Ashutosh ke Nazar se- FF/ Chap 6 Final Chap pg 39 - Page 22

CHAPTER 5

The whole way back home, the only thing that he could think about was Nidhi's expression when she saw Mallika's name on the caller ID.

He had barely had a chance to make any headway with her. Ashutosh silently cursed. What was he to do now, he thought. And after today, he didn't think that Anji and Rohan were going to be able to get Nidhi to go anywhere with them. At least not easily.

Then, there was Mallika! What to do about her? One thing was for sure, there was no way that he would be able to have Nidhi back in his life, if Mallika was a part of it too. He knew, by her reaction today, that there was no way that Nidhi would tolerate or put up with his friendship with her. And he had no one to blame but himself for that. Everything is acceptable within proper limits, and he knew that he had crossed the limits, both in trying to fulfill his perceived obligations towards Mallika, and also in expecting Nidhi to understand and accept Mallika and her place in Ashutosh's life.

Nidhi was right, he admitted reluctantly to himself! Everytime Mallika came into their lives, she caused problems. The only reason that she had been able to cause a rift between them, was be cause he had let her. Because he had let her take advantage of him. Ashutosh did not know if he would ever be able to heal all the wounds that he had caused due to his lack of sensitivity. He just prayed that the damage was not irreversible.

He had been very foolish. And now, thinking in retrospect, he was sure that Mallika had known all of this. She had known, exactly how to play on his feelings. He had no doubt that in the beginning she had needed support, but only initially! After that she could have just as easily managed on her own, after all, she was a doctor/surgeon with a good reputation, she could have gotten a job at any decent hospital, and supported herself, and also could have at anytime, sought police protection by lodging a formal complaint against her husband. But she had not. Even the night night showed up on her doorstep, she had called him, when should have been calling the police, that's what a normal person would have done under those circumstances. After all, hadn't he also called the police first? She had called him, because she had known that not only would he show up, but he would call the police also, thus she had managed to achieve both her goals, and at the same time secured a sympathetic position in his heart.

He acknowledged she had had nothing to do with their running into each other at the hospital, that had happened accidentally. And, after that he had more than done his bit for friendship, by warning her about Jagan, and then had gone above and beyond when he had rented her a house and hired a maid. He should have stopped after that. But no, he had pushed it further, confident that he was only doing his humanly duty towards her, there fore he was not doing anything wrong. Anyway, he sighed, he been over and over these very regrets, dozens of times now. There was no way that he could take back what had already done. The problem now was that, he had no idea about what or how he should proceed from this point on.

But the biggest thing of all, besides getting back together with Nidhi was that he had to find a way to cut Mallika out of his life. He could not afford to keep making himself be responsible for her anymore, nor did he want to. It came at too great of a price.

He remembered that during one of their arguments, Nidhi had told him that he had more than fulfilled all of his obligations towards Mallika, and at that time he had not listened to her, but maybe he could start now, after all, better late than never, he decided. Just as he took out his phone, it rang. It was a call from the hospital. When he answered, he was told by one of the nurses that Dr Mallika had been trying to reach him. On hearing that, Ashutosh gave very explicit instructions that from now onwards, unless it was a medical emergency, and then too only when confirmed by the doctor on call, was the hospital to call him with anything in regards to Mallika. And then, since her problem was related to the OB/GYN area, he really should not be called at all.

He also left word for the receptionist that should Mallika ask again, to tell her that he would see her tomorrow, after he had finished his rounds, and if he had time in between his surgery schedule. And, he also stressed that under no circumstances, should she be allowed to be directly to have direct access to any of his private numbers, from now onwards.

After he had hung up with the hospital, he sighed and thought, all this was easier said than done. Knowing Mallika, she would not give up that easily. She would keep hounding him, and would keep dodging at his heels till he gave in and visited her. It was his own fault, for bringing her to KGH, he thought. He could just as easily taken her to any other hospital, but he had not. Anyway, it time time to pay the piper, or else dance to his tune, he thought. And there was no way he was ever going to do that again!

When he got home, he sent a text to Rohan, asking him to call at his earliest convenience. Ashutosh knew that Anji and Rohan must be busy dealing with Nidhi right about now. As soon as he entered the house, he saw Baba sitting there, and when he saw Ashutosh he looked at him questioningly,

-" Ashutosh beta, what happened? How did it go with Nidhi?Did you get a chance to talk?"

-"No Baba. Everything happened like we had planned. Rohan and Anji had brought Nidhi, and I had barely gotten her to agree to at least hear me out, when Mallika called. And Nidhi saw the name on my mobile ID and ran away. There was nothing I could do Baba"

Baba shook his head and sighed in exasperation,

-"Ashutosh why did you answer, if you knew it was her. Didn't you know what would happen. That was very foolish of you".

-"No Baba, I had jo idea it was Mallika, the phone was in my pocket and I took it out to see who it was. I wanted to make sure that it not some sort of emergency at the hospital. And that was how Nidhi happened to see the name on the ID. Had I known it was Mallika I would never even have bothered Baba, I would have just disconnected."

-"Toh ab? Beta ab kya? Kuch socha tumne, ke Nidhi se kaise baat karoge"?

-"Nahin Baba. But I have sent a text to Rohan, to give a call, whenever he get a chance. I want to see what Nidhi's mood is before I decide what to do next".

Against Nidhi's wishes Rohan had taken them to a nearby cafe.

Both he and Anji were very concerned about her. She had not said a single word to them the whole way, not about them tricking her nor about why she had run away from Ashutosh.

-" Nidhi kuch to Bataa kya hua? Jeejaji ne Aisa kya keh diya jo tu unse baat kare bina, wahan se aise bhaag aayi?"

Nidhi looked at the both of them, and kept quiet.

-"Come on Nidhi. Yaar kuch to bolo. Dr. Ashutosh ne kuch kaha kya, ya phir koi aur baat hai? You can't just keep quiet like this.

-"Mujhe tum dono se koi baat nahin karni. I just want to go home and change out of my wet clothes".

-"Fine, then. We will stay here till you decide to talk. Anji aur main na tumhe jaane denge, aur na khud yahan se hilenge, jab tak tum humse baat nahin karogi."

The three of them sat there quietly drinking their coffee, not saying a word. In the end Nidhi, gave in and said angrily,

-"I don't know how the both of you can call yourselves my friends, and do what you did to me today".

-"Kya kara humne Nidhi? Aisa kya kara humne, jo tu rRhan aur meri dosti par illzam laga rahi hai"?

-"You both know what you did. You both lied to me. You knew that I didn't want to talk to Dr. Ashutosh, and you tricked me into going there and meeting him. You both were in cahoots with him weren't you. You planned all of it. Why? I thought that you both were my friends. I thought that you both cared about me. How could you do that to me, then?

-" Nidhi we are you friends, and we both love you a lot. Why else would we go to all this trouble? Yes, we did trick you into going with us, but we never lied to you. We just never told you where. And we did it because we care, and we want to see you happy again. Lets face it Nidhi you know very well, and we also know, that there is no way that you are ever going to be happy with out Dr.Ashutosh. You're the who told me na, that he is your life and your happiness. That what Anji and I are trying to do right now Nidhi, to give you back your happiness".

-"Rohan, I really really appreciate what you both are trying to do, honestly. But don't you see, while he is my happiness, I am not his. Rohan, I would rather be without him, than constantly have to wonder when I was going to put on the back burner again. I can't go through that again. He has other priorities in his life, and so do I. Sometimes, no matter how much you love each other, its not enough. I know Dr. Ashutosh loves me, but he seems to love other things more. Maybe whatever happened is for the best, maybe somethings are just not meant to be. Sometimes it's just better this way".

-Nidhi, tu kya keh rahi hai? Tujhe iska matlab bhi pataa hai?

Anji was shocked to hear the way Nidhi was talking. She had never heard her talk like this, she sounded as if she had given up on her marriage.

-"Haan Anji, mujhe pataa hai. But I don't know what else to do. How do I go back knowing that the first time she needs him again, he is going to go running, regardless of what or how I feel. I just can't handle that anymore. I refuse to be his doormat. I refuse to get blamed for everything, and get accused of crimes to horrible to even comprehend, much less even contemplate doing. And I refuse to stand by and watch my husband take her side over mine. And I don't think that it's fair to the either of us to be tied to a relationship that has no future".

-"Nidhi you are spouting rubbish. Just what did happen out there with Dr. Ashutosh? You have never talked this way before. You have never even thought about quitting on you marriage, what happened? Kuch toh hua hai. Nidhi tumhe bataana hi hoga".

Nidhi looked up at the both of them, there were tears in her eyes, and a defeated look to her face.

-"Dr. Mallika called him, while we were talking.

-"Nidhi, tu bhi na...achcha yeh bataa, Jeejaji ne unka phone uthaya?

-"I didn't wait around to see. But I saw his finger pointing towards the receive button, and then I ran. I did not want to wait around to hear them talk. I don't have the stomach for that any more".

-"So, you are telling us that, just on that basis you have come to the decision that you are better off without each other."

-"No, Rohan. I am not that stupid. I have been thinking about it for a while now, but today just helped me decide that's all".

-"Nidhi itne bade faisle itni jald baazi mein aur itni jazbaati hokar nahin liye jaate. Tune socha ke Dadi Bua aur Uncle ko, mere Mummy Papa ko kaisa lagega, un sab par kya beetegi. Aur phir tune kitni mushkil se apne pyar ko paya tha, yeh sab baatein kaise bhool gayi tu"?

-"Anji main kuch nahin bhooli hoon. Aur Maine bahut socha hai iss baare mein. Mujhe pataa hai ke Baba aur Dadi Bua ko bahut dukh hoga, aur mujh par shayad gussa bhi aayega. Par mujhe yeh bhi pataa hai, ke saari zindagi mujhe aise dukhi bhi nahin dekh payenge. Aur phir Dr. Ashutosh ke liye bhi shayad yeh hi better hoga. Roz Roz ke jhagde aur arguments se woh bhi toh pareshan ho gaye honge. Unki life mein hamari shaadi ke baad se tension hi tension rahi hai. Woh mere aur apni dost ke beech mein phas gaye the. But, in the end he has made his choice very clear, on a number of occasions. So it is better that he also get to live his life the way he wants, rather than be forced to do things that he doesn't. And I have that right too. Up until today, I had some hope that maybe things could be worked out. But after today, when I saw that once again, Dr. Mallika has the freedom to call him whenever she feels like it, it brought home the fact that things are never going to change. She and her friendship will always come first, and even though he loves me, he values her more, and I know that I will always take second place. Please understand, both of you, I can't live like that, no one can. This wasn't an easy decision for me. It is tearing me up inside. But I think that it is the best one for the both of us.

-"Nidhi a marriage is between two people. What could not have happened without the both of you wanting it, can not be ended until the both of you agree that it is finished. How can you even presume to make such a huge decision by your self. Have you even asked Dr. Ashutosh? Do you know what he wants, do you even care? Do you have any idea what this will do to him?

-"Rohan, I know what he wants he has more than made that clear.

I have just chosen to ignore it. I have quite literally been thrown out of his house twice. Now tell me if he really valued me would he have done that? The first time I came back, by myself, and had to go on my hands and knees and beg forgiveness from the devil herself, for a crime that I did not even commit. Where was my husband then? All I saw was a friend sitting there. My husband was nowhere in sight. If he was do you think that he would have stood seeing his wife on her knees and begging for forgiveness at someone's feet. But I forgave him. And then once again, I was faced with the same situation. He forgave the woman who had tried to murder me, and when I protested, I was told that I was being immature, childish, and irresponsible. And once again I am told to leave the house. Then, too, all I saw was a friend, Dr. Mallika's friend, not my husband. My husband would not have done that to me. And you both are feeling sorry for him, and not me! Just whose side are you on?

Certainly not mine that I can see".

-"Nidhi, tu iss samay bahut pareshan hai, issliye tu apna dimaag nahin use kar rahi hai. Abhi you need to calm down. Chal, lets get you home, and kal phir baat karenge. Rohan, tum Nidhi ko ghar le jao. Main Dr. Rangnath ke saath chali jaungi. Unka text aa gaya tha, woh aa rahe hain mujhe lene.

Rohan and Anji looked at each other worriedly, both of them extremely concerned about the days events, and most of all, Nidhi's mindset. The fact that she was extremely upset was clear. Also clear was the fact that, at this point some really drastic measures had to be taken. He and Anji had to have a talk with Dr. Ashutosh and explain the situation to him, they had to do something, immediately.

So, after seating Nidhi in the car, Rohan made an excuse that he had left his credit card at the table, and went back in. Anji was sitting exactly where he had left her. She was also looking very worried. She looked up in surprise when she saw rohan,

-"Rohan, what are u doing back"?

-."Anji I can't stay long, I made an excuse to Nidhi about leaving my credit card on the table. Listen one of us needs to talk to Dr. Ashutosh and tell him what's going on, tonight. And one of us needs to stay with Nidhi to try and get her to change her mind. I think that that phone call upset her a lot".

-"You are right. I have never seen her like this. For her even to think, let alone say that she wants a permanent separation, is unthinkable.

Rohan, I think that Nidhi is near breaking, and agar ab Jeejaji ne kuch nahin kara toh bahut der ho jayegi. And I agree one of needs to talk to him tonight, while the other tries to talk to her and make her see sense. So why don't you go with her, and stay there. And Dr. Rangnath and I will go pay a visit to Jeejaji. Rohan, par abhi sab badon ko kuch bhi pataa nahin chalna chahiye, woh log pareshan ho jayenge. Lets see what we can do first. Hopefully this is just a momentary lapse, and god willing she will be ok by morning.

-"Lets hope so. Theek hai, you and Dr. Rangnath go ahead and have a talk to Dr. Ashutosh, and I'll go and try to knock some sense into Nidhi's thick head."

When, Anji and Rangnath got to his house, and told him everything, Ashutosh ke pairon talle zameen khisak gayi, and unki aankhon ke aage andhera chaa gaya. If he hadn't been sitting he would probably have fallen down. Anji and Rangnath looked at each other, and then at Ashutosh, with concern, his face had become as pale as a ghost's, and perspiration had broken out over his forehead.

Ashutosh had known as soon as he had seen Anji and Rangnath on his doorstep that they had some bad news, but he had not counted on this.

He still could not believe his ears. His Nidhi wanted to...she wanted...Ashutosh shook his head, of course not, never! Even if she herself, came up to him and told him to his face he would never believe it. She could not live without him, he was her life! Hadn't she herself said that to him over and over again? So how could she possibly mean this? His Nidhi could never leave him, she was just upset that's all. But being upset didn't give her the right to say or even think of leaving him. No! That was not possible, he would not let her. Didn't she know that his life was worth nothing to him without her in it. She was the one who had brought love and sunshine into his life, how could she even think of taking it away and leaving him in darkness again. No, he thought. There was no way he would ever let her go away from him.

Making mistakes doesn't mean that you give up on somebody, ok you can get angry and punish them or even teach them a lesson, but you can't just cut your ties with them. Life doesn't work that way. He had to talk to her, now, tonight, he had to make her understand somehow, he thought desperately. He had to make her forgive him. He had too. There was no other choice, because without Nidhi, there was no life.

Ashutosh got up and started walking towards the door, he still had a dazed look to his face, and Rangnath ran to stop him,

-"Sir, aap kahan jaa rahein hain"?

Ashutosh looked at him as if he had gone mad.

-"Rangnath, I am going to talk to Nidhi, where else? Now if you would please, let go of my arm, I'd appreciate it".

-"But Sir, aapko abi nahin jana chahiye. Abhi aap iss halat mein nahin hain. Aur according to Anji, Nidhi iss samay aapki baat sunegi bhi nahin. Sir, I think ke aap aaj raat usse thoda shanth hone ka samay dijiye. Phir subha hum bhi aapke saath chalenge, aur usko samjhane ki koshish karenge".

-"Jeejaji, yeh sahi keh rahe hain. Iss samay Nidhi kisi ki bhi baat nahin sunegi. Woh bahut upset hai".

Ashutosh came out of his daze and looked up at the both of them, and then with heavy steps walked back and sat down on the sofa. Rangnath and Anji sat on either side of him. Anji, put her hand on his in a gesture of comfort, and was stunned when she saw a tear, fall from his eyes.

-"Jeejaji, yeh kya? Agar aap bhi himmat haar jayenge to kaise kaam chalega"?

-"Please Sir, get ahold of yourself. You are not alone, we are with you. I promise you sir, that we will do everything possible. Everything will be ok. I am sure that she did not mean what she said. Nidhi is just very upset right now, and people often tend to say things when they are upset, without meaning too.

Ashu looked at Anji,

-"Anji, kya hua? I don't understand. All of a sudden, aisi kya baat hui jo usne itni badi baat boli, ya sochi bhi"?

-"Woh, Jeejaji, ...woh Dr. Mallika ka phone aaya tha na...aaj.

She got upset. She thinks that you value your friendship more than her.

And basically the fact that you forgave Mallika, Inspite of everything she had done. Jeejaji, she thinks that you told her to leave the house, because you don't need her. She is also under the impression that every time Dr. Mallika comes into the picture, your prioritize her and her needs, and put Nidhi on the back burner. Those are her exact words".

-"That's absolutely ridiculous. I love Nidhi, Nothing else matters to me more than she does. She knows that. There is no one I value more than her, she is the most precious thing in my life". then he looket at them,"Do you guys also think that way"?

Ashutosh looked at the both of them, waiting for an answer, but both Anji and Rangnath refused to even meet his eyes and they didn't say anything,

-"Rangnath, Anji I asked the both of you a question. Please answer me. Do you guys think the same thing? Have I given that impression to everybody?

Rangnath hesitated, then he looked up,

-"Dr. Ashutosh I have always looked up to you Sir, and I respect you a lot. First as my senior, and an amazing doctor, and then little by little, as a friend and colleague. And now Sir, as part of my family, like an older brother. So, I will be honest with you. Yes! Yes sir, you definitely have come across like that. Although, knowing you as I do, I know that you did not mean too, but I am afraid that other people do have the impression that you really go overboard in your care for Dr. Mallika. I know that you have only helped her in the name of old friendship and humanity, but to be honest, I feel that in doing so, you have been grossly unfair to your wife. Sir, I know that when you love somebody you always don't need to be saying it 24 hours a day. But just knowing that you love her is not always enough. Sometimes sir, actions speak louder than words. And I am afraid that Nidhi had barely recovered from the last time Dr. Mallika came into your life, when she came back again. I don't think that Nidhi anger and hurt are unjustified. At the same time I really don't think that she means what she said today either. I think that seeing Mallika's name on you phone just set her off, along with the surprise of your being there, both of those things just kind of triggered it. But sir, I do think that you need to do something. And more over, you really do need to make a choice. Because, I don't think that you can have Nidhi in your life if you choose to carry on your friendship with Mallika, even on humanitarian grounds. If can offer my opinion Dr. Ashutosh, I would advise that it's time to cut Mallika loose, and let her fend for herself. She is more than capable sir. I think she just chooses to act helpless in front of you to gain your sympathy, and also because she knows that her being in your life is only going to push Nidhi further away from you.

Ashutosh looked and Rangnath and smiled, ruefully.

-"The first time you talk to me candidly, and I get a lecture. No, it's ok, I don't mind. Really! In fact I appreciate your honesty. Everything you have said is true. And I had already come to the conclusion myself, today, that Mallika has caused enough damage in my life. I also know and realize that whatever Nidhi said today was because she is hurting and angry. But it still hurts that she could feel that way, no matter how angry she is at me. That's why I need to talk to her, immediately. I can't afford to go slowly, anymore.

-"Jeejaji, Rohan and I feel the same way, but you can't do that tonight, she is too upset and will not listen to you at all. Maybe tomorrow..."

-Anji, there is no,maybe, it has to be tomorrow. It's up to you guys whether you want me to come over there, or you bring her here, or anywhere else, for that matter. The venue is your choice, but tomorrow morning, come hell or high water, I will be talking to my wife, even if I have to gag her, tie her up and kidnap her".

Anji giggled-"Actually that might not be such a bad idea. But seriously, Jeejaji, I don't think we should trick her. I think that she needs to be convinced to talk to you and I know of only one person that can do that. My mother. If Nidhi will listen to anybody else, besides you, it's her. She will not be able to say no to my mother".

-"Thats great Anji, Thank you. Can you give her a call in the morning"?

-"I can do better than that, I'll call her right now. papa will be asleep, but I know that Mom will be awake finishing up some work. So this is the best time, in fact".

Anji took out her cell and placed the call to her mom, and as predicted, her father was asleep, and she was able to explain everything in detail to her. One Anji had finished, her mother asked to speak to Dr. Ashutosh.

-" Jamai babu, aap phikr mat kariye, main Nidhi ko janti hoon. Woh meri beti hain, maine usse hamesha Anji ki tarha hi pyar kiya hai. Woh iss samay bahut hurt aur gussa hai bas, aur kuch nahin. Main janti hoon woh aapse kitna pyar karti hai. Believe me when she wakes up in the morning, she will be more hurt than you at her self. Sab theek ho jayega. Main uss se subha hi baat karoongi. She will talk to you tomorrow, I promise. Abhi aap chinta chod dijiye, aur ab thoda aaraam kar lijiye. I can guarantee you, after talking to Nidhi tomorrow, you will need it. She is going to be putting you through the wringer. Actually, on second thought, she might not. Woh aapko itna pyar karti hai, agar app usse pyar se baitha kar baath karenge, aur apne dil ki baat samjhayenge, toh woh maan jayegi".

-"Thank you. I don't know how I will ever be able to repay you".

-"Aap bas meri beti ko kush rakhiye. Aur iske baad usse iss tarha se roothne mat dijiyega kabhi, that all I ask. Mere liye itna kaafi hai".

-"Yeh main aapse promise karta hoon, I will always keep her happy. Aur hamesha koshish karoonga ke iss tarha se usse mujhse roothne ka mauka kabhi na mile".

Then saying good night, Ashutosh disconnected the phone.

Seeing how late it had gotten, he told Anji and Rangnath that he felt much better, and thanked the both of them for coming, and supporting him. And with a much lighter heart went to his room, and lay down. Of course, as expected sleep once again eluded him. He still could not get over the fact that Nidhi had, even in anger, even contemplated separating permanently from him. That thought, and many others like it kept on going through his mind, as Ashutosh spent a very restless, fitful, and sleepless night, before getting up the next morning and going to the hospital to finish his rounds, and the one surgery he had scheduled that morning.

The next day, it so happened that Shyamaji, did not need to make the call. The first thing she did after she had gotten ready, was to call Nidhi, only to be informed by CV that Nidhi was at the hospital, she had been called during the night on an emergency. He also told her that she was due to come come home sometime in the early evening, and he would make sure that Nidhi called her back the minute she arrived. After he hung up with CV she called Anji and asked her to call Dr. Ashutosh and inform him also.

Ashutosh was very disappointed when he was informed about the change of plans from Anji. He had been looking forward to finally getting the chance to straighten out things with Nidhi. He was hoping that he would not have to wait till the next day. For him each and every minute was like an eternity. Well, he would just stay here, at the hospital then, he decided. At least he knew that Nidhi was here somewhere. Maybe he would even get to see her if he was lucky.

No sooner had he stepped into his office, and sat down, there was a knock and an orderly came in. He told Ashutosh that Mallika was wanting to see him and had requested a wheelchair so she could come by herself. The orderly needed his permission as he had been told about Ashutosh's orders regarding Mallika. Ashutosh, sighed and shook his head. He had known that she would not leave it alone, but she could not have picked a worse day for this. Ay other time, he might have let her down gently, but today he was just not in the mood. Maybe, this was for the best. Mallika did not understand gentle, with her it would have to be firm, no nonsense, to the point, spare no words, type of conversation. Well, no time like the present. It was better if he got the unpleasant stuff out of the way first anyway, he decided, on his way to her room.

Mallika, looked up and smiled when she saw him come in,

-"Ashutosh! Where have you been? And why have you not answered any of my phone calls? I want you to put these people in their place, they refused to transfer my calls to you and they told me that I could not have access to any of your private lines. How dare they? I didn't want to say so before, and I hope that I am wrong Ashutosh, but I think that maybe Nidhi, might have put the staff up to this. Maybe you better have a talk and see if I am right or not".

Ashutosh could not believe his ears, and if he had had even an iota of doubt regarding what he was about to do, she herself erased it, by this statement of hers. Basically she left no stone unturned, in her efforts to cause problems between them. He just had not paid attention to that, nor had he noticed it ever before. Anyway...

-"No, Mallika, they had it right! I gave the orders, not Nidhi. Why would She"?

-"Ashutosh you don't have to protect her, and take the blame. I understand only too well. She is jealous. Of course she doesn't need to be, but she does not realize that. She is young, don't worry. I am not upset. It's just that you should have a talk to her that this kind of behavior is very unprofessional".

-Mallika, once again, Nidhi had no part in this. I am the one who has given these orders. And as far as Nidhi is concerned, well she is my wife, it is none of your business whether, I take the blame for her mistakes, or blame her for mine. It's between the two of us. So you really need to butt out. And another thing, MY WIFE is not UNPROFESSIONAL. In fact far from it. I have been told that she is very polite and civil to you, in fact I myself have been a witness to that. So I will thank you to not try and malign her name, on either a personal or a professional front. It that clear".

Hearing his tone, wiped the self satisfied smirk right from her face.

And she looked hard at Ashutosh, and when she realized that he had meant every word, her eyes and mouth opened in surprise.

-"Ashutosh why are you talking to me like this. I did not mean anything by it. I am sorry if I offended you, it was not intentional".

-"Mallika cut the crap, of course you meant it. Just like I did. I restricted your access to me because I do not want anything to do with you any more. I am sorry but your friendship comes at too high a price, one that for me at least, is not worth it. I am not going to say too much, I am going to be brief and to the point. From here on out Mallika, you are on your own. I know that healthwise you are a bit delicate, but according to the doctor, YOUR doctor, with proper care everything will be alright. I have done all I can for you. As a physician you understand all the do's and don't's of your condition, and have full knowledge of all the risks as well, so whatever happens now, is up to you. I would appreciate it if you do not have any further contact with me again. Our friendship was over the day you tried to murder my wife. And as far as I am concerned for me it still is. So, Mallika goodbye and goodluck!" And he walked out while she was still trying to process what he had said. Ashutosh never even gave her the chance to utter a single word.

After finishing his work for the day. As he was walking to his car, he decided that he would stop by Nidhi' house. He had not heard from Anji or her mom and was beginning to get worried. Ashutosh was so lost in his thoughts, that he never even saw the car that was barreling up the drive, heading straight at him. He only looked up when he heard someone scream his name...

While Ashutosh had been busy doing his rounds and telling off Mallika, Nidhi had also been lost in the events of the day before. She had been so angry, she hadn't given a thought to what she was saying. Nidhi could not believe herself. How could she have thought all those things, let alone said them. When she had calmed down, she had been. ashamed, and very disgusted with herself. Of course, she couldn't even think of a life without Ashutosh. She knew that neither he nor she, could survive without the other. And she was getting tired of being without him. Yesterday when she had seen him at the chai ki dukaan, she had been elated, and also scared, in case she said or did the wrong thing, and made him angry with her again. And then, her ego had come in between, making her act cold and aloof. But the real,kicker had been, that just when had started to melt, Mallika called, and then she had just lost it. Nidhi knew that Ashutosh had probably found out what she had said, and must be very hurt no devasted. She realized that no matter what had happened, no matter what he had or had not done, there was no excuse for what she had said, he had not deserved to be hurt like that by her. She would have to go and apologize, she decided. And maybe, she thought, depending on how he reacted to her apology, of course, just maybe she would ask him if he would forget their fight. She hoped he would, although after what she had said last night he might not want too. Nidhi was tired of this, she was tired of being without him. Pride was a poor substitute, and was too overrated. What does one do with pride, she thought, when all you wanted was to be held and loved by your husband, or just wanted to put your head on his shoulder and be able to get a full nights sleep for once. Because that all she wanted. Ashutosh. She missed him. She wanted to be held in his arms, and hear him tell her that he loved her. She wanted him to wake her up during the nights, as was his habit, and make slow and beautiful love to her telling her her in the most important way that mattered that he was hers and hers alone, and he needed her. Pride was a poor substitute indeed. So, she decided, to heck with pride. She was going to go and get her husband.

And she was going to,tell him that she loved him and that if he ever told her to,leave their house again no matter how badly or for whatever reason they fought, and no matter how angry she made him, that she would personally take great pleasure in killing him, slowly.

Nidhi felt lighter and happier than she had in days, and suddenly she felt that she had to tell someone. So she called up Anji and Rohan and told them of her decision. Needless to say that they were both ecstatic, and wished her luck. Nidhi had just signed out and picked up her bag ready to leave and go find her husband, when Janki Bai, one of the nurses came running into the doctors room. She looked panicked,

-"Dr. Nidhi, ...Dr Nidhi there's some bad news. You need to come to the ER stat. It's Dr. Ashutosh he's been run over by a car!."

Nidhi could,not believe what she was hearing and dropped everything she was holding and ran towards the emergency room. Praying as she had never before. Dying a million times, wondering if anything had happened to him, not knowing if she could survive if it had.

As she rushed by the front desk, she was informed that Dr. Ashutosh had been taken to a private room used only for VIP's in the ER. Nidhi ran and shoved open the door, afraid of what she would find, and stopped dead at the sight that met her eyes. She couldn't believe it.

Ashutosh was standing and talking to a couple of police officers. There was nothing wrong with him. She called out his name, and he turned to look at her, surprised, and she barely gave him a second before she ran to him and threw herself into,his arms, heedless of the people around them, and not caring that she was making a spectacle of herself.

Ashutosh caught her to himself and held on tight, and looked over her shoulders at Rangnath with a silent gesture, which Rangnath understood, as he shooed everyone out of the room. He had tears in his eyes as he observed the two, and sent up a prayer of thanks, as he closed the door.

Inside the room Ashutosh was trying to calm Nidhi down from her near hysteria. He kept hugging her and kissing her eyes her cheeks, and telling her that he was ok. Finally she calmed down and drew back a little to,look at him.

-"You're alright"?

Ashutosh smiled at her and gave her a gentle kiss on her lips.

-"I am fine. See! Not a scratch"?

-" Really? You're not just saying that for my benefit, are you? Because if you are and I find a scratch on you, I will kill you. Myself"!

Ashutosh laughed again, and hugged her to himself. It felt so good, heaven, to have her in his arms again. I will never let her go again he vowed to himself, and kissed her head.

-"Really, sweetheart. I promise, not a scratch, maybe a bruise here or there but not a scratch".

Nidhi looked up at him and raised up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, and said, -"Good! Because I am never going to talk to you again"! Before she fainted dead away, and left Ashutosh staring in amused concern, at her hanging from his arms. After all that, after first making sure that he was fine, After All That She Faints...