Part 7
It was afternoon and Nidhi was sitting with DB when Nidhi(J) came running to her...she came and hid behind Nidhi...she saw two sisters coming to search for her.
1 sister: Mam aap ne ek chhoti bachhi ko yahan dekha hai kya?
Nidhi: nahin... maine to nahi dekha (realizing that she was trying to run away from the sisters only)... par wo bachhi aap se bhaag kyun rahi hai...
Sister: wo hum use medicine dena chahte hain...time ho gaya hai... aur yeh roz aise hi hume bhagati hai...
Nidhi: achha...to aap us pyaari si... gudiya ko dhoond rahe ho... Jo sab ki laadli hai... Sab ki baat maanti hai... kisi ko tang nahi karti... use to... Hmm... maine kahin dekha hai... Kahan dekha hai yaad nahi... Main to bhool hi gayi...(acting as if trying to remember where she saw her)
Immediately Nidhi(J) came in front of her and said... arey Didi aap itni jaldi bhool gaye...main to yahin hu ...Nidhi smiled to see her and caught hold of her hands...
Nidhi: to aap davai nahi khaana chahti ...
Nidhi (j): wo bahut kadvi hoti hai... mujhe achhi nahi lagti...
Nidhi: par usse hi to aap jaldi theek hoge...haina...chalo ab good girl ki tarah davai lo...fir hume aapki birthday party mein bhi to chalna hai... aap ke doctor uncle ko achha nahi lagega na... ki aap ne medicine nahi li...
Nidhi(J): agar main medicine le lungi to aap mere saath kheloge?
Nidhi promised her to play with her and made her take the medicine. She told the sister that she would bring her along and they need not worry. They both went away and Nidhi took her to her mother.
Her mother: thank you...ki aap ne ise davai de di... sister ne bataya... warna bahut tang karti hai...
Nidhi: nahi Mam... isme thanks ki koi zaroorat nahi hai... yeh bahut pyari bachhi hai...
While the small girl was playing with her toys in the room, Nidhi asked her about her illness. She told her that she has a small tumor in her brain which needs surgery... But they can't afford the surgery as her husband passed away last year. But thankfully Dr Ashutosh was operating on her free of cost...she was admitted for the check ups before surgery and would be discharged in a couple of days. She would be operated next month. While they were talking...sister came there and told them to come for the get together. Everyone was present there including the staff, many stable patients... CV along with Nidhi and DB... but Dr Ashutosh was missing from there... Nidhi (J) was missing him as she didn't want to cut the cake in his absence. His assistant told her that her doctor uncle is busy and she should cut the cake but she became sad and refused to do so... she folded her hands and sat on a chair in disappointment and wasn't ready to talk to anyone.
After few minutes... Music started playing and to everyone's surprise...Dr Ashutosh entered there... dressed up as a teddy bear... he came upto her and gave her the gifts he had arranged for her...Nidhi (J) was very happy to receive all those gifts from her doctor uncle. After giving those gifts to her...he asked her to come and dance with him on the song...'hum bhi agar bachhe hote ...naam humara hota gablu bablu...' And everyone was dancing to that song. Nidhi was happily enjoying their dance together and was observing her transformed Ashu... he was so happy with that small girl... He wasn't his own self in her company...he too seemed to be back to his childhood days... Nidhi had tears of happiness in her eyes and CV who was observing everything... Felt something pierce his heart at that moment. After a long time, he was seeing her smiling at heart... She had become so quiet and melancholy after separation from him... Her silence was disturbing him terribly ... How desperately he wanted her to smile...to be the same Nidhi again as she was earlier...For a few moments...he too imagined Ashu... Nidhi and a small girl...their daughter together in his dreams... And a smile came onto his face... DB noticed him smiling and asked him why was he smiling? He just ignored answering that question that time...as he realized that it was his imagination and this won't come true ever...and he himself was the one responsible for this. But he couldn't deny the fact that he had seen his daughter smile after so many months just because of him.
While dancing...Nidhi(J) was about to slip when immediately Ashu and Nidhi both ran to her and held her and prevented her from slipping... As they both held her... Their eyes met and the moments spent together all flashed in front of their eyes and both of them stood still...as if the moment freezed there and then for them...Nidhi(J) who was seeing them like this and trying to figure out what was going around...but her innocent mind couldn't make out anything...she just spoke up... arey aap dono mujhe neeche to utaaro... Both of them came out of their thoughts and helped her stand. Cake was cut and everyone enjoyed the get together a lot...especially the small girl...she was very very happy today.
After this all of them had lunch... and while CV was being taken back to his room as all the other patients... someone came there and called them from behind. Nidhi and CV both looked at him and were surprised to see Dr Aman in front of them. He came and touched his and DB's feet and took their blessings.
Dr Aman: Uncle this is not fair...itna kuchh hua aur aap ne kuchh bataya hi nahi... wo to Papa ne aaj aapke ghar phone kiya to aap ki maid ne bataya ki aap sab yahan hospital mein hain...
CV: Nahi aisa kuchh nahi hai... wo bas aap ko pareshan nahi karna chahte the...
Dr Aman: isme pareshani ki kya baat hai uncle? Aap bhi to apne hi hain... chaliye main aap ko aap ke room tak le chalta hu...
He took CV to his room and DB and Nidhi too went along with them. All of them were talking to each other while Nidhi was sitting there quietly lost in Ashu's thoughts. Dr Ashutosh came there for the evening rounds and was surprised to see him there. But he didn't ask them anything about his identity... and just as a strict professional...he examined his patient and advised him to be regular with his medicines and the physiotherapy...which had to be continued even after discharge. While he was about to leave... Aman spoke up to him...
Dr Aman: excuse me doctor...
When Ashu stopped and turned around...
Dr Aman: Hi I am Dr Aman...I'm a surgeon... I practice in Chandigarh... I just wanted to know about his progress...
Dr Ashutosh: how are you related to them...if you don't mind me asking...as I have already told his daughter about his condition...
Dr Aman: oh yes..of course...I should have told you myself...I'm Nidhi's fiance...
Ashu was shocked to hear this word fiance from him...she got engaged... She never told me in so many days...he thought. His surprise was clearly evident on his face and immediately his eyes turned towards Nidhi for the answers to his silent questions...which he knew she understood very well... "Who else would understand him better than her...he thought. Nidhi looked into his eyes but she wasn't able to face him this time... she had tears in her eyes and she turned her eyes downwards... she had no answers to his questions and her heart cried out at the thought of him coming to know this truth... she was trying hard but she couldn't stop few tears drop down her cheeks.
Ashu judged the entire situation and reconciled himself...he shook hands with Aman and told him about the present condition of CV. He left from there and went to his room immediately. He asked no one to disturb him for sometime as he had some urgent work to complete. He locked up his room from inside and went and bumped into his chair...as if all his energy had drained out from his body...that one truth had turned him into a lifeless soul once again. He wasn't able to believe himself what he just heard. He rested his head on the back of his chair and the word fiance kept on echoing in his ears... He didn't want to hear this word and he closed his ears with his palms...and burst out crying... He wasn't able to bear this pain that he was experiencing... he had no one with whom he could share his agony.
There Nidhi knew what he must be going through... She went outside the room and rushed to Ashu's office. She wanted to meet him...to speak to him... To calm him down... to tell him everything...but the peon outside his office told her that he didn't want to be disturbed for sometime. She requested him but he couldn't allow her as he couldn't disobey him at any cost. Nidhi stood there outside his office...praying to God to give him the strength to face this reality. Ashu while trying to decrease his agony...took out some pics from his drawer...pics of them together...when she used to work in his hospital...he had kept them safe till now...they had been his companion since the time she left him.
Ashu (tears still running down): to tum ne aage badne ka decision le hi liya aakhir...hai na... achha hi hai ...tumhare liye... par mujhe takleef kyun ho rahi hai... Main bhi to yehi chahta hu...ki tum mujhe bhool kar apni life ek naye sire se shuru karo... par aaj jab main jaanta hu ki tum aisa kar rahi ho... to mera dil mere dimaag ka saath kyun nahi de raha hai? Kyun mujhe lag raha hai jaise main tumhe rok lu... khud se door jaane se... jab ki main jaanta hu ki aisa nahi ho sakta...par fir bhi... kya tum khush ho... is faisle se? lagta to nahi...tumhari aankhen to kuchh aur bata rahi thi... shayad tumhari aankhon ki udaasi hi mujhe pareshan kar rahi hai... kya karu main jisse tumhari yeh udaasi door ho jaye?
He didn't know how to face her again now... but he has to...for her sake... he would try to take her out of her confusion and help her in moving ahead in her life. For her sake and for the happiness of her family... he would do this... He won't let her see whats going inside his heart... but will he able to hide his feelings? He wasn't sure but he had to try and do it...as it was important for her sake. With this thought... He wiped his tears and got up from his seat and washed his face. He moved out from his office and saw Nidhi sitting there crying.
Ashu: Miss Verma...aap yahan...sab theek to hai... CV is ok na?
Nidhi saw him standing there and she got up surprised... she wiped her tears too and told him in broken phrases that her father was ok. He asked her to go home with her fiance and DB and the staff would take care of CV. While he was leaving from there, she stopped him... He asked what was it that she wanted to say...but not knowing how and what to say...she just said nothing and he left from there to complete his rounds and she too left for CV's room after a few moments. Both of them knew what the other person was going through...but no one had any solution to this and so both decided to carry on with their life as it was coming to them.
Tere har dard ka hai hume ehsaas... wo har ehsaas hai humare liye bahut khaas
Teri khushi ke liye hum sahe har dard... Tu na sahi tera dard to rahe humare dil ke paas
The End😊
Hope you liked it too😊
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