Well, let me warn you that there is absolutely no sense of time in this update.
Chapter 28
Arnav stared at Khushi, unsure whether he had heard her right. "What…"
Khushi contemplated whether or not to repeat. But then decided not to lie herself anymore… Not trusting herself, she looked at him with wet eyes and a small smile.
Without waiting for a minute, he had her in his arms and both were crying.
"Arnavji… Can I ask you something…?"
"Anything Khushi…"
"Take me to Mumbai… To my Mother…" she whispered against his neck.
An hour later, both of them were on their way to Mumbai. They hadn't told anyone anything except for Anjali and Payal, who were ecstatic that Khushi finally remembered. Anjali was a bit apprehensive though, and she apologized profusely to Khushi for being the cause of so much heartbreak. The sisters had ushered them out of the
house, saying that they would explain to the family.
Mumbai
Khushi and Arnav stood at the entrance of the Jaslok Hospital. Khushi was staring at the building. "I passed by this building so many times… I would never have imagined that Ma was right here." She whispered.
Arnav kissed Khushi's forehead and said "It'll be alright… Let's go…"
Delhi
"Bhaiyya, woh… Khushi has gone to Mumbai…" Payal said.
"WHAT! All alone?! Payal how could you-" Anand started.
"Anandji not alone… Chhote has gone with her." Anjali said, smiling.
"What…?" Anand blinked.
"Yeah Bhaiyya. Khushi remembered everything…"
Anand's happiness was expressed by laughter and tears.
"And she knows about Badi Ma" Payal said.
"How?" Anand asked.
"Chhote told her…."
"Well, I am leaving to Mumbai as well then"
"Bhaiyya, I will come with you…" Payal said.
"Me too…" Anjali added.
"What about the kids?" Payal asked worriedly.
"We'll take them along…" Anand said.
"Who is going where?" Akash asked, walking in.
And after the situation was explained, Akash joined the group.
The elders were informed and two hours later, everyone left Mumbai.
Mumbai
Garima was sitting outside Purnima's room and looked up when she heard footsteps.
"Khushi!" she said, getting up and looked at Arnav.
Her eyes widened as she realized from the look on Arnav's face that Khushi knew.
"Amma!" Khushi exclaimed and ran to hug Garima.
The mother-daughter duo shed tears and Arnav watched on quietly.
"Pari?"
The trio turned towards the voice to see a surprised looking Raghav walking in.
"Papa!" Khushi said and hugged him.
After Raghav realized his daughter remembered everything, he was beyond ecstatic. And so, four people- Arnav, Khushi, Raghav and Garima went into Purnima's room.
Raghav sat next to Purnima, while Khushi and Arnav stood behind him. Garima was sitting with barely controlled tears at the foot of the bed.
"Nimmi? Nimmi… It's me Raghav…" he said, holding her hand.
"They lied Nimmi. They all lied…. Mallik cheated us…." Raghav looked apologetically at Arnav, who simple nodded, for he couldn't agree more.
"And… And Nimmi, Pari is alive… She is alive…"
Raghav felt Purnima's hand gripping his slightly. His eyes widened, and he turned to Khushi. "Pari…" he said, getting up.
Khushi understood, and she sat in place of Raghav, with Arnav's hand on her shoulder. Khushi stared at her mother's face, for a few moments and her eyes became glassy. Her voice got stuck in her throat as tears filmed her eyes.
Arnav felt her shoulders shake under his arm and he bent and kissed her forehead.
That's when they heard some commotion outside.
"She is my mother dammit! Let me through!"
"Anandji, relax… She is-"
"Sir, there are already four visitors inside…"
"By God, I will sue this hospital! I-"
"Anand Bhaiyya, calm down! Akashji, do something….!"
"Nurse, I am Akash Raizada. You probably know him as well… This is advocate Anand Kapoor and she is my wife… And this is Anjali Singh Raizada. These kids are all Raizadas as well…."
There was a moment of silence, followed by the click of a lock. A wild Anand, curious Anjali, worried Payal, calm Akash and a curios Little Khushi, Arshi and Navi piled in.
"Jiji! Bhaiyya! Di…!"
"Bhai wo-"
"Mamma!"
"Dad!"
"Anand! Payal! Akashji?"
"Di? Akash? What is going on?!"
"Mamu! Mami!"
"Arshi and Navi?! Why did-"
"Garima Naniii!"
"Ohhh is that another Nani Mamma…?"
"Silence!" Arnav whisper-yelled.
Silence.
"Now… Talk. ONE BY ONE. Anand?"
"Anju-uh, Anjaliji told us that Pari remembered everything so-"
"So you came all the way to Mumbai?" Arnav asked incredulously.
"Chhote! Let him finish!" Anjali chided him. She turned to Anand and smiled. "Tell him Anandji…"
Arnav narrowed his eyes and his eyes tennised between Anand and Anjali.
"Er, right. So I knew Pari would try to wake up Mamma and god be damned if I let her be the first to see Mamma talk…." Anand mumbled. "She was always Mamma's baby anyway…"
Arnav blinked. "Is-is this… Is this about SIBLING RIVALRY?!" he spluttered, shocked.
Anjali closed her ears. "Stop screeching Chhote! Besides, you were Mamma's little boy always…" she pouted.
"Un-effin-believable!" Arnav said.
"Arnavji shhh! The kids will hear you!" Khushi said annoyedly, closing Arshi's right and Navi's left ear and covering their other ear by pulling them close to her.
"Uhm, Khushi and Arnavji, I think we should be more focused on Mausi. You siblings can fight later!"
"Haw! Jiji! You are my sibling too!"
"Oho, Khushi that is not the point!" Payal said.
"Bhai, I think- " Akash started.
"Of course, now you defend Di Akash! She has always been supporting you against me since we were kids!"
"Bhai that was because I was younger!" Akash said indignantly.
"Di ke chamche!"
Raghav and Garima exchanged a startled look and the kids looked on with puzzled expressions. "AHEM!" Raghav cleared his throat loudly.
Everyone looked at him sheepishly. "Forget how and why you all got here… Now can I please have some silence?... Very good." He turned to Khushi. "Pari?"
Khushi nodded and turned to her mother again. She took her hand in hers and kissed her hand. "Mamma, its me. Pari…" she said softly.
Everyone looked with their entire focus.
"Mamma?" Khushi's voice cracked.
She could hear them all. The same as the last decade. And then… she heard him. Her husband's voice.
"Raghuji?" she tried to say, but failed.
Purnima lay there for years, hearing her younger sister weep and cry. Sometimes, the voice of her older son…. he sounded so grown up. How her eyes yearned to see him… But she was too afraid to step into a world with a broken family… Raghuji was gone… Pari was dead… A tear escaped her eye, and she could feel it slide from her eye into her hair.
She wanted to take Garima's head in her lap, like she used to when they were kids, and tell her that it'll be alright.
"Nimmi? Nimmi… It's me Raghav…"
She sighed (tried to) at hearing him again.
"They lied Nimmi. They all lied…. Mallik cheated us…."
"And… And Nimmi, Pari is alive… She is alive…"
Pari was alive?! Her child… her princess was alive?!
She tried desperately to cling on to his hand. The mother in her could feel the presence of her daughter!
She could hear some disturbances… Voices
"Jiji! Bhaiyya! Di…!" Was that… Was that Pari?
"Bhai wo-"
"Mamma!"
"Dad!"
"Anand! Payal! Akashji?"
"Di? Akash? What is going on?!"
"Mamu! Mami!"
"Arshi and Navi?! Why did-"
"Garima Naniii!"
"Ohhh is that another Nani Mamma…?"
New voices… Voices she didn't recognize… Garima 'Nani'? Payal bitiya had gotten married? She smiled, thinking of that calm little child, much different from her spirited butterfly.
She could hear voices of children…
"Now… Talk. ONE BY ONE. Anand?"
Who was this… He sounded rather…. Powerful…
"Anju-uh, Anjaliji told us that Pari remembered everything so-"
Anand beta? Who was Anjali? Was he married too…? Pari remembered? What did that mean…
She tried, desperately, to move her hands… But they felt like lead.
"So you came all the way to Mumbai?"
"Chhote! Let him finish!"…"Tell him Anandji…"
Chhote?
"Er, right. So I knew Pari would try to wake up Mamma and god be damned if I let her be the first to see Mamma talk…She was always Mamma's baby anyway…"
She wanted to chuckle… Still jealous was he?
She strained her ears harder… She wanted to hear her child… She tuned out other voices.
"Arnavji shhh! The kids will hear you!"
Arnav? Was that her Pari's husband? Had Pari become a mother…?
The blackness in her eyes stung, and another tear or two escaped.
There was more of the bickering… Until Raghuji stepped in. Ever the disciplinarian.
"AHEM!" Raghav cleared his throat loudly.
"Forget how and why you all got here… Now can I please have some silence?... Very good. "Pari?"
"Mamma, its me. Pari…"
Pari….. My angel….
"Mamma?"
No Pari… Beta no crying… She could feel her hands getting wet… tears of her little rose bud.
"Mamma…"
She heard a soft husky voice. A voice which she had termed powerful sometime back, was now filled with love... "Khushi… keep yourself calm…"
She could hear her daughter's muffled sobs. Nahi beta… rote nahi… She wanted to say, the way she used to when Pari cried as a child.
She tried shaking her hand, hold on to her daughter…
There was soft movement.
"M-Mamma… I-I am married… T-to-"
"Ratna's son… Just like you always wanted…" Raghav's voice said.
Ratna's son? The calm little boy Arnav? Ratna's Chhote….? Was it the same person….
She felt two little arms on either of her cheeks. "Nani?? Nimmi Nani?"
My…My grandchildren….! She thought…
"Mamma please say something….!" Pari began to cry harder.
"Pari… Pari relax…."
"BHaiyya… Mamma doesn't love us hai na? So many years she has been sleeping… Mamma wake up…"
She felt the forehead of her daughter resting against her palms and crying harder.
"Khushi…. Please don't…" she heard a pained voice.
Beta don't cry… Don't… Mamma is right here…
"NURSE! Nurse! She is showing movement!" Anand screamed.
Ishaani
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