True Colors : ARHI FF Thread 1 - Page 12

Great update!!!!!

Chapter 8

Arnav's mind went blank. What if something happened to her… A life without her…He would die! To not see her or hear her voice or have her in the same world, was inconceivable to him.

He did not know how he reached the hospital. He must have broken all speed limits. In daze he had called Akash and asked him not to inform anyone at home.

He did not know how he got to her bedside or what the nurse told him. He could feel the tears dropping from his eyes and vaguely realized he was crying…He could not lose her…He had not even started living her and showing her his love…He had been bad and cruel…But he begged God not to punish him.

When he saw her she was lying on the bed like a rag doll, her head in a bandage, her eyes closed and looking strangely peaceful and content, the breath went out of Arnav for a moment. No she couldn't…Strangely Di'd words floated to him, that if the person one loves goes away then one will stop breathing.

He buried his head in his hands and broke down when he heard Akash's voice and felt his gentle touch, "Bhai. Be strong. I checked with the doctors. They say she was hit by a car. She had a minor head injury. They did a CT scan etc. to check if there is anything fatal…"

"No Akash. It can't be fatal. She can't leave me. I haven't had the time with her. I love her…I love her more than anyone else in the world…even myself…I can't live without her Akash. Don't let anything happen to her…Please find the doctor…Please…"

Akash was stunned to see his brother. Was this the mighty ASR? The man who showed no emotions in business and no mercies to enemies? Watching him break down was a first in Akash's life. Arnav had always been the strong one. He had always stood tall and proud in the toughest situations. Another revelation for Akash was Arnav's love for Khushi. The whole family had been surprised by Arnav's marriage and had observed their lack of closeness after marriage. Akash had known Arnav was attracted to Khushi and she to him…no one could miss that…not even when Lavanya had been around…but love and that too this deep? Akash had never imagined. He wished his whole family was here to see this.

When the doctor walked in, Arnav looked at him pleadingly to tell him something good. The doctor said, "Mr Raizada. We saw the scan reports and there seems to be nothing major. She will come around shortly. However, we are worried about the time it is taking. Apparently Mrs Raizada has not been sleeping or eating well for days and she seems to be very weak…so her recovery will be a little slow, since she has lost a lot of blood.

We are still waiting for her to wake up so that we can be sure she is absolutely fine. She has to do that in 30 mins or something could be wrong".

The next 30 mins were the longest Arnav had lived through. When he had lost his parents he had been devastated but he had gone on to live for Di. When Di's life had almost collapsed because of Shyam he had been afraid of losing her, but he had gone on for her. But if he lost Khushi, he knew he did not want to live for anyone else. His business and his life and his money…nothing would be worth it…

When Khushi woke up, he was the first to notice. Her eyes slowly focused on him. If she was surprised to see tears in them she did not show it. Arnav jumped up and was about to take her in his arms when the nurse stopped him, "Mr Raizada she is still in a lot of pain and you cannot touch her."

Arnav watched as the nurse gently came towards Khushi and spoke to her, "Do you know who you are?"

Khushi said, "Yes. I am Khushi Kumari Raizada".

The nurse asked 'how are you feeling?"

Khushi said "Fine".

The nurse smiled, quite relieved and then the doctor came in.

Arnav watched anxiously for Khushi to look at him, smile at him or show him some sign of recognition. She had tried to smile at Akash…he had noticed but she refused to acknowledge him.

The doctor examined Khushi and then turned to Arnav "We will observe her for 24 hrs and then discharge her. You can take her home after that".

When everyone, including Akash had left and Khushi was alone, Arnav took her hands and said "Khushi I am so sorry. Forgive me. I have been the cause of so much pain to you. Please forgive me. Please".

Khushi looked away and said "There's nothing to forgive…".

Arnav remembered those words because he never heard her speak a single word to him in the next 20 days.

She never smiled, never laughed, never talked, never went out of the house. When he consulted the doctors he was told she was going through severe depression and they could not give a time for when she would recover.

Arnav tried every trick in the book to get her back to normalcy. He brought home Payal, her parents, Akash…and Dhruv, he visited every day. But Khushi was lost to them…She did not even give them a single emotion on her face.

He served her relentlessly, taking off from the office and was there before she even asked/ But he never got her to even say a word. He felt guilty as hell for what he had done to her and his love for her made his heart with the agony of watching what she had become.

The doctor suggested a change of scene would be good for her.

The perfect opportunity came up when Arnav had a conference in Nainital. Mr Abhay Mehta had come down from London to strike an export deal with him for raw silk. He had invited Arnav to come with his wife and stay with him in his farm house with his wife and children. Arnav thought this was the best break Khushi could have…

As usual he got no reaction from Khushi regarding the trip. So, he took her anyway in his chartered flight.

When they went to Mr Mehta's farmhouse it was late at night.

Mr Mehta came to welcome them in. He shook hands with Arnav and when he did the same to Khushi, for the first time in 20 days Arnav saw Khushi show some emotions…her face showed unease and discomfort while shaking the hands of Mr Mehta.