Aditya's hands were trembling...when he had first received a call informing him that that the car that was taking Zoya MIthilesh ji and Preeti (Zoya's assistant) to the wedding venue had met with an accident he felt the ground shake beneath his feet...it felt like the strength had left him. Moreover he was told that they had been taken to a nearby hospital with one of the ladies critically injured. To aditya it had felt like a skeletal hand with large black claws had gripped his heart tight and was squeezing it till it took the life out of him...he felt suffocated and took deep breaths so that his lungs got sufficient air...
He tried Zoya's number...unreachable...then again and again...he knew it was futile...if she ws injured she would not have her phone with her but patience had never been his strong point. It was Zoya, Zoya was the voice of reason in him, Zoya was his patience, his cynosure. He always felt that Zoya was also the Good in him...He remembered her words asking him to always be patient and calm in a crisis situation otherwise he would make others miserable too with his worry, in this case Arjun who was driving the car while Aditya sat beside him. Aditya had a soft soft rubber ball in his hand, he clenched his hands around that ball and unclenched, he tried to inhale and exhale while Arjun drove the car at breakneck speed...the hospital was at a distance of about an hour and a half from the office and then they were getting stuck in the crazy traffic...he had tried to ask about the ladies but in the chaos of the situation the police had not been able to tell him much on the phone about who was the one critically injured...
He had been sitting in the car with his heart galloping the entire time. The car ride had been a humongous torture for him...every passing second was killing him. And It felt like the dark moments of his past had come back to haunt him...
'No no no no' he willed himself to stop venturing into those territories again...his Zoya was fine...
He almost got out of the car before it screeched to a halt and ran his way to the reception desk stumbling on the way inquiring about the accident victims...after being directed to the rooms, he wouold have blasted open the door if not for Arjun and when he opened the door to the OPD room it felt to him like he was breathing for the first time in so many hours...he took in huge gulps of air after what felt like a hundred years...he would have knelt down and howled if not for Arjun holding him, telling him repeatedly that as Aditya saw, Zoya was fine...
He saw zoya sitting, a doctor tending to her injuries ...She looked up at him and saw the naked agony that was screaming out of his visage... she smiled and the doctor looked at the door and saw Aditya and gestured him to come in...
"Bhai, I will go check on Mithilesh Ji and also complete the formalities... Arjun said and went about doing what he did best, helping others...
Aditya moved forward and stood in front of her taking in her appearance, his eyes scanned her frame for the injuries...her cheek had a gash that had been stitched and padded, and there were bruises on her elbow, forearm and palms along with a deep wound on her forehead because of which her head was bandaged...but...she was fine and out of danger...Preeti had been taken away for an emergency operation because her leg had been so badly injured, she had lost a lot of blood...
Mithilesh ji was also injured but less than Preeti...
"It wasn't you!!!" he said in a loud whisper .A rush of relief cascaded through his entire system... and that was so apparent from Aditya's expressions that Zoya's smile faltered and she glared at him indignantly...
He averted his eyes as soon as he saw Zoya silently berating him with her eyes..., Preeti... one of their employees was still in the OT...so he had absolutely no right to feel relieved or so Zoya thought...but she had no idea what he had gone through in the last two hours...
After the last bandage was done...the doctor looked up at Aditya
"She is fine...she is lucky there were no major internal injuries...just a little bit of care and caution from her end and she'll be absolutely fine in the next couple of weeks..."
Aditya nodded hastily...
The doctor looked at Zoya...
"He is my husband Aditya, we have just been married..." Zoya offered smiling slightly...
"Yeah I kind of figured that out from this" he gestured at the whole of Aditya communicating how pale he looked even now when he had seen her in person...
As soon as the doctor left Aditya rushed to her side and hauled her into his arms burying his face in the crook of her neck...
She winced, her wounds so raw and the pain slicing through her whole body...
"Adi, it hurts!" she said softly not wanting to hurt him by shunning him away..
"Yeah I know...I am sorry I am sorry...I am going to be gentle...just bear it for a few moments...I need to feel you, to have the feel of your touch against my skin." He whispered, the pain, and the longing evident in his despairing tone...
And Zoya relaxed in his embrace...and noticed the tension leaving Adi's body too...
She knew what he must have gone through when he had come to know about her accident...
He buried his head deeper into her neck and took her scent in...she was in his arms, safe albeit with a few bruises and scratches...
The feeling in that precise moment when he got the call informing she had been in an accident almost tore the life out of him...
After what felt like an eternity he lifted his head from her and almost immediately felt bereft of her touch...but there was no other way...
"I am okay Adi!" She caressed his cheek with her right hand, running her thumb along his cheekbone ...
He kissed her palm and croaked out the fear he had harboured for the entire time...I was so scared Zoya..
She knew his fear, she moved closer to him and whispered "Nothing is going to happen to me...Promise."
"How did it all happen?"
She told him how the truck drivercoming from the opposite direction was absolutely sloshed and he had lost control and rammed straight into their car...
Zoya had been sitting in the front and the driver and she were spared because of the air balloons that sprang up as soon as the truck hit them but Preeti who was in the backseat had been injured grievously, her leg stuck at an odd angle...
Aditya's jaws tightened...someone had tried to hurt his zoya...the last time someone had laid a finger on her , everyone knew what he had done...
Maahi today had to beg for every penny that she wanted to spend...
Zoya observed his stance which was getting menacing...
"Adi, that man has been apprehended...he is behind bars now."
"I will make sure he doesn't get to see the streets in the next fifty years."
I also want to make sure this was an accident and not a ploy to hurt you...because if I get a whiff of foul play here I am not going to spare that person...
"Aditya!! don't be ridiculous...he was dead drunk... and no you are not using your connections to do anything to him...the law will take its course.."
Aditya was about to argue when Arjun came in... "I talked to the doctor...Preeti is out of danger but will be kept under observation for the next couple of days..ghanshyam... he said referring to the driver "has been given stitches and discharged...he is okay... Mithilesh ji is fine but he has a broken arm...so by God's grace everyone is okay... he finished...
Arjun looked at Zoya... "Bhaabi, you are taking rest the next few day... no Ifs and Buts. okay?
"Do you think your Bhaai will let me do anything. He might just pack me and keep me in the almirah and lock me up...
"Yeah there is that possibility too!
And they both laughed..and Zoya winced loudly...while Aditya scowled at being made fun of...
"Dont laugh...it will hurt...and yes I will do exactly that if you don't listen to me.
"I have been advised not to smile or laugh for the next few days, otherwise the stitches might come off..". she said pouting a little...
Now it was time for the two brothers to chortle...
Her heart warmed looking at the innocent laughter , Aditya's eyes like that of a baby...and despite the immense pain she felt while smiling her lips lifted up of their own accord only because he was smiling...her world was smiling...
"Zoya I have a brilliant idea... you can take lessons from your dad as to how to deadpan everything...that way you won't laugh at all...it will be a cakewalk.." Aditya said winking...
"Shut up. He does smile...at times..." she added sceptically giving it a thought...when had he smiled the last time she could not remember...
And the brothers guffawed again and Zoya huffed at the two overgrown kids in front of her...
"Take rest...I will be back in sometime and then we can go home..." Aditya said...I will check on Preeti and Mithilesh Ji okay?...and I also have to get your discharge papers ready...
"Hmm" she said and prodded him to go...
Aditya completed all the formalities and paid the dues...
By the time zoya had been discharged she was tired and her entire body was hurting...the impact had rendered her body in excruciating pain and by nightfall every muscle in her body was aching and groaning... she had been administered painkillers and also had been prescribed some for the night...
When they reached home, anjana who had been waiting for them at the door tied a talisman with a black thread on Zoya's leg...
"You have to keep it on for the next 3 months Zoya..."
Zoya was feeling dizzy...her vision blurred and her head started to reel...she swayed and when Adi held her the exposed skin on her arms revealed that she was burning up...
Hindi TV Shows
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Anupamaa
