Chapter 27: The Ashu-Mallu Story
***As u all know this chapter will disclose the Ashu-Mallu story and with it the painful past of Dr. Ashutosh. I had set a brief premise of their fship in Chapter 21: Will he? If anyone has missed it or wud like to get a gud idea of wer thy stand presently can go thru tht dialogue betn Ashu-Mallu' It also reveals wer Nidhi and Mallu stand in his life.
Link of Chapter 21:
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Brief Summary of Last Chapter:
Dr. Mallika had suspended Nidhi but it turns out tht it was Dr. Mallika's mistake and Nidhi suspension is cancelled. Dr. Mallika gets infuriated and schemes another plot to throw Nidhi out. She charges her of gross medical negligence, which mite lend her in jail, which angers Dr. Ashutosh. Tho he is successful in saving Nidhi by his tact and influence over board members but he is extremely angry on Dr. Mallika. Thr is an ugly showdown betn the two friends over Nidhi and Ashutosh finally brks his 12-yr long fship with her. This brks down Mallika and she attempts suicide. Ashutosh learns abt it but he is unmoved and reacts with coldness and indifference.. this shocks Nidhi. She is unable to believe this is the same kind and caring Dr. Ashutosh. In his rigidness, he even snubs Nidhi. Nidhi takes it silently and retreats. It was her last day at KGH'..
To learn wat happens nxt..Read further'
Ashutosh stared after Nidhi and let out a heavy sigh. He had lashed out at Nidhi for no apparent fault of hers. He had vent out his frustrations, his anger, and his self-reproaching remorse on Nidhi and yet she had been so considerate and gentle towards him. He got up abruptly and ran out of his cabin. Nidhi had jst reached the main entrance of the hospital wen a hand grabbed her arm from behind and pulled her along the back side of the hospital. Startled, she looked back and saw Dr. Ashutosh pulling her to the farthest and remotest corner of the back side. Alarmed, she looked around to see if anyone had noticed thm. She saw a few visitors glaring at thm. The receptionist hadn't been in her place. The doctors were too busy and in hurry to look up at thme and the security guard was nowhere to be seen. Thr was an old closed black gate at the backside opening on a broken by-lane. It was blocked further down and it opened on the main road from the other end and as such was rarely used by hospital visitors as the area was pretty deserted and secured by long walls across the road, which made it pretty secluded and remote. He took her out of the small swivelving side gate towards a distant tree standing adjacent to the tall and secured hospital walls. Her face was crestfallen remembering his cold behaviour to her as he pulled her along with him. Reaching there, he suddenly grabbed her and clenched her in a very tight embrace and she forgot her own sorrow. She cud feel his pain, his sorrow, and the deep regret that he was feeling in his touch. She embraced him back with a tight affectionate tug. Feeling her love and support, he caressed her and squeezed her so tight, almost crushing her in his arms as if it was the only thng tht wud release all his disturbing and painful thots from him. He had really wanted this hug so badly. He had so so longed for this warmth and comfort thru her gentleness and softness that when he finally obtained it, he cudnt held back his tears. "I.. I.." he wanted to say so much but his mind was too full and he was too overwhelmed to say anything further. "its.. its.. okay.." she consoled him tenderly thru her own tears. She stroked his back gently and ran her fingers caressingly thru his hair. It soothed him.. really soothed him. It relaxed him so much tht he cudnt help himself giving a deep satisfied moan. She gently pulled his face over from her shoulder and wiped off his tears and rubbed off his eyes. He smiled at her lovingly and again pulled her in a sweet embrace. "how is she?" he asked over her shoulders. "in for a gastric lavage"she replied He sniffled and closed his eyes and hinted her to cradle him with a comforting tug. She pressed him close lovingly and solaced him by swaying him gently. They stood there for a while immersed in the feeling of complete peace before he pulled out of the hug and asked for a sorry with cute guilty expressions,"I am sorry Nidhi.. really really sorry". She chuckled back lovingly at him and asked,"y wer u so stinging!" He twitched his lips in self-disapprobation,"guess.. it got too hard on me.. " he ran both hands thru his hair and breathed in fresh air deeply. "I didn't know u cud hate somebody so much.. " she said. "More thn anybody I think I hated myself more.." "y?" "Nidhi.. I think somewhere I am responsible for everything tht happened to u and Mallika!" "Nooo!" she cried. She was defending him fiercely without even knowing anything. He gave a soft loving chuckle. "U don't know my past Nidhi,"he said with a twitch of his lips. She tugged at his arm lovingly as they leaned on to the trunk of the tree. "I just know tht.. u can never do anything wrong!"she replied. He smiled at her cute blind love for him! "Nidhi.. u know it almost sounds like a blind worship!" He chuckled,"how can u have such a blind faith in me.. I am a human and I can blunder!" "yeah.. but not my Dr. Ashutosh!" "whoa.. thts scary!" he joked but thn got serious and sighed. And stared at her lovingly,"u have so much faith in me Nidhi?"he asked. She gazed back at him deeply and nodded,"too too too much!" He smiled and kissed her forehead. "wat if I fail? Wat if I didn't live upto ur expectations?" "Then may b we will cry.. we will fight but we will learn and move ahead.." she answered shrugging her shoulders,"and..let me warn u' I am not going to stop loving u for tht at any time" she chuckled. He smiled at her. Her philosophy in life was so simple and clear. "U know Nidhi.. Mallika was never like this.. to wat she has turned into today.." he started slowly and Nidhi listened to him attentively. "I first met Mallika in college. She was my junior and I was a topper and she had come to me for notes and some guidance. She was so brilliant and smart and so much like me.. studious, focused, ambitious. She had lost her parents too early in her life. She had one brother to take care of. She got her father's pension, but she did some odd jobs to run her house and educate her brother. She studied on scholarships and she was as lonely in life as me. We hit off right away. We had shared a good rapport in the college. I helped her out a lot. She almost idolised me and I wud laugh off her such comments! We had a grt time and then I went abroad for higher studies. I wasn't in much touch of her thn. Thn 15 yrs back I joined KGH. It was the most happiest day of my life. My baba was so proud and happy of me. He renovated our whole house for me. We hand picked each and every little thing for our house and decorated it with our every own hands. My baba had now but one dream to marry me off." Ashutosh laughed softly and Nidhi smiled at his happy smile. "but I was all into my career at tht time and wasn't too keen on marriage but everything else was going jst perfect. Then suddenly one evening, I returned home and find my baba very much upset, so much so tht he fell ill. I tried asking him but he was mum. Nidhi.. u know my baba had never told me anything about his family.. his past.. its still a mystery to me.. bt I knew one thing.. some demon from his past life had come back to haunt him and taken a toll on his health. It went on for a year or two. I took grt care of him but thr was but little improvement. Thn suddenly one day he simply vanished from my life leaving a little note for me stating - Sorry Ashutosh, I cant b with u.. I don't deserve this.. I cant stay with u without feeling guilty and believe me its no fault of urs.. bt I cant live with u anymore. So I m going away from ur life for forever. Do not try and search for me. I promise I wud b fine. Don't worry abt me." He paused and sighed sadly. Nidhi looked up at him. He wasnt crying but he was extremely sad. It seemed as if his eyes had all dried up and thr wernt any more tears left tht he cud shed on it. She tugged at his arm lovingly. He gathered her in his arms and continued,"I searched for him everywhere. The police didn't help me because he had left willingly but I kept on searching him, but ther was no trace of him. He had left no documents.. no proof of his past life with me. There was nothing with me on which I cud enquire abt his past other than his name and the hospital where he was working, but thy too didn't knew much abt him neither did Hiraman kaka. Hiraman kaka had only moved in with him when he had bought that house. Days passed by and there was but one mission in my life to search for him. A few years later, Mallika joined KGH. She was too overjoyed to work under me. She came as a good break in my life. When she learnt about my baba, she comforted me. Nidhi, in my most difficult of times, she became my grt support." He looked at Nidhi. Nidhi smiled understandingly at him. "Of course Armaan was there, but he was in a different city and busy with his growing career and we talked only on phone, but Mallika was always with me. She never left me alone and gloomy and how can she wen we were almost practically whole day together. We had always been good friends and being in same profession working in same hospital together brot us more close. We matched at many levels. We were at same wavelength intellectually. She helped me a lot to get me out of my bouts of depression. She instilled hope in me and I really enjoyed spending my time with her. Her company was a grt solace. And believe me Nidhi.. I had never thot of Mallika other than being a very good and close friend then. Even Armaan knew of her. She had settled down in her life and good mrg proposals came her way but she kept on rejecting thm. When I enquired, she wud jst smile and wudnt want to talk abt it even when I insisted. Thn these rumors of us started. Initially I jst laughed it off but then I suddenly realized tht Mallika's behavior had changed a lot, which somehow I had failed to notice earlier and her rejection of really gud mrg proposals alarmed me. So I confronted her hard one day and she confessed tht she liked me and wud like me to seriously think abt us. I clearly told her tht I wasn't thinking abt mrg at all. My sole purpose was to find my baba. She said she wud wait. I had told her wen my future was so uncertain, I cannot commit anything to her. I had told her tht I respected her a lot. She was a self-made woman. She had singlehandedly tended her family and she deserved a much better person than me. I told her she had to move on, but she was so adamant. She had always been pretty stubborn and strong willed. If she set her goal on something, she wudnt rest till she attained it. I had told her I cannot b her goal, but she never listened to me. Time passed by and I sincerely persuaded her to marry someone else but she jst didn't. She kept telling me to forget everything and start afresh with her, but I cudnt. I flatly refused her persuasions, but still our fship grew strong with time. I wud tend to b more strong around her, Armaan or even hiraman kaka, bt wen I was left alone.. I missed my baba. He had created a void tht no one cud ever fill. I never came out of it and Mallika jst kept on waiting. Slowly I had started drifting away from her a bit feeling dejected and lost in my own lonely world, but she kept coming after me. Thn 5 yrs ago, suddenly I received a legal notice stating that my house.. my house didn't belong to me!" he sighed. She looked at him questioningly. "My baba had given it someone else. To whom wasnt to be disclosed to me. He had already made a will when he had left wer by his every valuable possession was left to thm except the bank balance, the cash that he had earned over the time while he was with him." He twitched his lips contemptuously and continued,"He had again left a note to me stating tht everything shud go to its riteful owner and he was obliged to do so and he was sorry tht he cudnt give him wat he had promised except his luv and blessings. Neither cud he give him his name nor cud he give him the rite to own his possessions!" A lone tear trickled down his face and dropped on Nidhi's arm. She looked up at him and wiped off his tear tenderly. He grabbed her hand and kissed it and pressed it at his heart tightly closing his eyes. He took a deep breath and continued,"Nidhi.. I don't know wat happened to Mallika then. May b she became more desperate and impatient being suddenly too lonely for so long a time. I remembered her brother had visited her from States, may b he forced her. I don't know exactly, but she started nagging me regarding mrg. She kept telling me I shud start afresh and forget everything. Tht she was concerned for me and tht she was still waiting for me. I knew she was rite.. Even Armaan tried to persuade me, but I jst didn't want to. After my house was lost, I became more devastated and melancholic. I had lost interest in everything completely and mrg was last thing in my mind. My work was the only thing tht was keeping me sane. One day, both Armaan and Mallika came to my house with a strong resolution to make me say yes. They bugged me so much and I got so fed up of the word mrg. And I didn't give in and Armaan never took up tht subject ever again but Mallika.. she was so persistent. She kept pushing me. She had gotten more desperate. Our every meaningful conversation wud end with the word mrg.. I got so irritated and she got so pushy tht I jst pushed her away from my life. In fact I severed all my ties with everyone.. even Armaan. I jst wanted to b lonely and isolated. I even threw Hiraman kaka out of my house, but he didn't leave stating tht he had promised his baba tht he wud never leave his side, so I had to take him back in. He had been pesteringly persistent!" He cried and Nidhi cudnt help herself chuckle! He looked at her and chuckled with her.."yeah.. u know he hasn't changed much even today.." he cried. Nidhi chuckled more and agreed,"I know.. he is such a darling.!" She commented. "yeah.. darling.. sure!" he replied twitching his lips. He sighed deeply and got serious again,"Nidhi.. I had started to remain aloof from her. I had started ignoring her. I thot tht was best thing for both of us at that time. Only thn cud she move on. I jst kept professional relationship. She did try to come close to me again, but I kept the distance. May b I was so preoccupied with my own problem tht I failed to c how lonely Mallika had become. Jst like me, she became isolated and aloof and hadn't let anyone else enter her life. And I kept running away from her. May b tht made her more bitter. And she started suspecting even my professional relations with my colleagues and staff. She became jealous and she took some steps tht she shudnt have taken. Wen I noticed this change, I had approached her. I had tried to counsel her indirectly to get out of this mess, but it was all in vain. Believe me, I had tried real hard but I cudnt persuade her neither cud her brother. So I left her at it. Time flew by and it continued tht way, but it never got much serious becoz I got never close with any girl and it didn't bother Mallika tht much. Then suddenly u came into my life. I cant believe how one person..one day.. can chng ur life! But u changed it Nidhi.. u changed me before I even knew.." he looked at her deeply. "I didn't knew wen and how I was so attracted to u.. how a point came wen I jst cudnt live a second without thinking abt u.. how I jst cudnt tolerate anyone hurting u.. Nidhi.. I don't know where this rage came from.. how I cud've turned so cold and heartless.. may b I was punishing myself by punishing Mallika so ruthlessly.. By acting cold indifferent to everyone, I was treating my inner self with same coldness and indifference so much so that I wanted even u to hate me. Somewhere I was feeling guilty of being selfish and inconsiderate towards Mallika. Somehow I had been a reason for her ruin.. I had led her to such a breaking point!" He sighed sadly. "bt I want to mend it..Nidhi.. I want to put her back on her feet.. I want tht strong Mallika back!" he said determindedly and clasped her hands and asked"will u help me Nidhi?" "yeah.. I will" "will u look after her for me?" "Yeah.. sure.. v both will.." "No.. Not me..Nidhi.. I have to go away from her life forever." He said sadly. "She has to get over me Nidhi. I have broken our f'ship and this is the only chance she has. I cannot go back into her life. She has to get back to living on her own without me.. without my help and u have to help her Nidhi." Nidhi looked at him understandingly and nodded,"I will.. I will surey take good care of her.. I will bring tht old Mallika back.."she said reassuringly. Tears gathered in his eyes and he pulled her in his arms. His heart brimming with loads of emotions as he squeezed her lovingly.
"Oh.. No!" She cried pulling at his shoulders from the hug. "hmm.." he asked. "ppl r staring at us!" she cried. "Wat?" he was jerked out of his emotional world! He broke the hug and stared at the direction she was looking at. The security guard, the receptionist, and some other ppl tht were peeking at them thru the gates quickly moved back and out of sight. "Now wat?" she cried. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders,"Nothing.!" "how will I even face them?" "Y r u ashamed?" "huh!.. I m feeling shy!"she cried "Oh my sweet crimson little cherry"he cried picking at her cute cheeks,"let me hide u in my heart and fly you away to my sweet little love nest sweet heart!" he said quite poetically and sincerely but Nidhi cudnt help chuckle. He had gotten too carried away! "Oh..I was quite serious here!"he cried in mock disappointment! But she lowered her gaze with shyness and blushed badly thn. "wat?" asked he. "Nothing.." she nodded her head. He pulled her closer,"Now tell me.. or I m not going to leave u?" "r u even serious.. we r jst infront of ur hospital and ppl wer jst peeping at us!" she cried "huh.. do I care more!" "really?" "yeah.. u know tht!" "so tell me!" he urged her again lovingly. "ur sweet little love nest.. really?" she asked in low voice blushing! "Oh.." he gave a meaningful cry,"yeah.. U know I can hardly wait!" he confessed. "In fact I shudnt wait.. to take u to my love nest for once and forever!" he stated determindedly. "Wat?" she exclaimed. "yeah" "Nooo!"she cried. "Y?" "I am still pretty young.." "bt I m getting old!" "Who says?" "Well for one.. the calendar on my desk!" "huh.. ask me!" "really?" his lips instantly curled with glint of a sweet tease in his eyes! and she jst realized wat a naughty underlying meaning her words had! She blushed and tried to move away, but he pulled her back and asked again in a deep husky seductive voice this time,"really..Nidhi?" Well, at least she felt thy wer too seductive! She blushed hard and hid herself in his chest. He chuckled hiding her lovingly in him,"U have ability to make me go young by ages.. u know tht..!" He pressed her close chuckling mischeviously as she blushed hard against his suddenly thumping chest! He sighed heavily.."and already a lot of wild ideas r getting into my head these days..!" he muttered more to himself but Nidhi had heard it and she cudnt help her cheeks turning completely red! And she instinctively tugged onto him more closely. He looked at her alarmed,"Oh.. u heard tht.. God!" And he tried to look away as the word wild echoed in his brain!.. and Nidhi chuckled at him. Sometimes he was too cute! "Dr. Ashutosh I think its time u got back into ur role of a dean!" she finally told him breaking the hug! He sighed cutely as if he didn't want to go! She chuckled,"luks like somebody is not happy rejoining his duties!" "how can he.. the motivation is gone!" he said sulking cutely! "U know tht I m not tht far!" "yeah.. bt not together either.." he sighed. "Its okay I think it will b more fun this way.. to meet after so many long hours of wait!" she said excitedly. "And wat abt the convention!" he asked. "Oh!" she cried as it struck her.. thr plans for conventions wer dashed now with her moving out of KGH and she didn't think she had any chance of going to convention for Kotnis Arogya Hospital! She sighed. "yeah.." he said with disappointment.."and I have so much lose.. U.. had promised me something.. remember!" he cried and she blushed,"hmm' bt I cant help it.." "bt even I have plenty to lose.. remember the dance!?" she chuckled "eh!.. but I have an idea I will ask Dr. Mehta a favor!" "No.. he must have finalized someone already.. I cant possibly take away from tht doctor!" "Nidhi.. u don't have to b so nice and considerate of others always!" he cried. "emm.. hmm'Dr. Ashutosh.. I have to!" and he sulked more."u seem to b more concerned abt othrs thn me!" "well I can make it up to u a bit of that today?" "wat.. so u r going to say it today?" he asked hopefully. "I don't know abt tht.. I was talking abt a dinner!" "really?" he cried with excitement. "yeah..!.. baba has invited u for a dinner as a thnx!" "Oh!" he replied with a little disappointment,"and here I thot I wud get some private time with u over dinner!" "well.. u may never know.. how things may turn out.. one shud always b hopeful!" she said teasing him mercilessly. He smiled at her sweet torment but he challenged her,"thn mind u I m not going to leave tht opportunity unfulfilled!" He seemed pretty determined and she blushed. Looking at his determination, he mite pretty well do anything if he ever got a chance! "okay.. lets go" he said abruptly glancing at his watch. "wait.. u need to go back to hospital.. I will go by taxi!" "No!" was his instant reply and Nidhi let out a slightly annoyed cry,"I can go by my own!" "Not till I m there..Miss" he said courteously! "u know we live in 21st century.. girls can take care of themselves!" "well.. have u heard something like chivalry ever in this world.. it wud be a disgrace to any noble and honorable man!" "really?" "yeah.. so don't argue and lets go!" "Huh so much of chivalry"she cried and he chuckled,"its not going to work Nidhi u know it!" "Okay fine" she gave in"bt I wont go back by tht way!" She pointed at the gate. "Okay I will walk u to the main road thn and thn bring on my car.." he finally picked at her rosy cheeks sweetly and walked her at the end of the road. He brot in his car and dropped her home promising to reach at her house by 7 p.m. sharp! Nidhi got too happy. She virtually kissed him good bye, which his eyes seemed to have understood.. as he had returned her glance with quite a naughty smile! She turned away and went inside blushing!
As he turned his car, his thots wandered over Nidhi and the dinner at her house! Obviously, it was going to b more thn a thanks dinner! Col. Verma wud b more interested to know abt his past if and when Nidhi wud tell him abt Mallika's suicide attempt! He gave a big sigh. He was getting too impatient to get Nidhi in to his life, but her baba wasn't in a hurry at all.. and Nidhi too seemed to be not tht keen abt mrg rite now.. or was she jst feeling shy! Well, he definitely needed to know wat she thot abt it! bt his brain too believed he shud give themselves time, but his heart craved to get more close to Nidhi! He sighed heavily as the lyrics from the song tht thy were listening on their way to her house played back in his mind!
kaise mujhe tum mil gayi, kismat pe aaye na yakin
utar aayi jheel mein, jaise chaand utarata hai kabhi
houle haule, dheere se
gunguni dhup ki tarah se tarnnum main tum
chhuke mujhe gujari ho yu
dekhu tumhe, ya main sunu
tum ho sukun, tum ho junun
kyun pehle na aayi tum
kaise mujhe tum mil gayi, kismat pe aaye na yakin
**Friends have guests at home.. so nxt update is gonna b late.😳. bt Lohaghad trip was total bliss! 😛
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Njoy and do comment on how u liked this chapter..😳 Ciao
Edited by achiever - 13 years ago
yeah.. he is such a charmer.. and v havent yet seen his hot passionate side yet!😆 
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
Anupamaa
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
