Akhil was restless that evening. He had spent most of the day searching for the old man who had helped him take Sid to the hospital the previous night. It wasn't easy—there was no name, no number, just a hazy memory of the man's calm voice and steady hands. But every lead turned into a dead end. Frustrated and tired, Akhil finally returned to the office, the sky outside already painted in fading hues of orange and grey.
He walked straight to Unnati's desk, barely waiting for her to acknowledge him.
"You and Sid went to meet someone last night, right?" he asked, lowering his voice. "Who was it?"
Unnati looked up, concerned. "Yeah, we visited a man named Sudarshan. He… he seemed to know a lot of things—strange things. Sid said he gave him some files and a pendrive related to something very serious. I don't know exactly what it was… but it messed with Sid's head. Hope he's alright now. What happened to him?"
Akhil leaned on the edge of the desk, trying to process. "I've called him yesterday, but he couldn't pickedup the call, so i left to see him to marine drive. I found him there, lying on the ground. There was an old man who helped me to get him to hospital, but left after that. Today morning, he acted in a really weird manner. It was not the Sid i knew. He didn't tell me much but I could see.... he was confused. He left the hospital. He need some space."
"I'm worried about him," Unnati said softly. "He barely spoke after we left Sudarshan's place."
Akhil nodded. "He asked us this morning if we had any information about a certain Dr. Rajiv Mehra. The name sounded familiar, so I checked my old interview records." He pulled out his phone and opened the contact list. "Turns out, I interviewed the guy a few years ago."
Unnati's eyebrows lifted. "You remember what he does?"
"Yeah," Akhil replied. "He's a scientist, someone who was involved in a lot of classified research. Very private man. I just called him—he's in Delhi right now, but he said he'd be back in two days. Agreed to meet."
"That's good, right?" Unnati asked.
Akhil hesitated. "I don't know. Depends on how deep Sid's involved already."
He then decided to call Sid and update him — maybe calm him down a bit, tell him about Rajiv. But when he dialed Sid's number, a different voice picked up.
"Hello?" It was quiet but steady. A woman.
Akhil frowned. "Who is this? Where's Sid? Is he alright?"
"He's in RB Hospital," the woman replied quickly. "He fainted at Marine Drive… I helped him, brought him here."
There was a long pause. "Thank you," Akhil finally said. "I'm Akhil, his friend. I've been trying to reach him since morning. Can you stay there until I arrive?"
"Yes," she replied without hesitation. "I'll wait."
Akhil ended the call and turned to Unnati. "That was a woman. She said Sid fainted at Marine Drive and she took him to RB Hospital."
Unnati stood up instantly. "We should go. Now."
Without wasting another second, Akhil grabbed his keys and the two rushed out of the office. As they drove through the bustling Mumbai traffic, tension filled the car. Akhil's mind was a whirlwind of questions, but one thing was clear—Sid was getting deeper into something they barely understood.
And Akhil wasn't going to let him go through it alone.
Scene: RB Hospital
The road to the hospital felt longer than it was. Akhil's mind was racing—why did Sid go to Marine Drive again? Had he seen someone? Did he collapse because of hunger, stress… or something else entirely?
They reached RB Hospital within half an hour. The air was humid, the sky now a purplish shade of dusk. Akhil parked in haste, didn't bother locking the car.
As they rushed toward the reception, Akhil tried calling Sid again—but no one answered. Frustrated, he looked at Unnati. "Let's find him the old-fashioned way."
Inside, they approached the main reception desk.
"Excuse me," Akhil asked, "Was anyone brought here from Marine Drive recently? He's a journalist. There was a girl with him."
The receptionist looked through a few entries on her monitor and nodded. "Yes, there were five cases in the last few hours. Two of them are in ICU. I think your friend might be one of them."
Akhil and Unnati exchanged glances.
"Which way to the ICU?" Unnati asked.
The receptionist pointed to the corridor. "Take the left and then second right."
As they made their way, Akhil tried calling Sid again. No answer.
While walking briskly, Akhil accidentally bumped into a girl around his age who was walking from the opposite direction. She almost dropped her file.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Akhil said quickly, reaching to help her. "Wait… Have we met before?" he asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.
The girl gave him a sharp look. "Hospital was the only place left where men don't try to flirt with women. Guess that's gone too."
She walked past with an air of mock annoyance.
Unnati chuckled. "Really, Akhil? Even now?"
Akhil looked embarrassed. "I didn't mean it that way—I just felt like I knew her from somewhere…"
"Wow. Now you're starting to behave like Sid," Unnati said dramatically. "Oh god."
They reached the ICU where two security guards stood stationed.
"Excuse me," Akhil started, "We're here to see a friend. We think he might be inside but not sure."
"No entry without permission," one guard said bluntly. "You have to get clearance from the nurse."
"We're journalists," Akhil added quickly. "Please, we just want to confirm if he's there."
The guard seemed unmoved, but just then, a nurse walked out holding a clipboard.
"What's happening here?" she asked.
Akhil turned to her. "Our friend—Sidharth—was admitted from Marine Drive. We just want to make sure he's okay. Can you check?"
Unnati quickly showed her a photo of Sid on her phone.
The nurse took one glance and nodded. "Yes, that's him. He's in ICU. He fainted and collapsed from exhaustion and dehydration. A girl brought him in."
"Can we see him?" Unnati asked.
"Only one person is allowed inside," the nurse said. "There's already someone sitting beside him."
"Could you ask them to step out for a minute?" Akhil requested.
The nurse gave a nod and walked in to check.
A few moments later, she returned—visibly confused. "The bystander isn't there anymore."
"What?" Unnati asked.
"She was right there five minutes ago. She must have stepped out."
Akhil looked around the hallway. "She said she'd wait. She wouldn't just leave."
The nurse offered a soft smile. "Sometimes people just disappear. But don't worry—he's stable. You can wait here, and when he's moved from ICU, someone will come and let you know."
"Thank you," Unnati said softly.
The nurse walked away, leaving Akhil and Unnati standing in the sterile corridor.
Akhil walked to the bench nearby and sat down with a heavy sigh, resting his elbows on his knees. Unnati followed and sat beside him. For a few seconds, they both sat in silence, absorbing the atmosphere—the muted sounds of machines, the faint smell of antiseptic, the dim corridor lights.
Unnati broke the silence first. "So… she left?"
Akhil rubbed his forehead. "Seems like it. No name. No number. Nothing."
Unnati looked toward the ICU door. "Do you think it was the same girl Sid saw yesterday?"
Akhil looked at her and shook his head slowly. "I don't know. He was so sure he saw someone… someone he couldn't forget. But Sid never even told me what she looked like—just kept calling her 'that girl' like she was some dream."
Unnati lowered her voice. "But what if it was her?"
"Then why would she leave?" Akhil asked, frustration creeping into his tone. "If she was that important… if she meant something to him, wouldn't she stay? Or at least leave a note?"
Unnati's expression softened. "Maybe she didn't know how important she was to him."
Akhil leaned back against the wall, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. "Yeah… or maybe she didn't even know he recognized her. Or maybe she panicked."
A few moments passed.
Unnati folded her arms, her brows furrowed. "I just wish we had some way to contact her."
"Me too," Akhil said. "It's like every time we think we're getting closer to figuring this out, something new happens. And Sid gets pulled deeper into it."
He glanced toward the ICU again. "He's not just tired. Something's eating at him."
Unnati nodded. "He's not the same since yesterday. I saw it in his eyes when he talked about that old man—Sudarshan. And now this."
Akhil turned to her. "And you're sure it was Sudarshan's house you two visited last night? Not a café?"
"Yes," she said firmly. "It was his house. Quiet place. Old books, warm vibe. He spoke in riddles… like he knew more than he was saying."
Akhil was quiet for a moment. Then he muttered, "I just don't like this feeling. Like we're all inside some puzzle Sid didn't sign up for."
Unnati gave a sad smile. "But he did. The moment he saw that girl, something changed."
They sat quietly again. The corridor around them remained still except for distant announcements and the occasional nurse walking by.
Akhil looked down at his phone again, scrolling through the missed calls. "Maybe… she'll call back."
Unnati glanced at him. "Let's hope so. For Sid's sake."