CHAPTER 24
Pessimist: It can't get worst than this!
Optimist:Oh yes it can!
To say I hate hospitals wud be an understatement… let's see or think… (i) I have to get all those monthly disappointing tests done at the end of which they say that my condition is stable but they can't bring back my eyesight. (ii)Then there is thought of kashish working midst all the corps…arukgh… gives me chills to even think about that. (iii)Of course there is Rin then, another patient like me… She is really weak, very weak….. She wasn't always so bad mannered.. Well her health had effects on her head. It started when she got pregnant and her condition hadn't improved much even after 7 of delivery… So she wud visit doctors and hospitals twice in 3 months and get admitted if her condition worsened…
Not that I am complaining… But Rin isn't really my favorite person in the world… It's boring to sit in the waiting room of hospital, it's frustrating not knowing how bad her condition really is. She had been throwing up a lot past week and now she had to admitted…. I wouldn't have been so concerned but I heard the tension in Sam's voice and I know that the problem is graver that what he is telling everyone….
(iv)Since we are here I told Kashish to get uncle checked up too… he had been wheezing lot lately.. All the tension at work. How I wish……
Wishful thinking hadn't ever helped any1… So why am not so agitated even when so much wrong is happening around me? Coz Kashish is dozing off on my shoulder… Yah… She is working very hard too. That a**hole Piyush is hitting on her again and now that I am not around to kick his sorry a** he is getting bolder. Yesterday the bas***d almost physically dragged Kashish out of her office to have dinner with him. I heard them quarreling when Kashish returned home… I think she is even afraid of him these days. Of course she won't tell me what's up so….. All I can do is guess. Maybe she should file a case of mental harassment against him…
"Is any relative of Ashoke Sinha here?"
Great! Now the stupid nurse has woke up Kashish from the few moments of peace she was catching.
"Um.. y..yes.. that's me I am his daughter sorry I fell asleep… h.how.. what is…I mean how is he feeling now. Is anything wrong with him?"
"He is just suffering from a lot of stress and bad eating habits.. Too much coffee in the night… I wud suggest that u convince your father to take some days off work and heat food that agrees with his heart"
"Oh I have tried but he won't hear of taking a break… Some problems have come up… I… I talk to him again doctor, thanks… Do u know how is my sister in law?"
"Yes, I asked about her on my way here. Seems like she is reacting to some allergy… Weak as she is even smallest allergy make u throw up a lot. We'll keep her here for a week and find all things she is allergic too.. I wud warn u to very carefully monitor diet of your father and brother's wife… Well I'll be going now."
"Thank you doc…. Sujal?"
"Yah?"
"You think that u can talk to dad and make him tell u what exactly is bothering him at work so much?"
"You don't think it's the usual stress work load?"
"No… Dad likes the stress the challenge of difficult case and lots of cases… I don't know it's not the cases I think that are bothering him"
"Hmmm u r right most probably he hardly likes talking about work and rarely laughs. I'll talk to him. Don't worry everything is gonna be fine, u just keep that leper Piyush away from u."
************
I did talk to uncle and our suspicion was right. It just wasn't overwork load that was bothering him. Apparently someone was buying off the best lawyers of his firm. Yesterday one the best lawyers lost a simple open shut case of wrong identity. The way ashoke described the situation it was almost as some1 was deliberately trying to sabotage his firm and his name…. but no one wud do that. So it just meant that people these days really lacked humanity.
Maybe if Kashish took leave from work and went with her father for some while… She was a newbie but, all the cases 3 of us solved together… She had plenty experience in solving, only presenting case in front of judge was a problem… YES!!! This is a perfect solution! She wud be rid of that pervert lawyer AND uncle wud get help he needs. Having family around definitely changes office environment.
Ahhh I hear a car that's her for sure. Let's get the details ironed out.
*************
(Kashish's pov)
"I said! Leave me ALONE!!!!!!!!!!" I screamed at the bas***d in the car
Piyush says while getting out of car along with Kashish, "U don't tell me what to do! I tell u what to do! And I say that u r going to pay for the stunt u pulled out in the restaurant tonight."
"Oh yah!!! U gonna make me pay? Watcha gonna do in front of my own house?"
"It may be your house but u know this as well as me that there is no one inside. Your dad just called from night court. Ur brothers at hospital and of course dear stupid Nick is never around anyway.. hahaaaahaaaa"
I darted to the front door while Piyush finished his little victory speech.
Well he can't hurt me from the other side of door!!! Lord help me not murder him one day!
Kashish fumbled with lock and Piyush advanced towards her with the most menacing look eyes could give.
"Stay away from me freak!"
"As I said, u don't tell me what to do, I tell u what to do. And right now I am going to make u beg me for being nice as I was in the restaurant and beg for forgiveness."
Piyush was too close to me so he was able to push his way inside the door and now both of us were inside the house at the same side of the door. Piyush was over me instantly and grabbed my wrist tightly and gave it a big twist. I screamed and yelled with pain
How was bad dinner resulting in such circumstances? My agony filled brain couldn't ans this question. Why wasn't any1 around when I needed them? What is he planning to do with e? how far is he going to punish me? Has he lost his mind? Doesn't he know my father is a lawyer and he wud be in jail if he tries anything?
"LET go of MEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! Aoooooooooooowwwww U R gonna ROTT in jail @$%!$^!#^"
"Yuck didn't your mother teach u manners? Oh yah! She wasn't around to do that right? haaahaaa"
I managed to get away from his grasp by scratching his face. No one says sh*t about my mother ad gets away with it.
Piyush slapped Kashish hard and she landed 5 feet away from him on the floor.
"U witch!!! I though I'll be easy on u but now..!!!"
"Now what?" a voice called from other side of hall
Sujal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course he is here! YES!!! ….NO!!!!!! What if something happens to him? NOOOOOO!!! Sujal! Why is he here? Piyush always wanted to hurt Sujal. I can't defend two of us against this mad bas***d!!
"Sujal go away!!! This is b/w me and him don't interfere."
Sujal looked surprised but then still didn't move an inch, "I heard u yelling for help Kashish. I am not gonna let him abuse u or wait for him to hurt u enough to file a case against him. Go to your room now. I know enough motha#@$%!%$ like him well enough to handle them."
Piyush laughed showing all his teeth, he was highly amused at the situation (how I wish to break his even set of teeth!)
"Oh yah? And what will a blind-forgotten by everyone-ex-lawyer do to me? Give me blind man's curse or something? Beg me for mercy once u send your sweetheart to her room so that u can save some face? U know what? Why don't I just leave u with no face to save and then finish off with her? Yah seems like a good plan. What do u say Kay? I am sure u wud enjoy sight of tall unbreakable sujal Grewal crumbling b4 my feet."
Piyush turned away from Kashish and walked towards Sujal menace evident in his eyes. He had too many drinks tonight and clearly the law he practiced was forgotten in the fuzzy mind. Kashish slowly crept up and grabbed the flower vase from the display, ready to use violence against the vile like Piyush.
Meanwhile Piyush foulmouthed continued to taunt Sujal.Piyush began shoving him back in little nudges at his shoulder. Kashish got ready to strike Piyush if Sujal fell down but he wasn't ready for what happened.
As Piyush was cussing and was about to give Sujal another thrust on his chest, Sujal's hand shot out with lightening speed, caught one of Piyush's hand & pulled it down along the length of his body using Piyush's own momentum. At the same moment Sujal jerked up his right knee so fast and hard, that it collided with a cracking noise with Piyush's face on his half bend body. Without giving Piyush a chance to recover, Sujal grabbed Piyush by his back and shoulder and jabbed another knee in Piyush's stomach. The sudden impact of to knee kicks drove out all the breath from him and made him stumble, ready to fall on floor.
"Oh No!…. U don't get to lie down!! $%!@ coz if u do, then I won't know where I am kicking u and I want to know where I kick u."
After delivering the cold line in perfect cold, hard tone, Sujal delivered another knee on Pyush's stomach. This time a little blood came out of Piyush's mouth… Not that sujal noticed.
Sujal held up p by his collar making him stand straight and butted his head against his nose. Crack!! A broken bleeding nose.
"Now listen to me good u slimy sonofab**** u touch her again, I'll break your hands. U look at her again I'll take your eye out and trust me it's not a pleasant state to be in. And u r now going to have restraining order against her, effective from tomorrow. I'll see to it. So if u try any tricks or mental harassment then u will rot in jail. U got what I said leper?"
Sujal said in the calmest, unstrained, coldest voice Kashish had ever heard. She had heard Sujal talk in anger and this was not anger, not even fury, this was cold unforgiving wrath.
Piyush somehow managed to nod and squeak a 'Yes'. He had seen psycho killers. He hadn't seen a mad man with burning unfocused eyes and face of angel of death. Peaceful, calm, unfrightened, confident and unforgiving. It was the most scariest sight to his alcohol numbed mind.
Sujal guided Piyush to the door by the scuff of his neck and threw him outside. "Don't let me smell u again rabid dog!"
Kashish had stood glued to her place for the entire fight. Even now the shock of last 60 secs had left her stunned, a complete statue.
Sujal figured out where Kashish was standing probably by tracing her heavy breathing and made his way over to her his voice and expressions unexpectedly tender, "U ok? Was I too late? I heard u scream and I-"
Sujal clenched his finger unable to go on.
Kashish slowly made her way to him and touched his shoulder with a finger confirming the reality. "How? How did u do that!!!???"
"I learnt…. At the institution I go… Nancy though I should know self-defense… I was looking for my stick… so I was late, I couldn't find it.. I wasn't sure I cud handle him without it.. Guess I scared him ok for now… U ok? Did he hurt u?"
Sujal extended his hand for Kashish to hold, but Kashish coming out of shock threw herself at him and hugged him tight. She had never been more happier of his presence. The happiness, shock, relief came out of her eyes as tears.
Now that Piyush is gone I can really understand how terrified I had been of him and what he might have done. Sujal came through in such unexpected manner and right now being held like in his arms feels so nice and secure. It's almost like the time when we were at the carnival….
"Talk to me Princess. R u hurt bad?"
I shook my head and held tight I couldn't stop stupid tears to speak properly. More than relieved of Piyush, I was happy for sujal. He defended Me AND Himself! Empty handed! Against an adult! He hardly had a handicap now. I was sooo proud of him!!!
"U know if he has a scratch on u I swear I wud go right now and rip his hands off. He couldn't have gone far. So tell me how u r. No use trying to protect him, princess."
Kashish giggled. He was too tall for her. His face was far and he was holding her firmly down. She kissed sujal on his jaw. "U called me Princess!!"
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