Chapter 8

The investigation went on for months until the real reason was not found, but when they asked in school, some of them revealed the truth about Freya being a bully from the very first day she entered the class. "I didn’t do anything. Let me go", Freya shouted in the middle of class. "Then why are your classmates accusing you of this?" the teacher questioned. "They are only trying to put all the blame on me. They all are part of this; don’t listen to them. I swear they are all responsible for this," she said while other students were sweating cold sweat. "What do you mean by this, Freya?" the teacher asked again. "Ma’am, I swear I’m telling the truth. Jenny is the one who stole her note from her bag and gave it to Tia to make it look like mine." She revealed everything while Tia and Jenny kept screaming they did’, but seeing how scheming they are, the teacher felt guilty. "Ma’, it’s all Freya’s fault. Take her to detention", everyone said while a slap landed on her face. She looked up but found Jace in front of her. "So is this what the guy told me that night?" he asked while Freya was looking blank. "I’m the one who is part of all this. I should have listened to her. I should have tried to know about her condition, but I instead agreed to go out with you. Just how much of a fool am I? You kept fooling me for months while I chose you over my sister?" He said while Freya held his hand. "No, no, I didn’t do anything. Please believe me", she begged, but someone from the back said, "She slapped Ayla in front of all and squeezed her face with her nails, pulling her hair." Jace broke out, hearing everything. He left the place while thudding on a corner. "Just how wrong I can be. I should have understood that day when she stayed silent as if she was scared of looking at her. I should have understood that day how her classmates called Freya’s name, seeing me instead of Ayla. I should have known that." His tears came out. "It’s been six months already since she is still sleeping. She didn’t even move an inch of any of her body parts, let alone open her eyes. I wish she could at least open her eyes and call me BROTHER. I’m so wrong. This guilt will never leave me. She will hold me responsible for her entire life. " "I’m sorry, Ayla. Brother is wrong. Brother should have tried to get to know you better." He burst into a corner while a shadow figure was standing outside. "Yeah, you should have done it better", the person in the dark whispered and left. Freya and her friends took to child detentions, but still, none of them was effective in Ayla’s health. In hospital "Ayla, Dad is here", he said while placing a bunch of white lilies beside her head. He clung to her hand and said, "You know it was again a hectic day at the workplace. I didn’t even get to have my lunch, and Dadd is hungry now. Will you have lunch with me?" He made her pick the spoon in her hand, pretending as if Ayla was feeding him. "Yeah, having meals by your hand is the best thing that has ever happened to me", he said while his tears kept falling on her hands. "I couldn’t handle any more than this. I’m missing you a lot, my champ. When are you going to open your eyes? Should I bring chocolate for you that you like the most? Will you wake up if I get chocolate for you daily? Will you be able to eat by yourself without letting them all over your face? I know you can’t. My child is such a kid, he said. Few nurses were standing outside the room. "He always comes at the same time. I didn’t see him coming even a second late. Just how much he loves his daughter, who is always punctual, as if she is the only one he has?" a nurse said. "Yeah, I pity this person. But the day they brought her running while their entire body was drenched in blood was terrifying. They argued for minutes, but the moment they saw her face. The moment they saw her not opening her eyes, it became all calm, as if mortuary." The other nurse explained. "But why does he always bring lunch here?" she asked. "I don’t know, but maybe this is where he found peace." She said and walked off from the place. Mr White kept holding on to her hands when the shadow person stood behind the door again. "I wish I could hold you the way he did. I wish I were not a coward," he said while his vision became blurry, letting himself know how much his heart ached for her. "You remember the day you asked me something?" Mr White asked. Flashback Mr. White POV "Dad, do you remember the last time we ate together?, Ayla questioned while her tears kept falling out of her eyes. "Ahh yes, I doo- I stopped. "You do? Are you sure, Dad?" she smiled sarcastically. Her questions were not tough, but the way she was looking at me with those painful expressions of hers was what truly hurt me. I again extended my hand to go near her, but she said, "Sto, Dadad, don’t come near me." I again felt the circuit pain in my heart. "Baby, let me come near you. Please", I begged, but she still denied. "No, Da,d you can’t. If you come closer to me, it will only make me feel weak. If you come and hold me now, I may not say whatever I want to say. There will be many things which will be left behind if I don’t let it out now," she said. "Didn’t you say you remember? Say it when? I want to know." She asked while I stayed silent in front of her. Flashback ends Mr. White’s POV ends. "You know that night I, too, wanted to say that I remember when was the last time we ate together. I may not remember when it was family time, but I can say I remember you and me having food together." He said, kissing her empty palms. "I know it was the day when we both went to the terrace sneakily so that your mother and brother won’t know about our secret meeting. That was so fun that I couldn’t even describe it. It was so magical for me seeing you smile so brightly while playing with my glasses, teasing me again and again about how I look like a nerd with the glasses on, but cute at the same time." He looked at her face again to see if she had opened her eyes. "I enjoyed spending my time with you alone. It was the best moment I ever had, so please wake up now. You are making your dad sad. Will you listen to me once? I won’t ask for anything. So please get up, idiot. I am already feeling as if my heart is being ripped out." He said while he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back and found Jace standing with guilt on his face. "Dad, you go home. I will stay here", he said, trying to hold his sorrowful voice. "No, I will stay here. My time still didn’t end. Isn’t it just 15 minutes since I have been talking with her?" he said, but when he noticed his watch, he found out it was already past one hour since he came here. "It’s already past your time, so now leave. It’s my time. I will stay here and leave in the morning straight." He said while the doctor came. "Oh, Mr White, you didn’t leave?" he asked. "I don’t want to leave yet", he sulked, looking at her. "Oh, about Ayla... that’s what I’m here to tell", he said. "What is it? Is she going to wake up soon?" he asked in a hurry. "No, that’s what I can’t say, but I can give you some good news", he said, bringing a smile to his face. "What is it?" he asked. "You can take Ayla home. I don’t think she needed to stay here, and as per the treatment, I will assign her nurse to attend to her and as well as the equipment. So you won’t have to worry and stay here as per your timetable", he said while Mr White hugged him. "You don’t know how much this made me happy. I don’t even have words to say to you. But in the end, thank you for everything", he said and went to fill up her discharge papers. "Ayla, we will take you back home. You are happy, right? I’m sure you are happy. You must miss your room and mom too", Jace said while kissing her forehead.