the pavement,but no answers came from any where, silence from everywhere just as her life had become now, silent forever with out the rhythm of her love.