Khwaaish
MM Mansion: Early morning:
BB looks up from the newspaper to the sound of running feet and Ashutosh's loud voice calling "NIDHI baat suno meri.." and puts his tea cup down on the dining table. He turns his head to see Nidhi rush out of the bedroom with laughter on her face and Ashutosh running right behind her trying to catch her. BB's face is wreathed in smiles as he observes these two running after each other like a pair of kids. Had he ever seen two people so much in love? Waah re kismet! Tere khel ka bhi jawaab nahi! meri naatin ko mujhse milwaadiya aur ab woh sirf meri hi nahi mere bete ki bhi zindagi bangayi. Ashutosh, jo muskuraane se bhi katraata tha..ab yeh ghar uski hasi se goonj ut tha hain. buss Bhagwaan! Issi khushi mein mere baaki ke thode bahut din beet jaay! Aur kuch nahi chahiye! I am a doctor. I know that the tumour is going to recur again very soon but I have no complaints this time around. He is brought out of his thoughts with Nidhi's: baba..baba..help! help! (she comes and literally puts BB between her and Ashu making sure he doesn't get hold of her)
Ashu, who is stretching his arm over BB trying to catch her growls: achcha..ab tumhe baba ki help chahiye? Chup chaap dikhao kya chuprahi ho warna..(then he turns towards BB) Baba dekhiye na aap ki naatin apne pati se kuch chupa rahi hain.
BB turns to find Nidhi having both her hands behind her and biting her lower lips in suppressed excitement: arre kyon uske peeche pada hain Ashu..
Ashu: aap humeshaa Nidhi ko hi support karte ho baba..this is so not fair! Nidhi..teri toh mein..ruko..Nidhi..
BB laughs as both of them start their chasing catching game again. Nidhi runs around in the hall and when she feels Ashu closing in on her, she quickly slips and runs outside into the garden. Both of them continue to laugh and run. Nidhi knows she has no chance of out running him. he has longer legs and is as sleek as a panther and sure enough with a couple of moments, she feels her husband's arm wrapping around her waist from behind and she is lifted into the air and twirled around twice before her feet once again land on the ground. Ashu's breath huffs out in her air: ab bolo..kya chuparahi thi?
Nidhi bites her lip and lowers her eyes: mein kyon batau?
Ashu: nahi bataogi? (Nidhi giggles and shakes her head as in a no) dekhta hoon kaise nahi bataogi (and starts tickling her mercilessly. She collapses on the grass laughing like a maniac and her fist opens and something falls on the ground. Before she could retrieve it, Ashu grabs it and turns his back to her to look at it properly. At first he frowns and then suddenly comprehension dawns and he whirls around to face her with a stunned look on his face. Nidhi's face is a cute mixture of joy, shyness and anticipation. She continues to look at him as if trying to read his expression but for once its completely unreadable..as if..as if..he has put a shutter on his face. Her smile slowly slips off: aap..aap khush nahi hain?
Ashu looks at the stick once again..his fingers softly running over the self testing pregnancy kit stick: kya tum khush ho?
Nidhi rests her forehead on his chest: yeh bhi koi poochne ki baat hain Ashuji?
Ashu: but..but you wanted to wait for 2 yrs before..
Nidhi looks up into his still blank face with a small contented radiant smile: yes that's what I thought I wanted. When you said lets have a child, I kind of got scared. I thought "bachcha! Itni badi responsibility! Mein kaise handle karoongi? Mere career ka kya hoga?" then I realized that a child..our child..is just not a responsibility. It's a joy. A blessing. A part of me..a part of you..uski aankhen kaisi hongi? Will he have your smile? will he want to become a doctor like his father? phir pata nahi kab..kaise..mein iss bachche ke baare mein sapne bunne lagi. Aur dekhiye na..ab yeh sapna sach bhi honewaala hain.
Ashu: and..and your career? You will stop working again?
Nidhi grins: nahi ji. I won't stop working. you better get used to seeing me at KGH AND at home. we have a great family Ashuji. And they are going to fall over themselves in trying to help us out. khaas karke DB. aur mere sab se bada help toh app ho. So why do I need to worry..right?
For the rest of her life, she will remember the transformation that takes place on her husband's face at those words. Its like a sun raising from the horizon..a bright splash of rainbow amidst falling rain and setting sun..the first glimpse of the full moon as soon as the clouds part on a full moon night. His face slowly relaxes, loses the tense look and takes on a glow. His lips part on a small smile which quickly turns into a full fledged grin and his eyes! God! his eyes! the brightness in them eclipses that of the brightest of all the suns and moons of the world put together. A light sheen of moisture coats the brightness before she is snatched up into his arms into a tight hug. He pulls away from her, cups her cheeks before sliding his fingers in her hair and tilting her head back to receive the softest most tender kiss on her lips. His lips tremble as they touch hers and hers continue to smile softly as she tightens her arms around him and soothes his anxieties the only way she knew how. his lips slide over her cheek, forehead, nose, chin before touching her lips once again in a wordless tribute. Wind softly blows around them ruffling the trees and leaves as they hug each other and share their joy with the nature.
Ashu's eyes are still closed: thank you Nidhi.
Nidhi smiles and gets a naughty look on her face: abhi nahi. apna thank you baad keliye bachake rakhiye. You have a long tough road ahead of you Dr Ashutosh!
Ashu grins and pulls away to look into her face: tough road? kaisa tough road?
Nidhi: abhi toh aap ko meri morning sickness jhelni hain, mera cranky moody behaviour bardasht karni hain, you have give me lots of foot rubs and back rubs and then later on, you have to get up at midnight to take care of the baby..
Ashu grins and cups her cheeks lovingly: sab manzoor Dr Nidhi. banda aap ke khidmat mein haazir hain. aap buss hukum keejiye!
What follows is a chaos. No other word for it. considering the fact that BB recently had undergone a major surgery, they break the news to him softly only to have him jump up and down and almost dance in his joy before they could complete the sentence. Ashu seriously considers sedating his baba before things get out of control. But he needs BB to sit still for a moment to GIVE the injection which does not seem to be a possibility in the near future. Calls were made to CV and Ashu closes his ears..so loud was DB's excited screech of "MERI BACHCHI!" and Anji and Ranganath are already on their way to MM and CS is running around in the kitchen making mitai and other special dishes that DB had already ordered. Ashu gives a tired look to Nidhi and Nidhi bites her lower lip to stop her burst of laughter. Once noise and overall excitement subsides a little, Ashu and Nidhi leave for KGH for their respective duties and also for Nidhi's first check up. The OBG is exhausted by the time the appointment draws to a close. Ashu just keeps asking one question after the other starting from what she should eat to which position she should sleep in. the poor lady doctor once tentatively tries to remind him that both he himself and his wife are doctors, only to earn a Dr Heartstone glare from Ashutosh. he is asking the questions and she better answer them! finally, all the reports and prenatal vitamins taken care of, they leave the doctor's cabin.
Ashu starts his lecture as soon as they are in the corridor: tum ne suna doctor ne kya kaha? You are supposed to take it easy. No running around and no more dancing. (Nidhi opens her mouth to answer but never gets a chance to voice anything) and absolutely no eating outside food. So Dr Nidhi Ashutosh Mathur..forget about Dhabhas and your paani puris. (she opens her mouth again but no chance again) and you need to drink lots of milk. I know you hate milk Nidhi but you don't have a choice. No coffee. I am going to call CS and tell him to throw away the coffee can from the kitchen (he actually takes his phone out to dial the number and Nidhi just loses it)
Nidhi: Dr ASHUTOSH! RELAX! Relax ok? aap itna tension kyon lerahe hain? I heard everything that she said and I am going to follow everything. I am a doctor too. I know all the dos and don'ts.
Ashu: correction. You are not a doctor now. you are my wife. and a would be mother. (then as if realizing how he is beginning to sound, he sighs and exhales) mein kuch zyaada kar raha hoon na? (both enter his cabin with smiling faces and he turns her towards him, leans against his table and pulls her into his arms) I know I am over reacting Nidhi. par kya karoon..this is..(his eyes get a far away look) I initially never had anyone to call my own Nidhi. then baba came into my life and left as abruptly as he came. Then you came. iss titli ne iss khadoos Raja ke kile mein apna ghar basaliya. Raja ko muskuraana sikhadiya aur jeena sikhadiya. Baba ko phir se mujhe milaadiya. (before he could continue, one of the nurse knocks and both of them spring apart)
Nurse: sir, ek accident case aaya hain. aap please jaldi aayiye.
Ashu and Nidhi rush to the ER. Nidhi gets taken aback seeing the accident victim. This is the same guy..the guy who bought baba's house from her..she struggles to get the name in her head..Sandeep..yeah..Sandeep Bagchi. Correct. Sandeep Bagchi. She and Ashutosh had tried to find out who and where this was once the house got sold but no one knew who this person was or where he was from. Now he is here! but Ashu has already taken charge of the situation and shifted him to the examination room and then later to the CT scan for the head injury. Nidhi waits for a while before realizing that her patients are waiting for her and makes her way to her cabin promising herself that she would talk to this Bagchi come hell or high water. And more importantly, she should tell Ashutosh about all this. One hour later, Janki bai knocks on Nidhi's cabin door: yes Janki bai?
JB: Dr Nidhi..dr Ashutosh ne aap keliye yeh juice bheja hain (A smile splits Nidhi's face as she takes it and drinks it in one go) I will come again after 90 minutes Dr Nidhi.
Nidhi frowns: 90 minutes? Why?
JB grins: Dr Ashutosh ke strict instructions hain Dr Nidhi. fresh juice for Dr Nidhi every 90 minutes. Aur haan aaj se aap ka lunch ghar se aayega. Dr Ashutosh ne kahaa hain ki CS will be getting the lunch at 1.00 pm sharp.
Nidhi: ok JB. Thank you.
JB: you are welcome Dr Nidhi and congratulations.
Nidhi suddenly feels shy: aap ko kaise pata? Unhonne bataya kya?
JB: arre nahi Dr Nidhi. bataneki zaroorat hi nahi hain. the way he gave instructions to me it was very obvious that very soon we are going to see Jr Ashutosh or Jr Nidhi.
Nidhi: thank you JB. (right on cue, her cell phone pings)
Had the juice?
yes sir. Had the juice.
Good girl.
:-P
:-D
That evening: MM: BB is listening to some ghazals with his eyes closed with the sound of door makes him open his eyes. he sees Ashu carrying Nidhi in his arms and gets worried
BB: arre kya hua beta?
Ashu gestures him to be silent and shows a sleeping Nidhi in his arms. He takes her into the bedroom, puts her on the bed and softly covers her with the blanket before tenderly kissing her forehead and making his way out: kuch nahi baba. Nidhi bahut thak gayi thi. She went off to sleep in the car. Doctor told me that its fairly normal during the early pregnancy stage.
BB: she had proper lunch?
Ashu: nahi baba. She was not very hungry. CS sent all her favourite foods and now she says she doesn't like them or want them. she wants kichidi and methi daal. She hates the stuff and now she suddenly wants only that.
BB grins: hota hain hota hain. today samdhanji was telling me the same thing.
But Ashu is in no mood to listen: CS! (CS comes running) CS, abhi ki abhi aap kichidi banayiye please. Jaldi. Nidhi ko wahi khaana hain. (CS nods and takes off towards the kitchen and Ashu takes out his phone and dials someone. BB keeps asking him whom he is calling but he only gives a vague smile before talking in the phone) DB! DB mein Ashutosh! (he pulls the phone away from his ear. DB's excitement hasn't gone down on iota since morning) DB, Nidhi is fine. we met the doctor and the check up went fine. I need your help (that's it..another round of enthusiastic shout from the other end) DB, Nidhi ko aam ka aachaar khaana hain. ji. Ji. Ji teek hain. mein CS ko kal subah aap ke yahaan bhej deta hoon aur kal ka humaara lunch aap hi ke ghar se aayega. Thank you DB. Ji ji kehdoonga. Goodnight DB. (he disconnects the phone and looks at BB) baba..aap kuch kehrahe the?
BB laughs softly: kuch nahi beta. tu jaake nidhi ko dekhle. Aur tu bhi kuch khaale.
Ashu: aur aap?
BB: I already had my dinner
Ashu: had your medication?
BB: yes. had my medication too. I won't miss a single dose don't worry. Ab toh mujhe apne pote ko dekhna hain
Ashu grins: poti
BB: pota
Ashu: poti
BB: pota
Nidhi: mein kuch bolu?
Ashu turns: you got up?
Nidhi nods: I am hungry.
Ashu: ok. I will get changed and we will eat ok? (That night Ashu spoon feeds her kichidi and she finishes it off with obvious relish while he looks on at her with an indulgent look on his face.)
AshNi bedroom:
Ashu is lying down on the bed with his head on his pillow and Nidhi is lying with her head resting on his tummy..both of them making a T shape on the bed. He softly runs his hands through her hair as she dozes off: Nidhi..sleep properly na. you wont be comfortable like this.
Nidhi grumbles with an irritable look on her face and just adjusts her head on his tummy: nahi. mujhe aise hi sona hain. mujhe disturb mat keejiye.
Ashu: arre I am not disturbing you..i am just saying that..
Nidhi suddenly sits up and says: Bagchi!
Ashu: what?
Nidhi turns to look at him: Sandeep Bagchi!
Ashu gets confused: kaun Sandeep Bagchi?
Nidhi pulls him into sitting position: subah there was an accident case, right? Head injury..you took him to CT scan. He is Sandeep Bagchi. The one who bought Baba's house from me.
Ashu forehead clears: oh. (then he thinks some more) so he bought the house from you and Mallika bought from him..hmmm (then he looks at the sad face of Nidhi) hey, kya hua?
Nidhi hastily wipes away her tears: kuch nahi. all these hormones are making me emotional that's all.
Ashu stops her: Nidhi..baat kya hain?
Nidhi: I so wanted to gift you that house last year. I had imagined the look on your face when I gave the deal papers. Then baba ko heart attack aagaya aur mujhe unke business ka loan chukaanekeliye woh ghar bechna pada. Anji kept saying ki woh Mallika ka Bhai hain issliye he is putting pressure on you. par isme unki kya galti hain..
Ashu: Aditya?
Nidhi nods: he was the bank manager for the bank from which baba took the loan. Once baba got admitted in ICU, the bank started pressurizing me to repay the loan.
Ashu pulls Nidhi into a tight hug: don't think about all that now. jo beetgaya woh beet gaya. Chalo. Sojao. Come.
Nidhi: I don't feel like sleeping.
Ashu: shall I play violin for you?
Nidhi grins immediately: aap violin mere liye bajayenge ya apne bete keliye?
Ashu also grins and pulls her cheek: tumhaareliye aur apni beti keliye bhi.
Nidhi nods enthusiastically and makes a move to hop out of the bed to get the violin. He stops her and makes her lean back against the pillows: NAHI. I told you no hopping around. You. just. Relax.
That night Nidhi goes off to sleep with the melodious music of Ashu's violin playing in her heart and a smile playing on her lips. After making sure she is finally asleep, Ashu also gets on the bed and pulls her into his arms. With a soft sigh she burrows her head in his neck and throws her arm and leg over him. but Ashu doesn't sleep. he stares into the darkness with a frown on his face.
The next day evening: KGH: Nidhi's cabin:
Nidhi: batayiye toh sahi hum jaa kaha rahe hain..
Ashu: tum chalo toh sahi. Surprise hain.
Nidhi: koi hint milega?
Ashu: no hints. Ab buss jaldi chalo. I have to again come back here to look in on another patient who is in the ICU.
Both leave in their car and after a few minutes, Nidhi realizes where Ashu has brought her: yeh? Hum yahaan kyon aaye hain?
Ashu silently gets down from the car and opens Nidhi's door. She gets down automatically and both turn to face BB's house: Nidhi..i owe you an apology.
Nidhi: apology? Kissliye?
Ashu doesn't look at her..just continues to stare at the house: for my statement that day. I said Mallika gifted me the house that you wanted to gift me with. I made it sound as if she did something so precious for me that even you failed to do. I hurt you with that statement. I never realized how much until today. (Nidhi opens her mouth but Ashu halts her) no. let me talk. I spoke to Sandeep Bagchi today. He didn't buy the house from you. MALLIKA bought the house from you through Bagchi. She made sure her name didn't come out. she was the reason Aditya pressurized you into repaying that loan. She was the reason you had to sell that house in the first place. She knew what this house once meant to me and she made sure you never got a chance to give it to me the way you wanted to. She came to know about your baba' s heart attack and ruthlessly used that to do all this. And I, like a fool, fell for that hook line and sinker.
Nidhi leans on his arm and sighs: woh aap se pyaar karti thi Ashuji.
Ashu pulls away from her: don't. don't say that Nidhi. its not love. I don't call it love. Mein maanta hoon ki mujhe inn sab cheezon ke baare mein zyaada pata nahi par tumhaare pyaar ne mujhe pyaar ka matlab samjhaaya hain Nidhi. and I am sorry for everything that I did to you in the name of gratitude towards my so called friend. I am sorry.
Nidhi closes his mouth with her palm: no. its ok. forget it. lets forget all that Ashuji. Lets start afresh. (a few moments of silence) I think we should repay Mallika whatever she spent on this house.
Ashu shakes his head in a no: no. I won't repay her. I am going to give this house back to her.
Nidhi gets startled: par..par yeh ghar toh aap ka sapna hain
Ashu smiles: mera sapna toh tum ho Nidhi. jahaan tum ho wahi mera ghar hain. I don't need this house any more. I spoke to BB too. he agrees with me. let us contact Solanki uncle and find out what to do and how to go about all this. (he extends his hand and Nidhi places her palm in his) you are right my better half! Lets start afresh. Away from the past. Away from the pain. Just you and me.
Nidhi smilingly places his hand on her tummy: and this one.
Ashu grins and lifts her in his arms and takes her back to the car: lets go back Nidhi. to our home sweet home.
Pati Patni Aur Panga
Jaane Anjaane Hum Mile
Tum Se Tum Tak
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Vasudha
