Part 5
Prem was by their side instantly as he called out to his brothers. "Preet! Harman! Jaldi aao!" Immediately he focused is attention on Heer and Chahat, both of which were bleeding from their wounds. "Heer," he called as he tried to shake her to wake her up. The then leaned towards Chahat and called out to her but got no response. He was totally in his own world when he heard someone talking next to him.
"Hogaya…aab Heer Prem ki zindagi mein khabi vapas nahin aasakti. Khabi nahin aasakti," she said.
Looking up Prem say that it was his mother, Gayatri Jhuneja, who was talking. She was also the on still held the gun in her hands.
"Maa?" he asked confused. "Maa yeh aapne kya kiya?! Kya kiya aapne?!"
"Joh mujhe kaarni chahiyeh thi, wohi kiya hai maine," Gayatri responded, in an almost whispered tone.
"Heer! Chahat!" Prem continued to yell.
It was only moment later that Preet and Harman came running; they were closely followed by a group of police officers. As his brothers came up to the scene they were left speechless and dumb founded – just like Prem had been.
"Bhaia yeh kya hai?" Preet asked.
"Preet, jaldi aa! Tu Chahat ko utha, main Heer ko uthata hoon," Prem said.
"Hume ambulance ko bulana chahiyeh," Harman suggested.
"Nahin, uske liye humare paas time nahin hai. Hume inn dono ko abhi hospital lejana hai," Prem argued.
Immediately they were doing as they were told. Preet picked up Chahat's near lifeless body in his arms, while Harman went to help Prem gather Heer in his arms. They ran as fast as they could to their car. Prem placed Heer in the back seat. He propped her up against his body so that Preet could get in with Chahat as well. Preet sat with Chahat on his lap, with her head cradled gently between his arm and body. Harman jumped into the driver seat and sped away. In front and behind them were two police jeeps, with sirens flaring, as the convoy sped down the streets of Mumbai.
------------------------------
Within 15 minutes they had reached Mumbai City Hospital. The police had radioed in earlier so when they got there, already there were stretchers and a team of doctors and nurses waiting for them. Preet was the first to jump out and race to one of the stretchers that awaited them. He placed Chahat on the stretcher and watched as the doctors yelled for the orderlies to take her to the emergency pediatrics ward. One Prem had managed to get Heer out of the car, with Harman's help, he too carried and placed in one of the waiting stretchers. The orderlies began wheeling her to the emergency surgery departments. They were fast but regardless, Prem held onto Heer's hand and walked next to her as far as they would let him.
"Mr. Jhuneja aab aage nahin jaa sakte," said one doctor.
Prem looked at him and then at Heer again. "Please doctor, yeh meri paatni hai. Usse bacha lijiyeh. Please doctor," he begged.
"We will do everything we can Mr. Jhuneja," he said, before disappearing behind the doors with Heer.
Prem stared at the door for a minute until it finally dawned on him that he was missing something. "Ch…Chahat?" Prem asked as he began running down the hall.
"Bhaia," Harman said as he stopped Prem. "Chahat ko pediatric ward mein leke gaya hai."
Prem looked at his brother as tears welled up in his eyes. The tears quickly faded as he saw a police officer guide in Gayatri, who seemed a bit dazed and lost. Upon seeing her three sons, she walked straight over to them.
"Maa?" Prem called. He walked to her slowly. "Yeh aapne kya kiya? Meri beti aur Heer ko aapne…aapne yeh kaise…" Prem couldn't continue was a voice called him from behind.
"Mr. Jhuneja," the voice said.
Turning around Prem saw two doctors standing a few feet behind him, in their white coats, with grim looks on their faces.
"Doctor kya hua? Heer aur Chahat?" Prem asked.
"Yeh hai Dr. Brown, US se aaya hai ek conference ke liyeh. He has been assigned to this case with me," said one doctor.
"Tik hai. Magar meri biwi aur beti?" Prem asked again.
"Exam karne ke baad humne dekha ke joh goli Heer ko laga tha, wohi goli Chaht ko lagi hai," he said.
"Magar…yeh kaise?" Prem asked in confusion. At this point, Harman and Preet were by his side.
"The bullet was a through and through for your wife Mr. Jhuneja," the foreign doctor said.
"What does that mean doctor?" Prem asked.
"It means that the bullet complete went through your wife's body, and then hit your daughter," he explained.
"Where is the bullet now?" Preet asked.
"The bulled is lodged in Chahat's shoulder. It requires immediate surgery."
"Do what you must but save my family!" Prem said, rather strongly.
"Mr. Jhuneja, kuch paper's hai, joh aapko sign karna hai. Uske baad hum dono ko OT mein leke jayehge," the doctor said.
"Joh bhi karna hai main karunga doctor, kuch bhi. Baas, Heer aur Chahat ko bacha lijiyeh!"
"Mr. Jhuneja you have to understand that with both surgeries there are risks involved. In your wife's case, the bulled went right through her lower abdomen. Until we get in there, we won't know how extensive her injuries are. As for your daughter, we wont know whether any nerves have been damaged until we get into surgery," the US doctor said.
"What does that mean doctor?" Prem asked.
"It means that we won't know the extent of either of their injuries until we get them into the operating room. Of course, we will keep up updates about the progress of both surgeries."
"Mr. Jhuneja mere saath aayiyeh. Formalities pura karle. In the mean time, nurses aapki biwi aur baachi ko operation ke liyeh tayar kaar rahe hai."
Prem walked away with the doctors as the kept talking and explaining the situation to Prem. It was a good 30 minutes before Prem returned to where Preet, Harman and Gayatri waited. Prem had taken the time to compose himself. The consent forms were standard, but still, when Prem read the part where it said that death could be a possible outcome, he was beside himself with fear. Somehow he pushed those thoughts out of his mind as he walked down the hall. Seeing Prem, everyone go to their feet. However, Prem walked right past Preet and Harman and headed straight towards Gayatri.
"Kyun Maa? Aapne aaisa kyun kiya? Kyun kiya aaisa?" Prem asked as he fell to her feet on the floor.
"Prem, yeh tu mujhse kaise pooch sakta hai? Heer aur Nihaal ne joh kuch bhi Veera ke saath kiya, uske baad tu kaise usse pyaar sakta hai?" Gayatri asked.
"Kya? Veera?" Prem asked as he looked at his mother confused.
"Haan! Veera! Heer aur Nihaal ke vaje se hi maine aapni beti koya hai. Nihaal ko toh saza milgaya, lekin Heer…usse toh kuch nahin hua naa. Aaj maine usse saza di hai."
"Aap abhi bhi Veera ko lekar baiti hai?!" Preet asked from behind.
"Kaise nahin yaad rakhoon Veera ko. Beti thi woh meri!" Gayatri challenged.
"Aur Chahat…Chahat toh meri beti hai naa?" Prem asked, as his voice cracked.
"Joh bhi ho. Aaj Veera ki aatma ko shanti mili hai. Main jaanti hoon, woh jahaan bhi hai, bohot kush hai," Gayatri said with a smile on her face.
"Aap kuch nahin jaanti!" Preet yelled.
"Preet?" Gayatri called, as she looked at him.
"Aap saach jan naa chate hai, toh suniyeh…aapki beti ki saachai! Veera ne ilzaam lagayi thi naa ke Nihaal ne usse maara aur uske vaje se ussne aapna baacha khoya tha," Preet said. "Woh saachai nahin thi. Saach yeh hai ke Veera ne abortion ki thi! Issi liyeh Nihaal ne uske upar haath uthaya!"
Gayatri was shocked, to say the least. "Preet yeh toh kya keh raha hai?"
"Joh saach humne aapse chupaya tha, wohi saach bata raha hoon. Bauji aur hum nahin chate the ke hum aapko yeh saach bataye kyun ke saab se zyada aap pyaar karte the Veera se. Lekin aaj, aaj aapne yeh saab kiya. Chi! Kaise Maa, aapne yeh saab kaise kiya?" Preet said as he looked at his mother in disgust.
"Yeh bhi sunlijiyeh Maa, ke Veera Nihaal se bohot pyaar karti thi," Harman interjected.
"Nahin, woh uss insaan se pyaar nahin karsakti," Gayatri yelled in denial.
"Haan, pyaar karti thi! Bohot pyaar. Iss liyeh toh ussne woh drama kiya, ke woh aag mein phasa hai. Woh chati thi ke Nihaal pehle aapna pyaar ka izhaar kare. Lekin uski kismat toh dekhiyeh…uss aag mein hi woh jalke margayi."
"Yeh…yeh kaise hosakta hai? Nahin, aaisa nahin hosakta!" Gayatri yelled.
"Aaisa hi hai! Aur baath saabko paata tha!" Prem shouted.
This voice was so loud that even Preet and Harman were startled.
"Joh ghalti khabi hui hi nahin, uski saaza di hai aapne Heer ko?" Prem asked as he got back to his feet.
"Prem, yeh tu mujhse kaise baat kaar raha hai? Maa hoon main tumhara," Gayatri said.
"Nahin! Nahin hai aap meri Maa!" Prem yelled. "Aagar aap meri Maa hoti toh aap khabi aaisa nahin karti. Tik hai main maan leta hoon ke Heer aur Nihaal, Veera ke gunegar hai. Lekin phir bhi, main Heer ke saath kush tha…kya ek Maa ka yeh farz nahin banta ke woh aapne bachoon ko kush rakhein?" Prem asked. "Aap hi humesha kehti thi naa, ke aapne aur paraye mien koi faraq nahin hai. Aap hi humesha kehti thi ke Preet aur Harman jaise hai, main bhi vaise hi hoon aapke liyeh. Aapko koi faraq nahin padta ke main aapki khoon nahin hoo. Aap hi kehti thi naa?"
"Haan…." Gayatri began to speak.
"Lekin aaj, aaj aapne faraq kar hi diya naa Maa. Aaj aapne mujhe paraya kardiya…paraya kardiya. Aapne aaj sabid kardiya hai ke aapne aapne hote hai, aur paraya paraya hote hai," Prem said as he fell into a chair that was propped against the wall.
"Aaj aapne, aapno ko bhi paraya kardiya hai," Harman said as he joined Prem.
"Nahin, maine aaisa nahin kiya…yeh saab…kaise…" Gayatri was at a loss for words. What was she going to say now? What had she done?
Two hours passed without any word from the doctors who were in the operating room with Heer and Chahat. Finally, after another half hour a nurse came running outside, which got Prem to his feet.
"Aap mein se Prem Jhuneja kaun hai?" she asked.
"Ji, main hoon," Prem said as he stepped closer.
"Aapka blood group kaunsa hai?"
"Ji, B+," Prem replied.
"Good, aap mere saath chaliyeh," the nurse ordered.
"Kyun, kya hua?"
"Aapki beti ko zaruart hai. Blood bank mein yeh blood group aur nahin hai, and she is bleeding out," the nurse said.
"Kya!?" Prem yelled.
"Haan, jaldi chaliyeh," the nurse said as she began to walk away, but stopped. "Aap mein se koi O- hai?"
"Ji main hoon," Preet said.
"Aap bhi chaliyeh, Mrs. Jhuneja ko zarurat hai," she said as she walked away towards to infusion unit.
Prem and Preet were just about to follow her but Prem stopped. He turned and walked up to Gayatri, who looked at him nervously.
"Aagar Heer ko, ya phir Chahat ko kuch bhi hua…toh main bhul jaunga ke maine aapko khabi Maa mana tha." That was all Prem said before rushing down the hall to catch up with the nurse.
It had been three hours since Preet and Prem and returned from giving as much blood as they could to Heer and Chahat. Again, they sat waiting with no new word. Preet and Harman were huddled in one area talking to each other, neither one knew how to comfort their older brother. Gayatri sat on a chain across from Prem, lost in her own thoughts. Prem, he was on a chair with his elbows resting on his knees and his head resting in his hands.
Prem wanted to wake up. This had to be a nightmare and it frustrated him that he couldn't wake up. He wanted to kick and scream but it would do him no good. Just then, when Prem felt his last bit of control fading, he felt an had on his shoulder. Prem looked up to see warm brown eyes looking at him – familiar eyes, eyes that belonged to his father.
"Bauji," he said.
Lalit sat next to Prem and stroked his head once. That was it, Prem couldn't take any more. All the tears that he had been fighting since the incident, had finally managed to break through. Prem grabbed onto his father and cried his heart out. All of his fears, worries, apprehension and love poured out like a dam had just burst. Preet and Harman were immediately at their side to lend a comforting hand and embrace.
"Bauji, aagar Heer aur Chahat ko…" Prem began to say.
"Shh," Lalit soothed, "Kuch nahin hoga. Heer aur Chahat ko kuch nahin hoga. Hum saab unn dono ke liyeh dua kaar rahe hai. Kuch nahin hoga."
Just then, Preet heard someone call out to him from the end of the corridor.
"Preet?" the voice called.
It was a soft voice, one he hadn't heard in days. Turning around Preet and Harman saw Meher, Maya, Kulraj and Kiran walking down the hall. Meher and Maya immediately went into the arms of their husbands, without saying another word.
"Preet, yeh kya hogaya? Kaise? Heer Didi?" Meher asked in between her sobs.
Preet had no answers for her, all he could do was hold her – and that is what he did, he just held her. The family banned together to pray for Heer and Chahat. They prayed with every ounce of their being for their most precious family members to be alright. They were all there for each other – all except Gayatri.
Even Maya had changed her colors. Sure, she had never been a fan of Heer's. And yes, she did everything in her power to get Heer kicked out of the house. However, upon learning about what her mother-in-law had done, even Maya was disgusted. How could she shoot Heer and Chahat? Maya and Harman didn't have any children of their own yet, but some day they would. If Gayatri could shoot Chahat like that in cold blood, what would she do to her other grandchildren? Maya couldn't believe how low she had stooped.
After another three hours of waiting the doctor emerged from the two operating rooms. Immediately the family was on their feet.
"Doctor Heer aur Chahat kaisi hai?" Prem asked.
"Mr. Jhuneja, Chahat bilkul tik hai. Humne goli nikal di hai aur baki ke repairs bhi kar diya hai," the doctor said.
Prem breathed a sigh of relief.
"Haan, kuch nerve damage toh tha. Lekin ghabrane ki koi baath nahin hai. Physical therapy ke saat saath saab kuch tik hojayega," he said.
"Aur Heer?" Prem asked.
"Uske liyeh toh aapko Dr. Brown se poochna padega. He was the one working on Heer."
"Doctor," Prem began, "…how is my wife?"
"You wife is stable and should make a full recovery," he said.
Prem again breathed a sigh of relief.
"However," Dr. Brown said.
Prem's heart nearly stopped beating when the doctor said that. "What doctor?" he asked.
"Luckily the bulled didn't sever or harm any major organs or arteries. However, the bulled did serious damage to her right fallopian tube, we had to remove it," Dr. Brown said.
"What does that mean doctor?" Prem asked.
"It means that the chances of you and your wife having children in the further are very slim, if there are any at all," the doctor clarified.
"But my wife, is she going to be ok?" Prem asked.
"Other than a scar, she should be fine," he said.
"Can I see them?" Prem asked.
"Yes of course, but they are both still sedated."
"That is fine, I just need to see them," Prem said.
"Very well, I'll leave it to Dr. Patel to take you and complete all other formalities," the doctor said.
"Thank you doctor," Prem said as he shook his hand.
"You are welcome." That was all the doctor said as he walked off.
Almost immediately, and suddenly, there was presence of police that had been missing for quite some time. The came up to Gayatri and said they had an arrest warrant for her involvement in the shooting of Heer and Chahat Jhuneja.
"Police ko kissne phone kiya?" Kulraj asked.
"Maine," said Lalit.
"Bauji aapne?" Kulraj asked.
"Aaisa maat kijiyeh mere saath!" Gayatri pleaded with Lalit. When she got no response, she turned to Prem. "Prem beta, mujhe bohot badi ghalti hui hai, mujhe maaf karde. Maa hoon main tumhari!"
Prem turned to look back at the woman who had been his mother for all intents and purposes for nearly all of his life. Before when he looked at her he felt love, pride, gratitude and awe for the woman who had raised a stranger like her own son. But now, looking at her now evoked only the emotion of pity and hurt. Funny how after all these years, she had turned out to be the stranger.
Prem turned his face away from her. "Heer kahaan hai doctor?" Prem asked.
As Prem walked down the hall he could hear Gayatri call out to him, repeatedly she pleaded for him to save her. Sadly, those calls fell on deaf ears.
----------------------
Prem went to check on Heer first. When he walked into the room, it struck him at how pale and weak she looked. She was still sedated from the surgery, but for some reason she looked restless. She has IV's sticking out of her arm, an oxygen mask inserted in her nose, a few wires that hooked her up to various machines, and also a few bandages on her arms. Prem went right next to her and stroked her hair. This was his Heer, his love and his life – lying there on the bed looking nearly life less. What Prem still couldn't fathom is how his own mother had been the one to cause all of this. Prem stood silently for a minute just listening to the beep of the machine monitoring Heer's heart beat.
He leaned over and whispered, "I'm sorry." Prem kissed her on her forehead before he turned and walked out to go check on Chahat.
Walking into Chahat's room, Prem had not expected the rush of emotion that nearly knocked him over. Seeing Heer lying on the bed helpless was frustrating, but now, seeing his 5 year old daughter lying in the hospital with tubes and wired attached to her – it was physically painful! She should be running around outside, playing, chatting up a storm – but no, here she was recovering from surgery after a gun shot wound. Prem felt his eyes get blurry with tears as he walked closer to the bed. He was her father, he was supposed to protect her from all this, but he didn't. Prem hadn't felt to useless or helpless in his life – not even when he watched Heer walk out of his life 6yrs ago did he feel like this!
Prem was now torn – what was he going to do? He couldn't leave Heer to be with Chahat, but then he also couldn't leave Chahat to be with Heer. Of course he could easily ask Meher or someone to sit with either Heer or Chahat, but he didn't want to. Prem wanted to be there for both of them. In the past 6yrs they have gone through everything on their own, he was not going to let that happen again. He had to do something.
Less than a half hour later, Heer and Chahat were in the same room. Being Prem Jhuneja had its perks – like getting a room set up so that Heer and Chahat could be together. Prem was still waiting for Heer and Chahat to wake up, as was everyone else. Prem was sitting on a chair with his head resting back when he suddenly heard some rustling of papers. He immediately opened his eyes to see a doctor hovering over Heer's bed, reading her chart.
"Kya hua doctor?" Prem asked as he shot to his feet. "Heer tik toh hai naa?"
"Ji bilkul. Main toh baas check up kaarne aayi thi. Main hoon Dr. Mehra, Heer ki OB/GYN," she said.
"Oh…lekin aap yahaan?"
"Mujhe paata chala ke Heer ke surgery mein kya hua, issi liyeh main check kaarne aagayi." She hesitated for a second before she spoke again, "Ji, aap kaun?"
"Main…" Prem found himself tongue tied for some reason. "Main uska paati hoon."
"Oh, toh aap hai Chahat ki pita," she stated.
"Ji."
"Kya aap Heer ki doctor the?" Prem asked.
"Matlab…main hoon uski doctor."
"Nahin, mera matlab hai ke…jaab Heer pregnant thi, tab aap uske doctor the?"
"Haan, main hi thi."
From there the conversation progressed. The doctor told Prem how Heer's pregnancy had been a difficult one. She had very serious morning sickness, so much so that for the first three months she was nearly living off of water and some fruits, because her stomach couldn't handle anything heavier. Things had gotten a little easier in the second trimester, but she was still working so support herself, since she had no one to go to. Things really got bad in her third trimester. The baby was growing and was a really hard kicker, so hard that Heer couldn't sleep. She was still working then also, her feet were swollen and she did everything by herself. Prem was heart broken when he found out that when Heer went into labor, she had to get a taxi herself to come to the hospital. Even her delivery had been a highly difficult – it was over 38hours labor, all of which she had endured with no pain medication. Heer had lost a lot of blood and was extremely weak, but she pulled through because she was afraid that if something happened to her, then the baby would be orphaned.
As the doctor left, Prem stood there unmoving. The time that Heer had needed him the most, he wasn't there. When she was busy dealing with her pregnancy and work at the same time, he was off in Canada drowning in self pity! He should have been right next to her for the duration of her pregnancy but because of one misunderstanding – of one diabolical plan – he was nowhere to be found! It was an experience they should have share together but hadn't been able to. And now, because of his mother, they would never share that experience again.
Prem was lost in his thoughts when he heard someone groan. Looking around he saw that it was coming from Heer – immediately he was at her side.
"Heer?" he called out.
Heer's eyes fluttered open and she looked at him confused. "Prem?" she asked, "Tum? Main yeh…" She didn't finish her sentence as she looked around the room at her surroundings.
"Tum hospital mein ho Heer," Prem said as he slipped her hand in his.
"Hos..Hospital? Main hospital…" Heer's words died off as she had a stunned expression on her face.
Prem knew that she was remembering the happenings of the past few days. Her mouth formed an O as she placed a hand over it.
"Chahat!" she suddenly called out. She attempted to sit up to get out of bed not realizing that she had just had major surgery. "Ah!" she yelled as the pressure she put on her stomach.
"Heer! Aram se," Prem said, as he pushed her back down so she was laying. "Chahat tik hai, usse kuch nahin hua hai."
"Mujhe usse milna hai, abhi milna hai," Heer said as she tried to shove across the blanket which covered her.
"Heer, please, yeh tik nahin hai tumhare liyeh."
"Woh meri baachi hai Prem!" she yelled.
Prem knew talking to her was not going to get him anywhere. He simply stood up and pushed aside the curtain in the middle of the room, revealing a sleeping Chahat on the other side. Only then did Heer settle down. It was only for a split second because as soon as she saw the bandage on Chahat's shoulder, she panicked. It took Prem at least five minutes to assure her that Chahat was fine, and that with some therapy she'd be as good as new.
Prem saw Heer's eyes fill with tears.
"Hey, kyun roh rahe ho Heer? Chahat ko kuch nahin hua hai," he said as he stroked her arm gently.
"Aagar usse kuch hojata toh? Main toh maar hi jaati. Aur Maa ne…kaise?" she cried.
"Shh," Prem tried to sooth her. "Usse kuch nahin hua hai, aur naa khabi kuch hoga. Aab main aagaya hoon naa, tum dono ko koi kuch nahin kar sakta."
Heer looked into his eyes and for the first time in 6years, she was looking into the eyes of Prem…her Prem. She had condemned him and walked out of his life without a second glance only to find out now, he hadn't betrayed her like she thought.
"Main…I'm sorry Prem," Heer said as she choked up with more tears.
"Shh, iss mein naa tumhari ghalti hai aur naa mera. Joh hogaya so hogaya, usse hum badal toh nahin sakte naa?" he asked.
"Magar…che saal…" Heer began to say but stopped.
"Che saal beit gaya. Tum dono ke bina maine che saal guzar liya, lekin aab nahin. Aab main tum dono ke bina bilkul nahin reh sakta. Main tumse bohot pyaar karta hoon Heer…I love you so much," Prem said. He didn't even notice that tears escaped his eyes, not until Heer gently brushed them away.
"I love you too Prem. Pichle che saaloon mein bhi maine tumse pyaar kiya hai. Aapne Prem se maine humesha pyaar kiya hai…aur pyaar karti rahungi," Heer said.
Prem leaned in slowly and kissed her forehead. Then, he placed a soft and tender kiss on her lips. With that kiss it was like life was breathed back into their lives, awakening the love that they had both kept dormant for so long. This was a new beginning for Prem and Heer – but the same love they had always shared.
----------------------
Soon after Heer woke up, so did Chahat. She cried for her mother until she looked over to see Heer on the bed next to her. It had been a very interesting conversation as Prem and Heer both attempted to explain to her that Prem was her father and that misunderstandings caused them to separate. Of course was beside herself with happiness that.
"Hotel ki owner ji…I mean, Papa," Chahat started to say. "Woh hotel, jahaan pe main khel rahi thi, woh aapka hai naa?"
"Haan, kyun?" Prem asked.
"Matlab ke woh mera bhi hotel hai?!?" Chahat asked excitedly.
"Joh kuch bhi mera hai, saab kuch tumhara hi toh hai." Prem reached over and ruffled her hair.
"Wow! Taab toh main haar rooz jaungi khelne!"
"Nahin, bilkul nahin. Woh ek business hai. Badi hokar tumhe iss business ko sambhalna hai. Uske liyeh tumne aachi se padhai karni hogi. Taab jake, woh hotel tumhara hoga."
"Hmph!" Chahat said as she crossed her arms over her chest, "Khadoos!"
Prem and Heer both looked at her in shock.
"Kya?" Prem asked.
"Nahin, mera matlab hai Papa!" Chahat said with a smile on her face.
"Hmm," Prem said as he turned to took back at Heer.
"Khadoos Papa," Chahat whispered under her breath.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
2 years later
"Bhabi bachao!!" came Preet voice from the kitchen.
Heer, who was setting the table, turned just in time to see Preet running out of the kitchen and down the hall with an evil grin on his face. That grin only meant one thing, he teased Meher and now she was out for his blood. This was a common scene in Jhuneja house, but this time, there was a twist.
"Bhabi…help!!" came another voice.
Heer looked to see Harman rolling out behind Preet.
Heer smiled as she watched her two devaars running in the house like children. So much had happened in the past two years. The Jhuneja's had all shifted back to India and were now all living under the same roof – all except Kulraj and Kiran. They had shifted to the US just one year back. They were on big, happy family – for the most part. No one could ever forget what Gayatri had done to Heer and Chahat, no one wanted to forget.
After Gayatri had been taken to jail things changed. Of course, Prem being Prem, he couldn't stand to see his mother in jail. He withdrew the case but that didn't mean he forgave her. Gayatri had nowhere else to go so she was given the out house behind the main house to live in. She lived by herself because even Lalit refused to let her back in the house. Everyone was heart broken but there was nothing the could do. Gayatri had brought all of this on herself.
The children, all got along extremely well. Of course now, it was just Gungun and Chahat but those two were inseparable. When Kulraj did come to visit, all the cousins got along like siblings. Of course, that was only when boys were not saying that they were better then the girls. If anyone so much as said, boys are better than girls, Chahat and Tanu would break into their speeches about how the world will cease to function with out women!
Heer smiled as she thought of her family. She was brought out of her reserve as Preet and Harman nearly barreled into her.
"Bhabi hume bachaao!" Preet yelled.
"Aab kya kiya tum dono ne?" Heer asked.
"Hume kuch nahin kiya," Harman said. "Aapki dono devraniyaan pagal hai!"
"Pagal?!" yelled Maya as she joined them in the dining room – with a belan in hand no less.
"Tum dono ko toh aaj hum nahin chodenge!" Meher yelled also – she was wielding a knife.
"Koi mujhe batayega ke kya hua hai?" Heer asked again.
"Main batati hoon Didi. Main aur Maya kitchen mein khana chak rahe the, yeh dekhne ke namak aur saab tik hai ke nahin," Meher said.
"Haan, phir yeh doh lafange aaye aur kehne lage ke hum bohot khate hai aur hum dono mote ho rahe hai!" Maya yelled.
Just then they were joined by Prem who could already figure out what was going on. Heer looked at him for help but he just threw his hands in the air, as if in surrender, and sat down at the table. Heer gave him a look – a look that Prem knew was going to cost him later.
"Hume toh baas itna kaha tha ke inn dono ko thoda kam khana chahiyeh," Preet said.
"Itni khati hai, issi liyeh toh aaj kaal dono ki tabiyat tik nahin rehta," Harman interjected.
Preet put a hand on Heer's shoulder to draw her attention to him. "Bhabi, aap inki baton mein maat aaiyeh. Humne nahin kahaa ke yeh log mote hai."
"Chachu," called Chahat from behind them. "Cachu, jhoot bolna buri baath hai."
"J…jhoot…n…n…nahin toh, main toh jhoot nahin bola," Preet stuttred.
"Haan aapne bola hai, maine suna hai," Chahat said. "Mamma, maine sunna ke Preet aur Harman Chachu, Massi aur Chachi ko keh rahe the ke dono itne khate hai ke khabi bhi phat sakte hai."
"Kya?" Heer asked in horror.
"Nahin Bhabi!" Harman said.
"Massi/Chachi ki chamchi," Preet said.
"Aap dono bhi toh Mamma ka chamcha hai!" Chahat countered.
Everyone stood shocked but burst out laughing.
"Prem Bhaia, yeh aapki Chahat bohot bolti hai. Kuch kijiyeh," Preet said.
Prem laughed and shrugged his shoulder. "Kya karoon, saach hi toh bol rahi hai."
"Kya? Hum aur chamche!?" Preet and Harman called together.
"Aur nahin toh kya? Jaab dekho Heer ki pallu ke peeche chup jaate ho. Woh bhi aapne biwioon ke daar se!" Prem said.
"Good one Jiju!" Meher said as she raised her hand for a high five.
A verbal fight broke out – everyone was talking, no one was listening. Between all of this the phone rang, since there was no breaking this fight, Heer decided to go answer the phone – the call didn't last too long. When Heer came back she forced everyone to go get cleaned up for lunch, enough was enough.
"Meher, Maya…mujhe tum dono se baath karni hai," Heer said.
"Good Bhabi! Dono ki aachi si khabar lena!" Harman said.
"Harman…jaao…" Heer said in a tone that everyone knew not to argue with.
Even as they walked away they were throwing daggers at each other. Everyone was so busy in their own worlds, that no one noticed the smile on Heer's face or the new twinkle in her eyes.
----------------------
It was night time at Jhuneja house. The children were asleep, the house work was taken care of – everything was peaceful. Prem, Preet and Harman were watching a previously recorded cricket match between India and England. They sat there dissecting every play, every move, every run, every pitch – everything!
"Prem," Heer called. "Hume tum saab se baath karni hai."
"Haan haan, baad mein," Prem said, still focused on the tv.
"Preet," Meher called, but got no response.
"Heer Bhabi, yeh theeno aaise nahin manege," Maya said.
Heer knew she was right, there was only one way to get their attention. One by one – Heer, Maya and Meher – stood in front of the TV set, this got the reaction they wanted.
"Hey!"
"Move!"
"Kya kaar rahe ho?"
Each brother had their own complaints.
"Hume tumse baath karni hai," Heer said.
There it was, that tone again. The guys knew, they weren't going to win this battle – not that they won many, if any, battles in the first place.
"Tik hai, boliyeh. Kya baath hai?" Preet asked.
"Umm…we have some news to share," Maya said.
"Kaisi news? National ya phir International?" Preet asked.
This only got him glares from the girls and smacks from the guys.
"Bohot hi aachi new hai," said a voice from behind. It was Lalit.
"Bauji ko pata hai?" Harman asked.
"Haan, saabse pehle mujhe hi paata chala," Lalit said with pride.
"Kya new hai?" Prem asked.
Suddenly the girls, who spoke at rate of a million words per minute, were tongue tied. The were fidgeting with their sari's, they were smiling/blushing, they were looking down – not typical behavior of the Jhuneja bahus.
"Koi batayega ke hua kya hai?" Prem asked, a little annoyed this time.
"Main batata hoon," Lalit said as he came around the some. "Mubarak ho," he said as he went and shook the hands of each of his sons.
"Thank you, magar kis liyeh?" Preet asked.
"Mubarak baath iss liyeh kyun ke tum theeno chacha banne wale ho!" Lalit announced.
"Kya!?" the three brothers yelled.
Immediately they shot to their feet and began hugging and congratulating each other. They were so excited. It was through this that they realized that the were congratulation each other for becoming uncles – which one of them was going to be the father?
"Umm, chacha kaun banne wala hai?" Harman asked.
"Tum teeno," Lalit answered.
"Lekin yeh kaise hosakta hai? Hum theeno ek saath kaise chacha ban sakte hai?" Preet asked.
"Haan, yeh kaise hosakta hai?" Prem asked.
"Kyun nahin hosakta? Bilkil hosakta hai," Lalit said with a beaming smile on his face.
"Ek saath hum teeno kaise chacha ban sakte hai?" Preet asked, utterly confused.
"Baap kaun banne wala hai?" Harman asked.
"Tum teeno," Lalit replied.
"Oh aacha," the three boys said, as the sat down. Then, a moment later, they were back on their feet. "WHAT!?"
"Haan! Heer, Maya aur Meher…teeno maa bane wale hai. Matlab ke tum teeno chacha aur baap banne wale ho!" Lalit finally clarified.
The brothers were beside themselves in happiness as they hugged and high-fived themselves. They were in a group hug, with Lalit, when they finally realized that their wives were standing there too. Each couple shared their own moment, as did Prem and Heer.
"Heer, saach?" Prem asked.
Heer simply nodded her head.
"Are you sure? Mera matlab hai ke doctors ne toh kahaa the ke tum phirse maa nahin bansakte," Prem said.
"Doctors ne kahaa tha ke possibility bohot kam hai. Yeh nahin kahaa ke khabi nahin hosakta," Heer said as she blushed.
"Aaj main bohot kuch hoon Heer. Bohot kuch," Prem said as he gathered Heer into his arms.
----------------------
When Kulraj had found out that all three of her Bhabi's were pregnant, albeit at different stages, she couldn't stay away. She knew that they would need help once the babies came and even before that. Being pregnant wasn't easy, and having all three women of the house pregnant – that was a disaster waiting to happen. Kiran and Kulraj decided to move back home and be with their families.
The next few months were like heaven and hell all rolled in to one. They guys were absolutely ecstatic to see their wives pregnant with their children; however, they were not fans of the hormones, mood swings and early morning cravings. Once the girls were in their list trimester, the guys would try to hide from them…literally. They would have gotten away with it had it not been for Gungun who turned out to be a pro at hide-n-seek.
The girls all delivered with weeks of each other. Heer was the first to deliver, because she had already been into her third month before she let anyone know – she didn't want to get her hopes up if the pregnancy didn't last. Prem and Heer were blessed with twins boys, whom they named Pratik, after Preet, and Harsh after Harman.
Next was Meher, she too had a boy, who they named Sagar. Maya and Harman were blessed with a little girl who they named Rashmi.
As the days wore on, Prem and Heer couldn't have been happier. Their lives with their children, was a true blessing from God. It was like the 6yrs of separation had never happened. Their love was stronger than ever and they knew that they'd be together forever.
The End
JAZ
Avatar and Signatures Shop
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
