CHAPTER 5
Viplav could see the slim and tall figure of Dhani standing at the gate of the Ashram from a distance.. He halted his car in front of the gate, stepped out and walked towards her.. Her beautiful face did swell up a little..her puffy eyes indicated that they had shed many tears...
She, weakly, took a step forward and knelt down in front of viplav holding his feet.. "dactar babu..." and she started weeping bitterly... Viplav felt a strange pain in the left side of his chest.. He wanted to extend his fingers forward and wipe away those precious drops of tears..but did not have enough courage to do that.. He was aware of his limits and of the nature of the girl who was in front of him, a very different person, unlike the whole world..
Viplav stepped back and knelt down in front of Dhani, holding her fingers.. Dhani immediately set her hands free and folded them in front of him.."I can give away my life if you ask for it but please save my mother"
"what happened to her?", he whispered..
"I don't know.. She was fit and fine since morning... but in the evening while climbing up the stairs, she lost her balance, fell down and fainted... we took her to the doctor.. He said that she had a car..card..cardiac arrest.. and can be treated only in some big hospital.. I don't know where to go..I will give you anything you will ask for but please save her.. You are a doctor"..
Viplav did not waste another minute. He ran back to his car, took out his medicine kit and rushed inside the ashram with dhani..
Dulari was lying unconscious on a cot with other ladies around her..he took a seat beside her, examined her with the stethoscope and injected some medicine into her..
Taking out his mobile, he dialled a number and put it onto his ear..
"hello..This is doctor tripathi speaking.. I want an ambulance here at the Tarini Vidhwa Ashram within half an hour.. I have to shift a patient immediately..its an emergency.."
He disconnected the call and let out a deep breath, then shifted his gaze from the unconscious woman lying beside him to Dhani who was standing at a distance with wet eyes, looking at him, clutching the end of her saree...
"all these happened in the evening and you got time to inform me at 10:30.. What were you thinking? That you are a widow, your mother is a widow.. everyone here is a widow...This is a widows' ashram and so I will not come to help.. Isn't it?? You and your meaningless thoughts..
Do you have even a bit of idea what can happen?? It's already very late.. Let the ambulance arrive then I will have to see.."
Dhani trembled even at the thought that her mother is in a serious condition.. Her eyes overflowed and she looked at viplav helplessly.
He turned away his gaze.. " I have noticed many times that you are in a dilemma when it comes to taking help from anyone.. Would I have eaten you up if you had informed me before??"
Viplav looked at the other ladies around him who were quietly listening to him as if they were bound to do so for he was helping them.. an already irritated viplav felt it even more disgusting.. He was trying to explain to them and here these people were taking him in the wrong way as if it was their duty to accept anything, without putting up a question, which was thrown at their face..
The ambulance's siren broke the silence pravailing in the ashram.. They picked up dulari and got inside the vehicle...
Dhani, Indrani (badi amma) and swarna were sitting on a bench outside the operation theatre .. Rajlaxmi was busy consoling a sobbing Dhani..
What did life give to this poor widow of 24. ?? Absolutely nothing except trouble and pain.. It seemed like Dhani was God's favourite child when it came to showering sorrows.. She had been rejected by the whole world since the day her late husband had breath for the last time.. Her in-laws had bad mouthed her, and turned her out of the house.. Her uncle, aunt, cousin, nephew every relative had been bad mouthing her since the day she was born.. And what was the reason... ? Only this that her bed ridden grand parents had wished for a male child when she was born..
But at every step of her life it was her mother who had fought with everyone, be it her in-laws or her relatives, and supported her.. Dhani knew that the whole world had rejected her but not her mother.. And now when her pillar of support was inside the operation theatre fighting for life, her tears refused to stay back... she could do nothing except praying for her speedy recovery..
Finally the long wait of 40 mins came to an end when the red bulb outside the OT was switched off indicating that the opearation was finished.. Everyone were looking at the closed door, eagerly waiting for the doctors to come and inform about Dulari's condition..
Viplav, in a light blue scrub, came out of the room with a nurse..he asked her to shift the patient to the ICU and proceeded towards dhani..
"Dhani, she is fine.. But she needs to be under our observation for some more time"..
Dhani's lips trembled.. "is she fine? "
"yes she is", viplav wanted to put his hand on her shoulder and assure her.. But this time too, he restricted his emotions and told himself, 'this is dhani'..
He took her right palm in his left and said, "don't worry..i am here"..
Dhani looked into his eyes carefully, then looked at their embedded hands and pulled away hers, folded them and whispered while looking down at his feet.. "dactar babu.. Th.. Thank you"..
"let me first go and change... please come to my cabin after some time.. I will give you the medicines"..and Dhani kept staring at his back seeing him getting down the stairs..
When Viplav entered his chamber after freshening himself up, dhani was already sitting there waiting for him..
"Sorry for being late... I was really hungry and so I went to have some food..", he smiled..
Dhani kept quiet and he took a seat in front of her..
"listen Dhani.. Ur mother's condition was really critical.. I have operated her.. We had to introduce a machine called pacemaker into her chest which will make her heart function properly ok..
But you don't have to worry about anything.. I am the doctor.. I will provide her with all the necessary medicines.."
Both remained silent for a few minutes.. Dhani was looking everywhere...but feared to look into his eyes, lest he would get to know what was going on in her mind..while viplav, without even blinking, was staring at her face, waiting for her response..
"dactar babu.. I don't know what to say, how to thank you.. U did not save my mother's life but have saved me.. There is no one beside me except her.. Thanks"..dhani started weeping again, covering her face with her palms..
Viplav knelt down in front of her and hold her hands while resting his own on her lap.. "I am there for you...always.." This time neither did Dhani try to move back nor did viplav leave her hand..
The girl who had always preferred to stay away from men, something had melted inside her.. Her years of resolution of never trusting men seemed to have been sinking in.. Both of them kept silent. A helpless widow for the first time found solace in someone's company.. She was weeping bitterly, perhaps wanted all her sorrows to flow away and give her some peace, fearing that she might lose this precious moment and never get one like this again..
"Dhani, this hospotal has qualified and experienced staff members..they will take proper care of kaki.. Let me drop you and the other ladies to the ashram.. I will be coming here tomorrow in the morning and I promise I will pick you up and bring you here.. Meet your mother then.. Now let her take rest and you too go and sleep for some time... Everything is fine" and Dhani was assured.. She wiped away her tears and nodded ...
Both of them stood up to get out of the hospital.. Walking side by side, their hands brushed against each other's skin.. Viplav looked at dhani, perhaps trying to read what was there in her eyes...Dhani looked away, tryind hard to control her tears which would open her heart to him..
Dhani was tagged an "unlucky widow" by the society..This status was preventing both of them to express heir emotions.. Viplav did not dare to cross his limits of stepping forward and tell that girl, "Why do You fear the world when I am here?".. Dhani could not step forward and confess, "Yes you are the only one in whose eyes I can see my happy future"..
"EK PRATHA JO KAR RAHI HAI ISHQ MEIN BHED... ISHQ KA RANG SAFED..."
To Be Continued...
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P.S. To The beloved Doc Sahibas Of This Forum..
Sorry for any error.. Please feel free to correct me if there is any mistake..
Edited by Barbie_KK9629 - 9 years ago
Anupamaa
