PART-7
few more days passed without any remarkable face off or tension between siddhi and kunal.
kunal's apartment:
kunal lives in 1200 square feet double bed room apartment in a posh area of delhi.he own that apartment.it has a big modern kitchen with wooden cabinets, all advanced electrical appliances like cooking range,micro oven,sandwich maker, bread toaster, fridge..etc...attached to it a dinning hall furnished with six seater dinning table.a luxuriously furnished living room with a flat screen TV,...both the bed rooms are neatly decorated with costly curtains, bed spreads,pillows with a ward robe and attached bath room .
one fine friday (weekend) night: kunal was sitting in the living room couch and watching news in the TV.from the kitchen THAKRAL a 60 year old man came to the hall wiping his hands.
thakral:'saab mai ne sab kaam katam kardiya...ab mai chalta hun...😃' he wanted to leave. THAKRAL is kunal's servant who comes and does all the house hold work like cooking ,washing (including wash room 🤣),cleaning dusting, mobbing etc...🤣
kunal:'teek hai...' he switched off the TV and got up.he lives in that apartment all alone.i will let you know about his parents later.
kunal went to his bed room and fall flat on the bed, don't even care to place his head on the pillow.he was so tired of his office work.just needed to lie, soon went in to deep sleep.middle of his sound sleep his cell started ringing continuously.he don't want to wake up at all.unwillingly he opened his eyes,switch on the light and looked in to his wrist watch.it was night 2 am.
kunal: ' iss waqt kun hai...?😕...may be wrong number...'with a question mark on his face lazily he took the phone and attended.
before telling hello he screamed ' k...y..a...?😲
it was dadima's phone.'mai abhi aa raha hun...😲 ' he jumped out of the bed ...garbed a shirt from his ward robe...hurriedly wore it in no time,took the car key, pushed his feet in to the chappals...rushed out of the apartment.since it was odd time there was not much traffic ...he could easily speed up...he raced on the road... parked the car in the city hospital public parking lot... slammed the door...did not even care to close the door properly...rushed in to the casualty department...no need for him to ask others ..he knows the way to ICU.
when he reached the casualty he saw dadima and siddhi were standing and crying out side.he reached them in hustle...
kunal:'sir ab kaise hai...?😕" he asked them while he was gasping,but non was in a position to answer him...
siddhi:😭
dadima:😭
kunal:'maasi ji...' he hold her around her shoulder.took few deep breath to enable him to speak.
kunal:'dheeraj rakhiye... sir ko kuch nahi ho ga..."he said to dadima in a promising tone...looking at siddhi.
siddhi:😭...she was in her baby pink satin night wear , leaning on the side wall for support standing weeping.
dadima:😭...she wiped her eyes.
kunal:'aap dekna...sir will me fine soon...' he kept on saying consoling words.
after a long time doctors came out of the casualty room.at once all three rushed to the doctors.
kunal:' how is he?😔' he was the one who has the courage to question the doctor.
doctor:'he is out of danger now...he is improving too...' kunal sighed with relief and looked at siddhi expecting her to calm down.
siddhi: 😭...
doctor:'still...his life is under risk as it is his second stroke...with in a year time he got twice...' he continued.
siddhi:😲...she was shocked to know that it is his second attack.
"what!😲 this is his second stroke?...?😲"she never knew that.when first time he had the stroke siddhi was in UK and it was her mid term exams time. hence kunal and dadima decided not to inform her.
siddhi: 😡 😔 😭...she looked at kunal with accusation...'...he was my so called care taker...who did not even let me know about dad's heath...'tears rolled down on her cheeks.
kunal:... felt sorry for her.he wanted to console her...convince her...explain her the reason why they did not inform her but couldn't. he was just able to give a sorry look to her...
doctor:'ji...yeh unn ka second stroke hai...he can't with stand third stroke...' doctor continued...
kunal :'we want to see him...' he was desperate.
doctor:'not now...he is still unconscious...we want to keep him under observation for another 10 hours...'
all three were waited out side the casualty restlessly.
siddhi:😭...she was crying constantly.her small sharp nose and eyes became red and dirty. kunal looked at her.it was heart wrenching to see her in that condition...siddhi! who dominates hundreds of workers ...who make them run on her finger movements...who always try to find fault with him...adamant in letting him down...keeps her anger and attitude on her nose tip...was crying!...he stared at her helplessly...he felt that she need somebody of her age group to stand beside her and console her...some ones shoulder to rest...she need some one to wipe her tears...soon he grabbed his cell and called some of her cousins . with in an hour time few more people gathered in front of casualty. Rana one of siddhi's close cousin stood beside her, holding her around the shoulder...wiping her tears...and consoling her.
it was morning 9am when raj got his conscious.doctor came and told them " you can meet him...but not all together...make sure that he don't strain himself much..." he gave conditional permission.
siddhi and dadima rushed towards the room.kunal too want to go. raj is not just a boss to kunal...more than that...kunal lost his father 13 years ago.after that when he met raj he saw his father in him.when he came to know that raj was his father's friend he became more close to him.
kunal:😒...he stood in his place and looked at siddhi and dadima. dadima understood his feelings.she knew raj and kunal are how close to each other...more like father and son.
dadima:'kunal tum bhi aao...' kunal don't want to miss that invitation and followed them immediately. raj was lying on the bed.some time before they removed the oxygen mask from him.he was looking lethargic and exhausted .siddhi and dadima went and stood beside his left hand side. kunal stood beside his right hand side.all three can see fear for death in his eyes.
siddhi:😭...tears started rolling down again for siddhi. she could not see her dad on death bed.
raj:' si...ddhii...😔" he called her in his feeble tone.
siddhi:😭 ...she sat beside him.
raj:'sid...dhi... ro maat ..." he tried to rise his hand to wipe her tears but failed.he could hardly move his fingers.
siddhi:😭... she could not stop crying...she could not speak.
raj:😔...he looked at siddhi with concern.
siddhi:😭 ...
raj:😔...he turned to his right side with struggle and looked at kunal.
kunal:' sir...' he moved more close to him.
raj:'😔...'by his head movement he told him to come closer. kunal too understood his action , went and sat beside him on the other side and took his hand in his hands.
kunal:'sir aapko kuch nahi hua...aap bilkul teek hai..." he said in broken voice , could not speak properly.
raj: ' ku...nnal...i know i can't withstand one more stroke...mujhe meri fikar nahi hai...'he looked at siddhi...
raj:' ...meri bachi ki bahut fikar ho rahi hai...😭...mere baad wo bilkul akeli ho jaye gi...😭'...tears brimmed in his eyes.
siddhi:😭 ...his words made her more dejected
kunal: 'sir ... kuch nahi hoga aapko...kuch nahi...' raj did not listen to him.
raj: 'kunal mujhe ek wada karo...' he struggled to breath.
kunal:' ...😔'he said holding his hands in to his.
raj:'wada karo...tum siddhi ka ghayal rakho ge...'kunal looked at siddhi.
siddhi:😭 ...she was still crying.
kunal: 'zaroor rakhun ga sir...aap fikar maat kijiye...😭'he said emotionally.
raj:😕...he was not satisfied with his words of wada. he looked at kunal for few seconds.
kunal:'trust me...sir...mai wada nibhaunga...zindagi bhar... 😭' he said with tears.
raj:'par... zindagi bhar ka khyal tho ek pati hi raksak ta hai...😒'
kunal:😕 he could not understand what he is hinting.
kunal:' tum meri beti se shaadi karlo...'he said as simple as that.
kunal:😲 ...taken aback with his words. he was speechless...a sharp feeling of shock and shiver passed through his veins.raj hold kunal's shivering hand with his both the hands as his action of request...as if asking some thing from him.
siddhi:😭 ...
raj:'...tum siddhi se shaadi karlo...' he said again.
kunal:😲... looked at siddhi.
siddhi:😭 ...she went completely blank.she was not in a position to understand what is going on.raj turned towards siddhi...touched her cheek with passion..
raj:'...siddhi...mere baad srif kunal hi tumai sambhal sake ga...i have seen him taking care of you...jab tum UK mai thi wahi tumhara khayal rakta tha...muj se be ziyada...khud se bhi ziyada...' he struggled to breath.
siddhi:😭...she looked at dadima.
dadima: '😭... mujhe umeed hai tumai kunal bahut kush rakhay ga...' she said in a feeble voice stoking on her head as if she too agree with raj.
raj:😭
siddhi:😭...'she buried her face in his hands.her tears made raj's hand wet.
siddhi:'tumai kuch nahi hoga dad...kuch nahi hoga...😭" ...raj closed his eyes for a while . tears rolled down from his eyes too.he opened his eyes...pulled his hands from hers.with difficulty removed his ruby finger ring and gave it to siddhi. siddhi understood what he was trying to tell.
siddhi:😭...she looked at kunal.
kunal:😲...dumbfounded!
raj: 'siddhi...mujpe bharo sa karo...🤢'
siddhi:😭...
raj:' mai sukoon se marna chahta hun...🤢' he took kunal's hand and showed to siddhi.
kunal:😲...he was paralyze...benumbed...he could not understand how to react...raj's delicate health did not permit either siddhi or kunal to speak.
siddhi:'😭...after few dead seconds siddhi slowly extended her left hand and took his right palm. it was their first physical contact. both the hands were freezing cold as if there was no body heat to transform...and their fingers were vibrating... dadima placed her palm on her back to ease her.
siddhi:😭...with the help of dadima siddhi slide the ring in his ring finger.in the same hand kunal was wearing a ring in his little finger which was his mother's.it is just a plane solid gold ring.no design in it. dadima removed that ring and gave it to kunal. without saying any thing he put the finger ring in her right hand ring finger.it fit perfectly in her ring finger.
raj:😭 😃...he was so happy to see them engaged...he wiped his eyes and hugged both of them with his both the hands from both the side.
kunal and siddhi were still under shock...kunal alternatively looked at the ruby ring and siddhi.he was stuck with mixed emotions...every thing went on before he could think or act.
he thought...'kaisa hai yeh bandhan...???😲...kitna ajeeb sa ...😕' he never expected that this could happen in his life.he felt uncomfortable with his weird emotions.
till the nurse come and told them to go out they were sitting with raj with no words to speak.later they came out.
they were sitting out side for a long time with out looking at each other... drown deep in their thoughts.it was afternoon 2 pm.the doctor came and checked raj.
doctor:' he is improving very fast.still we can't discharge him now...'
kunal: 'when he is likely to get discharged...'
doctor:' may be night 9 pm you can check out...'
as raj was improving and siddhi too was trying to keep herself calm her cousins wanted to leave the hospital.
kunal:'maasi ji aap bhi ghar jaye ye...poori raat aap yahan ho...aap ki BP bad jaye gi...you need to rest...😒' by force he send dadima home with siddhi's cousins.
kunal and siddhi were left alone in the hospital...siddhi was sitting on a long bench , closing her eyes ,leaning on the back of the bench.
kunal:...he looked at her...she was ...lifeless...like a weathered flower!...ailing chick!
kunal:...with lot of hesitation he went and sat beside her , taking care to leave distance between them.
siddhi:😔...she opened her eyes...without changing her posture looked at him.
kunal;' wo...mai...tum...😒' he could not say what he wanted to.
siddhi:😭 ... tears started rolling on her dry cheek again.
kunal:'please...no need to worry... mai iss kay bare mai sir se baat karun ga...😔' he said looking at his ruby finger ring.
siddhi:😭 ...she looked at her ring finger.
kunal:'as of now this is a tonic for him...tum dek na ...wo bahut jald teek hoja yen ge...' he said with confident.
siddhi:😭...she too realize what he said was right.
kunal:' let him get well...we will talk to him...😔' he convinced.
siddhi:😭...
kunal:'tumare marzi kay bina kuch nahi hoga...yeh mera wada hai...😒' he promised.
siddhi:😭...his promising words gave a kind of relief to her.
till 9 pm kunal and siddhi stayed there without speaking much ...frequently looking at each other...around 9 raj was discharged, after paying hospital bills...they came back to malik home.
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
