LOVE WAGER
PART14
A happy Nikki walked on clouds to the hospital. It was a beautiful morning, the sky looked bluer than ever, the slight wind, which otherwise irritated Nikki actually felt soft against her skin and she closed her eyes and let the sun touch her everywhere. She was even humming today and smiling to herself…..a thing which she had scoffed at and called filmy when she had seen her friends do it or even read about it. She felt like breaking into a dance or give a passerby a hug…..coz she felt like it.
It was a good day.
Nikki entered her cubicle humming "aaj main upar…..aasman neeche" softly under her breath and sat down on her chair and started going around in circles on her chair. She hugged herself and let out a contented breath.
Switching on her computer, she logged into her email and found an email from Abhi amongst the many other she had received and a grin lit her beautiful face. She decided to read it last saving it to be read at leisure. Nikki went through her other mails like a tornado trying to get to Abhi's mail but in a few seconds gave up the futile effort and clicked his mail.
Hey Nikki,
Oops ….hey sweetheart…..missing you already…..can't wait to see you when I get to office.
Love,
Abhi
Nikki touched the screen lovingly, her hands stilling on his name and closed her eyes to remember the morning.
"Excuse me" a voice interrupted her beautiful thoughts and she looked up to find a delivery boy standing with a bouquet of soft pink Calla Lillies, waiting for her to sign for them.
"For me?" Nikki looked up confused and he looked into his notebook, "Dr. Nikita Malhotra?" he inquired and Nikki nods.
"Then these are for you" he hands them to her and she signs for them. Once the delivery boy leaves, she looks for a card and finds a small card with Abhimanyu Modi's name in his writing and smiles. She places them at the corner of her desk and touches them reverently. The flowers were breathtakingly beautiful, the softest pink she had ever seen. She bent to inhale their soft fragrance and breathed a "Thank you Abhi". She took out her phone and dialed his number but after a few rings it went to voicemail.
She assumed that he must be driving so she decides to wait but then messages him instead.
"Where are you?"
No reply.
She sits down irritated and then waits tapping her feet, muttering to herself. After a full minute of tapping her feet, as she goes to pick her phone, it rings and she excitedly picks it up.
"Hello" she breathes into it and hears her best friend's voice on the other end.
"Oye Nikki….you seem to have forgotten us dude" Armaan's baritone rings in her ear. Nikki though irritated that it wasn't Abhi returning her call, pastes a smile on her face and starts talking to her friend. They catch up and he gets her up to date on all what was going on in their life. In the midst of the conversation, she hears the beep of another call and reads Abhi's name and decides to make him stew.
"I heard that Modi dude is in Chicago….same hospital?" Armaan asks and Nikki smiles at the way he chose to interrogate her.
"Yes Armaan……he is….actually he and I are working together too" and hears Armaan curse.
"Armaan" she chides and he starts about Modi when she tells him that he isn't bad after all.
"Dude….you better be kidding" Armaan jokes.
"No…really I mean" when she hears another call coming in, "Look I have to go…..will call you soon" they exchange goodbyes and Nikki picks up the phone.
"What took you so long to call back Abhi" Nikki greets Abhimanyu's call.
"Where are you Nikita?" Sid's voice asks her and she checks the number. It was Abhi's. What was Sid doing answering that.
"In the office……Sid where is Abhi?" she asks.
"I'll be right there" he cuts the call and Nikki looks at the phone astonished. Sid…..he was a piece alright….now what was he upto she wonders smilingly and looks back at the flowers lovingly.
In five minutes, Sid stops by and she sees his red rimmed eyes.
"What's wrong Sid?" she inquires and he attempts to smile.
"Let's go Nikki" he orders in a choked voice.
"W…where?" she asks, her eyes scanning his face and her heart beating hard. Sidhhant Modi was scaring her.
"You'll see" he says walking out and Nikki follows him, running to match his strides.
"Sid…..what ?" she tugs at his sleeve and asks but he keeps walking.
"Sid…please….you are scaring me…..what's wrong?" she asks and looks around to see where they were going to.
"ICU…..Sid what….why are we….Sid?" she steps in front of him, trying to block his path.
"I don't have time to waste Nikki….lets go" he pushes her and strides towards the ICU, where Aarti Modi is pacing.
"Mam" Nikki reaches near her and Sid exchanges a look of pain with his mother.
"What?" Nikki looks from one to the other, "Why are we here?" she asks and sees both of them look towards the ICU window and Nikki follows their gaze and watches doctors trying to resuscitate someone.
"Who?" she asks her mouth drying up and her heart beating as it would rip out of her heart.
"Who S…Sid?" she asks clutching his hand refusing to think on her own.
"Bhai" he replies softly and Nikki gasps at his answer, refusing to believe what she had heard.
"Abhi…..no….no …..no" she wails and sits down in shock.
This wasn't happening to her…..it couldn't …..her Abhi couldn't be the one with the team of doctors inside the ICU…..struggling for his life.
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