New Devakshi SS - Lifetime of Love (complete) - Page 3

Thanks for all your encouraging comments... I just wanted to say something on this story before posting the next chapters. This story would be a little unconventional. I dont have any hopes of our CVs ever showing anything on these lines in Indian Television. But then thats why, in my view, books are a better creative medium that TV/ movies.

Hope you all continue to like this SS.

Cheers

Asha

please pm for next update... :)

As Sona got ready for work, she kept wondering what to do. Feeling unable to decide she broke her own rule of not taking more than five minutes in making a decision. She left for work in a grey trouser suit and a white shirt and a floral silk scarf and her favourite pair of high heels in the hope that it would put her in a better frame of mind. Sona reached her office and the first thing she noticed was that Dev was not in. "Sona forget about Dev and get down to work" she chided herself.

Sona switched on her laptop and started checking her e mails and responding to the important ones and forwarded the not so critical ones to Mita to answer.

After a couple of hours, Sona realised that Dev was still not in. She was tempted to call him and ask him if he was OK after last night and then decided against it.

She was restless the whole day and Dev did not turn up at work either that day. Sona decided to go home early as she wanted to decide once and for all. Sona reached home and opening the door she went and sat down on the sofa and shut her eyes. She thought of her relationship with Dev - when the met for the first time and she dropped some flour on him, when they met in Dr. Sinha's office, when he forced her to work for him, when they fought, they did not realise when the hatred turned to deep understanding to being best friends and when that friendship turned into deep passionate love for each other. They reached out to each other for comfort instinctively. They broke up and made up and got married and stayed married for seven months and then separated for seven years. They had not as much as seen each other after the day they fought at the farmhouse. Sona and Dev both chose not to attend the divorce proceedings. But yet they had Suhana who bound them together. Suhana was a symbol of their love for each other. Sona was intelligent enough to understand that the love they shared for each other was still intact - buried deep in their hearts. Its just that they both had decided to bury it under layers and layers of hatred and indifference. The deep love explained why Dev came to save her from the earthquake and why she went out of her way to save him when he was wounded by the goons on the highway. Yet was she willing to give him a chance by maybe agreeing to make him a part of her life again and risk the pain and the tears and the indifference. The old Sona was have been willing to give love a second chance but the new more pragmatic Sona decided against it.

She looked at her watch and realised that she was on the sofa for more than an hour. But since she arrived at a decision she was happy. She got up and freshened up and realised that Suhana would be back tonight. She checked with Ginni if the dinner was ready. Just then the doorbell rang and she went to open the door. Dev stood there with an awkward smile on his face and Soha stood next to him, with a big smile on her face. Soha screamed "Hello Mamma. I missed you!". Sona quietly hugged her daughter.

Dev was about to turn and go when Sona said "Dev why don't you stay for dinner with us?" Dev looked surprised and after a bit of hesitation agreed. Soha was very excited and dragged him into the living room holding his hands.

They had dinner in a while. Soha did all the talking and Dev and Sona answered in monosyllables, both a little awkward. After dinner was over and Ginni took Soha to her bedroom to sleep, Sona turned to Dev and said "I want to talk with you Dev, if you could wait for a while". Dev was now even more surprised and nodded.

She led him to her study on the ground floor where Ginni had left two cups of coffee for them. Sona invited him to sit and when he did she said "Thanks for understanding Dev. I thought a lot about what you had written this morning and I think for Soha's sake, we need to give you a chance. I will never come in the way of your equation with Soha. So I am ok with sharing joint custody of Soha with you. I hope you will protect her and stand up for her rights in your household. I also want to make one thing clear Dev, I must confess that I still love you a lot Dev, the seven years apart have not made any difference to the love I once felt for you. But at this juncture I cannot think of a long term relationship with you or anyone else. I don't have the strength to go through a heartbreak again and now I have Soha to think of. I hope you understand". Dev was happy and sad at the same time. He nodded and replied "Thanks for Soha. I also understand what you said about the love being the same after seven years. I still love you a lot but when we were apart I realised that we were probably far too different from each other. I also don't want to get back together but I hope I can co-parent Soha with you. I want to rediscover my best friend in you again. I have been very lonely in the last seven years".

Sona and Dev both had tears in their eyes when she nodded and said "Yes - that's what I want too".

Dev left feeling a little better. But as soon as he sat down in the car, he couldn't control his tears and he cried for what could have been between Sona and him. But then he wiped his tears and went back to Ishwari Nivas.

As soon as he reached home, he found Ishwari, Mamaji and Mamiji waiting for him. He wanted to avoid all conversation and just walked past them towards the stairs when his mother called him saying "Dev yahan aa jaa tu, tere se kuch baat karni hain". Dev came back and sat next to her. She handed him a document and asked him to sign it. He looked at it and read it completely. He then calmly tore the paper to bits and he told his mother "Why did you do this Maa. Main nahin chahta hoon ki Soha hamare saath hamesha ke liye rahe. Main use Sona se nahin china chahta hoon. Agar meri beti ne mujhse poocha ki maine uski maa ka saath kyun nahin diya to mere paas iska koi bhi jawaab nahin hain. Main usse nazarein nahin mila paaonga agar maine use apni maa se chin liya toh". Ishwari then made a sad face and said "Tab mera koi haq nahin hai kya apni poti par". Dev looked at her and said sadly "Aapne saat saal pehle who haq kho diya maa jab aapne Sona ko mujhse milne nahin diya. Ab main bahut khush hoon ki Sona ne allow kiya hai ki main Soha ke saath time spend karoon and mujhe isse jyada aur kuch nahin chahiye. Maine Sona ko promise kiya hai ki main kabhi bhi Soha ko usse alag nahin karoonga".

Ishwari was stunned and stayed silent as Dev walked away from the sofa and went into his room and closed the door.

The next day dawned bright and clear. Sona and Dev were at work, both busy in their respective routines. They were the last to leave and met near the elevator. As they got into the list both smiled tentatively at each other and Dev asked her "How was your day?" Sona smiled and said "Tiring. How was yours?" Dev said "The same". He then cleared his throat and asked her "Would you care for a cup of coffee before we head home?"He was prepared to hear a no from Sona when she smiled and said "I don't mind. Lets go". They decided to go in his car and went to a caf near their office. They ordered coffees and sat in awkward silence till the coffee arrived. Then Sona said "You know when Soha was a year old..." and she started narrating anecdotes from Soha's childhood and the next hour flew by. Reluctantly, Dev and Sona decided to head home. When they both reached home, both unexpectedly felt good. The evening coffee after work became a routine and they managed to meet a couple of times every week.They kept their conversation away from their own selves and spoke about their daughter, their work and all general things.

About a month later, however disaster struck. Dev did not turn up for work one day and Sona kept wondering what happened. She was keen to call him and find out but did not have the courage to call. She couldn't stop herself and finally at 8 PM she texted him asking him if everything was alright.

When she did not get a reply, she was a little disappointed. The next morning, when she was getting ready for work, her phone rang and it was Dev on the line. Surprised, she picked it up and he said "Hi. Sorry I saw your message now only. Maa is not well and she has been admitted in the hospital. The doctors are not sure what is wrong with her". Sona said "Oh. I hope she gets better soon."

Sona went to work and was wondering if she should visit Ishwari in the hospital when her phone rang. It was Dr. Sinha, her old boss from the hospital. "How are you Dr. Sinha" Sona asked. Dr. Sinha replied "I am fine Sonakshi. I need one help from you. Please mana mat karo. Mr. Dixit's mother, your old patient, is admitted in the hospital with high blood sugar and blood pressure. I need you to please work your magic on her and get it down like you had done in the past". Sona hesitated and said "Dr. Sinha you know that we have a lot of bad blood between us and I am not sure if the family would like me to treat her either. I need sometime to think". "Fair enough" Dr. Sinha said - let me know by evening today.

Sona knew there was no point in discussing this with her father as he would be against it. But somewhere deep down she knew she could help her daughter's grandmother and felt she must at least offer her help and then it was upto the family to refuse the help.

Sona reached the hospital and went to meet Dr. Sinha. He was very happy and also understood that she needed to speak to Dev first. He called Dev and left the room. When Dev walked in he was surprised to see Sona there. Dev asked "What are you doing here?" Sona replied "Dr. Sinha called me and asked me to take a look at Maa's case file... I wanted to check with you personally if you are ok with it. Else I can recommend some really good doctors who could help her." Dev looked a little surprised and said "Why should I mind. Go through Maa's papers and tell me what you feel". Sona nodded and started going through the papers and making notes and asked a lot of questions to Dev. Finally after about half an hour she said "I think she needs a complete change of medication and diet. It would take about three months but we can help her". Dev smiled and said "Then what are we waiting for. Start right away". Sona hesitated and said "Dev I think you should check with the rest of your family and Maa of course. They may not be keen about this arrangement". Dev said "I don't really care about what others say Sona I want you to take charge of her treatment". Sona said "OK. Then lets go and meet her".

<<End of Chapter 2>>

Its good that they will be best friends again and love will find its way...

Hope Sona will not visit IN on regular basis as before...she will just prescribe diet plan...