"but doctor....2 din ho gaye...
aur abhi tak dono ko
hi hosh nahi aaya!!"
navin's panic had passed....
the doctors had told him that both naina &
raj were out of danger....
but unconscious.....
"dekhiye....try & understand....
both of them have gone through serious
problems....abhi hosh aane mein kaafi
time lag sakta hai...."
"doctor...one more thing...
kya ab dono ko same room mein
shift kiya ja sakta hai?"
tehzeeb asked him....
"jee bilkul...par iski kya zaroorat hai???"
"hai...it'll be easier to keep an eye on
the activities dat are taking place...
maana dono ke rooms ke baahar security
arrange kar di gayi hai...
par we don't feel dat dey're safe enough....
ek hi room mein...." aalekh continued..
"i understand...ho jaayega..."
the doctor went away...
navin was exhausted.....
he rubbed his eyes &
slumped on a chair nearby.....
"navin...tum bahut thak gaye ho..
u haven't slept since last 2 days..
not even a wink...tumhe ghar jaana chahiye....."
tazz tried to convince him....
she'd been doin this since the past 24 hours....
"Tehzeeb...phir se yeh baat boli....
to do lagaa doonga yaar...i'm not letting them
out of my sight!!!"
she threw her hands in air in despair....
"dat was a good idea by the way....
dono ko common room mein....."
aalekh began....
"maine security considerations ki
wajaah se yeh nahi kaha tha....
i assumed dat dey'll want to see each other sabse pehle..
wen dey snap out of their delirium....
after all ek doosre ke liye....."
she felt as if she was a part of this family since ages....
aalekh nodded....
smiling at the level of her understanding.....
................................................
.............................
their beds lay next to each others.....
raj stirred....
he felt a bit uncomfortable in his chest...
a little heavy....
he took a deep breath....
slowly...his eyes flickered open....
& he saw an oxygen mask covering his mouth....
reality struck him instantly....
visions of wat had happened after naina
left clouded his mind...
he'd had his lunch......
talked to various people on the phone...
he'd lay on the grass all afternoon....
....had lost his cell...
lathargic..he'd decided to take a nap in
the room...& den.......
phir kya hua tha??...
naina!!!!
she'd fainted!!
he tried to get up...
without looking left or right..
throwing his mask off.....
the moment he did dis...
his eyes fell on her....
she was unconscious....
but wat was more troubling was that
her entire left shoulder..upto her waist
was heavily bandaged....!
a grave scar highlighted her forehead....
his eyes widened in shock...
& a grief unacceptable shook his body....
he felt a fear dat he'd never heard of before.....
was she...still in danger?
kya tum......
he felt a helplessness surge through his mind...
aakhir us din hua kya tha???!!
he began to stand..
wanting to touch her....
but he couldn't balance...
& fell down on the floor instead!.....
the noise alerted everyone outside &
they came running in....
"raj!...."
navin & aalekh helped him up....
he struggled to free himself from their grasp....
"chodo mujhe...."
he shouted with all his might...
but even dat came out merely as a squeak....
"kya chaahiye raj?...please let jaa..."
"navin...naina ko....is she?"
his voice trembled...& nanoo understood
wat raj was trying to do....
"aa..come here..."
navin held him by his waist...
"navin tu kya kar raha hai...
usse rest...."
"ek minute aalekh...."
he led him to her...&
made him settle down close to .....
infact inches apart from her...
raj took her hand & held it close to him...
his eyes welling up with tears...
too scared to let them fall...
"she's out of danger....
usse goli lagi thi raj..."
"wat?!!"....
he sounded terrified....
something in him seemed to die....
he would've slipped off
if nanoo wasn't supporting him....
"main...so..gaya...tha...uske baad.."
he was too startled...too petrified...
& spoke in monosyllables...
"relax raj.....
ambulance jab tum dono ko yahaan layee..
we'd already been informed....
tum jis boat house se aaye...
the vents on the heating system in your room
were blocked....jis se shaayad..carbon monoxide
poisoning ho gayi tujhe...you were almost breathless....
par doctors ne kaha ki you were given
mouth-to-mouth....tere kapdo par bhi khoon tha...
probably naina was already shot wen she was helping you
in respiration....
you guys were equally critical...
naina suffered quite a lot of blood loss...."
he was hugging raj...as tears dropped from their eyes...
"captain ahluwalia....the patient needs to rest..
aap please baahar..."
the doctor had arrived in too...
"doctor...naina...how serious is her injury?"
raj's lips quivered..
"dekhiye...agar goli ek inch neeche lagi hoti...
it would've hit her torso...
& dat would've been the end...but her luck saved her...
and i admire her sharp wit...inhone agar ambulance ko...
itni buri haalat mein phone nahi kiya hota...to....
anyway...she'll take some time...but there's
nothing to worry about....except your condition...
u need to put dat oxygen mask again..& lie down....
out everyone!!"
they all helped him lie down...
his bed was shifted closer to hers....
& dey left...
"never better!!...yahi kaha tha na tumne...
i hate you for this nia!...
meri wajaah se apni jaan...."
he was almost crying now...
he held her wrist tightly....
removed the tendrils from her face....
his heart leapt out at her sight...
she was immobile..
yet her face radiated her love....
will we ever be able to live in peace...?
together....
main tumse alag ho kar
kabhi nahi jee paaoonga....
i want you by my side...laughing...loving me...
always...
his heart pained....
humein tum se pyaar kitana,
ye hum nahin jaante...
magar jee naheen sakate,
tumhaare bina.......
suna gum judai ka,
uthhaate hain log....
jaane jindagee kaise,
bitaate hain log....
din bhi yahaan to lage,
baras ke samaan....
humein intezaar kitna,
ye hum nahin jaante....
magar jee nahin sakte,
tumhaare bina......
tumhe koi aur dekhe,
to jalataa hain dil....
badee mushkilon se fir,
sambhalta hain dil....
kyaa, kyaa jatan karte hai,
tumhe kyaa pataa...
ye dil bekaraar kitna,
ye hum nahin jaante...
magar jee nahin sakte,
tumhaare bina.........
he didn't realise dat he
was actually squeezing her hand.....
real hard....&
den...
he fell into a delirium once again...
..............
"aaaaah!..."
she'd stirred....
& her limbs hurt like anything.....
"r..a..j....."
she called out his name in sleep....
& suddenly woke up thereafter....
the moment she tried to get up...,
an excrutiating pain shot in
the left side of her body...
& she squeezed something hard....
it was someone's hand....
"naina....tum uth gayi..."
yudi heaved a sigh of relief...
"r..raj..."
"he's right next to you...
& out of danger....completely"
she fidgeted in her bed...
"tum...yahaan?"
"yup!...my sweet pal has this thing for jumping into
trouble....& eventually landing up half-dead..."
she knew he was talkin about him....
naina smiled...
she looked at raj...his hand clutching hers tightly...
"isse hosh aaya tha?"
yudi nodded...
"i was right wasn't i...
u do love him..."
she didn't respond....
kya boloon...
my feelings are far deeper than even the
depths of love.....
"meri ek baat maano ki naina...
step out of this investigation..."
she sighed...
"bura mat maano....
u need to save your skin too...
& the ones close to you.."
"jaanti hoon...par jab.... is field mein ..
step kiya tha...
tab maine..kuch..responsibilities... "
the pain was too much....
she couldn't go on.....
"i know....to kya socha hai?"
she looked at raj for a very long time....
"board meeting mein jo unhone kal kahaa
woh sahi tha...mera ek kaam karoge yudi....?"
"wat?"
& they talked for a while.....
"r u sure?...i mean aise to tum...."
"aur koi option nahi hai mere paas...
please...."
"thoda soch lo naina..."
she shook her head...
"i've decided..."
he nodded...& got up....
"main chalta hoon den...
i'll convey your decision to everyone...
bye..."
"bye...& thanx a ton yudi..."
he left....
.............................
later dat day tehzeeb was thinking something hard....
"navin...wen are we getting engaged??"
tazz suddenly asked him.....
he looked up..half asleep...
& then his eyes widened in surprise at her question....
& were replaced by disgust...
"tum paagal....how could you??
wahaan woh dono itne critical
condition se baahar aaye hain..
aur tum??"
"shut-up!!..
tum mujhe galat kyon samajhte ho ...
can't you get the simple fact ki dey need some cheering
up in their lives now....thodi khushi....
dono ke saath jo kuch ho raha hai...
ek ke baad ek attacks...
i don't want it to strain their relationship ...
humaari engagement will bring
atleast some happiness...
& more importantly..
naina ka mind thoda divert ho jaayega...
she's bound to be horrified...."
"huh...i'm sorry...
maine waise socha nahin...
humaari engagement.....?"
he thought for a while....
"dono ko jaise hi hosh aata hai...
uske 2 din mein....is dat fine??"
she nodded..a bit irritated by him...
he realised he'd hurt her & got up....
taking her in his arms he whispered....
"tumne apni life ki itni important
decision....naina ke liye....
your big moment...."
she caressed his cheek....
"i love you navin....
and naina has become
very important for me too.."
...............................................
the moment yudi left...
raj woke up....
she felt her fingers being
caressed by his thumb...
a smile on his face....
they could hear a song faintly
from the gardens outside..
& stared at each other....
lost in the other's gaze.....
Woh pehli baar jab hum mile....
Haathon mein haath jab hum chale....
Ho gaya ye dil deewana ...
Hota hai pyaar kya isne jaana....
Teri aankhon mein jannat basake chala....
Teri zulfon ki chhaaon mein chalta chala....
Tere nainon mein chein tere labh pe khushi...
Tujhko hi main mohabbat bana ke chala...
Woh pehli baar jab hum mile
Ho gaye shuru ye silsile....
Ho gaya ye dil deewana
Hota hai pyaar kya isne jaana...
Khilti kaliyon mein dhoondhoon bas tere nishaan....
Main na jaanoon hai aakhir ye kya karvaan....
Tujhe dekhoon to aaye labh pe khushi....
Khuda na kare ho kabhi dooriyaan.....
Ho gaya hoon paagal ab tere liye....
Tere bin dil bechara ye kaise jiye.....
Maine khoke hai chein paayi tujh mein khushi....
Tu bani jaane jaana meri zindagi.....
he whispered
"yudi...kaun..hai...
wasn't dat... sam?"
naina froze at his question...
i have to cover my tracks...& soon.....
main bahut galtiyaan kar chuki hoon raj...
i can't involve you in dis anymore...
i love you ....&
will do so forever...
whether we manage a life together or not.........
khuda naa kare ho kabhi dooriyaan....
the line rang in her mind....
striking her soul.....
i'm sorry raj.....
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Cricket
Bade Achche Lagte Hain Naya Season
261