He rolled his eyes and looked around the hospital room, then to the doctors who were attending him, the machines that were continuously monitoring his progress, it had been one full week since he was tied to this bed and the doctors were not hinting as to when he would leave this horrible hospital. The foul smell of medicines, relying on the hospital staff even for his minor little daily chore, his sisters visiting him constantly with a worried face and he being trapped in this small room was getting on to his nerves. Till now he had led his life on his own terms without being answerable or dependant on anybody, in fact he had always gone out of his way to support his family and people around but now with this plastered arm and bullet wounds on his chest and arm he was being forced to take help of others, something which he just couldn't accept and to make things worse even she was not willing to listen to him that he was fine now and could be discharged. He was Dutta Shri Ram Patil, an independent and fearless man who couldn't be chained down like this, he banged his fist on the bed in frustration making her turn to him sharply, " kya hua? Kuch chaiye apko?" he took a deep breath to control his temper then replied," chutkara ..chutkara chaiye mujhe is qaid se ..is hospital se." she pressed his shoulder lightly to make him understand that here he would be better taken care off," par yahan apko takleef kya hai? Sab toh hain apka khayal rakhne ke liye." That's exactly what he was trying to say, that he was capable of taking care of himself, he didn't need people throwing sympathy glances at him and then helping him out, he sat up on the bed in irritation and raised his voice," kisliye mera khayal rakhna hai? Hua kya hai mujhe? Haath tuta hai aur do goliyon ka ghaav hai ..bus ..iske liye kya main kisi ka mauthaj (dependent) ho gaya hoon?" she bit her lower lip and thought he had always been a savior, a giver, someone whom people have looked up to, never a taker, never had he taken anybody's assistance but now because of his injuries he was forcefully made to bank on others, something which was hurting his self esteem to great lengths.
She couldn't bear to see him go through this unnecessary distress anymore so persuaded the doctor to discharge him and in return she promised that utmost care of him would be taken at home. Baaji signed the discharge papers and informed AS that they were bringing him home soon while she made a note of all the medicines and the precautions that needed to be taken. After completing all the formalities they told him that he could go back home, he was relieved to hear that, the nurse came and released him off all the wires that were connected to him. He got off the bed slowly and stood up to leave when baaji came near him to support him, he raised his left hand in the hair to stop him from doing so and tried hard not to sound rude," baaji iski koi zaroorat nahin ..main araam se chal sakta hoon." The tone of his voice gave baaji a loud and clear message and he backed off, the whole car journey of returning home was quiet, she glanced at him from time to time but he was always lost in his own world. The car pulled up at the gate and dutta stepped out carefully, he went to meet AS and assure her that he was absolutely fine then began climbing up steps to his room, nakku too climbed behind following him closely, he turned around and said firmly," nakku main kitni baar kahoon ki mujhe kisi ki madad nahin chaiye?" she licked her dry lips and stood still watching him go to their room and shut the door with a bang. He was rude to people around him because he was upset to see himself in this helpless situation, she understood all this and didn't mind hearing his bitter words.
It was early evening she thought of making his favorite, a little spicy dinner for him. He must have got tired of having boiled and bland hospital food. After doing so she went out in the lawn for her evening walk, she carried a small basket along with her to put plucked roses in it. She was busy walking slowly and leisurely at her own pace when she felt something behind her, she stopped and looked over her shoulder, he was just a step behind her, he had got bored of laying down on the bed and when he saw her strolling in the lawn from the window of their room he thought of joining her "main bhi chaloon tere saath?" she didn't reply so he stated further," chinta mat kar araam araam se chalunga." She smiled and began walking again, it was a pleasant evening with cool breeze blowing. He gave her a sideways look and tried reading her expressions, he knew his behavior had disturbed her which was why she had once again gone all quiet, " itni chup kyun hai..aaj mujhse kuch kehne ke liye hain nahin tere pass?" she glanced at him for a second then dropped her gaze ," sochti hoon kahungi toh apko bura lag jayega." He smirked inwardly and thought since when did she start thinking before talking to him, as far as he remembered she was never scared of putting forth her opinions in front of him and he admired her for that, " agar tu yun khamosh rahegi toh aur bura lagega." She took a deep breath to gather her confidence before speaking to him," sahab kisi ka sahara lene se hum kamzor nahin ban jate?hum bhi insaan hain ..humein bhi dusron ki madad ki zaroorat pad sakti hai" He was aware that she would bring this topic in their conversation and he was prepared for it but just wished that this time she understood his point of view, he might have been wrong before but this time his anger and frustration was fully justified, he firmly believed that," nakku mere haath humesha dene ke liye uthe hain..mangne ke liye nahin." She stopped in her tracks and looked at him calmly," jaanti hoon aur aap bahut khushkismet hain ki bappa ne apko dusron ki madad karne ka mauka diya hai par ek baat puchoon?" he nodded his head allowing her to ask," jab aapne apne haath dene ke liye uthaye toh kya socha ki isse aap bade hojayenge aur lene wala apki nazron mein chota?" he knotted his brows and clenched his jaws in irritation, he had never ever thought like that before helping out others, he did all that selflessly without making them look small in his or their eyes," nahin ..bilkul nahin." She tilted her head a little to her right and asked," jab isse koi chota bada nahin ho jata toh apko itni takleef kyun ho rahi hai?" he got her point but it was just that he didn't like to see his family getting troubled because of him, he felt that it was his duty to support them rather than get dependent on them, he resumed the walk and said keeping his tone soft this time," nakku main nahin chahta ki meri wajah se koi pareshan ho." She frowned at him wondering, in times of need how could he alienate himself from his family," hum KOI nahin apke apne hain ..aur agar hum ek dusre ke liye pareshan nahin honge toh aur kaun hoga?" she didn't like the way he desired to keep all his problems to himself," sahab aap hi kehto ho nah ki apko kuch nahin hua toh phir aap humko khudh se door kyun kar rahe ho?" he rolled his eyes and took a deep sigh, he could never win an argument with her, she stopped near a bush to pluck a rose, he looked at her and asked," ye kya kar rahi hai?" she plucked the rose and dropped it in the basket ," sham ki arti ke liye soch rahi hoon phoolon ki mala banaoon." Then lifted her hand to pluck another one when the thorn pricked her thumb and she hissed in pain, he took her hand immediately to examine it and reprimanded her," mujhe toh samajh nahin aata tera dhyan kidhar rehta hai?" she took her hand back and began sucking her thumb to stop it from bleeding, she gave him a knowing look as to now why was he getting so worried about her, she had only pricked her thumb, without uttering a word her eyes said it all and made him realize what she intended to say, he broke their eye lock and began walking silently.
After plucking the desired roses she sat on the garden chair to make the garland and watched him strolling alone. A while later baaji came and told them that kala after knowing that he had been discharged wanted to come over and meet him, she looked at him with the corner of her eyes, he was quiet then purposely said," sahab toh ab theekh hain..phir kala tai aa kar kya karengi..tum unhe manaa.." he interrupted her in the middle and said," baaji tai ko mana mat kar ..aane de aur kehde ki raat ka khana bhi saath mein khayenge." Baaji nodded his head and went back, he glanced at her to know whether now she was happy, she gave him a warm smile suggesting see circumstances weren't as difficult as he was making them out to be, he shook his head thinking somehow or the other she always managed to get her way with him. Dinner was a simple affair where he enjoyed having food made by her and also felt glad to see cheerful faces of his family who were relieved to have him back home. All in all it was a nice pleasant evening unlike the days and nights that he had spent in the hospital.
As usual he sprawled on the middle of the bed leaving just enough space for her to lay down, it was only for few nights when he kept a safe distance from her but later on things went back to normal where he occupied more than half the bed. She sat on his right side with the ointment and bandage, she was supposed to change his dressing on his arm and chest daily before sleeping. When in the hospital, the attendants used to that and she would stand near the edge of the bed, she didn't have the heart to see his bullet wounds but now she had to be strong and do all that. She gulped the lump down her throat and began freeing his arm out of the sling slowly and placed it on the bed then unwrapped the bandage from his arm gently, she cleaned the area with an antiseptic and felt that the stitches were still fresh, her heart jolted on seeing the extent to which he had got hurt. She applied the ointment on a piece of swab and placed it carefully on his stitches, the medicine stung him and he grabbed the bed sheet tightly in his fist, she creased her forehead seeing him in pain then slowly wrapped the bandage around his arm. She moved to his left to clean the wound on his chest, she took a sharp intake of breath after removing the bandage, the bullet had hit him just a little above his heart had it been a little lower it would have certainly pierced through his heart. His eyes were closed while tears blinded her vision on imagining what terrible could have happened, she could have lost him forever, her hands trembled and lips quivered in fear but still somehow she finished his dressing. He opened his eyes and saw her distressed face, he clenched his jaw and asked in irritation," ab kya kar diya maine?" thinking unknowingly he had hurt her once again, she shook her head in negation then lowered it quietly, he lifted her chin up with his index finger so that she could face him then stared into her eyes which had turned moist. She met his questioning glare then spoke softly trying to push back her tears," sahab apko agar goli thodi neeche lagi hoti toh.." her throat went dry and she couldn't complete herself but he understood all that she wanted to say, her tears told him how deeply moved she was after seeing him like this. He placed his left hand on her cheek and brushed off the tear with his thumb," jab tak AS ki duaein (blessings) aur teri prathnaein (prayers) hain mere saath mujhe kuch nahin ho sakta." She held his hand holding her and whispered," par agar kuch ho." He kept his finger on her lips to silence her," mujhe kuch ho ya na ho par tere ye ansoo mujhe zaroor kamzor kar dete hain." She blinked her eyes as fresh tears escaped from them, he brought her face close to himself and kissed her forehead softly. She rested her head on his chest a little away from the wounded area, he held her close with his left hand and wondered what was happening between them, why did his pain reflect in her eyes and why did her tears made him feel miserable? His mind had no answer, she curled up in his warm embrace and felt alive. Her several attempts to not lose herself to him were failing, she couldn't refrain herself from getting drawn towards him even though she was unaware what the future held for them. She didn't know how her life would change in the coming months, nor did she bother, all she desired was to cherish this moment. If this was a dream she didn't wish to wake up, if he had cast some magic on her she didn't wish him to break this beautiful spell, if all this was just her illusion then she didn't wish to face the reality, at least not tonight.
As suggested by her he kept the bathroom door ajar, she heard the tap running, finally after ten long minutes he finished brushing his teeth with his left hand. She peeped through the door and found him scratching his weeklong grown stubble, he thought of trimming it a bit so picked up the shaving cream and applied some on his face then moved his hand towards the razor, her eyes shot up on seeing him try to shave with his left hand. She wanted to stop him but knew that he wouldn't appreciate that, she watched him with bated breath as he began using the razor and a minute later as expected he cut himself sharply. This time she did'nt control herself and barged in the bathroom and without asking him took the razor from his hand then took a ball of cotton dipped in antiseptic and pressed it on his cut. She glared at him for being so careless then picked up the razor to complete his shaving, he didn't protest and allowed her to do so. Later on she washed his face and wiped it off with a towel, he held his hand out asking for the towel and she gave him quietly, he came near her and rubbed it softly against her cheek where some of his shaving cream had left over making her turn scarlet.
Throughout his stay in the hospital he was given a sponge bath but now he wanted to have a proper one to feel all fresh. He proceeded towards the shower area to fill up the bucket while she watched him closely, he was not supposed to put water on his wounded regions for at least ten more days, no matter how carefully he tried to take bath she feared he might still drop water on his bullet struck areas. His back was facing her, she kept her hand on his shoulder to turn him around then said gently," sahab mujhe darr hai kahin aap galti se paani apni choton par na dal lein." He parted his lips to defend himself but she interrupted in the middle," aap kahein toh mein nilaha doon ..bus dus dino ki baat hai ..phir aap sab khudh kar lena." He wanted to say that he could manage on his own but seeing her pleading and worried look he didn't refuse her and nodded his head. She immediately turned on the hot water tap when he told her from behind," main thande paani se nahata hoon." In the month of December when it was so cold he wanted to use cold water! She didn't argue with him at least he was allowing her to help him out, that was more than enough for her. She brought a high level stool from the room for him to sit then began applying soap on his left arm, he fidgeted under her tender touch as her slender fingers made him feel a bit ticklish when they moved from his arm to his back. He straightened his back and tried to maintain his composure as if all this wasn't affecting him but in reality unknowingly she was giving him a hard time. She bent down and soaped his legs then kept the soap back and pushed a strand of her hair which was falling in front of her eyes. A second later the soap lather began burning her eye and she started to panic," ahhh ..jal raha hai ..sahab paani do ..jaldi ..bahut jal raha hai." He picked up a tumbler of water and offered to her outstretched hands but with closed and burning eyes she wasn't able to get hold of it and freaked out more, he had only one hand to help her, the other one was plastered and watching her go hysteric with every passing second he without thinking splashed the cold water hard on her face. Her eyes were not hurting anymore but her mouth opened wide in shock, she looked down at herself, she was fully drenched thanks to him she shot him an annoyed look to which he simply shrugged his shoulders. She took a deep breath to keep herself calm then began pouring water on his back very cautiously, seeing to it that water didn't reach his wounded chest in any way, she brushed her fingers lightly wherever she poured water making him close his eyes tightly to the innocent torture she was inflicting on him. When she moved to his arm to wash away the soap her touch left goose bumps, she noticed them and thought may be it was happening because of the cold water unaware that actually it was her presence that was creating a havoc within him. He narrowed his eyes to read her mind when she came in front to wash his legs, was she taking revenge on him because he had soaked her? she was too engrossed in her act that she completely ignored his sharp gaze on herself. Lastly she came close to him to wash his head, she massaged his scalp with shampoo gently, his heart thudded loudly inside his chest, his docile wife was certainly giving him a hard time. She poured water carefully and stroked his hair while washing away the shampoo, he closed his eyes and smirked inwardly thinking she had absolutely no clue as to what she was making him go through and the coming ten days would only torment him more.
thanks for reading
Lots of love
Rose
next part pg-42
Kumkum Bhagya
Debate Mansion
