FF Recompleted: 'Discovering Love' (Index Pg 1) - Page 16

"Achchha hai. Interns to mostly ghoomne-phirne ke liye jaana chahte hain. Lekin aapne Ashutosh ke paise barbaad nahin kiye."

"Matlab?"

"Jo unhone aapki business class ki flight aur five star hotel ka kharcha sponsor kiya tha. Are... Main bhi kahan baaton mein lag gayi. Mujhe ward jaana hai..."

With this Mallika walked out hoping that she had sown enough seeds of confusion and questions in Nidhi's mind to make her stay away from Ashutosh or confront him about his intentions behind sponsoring her trip. Even if she had stayed, Nidhi would have known what to tell her anyway. Her head was buzzing with the piece of information she had just obtained. Ashutosh sponsored her trip. He lied about hospital sponsoring it. How could she be so naive about it? Of course, hospital did not sponsor it. If it had, she should have gotten her tickets from Dr. Rangnath or someone in the admin. Not from Dr. Ashutosh himself. The letter Dr. Rangnath had given was right. The trip had to sponsored by... Oh my God! What should she do now? Confront him? Return him the money? But how? She didn't have that money. And why on earth did he do something like that? She would have to talk to Baba.

"Hmm," Baba thought for a moment, when Nidhi told him what had happened. Then he broke into a smile, "Unhone tumhare saath wahi kar diya, jo hum tumhari Dadi ke saath karte hain."

"Woh to hai Baba. Lekin Dadi hamare parivaar ka hissa hain..."

"Haan beta. Lekin unhein confront kar ke koi fayda nahin hai. Kya bologi tum unhein? Unhone tumse jhooth bola kyonki woh tumhari khuddari ko thes nahin pahunchana chahte the. To tum bhi ab unhein confront ka ke unki bhavnaon ko thes mat pahunchao. Haan - ye pata zaroor karo ki unhone kitna kharcha kiya hoga. Aaj nahin bhi to jab bhi possible ho, hamein unhein lauta dene honge. Aur aage se dhyaan rakhna. Kissi ka ehsaan jaante-boojhte baar-baar lena theek nahin hai."

"Theek hai Baba. Jaise aap kahein. Main ticket aur hotel ke prices dekh loongi. Waise pata hai Baba, Dr. Ashutosh ki life bhi bahut complicated hai."

"Kyon?"

Nidhi told him about him being adopted and what Mallika had told him about his broken relationship with Niharika.

"Lagta hai isi wajah se unhone phir shaadi nahin ki. Aur abhi bhi akele hain," she concluded.

"Zindagi bahut ajeeb hoti hai Nidhi. Lekin woh bahut achchhe insaan hain. Jitne unhone tumhare liye kiya hai... Mujhe vishwaas hai ki unki zindagi mein bhi khushiyan jaldi hi aayengi."

"I hope so Baba. Main khana laga doon?"

"Haan. Chalo. Kha kar so jaate hain."

--

Ashutosh had to write the mid-term feedback for all the interns working in the department. He started going through their files at night in his office. The first page of Nidhi's file surprised him. He finished writing the feedback and then went out to check the duty chart. Nidhi was on night duty that night. He glanced in the ward She was not there. Must have finished her rounds, he thought and walked towards the common room. She was sitting there with, not surprisingly, a book in her hands.

"Am I disturbing you?" he asked.

She was startled by his voice, "Sir? Aap? Is waqt. Ghar nahin gaye?"

"Nahin. Kuchh kaam tha, isliye ruk gaya. Aap kya padh rahi thi?"

"Revise kar rahi thi, Sir. PG entrance ke preparation ke liye."

"Oh! Kahan se PG karna chahti hain aap?"

"Lucknow mein jahan bhi admission mil jaye Sir."

"I didn't understand. Main abhi aapki file dekh raha tha. Aapki MBBS entrance exam mein All India Rank 9th thi."

"Ji Sir."

"Phir to aapko AIIMS mein admission mil sakta tha. Wahan ki to fee bhi nominal hoti hai."

"Lekin Delhi mein rahne ka to kharcha hota hi. Already do jagahon par ghar chal raha hai - yahan aur gaon mein. Ek aur jagah possible nahin hota," since he already knew about her financial issues, she did not feel any heistation in talking to him.

"Ohh!"

"Yahan rah kar main Baba ki financially bhi madad kar sakti thi. Tuitions padha kar. Yahan log jaante hain. Asaani se job mil jaati thi."

"Aap MBBS karte hue tutions padha rahi thi?"

"Baba ko mat bataiyega Sir. Woh bilkul raazi nahin hue the. Kahte the ki chhuttiyon mein padha liya theek hai. Lekin MBBS ke dauraan padhai ka harza hoga. Lekin mujhe pata thi unki halat. Dadi ka ilaaj shuru ho chuka tha. Paise bachte hi kahan the. Main bas chup-chaap kitchen mein samaan la kar rakh deti thi aur pretend karti thi ki unke diye paison se hi sab aa gaya. Thankfully unhein pata nahin chala."

"Lucknow mein bhi government college kyon?"

"KMC best option tha lekin fees bahut high thi, Sir."

Ashutosh suddenly understood why her Baba felt so guilty towards her. She obviously did not get the opportunities she so obviously deserved. He could not fake the detachment any longer. He complemented her freely.

"You are a very strong girl Nidhi. And intelligent. I'm sure you will do very well in your life."

What he hadn't said was that he envied her for how comfortable she was with her life. In her place, he or anyone else, would have grudged their parents for not being able to provide them the best education they deserved. But she... she was different.

The open appreciation from Ashutosh made her emotional. She choked on her words, but blinked back her tears back as she replied, "Thank you, Sir."

--

"Dr. Rangnath. Dr. Nidhi ko bhi bula lijiye," Ashutosh told Rangnath as they were about to start a meeting with Armaan about a field trip to the nearby villages.

"Sir. Dr. Nidhi to chhutti par hain."

"Kyon?"

"Aapko nahin pata, Sir? Unke father hospitalized hain. Cardiology ward mein hain."

"Kya? Kab se?"

"Kal raat mein hi..."

"Dr. Rangnath. Aap Dr. Armaan ko phone kar ke boliye ki meeting postpone karni padegi. I have to go..."

He rushed out of the room to go to the cardiology ward.

He entered the room where Yograj Verma was admitted. He was asleep. Nidhi was sitting on a chair nearby, her head buried in her hands. Ashutosh went to her and kept his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with sad eyes. Her eyes were puffed from crying.

"Bahar aao," he whispered. She got up and followed him.

"Baba kaise hain?"

"Stable hain. Minor attack tha."

"Tumne mujhe bataya kyon nahin?"

"Mujhe hosh nahin tha, Sir. Dr. Rangnath ko bhi Anji ne phone kiya tha. I'm sorry."

"Nahin. It's all right. Tum akeli ho yahan?"

"Nahin. Anji aayi hai. Ye rahi..." Anji entered with a cup of tea and handed it to Nidhi.

"Thank you, Anji," she said, "Ye Dr. Ashutosh Mathur hain."

Ashutosh and Anji shook hands.

"Anji. Tu thodi der Baba ke saath baithegi?" Nidhi asked her.

"Sure."

"Kya hua hai? Unhein problem thi koi?" Ashutosh asked after Anji went inside the room.

"Nahin. Unke checkup to main khud regularly karti thi. Koi problem nahin thi."

"Phir? Aise achanak attack?"

Nidhi sat down with a sigh. Ashutosh also sat down beside her.

"Baba kal company ka cash jama karwane bank ja rahe the. Kuchh gundon ne pistol dikha kar unse cash chheen liya. Lekin company waale ye manne ko taiyaar nahin hain ki woh bekasoor hain."

"Aisa kaise kar sakte hai woh log. Bina security ke kissi ko cash jama karne bhej diya. Ab wapas us par ilzaam. Company ki koi policy hai bhi ya nahin."

"Woh log case karne ki dhamki de rahe hain. Mujhe kuchh samajh mein nahin aa raha, Sir. Main to kissi lawyer ko bhi nahin jaanti..."

"Aap uski chinta mat kijiye. Main apne lawyer ko phone karta hoon."

He called up Devraj Kapoor and took an appointment immediately.

"Hum abhi chal sakte hain. Aapke ghar se aapke Baba ke employment contract wagerah ke papers bhi le lenge."

"Main Anji ko bol kar aati hoon."

"Okay."

--

Ashutosh introduced Nidhi as "Dr. Nidhi" to Devraj and briefly explained what happened with her Baba. Devraj looked thoughtful and then took the papers Nidhi had brought with him. He was surprised when he read the name and address on the employment contract.

He stopped reading it and told them, "Dr. Nidhi, Ashutosh. Mujhe thoda time lagega papers ko padhne mein. Is it okay, agar main shaam tak aapko bataun."

"Ji. Theek hai," Nidhi said weakly.

He stopped Ashutosh as they were leaving, "Ashutosh. Mujhe tumse kuchh baat karni thi. If you can stay back for a moment..."

"Sure," he gave car keys to Nidhi, "Aap mera car mein wait kijiye, Dr. Nidhi."

"Ji Sir."

"Ashutosh," Devraj spoke after Nidhi left, "Inka naam Nidhi Verma hai?"

"Haan. Kyon?"

"Tumhein pata nahin ye kaun hain?"

"Matlab? Maine bataya to hai aapko. She is an intern at..."

"Ashutosh! She is Mr. Mathur's grand-daughter. Tumhare baba ki naatin hain woh."