Shankar's hands were shaking as he pulled out his phone.
His fingers fumbled.
His mind felt like it was underwater.
He called the only number that made sense —
"Ma…"
His voice cracked as soon as she answered.
He didn't explain everything. Just the urgent truth.
"Savitri's hurt. I'm taking her to the hospital. Please… come."
Then, he called Meena.
"I don't have her parents' number," he said, breathless.
"Please… call them. Give them my number too."
She didn't hesitate.
Shankar flagged a taxi.
Cradled Savitri in his arms.
Blood streaked her forehead.
Her breathing was soft… but there.
He held her like she was the only thing keeping him tethered to reality.
At the hospital…
Time turned to fog.
Devi arrived first — breathless, terrified.
Savitri's parents burst in next — faces already drenched in tears.
Meena and Varun, moments behind — shaken.
Nikhil, frozen in disbelief.
Shankar was crying.
Savitri's parents were crying.
Meena was crying.
Devi kept one hand on Shankar's shoulder — tight, grounding. But her eyes stayed locked on the ICU door.
They asked what happened.
Shankar lied.
"It was a car accident," he said, hollow.
No one questioned him.
Not because they believed him —
But because they didn't have the strength to question anything.
Then — footsteps.
The doctor stepped into the hallway, mask lowered.
Everyone stood.
"She's out of danger."
A collective breath hit the floor.
"Vitals are normal. Some internal trauma, but nothing severe. She's stable now."
There was silence.
Then—
"Thank God…"
Savitri's mother whispered it like a prayer she didn't even know she was saying.
And in that moment —
those two words meant everything.
Relief.
Faith.
Gratitude.
Irony.
To some, it was comfort.
To others, like Shankar…
it was a reminder.
A painful one.
He lowered his head.
Because if God really was watching...
then why had it come to this?
Savitri's mother grabbed Shankar's hand, her voice trembling.
"Thank you," she said. "For not leaving her alone."
He didn't speak.
Just nodded.
Felt his throat tighten.
Felt his heart break all over again.
That night, none of them left.
They sat in hard chairs under flickering hallway lights.
Waiting.
Thinking.
Breathing.
Shankar didn't sleep.
He just stared at the wall.
Because he had seen what none of them had.
And those two words — Thank God —
echoed louder than any explosion.
The hospital room was dim, lit by the soft blue haze of early dawn.
At 5:37 a.m., Savitri's eyes fluttered open.
Weak.
Tired.
But awake.
And that was all that mattered.
Her mother gasped softly and leaned in.
"Savitri… you're awake."
Her father called for the nurse.
Shankar, sitting quietly near the door, looked up —
and felt something inside him finally breathe.
After the nurse checked her vitals, her father sat beside her, voice shaking just slightly.
"The car… it didn't even stop after hitting you?"
"How can a human just leave like that?"
Savitri blinked — confused.
She glanced at Shankar, then back at her parents.
"Car…?"
Shankar shifted in his seat, uneasy.
His gaze dropped to the floor.
Her parents leaned in again.
"Did you… see the number plate or anything?"
Savitri let out a soft laugh — dry, but alive.
"You really think I was noting license plates while flying across the road?"
Everyone chuckled.
A few relieved smiles passed around the room.
Even Shankar managed a small one.
It felt… safe again.
Or at least, they wanted it to feel that way.
Savitri's eyes met Shankar's.
She gave him a subtle, knowing smile.
"I knew you saved me," she said softly.
"I wasn't fully unconscious at the start."
Everyone looked at him again — grateful.
Savitri's parents repeated their thanks.
Shankar just nodded — eyes never leaving hers.
She nodded back.
Because only the two of them knew the truth.
And it wasn't written on any number plate.
Later that morning, as the sky turned gold—
Varun, Meena, and Nikhil quietly left after checking in one last time.
The hallway returned to its hush.
Shankar stood by Savitri's bed for a moment.
She looked up at him.
No words.
Just the silence of shared secrets.
He turned to leave with Devi, who had waited patiently all night.
As he reached the door, he turned back one last time.
Savitri smiled.
He smiled back.
And then he walked out into a world that suddenly felt… heavier.