You're still the one
Part 7
As Abhi walked back to his cabin, unable to find a way control his anger! He banged his door shut so hard that his whole cabin vibrated. Who does Siddhant think he is to threaten him! He can take a jump from a 100th floor and .... for all he cared. He did not need his company to finance New Sanjeevani project. He will find someone else to do it. No one can blackmail him into doing something he did not want to do. He was in need to finance, but Siddhant's company was more in need to takeovers. He knew exactly how desperate they were too. They were under tremendous pressure from their share holders to expand. So no way Siddhant was in a position to put pressure on him! And no way was he going to buckle under any pressure! Only one person was to be blamed for all this mess - Dr. Nikita Malhotra. Whereever she went she created trouble and confusion. He just could not understand, what kind of power she had in her that anyone she came close to, was ready to fight for her, without thinking about the consequences.
First it was him. He had lost all his balance and the ability to think straight. He had got into a boxing match with Armaan, to get her into the project! Who did such stupid stuff? Then, he got beaten up by the goons to save her during the riots. He had not even thought once about his own safety before saving her. That is the kind of effect she had on him. He was behaving like a teenager and thinking with his hormones rather than his brains!!!
Then there was Armaan ..... who believed was Nikki's protector and her best friend. He had to protect her from his boss ' Dr. Modi who was not good enough for Nikki. He had thought that it was his duty to keep her away from his boss. So in turn, without thinking about his own career he had challenged his boss to a boxing match. Then Armaan had the guts to thrown him into the pool, just because he thought that he was taking advantage of Nikki. Very clearly Armaan had not even thought once, what would happen to his own career in trying to save Nikki from his boss. He could have been thrown out of Sanjeevani, and in turn killing is future prospects. But that was all because of the kind of effect Nikki had on Armaan. He thought she was so innocent that she needed to be protected. Only if he knew what a manipulator she was!
And now it was Siddhant. He was here for a few days and she had cast her spell again. She made him forget the purpose for which he was here, what his father expected out of him or how this financing was of utmost importance to his father's company. He was ready to jeopardise the whole project because of her. And that too after knowing her for just a few days. Abhi just could not believe it! What was that about her, that each one of them felt compelled to protect her or fight for her and make a fool of themselves?
Ofcourse, he knew the real reasons!!! But he was not ready to accept them. She was a very special person with a lot of endearing characteristics. She was selfless, caring, with a heart as soft and sweet as a marsh-mellow. At every step, when she was fighting with him, it was always for someone else .... because she wanted to help either her friends or patients or even an unknown person ... it just did not matter. If she felt someone needed help, she will do it without thinking twice. She had a heart of gold, which would just melt at looking at anyones misery. But the great Dr. Modi refused to accept it!
And this reflected in her eyes and her smile. She had the most expressive eyes and they reflected what was in her heart, weather it was sorrow or happiness. Her smile always lighted up the world around her. She touched everyones lives she came in contact with. And that is exactly what she had done to him. He had just not been able to keep away from her. Without even realizing where he was headed, he was caught in her web. He had become absolutely helpless against his heart, and fallen so deeply in love with her, that he just could not think of a life without her. That day by the pool, he had confessed everything to her. He was about to tell her how much he loved her. Though he had not said those exact words, he was sure that she had inferred that. He could see that in her eyes. Even she was helpless ... and she was also compelled by her heart. She could not stop herself from coming to meet him .... she had confessed her feelings by accepting that she too was suffering from the same pangs that he was .... and was just about to confess how much she loved him .... but Armaan had interfered.
Once again .... Abhi was so frustrated ... he just wanted to turn the clock ... go back to the pool and wanted everything to work out for them ... he wished Armaan had not interfered ... he wished Nikki had confessed her love ... he wished he had the opportunity to show her and tell her how much he loved her. ... But all that was not possible now. Too much had gone wrong...
Just as he was in deep thoughts, he heard a knock at his cabin door.... and saw Dr. Riddhima walk in. He looked up at her frustratedly, and asked her why she was there.
'Dr. Modi, good afternoon! Hope I am not disturbing you! Can I have a word with you?' she requested as she walked into his cabin, not giving him much choice to refuse.
'Dr. Riddhima, now that you are here, and have already disturbed me, might as well tell me what you have come to tell me!' he said irritatedly.
'Dr. Modi, I have only one question to ask ' why are you doing this? Are you happy after making her miserable? Have you thought about why u are acting this way? I think you need to stop living in your past! You need to forget the unpleasant episodes in your past and move on. But to do that first you have to forgive the people who have hurt you. Without forgiving, you will never be able to forget and move on. Your past will keep on interfering with your present as well as future and kill any possibility of you finding happiness. Do you realize that is exactly what is happening now?'
Abhi was shocked to hear this! He did not understand what was that about Riddhima that touched his heart everytime she read him a riot act. From the day they had met, they both shared a special bond. A bond of respect for each other. Both of them knew and understood this and had always helped each other at the time they were confused. Somehow they would understand the other person's dilemma without telling each other, and provide a solution. Once again she had done it, understood where he was coming from, and what was making him behave the way he was behaving. He himself had not been able to understand it.
Riddhima, looked at the shock on his face, and she knew that she hit the hammer right on the head. Things from the past were bothering him and interfering with his decisions. He needed to sort them out. So without saying anything further, she just turned and left his room in silence, letting him be by himself to do the thinking. She hated to push anyone. She believed that people had to take decisions on their own. No one can force them to make the right decisions.
Abhi kept staring at her, as she walked out, speechless. She was one amazing girl! He never understood, what she saw in Armaan. If not for her, Armaan would have been dead a long time ago. He would not have spared him for his interference between Nikki and him. Anyway, this was not about Armaan or Riddhima. This was about him and Nikki and his past.
Frustrated, and in anger, he got up paced around his office. His past was threatening him once again ..... he had to leave the office ''. he took his car keys and left the hospital. He just drove aimlessly for sometime but then wound his way automatically to his favourite spot. The place he loved the most and was most peaceful in this crazy city ... it was a place by the Marine Drive. There was this secluded place on the rocks, by the sea, where huge waves came and crashed, spraying the salty sea water on him. He somehow found peace by just looking at the setting sun in the background, with the waves breaking down again and again. He loved the sound of the sea and the hue of the amazing colors in the sky created by the setting sun. Earlier, the sea had managed to drown the voices from the past .... but today he had come here to drown his past itself ... he did not want these voices ever to bother him again.
*******
They had lived in US. His father, mom and himself. His father was a successful and a very well known doctor. His mom was a teacher, and used to teach in the same school that he used to go to. He was a happy child, and his parents used to dot on him. He adore his dad, who always had time for him to teach him new stuff and play with him. But slowly things started to change. When Abhi was 10, his mother pregnant and expecting another child. He was excited that he was going to have a younger brother or a sister. He always wanted to have one and had been begging his mom. But noticed his dad started to work late and sometimes did not come back home from the hospital for days together. His mother was having health problems throughout the pregnancy and was keeping unwell most of the time. Quite a few days she was not able to move out of the bed. She had quit her job too. And since his dad was never at home, he was left to fend for himself as well as take care of his mom, as they had no one else to look after them. At such a young age, he learned to cook, clean and be independent. But he did not mind that at all because he adore his mom and could not wait for his little brother or sister to arrive.
He found that his father came home lesser and lesser as time went on. And when Tia was born, he was not even there with his mom. When his mom came home with Tia, it was just him and his mom most of the time. They both, between the two of them, struggled and managed to look after Tia, take care of the house and cook. All thru this Abhi never faltered in his studies. He was very bright as a kid, and his mom always used to tell him that he was just like his dad, very intelligent!
He always used to wonder why dad was never at home. He used to ask his mom often about it. But she would calmly explain to him that he was too busy with work and his patients, and hardly found time to come home. Abhi started resenting his absence, and started criticizing him for giving priority to his work and not to his family. Then one day, after Tia had turned two, he found his mother very upset and crying. On lot of goading she finally confessed the truth. She told him that his father was never coming back, he had asked her for a divorce and was marrying his secretary. Abhi had been shocked. He had never considered that his father would love someone other than his family. He had always thought that his dad had considered his profession more important than his family.
His mother explained to him that it had all started when she was pregnant with Tia and was having a difficult time. He had drifted away and succumbed to his attraction for his beautiful secretary. Abhi was devastated with this news .... he could not believe that his father would ever let him or his mother down like this. He could not believe a man can be so weak that he would forget his duties towards his family. From that day on he had become a different person. All thru his teenage years as he saw his mother struggle to keep the family going, he had become more and more determined to never let anyone affect him so much, that he would forget what was right from wrong, to forget his duties or to forget his priorities. He would never succumb to anyone like his father had and loose his balance and falter in doing his duties.
He had seen his mother struggle because of his fathers shortcomings. He will never let himself be a cause for another persons unhappiness. That is why, he had buried himself into his work. He had kept away from any kind of involvements. There had been ample opportunities while growing up and during his adulthood, but he had always kept away. Whenever he found that he was weakening against someone, he pushed the person away from him and ran. Because deep within him there was this fear that he was too much like his father. Thats why he had hated himself so much, when he found that Nikki had this tremendous hold over him, that she could break all his resolves and make him do things he did not want to do.
Even then, he had given into her, decided to confess to her his feelings and make her his. He had thought that she also reciprocated his feelings, and loved him in return. But the pool incident had happened and once again in his life he had been let down. His dad had left them for another woman, and Nikki had left him for Armaan. He just could not get over this. With great difficulty he had placed his trust in her, but she had trampled all over it and destroyed him. He decided that he will distance himself from her, not giving her the weapon to hurt him anymore.
But after trying so hard for such a long time .... he realized today that he had not been successful. His reaction to her kiss proved that. He could not get her out of his head .... or heart. She had refused to give up on him inspite of his insults. She had made her way deeper and deeper into his heart, mind and soul. He was not able to see her close to anyone ' not Armaan nor Siddhant. He was consumed with so much jealousy, that he could not think straight.
His thoughts were too jumbled up! He needed some time to sort out his feelings and his thoughts. He made up his mind to take a step back, not get angry at a drop of hat, give some space to himself and Nikki, to stop hurting her and to stop pushing her away. He decided to see how things went between them as he headed back home.
Next day morning Abhi, came to Sanjeevani early in the morning. Though he knew why he was there earlier than usual, he refused to accept it. He refused to accept it even when he felt disappointed to see that Nikki had already left for the day. She had not waited to see her friends or Siddhant or him after finishing her night duty. He could not understand why that made him sad.
Later in the day, he decided to go and see Ayesha. He was greeted with a long face and sad eyes.
'Hi girlfriend! What's up? Why are you looking so sad?' he said, twitching her nose. But Ayesha refused to answer him and looked away.
'Yay, now I do not have to share my M&Ms with you, I can have all of them by myself!' he said teasing her.
'No way, they are my favourite! You cannot have them by yourself! Here give it to me'. She said with a fake anger and tried to snatch away the packet of M&Ms from his hand.
But Abhi moved his hand up, so that she could not get it out of his hand.
'Oh no, sweety! First you have to pay your dues for the M&Ms. Where is my hug and a kiss?'
Ayesha made a sad face and said,
'No way! I am very angry at you! You did not come to see me for 2 days! I had fever and still you did not come! I will not give u your hug or your kiss!'
'Accha! Chalo mein kan pakadta hun' Abhi says holding his ears in forgiveness, ' aur M&M bhi deta haun' gave her the M&M packet, ' Ab to maaf kardo, please' he says with a puppy face.
That brought a big smile on Ayesha's face and she sat up and gave him a big hug and a kiss on his cheeks.
'So girlfriend, what have you been upto, except ofcourse missing me and the M&Ms' Abhi asked her, tickling her playfully.
So enthusiastically, she told him what all she had done, who all had visited her, how she met Siddhant and loved playing with him. She continued tell him how happy Nikki was when she was with him because he made everyone laugh all the time. Hearing Siddhant's name irked Abhi, and he felt a wave of anger going thru him. Then as he heard Ayesha's voice, he pushed his anger away. She was telling him about how Nikki had spent nights with her, holding her when she was not able to sleep. Hearing this Abhi's eyes softened .... thinking about how cute the pair looked when he found Nikki sleeping with Ayesha yesterday morning. Ayesha continued to tell him about her dream about the puppy and how Nikki had promised her that she was going to be fine soon and going back to school. While talking to her, Abhi goes thru Ayesha's file, and sees the remarks made by her doctor. Seeing them, he understands immediately what had been going on and also the reason for her fever. He is very worried reading the prognosis and his eyes reflects the sadness he is feeling. Suddenly he thinks about what Nikki must be going thru. He knows that she would be extremely upset. But he pushes these thoughts away, looking at Ayesha masks his expression, and giving her a smile asking her when they were going on a date for an ice-cream.
Ayesha's face lights up on hearing the word 'ice-cream'. She was all excited. She tells him she will ask for Dr. Mathur's permission when he comes on the rounds next time, and Abhi promises to take her out as soon as they get docs permission. After spending some more time talking and playing with Ayesha, Abhi tells her that he needs to go, since he had a lot of work to catch up on. His mind was already working on who all he will have to talk to regarding Ayesha's condition. He was already planning for the next steps in Ayesha's treatment by the time he reached his cabin.
In the evening, he decided he had to go and talk to Siddhant. It was no use ignoring him. As he walks into his cabin, he finds Siddhant was on the phone, with his file open. As soon as he sees him, he says, 'Ok Nikki, I will call you in a bit. Dr. Modi is here.' Then he was quiet for sometime and just heard to what Nikki was saying. Obviously from his expression he was not impressed what she was telling him, but then he replied,
'Ok, baba, I promise, theek hai? Now keep the phone and take rest. I will call you later.' Saying that he disconnected.
Abhi heard this conversation. He was getting angry and worried at the same time. He didnot like the fact that Siddhant was talking to Nikki and was worried because he heard him saying something about rest, obviously Nikki was not well. But he controlled himself and said calmly,
'Siddhant, I thought I will check with you if you needed any help!'
'No thanks, I am okay!' he replied coldly.
Abhi was getting highly irritated with his attitude, but decided to continue,
'Listen Siddhant, about yesterday .....' but before he could complete the sentence, Siddhant shot out of his chair and told him angrily,
'Dr. Modi, I do not want to discuss about it with you. I would have walked out of here yesterday itself, but Nikki stopped me. She told me to wait till she had a talk with you. She made me promise that I will not do anything till then. Unfortunately, she is unwell today and could not come and meet you.'
Abhi's anger cooled down immediately, and he asked him worriedly,
'Why, what happened to her?'
'Oh, why do you care? You would be glad that she is not in the hospital! You told her to keep away from you and your project, right? So now why does it matter to you, how she is?' he asked Abhi with hands on his waist and voice full of attitude.
'Siddhant, please do not push me!' Abhi said angrily. ' I came here out of courtesy! I asked about Nikki out of courtesy! But guess you do not know the meaning of that word, do you?'
'Well, Dr. Modi, I do not need anyone to teach me about courtesy, and after yesterday, you are the last person to teach me'.
This conversation was not going anywhere, and was only making Abhi more angry and irritated with Siddhant. So he decided to cut it short and said,
'Fine, I give up! You can do whatever you like. If you need anything, please feel free to ask me' and saying that he walked out of Siddhant's cabin talking long angry strides.
But he could not get the thought out his head that Nikki was unwell. He was worried. He was worried about what would have happened to her. He was worried because he knew that there was no one at her home to take care of her. And he also knew that she will not let any of her friends know, since they will get worried. He called her mobile. But it was switched off. He asked at the reception, if Dr. Nikita had called. And he was informed that she had called and informed that she will not be coming in for her night duty since she was unwell. Getting more worried now, he just kept thinking about what to do ....
Then suddenly he got up, took his car keys, and went to his car. He decided to go and check himself if she was okay .... within 15 minutes he was at her place ... ringing her door bell. He waited for sometime, but she didnot answer. He was really worried now. He didnot know what to do. So he called Nikki's mobile number once again ... hoping she would have switched it on. But he had no such luck. So once again he rang the bell ... this time much longer.
Finally, he heard Nikki's feeble voice calling out that she was coming. He lost his patience once again as he felt as if she took forever to open the door.
'Nikki, what took you so long? What happened? Are you okay?' he shot out as soon as she opened the door.
But one look at her and he knew she was not fine.
She was so pale, hardly able to walk, her eyes covered by her hand, she was trying to avoid the light, peering thru between her fingers. Her other hand went to her head as she started to swooning. Suddenly, Abhi leaped forward, catching her in time to stop her from falling down on the floor.
Part 8 updated at -
Edited by ANfan_1810 - 15 years ago
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