Malaal- Chapter 19

CHAPTER 19

“Rashi! Rashi!”, she heard a voice. She smiled.

“I can’t believe that I hear his voice in my last moments too.”, she thought briefly and smiled, ready to embrace death. She closed her eyes peacefully.

“Rashi!”, Jigar was screaming like crazy, carrying an unconscious Rashi in his arms, moving frantically to Ahem’s car.

“Hey Krishna Bhagwan!”, Kokila shouted out of agony. Rashi’s whole face was covered with blood, a deep cut to her left cheek and her left arm dangling, definitely fractured.

“Rashiben!”, Gopi couldn’t help sobbing. 

“Ahem bhai drive fast please!”, Jigar shouted on his brother, tears rolling down his face. Everything was floating in front of his eyes.

Hetal put her hand on his shoulder but he couldn’t feel anything.

“Rashi please wake up! Please-“, he broke down again. It felt like life had teased him; showed him the face of his beloved for a brief moment and then smeared that face with blood.

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“She’s still unconscious. Excessive bleeding has lead to severe weakness. But she’s stable now. Her left arm has been plastered already. She’ll wake up in a day.”, the doctor told Ahem.

“Thank you so much Kanhaji. Thank you so much.”, Gopi said with tears in her eyes.

Jigar sat silently on the bench. “You have never given her anything other than pain. Nothing.”, he thought.

Kokila breathed a sigh of relief. She sat and suddenly an idea popped into her head.

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“No Kakiji! I don’t think we should do such a disgusting thing. Rashi would hate us more for this.”, Jigar protested and all family members present in the hospital nodded in agreement.

“Try to understand Jigar. There’s no choice. Yes, she would hate us for this but it would give us the opportunity to win her heart back. Trust me.”, she replied.

“I think Kokila is right Jigar. We will have to do this.”, Hetal added softly.

“Ahem, just make sure to get the paperwork ready before Rashi regains consciousnesses.”, Kokila instructed Ahem.

“Yes Mom. I’ll make sure to get it all done secretly.”, Ahem replied.

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“Ishan...”, Rashi said slowly as she tried to open her eyes. What she saw didn’t make her happy. Kokila’s and Gopi’s face right infront of her eyes.

“What the hell-“, she managed to say and looked around. She quickly tried to get up.

“Rashiben don’t!”, Gopi said and held her. Rashi looked at her, trying to hide the emotions that were building inside her on seeing her sister.

Gopi smiled sadly. “Rashiben, didn’t you miss your sister even once, all these years?”, she asked amongst silent tears.

Rashi swallowed. “How could I? When I didn’t exist for my family?”, she replied and Gopi shook her head frantically.

Rashi turned to Kokila, as Ahem entered. Rashi’s heart skipped a beat. Her heart was aching to and afraid to anticipate that even Jigar may have come.

“By the way, what the hell are you upto Mrs Kokila? Why have you brought your family here?”, she asked, in a voice of pure hatred. Kokila flinched for a moment.

“Rashiben what are you saying?”, Gopi asked her shocked.

“Huh, Gopi, I had warned her and Hetal aunty not to come across me ever again, but seems that they can’t see me happy.”, she replied coolly.

Ahem kept his cool and signalled the nurse. The nurse stepped forward.

“Ma’am, these are the papers for your admission and treatment here. You need to sigh them.”, she offered some papers to Rashi. Rashi, already in pain, physically as well as emotionally, due to the presence of the Modis, signed without reading.

“Here, take them. And please bring a phone, I need to make a call.”, she said as she handed over the papers.

Ahem and Kokila exchanged glances and nodded.

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