FF - If Only I Could (Updt 24-35) Pg 16-18 - Page 4

Chapter 5

Whilst here, Jairaj entered Mrityunjay's bedroom and asked Joseph to leave the room who was almost done cleaning the place. He shut the door.

Baba paced the room, in a sharp tone, "What do you think you were doing Mrityunjay, by being stubborn? She has ran out of the house once again, and I am not sure if she would return."

Mrityunjay shut his eyes, leaning his head against the headboard.

"If you are upset about this whole marriage thing, take it out on me. What is her fault?. Tara agreed to this marriage for security, but she presumed you were behind bars for a business deal theft...and I did not stop her from believing so."

His Baba was agitated and looked angry. It was rare that his father raised his voice on him.

"Mrityunjay look at me, do you know she wasn't even the one I chose for you? It was her older sister. Her mother rejected our proposal knowing there was something fishy about the whole thing. Then Tara took the decision and said yes directly to me, knowing something was at stake only if I took care of her family's needs. Their house was being taken over by the bank. It was a spur of the moment decision by her, which she of course regrets now."

He listened attentively and was taken by surprise with this information.

"Strange that she is the one to enter your life...Fine you don't want her permanently we can end it once this whole mess is sorted and done with. But can't you at least be civil to her?"

"And such behaviour coming from you shocks me Beta! You are a thorough gentleman otherwise, someone who would never ever speak to a lady rudely, then THIS?"

Mrityunjay looked apologetic.."Baba I don't know what got into me! Sorry"

"Why?" Have you become like one of them after living with the rogues?...I don't think so Mrityunjay. This is not you."

Jayraj went on..."At least I need her more than she does us. You are not stupid to know a woman can resort to various means to make a fast buck!...Her family may not be wealthy but they are rich in values and principles...and this is vouched for by our Pandit...I just did not pick any one from the streets."

He lowered his gaze...yes he could be civil to her if nothing. He sighs pulls the blanket around him.

He father is about to leave when Mrityunjay says, "Baba can you arrange for a Sofa-cum-Bed and replace the recliner. It's not the best place to sleep."

Jayraj smiles, "Now that is my boy. I have ordered for it already. It should be here this evening."

Mrityunjay's mother Nirmala had nothing nice to say when seeing Tara all wet and looking a rag. Tara would have loved to hug her and ruin that fancy outfit that she was wearing just to spite her, but never mind she needed to get out of these soiled clothes. She looked a sight.

Her father-in-law was coming down the stairs and is shocked to find her in this state. He knew the reason for it was his son.

"Tara Bahu kahan the aap."

"Sorry Baba...bas...mein change karke aati hun."

"Haan haan jaldi nahi toh aap ko bhi sardi lagegi, jaldi jao"

She enters the bedroom to find him asleep. Takes a pair of fresh clothes from the closet tiptoeing all the while and shuts the bathroom door.

She was enjoying the steaming hot shower. It felt good and relieved.

Suddenly she heard the fire alarm go out. Oh Gosh was this house on fire and she had a patient in her room! Hey bhagwan thought Tara! Another headache!

She got dressed hurriedly, wrapped her muslin towel round her head and dashed out to see the commotion outside. Mrtiyunjay too woke up with the noise, only to realize the commotion was all because the smoke detector detected huge amount of smoke coming from their bathroom.

Faheem Chacha and Jayraj entered. Faheem Chacha notices the cause of the alarm..."Yeh dekho dhuaa"

Two pair of male eyes look at her questioningly. Oh dear me, she had no choice but to explain with that Hulk listening into it, "Woh woh...dimaag thanda karne ke liye bahut garam paani se nahyi mein." (just to cool off I had a very hot shower!)

Jayraj surprised gave her a smile, "Garam paani se dimaag thanda? Yeh meine pehle baar suna hai."

She dare not turn to look at the Moron's face. Who cares what he thinks. But why was her kameez so loose, she kept holding it in place...oh gosh no!... she forgot to tie her dori, damn! her back was facing Him. He must be asleep.

Mrityunjay notices her open dori and exposed skin glistening with droplets of water! Kameez plastered to her wet body...foolish female..might have just run out of there...Was it the heat from the bathroom...he was warm suddenly...He gulped hard...Did she just feel a pair of eyes on her back? She turns to look at him over her shoulder and found them shut! Thank goodness!

Woh mere naani ka formula hai. Aur mujhe toh bahut pasand hai. Sorry yeh alarm bajega woh pata nahi tha." Such stupidity! Mrityunjay did not have the energy to scream at her.

The men notice she was fidgety so Jayraj says, "Go on get ready, the doctor should be here any minute."

She goes back into the bathroom and sorts herself out. Just then the doctor arrives and it was confirmed Mrityunjay was suffering from a bout of malaria.

The Doctor advises, "Mrtiyunjay beta...take it easy for some time now. Stay put in bed...the fever will be on for a couple of days... I am giving you a shot now...and I am sure your beautiful wife will fuss over you...make the most of it" and then winks at his patient.

Why should she fuss over him! For heaven's sake...he wasn't her baby or something!

"Taraji...I know you will take good care of him...but just make sure he eats his meals, and the medication is administered on time. And yes here is my number, if you find the temperature really high or he gets worse, just give me a call."

She takes down the number, and thanks the Doctor. They all leave...she could hear his heavy breathing. Tara draws the curtains darkening the room, reduces the AC temperature a bit and decides to arrange for his meal.

Mrityunjay turns in his bed...at last he was alone...hoping she would not return soon...hardly did he shut his eyes, swish opens the door and she barges right in with Joseph behind her and the food trolley.

She had been gone for a good one hour...looks at the clock, and addresses him sharply, "Time for your meal and meds...so get up." Joseph helps him up...

So the cat was still mad at him..but why did she get the worst out of him?

He finishes his meal obediently, whilst she plugs her ears with headphones and turns her back to him. Even Vasu did not do such things...

After checking he was done with his meals, clears it away and offers him his medication.

She pulls out her earplugs saying, "You can rest now...I too have to eat...so if you need anything I'll be down finishing my meal, just call the intercom" placing the receiver near his pillow.

And simply turns to walk away, when she hears him say, "Sorry!"

She strides out...leaving him staring after her. Gosh she just ignored his apology!

What a lukewarm one! And who was it addressed to? His walls, or books maybe. She was fuming.

She wasn't going into that room until it was absolutely necessary. He was fed and taken care of, she would just while her time around the house.

This house was eerily quite, no sounds of laughter or noise...everybody so afraid of breaking rules.

She was here as a guest, would live like one...but she would talk to Jairajji tomorrow...she would fulfil her dreams before she was out of here.

Chapter 6

Huh...she needed to check on him. It was mid afternoon...she tiptoes softly inside only to find him wide awake but shivering...the effect of the medication had weaned off. Time for another dose.

For another week to 10 days she would have to go through this ordeal of putting up with him in the same room...

She goes to him with the glass of milk in hand, "Can you get up? Time for your next dose."

He barely lifts his body off the bed...why did he have to be at her mercy...so helpless...she offers him the glass of milk and the tablets. He falls flat again on the bed moaning...

Having no choice but to help him out, she places the glass on the bedside, and asks, "Do you need my help or no?"

Teeth chattering with the shivers he replies, "Can't you see I do! do you have to ask?"

Gritting her teeth she helps him up by placing her hand behind his shoulder and then with all her strength she gives him a push...damn the guy was so strong!...his body was burning with fever...he felt her soft hands...almost at the nape of his neck...and one hand wrapped around his right arm.

He sat up, she got him the glass of milk and the tablets. He returned the glass to her.

"I am sorry...for the way I behaved."

She squints her eyes, plugs her ears and looking straight at the Hulk in bed states, "You better be...because if you ever repeat something like that I might poison your food one of these days and end up behind bars myself." She surely was taking advantage of his helplessness with that barbed wire of a tongue.

He simply ignored her and shut his eyes. A knock on the door and Faheem Chacha came in along with the furniture company to deliver the sofa-cum-bed.

So Baba thought of her comfort too. She would go and thank him in a while...

She makes sure they placed it farthest away from the main bed.

Tara enters Baba's room. Nirmala her mother-in-law was there too reading some magazine.

Baba is delighted to see her, "Kaise ho tara Bahu?"

"I am fine, just came to thank you for the sofa-cum-bed."

"Oh don't thank me...it was Mrityunjay's request."

Hmm...the Moron had sense then. Yeah he could not ofcourse afford to have his nurse sick. Made sense.

"Baba I need to speak to you in fact I would like to ask you about something else as well."

Good they were both here. She did not have to explain to the woman later. Nirmala cocked her well shaped eyebrows an inch higher.

"Bolo Tara bahu...what is it."

"Abb toh Mrityunjay bimaar hai, but I am really bored sitting all day in the house. I am not used to this."

"So what do you intend to do? Start a dhaaba of your tikkis?"

"No, I would like to join dance and classical singing classes."

"What? Women from our families don't do such things. Stop this nonsense of yours?"

"Wait a second Nirmala. Give Tara a chance to speak."

"See we all know I am here on a temporary arrangement. This is just a contract marriage. When my father was alive I was being trained but had to give up everything. I would like to take it up again."

"Well you can start your tikka service again."

"Well Nirmalaji that won't go well with your society image. Then people would think you have cheated me and nothing good came out of this whole marriage business."

Jayraj admired the girl's spunkiness. She had a point.

"Okay Tara I will look for some instructors and let you know."

Nirmala suddenly gets up and decides to crush the girl's plans. "No! Wait a minute, she is not going out of the house and doing her thing!"

Jayraj now realized his wife was just being either stupid or was really naive.

"Nirmala ofcourse I won't allow Tara to venture out for classes. After all till she is married to Mrityunjay she represents our family. So I am arranging for the instructors to come home."

"That is okay with you Tara right?"

Tara thinks she would have preferred to stay out of this gloomy house all day long, but it wasn't going to happen whilst her goal was different. She had to accept this before the woman changed her husband's mind.

"Yes, yes that is fine, but I get to chose my teachers. I am sure none of you would know anything about these things."

Nirmala walks out of there, "Do as you wish Jayraj...don't understand your giving into her demands every second day."

Jayraj comes upto Tara and says I am glad you are deciding to do something constructive and yes I do know friends who have contacts with some of the best in this field. Being Mrityunjay's wife I will make sure we find the best one for you."

"Thanks Baba."

"Oh but just one thing!"

"What is that Baba?"

"Once Mrityunjay gets well, you need to inform him yourself...in the meantime I will look for the instructors."

"Well I don't want him to jump to any wrong conclusions about you, so it makes sense you inform him...it's not like you are taking his permission or anything...but just as a courtesy measure."

Well to achieve her goal, she would talk to the Devil if needed.

She went back to the room. Hmm she would have to do this just for courtesy sake...

She peeped in. He was still asleep. She walked out and called her mother wanting to get updates on everything happening at home.

Got to know that Nandini had applied for a job somewhere, and that Bunty would be leaving in a week's time. Said he would come and see her before leaving. "No don't Bunty...Jijaji is not well...he has malaria."

Bunty says fine that he would simply call. "MaaJijai is not well. Faltu says he caught malaria or something."

"Hey bhagwan aise kaise hua?..I have to speak to Tara...Call her right now."

"Tara beta kuch havan karo apne pati ke liye, amndir jao...vrat rakho."

Vrat! Why the hell must I die of hunger for this man! No ways..."Nahi maa abb theek hai woh"

Aradhana scolded her saying, "I do not want to hear another word Tara..., you are coming to the mandir tomorrow. I will meet you there, and haah I will talk to Thakurji about it, I am not fond of talking to your mother-in-law."

Oh gosh, another museebat now! Mom and her vrats and poojas, thinks Tara.

Anyways she would go in now, it was time for His Highness's dinner.

She enters to find him awake, an arm placed over his head looking at the ceiling. The meal was brought in by Joseph.

After Joseph leaves she serves him his meal and places it on the bed tray, leaving the medications too for him to consume.

He ignores her completely...and goes on with the business of finishing his meal. She waits on him till he was done.

It felt weird to thank a man for such a thing, but she had to do it so almost whispers, "Thanks for the bed arrangement."

He heard it, "You better be grateful" and before hitting his head to the pillow says,"I don't want to be held for a third crime of breaking the back of a female nurse...and to add to that you might sue my father for atrocities and claim medical bills too. So this was done to keeping in mind foreseen circumstances" He then looks at her...One Furious Little Kitten she was...Tara glared back at him, hands on her waist...ready to attack... Did she find him mocking her with his eyes?...calm down Tara...cool...cool...your goal is something else...not medical bills but she would make them pay for all the stuff she desired with her heart.

Just ignore his digs...and stop being sarcastic yourself...that permission was still pending...just be Miss Nice for a while! Yeah!

She hears Mrityunjay say again, "Get me a pair of socks."

"Socks!...why where are you planning to go? I have to inform Baba then."

He growled...silly woman,"For heaven's sake I am not running away though I wish I could..my feet are cold, just get them...this fever." The chills were too much to bear...

"Where are they kept?..."

He instructs her...she goes looking for them. She had never touched his personal belongings...it felt weird...

Tara pulled out a pair of socks from the drawer and looked at them wide-eyed thinking, "Itne bade mozhe!...such big ones!...Hey bajrang bali...I can easily fit in two of my own feet in them...what large feet!"

She hands them over to him. He sits up and struggles to put them on. She ignores him, no ways was she going to help him do that.

He wasn't going to ask her help, he would manage himself.

Tara leaves the room under the pretext of dinner. Jayraj informs her at the dinner table, "Samdhanji had called about your vrat and visit to the temple Tara Bahu."

Oh gosh why couldn't her mother just be quite about it. "But Babu...it's okay I will go some other time, I mean I am needed here."

"Oh nonsense Tara, Joseph will remain with Mrityunjay. This is really good. Make sure you go tomorrow, the driver will take you and bring you back."

Tara sighs...so this means she would have to go tomorrow and meet her mother at the temple, but she won't do the vrat bit...why should she? For him? No ways!

As usual she walks in late at night to find him asleep and then sneaks into her bed softly and slowly.

To be continued.

Originally posted by: pinkstars

I just read all the parts awesome writing...Totally loved it...Pls PM me wen u update..

Originally posted by: capriya

Its just wonderful and awesome parts. Loved Mriara interactions. I felt bad for him. He caught Malaria. Why Taara so angry ?