FF: You & I...Collide Part13 pg145 July 27 - Page 50

Maan sat silently in the conference room trying to calm the emotions that ran rampant in his mind and his heart. Although Geet hadn't told Dr. Mehta anything about their relationship or how their relationship had ended, Maan knew that she had been thinking the same thing he'd been thinking when their eyes met. He knew, that just like himself, she too was thinking about that fateful night that had changed their lives and shattered the dreams of a future they'd hoped to have together. That may have been the true beginning to the end of their relationship.

As he sat in the dark collecting his thoughts, his mind traveled to an interaction that had set the destruction of their relationship in motion. At the time, he'd never had put two and two together, but now as he reflected on his past, he saw the exact moment that fate had turned her back to the beautiful relationship he shared with Geet.

--------Flash Back--------

**NOTE: Two nights before the proposal**

Maan was sitting in his study flipping through a project file for a presentation that was to happen the following day. That entire week he'd been so busy helping Geet apply for medical school that he had neglected his responsibilities towards his own business. However, with all of Geet's applications officially sent in, it was time to get back and focus on Khurana Constructions.

He was just analyzing a graph for the projected growth of his company when he heard a soft knock on his door.

"Come in," he ordered without looking up.

"Bhai…" he heard the soft voice call.

Looking up, a smile spread across his face as he saw his nine year old sister walk into his study. She was dressed from head to toe in pink pajamas – courtesy of Geet – and was holding onto a scruffy old teddy bear. He frowned when he saw her rubbing her eyes. He looked up at the clock over the mantle and was surprised to see that it was well past 3am.

"What are you doing up so late missy?" he asked. "Don't you have school in the morning?"

That earned him a sweet chuckle from his sister.

It's good to hear her laugh again.

"Don't be silly Bhai," she said, "It's Christmas break."

Maan simply smiled at her. Soon that smile turned into a frown as he looked at his sister who still silently clutching her stuffed bear and looking at the floor.

"What's the matter Naina?" he asked, suddenly concerned.

"Nothing…" she said softly.

"Come here," Maan ordered.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Naina soon made her way to Maan. Once she stood in front of him, he lifted her onto his lap. Using his right hand, he brushed the messy hair behind her ears and caressed her soft cheeks.

"Now, tell me what's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing Bhai, just couldn't sleep," she said.

Maan knew his sister better than she knew herself and he could instantly tell that she was lying.

"I didn't raise you to lie to me young lady," he said in a mockingly stern voice.

Naina looked up at him shocked, as if unable to fathom how he knew she was lying.

"I'm your Bhai Naina, I know you," he said in response to her unasked question.

She sighed as her little shoulders slumped and she leaned into his body, her head resting on his chest. Maan held her and gently stroked her hair, waiting for her to talk.

"I want to be a family Bhai," she said softly.

Maan looked down at her confused.

"We are a family Naina," he said.

She shook her head in the negative.

"No…I mean…I want us to be a family…you, me and GG," she said.

"What?" Maan asked, still not sure what she was talking about.

"I'm scared," she said.

That comment threw Maan even more off base. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"Scared of what?" he asked softly.

"That if we aren't a family then I'll lose you guys too…just like I lost Mommy and Daddy," she said as he voice cracked.

Maan's heart squeezed in pain as he hugged his little sister to him. It had only been a few days since his parent's funeral so the wounds were still fresh. For Maan, his parents had died a long time back so their actual death had little to no effect on him. However, for Naina it was different. She'd always idealized their parents even though they weren't there. In her mind, her parents loved her and cared for her. In her mind, her parents would come home to be a family one day. Seeing the hope and love in his sisters eyes, Maan never had the heart to tell her the reality of the situation. He never had the courage to tell her that their parents were not really parents, but really only bank accounts that they went to when they needed money.

"You'll never lose us Naina," Maan said trying to reassure her. "We'd never leave you."

"I know you won't but what about GG?" Naina asked.

"You GG would never leave you either," Maan said.

"You're my Bhai so I know you'll always be there, but what about GG?" Naina asked, "What if one day she wants to leave us?"

"She wouldn't do that," Maan said. "She loves us."

"But what if she did?" Naina asked as she pushed herself out of Maan's embrace and looked back at him with tears in her eyes. "What if she leaves us like Mommy and Daddy left us?"

"Naina…" Maan began.

"I want us to be a family Bhai," she said.

"We are a family," Maan said, "You, me and Geet…we are a family."

"But I want her to be my Bhabi…because I need to know that she will never leave us," Naina said.

"Naina it's…" Maan began again.

"I love her Bhai. I love GG so much. I can't lose her too. My heart would hurt if I lost her," Naina cried.

"Shh…it's ok Naina," Maan said as he tried to calm her.

"Please Bhai," she said, her little voice cracking again, "That's all I want. I want us to be a family…a real family. I want to know that someone will always be there for me when I need them since Mommy won't be. I need a family…I need it Bhai."

With that, the tears she had been fighting spilled and she latched onto Maan with her arms wrapping around his neck.

Maan sat with a million thoughts and questions running through his mind as he tried to comfort his emotionally distraught sister.

---------------------

Maan spent the rest of the night thinking about what Naina had said. He spent the rest of the night thinking about what Naina had asked of him. He didn't even bother going to bed because he knew that no matter what, there was no way he was going to get any sleep.

The next day at work thinking about the same thing – the prospect of marrying Geet.

As he leaned back in his chair he thought about his relationship with Geet. They had been together for three years. He knew that he loved her, that he respected her and that he wanted her to be a part of his life. He knew that she loved Naina as if she was her own sister. He knew that she loved him and that he made her happy. More so, he knew that she made him happy. With his parents constantly absent Maan spent his entire life looking after his sister's happiness. It wasn't until Geet came into his life that he realized what happiness truly was and how much he enjoyed being happy. It wasn't until Geet came into his life that he had realized how good it felt to be fussed over and taken care of and worried about.

His eyes fell on a frame on his desk – a frame holding a picture of Geet. Taking the frame into his hands he looked at how even in a picture, her eyes sparkled with love and happiness. An involuntary smile crept on his face as he remembered her beautiful smile and her intoxicating eyes.

Sure they were young. Sure they still had a lot to accomplish in their lives. But at the end of the day, Maan knew that he wanted Geet to be by his side for the rest of his life as his wife. He knew that she was going to be the woman he married, it would just be sooner than expected.

Kissing the frame and placing it back on the desk, he left taking the rest of the day off to plan the perfect proposal for Geet. First thing on the check list – get the ring.

---------------------

Gathering up all of his courage and confidence he told the woman he loved just how much he loved her. Gathering up all his courage and confidence he got down on one knee and proposed to the woman he loved. He held his breath as he looked at her trying to gage her reaction. When he saw the tears in her eyes and the smile on her face, he let out a breath – she was going to say yes, her eyes said she was going to say yes.

But that's now what happened. She'd said no – NO! When the horrid word had first hit his ears it knocked the breath out of him. He watched in shock as the happiness that shone through her eyes disappeared and sadness filled them. He was left still down on one knee when she ran off wiping her tears as she went. Maan felt like an arrow and pierced straight through his heart. He hated seeing tears in her eyes, because each tear that fell stabbed him like a sharp needle right in his heart. But to see her crying because of him, because of the fact that he'd proposed, that was an unbearable pain that was crippling him.

He got to his feet to chase after her with only one thought on his mind.

Her eyes said yes.

The next few moments passed as if he was having an out-of-body experience. He stood and listened to why she, the woman he loved, couldn't marry him. While he sympathized with her predicament he simply couldn't understand it. While his heart went out to her for the loss of her amazing mother, he simply couldn't understand how even from the grave her mother controlled her life.

Then, he said something he could never take back. He'd given her an ultimatum – choose her mother or choose him. The second the words were out of his lips he knew that their relationship had changed for worse. But when she choose her promise to her mother his anger knew no bounds.

How could she choose a promise over me!?

Any pinch of remorse he felt for issuing the ultimatum was annihilated by the fact that she didn't choose him. When she left his house crying, he noticed something. The tears that she shed at that point did pierce his heart, it gave him no pain at all, because when she didn't choose him his heart shattered. The pain a shattered heart let out numbed every other sense so that you felt nothing – nothing.

---------------------

"Maan…" he heard her call.

He'd been sitting in the living room the next morning sipping coffee and reading the news paper when she came. Looking up at her he saw that her eyes were swollen from crying all night. Maan smirked because again, he felt nothing – nothing.

"Maan we need to talk," Geet said.

"We talked last night. There's nothing left to talk about," Maan replied.

"Maan please…" she began as she approached him.

Maan's anger returned with a vengeance causing him to shoot to his feet and turn away from her.

"You've made your decision, there is nothing left," Maan said.

"Don't say that Maan…I love you," she said.

Maan felt her presence behind him even before she placed a hand on his arm. He closed his eyes as he felt her soft touch on his skin as it sent an electric current through is body. He allowed himself to enjoy her touch for just a second before he stepped away.

"Clearly you and I have different definitions for love," he said coldly.

"Maan please try to understand…" Geet began.

"What's there to understand Geet!?" he roared as he turned to face her grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her to him. "You didn't choose me or Naina…"

He watched as she frowned in confusion.

"What…what does Naina have to do with this?" she asked.

"Everything…" he said after a moments silence.

Maan told Geet about his conversation with Naina a few nights before. He watched as the face displayed the emotions she felt.

"That's why you proposed," she said in a whisper.

Maan ran a frustrated hand through is hair.

"Of course that's why I proposed," he said. "I love you Geet and I do want to marry you but even I know its early for us. But my priority is my sister…I'm all she has and I have to make sure that she feels safe and loved."

Maan hung his head as he sighed at the predicament his life was in. Next thing he knew, her arms went around his neck as she drew him into an embrace. He needed that. He needed her. Instinctively, Maan put his arms around her waist and pulled her in close as he hid his face in the curve of her neck.

"She has me too," Geet whispered in his ear.

Maan stood to face her with a new hope in his eyes.

"Is that…did you change your mind?" he asked. "Is that a yes?"

The hope in his eyes died when the same smile spread across her face as it had the night before when he'd proposed.

"I love you Maan and I want to marry you too…more than anything else in this world I want us to be a family too…but I can't," she said.

Maan stepped away and gathered his wild emotions before they came to the surface. He let go of her waist and stepped away.

"Then we are done," he said.

He heard her gasp and take a step back.

"Maan please…" she said only a second later.

He was in no mood to listen to anything so he simply turned his back to her, shutting her out. He gazed out of the window towards the sprawling gardens that surrounded Khurana Estates. He knew she stood there, her glare burning into the back of his head, but he didn't turn. He listened to his sniffles and sobs as she retreated, yet still he didn't turn.

He didn't turn because he didn't care, he didn't turn because he couldn't. He couldn't let her see the tears that flooded his eyes and spilled onto his cheeks. He couldn't let her see his broken heart and broken soul. He couldn't let her see the pain that was so devastating it numbed him yet again. Above all else, he couldn't let her see the lack of remorse at the end of their relationship and their love. Yes he hurt, he hurt like he'd never hurt before, but his sister was his priority. He'd gladly turn his life upside down and give up anything just to make sure that his sister had what she wanted. Oddly, he'd done just that. He'd given up the woman he loved for the girl he loved.

--------Present--------

Maan never could tolerate tears in his sisters eyes – never. He'd move heaven and earth to make sure that she never shed a single tear. Of course that wasn't always possible, but he'd spent his entire life trying with all he had. He'd give up anything and everything to make her wishes and her dreams come true. He was the only family and the only love she knew, there was no way he was going to be the one to hurt her.

Maan snapped back to reality with the paging system of the hospital roared to life requesting the presence of a doctor in the ICU. Gathering himself, he stood to go and find Geet. He needed to see his sister. He'd been here for over twelve hours and still he hadn't been allowed to see his sister. Fixing his shirt, he stepped out on a mission to see Naina – his little sister.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Geet sat in the doctors lounge looking through Naina's chart. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Naina – her little Naina – had raped. Geet had been around long enough to deal with her fair share of rape victims, but never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought that someone she knew would have to face it, least of all a girl she had love with all her heart.

Just the thought of someone forcing himself onto her, violating her, it sent waves of anger and sorrow through her body.

Geet didn't know what kind of woman Naina had grown up to be, but Geet knew that little girl she had been. A smile spread across her face as she recalled an interesting conversation she'd had with Naina in regards to the big, bad, three letter word…S-E-X.

--------Flash Back--------

"Where do babies come from?" her small voice called.

Both Maan and Geet instantly looked up in shock, Maan choking on his coffee. The sound of his coughing was cut by the sound of Naina's laughter.

"Excuse me?" Geet asked as she patted Maan's back while he coughed up a lung. "Why are you laughing?"

"Jenny said that if you ask your parents where babies come from, they flip out. And you did," Naina said as she fell into the chair laughing.

Maan was gasping for air, turning a nice shade of tomato red.

"It's ok Bhai, you don't need to tell me, I know all about where babies come from," Naina said.

That comment left Geet and Maan shocked once again, and again Maan was left coughing and turning a darker shade of red.

"And what do you know young lady?" Geet asked, trying to see exactly what Naina knew.

"I know what happens when two people get naked," Naina said as she picked up a cookie that was in a platter on the table.

This time, it was Geet who was left choking on her coffee.

"And I'm out," Maan said as she shot to his feet.

"Maan…wait…"Geet called.

"Oh no, this is your department," Maan said.

"Why?" Geet asked.

"You're a chick…she's a chick…you speak her language," Maan said.

"I speak English Bhai," Naina said.

"What would you have done if I wasn't here?" Geet asked.

"I'd wait for you to come," he said with a smirk.

"I mean what if I wasn't part of your life," Geet said, "What would you have done then?"

Maan leaned down and placed a kiss on her head.

"I doesn't matter does it?" he asked, "Because you are here."

With that he left Geet to have THE talk with Naina. Except, from where Geet sat, it looked like Naina was teaching Geet. Apparently a friend had gotten her period early and that friends mom had already had this talk (in detail) with that friend. Of course, that friend had told her friend at school which is where Naina heard it all.

While Geet did think that nine was a bit young to have this talk with a child, she didn't want to keep Naina in the dark or make up stupid facts. Geet and Naina had a straightforward conversation where Geet filled Naina in on what she didn't know. Geet couldn't stress the fact that sex was something shared between people in love and married.

"Do you and Bhai have sex?" Naina asked. "I mean…since you're in love and all."

Geet was so happy she decided to not drink anything until the conversation was over because the question Naina asked could have sent coffee coming out of her nose.

"No we don't," Geet said.

"Why?" Naina asked.

"Because we're not married," Geet said truthfully.

"Do you have to wait until your married?" Naina asked.

"Well…" Geet began, "How do you feel when you change for gym class?"

"Huh?" Naina asked utterly lost.

"Do you feel comfortable when you have to change for gym?" Geet asked again.

"No, I hate it," Naina said. "I hate taking off my clothes in front of the girls I always go to the bathroom…I never change in the locker room."

"Well it's like that," Geet said. "Do you want just anyone to see you when you're most vulnerable or just that one person that you love and have promised to spend the rest of your life with?"

That seemed to put Naina into deep thought.

"Just that one person…" Naina said. "Actually…I take that back. I don't want anyone seeing me like that!"

Geet thanked God that Naina gave that answer.

From there, just to be on the safe side, Geet filled Naina in on birth control. While Geet would love to think that this is not something Naina, she or Maan would have to worry about for at least another thirty years – yeah right – Geet wanted to make sure that if Naina decided to do anything that she as safe and protected. Geet was being realistic. They lived in a very open and modern country. Just because Geet was old fashioned didn't mean that Naina would be.

Funny thing was, Maan didn't bother them for the rest of the night and avoided Naina for about a week once he found out that she'd asked if Maan and Geet were having sex.

--------Present--------

Geet couldn't help but chuckle as she thought about hat incident. As she looked down at the chart in front of her, she stared at the name – Naintara Khurana.

And then, like a ton of bricks it hit her. It had already been over 24 hours.

Closing the chart she nearly ran out of the lounge and raced towards the nurses station. With only one thought on her mind she didn't notice anything else or anyone else.

"Khurana, Naintara Khurana," Geet said. "Nurse Leslie…Plan B…Plan B…I need a stat order for Plan B."

Geet stood catching her breath when his voice boomed behind her.

"Plan what……?" he asked.

Geet turned to him surprised to see him there. Her surprise turned to sorrow and pain as realization dawned on him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He had originally planned to ask the nurse at the station to page Geet so that he could again request her to allow him to see his sister. He still couldn't figure out why he'd been called to the hospital if nothing was seriously wrong with his sister and why they wouldn't let him see her. Not that he minded being here, because even today Naina was his priority. But, if she simply had a cut or needed stitches, why did the call seem like it was more than that.

As he approached his destination Maan had saw Geet rushing towards the nursing station. He called out to her but she seemed to be in a different zone all together. He was within ear shot as she gave orders.

"Khurana, Naintara Khurana. Nurse Leslie…Plan B…Plan B…I need a stat order for Plan B," she called.

"Plan what……?" Maan asked.

Plan B. What was that? Why did they need it for Naina? And why did it sound familiar?

The kept repeating the words in his mind and then finally, it clicked. He knew what Plan B was. He remembered seeing an article about the growing use of Plan B as birth control instead of being an emergency contraceptive as it was initially meant to be used. The reporter of the article supported the use of Plan B in only particular circumstance.

Rape.

Maan's mind grasped at straws as the puzzle began to fall into place in his mind. If for some reason Naina had unprotected sex – he shuddered at the thought – she wouldn't need to come to the hospital to get the pills. The article stated that most major pharmacies carry the Plan B pill.

He breathed in as he focused. He got a call from the hospital saying he was needed as his sister was admitted to the hospital. Upon arrival, he was told that her injuries were not serious or life threatening. From that point he hadn't been allowed to see his sister. Now it hit him, maybe its not that he wasn't allowed, but maybe he wasn't wanted. His sister may not have wanted to see him or to have him see her.

Maan closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists causing her knuckles to turn white. Everything shattered as he finally realized why his sister.

His sister – his baby sister – had been raped.