Chapter 25
Shalini watched the young couple in front of her, the girl leaning tiredly on the boy's shoulder, and her heart ached for them. Both of them looked so exhausted, so heart sickeningly sad that she had no idea how to help them. How could she, when she herself…
"Please do something for her," Ali had begged Shalini, "She hasn't slept properly for days, she can barely eat."
"We could always change your room…" Shalini had told her, "Even if just for a few days. You could get a proper sleep…"
"Never," Pooja had broken in tiredly, finally speaking, "I won't cut my connection with Naina, no matter what. We're all she has now, and…" she trailed off, and Shalini was worried she might start crying, something that Shalini felt dangerously close to doing herself. She knew that Pooja was barely coping, trying to support Naina when her friend wasn't even capable of speaking. She knew what it was that kept Pooja awake at night, those sobs, that never seemed to stop…
"Then I'll give you some pills." Shalini tells her, "But take them carefully, make sure that you use them sparingly, they can be addictive."
Pooja had nodded tiredly and Ali had held out his hand, taking the pills for her. Shalini had known that he would make sure she took them.
Then they had walked off together, her still leaning heavily on him, barely able to walk with exhaustion.
Watching them, Shalini can no longer hold her tears back.
How much longer can they all pretend to be strong for?
How much longer can they try to support their friend without breaking themselves?
**
"I'm not leaving Asha here alone." Amiya repeats stubbornly for the fifth time since Shalini had brought up the possibility and she finds herself marvelling at the girl's resilience.
In some ways, she reminds her remarkably of Pooja. The same spark, the same dedication to her friend. Shalini wonders whether Asha and Amiya became such good friends because Asha was also reminded of Pooja when she met the girl… Whether there is a part of her that remembers, however small it is.
"Arre Ammu, she won't be alone, she'll have me with her." HJ tries to tell Amiya reassuringly. "I'll look after her for you."
"Do you want to have your good looks spoiled by a very jealous Captain who'll break your nose?" Amiya asks HJ sarcastically, glaring at him to tell him that he's not helping. "No, right? Then keep out of it."
HJ tries not to look amused at this, as Asha, who has been sitting quietly by the bed until this point, reaches out to take Amiya's hand.
"Amiya, you know that it's not possible for me to go with you if you're evacuated back to Tawang for medical treatment." She tells her calmly, "What would the excuse be? I've got to do my duty here, and I want you to recover properly. Do you know how worried your family is? I've had to reassure both your parents and your sisters that you'll be fine."
Amiya became quite emotional at the mention of her family, thinking about what they must have gone through when they heard. "How are they?" she asked Asha, "I know they must be worried… but I can't leave you, I can't."
Seeing that she's becoming emotional, and knowing that she shouldn't stress herself too much in the state she's in, Shalini makes a sign to the other two before quickly injecting Amiya with a light tranquiliser.
Realising slightly too late what Shalini has done, all Amiya can do is glare at her slightly, before sighing.
"I won't leave…" she repeats stubbornly, but with less force as the tranquiliser begins to take effect, "But I do miss home…" she adds a bit wistfully, and Asha squeezes her hand, tears coming to her eyes.
"And I miss Samir…" Amiya continues, obviously no longer fully aware of what it is she's saying. "And I miss Hussein and Captain Kapoor too… but not like that." She turns her gaze to Asha then, now obviously fully under the effects of the drugs, "But you know that," she tells Asha, and giggles slightly before she abruptly falls asleep. Sighing, Asha reaches out and smoothes Amiya's hair back before settling back in her chair.
And Shalini believes more than ever, that in both lifetimes, Naina has gotten the friends that she truly deserved.
**
"Can't you do something?" Hussein asked Aalekh and Abhimanyu a bit desperately as he sat with them in Abhimanyu's office. "Amiya needs to come back… and she's refusing to without Asha. Even I think Asha should come back with her, we can't just leave her there alone."
Abhimanyu gave a tired sigh and rubbed his forehead, even he had been thinking about this since the morning. "Hussein, no matter who it is that Asha is for us, you know that I can't show favouritism." He told him, "What about the rest of our soldiers who are there? How will they feel is Asha is evacuated along with Amiya and they're not?"
Hussein was torn, he knows that Abhimanyu is right… but to leave Asha there alone… HJ was there, but she barely knew him. Hussein was also very much aware that if Amiya came back and Asha was left by herself, the very fragile state that Dhiraj was currently in was going to get even worse. Since the news of Amiya's accident, he had barely spoken except to try to keep Samir's spirits up, and Hussein knew that he was dangerously close to breaking point.
"Please Uncle… if not for Asha's sake then for Dhiraj's." Hussein had pleaded one more time, "He needs her back here, I don't know how much longer he can cope for."
It is with this last appeal that Hussein thinks he has finally succeeded, as he sees the brief look of guilt appear on Abhimanyu's face as he thinks about his friend. Hussein knows how much it has tortured him, that he could never do anything to help either of them. He feels bad about manipulating his uncle's feelings, but at the moment he will do anything to get her back safe and sound.
Hussein watches as Abhimanyu's resolve breaks, and the older man looks searchingly towards Aalekh.
"Aalekh…?" he begins to say questioningly.
"Bring her back, Sir." Aalekh says, his voice thick with emotion. "Find some excuse, any excuse, but bring her back."
And Abhimanyu nods, his mind suddenly made up.
Even if he's breaking protocol, being unprofessional, at least he can do this much for them.
**
Amiya wakes up with a headache to find Asha dozing by her bedside, half asleep in her chair. Sensing Amiya's movement, Asha opens her eyes, and smiles at her friend.
"Dr Shalini tranquilised me again, didn't she?" Amiya asks Asha, "I wish she wouldn't keep doing that."
"She had to… you know you're not supposed to get too stressed at the moment." Asha tells her, pouring a cup of water for Amiya to drink and passing it to her.
Amiya sips the water from the cup, and then grimaces at a sudden memory, "I said something… didn't I?" she asks Asha, "Did I embarrass myself?"
"Only slightly…" Asha tells her, "You said that you missed Samir, and that you missed Hussein and Dhiraj too, 'but not in that way'."
Amiya groans at her own behaviour while Asha tries not to smile, knowing that her friend won't appreciate it.
"No more tranquilising ever again, please." Amiya requests her, "I already embarrass myself enough while I'm fully conscious without needing to do it while I'm half unconscious."
Asha laughs properly at this, and Amiya starts giggling too when the door opens and Shalini walks in with HJ, smiling to find them looking so happy for once.
"You're not going to tranquilise me again are you?" Amiya asks her worriedly, "Please don't."
"Don't worry, Aunty Shalini isn't going to have to tranquilise you after she gives you the next news, Ammu!" HJ tells her with a grin.
Ignoring the new nickname he's found for her, Amiya focuses on the other part of the sentence. "Aunty Shalini?" she asks him, "HJ, you're just like Hussein, you've got way too many uncles and aunts in the army."
"Well Hussein's uncles and aunts are my uncles and aunts too…" HJ explains, "Except in the case of our parents of course, well, you understand…"
"Yes, of course I understand." Amiya tells him, rolling her eyes, "I'm not dumb, and… and what news?" she suddenly asks, realising the last bit of the sentence she had missed.
"You and Asha will both be leaving tomorrow," Shalini tells them both with a smile that seems a little sad, "You're heading back to Tawang."
Amiya shrieks with excitement and throws her arms around Asha, hugging her tightly before she turns back to Shalini.
"But how…" she asks, "Thank you so much Aunty Shalini!"
Shalini struggles not to laugh at this, "Don't thank me." She tells her, "I only did a small amount towards it, Hussein has been working hard to convince Brigadier Chauhan to bring you back."
"Hooray for Hussein having so many aunts and uncles in the army!" Amiya declares, "I knew it would come in handy one day."
Asha has been unable to speak so far, she's so full of both happiness and relief. While she had been trying to be brave for Amiya's sake, she has dreaded the idea of being left behind without Amiya. Her friend is the only one that has managed to keep her sane here, creating brightness in the darkness that surrounds them.
And Dhiraj… the thought of seeing him again makes her heart suddenly light as she struggles to contain the excitement. All that she wants right now, is for him to put his arms around her and never let go. These weeks have been such torture without him, that she hopes a moment never comes again when she has to leave him. The thought of living without him…
She can no longer even consider the possibility.
Seeing the quiet glow on Asha's face, the happiness, Amiya reaches out to take her hand.
"Why don't you go and call Hussein to thank him on my behalf." Amiya suggests, knowing fully that Hussein will not be the first one that Asha will talk to.
Asha nods silently and squeezing Amiya's hand, leaves the room.
"You know, I'm going to miss you two." HJ tells Amiya, "I hope we'll get posted together again soon."
"I hope so too," Amiya tells him sincerely, "You're a fun guy to have around, it would be great if you could be posted with us and Hussein."
"I've gotten so used to you two in a few days…" HJ tells her, "I mean it was weird at first, Asha looking so much like Naina, but I got used to it."
"Naina?" Amiya asks him, confused. "She doesn't look like Naina. I've met Naina, and they don't look anything alike." As she stares at him, she sees a look of panic briefly crossing Dr Shalini's face and wonders what she's worried about.
"No not that Naina," HJ continues, "I know they don't look anything alike. I was talking about…"
"HJ!" Shalini exclaims sharply, "I don't really think that Amiya needs to hear all this while she's still unwell."
"But Hussein never told me I couldn't mention it to Amiya, he just said I shouldn't tell Asha." HJ says with a shrug.
"But I…." Amiya starts to say, but Shalini is already pushing HJ out the door, the same worried look on her face.
"We'll just leave you to get some rest." She tells Amiya, and they're gone too quickly for her to ask anything else.
Amiya stared at the now closed door, thoroughly confused. Apparently Asha looked like somebody called Naina, and nobody wanted her to find out. Hussein had even told HJ specifically not to mention it…
It is then that Amiya suddenly remembers Naina Sharma talking about the meaning of hers and Hussein's names, and how they had been named after friends of their parents.
Could it be that this is the Naina that HJ is referring to?
And then suddenly Amiya remembers something that she had long since forgotten with everything that had happened since, something that had confused her at the time.
When they had rescued Captain Kapoor and he had been only half conscious, he had called Asha by the name Naina.
The more pieces of the puzzle that came together, the more that it confused and worried Amiya.
But if there was somebody that knew, somebody that would clear up her confusion, she suddenly had the feeling that it would be Hussein.
**
"Dhiraj, they're coming back." Samir announces to him, a look of utter happiness on his face. "Hussein just told me, they'll both be back tomorrow, Brigadier Chauhan has managed it somehow."
Without waiting to hear anything else, Dhiraj throws his arms around Samir and hugs him tightly with relief, and Samir hugs him back equally as tightly.
"I think I could go and hug Brigadier Chauhan myself right now," Dhiraj tells Samir, "He has no idea what it is that he's done for me."
Samir laughs at this, "Maybe you'd better not," he tells Dhiraj, "Or before you know it, you'll be transferred off base before they're both back."
"We should celebrate." Dhiraj tells him impulsively, "Where's Hussein? I want to thank him, I know he must have had something to do with this."
"I'll go and get Hussein." Samir tells him, "And then we'll start thinking about how to welcome them home."
He leaves with a smile on his face, it's the first time that Dhiraj has seen him smile in days, and he can't help but also grin, because she's coming back, coming back to him.
"You look happy," Captain Sunita Shergill tells him as she passes by, "This is the first time I've seen you look happy in days."
"As… Lieutenants Dutt and Chatterjee are being sent back to Tawang." Dhiraj tells her, still smiling and unable to contain his happiness, "They'll arrive tomorrow."
"I'm surprised actually… considering that Lieutenant Chatterjee is the only one that was injured." Captain Shergill tells him with a knowing look. "How did you manage to convince Brigadier Chauhan to bring your girlfriend back too?" she asks a bit disapprovingly.
Dhiraj just stares at her, his expression hardening. "First of all… I don't appreciate you gossiping about me and Lieutenant Dutt." He tells her, "Secondly, I had nothing to do with her being sent back."
"Oh come on, Dhiraj." Sunita says to him, rolling her eyes, "Practically the whole base knows about the two of you. You've made enough scenes over her in the past."
Dhiraj is just about to retort angrily when an orderly approaches him, saluting. He turns to the man, looking at him quizzically.
"You have a phone call, Sir." The man announces, and without him having to say who it is, Dhiraj already knows. She'll be letting him know that she's coming back to him safe and sound, that within a day, she'll be back where she belongs… by his side.
Dhiraj spares one glance for Captain Shergill, "Excuse me," he tells her before leaving, not really caring what it is that she thinks now. He makes his way to the phone as quickly as possible, wanting to run but limiting himself to a jog with much difficulty.
"Asha," he says into the phone when he picks it up without even checking that it's her, "Asha, I heard that…"
"I'm coming back…" she tells him, "We're both coming back. We'll be there by tomorrow afternoon. There's so much that I want to… I mean, I…" and unable to express what she wants to say, especially on the phone, she lets out a slight sob. "I've missed you so much." She finally tells him.
"When you get back, I'll…" he starts to say, and then realises it's not the type of thing that he can tell her on the phone. If he had been confused about his feelings before she left then the effects of her absence has made them perfectly clear. When she comes back, he plans to tell her everything.
He is no longer willing to remain silent, to wait for a better time. He's not sure why, but he feels like waiting would be a mistake. Nobody can tell what the future will bring, Amiya being injured has proved that. He won't lose Asha, he can't, and he won't lose the time that he has with her, especially when it's so precious. He feels a dread at the thought of waiting, and he knows that his patience has finally run out.
He doesn't know why… but he feels that it was meant to be.
It's time that he took control of his own destiny.
He feels as if he has waited a lifetime for this moment, but no long how it took…
She will be his.
**
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Anupamaa
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