Chapter 8

  

  Thanks for reading, here is part eight

 

 

 

 Nikita heard footsteps coming closer. She trembled with fear but then sighed in relief seeing Abhimanyu.

 

She frowned. What was he doing out that late? She looked at the time. It was now nearing four am.

 

" How are you feeling  Nikki?," he inquired.

 

" Main theek hoon," she stated as she  tried getting up.

 

" Relax Nikki. You got hurt. Kya tumhe yaad hai, kya hua tha?"

 

 She swallowed hard. She knew immediately  why he was concerned yet a bit distant.

 

" I wasn't raped," she muttered.

 

Abhimanyu sat down beside her and cupped her chin.

 

" Aaj ke baad tum itni dere akeli nahin aagoi," he said firmly. ( After today you will not go anywhere this late alone)

 

 

 She nodded.

 

" Nikki tum meri sub se badi takat  ho aur meri kamsori. I cannot lose you now or ever. Every sorrow and happiness we will share together. Can you promise me that?," he inquired.

 

 She nodded.

 

" Main tumse vaada karti  hoon Abhi. I will always share everything with you," she declared.

 

 He smiled slightly.

 

"  Good, now I want you to sleep," he stated.

 

" Leken mera ek saval hai. You haven't given me an answer  of what I asked  before.

 

 Abhi sighed.

 

"If you are ready, I will tell you the story Nikki. If you rather get some sleep first…," he trailed off.

 

She looked at him firmly.

 

" If you are ready then so am I."

 

 

 Abhimanyu took the next hour telling her  how he was in love with this girl  Alia back in med school. Her father was the dean at the teaching hospital nearby.  Alia was only interested in being  friends as she had her eyes on someone else. She ended up getting an opportunity abroad and  returned two years later. She had married someone else but he had a heart condition which got complicated by his drinking and smoking habits.

 

 " Alia brought him into the hospital I was working at. The damage was already done. Without surgery he could survive a bit longer. However Alia wanted the surgery done. She thought he could get better. We were able to remove some plaque but the arteries were already so clogged. He died within a  week,"  Abhi said.

 

" Alia blamed you didn't she? I know she was grieved but her husband already abused his body," Nikita stated in disgust.

 

 He nodded solemnly.

 

" My heart was shattered even further when she was diagnosed with stage one lung cancer. She didn't want my help.  I still don't know if she got help. She crushed my confidence in myself and in what I thought I was born to do," he stated.

 

It was now five am.

 

"   Abhi I  hope you will continue to do surgeries. What happened in the past we cannot change. However from now I want to be by your side," she stated.

 

 He smiled.

 

" I am so lucky to have you with me Nikki. I couldn't have  done that  surgery without you. Anyway  how about you get changed and go back to bed? You have  had a tough day. I'll be here with you in case you need to talk," he stated.

 

 She got up and went to  her  dresser. She looked very pale and  her head  was aching now. She really needed some sleep and an ice pack. She turned to her husband.

 

"Pick something out for me," she pleaded.

 

He smiled slightly and picked out her pink pajamas. He always thought she looked  cute in them, She wore them the first time he gave her flowers and the time she stumbled onto him from her window in  Panchgani.

 

" Yeh lo meri pari," he whispered.

 

 Her pain and sorrow from the past whole day seemed to vanish in that one moment as she took them from his hands. She locked eyes for a moment until she felt a pang of pain.

 

" Nikki! "

 

He quickly led her to sit down on the bed.

 

As he held her, she touched her  white dupatta and saw the tear in it.

 

" I just want to forget what happened after you left the hospital. It was terrible. I am going to change then I want you to stay with me please Abhi!"

 

" Main yahan hoon na Nikki. I am not going anywhere."

 

 

 She slept with his hand between hers. It reminded him of the first time he  felt something for her. Holi had been the first time he felt something for this girl. Back then he thought he had been infatuated about something that could never become real.  However now he was glad she was here with him. She hid her sorrows and pain so she could take apart his own burdens. A saathi like her was hard to find but here he had ended up with the needle in the haystack as his wife. Today Abhimanyu Modi truly felt like luckiest guy in the world.

 

He fell asleep beside her, his hand clasping hers.

 

 (Haan Tu Hai plays in the background )

 

 He stood there wearing all white and she appeared wearing a red sari. He gave her his hand and they danced. He twirled her around. She was all smiles and this made him feel elated.  He whispered something into her ear and she smiled brightly. The next time she twirled around she didn't come back towards him but suddenly she crashed to the floor.

 

He awakened with a start. It had been a beautiful dream until his beloved had fallen like that. He groaned realizing it was probably after 10 am by now. He looked over quickly to see if Nikita was all right.  She wasn't there. For a moment he got worried maybe they hadn't gotten married and her being with him in surgery and waking up with him had all been a  dream.

 

 Then she appeared in the doorway.

 

He sighed with relief as she  stumbled back onto the bed. He got a hold of her and helped her lay down properly.

 

"  I want you to relax. It's Saturday today.  We will stay home today and I will make sure you feel much better  by Monday," he promised.

 

 She looked at him with concern.

 

" We must have so much to do. Do you think  the covering  doctors can take care of it?," she inquired.

 

" It will be all right. If not I will go see about the matter but you'll stay here and rest. We'll call  your friends  and they can stay over with you," he stated.

 

Nikita nodded.

 

" Leken kya tuhme khana banana aata hai?"

 

Abhi smiled.

 

"  Well sweetheart  before I met you I  used to  do everything myself. Now you are in my life so it will be more fun!," he declared.

 

 

 She smiled.

 

" What would you like to have?," he asked.

 

" Hmm, mere pyare pati dev job hi tum bano!" ( Whatever you make my lovely husband)

 

 

" Ok I thought of something! I will be  right back," he assured her.