OS: Consequences Prt 2Pg7 Nov 11 - Page 5

"Kya hua?" Maan asked as he kneeled next to Geet.

"Mujhe kya paata!?" Meera barked. "Isse jaldi hospital leh jana padega!"

Maan didn't need any other prompting. He quickly yet gently picked Geet up into his arms. The fact that she was pregnant and so light weight shocked and scared him. He raced out of the warehouse to his car where he placed her inside, while Meera took a seat in the back with Geet. Maan jumped in himself and sped off in a matter of seconds.

Once reaching the hospital Maan carried her and placed her into a stretcher. He grabbed the collar of the first orderly he found and demanded that they call Dr. Rao, Geet's OB/GYN, immediately. Within the next minute the doctor came rushing down the hall to her STAT page.

"Mr. Khurana, aap?" she asked, surprise clearly visible on her face.

"Doctor," Maan started as he rushed to her, "Geet…"

The doctor followed Maan's eyes and gasped when she saw Geet lying on the stretcher.

"Kya hua?" she asked as she went to Geet.

"Nahin pata…" Maan said.

Meera began explaining about finding Geet passed out on the floor.

From that point everything became a haze to Maan. The doctor immediately began barking order to the surrounding nurses and doctors. They wheeled Geet into a room, which Maan had tried to get into but was literally pushed out by a rather bulky orderly. Maan paced, as did Meera, while they waited. After what seemed like eons, the doctor came out.

"Geet kaisi hai?" Maan asked before Meera could.

"Mr. Khurana, yeh kya hai?" the doctor asked, rather peeved. "Pichli check mein maine aapse kaha ke aapko Mrs. Khurana ki dekh bhal karna hoga. Woh aapki paatni hai, aapki zimedari hai…aap itne laparva kaise hosakte hai."

"Mrs. Khurana?" Meera said to herself as she tried to process what that meant.

"Geet tik toh hai naa?" Maan asked.

"I'm not finished with you yet Mr. Khurana," the doctor retorted. "Dekh bhal toh door, aapne unhe aajke check up ke liyeh bhi nahin laya. Kya aapko aapni paatni ya bache ka koi fikar nahin hai?"

"Doctor please," Maan said in a strained voice, "Geet…"

The doctor sighed and looked up at Maan. She probably felt sorry for him because she stopped ranting at him.

"Mrs. Khurana bohot kamzoor hai, lagta hai ke kahi dino se naa woh tik se khati hai, naa tik se piti hai….tikse soti bhi nahi hogi. Uski morning sickness kaisi hai?" the doctor asked.

Maan stood silently – he had no answer, because he simply didn't know.

"Pichle ek ya doh haftoon se har subha usse teen se char baar ultiyaan hoti hai doctor," Meera provided. "Kuch bhi khati hai toh ulti aati hai usse."

"Issi liyeh woh itni dehydrated hai," the doctor said as she made a note in the chart she held. "Malnourished bhi hai. Pregnancy mein ek aurat ko weight gain karna chahiyeh, magar Geet weight loose kaar rahi hai. Aagar aaisa raha toh aacha nahin hoga Mr. Khurana…aacha nahin hoga."

Just then two orderlies wheeled out the bed that had Geet lying on it. She had been changed into a pale hospital gown, her head tilted to the side and one hand still on her slightly swollen stomach.

"Geet ko kahaan lekar jaa rahe hai yeh log?" Maan asked as he was about to race after the stretcher.

The doctor and Meera reached out to stop him.

"Woh Mrs. Khurana ko private room mein shift kaar rahe hai. Humne unhe stabilize karliya hai, baki ke tests hum vahaan karenge," the doctor said. "Follow me."

Meera and Maan walked quietly behind the doctor who led them to a private room at then end of the hall on the 6^th floor. They stood outside while the doctor and nurses got Geet settled into the new bed.

"Geet ko maine dava diya hai, take woh aaram karsake," the doctor said as she walked out. "Thodi dehr mein hosh ajayega."

The doctor began to walk away when Maan called out to her.

"Doctor, woh…uska…baacha toh tik hai naa?" he asked.

"Bhagwan ke kirpa se Geet ki koi bleeding nahin hui thi, toh mujhe lagta hai ke saab tik hi hai. Hume ultrasound karna padega…main usse lene jaa rahi hoon. Jaab Geet jag jayegi, hum test karva lenge," the doctor said before leaving.

The hall was silent except for the beeping machines attached to Geet. It was Meera who went in to see Geet. Maan just couldn't come up with the courage to go inside. Instead he watched as Meer went and sat with Geet. A few minutes later, Meera came out.

"Damn you Maan!" Meera suddenly erupted. "Yeh saab tumhare vaje se ho rah hai!"

Maan looked at her stunned at her out burst.

"Tum Geet ke saath aaise behave kaise kar sakte ho?" she asked.

After some silence, Maan spoke.

"Ussne mujhe bohot dard diya hai," Maan said. He knew it wasn't an excuse but he felt like he had to say it.

"Toh? Toh tumne soocha ke tum usse aur dard doge toh hisab barabar hojayega?" Meera asked. "Main jaanti hoon ke tum dono ke beech mein kuch ghalat fehmi toh hai, varna Geet tumhe nahin chodti. Pata nahin usse kyun aaisa lagta hai ke tum usse shaadi sirf issi liyeh karna chate the take tum Dev ko bacha sako. Mana ke ussne office mein joh kiya, usse nahin karni chahiyeh thi…magar sari ghalti toh uski nahin hosakti naa!?"

Meera paused to compose herself slightly.

"Chalo, man lete hai ke joh kuch bhi hua, Geet ke vaje se hua. Usse tumhare saath joh kiya, usse nahin karna chahiyeh tha. Manlete hai ke sari ghalti uski hai. Yeh bhi man lete hai ke tum usse nafrat karte ho…magar phir bhi…tum uske saath aaise kaise kaar sakte ho Maan?" Meera asked. "Kaise? Tum yeh kaise bhool sakte ho ke woh maa banne wali hai? Kaise bhool sakte ho ke tumne khabi iss aurat se pyaar kiya hai?"

Maan sat silently.

"Uske saath ek nanhi si jaan juda hai. Uss jaan ko bachane ke liyeh Geet ne kya kuch nahin saha hai, woh bhi itni si ummar mein. Pehle se hi uska so called pati ne uska saath chod diya, uska parivaar uska saath chod diya, aur aab tumne bhi uska saath chod diya," Meera said.

Maan still, had nothing to say.

"Woh jeeti hai toh sirf aapne bache ke vaje se, woh ladti hai toh sirf aapne bache ke vaje se, woh zinda hai toh sirf aapne bache ke vaje se…aagar uske baache ko kuch hogaya Maan…Geet toh jeete jee marjayegi."

Maan closed his eyes as the enormity of what he'd been doing rained over him. What had he done? He'd become so blinded in his rage and his ego that he didn't once stop to think that Geet was pregnant. She was in one of the most fragile stages of her life, and instead of giving her support when she needed it, he turned away from her. Everything Meera said had been right.

Sure he was hurting because of her. Sure he was in pain because of her. But that didn't excuse his behavior. She was the woman he loved, she was pregnant – God, how could he have been so selfish!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Geet could feel the heavy cloud lifting as she slowly opened her eyes. She was hearing a sound and didn't realize it was her groaning. She began calling out for Maan not realizing what she was doing. It wasn't until Meera came and held her hand that she comprehended what was going on. She looked around and could see she was in the hospital. The questions was, why? As reality slowly set in, Geet became frantic. She remembered walking into the ladies room at India Paint with the intention of splashing some water on her face because she was feeling light headed. She'd managed to get some water on her face, turn of the faucet and then suddenly everything went black. She remembered waking up later, she didn't know how much later, and thinking that she had to get up to save her baby but the darkness confined her before she could do anything.

"Mera bacha," Geet said as she laid a hand over her slightly bulging stomach. "Mera bacha tik toh hai naa?"

"Mrs. Khurana, relax," the doctor said.

It was then that Geet realized the doctor was in the room setting up a machine. The doctor explained that she was going to do an ultrasound on her now to check the baby. As long as there was a heart beat, there was no reason to suspect that something was wrong.

The doctor pulled the curtain giving Geet privacy before lifting her hospital gown to expose her abdomen. She squirted a clear gel on Geet after warning her it would be cold. Then, she grabbed the wand and placed it to Geet's stomach searching for the heart beat. Seconds passed, but they seemed like hours to Geet. She prayed with all she had to Baba-ji to make everything ok.

Then, suddenly a funny sound was heard in the room. It was a loud whooshing sound masking a distinct beat.

When Geet saw the doctor smiling she asked, "Kya…kya yeh mera bacha ka heart beat hai?"

"Haan. Saab tik hai Mrs. Khurana," the doctor said. "Yeh dekhiyeh, yeh raha aapka bacha."

Geet looked to where the doctor was pointing and was amazed. There it was, her baby – her precious baby, safe inside her. She couldn't help the tears that came to her eyes. She had done everything for her baby and if something happened to it, she'd just die. She laid back, hands protectively on her belly, crying happy tears.

The doctor had gone after checking Geet out, leaving only her and Meera behind.

"Thank you Meera," she said.

"Kyun?" Meera asked.

"Tumhi the naa, jissne mujhe hospital layeh?" Geet asked.

After hesitating for a brief second, Meera said, "Nahin Geet, tumhe Maan laya tha."

"Kya?" Geet asked shocked.

After digesting that piece of information, Geet got off the bed, stumbling as she stood.

"Geet, yeh kya kaar rahe ko?" Meera asked as she rushed to her side.

"Mujhe yahaan se jaana hai, main yahaan nahin ruk sakti."

Geet began reaching for her clothes so she could change.

"Magar Geet…" Meera began but was cut off.

"Nahin Meera nahin, main unse koi madat nahin le sakti," Geet said. "Aaj tak main chup chap unka gussa seh rahi thi, lekin aab nahin. Aagar aaj mera bacha ko kuch hojata toh? Taab main kya karti Meera? Kya karti main?"

"Magar Geet…woh tumse pyaar karta hai," Meera said.

"Jaanti hoon," Geet said, taking Meera off guard. "Jaanti hoon ke woh mujhse pyaar karte hai. Unhe lagta hai ke maine unhe jan bujke taklif di hai, issi liyeh woh bhi mujhe taklif dena chate hai. Aagar main akeli hoti toh seh leti, lekin main akeli nahin hoon." She rested a hand on her stomach before continuing. "Main aapne bache ki jaan khatre mein nahin daal sakti."

Geet stood, waiting for Meera to say something but she said nothing. Getting her things, she walked into the bathroom.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

1 week later

Maan stood on the balcony of his guest house looking up at the dark sky. He couldn't help but stare at the moon and be reminded of his Geet.

He still remembered that moment when he'd heard the baby's heart beat on the monitor. He'd never been so relieved in his life. The sheer joy he experienced brought tears to his eyes. He had escaped to the roof of the hospital and cried as he thanked God for keeping Geet and her baby safe. He thought about what he'd done and knew he had to apologize to Geet. He would say he was sorry for what he'd done and he'd promise to stay out of her way and not give her a hard time any more. After gathering up his courage, he finally went down and was shocked at what he found.

As he walked into the hospital room, he expected to find Geet lying in the bed, maybe talking to Meera. Imagine Maan's shock when he walked in and found nothing. Nothing – just an empty bed.

He ran around the hospital asking nearly everyone where Geet had gone, but no one knew. Only the doctor was able to tell him that she'd checked herself out against medical advice. He ran frantically, looking in every corridor, every stair well, every hall but she was no where. He called Meera, Pinky and Adi but no one answered their phones. He was going insane as he drove around to their houses only to find them empty.

The next day he sat going out of his mind trying to figure out where Geet was because still he had no clue. Then, like an answer to his prayer, Meera walked in.

"Meera!" Maan yelled as he jumped to his feet. "Geet kahaan hai? Kaisi hai? Woh tik toh hai naa?"

Meera said nothing and simply handed him an envelop.

"Yeh kya hai?" Maan asked confused.

"Khud hi dekhlo," Meera said.

Opening the envelop, Maan's jaw dropped.

"Kya hai yeh?" he asked.

"Doh saal ki salary hai…Geet ne bheja hai," Meera said.

"Kya!?" Maan stood shocked. "Magar kyun?"

"Tumhi ne kaha tha ke woh yeh naukri nahin chod sakti, contract ke vaje se…toh yeh lo…tumhare doh saal ki contract ki kimat," Meera said.

Maan threw the check and envelop on the table and walked over to Meera.

"Meera, Geet kahaan hai?" he asked.

Meera said nothing.

"Please Meera bata doh ke Geet kahaan hai? Woh tik toh hai naa?" Maan pleaded.

"Haan, woh tik hai."

"Paar gayi kahaan hai? Woh akeli hogi naa? Please mujhe batado Meera, please," Maan said.

Meera turned to walk away.

"Meera please, Geet kahaan hai?" he asked.

"Woh chali gayi hai," she said.

"Magar kahaan?"

"Baas…" Meera said, "…chali gayi hai."

With that she walked out. And like that, all his hopes were shattered. Even hiring the best private detectives to find her, got him nowhere. It was like she'd disappeared. Still he wasn't going to give up, he would look for her until he found her – no exceptions.

But until he did, this was as close to her as he was going to get – the out house. Every room and every corner of the house held a memory of Geet. He could still feel her, even though she wasn't there. It was like she was all around him, like her love was all around him.

He tried to stay positive, he really did. But on nights like this, it was hard to do. When he missed her so much that it hurt, he knew that this was God's way of punishing him for what he'd put her through. When he ached for her so bad that it tore him apart, he knew that this was God's way of punishing him for what he'd put her through.

He'd been an idiot, and acted before he thought. He'd done the crime and so now, he'd face the consequences. And a life without Geet, was the biggest consequence of all.

JAZ