Chapter #85

Vihaan offered his hand to the physician, and when she took it marveled that the sensation was the exact same as it had been a few days before.  It was the strangest thing, he thought as he looked from where they were connected, back up to her face.

 

In accepting his colleague's invite to a business lunch that day to help sure up the deal with some potential clients - the only son of an overseas business man who had an enviable financial portfolio - he would never have fathomed that the  budding investor would be the very man they had been warned to look out for. And that in the worst that irony had to offer, that Naomi would be at his office at the exact time, having shown up to see him unexpectedly.  By some miracle Bhabhi's memories had returned, but she was in a bad state, now that she recalled what had happened to Bhai. He had scarcely calmed her down; assuring her that Rajeev was fine when the knock came on his office door, and his co-worker had stuck his head around it.  Bhabhi had pulled herself together and moved to rejoin Sareena and Jack who were in the outside reception area. However, her departure was aborted when she stopped short in front of the other couple who  also stood waiting just outside: the husband and wife that Vihaan was scheduled to meet.

"Ahbi?"

Vihaan had seen red at his bhabhi's proclamation, and with clenched fists, had taken several steps forward...until the unexpected touch had stilled him.

 

And now today with Sareena's hand  againin his, as they stood in the departure area at Heathrow, the heady feeling had returned. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"Thank you, Sareena, for everything."

She sent him a small smile.

"Well, I couldn't let you risk losing your job over that cretin. It's the very least..."

Vihaan grinned. "The loss of employment would have been worth it. Frankly, I think my family would have celebrated my beating that man to a pulp.  And once they had got me off any charges I would have faced I probably wouldn't have had to work another day in my life. But, actually I was speaking of everything you have done for Bhabhi. I know that whatever it was you did, that it helped her to regain her memory."

She froze in light of his praise and diverted her gaze, unable to look at him any longer. "What I've done is miniscule in comparison to what she and Rachna had done for me first," she murmured.

Vihaan nodded.

"Those two do make quite the team," he agreed. "I hope everything goes well for you."

 Sareena looked back up at him. "Thank you Vihaan, that's...very nice of you," she replied haltingly; biting her lower lip subtly before continuing. "Perhaps we can meet when I return; Ah, I mean since you have already met Sanjay already. I figure it might be a comfort to him amidst all of the changes to have some familiar faces around."

"We could visit the Eye," Vihan proposed. "He had hoped that he and I would anyway..."

"It sounds as if he had everyone promise to take him..." Sareena laughed.

"Hey, you can't fault him for knowing his heart's desire; his is clearly the London Eye," Vihaan rejoined with a smile. "He's a smart boy; it takes some grown men forever to figure out what they want," he added warmly.

*****

The last call came for all electronics and mobile devices to be turned off caused Sareena to sigh heavily at the loss of connection. In the last few days she had finally been able to use the newly installed app, and had come to rely on it already for the sense of security that it offered. Jack was a genius with the gadgets he could source, and this one had been a lifesaver. More nervous in the lead up to her flight, than she had been the whole time she had searched for Sanjay, the GPS device was a dream. She had been able to pinpoint the little boy or precisely his school bag the entire time as it moved between the Tripathi residence and the day school he attended.  It had comforted her, and now she had to be bereft of this knowledge having to disconnect from it for the time it would take to fly to India. Looking out of the window, Sareena chewed nervously on her thumb. She could only hope that her mind would settle, allowing her to get some rest on the long-haul flight, but already it began to crowd with thoughts of her nephew and the changes to both of their lives that would transpire in the near future.  Sonal and her reaction would factor greatly in these lifestyle changes, but unexpectedly this wasn't her first concern.  No, she thought; her primary consideration had somehow evolved to how her returning with her new nanny would affect the newly found rapport she had developed with the young woman's Devar.  Naomi had assured her that she would explain everything to Rajeev, but  Vihaan...well Sareena knew that she would solely bear the brunt of his anger for  his Bhai and Bhabhi being separated again.

*********

 

All of the evidence was circumstantial and thus unlikely to bring about a satisfactory conclusion to any prosecution if pursued in its present state.

 

That had been the final word given by the Inspector and corroborated by the Agarwal attorney. Her statement and certainty of their attacker was not enough. More would needed; more beyond the proof they presently had, even though all concerned were more than convinced of Abhi's guilt. But unless something tangible was discovered to physically tie him to the crime against them, nothing could be done. Or, as Naomi had suggested another attempt was made, and he was caught in the act: a sting operation to be precise, would be the ideal way to catch Abhi.

 

Naturally that had not gone over well with anyone.  With the uproar her suggestion had caused it was a wonder they had even left her to her own devices afterwards. Thankfully though, Jack's presence and convincing had prevented her immediate sequestering.

 

"Some would say that the best revenge would be to live your life on your own terms; to show him that he hasn't defeated you. Which is what I thought is what you intended in the first place..."

Naomi looked over from the passenger seat conscious of the task that would take up a fair portion of their day was in total contradiction to her words. "I never said that wasn't my plan, but the perfect situation would be for him to pay for his crimes and for us to get a happy ending, too."

"Well sorry Pretty Eyes, life isn't fair all the time; you need to determine which is more desirable to you. Besides, you can't deny that these last few days have been good for you; and this is simply due to talking  to Rajeev on the phone; once you reunite..."

Keeping his eyes on the road Jack drove defensively through the crowded street, still caught Naomi's chin go up in defiance. Her silence didn't unnerve him in the least; the stubborn mien of a client was unfortunately the norm in his line of work. "All I ask Pretty Eyes, as long as you are in my care that you keep me in the loop. I can't protect you from what I don't know about, but you really need to weigh your quest for justice against the alternative."  He put on the car's indicator, and turned into the new development so that she could make her delivery.

"This may take a while. Aasha , I'm sure will be full of questions."

 The bodyguard nodded. "That will work in our favor and allow me to do what I have to. Just remember we have a tight schedule to keep, and this is just the first step." He parked the car and swiftly exited the car to get Naomi's door, even as he expertly scanned their surroundings. "Let's get this underway so we will be on time to collect Sanjay. He has an exciting afternoon in store for him."

********

Rachna heard the shaky breath and looked up at Kabir who stood beside her. She tightened the grasp she had on his hand and he looked down at her in response.  He sighed again and smiled at his wife, raising her hand to his lips.

"Yes, I am restless," he said needlessly.

"And that is okay; I would wonder if you were not."  Something made her face forward, at the right time. "Look Kabir: there, I'm certain that's Sareena."

Kabir searched the face of the anxious woman approaching them for some sign that she was kin to their Sanjay. He saw it immediately: around the eyes there was a distinct likeness. The little boy's eyes, who before today Kabir would say favored his own over Sonal's were in fact neither.  They were undeniably bequeathed from the Arora gene pool.

"My God, Kabir her eyes; how could I not immediately picked up the similarity when I spoke to her on Skype," Rachna enunciated shaking him out of his reverie.

"Ha Rachna, it is quite clear," he replied as he joined his wife in raising his hand to wave in welcome. They saw when they had gained her attention, as a tentative smile came to her lips. The couple began walking to meet her.  It took but a handful of steps before the group met. Hastily Sareena set her luggage on its side, and folded her hands, an action repeated by the couple in front of her.

"Namaste Mr. and Mrs..."

"Nay," Kabir replied shaking his head. "Kabir and Rachna will do."

"Absolutely," Rachna concurred, before spontaneously embracing the woman.

"Thank you Sareena, for everything you did for Naomi; we're thrilled that she's returned home."

Sareena nodded, and scanned the immediate area for the woman in question.

Kabir instantly interpreted her action, and answered the unspoken query.

"She had some errands today, but she and Jack will be collecting Sanjay from school when she  has finished.  You will have had ample time to freshen up and take a rest before they arrive home."

"Exactly," Rachna picked up from her husband. "Everyone will be home by the time you awake, so you will be able to meet Daadi again, as well as our daughter."

"That will be lovely; and will Rajeev be there as well? It would be nice to finally have a face to go along with the voice," Sareena remarked.

Kabir grabbed Sareena's luggage, leaving his wife to respond to their visitor's inquiry. He, for one, did not totally comprehend why Naomi had yet to inform Rajeev of her return, but then again this decision wasn't his call. He couldn't help though, but observe that even Sareena looked shocked by the prospect, when Rachna informed her of Naomi's decision.

"But she has been here for days; how could she not think to meet him?"

"It's her choice; after everything that happened, we won't dare impose our opinions on her."

"I see," Sareena stated.

They hadn't long to wait before the driver pulled up to collect them.  Offering the back seat to the women, Kabir joined the driver in the front. He listened as Rachna pointed out different points of interest on the drive home, which seemed to be appreciatively received by the young physician who had never been to Banaras before.

"So do you have no relatives here at all," Rachna queried.

"None that are very close," Sareena answered. "Bhai had one or two distant relatives that he would contact, but mostly it was his colleagues that he kept in touch with here, since our parents had immigrated to the UK many years ago- well before I was born. To be honest, if not for Bhai's regular travel to India for conferences and the like, which I would sometime have the chance to accompany him with if I was on break from boarding school I probably would not have made it here at all."

The couple listened as Sareena opened up more about her-self and also filling in some of the blanks as how her brother had come to meet Sonal.

"It was actually after one of these conferences that Sonal came into Bhai's life. I came home for my half term exeat to find my would-be Bhabhi already living at home, and hastily organized wedding plans well under way. It was a whirlwind romance apparently at 3000 feet. Sonal had been visiting family here and Bhai had just concluded a conference. They had literally bumped into each other at the airport, and Bhai was smitten at first sight...I was happy because Bhai was, but...it never felt right..." The young woman hesitated, caught up in whatever memories that the conversation had brought to the fore. She then smiled. "Thankfully we were blessed to have Sanjay join our family. Bhai was ecstatic. He had never expected to be a father; I was the closest that he had to a child until then. We were all so excited and yet frightened at the same time, because he had come early."

 

Kabir turned his head to face the women seated in the back, and met his wife's waiting glance. It was an aha moment for them and explained how Sanjay's birth could correspond with the time frame to make it credible that he could have been Kabir's son.

It was then that Rachna noticed Sareena's head droop before she sat up with a start.

"Oh excuse me; clearly I didn't get as much rest as I thought I had on the flight."

"Think nothing of it, Sareena. We're almost home, and you can get ample rest once there. We can talk later. You will, I'm sure, want to be alert as possible when you meet Sanjay."

"Thank you Rachna. Does...does he have any idea that..."

"Nay," Rachna answered,  "He has barely calmed down from his Pari returning, and now..."

"Pari," Sareena asked, as the car turned into the residence's parking place.

Rachna grinned. "Naomi; I'll explain later after you've rested, but we're here now, so let's get you settled."

******

Kabir followed Rachna to their bedroom after settling Sareena in the guest bedroom down the hall.

He paced the room while Rachna called their doctor and scheduled for the home visit so that the physician could conduct the DNA swab test that Sareena had agreed to take later this afternoon, once Sanjay had arrived home from school. Having decided that she too was in need of a rest her-self Rachna removed her sandals and dupatta and lay on top of the coverlet.  She scooted over when Kabir came to sit on the bed and went to lean back on the headboard.

"Wait," Rachna said as she grabbed a couple of pillows to prop behind Kabir's back. His sigh of gratification had her smiling, and when he had settled she took the opportunity to cuddled against his chest and breathed deeply, taking in the woodsy scent of his cologne.  She closed her eyes and murmured in contentment when her husband's arms enfolded her.

"I can never get enough of this, Kabir," she whispered. "Don't think too much, KT, just relax for a few minutes; there will be plenty of time to learn everything."

"She seems a lovely person; very genuine."

"Yes, she does," Rachna replied, running her fingers lightly on her husband's chest.

"It seems that she had a lonely upbringing; just her and her brother."  

Rachna's had stopped. "As did you, Kabir; after your Mother left and your father..."

"Nay, it's not the same. I had Daadi."

"And Sareena, had her Bhai who by all appearances did a marvelous job."

"She grew up in a boarding school."

Rachna sat up. "Kabir, exactly what are you saying?"

"I just wonder if that will be her intent for Sanjay in the future; I do not think that would..."

He stopped when his wife stroked his cheek. "Kabir, let's take this one step at a time. Even if this is a consideration, I don't believe that Sareena will be looking to send a five year old away from home just yet. However if it makes you feel better you may query her intentions for Sanjay's education after things are resolved with the custody issue, thik hai?"

A small smile came is lips. "I have your permission do I?"

"Ji, Kabir, you may," Rachna replied saucily. "But only if you take rest for a little while yourself.

He knew she only had his best interests at heart, so for his wife he would try. He lowered his head and brushed his lips on her hair. The weight of her body nestled against him felt wonderful, and was enough to distract him for the moment.

*********

Rajeev looked around the parking lot and shook off the feeling of expectation that engulfed him, before finally unlocking his car and entering it. He was extra observant as pulled out of the parking lot, but remained totally unaware of the moisture laden eyes that followed his departure.

"I thought you had confirmed his schedule; that he wouldn't be here right now," Jack muttered to the tiny female he had quickly shoved behind him when he realized that the coach was in the immediate vicinity.

"He shouldn't be, if anything if he should have..."

"Well that's neither here nor here. We have a window, now that he's left the college, but since we don't have any idea for how long he is gone for..."

Naomi wiped her face and nodded, "You're right. She then looked around and located the person she was to meet and raised her hand in greeting. The student waved back. As usual Karan was wearing a smile and carried his new camera.

*********

Refreshed from her nap and a light snack, Sareena basked in the warm welcome she received from Daadi and then from her playtime with little Aryia whose playful antics had gone far to allay her nervousness as the time  passed and it got closer to  the time for Sanjay to return home. Before that though she received an unanticipated guest, whose request of her had a profound effect on the household members.

 

He was taller and of a more athletic build than his brother, but she would say they were equally as handsome. Unlike Vihaan though, Rajeev was undoubtedly the more reserved of the two brothers. The stoic, elder Agarwal brother was also clearly so desperately in love with Naomi, Sareena realized; and inexplicably, completely in the dark as to his fiance's whereabouts.  Sareena had genially accepted his thanks for her part in helping Naomi to remember; explaining to the Tripathi's how she had devised a plan using involuntary memories to help Naomi recall what she hadn't been able after the attack. How on Sareena's advice Rajeev hadn't reached out to Naomi, instead providing a detailed recollection of that night from which hints of could be integrated in general conversation or as been done, a meaningful song played which would allude to the suppressed memory.  It had worked, and barring the incident with Abhi, had allowed for some progress towards an eventual reunion. Naomi had been in touch, Rajeev had shared, and he hoped if it was safe for her to travel, that he could convince her to return to the UK. Perhaps, Rajeev had suggested, Naomi could take up the nanny position she and Sareena had tentatively agreed to.

"I wouldn't have an issue, but are you certain that is what you want, Rajeev?"

"That she would be all the closer would be a relief to me, and you have to admit it would be ideal for Sanjay to have someone he is familiar with in the first few months."

The room was silent, mostly from shock at the proposal, Rajeev had verbalized. However before the coach could comment further, he checked his watch, realizing that he would have to leave so that he wouldn't be late meeting his boys hockey team.  He left shortly after, but not before indicating that they would discuss the arrangement further soon; leaving  the group in stunned silence.

 

It wouldn't last long when the front door opened and the animated voice of the little boy could be heard wafting through the house. He entered the lounge happily holding hands with his Pari and cheerfully greeted his family. He was making a beeline for his little sister when he noticed the lady who had stood up when he had come in.

His mouth fell open, and he stared around the room at the rest of his family, before coming back to her. He hadn't seen her for so long, but he remembered her.

"Aunty Reena you're home!"

He dashed to the welcoming arms and vaulted into them.

"Where's Papa, Aunty Reena? Did he...oh I forgot," the little boy faltered. "My first papa is gone now, right Aunty Reena?"

Her lips trembling, Sareena nodded.

In the way that only a child could, Sanjay picked up on his Aunt's distress and hugged her tightly. "Don't be sad Aunty Reena, I have a new Papa and, a sister too, so the sad times are all finished now."

[NOCOPY]

crtkelly2016-05-22 01:04:23