I wrote this part yesterday before I watched the episode and was quite surprised at the similarity in thought process.
Part 11
Abhi was on quite a roll. The look on both their faces was indeed priceless. If the situation was not as serious as it was, he knew he would have burst out into hysterical fits of laughter just by looking at the expressions of incredulousness on their faces. He looked at each face, first Tanu's then Pragya's. Tanu was not sure what to expect, he could see on her face how her calculating brain was working overtime to get out of this situation. Pragya on the other hand was just curious as to what Abhi was trying to do. She looked a bit pale and he knew that was purely because he had said that he was unwell. That was his Pragya, always caring for others before herself. And his love for her crept up yet another notch.
"Come along now, let's go. I have an appointment to keep," said Abhi to the both of them. It was quite a funny situation to the public eye, he was probably the only man that had ever taken both his so called girlfriend and his wife together to a hospital. But there was nothing funny about this situation, not to him at least. In a little less than an hour, his life would take a turning point and this could mean many things for all three of them. Nothing was more serious than this. Nothing had ever been this serious before.
The three of them sombrely walked into the hospital anddown a few corridors until they came to a door that read "Dr Sharma-GENERAL PRACTITIONER". They knocked on the door and walked into a larger reception area. The receptionist, Asha, smiled at them and addressed Abhi directly. "Dr Sharma is expecting you, please go in." Abhi led the way and the other two followed. When they entered, they noticed that Dr Sharma was not alone.
"Ahh, Abhi, please come in," said Dr Sharma as he rose to greet Abhi and take his hands in a tight handshake. You could tell that the greying man, somewhere in his 70's was very fond of Abhi, the smile he gave Abhi was certainly genuine and he portrayed an epitome of warmth. Pragya felt as if he was someone you could give a lovable bear hug to. "Meet Dr Malhotra, she is our resident gynaecologist and I have briefed her on the issue at hand."
Abhi shook her hand and introduced Pragya as his wife and Tanu as a friend. Dr Sharma already knew Tanu since Abhi had grown up with Tanu and he was also her doctor. "Do you want to tell me what's going on now, Abhi? I certainly don't think there's a need for you to visit with a gynaecologist?" snapped Tanu. Dr Sharma looked at Abhi and said "Dr Malhotra and I will just excuse ourselves for a few minutes. I think you need to put them in the picture."
"Thank you, Doc," said Abhi and then he turned towards Tanu as both doctors left the room. "Yes, I do need a gynaecologist, despite what you think. I need it for you!" snapped Abhi right back at Tanu.
Tanu let out a gasp and the look of horror that she wore on her face was evident. "What's the matter, Tanu? Didn't you think I'd find out about your secret? When were you planning on telling me that you were pregnant? You certainly owe that to me if you think I'm the father of the baby, don't you?" To say Abhi was stark raving mad, was an understatement. He was shaking with .
"Now let me tell you what's going to happen, and if you know what's good for you, you'll do exactly as I say!" Tanu looked as if she was about to protest but one look at the savage ferocity on Abhi's face and she immediately re-thought her reaction. Staying quite when Abhi was in this mood was the best thing for everyone. She had never seen him display such rage before and it would be in everyone's best interest if she kept quiet. Why did she have a nagging feeling that her time was up?
"Dr Malhotra is going to conduct two tests on you. The one is a simple pregnancy test and the other is a DNA test that will determine paternity of this so called baby." It was then that Pragya intervened. "We've already done a test and I've seen the reports, it was positive," she burst out. Abhi looked at her and said "You may have seen the report and it may have been positive, but I for one do not trust this lying, manipulative cheat. So until I don't see the results of tests done in my presence with doctors I trust, I refuse to believe any of this," ground out Abhi through gritted teeth. He did not mean to sound impatient and angry with her but he knew that's what it came out as when he saw her body flinch away from him. Just be patient, Pragya, all this will be over soon, I promise and then we will have our happily ever after, he silently thought.
He walked towards the closed door and called Dr Sharma and Dr Malhotra in. "We are ready for you. Please, do whatever you need to," said Abhi to Doctor Malhotra. She addressed Tanu and said to her that she would be conducting two tests and needed her permission to continue. Her immediate reaction was to vehemently refuse but she first sneaked a look at Abhi. She was left in no doubt whatsoever when she evaluated the look he returned to her. It said in bold, capital letters just try and say no and you'll see the worst of me. She quickly changed her decision and nodded at Doctor Malhotra. Doctor Malhotra walked towards Tanu and led her towards the examination room. Abhi requested that they all be present and the doctor agreed.
Dr Malhotra explained that the first test would be a simple blood test to determine Tanu's pregnancy status. If the results were positive, the second test would be her inserting a needle through her stomach to get samples of amniotic fluid that would help them determine paternity results. They would also need Abhi's blood samples to see if the DNA matched. Whilst Tanu completed the formalities of paperwork, Abhi looked over at Pragya. She was shaken by the events of the last few minutes and Abhi was finding it difficult to read her. I promise, my love, this is all for you. I'm being this harsh to her for you and your love. And when she caught his gazed at that exact moment, he knew that everything would be ok.
Dr Malhotra quickly conducted the blood test and everyone waited with bated breath for the results. She said it would take only a few minutes to obtain as technology had evolved so much that it wouldn't even need to be sent to the lab downstairs. She did whatever it was that doctors needed to do with blood samples and then excused herself to get the printout of the results. Everyone watched the hands of the clock and it seemed that the sound of the second hand as it went around the clock was amplified. When Dr Malhotra re-appeared, the results in her hand, everyone looked at her expectantly. "It's positive. Tanu is exactly 7 weeks pregnant which means we may conduct the paternity test."
He heard Tanu smirk and Abhi didn't know what to think except this was not over yet. There was one more test that they needed to go through and that would ultimately prove that he was not the father of this baby, he was so sure about that. Whilst Dr Malhotra prepared for the second test, Dr Sharma took Abhi's blood samples and labelled the vial as such. Dr Malhotra asked Tanu to lie on the bed and she covered her halfway down with a clean, crisp white sheet. She lifted her top to expose a small part of her belly. She explained that she was not able to administer any anaesthetic as this would be slightly dangerous but the procedure was quite simple and fairly painless. She then proceeded to insert a longish needle into her tummy and extracted some samples. It was all over within minutes.
Dr Malhotra carefully labelled the vial and opted to take the samples personally to the lab. She took Abhi's blood samples along. A lab technician was waiting to process the results and she promised to have them back in a little under an hour. Abhi thought this would be the longest hour of his life.
Part 12
Never in his life did Abhi ever want to prove someone more wrong. All he wanted to do was wipe that look of smugness off Tanu's face. The "I told you so" look didn't suit her one bit, he thought. He couldn't believe that he had ever loved her. The thought made him wonder if he ever truly loved her or was he just in love with the idea of being in love. When he looked at her now, he could only see a selfish, manipulative person who was only with people to satisfy her own agenda and her own needs. How could someone be so shallow and think that the world revolved around them?
And then there was Pragya. Where on earth had someone like her come from? Were people really like that? Despite what he had done to her and the way he had treated her since they married, she had still been there for him every step of the way, whether it was his career or his family or just him. Her every action was about someone else's happiness, she never thought about herself. And this was the reason he wanted to give her everything in the world. He wanted her to be the recipient of everything she had given to everyone else wholeheartedly. He wanted her to get her share of love and understanding and knowing that he would always be there for her, eternally.
Dr Malhotra broke into his thoughts when she entered the doctor's rooms. Abhi took a deep breath. This was the moment of truth. In a few minutes he would know the fate of his life. Although he was very confident that nothing had happened between him and Tanu, a tiny, tiny part of him wondered if she had a leg to stand on. No, he couldn't think this way. He had to concentrate on erasing the issues in his life and continuing without doubt.
Dr Malhotra wasted no time. "Come sit," she addressed all three of them. "What I am about to say is going to change all of your lives and I want you to know that I went over the results checked them and double checked them to ensure that they were correct. The truth is, Tanu, Abhi is not the father of your child." Abhi finally let out the breath he had taken before he had sat down. Nothing could have prepared him for the utter sense of relief and jubilation he felt at those last eight words of Dr Malhotra's. He was so happy, so happy that he jumped up, grabbed Pragya in a giant bear hug and whirled her around in the air. "I told you, didn't I?" was all he could muster as he planted a kiss on her lips.
This reaction of Abhi's made Pragya's face turn as red as a tomato at her husband's open display of affection. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Why would Tanu lie to her? How could she have ever believed her? She should have known from the start that Tanu was only out to get her husband and rob her of her kumkum, her sacred marriage. Somebody who was destined to be in her life, a pair that was made in heaven, chosen by God and this mere mortal wanted to separate her love from her?
Tanu was the least impressed by any of what had just occurred. Her whole life had come crumbling down in the matter of a few seconds and Pragya was the one to blame entirely. If this stupid chashmish had not taken Abhi away from her, she would have been married to Abhi by now. Her lie would never have come out and she needed to think of something quick to redeem herself. So, in true Tanu fashion, she hurled stuff at the doctor and yelled "That's wrong, your tests are not correct. You're lying! I demand a re-test." She turned towards Abhi and began her drama. "Abhi, Abhi, please you have to believe me, I'm telling the truth, this baby is yours. I've only ever been with you. I promise Abhi, there's no one else, please believe me. Tell me Abhi, you believe me, na?"
Abhi joined his hands with Pragya and looked at Tanu with utter disgust. "I don't believe you and I never will. I never want to see you again. Hear this, Pragya is my wife and she will remain with that title." He turned towards Pragya and said "It's time you also heard something. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Are you willing to walk this journey with me?" Pragya sighed deeply as she looked into his eyes. "I love you too and yes, I want to walk with you every step of the way. I want to share your every joy and your every sorrow. I really do love you."
With that, the couple turned towards the doctors, thanked them profusely for giving them both the beginning of their lives and walked out hand in hand.
"Mission Accomplished!" thought Abhi as he looked forward to spending the rest of his life with the love of his life.
Edited by AESSOP - 10 years ago
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