Originally posted by: K-Shandra
Awareness slowly returned to Anurag. The familiar blue tone of his room calmed his mind, to some extent. He pinched his eyes fora moment, hoping to recall how it was that he’d gotten there – last he remembered was the airport, Prerna, and a baby? He shook his head, for the image and circumstances seemed highly unlikely. He again opened his eyes, and immediately regretted it; from appearance his entire family was present.
“He’s awake,” Nivedita’s concerned voice reached him first.
For the first time since childhood, he wished he could simply close his eyes and wish them all away. He wanted to be left alone,so that he could deal with his headache or hangover or whatever it was throbbing right behind his eyes … but he doesn’t drink or had that changed as well? Instead, he looked about the room, if the last thing he could remember was them being somehow together, then she had to be present. He scanned every face present, yet the one he wanted was absent. Her absence upset him, caused his skin to prickle. He made to sit up only for Mohini to rush forwards while Anupam pressed against his chest and said, “Lie down pal, let the doctor first have a look at you.”
“Anu are you okay?” His mother asked, “You gave all of us such a fright. How are you feeling? Do you need anything? I’ll get you whatever you want.”
Outright, although with a wavering voice, he asked,“Where’s Prerna?”
Everyone in the room remained silent, their unwillingness to answer obvious in the manner they looked between themselves. From their actions he knew they were hiding something. It was that fact which upset him even more as he again tried to sit up.
“Anurag, relax, let the doctor first have a look at you.” Anupam said, again pressing against his chest to keep him in place.
An image flashed across his mind of Prerna and another man. A vice clamped around his heart, stealing all oxygen from his lungs, the only though that consumed his mind was, I have to stop her. Out loud he said, “I have to see Prerna, I have to speak with her.”
His attempts only lessening when Nivedita asked,“Don’t you remember what happened?”
“Nivi!” Mohini cautioned, “Don’t confuse him.”
“A bit late for that,” Moloy stated outright. He stepped closer and bent down to look at his son, asking, “How are you feeling?”
“Dad, what am I doing here?”
“Where is the doctor,” Mohini bemoaned, her voice once again taking on its panicked qualities, “He should have already been here. Heavens alone knows what has happened in my Anu’s mind this time.”
“What happened?” Anurag asked, looking from his Mohini to Moloy, “Dad?”
Moloy looked hesitant for several moments before he said, “You fainted.”
“Not funny, dad, I don’t faint,” countered Anurag.
“Well technically you blacked out,” Anupam corrected.
Anurag tried to remember what had happened, only for his headache to multiply. He felt a sense of urgency, but could not understand why. He closed his eyes and allowed his head to fall back on the pillow, then lifted his hands and pressed his palms against his eyes and said, “You still haven’t answered my question.”
“Which question is that? Anupam asked.
“Where’s Prerna?”
“She finally left,” Mohini stated.
Immediately Anurag shot upright and tried to get out of the bed, his legs buckled beneath him as he said, “I have to stop her! She can’t leave me for him.” Seemingly oblivious of the dizziness that descended on him.
“Anu!” everyone shouted simultaneously. Anupam and Moloy reached out to catch him and then held him upright for a moment before pushing him back onto the bed.
“Anu, take rest. Let the doctor first look at you and then you can go see Prerna,” Anupam tried to pacify him.
Although Anurag fought them and said, “I need to speak with Prerna, it’s urgent.”
“What is it with your and that girl?” Mohini demanded, adding, “Understand this Anu, she has left. Left you and left this house.”
Her words had the opposite effect of their intention, causing Anurag to bewilderedly look about him and demand, “Where’s my phone?” he looked at Anupam then his father and again demanded, “Where is my phone? I need to speak to Prerna.”
Anupam grabbed Anurag’s shoulders and shook him once. The action shocked Anurag into silence long enough for Anupam to say, “It does not matter if you want to speak to her, she does not want to speak to anyone of us.”
“What do you mean?” demanded Anurag, turning his attention to Anupam in alarm, adding, “What happened to Prerna? Why can’t I speak to her? Prerna won’t leave, not like this, there has to be a reason for it.”
“Anu calm down,” Anupam implored.
“No!” Anurag firmly replied, “I won’t calm down, not until I have seen and spoken to her.” He again made to get up, “I’ll go to their house if needed.”
“Have you forgotten that there was a fire at their house?” Nividita asked, causing him to turn his attention to her. Disbelieving demanding, “What? When?”
Nivedita hesitantly replied, “No one knows where they are staying anymore. They were staying with family but they have moved.”
Dread or disbelief. He could not tell which was more prominent after Nivedita’s pronouncement or what panicked Anurag more; the thought of not knowing where Prerna was or the possibility that another man was near her.
“She will not speak to you Anu, even if you do call her,” Nivedita said.
“Anu!” Moloy called his attention, causing Anurag to still for a moment and look at his father. “How much of what happened downstairs do you remember?”
Anurag frowned as he tried to think back but shook his head.
“Before you even speak with Prerna, we need to get you checked out,” Moloy said and glanced at Mohini as he added, “…and this time by a reputed neurosurgeon, we will not just take the word of any supposed well-wisher.”
“Dad, I’ll agree to whatever you want, but only after I have spoken to Prerna.”
“Anu! Stop being so stubborn.” Mohini chided, “You need to think of yourself.”
“Just wait a minute,” Anupam started, holding his hands to again stop Anurag, “You promise to see the doctor if you speak to Prerna.”
“Only then,” Anurag said.
Anupam handed his phone to Anurag, shocking everyone present. Mohini glared at him and demanded, “How could you?”
“Her phone is switched off,” Anupam deadpanned,“…but he is not going to believe me unless he tries it for himself.”
Anurag selected Prerna’s number from contacts list and pressed the call button, mumbling to himself as he lifted the phone to his ear, “Answer the call, Prerna.” It went to voice message and he cut the call before again dialling it. After the third try Anurag again grunted in frustration and again tried to get out of his bed.
“Anurag, what are you doing?” Anupam demanded while attempting to stop him from getting up.
“I have to speak with her.”
“At this moment you need to think of yourself,”Anupam said again managing to restrain Anurag, “…you’re in no condition to meet her. You don’t even remember what happened earlier, how will you even have a sensible discussion with her.”
Anurag immediately ceased all resistance and looked at Anupam, demanding, “What happened earlier?”
“She does not want to see you, Anu,” Mohini said, “She made that clear to all of us.”
Anurag pressed his palms to his head as if to steady his thoughts, before shaking his head, “I don’t believe that. Everything will sort itself out once I’ve spoken to her.”
“Anupam, Maloy, do something! He’s in no condition to leave the house.” Mohini insisted.
“Wait Anu, I’ll do something,” Anupam said, then took his phone from Anurag. “You want to know that Prerna is safe, right? Will you then promise to at least have the doctor check you once you know that?”
Anurag nodded in agreement.
“Anupam, what are you doing?” Nivedita demanded.
Anupam went through his list of contacts and selected Shivani’s number, then pressed the dial button. It rang several times before being rejected. Anupam then quickly typed a message: Please answer or you will have a very unstable Anurag on your doorstep. He fired it off and waited. He did not have to wait long before he got an emoji depicting hesitation. Anupam again called Shivani’s number and that time she picked up,allowing him to say, “Hello Shivani…”
But before he could say anything else Anurag pulled the phone from his hand and urgently demanded, “Shivani, where’s Prerna? Is she okay?”
Shavani hesitantly replied, “Sister is in her room, resting.”
“Promise me Shivi that she is safe, that she has not gone anywhere with someone.”
Shocked Shivani asked, “Anurag, what’s the matter. Who is this other person?”
“Just promise me that Prerna is safe and that no one has taken her again.” Confused, Shivani had no idea how to answer him. “Please Shivani, please just go and check if she is in her room.” There was an urgency in Anurag’s voice that caused Anupam to look at him with renewed concern.
“Anurag, I don’t need to check. I know she’s in her room with Shena. She had some things to arrange so they went there after we arrived home.” Shivani replied.
“Shena?” Anurag asked, instantly confused when a flash of a young, dark haired girl flashed in his mind. There was another image of the same girl sitting on Prerna’s lap during a festival. The image knocking his breath from him, causing him to gasp.
Shivani was unaware of his reaction to her words and said, “Yes, Shena, her daughter. Don’t you remember?”
An image of a man filled his mind, a man who stood far too close to Prerna, holding her hand. Anurag’s blood turned cold as the phone dropped from his hand and he whispered, “I’m too late.” Anurag ran his hands over his face, forcing himself to take deep breaths in order to counter the acing that had seemed to spread from his heart. He swallowed several times and tried to ignore his sister and mother hovering around him again, fighting the desire to be sick. He finally managed to regain some control over his voice and as good as shouted, “Just get out, Everyone get out!” His words were followed by sharp gestures.
“Anu, don’t do this,” Mohini implored.
Anu pinned his mother under a stern glare as he said, “Don’t you understand it? I need some time too myself!” The pain in his voice was unmistakable as he continued, “…and seeing as I can’t leave you all have to!”
Just then the doctor arrived.
Mohini turned to the doctor and plead, “Please doctor, please check him over.”
The doctor looked at everyone in the room and then at Anurag, then said, “Please could everyone clear out so that I can check the patient?”
Reluctantly, everyone filed out of Anurag’s room with the doctor closing the door behind them.
An irritable Mohini paced the passage outside Anurag’s room, and eventually declared, “This is all her fault. That girl, she just won’t leave my Anu in peace.”
“And just how did you get to that, Moloy angrily demanded.
“She’s the one that caused this, she’s the one who puts my son through so much pain.”
“Prerna’s absolutely right about you,” Moloy flatly stated, causing Mohini to turn around and glare at him, at the same time failing to notice that both Nividita and Anupam were still present.
“And just what is that supposed to mean?” Mohini demanded.
“That you can be very selective in how you remember things. I never really took note of I, thinking that you were simply mistaken,but now it is as clear as day to me.”
A visibly affronted Mohini lashed out and said, “And just how can I be responsible for this I would never inflict something like this on my son.”
“Perhaps you need to really sit and think of everything you have knowingly and unknowingly inflicted on our son.”
“Oh yes I forgot, Prerna can never do anything wrong in your eyes. Don’t forget, she married Bajaj and broke my son’s heart.”
“While saving his life!” Moloy firmly stated. “You tend to forget that part! It is also something you were also aware of long before it became known to me. And had I known, I never would have even thought ill of Prerna at that time. I can’t even imagine her wilfully or deliberately hurting Anu.”
“Then what happened downstairs?” Mohini quickly retorted, “My son is in this condition because of her!”
“Do you even correctly remember what happened downstairs?” Moloy angrily retorted stepping closer to Mohini. Pointing his finger at her he stated outright, “You were the one who dragged up the past. You were the one who twisted it to suit your agenda. Even being aware of the event, the reasons, and his condition, You were the one who as good as threw Prerna and your granddaughter out of this house.” Mohini made to object but Moloy overrode her, “And don’t come with the child is not your grandchild. Veena was right when she said you should do the math, and then you will realize that it cannot be Bajaj’s child. And I won’t even subject Prerna to the scorn of having a paternity test done, only to prove something to you the rest of us know is true.”
Mohini again made to speak but Moloy held up his hand, “I don’t want to hear it. You will need to explain your actions to your son, and Prerna, somehow. But today you have again ousted my first grandchild and her mother, and I will never forgive you for that.” He again held up his hand to silence Mohini, “Anu might have been blind in his love for you, but hear me when I say, he will not forgive you this. Prerna and Anurag cannot be separated for long, we all know this, yet you still try to come between them. You will lose your son because of this. hear what I tell you.” And with that he turned from her and looked to Anupam as he said, “Let me know what happens. I need some distance on this, so that I can think of a means to appease Prerna and gain access to my granddaughter.”
A shocked Mohini watched him leave.
A short while later, the doctor stepped from Anurag’s room. Nividita Anupam and Mohini descended on him, instantly demanding, “Doctor what’s wrong with him.”
The doctor looked between the three of them and then hesitantly said, “He is in shock, I would suggest you take him to the hospital and let them do an MRI. I can only physically assess him, but his mental state is… the best I can say is he’s confused. And who is this Prerna person?”
“She is his wife.” Anupam quickly answered, causing Mohini to sternly chide, “Anupam!”
“I suggest that she be in attendance during the procedure, if at all possible, her absence is only upsetting him more.”
Nivideta placed her hand on Anupam’s arm, in hope of silencing his response, while replying to the doctor “Thank you doctor. We’ll move him to the hospital right away. If you can just make the arrangements for the MRI.”
“I will do so.”
Just then, Anurag stepped from his room, causing Anupam to obstruct his departure, “Hey, pal, where are you going?”
“To Prerna.”
Anupam thoughtlessly blurted, “Hey, buddy, give her some time to recover after the birth.”
“Birth? His wife recently gave birth?” the doctor asked, causing Anupam to realize the implications of what he'd said.
Anurag appeared shocked at the revelation. It however did noting to stem Anupam’s babble as he continued. “Yes, she had a little girl a few days ago, she’s visiting her mother at the moment.”
The doctor not understanding the undertone of the conversation or situation only nodded approvingly as he said, “That is good. She would need the support of her mother at this time.”
Anurag looked lost. He glanced between Anupam and the doctor, frowning.
“Yes, we thought so too. Now doctor, I think we need to get the patient to the hospital for treatment.”
“Treatment?” Anurag asked confused.
“They want to take a photo of your brain, so we can figure out why you’re suddenly so confused.” Anupam playfully said.
As they made to leave Anurag grabbed Anupam by the sleeve and asked, “Did Prerna really have a baby?”
“Yes, and if you don’t believe me, there’s a picture Shena it on your phone.”
“Really?” Anurag enthused.
“But first things first, we need to get you checked out.”
Mohini glared at Anupam as a visibly calmer Anurag stepped past her.
“Don’t thank me mother-in-law, I didn’t do it for you.” Anupam said as he gestured for Nivedita to precede him.
