The Traps of Black Swan

At Rivas hospital,

Aarvi no longer had plans to consult a doctor. She didn\'t want Aaron to feel she didn\'t trust him and his treatment. So her priority was to look for Lara before handling Naomi.

She had just reached the reception, the receptionist greeted her, "Miss. Evans." She greeted another receptionist who was attending; a different person faintly smiled at Aarvi with a nod to greet her.

Aarvi asked politely, "May I know the ward number of Lara Dalton?"

"Give me a minute, Ms. Evans. I will check the log." The receptionist respectfully responded before looking at the computer screen.

Before the receptionist could respond, a male voice interrupted, "Excuse me… Ms. Moon?"

Aarvi turned to the source of the voice to see Lara\'s father who looked worn out but his eyes held the gratitude which wasn\'t for her but Aaron, "Mr. Dalton…"

The receptionist who was confused hearing Moon did her duty, "Ms. Evans, Ms. Lara Dalton is in VIP room 9." She didn\'t bother mentioning the floor number as Aarvi was aware of the whole hospital layout.

"Thank you, have a good day." Aarvi politely responded and took steps towards the elevator as Lara\'s father walked with her.

"I am sorry, Ms. Evans. Lara always addressed you as \'Aunt Moon.\' so we always... " He paused mid-sentence and sighed a long one.

He and his wife realized that they always focused on the future and to give everything best for their daughter, they eventually neglected their own daughter that they didn\'t even know the lady\'s name their daughter loved playing with.

Aarvi could see he was repenting his actions so even though she was angry at him and his wife, she didn\'t rub salt. And who was she to them? An outsider so she just advised.

"Mr. Dalton, I am not sure if you can understand Lara but I do, I really do. The best school, branded clothes, amazing car, a nanny, lots of toys…" Aarvi shook her head looking at her reflection on the elevator door. "These aren\'t the things she needs. She needs your attention and love. You might be working hard for her, what is the use of it if you can\'t give her your time?"

Mr. Dalton who never bothered to speak to Aarvi when she was playing with Lara always thought she had nothing better to do or time passed with Lara. His head hung low in guilty hearing her. 

He followed her silently to the ward carrying Lara\'s clothes.

Aarvi heard Lara crying unknowingly quickened her footsteps and entered the ward. Her heart winced looking at her head wrapped in thin layer bandage, her little face having many scratches, both hands were in a plaster cast, her knuckles had dried injuries, her knees wrapped in bandages. 

The nurse was standing helpless, Mrs. Dalton was coaxing her to take the injection. Lara had no strength to move her hands and the pain was causing her to cry continuously.

Aarvi\'s hand trembled by recalling how men had tortured her physically. The pain felt raw looking at Lara. 

Aarvi quickly composed when Lara cried aloud seeing a nurse holding a syringe. She was already in pain, Aarvi could imagine how the slightest thing would scare Lara.

"May I, Mrs. Dalton?" Aarvi\'s soft voice was barely audible.

Lara looked at Aarvi in her blurry vision but she couldn\'t see properly. She wanted to rub her tears but couldn\'t move her hands which led her to cry breathlessly.

Mrs. Dalton who was also weeping stepped away looking at Aarvi\'s downcast eyes.

Aarvi left her bag aside and pulled a few pieces of tissue and dabbed Lara\'s face to dry her tears, "Where is my Little Angel? Did she forget me?"

\'Little Angel\' Her cry slowly lowered as opened her reddened eyes to Aarvi before she again started, "A-aunt Moon, aunt Moon, I can\'t play with you." She choked on her words and continued to cry.

Aarvi asked the nurse if they could raise the headboard of the bed before she grabbed more tissues, "Lara…" She gently cupped her face and tried a few times to get her attention, "Little Angel, shall we play something?"

Sniffling, Lara asked, "Aunt Moon, I can\'t move my hands. What shall we play?" She asked in her sobbing voice.

"Good question." Aarvi put on a thinking face to keep Lara\'s attention on her, "Shall we play number games?" 

Lara smiled but there was still a pain in it. But her brown eyes twinkled saying, "Aunt Moon, I have learned till seventy. Do you want to hear me?" Her teary pain-filled voice had excitement.

"Wow!" Aarvi exclaimed as she cued the nurse to give the injection, "Little Angel is so fast and smart. What else did you learn? Will you tell Aunt Moon too?"

Lara giggled, "Okay," She happily said and tried to make space for Aarvi to sit but she couldn\'t move her hand and her eyes filled up again.

Aarvi noticed the nurse was done so she didn\'t let the little girl\'s heart sour but sat on the edge of the bed. 

Aarvi was gently wiping the tears from the little girl\'s face while she was counting from one to seventy. 

Dalton couple breathed a sigh understanding they shouldn\'t coax Lara to take injection but keep her distracted. She wasn\'t a teenager but a little kid, a preschooler.

Aarvi sent them to eat something so they were leaving when a doctor reached at the door, "How is Lara? I heard she was crying. I came to look at… her." Naomi stumbled in her words looking at the slender girl sitting on the edge of the bed.

\'Is she Aarvi? Who else will wear ugly black all the time?\' She scoffed in her mind.

Naomi was with Aaron the previous day so the Dalton couple knew her. "Doctor Fisher, Lara got her favorite aunt, so she is alright now." Mrs. Dalton responded in relief watching Lara giggle forgetting about her pain.

Mrs. Dalton, who always saw cold, unapproachable Aaron and Aarvi, couldn\'t stop herself from thinking if they were Lara\'s parents or them. 

Aaron took care of everything the previous day which a father should have done and Aarvi successfully stopped Lara from crying and also made her happy.

She glanced at the heap of toys on the coffee table and couch they had brought and Lara happily talking with Aarvi, she understood her daughter needed them but they always gave them toys.

How could a lifeless toy compare to a mother or father\'s warmth and affection?

Her hand clutched her husband\'s arm who was smiling looking at Lara, "From today on, let one of us stay with Lara." Her weak voice sounded looking at her husband in hope.

Mr. Dalton nodded as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Now their priority wasn\'t to give her the best lives tyle but to give her the best childhood.

Meanwhile, Naomi\'s brows quivered, \'Favorite Aunt?\' She had thought they were known to Aaron so she wanted to get close to them. 

Looking at the situation, she discerned Aaron knew them because of Aarvi. \'Aunt? Is Aarvi related to Mr or Mrs. Dalton? Then she is either Dalton or sister of Mrs. Dalton.\' 

A wicked smile appeared on her face assuming she will get to know Aarvi\'s identity and she can use it against her, totally unaware of the brewing trouble coming towards her.

Her grandfather gave back her full freedom in the morning, handed her car key back, and signed a luxurious apartment in her name. She was over the moon from that time that she also missed noticing her grandfather wasn\'t behaving himself. 

Naomi coughed lightly and got the attention of the couple, "Mr. Dalton, is she your sister perhaps?"