What next? FF with the Doc: epilogue page 55 - Page 23

Chapter 12

And the days flew by...Nidhi settled in her new routine at JS. She got up early in the morning, made tea for everyone, tended the garden, cooked breakfast and packed lunch for herself and Ashutosh. Ashutosh dropped her at JS enroute to KGH. BB visited JS almost every day for a yoga camp in which he had enrolled, and Ashutosh came to pick them in the evening.

Nidhi spent all of her leisure time in JS at the nearby temple and when at home, tending to her garden. She never knew the she had a "green thumb" which implied a remarkable success in the skill of gardening. Soon the garden at MM sported a new look, with new blooms and foliages.

"Aayiye Pandey Ji!!" Dr Mathur welcomed his friend with a wide grin. He was basking in the december sun in a chair in the garden when Pandey Ji had strolled by. He called out. "Nidhi beta!! Dekho to kaun aaya hai?

Nidhi was tending to the rose plant nearby, trimming its extra burden of dead leaves. She looked up from her task, stood up and smiled sheepishly, suddenly conscious of her soiled hands as she folded them for a greeting,

"Namaste Pandey Ji..."

"Namaste beta, kaisi Ho?

"Achchi houn...Mein haath dhokar chai lati houn...Aap baithiye...HK to sabzi lene gaye hai..."

"Theek hai beta...Arre Pandey Ji, zara hamara bacgeecha to dekhiye!! Dekho Nidhi beti ne kya karamat dekhaye hai...aise gulab Lucknow mein kahi dekhe hai aapne?" BB was showcasing his granddaughter's skills.

Pandey Ji was clearly impressed by Nidhi's gardening skills as he took a stroll in their garden along with BB, "Dr Sab, bachchi ne to aapka bageecha gulshan bana diya..."

"Ha wahi to, ghar ka saara kaam dekhti hai, sab ka khayal rakhti hai, JS mein naukri karati hai, daktar hai bhai...ussi se ghar mehaketa hai..." BB was totally in awe of Nidhi. "Aap khade kyoun hai, baithiye..." the two friends relaxed in the raw sunshine of morning.

"Dr Mathur, waise mein apni ek samsya lekar aapke paas aaya houn..."

"Arre PandeyJi aap to bas hukm kijiye..."

"Yeh tulsi hai na...jo hamri bag mein khilti-phoolti hi nahin...suna hai Nidhi Beti ke haathon mein jadu hai...shayad aapke yahan khil jaaye...agar aapko aitraaz na ho to..."

"Arre Pandey Ji kaisi baatein karte hai aap..theheriye, main Nidhi Beti se pooch leta houn...lo aa hi gayi..."

"BB, Chai..." Nidhi had walked in with a tray, "aur mathariyan bhi hai..."

"Arre Nidhi beti, yeh Pandey Ji tulsi lekar aaye hai...joh inke yahan phoolti hi nahi...sookh jaati hai...apne yahan laga sakogi...dekho, tumhara green thumb to hai hi..." BB requested.

"Poori koshish karungi...waise BB aap bhi na...meri khwamkhaah itni tareef karate hai ki...aur mein chalti houn...Aapka nashta aur khana table per hai...garam kar lijiyega..." Nidhi was in a hurry.

Life in JS was full of fun these days. Nidhi had grown fond of all the inmates and was thoroughly familiar with their daily routines and habits. There was Hari, a seventy-year old chess addict, who thought of life as a win-win situation, then there was this old Haneefa, whose family had abandoned her because of poverty, she had been living in JS and taking care of the kitchen since the past 10 years or so. Nidhi smiled to herself, while recollecting ChaubeyJi, a diabetic, so addicted to his daily newspaper, that you could give him his daily insulin shot without his even realizing it...and after that one had to stuff his breakfast into his mouth while his attention never wavered from the newspaper stretched in front of him.

"Nidhi Madam, Aapki AKC"... Haneefa got a cup of the steaming hot brew and handed it over to Nidhi, who had been working non-stop since morning. "Aap thodi der baith Jayiye, madam, chai peejiye, kaam kahin bhaga nahi ja raha... " Mr Rastogi also joined in. "arre aap bewajah meri itni fikr karte hai...waise chai bahut achhi hai...aapke ghutano ka dard ab kaisa hai, Haneefa Bi?" Nidhi smiled.

"Ab kafi achcha hai Daktarni sahiba..aapne dawa de di...sach poochho to aapke haathon mein jadu hai..." Haneefa was very fond of Nidhi. "aur itna kaam mat keejiye Nidhi Madam...kahin aap hi beemaar pad gayi to dekhbhaal koun karega?

"Dr Ashutosh...!! replied Hari and Chaubey ji in chorus. They had come in the pantry to give back their tea cups and had been listening to this interesting conversation between Nidhi, Haneefa and Mr Rastogi at tea.

"Bahut ho gaya, ab chaliye Chaubey Ji aap treadmill per exercise ke liye jayiye aur aap, Hari uncle, aapki physiotherapy ka time ho gaya...chaliye..." Nidhi pushed them back into their routine with a show of mock exasperation.

Across the city, Ashutosh's thoughts drifted to Nidhi...what was she doing at this instant? He had just come in to his cabin after a gruelling surgery and longed for a cup of hot tea. He recollected her giving him an oil hair massage after he felt tired after a trying day and drifted off to sleep with his head in her lap...and just refused to get up when HK had announced dinner. Nidhi was probably the one with an infinite source of energy, getting up early in the morning, making tea for everyone, then breakfast, packing lunch for him, her job at JS and was his for the night...the recollection of the nocturnal events still drove him crazy. She was there for everyone in the house and not a tiny detail escaped her: BB's medicines to groceries and still finding time to tend to that little garden of hers.

The garden of Nidhi was indeed blooming when he returned home in the evening. There was nobody at home except Nidhi: Nidhi was home a little bit early and HK and BB had gone to Pandey Ji for a tea session.

Ashutosh walked in to the backyard and was amused to see Nidhi peering down the water hose: she was probably trying to figure out whether the hose was clogged with mud. She had planned to water the plants and turned on the water tap, with the hose attached and decided to investigate the lack of water at the other end. On hearing his footsteps, she looked up and hastily tried to put an offending lock of hair behind her ear with her muddy hands. Ashutosh burst out laughing as she had inevitably soiled herself in her efforts in doing so; she just looked adorable with a tell-tale smudge of mud across her cheeks. He felt an irresistible urge to touch her cheeks and remove the offending mud, as she asked: "aise kya dekh rahe hai Ji? Pata nai Aur yeh pipe mein paani kyoun nahi aa raha..."

"Mein dekhoun? lagata hai pipe mein kuchh phas gaya hoga..." Ashutosh offered to help. He tapped the hose to the brick lining the hedge, poked it with a piece of wood and handed it over to Nidhi,

"Ab dekho zara..."

"Abhi bhi nahin aa raha..." Nidhi peered down the hose, "tap ko poora open kijiye..."

" Theek hai yeh lo..." Ashutosh turned the tap on full.

WOOOSH!! The tap opened with full force, the blocked pipe suddenly cleared and a jet of water rushed out on Nidhi's face. She dropped the pipe, tried to turn it away from her, but that was not before getting soaked to the skin.

What a sight it was!! Ashutosh couldn't take his eyes of her: Nidhi, wearing a casual kurta, soaked to the skin, standing in mud with water still flowing out of the pipe around her feet, her hands crossed on her chest as she shivered with a sudden feeling of cold. Her shivering body and clattering teeth brought a sense of belated alertness in Ashutosh: drenched in cold water in the month of December, she might fall sick!! He rushed to her, picked her in his arms, while she protested loudly,

"Chhodiye na...yeh kya kar rahe hai...kissi ne dekh liya to log kya sochenge..."

"Ab chup..." Ashutosh reached the bedroom, deposited a trembling Nidhi on the carpet and turned the room heaters full on.

"Arre mujhe yahan kyoun chhoda, carpet geela ho jaayega na...Ab yeh kya kar rahe hai ji..." Nidhi weakly protested as Ashutosh unzipped her kurta and was trying to remove it off.

"Maine kaha chup!! You are drenched to the skin...aise hi rahi to pneumonia ho jayega!!! Ashutosh growled, and soon Nidhi was standing in front of him with nothing on, shivering, her hands crossed to cover for her modesty. Ashutosh got a towel from the bathroom, wrapped her in it and proceeded to pat her dry. Nidhi felt acutely shy as she stood in her elementary form in front of him as his hands wandered in unknown places on her body, that too, in broad daylight.

Ashutosh finally got a dry bathrobe, put it around her shoulders and muttered, "Are you comfortable now, Nidhi?" Her hands clutched the lapels of the bathrobe and pulled them together as a secondary shiver of shyness passed over her spine. Her hair was still slightly wet and their fragrance coupled with the proximity made his heart turn cartwheels. Ashutosh carefully moved one wet lock behind her ear, the lock of hair had left a drop of water lingering behind on Nidhi's nose. She closed her eyes as his fingers caressed her face, lingered on her cheeks and his lips kissed the residual water drop.

"Nidhi...still feeling cold?" Ashutosh whispered softly, with his hands still rooted on her shoulders.

"Nahin, ab theek houn..." Nidhi shook her head.

"To phir mere iss bathrobe ko kyoun pehen rakha hai?" He tugged at the robe's belt. "Mujhe wapas chahiye..."

"Yeh aapka hai? theek hai, main bathroom mein..." Nidhi started moving towards her wardrobe, and stopped midway as Ashutosh caught her hand and pulled her towards him, "Mujhe yahin chahiye..."

"Matlab main yahan, aapke samne change karoun?" Nidhi was scandalized and suddenly felt very shy..."Ab mujhse kaisi sharam?..." Ashutosh's eyes grew dark with passion as he gingerly eased the bathrobe from Nidhi's body.

"Yeh sab din dahade...kissine dekh liya to? Nidhi's protests were futile.

"Pyaar karane ka bhi koi waqt hota hai?

Her skin glowed and she looked something like a beautiful piece of art that the creator had made just for him, he just couldn't take his eyes off her. He reached out to her with eager hands as she hid her face in his chest and snuggled closer to him, possibly to hide her nudity from the watchful eyes of the creator. His hands encircled her, caressing her naked back, wandering in forbidden places, as his chin rested on her head, breathing in the intoxicating smell of her hair, until he could hold himself back no further.

His fingers cupped and raised her chin to meet his gaze, she closed her eyes as his lips came crashing on hers with wild abandon. Her hands went round his neck and she hungrily kissed him back, her fingers toying with his hair as his hands pressed her lower back against his surging manhood. Both slithered to the floor...the night was full of wildness as the two beings engrossed in a spiritual union neither realized the time nor the appropriateness of the place.

It was late night...somewhere Ashutosh suddenly became conscious of a sound emanating from Nidhi. She generally slept in his arms with her head on his shoulder, a leg over his thigh and was a sound sleeper; right now she was pretty restless and moaned occasionally. Maybe she is feeling cold, Ashutosh thought as he tried to put an extra blanket over her, and then snapped to alertness as his hand brushed Nidhi's hand: she was burning with fever!!!

The doctor in Ashutosh took over: he quietly walked to her side of the bed and felt her brow...then took her temperature; it registered a sense of alarm in him: it was very high for an adult!! He then went to the cupboard and got a couple of paracetamol tablets and a glass of warm water, tenderly raised Nidhi to a sitting position and gave her the medicine. Looking at the bedside clock, he realized the time: dawn was about to break over the city.

"Nidhi!!! Kya hua meri bachchi ko?" BB was equally alarmed, as he took her hand in his and felt her pulse. HK walked in with a bowl of tepid water and cloth for placing on her temple, he was equally worried at the development.

"Arre Ashutosh, ab kya kiya jaye? Itne tez bukhar mein koin iski dekhbhaal karane wala bhi to nahin...tu to KGH chala jayega..." BB was further concerned about the care possible at home in a situation like this, "HK, Zara samdhan ji ko phone lagana to..." referring to Nidhi's DB.

DB had arrived in a flash at the Mathur mansion and taken charge, "HK, zara tomato ka soup banaiye aur fruits katiye...Nidhi ko pasand hai...meri bachchi dekhna, abhi theek ho jayegi..." Ashutosh had left for KGH soon after, he had surgeries planned the full day. The day passed with a blur with Nidhi sleeping most of the time and DB sitting next to her on her bed. Mr Rastogi at JS had been informed, who assured Ashutosh of all the leave formalities and further wished Nidhi a speedy recovery.

Next couple of days were monotonous, and Nidhi slept most of the time. She had bouts of high fever which left her so tired that she didn't even have the strength to stand on her own. Her daily personal needs were tended to by Ashutosh and DB & BB spent most of the waking time with her, maintaining her schedule of medicines and diet. Nights were solely Ashutosh's duty, as he sat on the armchair next to the bed, holding her hand while she slept.

Nidhi was getting better with each passing day, her ailment being diagnosed as the common viral fever. One fine day, Ashutosh walked in his room in the evening to find Nidhi sitting up in the bed and drinking soup made by HK. "Ab tabiyat kaisi hai tumhari?" He queried and touched her forehead, "fever hai ya kuchh kam ho gaya?"... "Abhi kafi theek houn...par yeh achanak kaise ho gaya?" Nidhi was perplexed..."Mere khayal se us din tum jo bheegi thi..." Ashutosh had a naughty glint in his eye, "aur uske baad yahin zameen par jo kuchh hua... " Nidhi moved ahead and placed her hand on his mouth, "In baton ka yahan zikr karana zaroori hai kya? Koi sun lega to...DB yahin kahi hai?" "Koi nahi hai ghar mein, HK sabzi lene gaye hain, aur BB DB ko tumhara bageecha dikha rahe hai..." and ashutosh gathered her in his arms for a hug. He was so glad she was cheerful and doing fine.

BB was indeed showing off Nidhi's garden to DB. "Dekhiye Nidhi Beti ne kya kamal kar dikhaya samdhan Ji, Lucknow mein aise gulab aapko kahin nahi milenge!!! Aur yeh dekhiye, mere ek dost hai, Pandey Ji, unki tulsi to hamesha sookh hi jaati thi, aur yahan dekho, kaisi hari bhari lehra rahi hai...Aur yeh dekhiye...yeh bel to kabhi phoolti hi nahi thi, aaj tak bahut koshish ki, magar ab dekho ek nanhi se kali aayi hai...ek phool khilne wala hai...