FF:Out Of Darkness *Part 29* (Pg 75) *Updated* 9/7 - Page 46

Originally posted by: DEVIKA8

thanks angelkiss.. as usual nice update..

but the precap is little tricky.. i can't think of her as autistic, because she is interacting with her surrounding and she is playing with mayank... then how can she be an autistic? or is she?

tell me the truth are you a psychiatrist? you are dealing with extream state of an abuse victim both physically and emotionally..... who only 17 , still talk like a baby.. it is a very complicated case that one cannot easily portray.. and you are dealing with it touching every aspect of it.. so ...

let me know if you have an answer for me. I really wish to know...

thanks

Originally posted by: Liashna

ohh.. Farheena too good.... hey can i call u by ur name? If not, will edit asap.... I guess, you can call me by that name but no one really calls me that now... lolz.... I am Sarah for friends and family and Angel for my readers.... haha..... so if you want to call me by name then you can call me Sarah or Farheena.... your choice.....

U know What, some days back, i tried to reply to u, but don't know why, fate did not allow me.... Quite Weird as i had written so many things, n just before posting, i had to close the tab itself.... Sheesh, i hate when that happens.... would have loved to read your reply...

Ny ways, i haven't disappeared yaar, actually, i had to resume school though haven't got results.... The Syllabus has already started.... Ah... school... I am so glad i am taking a break

No worry, things are cool.... Actually, sometimes was feeling like i don't to anyone n all... like depressed.. But i overcome it soon later trying to think with the opposite person's perception.... I tried to be on my dad's feet.... N it works.... yipee... I go through this phase too often... so I do understand how you feel.... depression is a very big part of me... you know that.... I guess...

By the way, thanks for the pm..... I am no longer pestering u, kuz my pc is always pre-occupied specially when my mum watch Geet!!! Lolz... your mom watches Geet? Gosh I wish my mom watched Geet then I wouldn't have to fight for the remote or deal with her snide remarks.... she hates Geet!

Unfortunately, she got hooked because of me.... I happened to tell her to watch!!! lol Haha... poor you.... you know you can watch it with her... it is a great show...

Lovely update!!! Dev did a great job by soothing her..... Love the way u write..... thank you, 😳

N i forgot, that am actually busy with my 3 FFs also.... Pretty tough.... 1 of them is AR obviously...... It will be a murder mystery!! ohhh AR ff? Do let me know when you post the ff, would like to read it.....

Update soon

Take Care
Liashna

Originally posted by: gauranitai

yess.....the long awaited update has arrived! beautiful update di!! i'm sooo sad about Radz present condition, plz make her better soon! P.s. i'm looking forward 2 ur wonderful Radev scenes.......

Originally posted by: billo77

Loved the update Angel kiss 😃

So muskaan is telling Dev everything that happened between Radhika and MAyank ..I really liked the way MAyank ran to RAdhika for protection..And the way RAdhika handled Mayank burn , She used to getting burns so I guess she knew perfectly how to handle it ...Oh No ! for few minutes dev thought that Radhika dad burned her hand but then Muskaan covered it up ..WhY ??

it was getting so close but hopefully soon they will find out about RAdhika 😊

Thanks for the lovely update 😉

Originally posted by: sonia122

Grt prt Angelskiss...Muskaan well connected the reason for radhika nightmare but unforunantely went to the worng direction in her very first step of analysising radhika thought atleast would have been curisous to know how radhika knew about Salve preparation n would endup with radhika education background😉 i know still a long way to go her treatment...

loved the little Mayank n his bond with radhika is tooo cute😃 loved the way she cared is burned hand...

Think Mayank is going to play the role of Mannee of supporting radhika n bring her past memories in front of others...

Plz try to update soon ...

******** Part 25********

"Now, tell me about her speech" Muskaan requested as she twirled her pen and flipped through some pages of her notebook, stopping at a blank page.

"Speech?" Dev raised his brow in question.

"How many times have you both had conversations? You did say she speaks to you…. Remember?" Muskaan queried reminding him of his confession in front of whole family in DadiMa's room.

"I… er… I m-mean…" Dev stammered in reply, realizing he couldn't really lie to Muskaan about this.... not now since she was going to treat Radhika, and she had already elaborated on the importance of being honest with everything he said about Radhika.

"Let me guess… you lied? She has not spoken with you either… right?" Muskaan smirked, she had her suspicious which were now confirmed with Dev Bhai's hesitancy in replying.

"No! She did talk with me, twice!" Dev informed her with a grin.

"Really? Without counting tonight's incident?" Muskaan questioned ignoring his gloating grin which soon fell upon her question.

"Then only once…" Dev replied swallowing his pride.

"Can you please give me a detailed description of when this happened, how, why, where and what she spoke" Muskaan requested pushing at her glasses that were perched on her nose.

"It happened the morning after she fell sick… " Dev started only to be interrupted by Muskaan.

"Wasn't she too sick and delirious the whole day?.... then when did she speak to you?" Muskaan questioned, as far as she remembered she had woken him up that morning and Radhika had been feverish and unresponsive so when had Dev Bhai talked with her?

"It was the day after that" Dev informed her, realizing she was getting the days confused. Although he didn't know why the day mattered shouldn't she be more focused on what Radhika spoke?

"Okay, please carry on" Muskaan urged tapping her pen on her chin.

"We were woken by the maid…." Dev continued making sure to be very descriptive and detailed as Muskaan has requested, he watched as her pen scratched against the paper as she listened to his recount of that morning where he had his first real conversation with his wife.

"You do realize even this doesn't count as a real conversation… right?" Muskaan pointed out to him.

"Why not? She spoke to me, answered my questions…. I admit it wasn't exactly a very talkative conversation but what matters is that she gave me verbal responses" Dev informed her.

"Yes, that may be so but the fact is that she wasn't exactly conscious at that time…. She was in a delirious state, the medicines and the fever kept her in haziness she wasn't alert" Muskaan explained.

"Whatever" Dev murmured not satisfied with her explanation.

"Now to her speech pattern… the two times she has "spoken" to you… what format did she use?" Muskaan asked.

"Format?" Dev raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"I mean, when she speaks… does she often refers to herself in third person or it was the first time tonight?" Muskaan elaborated her question.

"No, she has always spoken in third person but that's not abnormal… Sia always talked in third person" Dev answered reminding her about their niece.

"Hmmm….." Muskaan frowned as she scribed down the given information in her notebook.

"Why the frown? Its not a serious matter… some people do speak in third person…. Take our Sia for example" Dev pointed out once again.

"It's not the same… there are several reasons why some people speak in third person" Muskaan informed him waiting for his input.

"Continue on… as it is half of what you say goes over my head" Dev grumbled waving his hand irritably at Muskaan's refutes on his basic pointers.

"Anyways, when Radhika talks; does she use the right grammar? Does she speak just few words or sentences? Is her sentence structure grammatically correct?" Muskaan continued asking her questions, her eyes reading through the sheets in front of her.

"Why are you asking me such questions? What does this have to do with her therapy?" Dev asked annoyed by her questions which seemed irrelevant at the moment.

"You do know Arjun; Radhika's brother is autistic right?" Muskaan reminded him

"Are you implying that my wife is autistic just because she speaks in third person?" Dev hissed, anger bursting through him at such an implication.

"I am not implying anything. I am just looking at all the possibilities; she might be autistic considering the fact that siblings of autistic patient have a higher risk of autism."

"Muskaan!" Dev warned interrupting her in an attempt to stop her ramblings but Muskaan only shot him an annoyed look and continued on with her speech.

"To me this theory sounds about right… it explains a lot about her behavior, her reluctance to give verbal responses, her lack of eye contact, her cringing upon being touched, her little tolerance towards loud noises and not to forger her use of third person the few times she has spoken" Muskaan finished, presenting the many facts that pointed towards this theory.

"Are you sure?" Dev whispered, feeling his stomach clench at just the thought of it being true.

"No, I am not… for all we know Radhika might be suffering from split personality hence the use of third person or it could just be a habit Radhika picked from her autistic brother…" Muskaan stated trying to ease Dev bhai's worry but failed to succeed.

"Dev Bhai, there is nothing to really worry about, I just wanted you to know of all the possibilities, Just because I think she is autistic does not mean she really is…." Muskaan tried to console him not wanting him to arrive at any conclusions since she hasn't exactly diagnosed Radhika with the disorder, it was only a possibility and she hoped it remained such.

"Here, I want you to have a look at this" Muskaan said forwarding the paper to him.

"This is an email?" Dev asked looking at the paper; he searched the top to learn the identity of the sender.

"Armaan emailed it to me after I talked with him about Radhika" Muskaan explained failing to notice the sudden anger that engulfed her brother-in-law at the mention of Armaan.

"Armaan? Armaan Mallik? How dare you talk to him about my wife!" Dev roared as he bolted up from his seat, looking about wildly at Muskaan as if ready to rip her into pieces.

"I needed some advice and hence decided to consult Armaan" Muskaan replied unfazed, completely ignoring Dev bhai's rage filled eyes spitting fire at her as he glared down at her.

"Are you out of your mind? Out of all the people you chose ARMAAN as your consultant and that to regarding my wife's case?" Dev snarled not at all satisfied by Muskaan's reason to having involved Armaan into his wife's therapy.

"Really now, no need to get all worked up over such a small thing… Armaan is a psychologist specializing in speech therapy, so obviously I would seek his advice regarding Radhika's lack of speech" Muskaan explained trying to reason with her brother-in-law. She didn't care about the issues he and nearly the whole family had against Armaan, they knew very well Armaan had not been responsible for everything but still they blamed him for everything…

"I don't care about how qualified he is or whatever he specializes in; I do not want that man anywhere near my family ever again! Isn't it enough that he has ruined Ridhima's life!" Dev hissed reminding his sister-in-law about that man's misdeeds.

"Armaan was not at fault, might I remind you that he was also a victim along with Ridhima. Do not blame him for it" Muskaan warned not at all liking the accusation Dev bhai was throwing at Armaan.

"Victim? Ha! If it wasn't for that man then Ridhima would not be living such a hallow life… he took away all her happiness!" Dev accused gnashing his teeth in fury.

"Ridhima made her own decision... you all forced her towards that direction... Armaan played no part in that!" Muskaan glared, her eyes flashing in anger at the accusations Dev Bhai was throwing at Armaan despite knowing deep down that Armaan is not to be blamed for whatever happened to Ridhima.

"He ruined my sister's life!" Dev bellowed.

"Enough! I will not tolerate any more of your accusations against Armaan! Do not forget he is my brother!" Muskaan snapped defending her brother as she glared right back into Dev bhai's glowering eyes, both refusing to back down….

**********

"Listen Dev bhai, we can have this argument forever on whether your cousin sister ruined my cousin's life or vice versa but I am not here for that! I am here at 1 in the morning to discuss about Radhika… so can we just focus on that for now?" Muskaan asked once both of them were situated back in their seats having finally gotten control of their anger…. At least she did, Dev bhai still gave her that scathing look.

"I don't think I want to, not after you broke your most important rule of confidentiality!" Dev said refusing to cooperate with Muskaan. He simply did not trust her anymore, certainly did not want her treating his wife when she so easily discussed Radhika's case with that brother of hers'.

"Confidentiality is still intact! Armaan doesn't know that I was discussing about Radhika; your wife, my sister-in-law… no relationship was disclosed, no name given. in fact I haven't even given him any details about Radhika's phobias… as far as he is concerned I was merely discussing about one of my patients who refused to give a verbal reply despite being capable of speaking" Muskaan stated and hoped it would be enough to assure and ease Dev bhai's anger.

"It still doesn't make me happy" Dev retorted stubbornly staring at picture frame of Vicky and Mayank that was placed on the table beside him, refusing to glance at Muskaan knowing how it annoyed her.

Muskaan completely ignored his refusal and continued on with her discussion "Whatever… coming to the reason as to why I was discussing Radhika with Armaan was because like I said before I needed his advice"

Dev snorted hearing the word advice which Muskaan once again chose to ignore. "Armaan had once worked with a patient who had a similar problem like Radhika… meaning the child-patient refused to speak despite being physically capable of speaking and plus Armaan had once spoken to me about researching on such a psychiatric disorder an-"

"Wait a minute, are you telling me that Radhika not speaking is actually a psychiatric disorder?" Dev asked not liking where Muskaan's explanation was leading towards.

"It's a possibility… like I said before I am just threading on theories, just looking at all the possibilities before I make a diagnose on exactly which disorder she is suffering from. Anyways, Armaan was kind enough t-" Muskaan stopped and shoot a glare at her brother-in-law upon hearing his snort of amusement.

"He was kind enough to send me an email explaining about this certain psychological disorder in which a person looses the will to speak… this psychiatric disorder is known as "Selective Mutism" formerly named Elective mutism a very common psychiatric disorder in young children and is often caused by anxiety"

"And?" Dev probed.

"Their is a possibility of Radhika being a Selective mute meaning she is one of those individuals who is physically and intellectually capable of speaking normally but refuses to do so for psychological reasons" Muskaan elaborated her explanation.

"Meaning Radhika has chosen not to speak?" Dev narrowed his eyes.

"No, she is not choosing anything... it simply means that she is unable to and unless we evaluate the cause which I think is anxiety. Let's assume the cause is really anxiety then we have to work towards making an atmosphere; a "safe" place for her only then she might speak because right now her high anxiety level is making it impossible for her to speak...." Muskaan explained to Dev Bhai. "Again it's only my assumption" Muskaan cleared not wanting Dev bhai to get his hopes high....

"Safe place? you mean she doesn't feel safe here?"

"From what i have observed, Radhika is still trying to adjust to her new surroundings... I am already focusing on trying to make this house her "safe" place but it's very complex when I don't know what Radhika perceives as safe...." Muskaan sighed as she marked a certain sentence on the sheet.

"So you seriously believe Radhika has this disorder?" Dev questioned as he absorbed the information Muskaan had just explained to him.

"To be honest, I am hoping it to be this disorder because this can be cured by therapy, because-"

"Your other theory is a lifelong disorder which can be treated but it can never be cured" Dev finished Muskaan's sentence, finally understanding her view.

"Yes" Muskaan nodded her head relieved at the fact that Dev bhai seemed to understand her.

"So, you now know how to get her to talk?" Dev asked, Muskaan did not fail to note the hopefulness in his voice.

"Er… not exactly, I received the email just this morning but Armaan gave me a few suggestions which might lead to getting a verbal response from Radhika if applied rightly"

"And when do you plan to proceed with his suggestions?" Dev inquired not at all liking the involvement of that man but he also knew Muskaan will not relent.

"About that… I was hoping you would do the honors of…" Muskaan trailed, taking her time to finish her sentence because she knew Dev bhai would not easily agree for this.

"Of?" Dev pressed although he knew what Muskaan wanted but hoped she wasn't stupid enough to voice such a thing to him…..

**********

"It's really simple actually and I believe you can get a verbal response from her…. my hope has increased especially after tonight's little episode.... tonight you calmed her, gave her a sense of "safety"...." Dev raised his brow at her assumption.

"She felt safe with you... that was the biggest step... the rest is pretty simple" Muskaan tried to assure him.

"That's the problem… it seems a little too simple" Dev protested once Muskaan finished with her instructions, explaining him on what he needed to do.

"I know but Armaan has assured me that this usually works" Muskaan encouraged him in her attempt to make him agree as she rose from her seat and headed out of the room.

"You think she will freely talk with me and everyone after this?" Dev asked as he followed Muskaan out of the room, still unsure of the instructions she had given him.

"Don't be silly! and please, don't expect her to be all words like Mayank" Muskaan said shaking her head and rolling her eyes at Dev bhai's statement as she headed towards her room.

"But you said it will work!" Dev pointed out stopping Muskaan's steps.

"It will take weeks… months even for Radhika to speak freely with us all" Muskaan exclaimed before resuming her walk towards her room leaving Dev Bhai to think on their discussion as he stood by his bedroom room.

"Good night" Muskaan wished over her shoulder.

"Muskaan!" Dev muttered as he closed the door behind him… did she actually expect him to have a good sleep after leaving him to ponder over their long disturbing discussion and the slight apprehension he felt regarding the impending task she had given him to complete that could quite possibly lead to his wife finally speaking if he performed it correctly….

Dev slipped inside the comforter with these thoughts wondering through his mind, his hand reaching out to his right to wrap around his wife's form as he moved his body closer to hers.

"Pati…" Dev heard her whisper as she drew closer to him in her sleep. It was the first time he heard her call his name in her sleep… before... she only seemed to call out to her mother or baby or Mannee…

"I am here, sweets… I am here" Dev whispered, tightening his hold on her, he nuzzled her neck dropping a kiss just below her ear as he breathed in the sweet smell of roses. He couldn't help but drop a kiss to her soft hair, breathing deeply as his lips pressed against her soft strands. Her hair felt heavenly in his rough hands. He smiled knowing that he was getting too obsessed with her hair……

"Pati.." Dev heard the faint whisper again that escaped from his sleeping wife before he too fell asleep.

********Angel*********

***Preview***

"Do you like me Radhika?" Dev asked staring down at her, searching her face.

Radhika smiled tentatively and nodded her head.