CHAPTER 11 (A). THE AFTERMATH
"MAAN! MAAN!", the voice echoed in the almost empty corridor of the hospital and Maan Singh Khurana who sat outside one of the rooms in the said corridor with his head in his hands looked up to see the person who was calling his name.
"Maan! You alright? Where is Geet? What happened?", Dev arrived and Maan felt relieved. He stood up to tell him what happened when the Doctor came out of Geet's room.
"How is she Doctor?", Maan asked, the worry reflected on his face and the Doctor smiled, "Don't worry Mr. Khurana! Your wife is fine! The cut was superficial so I bandaged it and the fainting was simply because of stress. I think she hasn't been eating and sleeping well for a while!"
Maan felt guilty at that comment. Geet was not eating and sleeping because he had been ignoring her. Dev comforted him by placing his hand on Maan's shoulder.
The Doctor continued, "I have given her an injection so that she could go to sleep. She will sleep the night away. Early morning when she wakes up you can take her home with you!"
Maan sagged in relief and only Dev's hand on his shoulder kept him from collapsing. Dev maneuvered him into sitting on the bench outside the room and sat beside him. As Maan sat down his eyes fell on the clock hanging on the wall nearby. It was almost 11. Vishwas nahi hota ki do ghante pehle Geet aur main kiss kar rahe the! Aur ab yeh kya hogaya!
Once Geet had fainted, Maan had almost thrown her into his car and driven like a maniac to the nearest hospital. Unfortunately for him, the farmhouse was quite out of the city and he could not find a decent hospital for miles. Only after driving for one hour, he was able to find a Hospital. And only when Geet got admitted did Maan relax. But then also he was on verge of emotional breakdown. The things that happened in last week had left him so confused and lost that Maan needed guidance, he needed someone to make heads and tails out of the whole situation. What was wrong with Geet? Why did she call herself Preet? What is happening here?
Maan was beyond confused by now and he knew that the reason he could not process the information and formulate steps to handle the issue, the way he did with his business problems, was because he was too close to the issue and emotionally attached too. He needed someone to look at the situation objectively and provide him with guidance. Only two people came to his mind who he thought could guide him. Daadima was out of question as she was a heart patient and he so did not want to trigger the problem by telling her something so distressful that even Maan Singh Khurana could not solve. Maan had to go with the second option and that was Dev. Dev who had been his best friend since childhood even though both were several continents away from each other. That never destroyed their friendship then and it did not destroy their friendship now.
But that was not the only reason Maan relied so much on Dev for advice. The other reason was that Dev was not just any Doctor. He was a psychiatrist who understood human brain and their actions in a way that Maan envied. He could explain anyone's behavior to Maan and Maan as a businessman appreciated that whenever his competitor pulled a move he did not expect and he asked Dev to explain.
So Maan had called Dev, not just his best friend and cousin brother but also the psychiatrist, and asked him to come right away and now Dev had arrived and asking him questions. Oh! Dev was asking him question! Maan looked up and tuned into what Dev was saying.
"Maan! Kuch toh bol yaar! What went wrong?", Dev was getting more and more alarmed as the time went on. Why is Maan not speaking?
"Dev! Mujhe bhi nahi pata kya hua!", Maan mumbled as he brushed his hair with his hand in frustration.
"Ok! Now you are scaring me! I have never seen you this shaken up! What the hell happened?", Dev asked with eyes wide. When he had gotten the call from a panicking Maan calling from hospital and asking him to come and not inform Daadima or NT, he had half expected to find both husband and wife in ICU with lots of wounds and many wires going through them. What he found was Maan dressed in jeans and white shirt which looked barely buttoned with some of the buttons not even there as if someone wrenched the shirt open without unbuttoning it and Doctor informing them that Geet was fine with almost no injuries. Then why the hell is his cousin brother looking so devastated? Koi dekhega toh bolega his wife had just announced to divorce him! What is going on here? Dev would be damned if he did not get to the bottom of this!
Maan remained silently staring at some stain on the floor and Dev could not handle it anymore.
"Dekh Maan! There is nothing major here and yet you called me here and specifically me not to call Daadima, this only means you need me for support and advice. Dekh! I am here! Lekin ab tu bolega nahi toh main teri help kaise karun yaar!", Dev made a frustrated noise and huffed.
"Par main bolun kaise? Shuruvaat kahaan se karun? Kya bataaun? I can't make head or tails of this situation Dev!", Maan looked at Dev helplessly and then grabbing his hands in his, Maan pleaded, "You have got to help me! You have got to do something!"
Dev was shocked to see his cool as cucumber brother like this. God! Aisa kya hua jo Maan ki yeh haalat hogayi? Ho na ho, it is connected to Bhabhi or Daadima! And as Bhabhi is here and Daadima is not, this is definitely connected to Geet Bhabhi!
"Dekh Maan! Tu start se start kar! Teri jo problem haina uske starting mein ja! Ek dum start! Aur phir bata!", Dev suggested and Maan closed his eyes and nodded.
"In sab ki shuruvaat do hafte pehle jab main Geet ko dekhne Hoshiarpur ja raha tha wahaan se hua...", Maan started his tale and explained meeting mysterious but pretty Preet. Dev was intrigued by this creature called Preet. The Doctor in him was itching to know the story behind her and eagerly waited to know more. After all, if Maan mentioned it while explaining his problem, she was relevant and there was a good chance of her appearing once again. And he was proven right when Maan, after briefly explaining his whirlwind love story with Geet Handa and the dream he had about Geet which led to the mysterious door remaining open, talked about meeting Preet on his wedding night.
Dev could only watch with wide eyes as Maan explained how Geet had treated Maan like a stranger, called herself Preet and pulled out a knife at Maan. Oh No! Is this what I think it is? I hope not. I so don't want Maan to go through this. He doesn't deserve this. And Geet? Oh Good Lord! Sweet pranking Geet, who seem to bring so much life in Khurana Mansion! What all she must have faced to reach this point? He closed his eyes and prayed for his best friend and Bhabhi and fervently wished that the situation was not what he thought it was.
Maan continued narrating Geet's behavior next morning and the fight in the night. As Maan continued Dev was getting sure and sure that he was right. No! For once I don't want to be right! For once I just want this to be a dream! Maan finally explained the twist filled evening that led to both of them being in hospital.
"...Aur iss tarah main aur Geet yahaan pahunche!", Maan finished his explanation and leaned back on the seat. He would not deny that it felt light to tell Dev everything. He felt as if the burden was lifted from his shoulders and he could breathe easy. But he knew that the struggle had just started. Because whatever was wrong with Geet was something very big and he knew he had a fight in his hands. His instinct told him that and in all these years his instincts never led him astray. It was his instincts that made him one of the top businessmen of Dilli and it was his instincts that chose Geet to be his wife just after meeting her once. And now his instincts were screaming at him; they were telling him to be prepared because he had a war in his hands. The die was cast. The game was afoot.
There was terse silence for few minutes and then Maan spoke up softly, "Dev! Geet will be fine na?"
Dev looked at his brother in surprise and marveled at the enigma called MSK. While others in the same situation would be worried about what was wrong with their wife, here was Maan wondering whether Geet will be ok or not. Dev expected many questions from Maan but this was definitely not one of them. But then you can never expect the expected from Maan, he had always been a wild card, unpredictable and sharp.
"One can only hope!", Dev replied diplomatically. He did not want to raise Maan's hopes right now. Or atleast not until he could assess the situation himself, get confirmation on his theory and find how deep the problem was. Then only he could give any verdicts.
Maan did not give any reaction to his reply except sigh softly and Dev knew that his diplomatic reply gave Maan the reality without him having to spell it out. For once, I wish that you were not this sharp and intelligent, Maan. Because right now ignorance would be the best solace you could find.
I know it's a short update!
This update was supposed to be very long as Chapter 11 (A) and Chapter 11 (B) was supposed to be one big chapter aka Chapter 11.
But Chapter 11 (A) was written in one sitting and it came out so beautifully that I did not want to destroy the beauty by adding anymore parts to it. So I put the remaining part of Chapter 11 in Chapter 11 (B). Chapter 11 (B) is halfway done and will be up by 16th May.
Next update, NT gets involved while Dev explains his theory on what is wrong with Geet and tries to confirm it too!
And yes, Dev does think it is Multiple Personality Disorder which is why he is concerned for Maan and Geet both. As we have seen from Bhool Bhulaiyya, treating such a person takes a toll on both the person and their loved ones.
But if you think this story is going to go like Bhool Bhullaiyya, then let me tell you that this story is going to be totally different. Abhi toh bahut twist baaki hai! Mystery toh just open hua hai!
Thank you, take care and have fun,
Kalpana
CID
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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