This is an emotionally disturbing short story on Maaneet adapted from another scene from my Michi fic, narrated in two parts. Read it at your own peril. Here is the first part.
Maan had been pondering over the thought of coming clean about his past with Sameera ever since his marriage to Geet, but did not how to go about it. Sameera was his ex-flame from college with whom he had a brief but intense affair which ended when she ditched him for an older and richer man. The hurt of the betrayal was so severe that he preferred to bury it deep within his heart. Over time, Sameera became just a faint but bitter memory for him and after he met and fell in love with Geet, even the last vestiges of her memories faded away. Although he never deliberately set out to hide his past from Geet, he never found the need to talk about it either, as he did not see its importance in their relationship. Geet's open and frank nature, however, compelled him to be more open about himself, especially post marriage. Over the days, he hesitatingly recounted his troubled relationship with his parents who were no more. He shared with her his resentment of his father's philandering ways and his contempt for his mother's cowardice. He talked to her about his uncomfortable teen years and growing up pangs. Geet listened to everything he said with rapt attention, absorbing every little detail of her husband's life and feeling honoured that he would share them with her.
That night he finally worked up the courage to tell Geet about Sameera. Even though Sameera had no place either in his present or his future, he felt Geet had the right to know about her. He wanted to put his own thoughts in order and break the truth as gently as he can, making sure that Geet was absolutely certain where his heart lay. Although he had already made up his mind to reveal everything to Geet, he wanted to confide in someone before he took this major step. So when Dadi came up his room after dinner to inform him about the party she was holding for her friends in their honour the following day, he broached this topic to her.
Geet did not wait to hear anything more as she quickly retreated from there. If only she did she would have heard him say,"....prior to Geet."
"Dadima, I believe that there should be no secrets between husband and wife. I am sure I can make her understand that Sameera is a closed chapter, not one I want to revisit either now or ever. In fact, I realise that I never really loved Sameera. Yes, I was physically attracted towards her but my feelings for her pale in comparison to what I feel for Geet. When Sameera left, she did not break my heart but bruised my ego, making me withdraw into a shell. It is Geet who brought me out of that shell and taught me the meaning of love without even knowing she was doing so."
But Geet had already left the place and had not heard any of the above conversation. As she staggered out of there, she felt like her head exploded into a million pieces, devastated as she was by this shocking revelation. Her hand clutched at her chest where her heart ached in deep anguish. Her brain was swimming in a whirlpool of thoughts. 'I love her deeply Dadima. She is my life, the reason for my living. She has become a part of me......Sameera, the woman in my life.' These were the words that kept resonating in her ears making her cringe.
She slowly and blindly stumbled her way towards the stairs, not noticing her step. As she took her next step, one minute her foot was in the air and the next minute she went tumbling down the stairs. She screamed out "Maan" as she rolled down the steps. By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs she was unconscious.
Back in his room, Maan heard a loud thud and Geet's shrill voice calling out to him. He sprang up and ran out of his room. To his horror he saw the love of his life roll rapidly down the stairs. He rushed after her but before he got to her, she had already hit the bottom of the stairs. For a moment his entire world stood still seeing her like a crumpled rose lying motionless at the foot of the stairs. As if waking up from a trance, he knelt before Geet and grabbing her in his arms, he pulled her onto his lap.
"What had happened, Maan?" called out Dadi in alarm as she came down the stairs. Maan looked up at her with vacant eyes and shook his head.
Turning his attention back to Geet, he patted her cheeks repeatedly and called out to her but she remained unresponsive. He checked her pulse and found it to be weak. As her forehead was bleeding, he quickly dug out his handkerchief and tied it around the wound to stop the bleeding. When his efforts to revive her again did not work, a cold fear gripped his heart. He knew he cannot afford to waste a single moment. Picking up his car keys, he quickly swung a flaccid Geet in his arms and rushed out towards the garage, with Dadi close on his heels. He hurriedly opened the back door and sliding Geet on the seat, he asked Dadi to sit with her while he drove them to the hospital. Dadi took Geet's head on her lap and held her tight as Maan quickly took the driver's seat and backed the car out.
On the way to the hospital Dadi kept muttering prayers for her grand bahu's safety. Once they reached the hospital Maan swiftly opened the car door, picked up his wife and literally ran into the hospital with her, with Dadima following him. Geet was immediately admitted and wheeled into the Intensive care unit (ICU), with a team of doctors working on her. Maan stood helplessly outside the ICU, running his trembling hands nervously through his hair.
As the minutes ticked by, he became increasingly agitated. Dadi rushed to the shrine inside the hospital and knelt before the deity with folded hands and tearful eyes. Maan slowly made his way to the shrine. He stood behind his Dadi, not knowing how to pray. It wasn't like he did not believe in God because he did. But all his life he had never asked God for anything either for himself or for others as he believed in achieving whatever he wanted with his own efforts. He had only offered thanksgiving to God from time to time for everything he has received from him without his asking. So he did not know how to ask him now. He tried repeating whatever chants his Dadi was uttering. After sometime he gave up and fell on his knees and pleaded with God, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"You cannot do this to me, Lord. You cannot show me a glimpse of heaven, lead me to my angel and then snatch her from me like this. Please Lord, please don't do this to me. I cannot live without her. I've never asked you for anything before but I ask you now. Please keep her safe Lord. Keep our baby safe. Give me all her suffering but please spare her and our baby Lord. I need them, I need my little family. Please return them to me."
Dadi was moved to tears hearing her grandson's impassioned pleas. She went up to him and pressed his shoulder reassuringly. He looked up to see her standing next to him. The emotions he had been controlling till then frothed up and burst out as he rose up and clung to her, soaking her shoulder with his hot tears. Grandson and grandmother stood there in silence for a few minutes, clinging together for emotional support. Maan then pulled himself together and wiping his tears, he straightened up. He then wiped Dadi's tears too and holding her by the shoulder, he led her to the ICU.
After what seemed like enternity, one of the doctors came out.
"Mr.Khurana, your wife is out of danger although she is still unconscious. She has suffered multiple fractures but is otherwise stable. She should regain her consciousness soon," she said solemnly.
Maan heaved a sigh of relief and silently thanked God but he was still anxious for their baby."The baby, doctor? The baby is fine too, isn't it?" he asked hopefully.
The doctor shook her head regretfully, "We could not save the baby."
Maan felt like somebody had just punched him in the gut. His breath constricted in his chest as he struggled to breathe. He desperately held the wall nearby to keep from stumbling. This baby was so eagerly awaited by both of them but its life has been sniffed off before they set their eyes on it. He knew how much the baby meant to Geet and how much she meant to him. He wanted to cry out loud at the injustice of it all but his voice stuck in his throat. Dadi hugged him and cried hearing about the fate of her first grandchild.
Maan turned towards the ICU door and saw the last of the doctors leave. He hurried to her and asked her if they could see the patient. She nodded but said that only one person can be with her at a time. He rushed in to his wife's bedside. She lay there motionless with her legs encased in plaster and her forehead bandaged. He sat by her side and leaning over her, he slid his arm under her to lift her partially up. He then hugged her tightly against his chest. He buried his face in her long hair and wept like a baby repeating her name over and over again, as he kept rocking her back and forth. She remained limp in his arms, still unconscious. Dadima who had pushed open the door hearing his wails, felt deeply pained by the pathetic sight. She went up to him and asked him to pull himself up. Hearing her voice, Maan tried to regain his composure. He gently laid his wife back on the bed and wiped his eyes dry. Dadi led him to the hospital canteen and bought him a cup of tea. Maan did not drink a drop as he kept staring listlessly at the cup.
"Look Maan, you need to be strong for both of you. If you crumble like this what will become of Geet? You know how delicate and vulnerable she is. Her physical hurt will heal soon but her emotional hurt will take time. It is not easy for a woman to come to terms with the loss of her child and you know how much this baby meant to her. To be able to help her, you need to help yourself first. You need to regain your strength. Please drink this tea. It will at least refresh you a little."
Maan tentatively held the cup to his lips and slowly sipped it. When he had finished they went back to the ICU. They were informed there that Geet had regained her consciousness but was unresponsive. The doctors had said that she appears to be bottling up a lot of emotions within herself. She will recover from her numb state only if she lets out her feelings which may take time. Geet was shifted to the ward and Maan sat beside her, patting her cheeks gently.
"Geet, this is Maan, your Maan. Please speak to me," he begged her but she did not respond but stared back at him with vacant eyes. After repeated requests he saw her yawn widely. He made her lie down and she promptly went to sleep. He checked the time. It was well past mid night. He called up his driver and asked him to drive Dadi home while he stayed back with his wife and took care of her. Dadi volunteered to stay back but he declined the offer politely saying he wanted to be around his wife.
After Dadi left, he stretched himself in the couch next to the bed and closed his tired eyes although he could not sleep. In the middle of the night he heard Geet muttering in her sleep and he was quickly by her side. She was thrashing her head from side to side and mumbling something in her sleep that he could not make out. He brought his ear close her lips to catch what she was saying. When he heard her words, his eyes widened in shock.
"Mmmmaan,.... yyyou... lllove.... Sameera... dddon't you? "
It is only then that Maan realised that she had overheard part of the conversation.
"No, Geet no. I don't love Sameera. Never have and never will. I should have told you the whole truth but somehow could not work up the courage to do so," he said in anguish.
"WWWhy....dddid.....yyou... nnot.... confide... in....mme....Maan? Why ....wwhy.....ddid .....yyou......ttorture.....yyourself.... into.... accepting..... a....ggirl .....wwho.... is....sso.....unworthy....of....yyou?" she said mournfully.
"Who said you are unworthy, darling? I could not have got a better girl than you, my love. You are the one for me, darling. You are my love, my life, my treasure. Without you, I am nothing. With you, I am everything. You are my better half and I wouldn't dream of having it any other way," he said fervently, pulling her up and hugging her tightly to him.
He held her head and brought it forward so that he can look at her face in the dim moonlight that streamed through the window. She still appeared to be asleep. He kissed her forehead and laid her back against the pillow. When he was sure that she was in deep sleep, he went back to his couch. His heart felt heavy with guilt now that he realised the cause of her fall. So far he was under the impression that she must have hurried up the stairs, missed a step and tumbled down but now it was clear that the fall was after she had overhead part of his conversation with Dadi.
The thought that he was in a way responsible for not only her suffering but also for the loss of their child tore him apart. His heart bled for the two most important persons in his life, his beloved wife who was physically and emotionally broken and their unborn child whom he lost even before he could prove that he will be a good father. He kept tossing through the night unable to sleep a wink with both sorrow and guilt weighing him down.
Early the following morning Dadi was back at the hospital and was alarmed to see Maan's dishevelled appearance and blood shot eyes which clearly indicated his sleeplessness. She handed him a fresh set of clothes that Nakul had given her and asked him to freshen up while she took care of Geet. Maan reluctantly went to have a shower and change his clothes.
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