Thanks everyone. I understand if u cannot always comment, but i appreciate u reading the ff 😊
PART 56:
"Kripa! Kripa! Kahan hai tu beta? Tere school se kayi baar phone aa chuka hai …..tere students exam ka wait kar rahe hain, aur tu abhi yahin hai?" Gayatri's voice floated from downstairs.
Kripa wiped her tears and got up. She staggered to her closet and removed her memory box. She folded the note neatly and carefully placed it in the box along side the precious foil ring and dried rose petals; her only gifts from Angad, she had preserved.
Kripa put on her dupatta and picked her bag.
"Kya hua Kripa? Tu ro rahi thi?" Gayatri got worried as she saw Kripa's red eyes.
"Kuch nahin maa….kuch aankh mein chalaa gaya shayad…..main aapse baad mein milti hoon," Kripa stepped aside and walked downstairs.
Gayatri stopped her, "beti, Angad ke saath kuch hua kya? Wo bina bataaye chalaa bhi gaya….kahin usney tere dil ko phir dukhaya tho nahin?"
Kripa just shook her head and ran out to her car; she was too overwhelmed to explain anything.
Kartik came out of the guest room, "kya hua maasi? Yeh subah subah kyon ro rahi hai Kripa?"
"Pataa nahin beta….na jaane Angad ke saath phir kahin koi baat na huyi ho?" Gayatri conjectured
"Maasi…..yeh Angad se ek baar divorce le le, tho yeh kissa hi khatam ho jaaye…..kal shaam ko mujhey laga tha ki sab theek ho gaya hai, par aaj phir…..us aadmi ne meri behen ka kya haal kar diya hai? Jaise uski hansi hi cheen li ho! Main usko ek baar aur warn karne jaa raha hoon! Hospital kya khol liya hai, apne aap ko yahan ka raja samajh ne laga hai! He needs to stay away from my sister!" Kartik left in a fury. Gayatri tried to stop him, but he was too quick for her. Prateek started crying and Gayatri went to attend to him.
Kripa was glad she did not have to teach, due to the end of year exams. Kripa sat on her seat, as the students took their exam. She was lost in her own thoughts. Angad's letter kept flashing in front of her. Her eyes welled up as she thought about Angad's pain, "jitna dard mainey sahaa hai, us se kahin zyaada Angad ne sahaa hai…..wo mujhse bahut pyaar karta hai…..Angad you have not lost me forever, but won me forever."
In the meantime, Kartik barged into Angad's office at the hospital, "I need to talk to you Angad!"
Angad excused himself from the patient he was seeing and walked out of the office, "Haan Kartik, kya baat hai?" Angad looked worn out and tired, but was still calm.
Kartik looked at Angad angrily, "Dr Khanna….aap please meri behen ko akela chhod dee jiye……she has had enough of you! Yahan Ramgarh mein hospital chalaane aaye ho, bas wo hi karo!"
Angad was stunned; last night he thought Kartik had mellowed down, but looked like Kripa had said something to him this morning, "kahin wo letter se aur pareshaan tho nahin ho gayi?" he thought.
"Kartik….yeh mera vaada raha tumsey ki aaj ke baad main na tho Kripa ke kareeb jaaonga, aur na hi Prateek ke…..in fact I will not keep any contact with them, I am sorry if I hurt all of you by attending Prateek's birthday!" Angad said sadly.
Kartik gave Angad a dirty look with nostrils flared, "Let this be your last warning Angad!"
Angad nodded and patted Kartik's shoulder, "you have my word Kartik."
After school, Kripa was still restless and was dying to meet Angad. She called his home and cell numbers, but could not reach him, "shayad kaam par hoga…..baad mein koshish karoongi."
Angad saw several missed calls from Kripa, but he refused to answer them as he had promised Kartik. He felt a little light headed and decided to go home early that evening, "shayad kal raat der se soya tha…..let me get some rest."
That evening, Kripa kept to herself and did not say anything to Gayatri about Angad's letter. She spent her evening with Prateek but was lost in Angad's thoughts. Her heart, body and soul ached for Angad. She felt an uneasy sensation inside her. She put Prateek to bed and paced up and down in her room. She looked out the window and saw the night sky was again turning gray. Within minutes, the rains were back; it was going to be another stormy night.
Downstairs, Gayatri received a call from Damini, who had also started working at the new hospital, "Hello! Jiji main Damini bol rahi hoon hospital se…..kya aapko pataa hai Dr Khanna kahan hai?"
"Nahin, wo ya tho hospital mein honge ya apne ghar par," Gayatri answered.
"Nahin jiji…sab jagah try kar liya, na wo phone uthaa rahe hain, aur mainey ghar par ward boy ko bhi bheja tha, par darwaaja hi nahin khol rahe…aapke paas unke ghar ki chaabhi hai na? Zara aap pataa lagaaiye…yahan ek emergency hai," Gayatri sensed the urgency in Damini's voice.
A restless Kripa came downstairs and overheard the conversation, 'kya hua maa?"
"Kripa…pataa nahin Angad ka pataa nahin chal raha…aaj Kartik din mein us se kuch baat karne bhi gaya tha." Gayatri said
"Kya baat karne?" Kripa asked worriedly.
"Yahi ki wo…wo tum se door rahe….Kartik ko teri bahut chinta ho rahi thi aaj subah," Gayatri explained.
Kripa was worried, "Maa…..mamaji ke ghar ki duplicate chaabhi kahan hai?" her voice was trembling.
"Tu kya karegi Kripa? Bahar mausam kitna kharaab ho raha hai!" Gayatri tried to stop her.
"Maa….mujhey jaana hoga…..kahin bahut der na ho jaaye…aap yahin Prateek ke paas rahiye……aur yadi bhaiyya ka phone aaye tho unhey keh dena ki mere Angad ko kuch na kahein!" Kripa said emotionally and fetched the duplicate keys.
Gayatri was pleasantly surprised, "Beti dhyaan se jaana…pahunchte hi khabar kar dena," Gayatri yelled from behind and smiled, "mera Angad!"
"Theek hai maa!" Kripa yelled back. She drove as fast as she could in the blinding rain. She was worried about Angad, "kahin usney kuch ulta seeda tho nahin kar liya…..mujhsey door hone ke chakkar mein kahin apne aap ko kuch……," she tried to keep her sight on the road as her vision got blurry with tears.
She finally reached Dr Misra's old house and knocked at the door. There was no answer.
She let herself inside the familiar house and walked in, drenched by the heavy outpour.
"Angad! Angad!" she looked for him everywhere. She heard a familiar song playing inside the bedroom. She followed the voice and recognized her album playing on the CD player. She looked around the bedroom and was shocked to see Angad limp on the bed.
She rushed to his bedside and shook him, "Angad! Angad!" There was no answer. She was horrified; she touched his skin with the back of her hand, "tumhey tho bahut tez bukhaar ho raha hai!"
Kripa quickly went and fetched a bowl of water with some towels. She unbuttoned his shirt, and started sponging his body with the tepid water. She called the hospital while sponging him, "nurse…main Mrs Khanna bol rahi hoon! Doctor sahib ko bahut zor ka bukhaar ho raha hai…wo behoshi ki haalat mein hain…Dr Shabbir hain kya wahan?…Oh wo Mumbai mein hain? Theek hai main unhey phone karti hoon." She hung up and dialed Shabbir's home number.
Kripa: "Shabbir…Angad ki tabiyat bahut kharaab hai…please tell me what to do?"
Kripa sounded really worried on the phone.
Shabbir: "Calm down Kripa…just tell me his symptoms…I will tell you what to do. I will be there as soon as I can…abhi toofan ki wajah se saari roads blocked hain."
Kripa noted down all the instructions like a good nurse. She had not practiced nursing in years, but seeing Angad in this critical condition brought old memories back. She did not even realize that she had addressed herself as Mrs Khanna on the phone.
She ran down to Dr Misra's old clinic. She gathered needles, syringes and some medicines. Thankfully, they were still not expired- lagta hai Angad abhi bhi is clinic mein kaam karta hai!
She gave him the injections and medications as Shabbir had prescribed. His temperature was starting to come down, but he was still delirious and almost unconscious. Kripa stayed at his bedside and nursed him all night. As she tried to get up, she felt Angad's hand grip her hand tightly, "Kripaaa…mat jao," he muttered deliriously. Kripa grabbed his hand and brought it to her cheek, "main yahin hoon tumhare paas Angad….kahin nahin jaa rahi."
Angad went in and out of his delirious state all night. Kripa looked around the room and saw her photographs and their wedding pictures displayed everywhere. The closet door was open, and she was pleasantly surprised to see all her clothes neatly arranged along with Angad's clothes. She had tears in her eyes. It seemed that Angad lived in the hope that one day she would return back; she felt that she had always been there along with Angad and never left him. She held his hand in hers and kissed it with her wet lips, "Angad….please theek ho jao jaldi…..main hamesha tumhari thi aur rahoongi….main ab kahin nahin jaaoongi…..please hosh mein aa jao."
Kripa informed Gayatri about what was going on.
"Beti…tu Angad ke saath hi reh….main Prateek ko sambhaal loongi."
Kripa fell asleep with her head resting on Angad's bedside. The doorbell rang early in the morning. She got up and answered the door.
"Shabbir! I am so glad to see you!" she exclaimed.
Shabbir checked Angad out and said, "let's move him to the hospital…..he is critically ill!"
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