FF - Destiny's Play (4) Chapter 13 Pg 104 SIGGY pg 130 - Page 10

Chapter Eleven

"Hey Anji, you awake yet?" Nidhi didn't feel guilty for waking up her friend at 6 in the morning. Neither cared about the time when they had wanted to talk to each other. When they had been neighbours, it had been just a matter of jumping over the wall and now it was just a matter of picking up the phone.

"Dude, I just woke up. Hang on a sec." Anji yawned and stretched before getting up and going to the balcony. "Bol, kya baat hain? Oh and before I forget, Verma uncle came to visit us yesterday. You told him about this case? He looked so proud Nidhi." He had also remarked on how happy Nidhi had sounded. He had felt the difference. But Anji didn't mention this to her friend. "So..how is Delhi and..how are things?"

Nidhi also did the same. She went to the balcony so as not to disturb her still-sleeping roommate. Her face glowed at those words. Her schedule had been so hectic that she couldn't go and meet him so she had called him to give the news. "Delhi is good and things are also..good. Hey, I met Rohan last evening."

"Rohan? Woh kaha se tapak pada Delhi mein?"

Nidhi quickly gave her the update about the previous night. Anji quietly heard everything that her friend said and didn't say. She sighed and rubbed her head. "You're going to say yes to him, aren't you?"

Anji's quiet question put a halt to Nidhi's ramblings. She bit her lip and thought. "I want to Anji."

"OK."

"That's it? Just OK?"

"Nidhi..I've always known that for you it's always been him and only him. You're the only one who can decide whether to risk your heart again or not..whether to trust him again or not. I just want you to be happy and I'm OK with any decision that brings that net result."

"He has changed Anji. He is more intense now. More determined and more confident. He was completely OK with me spending the evening with Rohan. He wasn't trying to be polite or anything."

"And Mallika? She sure is not going to keep quiet."

Nidhi nodded with a faraway look on her face. "I know. But I think he sees things more clearly now."

"He trusts you? As a doctor? As a person?"

"Yes."

"And the age gap issue?"

"He seems OK with that too."

"And if tomorrow someone says something or your baba objects..would he still stand by you and face it?"

"I hope so Anji. I really really hope so."

Both friends remained silent with their own thoughts. Anji knew Nidhi wouldn't be able to survive another blow. If not for her PG, Nidhi would've gone insane after that break-up. Nidhi knew it was all about taking a chance and trusting again. The past few days have proven that whatever his reasons for breaking off their relationship, he has suffered as much as she did. Probably more. "It's hell without you. I want to live again Nidhi." His words rang in her ears again.

"Anji..bolna yaar."

"Mein kya bolu. If I'm not wrong, you've already decided. Just go with it Nidhi. And take care. OK? And promise me that you'll..just..take care."

"Yeah, I will. Don't worry Anji. I'll call you once I reach home late tonight. OK?"

"Bye."

Just as Nidhi cut the call, the phone rang again. "Hello?"

"Nidhi, good morning. This is Dr Sunil here."

"Hello sir. Good morning."

"Nidhi, we need your help. That video presentation we prepared..it's not coming in my laptop. I tried in Dr Ashutosh's laptop too but something seems to be wrong. Do you know anything about computers by any chance?"

She could hear the panic in his voice. "A little sir. I can check."

"Good. Come up to Dr Ashutosh's room then. We barely have an hour before we have to leave."

"Yes sir. I'm on my way." Nidhi stuffed the phone back in her pyjama pocket and ran a hasty brush through her sleep ruffled hair. After waking up and explaining the situation to her roommate, she took the lift and reached Ashutosh's room all in five minutes. Sunil opened the door before she could finish knocking. "Nidhi do something." He was literally sweating.

She tried to reassure him. "Sir, I'll try. If worst comes to worst, I'll call my friend Rohan. He is a computer whizz and lives close by. What knowledge I have is from him. He used to fiddle with my laptop and taught me a little in the process."

Sunil seemed hopeful and worried at the same time as he led her into the room. Both the laptops were open on the centre table and the CDs right beside them. Just then Ashutosh walked into the hall from the adjoining bedroom. He was buttoning up his shirt with one hand and seemed genuinely startled to see her. He took in her sleep flushed face, slightly tumbled mass of her hair, white and baby pink night shirt and baby pink pyjama. His eyes darkened to a deep black. Nidhi seemed to be equally enthralled at seeing him in that semi-dressed state with half of the buttons of his shirt still unbuttoned displaying the white undershirt beneath. Her fingers itched to complete the task of buttoning..or unbuttoning and she fisted her fingers to stop herself. He saw that gesture and took an involuntary step towards her before Sunil's voice reached him.

"Ashutosh, I called Nidhi to see to this CD. She is a little better than both of us. You were in the shower and I didn't want to delay it anymore."

Ashutosh swallowed, locked his jaw and gave a jerky nod. After another sidelong glance, Nidhi went to the laptops and perched herself on the edge of the sofa. After tapping the keys for a couple of minutes, she wrinkled her brow. "Sir, Uh..Dr Sunil," the three of them smiled at the way she corrected herself since there were apparently two sirs in that room. "Your media player is corrupted."

Sunil looked horrified. "Bloody hell! Now what?"

She checked Ashutosh's laptop and bit her lip. "This works but.."

"There is no audio. I've been meaning to get that checked but.." Ashutosh shook his head. Now even he looked worried.

"The PPT is fine though." Nidhi tried to reassure.

"But without the video.."

Nidhi bit her lip and took out her phone. After speaking to Rohan for a few minutes, she visibly brightened up and quickly ended the call. "Sir, I have a solution. I will upload this on YouTube and.." she looked at Sunil and asked, "you have a data card, right?" He nodded. "Great. This will work sir. Just give me ten minutes."

And she quickly got to work of signing in and uploading the video. Sunil sent a quick prayer of thanks before saying, "OK. I'll go and get ready. Nidhi, make sure everything is set and bookmark the link in my laptop too. See you guys." With a final wave, he left, closing the door softly behind him.

Silence descended as the air in the room seemed to grow thick with the sudden release of undercurrents. Ashutosh finally forced himself to look away from her down-bent head and pearly white teeth biting her soft lower lip as she stared at the laptop screen and went to finish his dressing. Don't crowd her. Don't behave like a hormone-driven teenager. She hasn't given her answer yet. She doesn't trust you yet. He continued to chant the reasons as he went back to his bedroom where quickly tucked his shirt and picked up the belt. To no avail. His lips wanted to trace that small puckered frown and replace the teeth that were biting her lower lip with his own. His hands wanted to dig themselves into her hair and trace the contours under that soft cotton night shirt. He wanted to feel her pressed against him all over like that long ago day at his baba's house. He wanted to glue her to himself and never ever let her go. His heart thundered and his whole body shuddered at the images that thought invoked. Stop. You threw away the right to do anything. She might not be willing to risk her heart and her pride again. Stop torturing yourself. He pulled at the tie viciously almost choking himself. With a muttered curse, he set about loosening it.

"All set Ashuji."

Nidhi's voice reached him from the hall. He didn't want to go out. He didn't want to go out and see the regret on her face as she realized what she had called him. He didn't want to hear her reverting back to sir. But he forced his feet to move until he stood before her. She looked at him with a smile filled with relief. "It's done. I bookmarked the link in Sunil sir's computer. Do have this CD with you just in case and bring your laptop too just in case." He nodded without meeting her eyes. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she tentatively said, "Ashuji?"

That had him looking at her swiftly. His eyes held so much fear and hope that she had to blink and look away. She took a deep breath and wet her lips before facing him again. Ignoring the blush steeling her cheeks, she pointed to his collar gesturing that it was a little skewed. He continued to stare as if he were in a trance. The battle in his eyes had turned into an outright war. This man didn't need words. His eyes spoke for him. Why hadn't she realized it before? Maybe he had been right. She had been too young and immature to deal with the kind of love that had hit both of them with the force of a speeding truck. With tentative but measured steps, she went to him, rose on her toes and adjusted the collar. His neatly trimmed beard tickled the back of her hands as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

"Nidhi.." his voice was guttural. Her wide eyes met his fierce ones. "I-I want to hug you."

Nidhi melted. Her palms slid down from his collar and slowly went around his waist. She took one more step that eliminated the distance between them completely and rested her head on his pounding heart. His entire body froze as his head fell back in delirious ecstasy. In the next moment, Nidhi felt his arms go around her like bands of steel, lifting her and hugging her so tight that her feet barely touched the ground. He placed her back on the ground and with a rough growl, started running his hands all over her back. He pulled her away, cupped her cheeks, and dug his fingers into her hair as he rained down rough kisses all over her face, cheeks, forehead, chin, eyes and lips. Nidhi did nothing but revel under the exuberated onslaught. Sanity hit him like lightening and he jerked away.

"Nidhi..does this mean..?" With bright glowing eyes and lips that had turned red with his kisses; she tried to smile and nod. He closed his eyes and staggered in relief before catching her hand and pulling her back into his arms for another one of his smothering hugs. She could barely breathe but she didn't complain. For the first time ever, she realized the restraints he had placed on himself when they had been together before. Whether it had been fear or uncertainty she didn't know but the barriers have crashed now.

"You won't go off again?" She shook her head from its place near his neck. "You won't leave me again?" She shook her head again. "If-if I tell you to go?"

She pulled back a little and looked into his eyes. Into his need for reassurance. "I'll get some superglue and stick myself to you." Then her own uncertainty peeked out as she asked, "But..you won't..will you? You..you trust me, don't you?"

He cupped her face and kissed her lips hard until they stung. "No matter what life throws at us, I will be right beside you. I trust you more than I trust myself. But Nidhi..our future..it's not going to be easy. It's not going to be smooth."

"I don't want easy and smooth if it doesn't have you in it."

Both their phones ringing loudly and simultaneously sprang them apart. With another lingering look at each other, they went to answer their calls. Nidhi looked at the caller id and smiled. "Yes Rohan?"

"Problem solved? Were you able to upload?"

"Yup. I bookmarked the link here."

"Cool. Good work. See, what would you doctors do without a computer geek like me huh?"

"Yeah yeah..forever indebted Mr Rohan Malhotra."

"So, you're still there? I mean in his room?"

"Hmmm."

"Alone?" came the next wicked question.

"Rohan!"

His roaring laugh reached her ears. "Enjoy! Enjoy Dr Nidhi Verma! Enjoy! Bye."

"Bye. Oh keep in touch. OK? Happy journey."

"Sure. Thanks."

She looked up to see Ashutosh also quickly ending the call. He stuffed the phone in his pocket before saying, "That was Sunil."

Nidhi looked at the clock and yelped. "I need to run or my dean will go off without me. He is a stickler for time." She ran to the door before turning and running back to him once again to give a smacking kiss on his cheek and fleeing the scene before he could catch her.

****

Mallika, still in her surgical scrubs entered one of the private rooms. "I was paged?"

The staff nurse gave her a worried glance and stepped away from the moaning patient. "Ma'am, she says she is not able to move her neck. She has been screaming in pain."

Mallika bent to examine the patient. Armaan had referred the patient to her. The lady had slipped and fallen in the bathroom. She had sustained a wrist fracture due to that but luckily the baby inside had been safe. She had performed the C-section just the previous evening with the plaster to the wrist still in place. The patient screamed when Mallika touched a particular spot.

"Call the neurologist please," Mallika told the nurse as she loaded a pain killer. She gave a reassuring smile to the patient. "Don't worry. You'll be fine in no time. Just try to relax."

"But I can't move my neck," wailed the patient. "I want to see and feed my baby."

"You called me ma'am?" Nidhi entered the room followed by the resident anaesthetist, Dr Kiran.

Mallika grit her teeth. They couldn't find another neurologist in this whole damn hospital? "When did you get back from Delhi?"

"Last night. What is the problem?" Nidhi gestured towards the patient.

Mallika explained the case. Nidhi smiled at the patient before bending down to examine the neck. Her fingers touched the same spot and the patient screamed again. "C section by spinal?"

"Yes." Mallika answered.

Nidhi looked at the patient. "Did you try to move last night?"

The patient nodded. "Everything seemed OK and I didn't want the catheter anymore."

Nidhi nodded and stepped back. "It was too soon."

Mallika caught on. "Spinal fluid?"

Nidhi nodded. "She probably had spondylitis before. A pain killer now and a collar later on should do it Dr Mallika. Nothing to worry."

Mallika nodded and injected the painkiller. Three of them came out of the room and Dr Kiran asked, "How did you know?" Nidhi opened her mouth to explain but she never got the chance. "Guess work? It's not as if you would be taken to task if you give out a wrong diagnosis, is it?"

Nidhi frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Mallika bit back a small smile and moved a little further away to better watch the show. Dr Kiran shrugged nonchalantly. "Just that you really are playing your cards well. The job here is temporary..hell even your results are pending. What better way to get a professional standing than hitting on the boss man? Oh don't give me that look Dr Nidhi Verma. Everyone from ward boys to senior doctors knows about you. What happened before and what's happening now again."

"Just what do you think is happening now Dr Kiran?" Nidhi's calm unperturbed question seemed to unsettle the lady. She had been prepared to hear fervent denials with lots of stuttering involved.

****

Ashutosh walked out of the ICU, his entire body radiating tension. The patient who had seemed to be well on the road of recovery took a bad turn and was now in a coma.

"Good morning sir." Ranganath ran and caught up with him.

"Ranganath, send Madhusudan and Nidhi to my cabin please. And the contrast MRI reports of this patient.

"Yes sir. Will do. Uh..how was your trip sir?"

Despite the tense situation, the question brought a small smile on his face. "It was..good. Very good indeed."

"Can I expect a call from AIMC soon sir?"

"Uh..what?"

Ranganath couldn't hold back the smile. His fingers were itching to text Armaan already. "Uh..you presented the case to the council yesterday morning sir. Along with Dr Sunil's team."

"Uh.." Ashutosh coughed and cleared his throat. "Yes. Meeting was good. It went very well actually."

"So.." Ranganath dragged the word and waited. His dean seemed to be unusually slow on the uptake that day. Anji had hinted at it but he didn't think things had moved at warp speed. He idly thought what song would Armaan sir sing at this news and grinned.

"So what Ranganath?"

"Umm..can I expect a call from AIMC sir?"

Before Ashutosh could reply, his attention was drawn to the small crowd gathered in the corridor that led to the private rooms. His brisk strides came to a halt. His frown deepened as he made his way and saw Mallika among them.

"Mallika, what's going on?"

Mallika smiled and shrugged as she pointed towards Nidhi and Kiran. "A glimpse into your future Dr Ashutosh Mathur if you go down the path that you've taken up once again. You're a dean. And a man on top of that. No one would dare say anything to you. But she.." Her finger pointed Nidhi. "She will be the one facing the brunt. The snide looks and satire comments. She is a great doctor. I can see that for myself. But what's the use? People would only ever see her as your..," she waved her hand clearing implying the five letter word. "A woman with a penchant for older men."

Helplessness and pain wash over his face as he took an involuntary step back.

****

Dr Kiran looked at the calm, unperturbed eyes of Dr Nidhi Verma and blinked again. Was there a chance that the gossip had been wrong? Was she not the least bit bothered about the fact that she had just called her the dean's plaything?

"Dr Kiran, the last I checked, I was over 21. As long as it doesn't affect my work, what I do with my personal life is none of your business. I hope I have made myself clear? Good day." With that final word and a nod, Nidhi turned and walked off towards the bank of lifts at the end of the corridor.

The rest of the crowd dispersed rapidly and the few who noticed the dean's presence actually blanched and scurried away. Ranganath sighed and shook his head. Now what? KGH like any other large institution lived and thrived on gossip. The revival of the dean-intern love story was making great headway among the circles. Nevertheless, this was the first time the boss man got the wind of it and there was no saying how he would react. And who would bear the brunt of the fallout that was sure to come.

"Uh..I'll send the MRI reports along with your team sir." Ranganath gave an awkward smile to the still-as-statue Ashutosh and left. But as soon as he was out of sight, he took out his phone to send a message.

"Trouble in paradise."

The reply was immediate. "So soon? M again?"

"Yes and no. M and KGH grapevine."

"No doubt she had the fuel handy to pour into the fire. I'll see what I can do."

"Hopefully before the fire turns into an inferno."

Mallika waited until they were alone before saying, "Ashutosh, it's not too late. Please. Think about what you're doing. Neither of you is going to be happy in the long run. Presuming there is a long run. You told her to leave and she left without a backward glance. That should tell you something. She has the staying power of a gnat and you'll end up getting hurt once again. If you stop this now, she has a chance to settle down with someone closer to her age. Don't leave the decision until her reputation is in tatters Ashutosh. Think Goddammit!"

Ashutosh didn't say a word. Just turned and walked off in the other direction. But Mallika didn't get worried this time. She knew she had hit squarely on his raw nerve. Now it would just be a matter of time.

And that is the end of Chapter 11. Did you all LIKE it?? Will be awaiting your comments / criticisms.