FF: You & I...Collide 2 Prt21 Pg132 Oct26 - Page 95

Maan woke that morning with a slight throbbing headache. Opening his eyes slowly he squinted at the sunlight that came in through the windows. Feeling a warm body against him, he knew it was Sameera's. It was then he remembered what had happened the night before – not that he had forgotten completely.

The entire night while Sameera slept, he lay awake replaying his conversation with Naintara in his mind. He still couldn't bring himself to believe the fact that his then nine year old sister had orchestrated such a game that it changed the course of all of their lives.

Before he could think any further he felt Sameera stir next to him as she began to wake.

"Good morning," Maan whispered as he placed a kiss on her shoulder since she had her back to him.

"Hmm…morning," she purred back.

"Sorry about last night," Maan said as he pulled himself away from her to give her more space. "I hope you were able to sleep well."

As he stretched he could feel each and every one of his stiff muscles in his body. Two grown adults sleeping on a twin sized bed was not comfortable in the least.

"I was in your arms…it's been the best sleep I've gotten in days," she said as she snuggled closer to him after turning to face him.

As Sameera's body pressed against his and her head lay on his chest, Maan found himself forgetting about everything. It was like peace and contentment washed over him knowing that he had his wife at his side.

"I could stay like this forever," Sameera said breaking Maan's thoughts.

At that very moment he heard Sameera's stomach growl, causing him to chuckle while she blushed slightly.

"I don't think the baby could stay like this forever," Maan said. "I think she's hungry."

"Yes, I think he's hungry," Sameera said purposefully changing the 'she' to a 'he'.

Maan got out of bed and stretched. He was straightening himself up when a nurse walked in with a try of supplies. She explained to them that she was going to be taking some blood for a test that Dr. Handa had requested. Once that procedure was done, an orderly came in with a food tray. Setting it in front of Sameera, he left.

Sameera removed the cover excitedly but her face fell at the sight of her breakfast. On her tray sat white toast, something that looked like eggs and fruit. Next to the place was a bowl of oatmeal, a glass of orange juice and some milk. Maan couldn't stop himself from laughing. Usually Sameera was a healthy eater – her usual breakfast consisted of fresh fruits and oatmeal with some brown sugar. However, since she'd gotten pregnant, her tastes had completely changed.

"Go ahead and laugh," she said to him in a slightly edgy tone, "You just laugh your head off while your wife and son starve."

Though he stopped laughing the smile didn't leave his face as he looked at Sameera sitting with her arms crossed over her chest, pouting.

"We can't have my wife and daughter starving now can we?" Maan asked, "Why don't you get freshened up and I'll go get us some real breakfast."

Immediately her face lit up with a smile.

"Okay," she agreed quickly as she got to her feet.

No sooner had she gotten up then fallen back into the bed. Maan was at her side instantly.

"Sam! What happened?" he asked as he held her hand. "Are you ok? Let me get the doctor."

He was about to get up and go but Sameera didn't loosen her hold on him.

"I'm fine," she said.

"No…" Maan began.

"I'm fine…really…just got up too fast," Sameera said as she smiled at him. "You go."

"Are you sure?" Maan asked.

"Yes, go…we're starving remember," Sameera reminded as she gently rubbed her stomach.

Reluctantly Maan got up to leave.

"I'll just send…" he began but was cut off.

"Yes…go ahead and send in a nurse to help," Sameera said.

He knew that she knew he was worried and even though she didn't really need the help, she would oblige because it would put his mind at ease. His heart swelled with love as he placed a quick kiss on her lips before promising to return quickly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Naintara sat in her room flipping through the TV channels but found nothing better to watch than morning talk shows or the morning news, neither of which interested her. At Geet's request, they had allowed Arjun to spend the night with her in her room. The staff had even been kind enough to bring him a small sofa-bed so he could sleep somewhat comfortably.

When she had awakened that morning Arjun had already been gone. She found a note on her bedside table letting her know that he'd just gone to check on something but that he'd be back soon after a quick shower and change of clothes at home. He also asked her to try and deal with the breakfast the hospital served but promised that he'd bring her a more appetizing lunch.

A smile appeared on her face as she thought about Arjun. She still couldn't figure out how she had ended up with a guy like him especially after what she'd done to Geet and Maan. She knew that she didn't deserve him but she also knew that Karma had taken revenge on her. Tears came to her eyes and threatened to spill.

Pulling her out of her trance was a knock at her door. Blinking away her tears and straightening herself out she saw the door being pushed open.

"May I come in?" a familiar voice called.

"Yes," she answered.

Before she could place the voice, the person walked in and Naintara was shocked. She had been expecting a nurse yet in walked Sameera. As Naintara stared at her in surprise, Sameera gave her a smile. They looked at each other in silence for a while, the only sound was that coming from the TV. Picking up the remote Naintara turned off the TV and turned to face Sameera again.

"How are you feeling?"Sameera asked.

"Fine I guess," Naintara answered.

She knew that she too should ask how Sameera was doing especially considering that she as attached to an IV pole, wore a hospital gown and looked completely spent, yet she didn't. She pretended like she didn't see anything different or anything wrong. In Naintara's eyes she only saw Sameera Khurana, the woman who had tried to replace Geet in her life.

"That's good," Sameera said bringing Naintara back to reality.

Naintara simply nodded her head and again fell silent.

"Did you need something Sam?" Naintara asked rather annoyed.

She didn't like the fact that someone she considered a stranger, was here witnessing her at one of the worst moments of her life. Naintara knew the question threw Sameera off track because she suddenly became fumbled.

It was then that there was another knock on the door.

"Good morning," another voice called before the person entered.

This time Naintara knew who that voice belonged to.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Geet had come into the hospital later than usual. The previous night had been a restless night filled with tossing and turning. It had gotten so bad that she had ended up calling Adi at two in the morning. He had come and picked her up before taking her to one of their favorite Thai places in Hollywood. It was a small family run restaurant that catered to the night owls by opening at 4pm and closing at 4am. Talking to Adi and laughing with him and made Geet forget the drama that had unfolded with Naintara. She didn't want to be alone so she had invited Adi up to her apartment. There she had fallen asleep on the couch with her read resting on his shoulder, after she's spent a good part of the night just telling him about her Naina.

After making quick rounds with her patients, she headed to check on Naina first. Picking up her chart she checked Naina's latest lap reports and thankfully everything was normal. She knocked before entering the room but was left speechless when she saw that Sameera stood before her along with Naina.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Geet said, "I'll come back later."

She had just turned to leave when Naina called out to her.

"No GG, you're not interrupting anything," she said.

"Yes Dr. Handa, you're not interrupting anything," Sameera said. "I was just leaving."

"What are you doing out of bed?" Geet asked as she looked at Sameera, "I thought I was clear when I said I wanted you stress free and on bed rest."

"I'm not stressed…I promise……but…bed rest?" Sameera asked, suddenly concerned, "No one told me."

"I had the nurse speak to Maan…umm…Mr. Khurana about it last night," Geet said.

"He didn't tell me," Sameera said.

"Well now you know…bed rest at least until I get your labs back later today," Geet instructed.

"Of course Dr. Handa…" Sameera quickly agreed.

Geet stood silently as Sameera turned back to Naina and simply looked at her.

"Did you need something else Sam?" Naina asked.

"No…no nothing," Sameera said, "Just glad to know you're ok."

Geet picked up on the sadness that filled Sameera's voice at the way that Naina talked to her.

"Take care," Sameera added.

"Whatever," Geet heard Naina say under her breath.

It took all she had to not yell at Naina for the way she was behaving. The level of disrespect and attitude she had towards Sameera was appalling. Naina knew better than that. Geet knew that Naina knew better than that.

Before she could have another thought she heard a faint calling in the hall way. Immediately a frown came on her face.

This is a hospital for God's sake! Who is yelling?

Stepping out into the hall, her frown quickly disappeared as she saw Maan searching for Sameera as he called her name. When his eyes fell on her she smiled at him softly and pointed inside Naina's room. He rushed over and stopped at the threshold from where he could see Sameera.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Naintara had just taken a bit of her bagel when Geet had began talking. She watched as Geet stood taller when he talked about Adi. She listened to the joy and love in her voice as she spoke about Adi.

Looking from Geet she looked to Adi. The lab coat he had hung on the chair before sitting down read 'Dr. Aditya Mehta – Cardiothoracic'. When he'd come in Naintara had recognized him as the man that had been in her room the night before when she had been interview by the police. He had sensed her uneasiness then and left.

From the look in Geet's eyes and in Adi's eyes, Naintara could see that they truly loved each other and were truly happy. From the glow that came from Geet's face, Naintara knew that Geet wasn't settling for Adi because she couldn't have Maan, but that Geet had chooses Adi despite Maan.

Though she tried, she couldn't help but smile as Adi got up and allowed Geet to sit while he found another stool for himself.

If this was the man that Geet had chosen, Naintara knew he couldn't be that bad.

Bringing the bagel up to her mouth she said, "I guess you can call ne Naina too," before taking a bite.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Geet had changed out of her scrubs and was dressed in a simple pair of jeans, a black tank top and purple cardigan. Grabbing her purse she slung it over her shoulder before she closed her locker. Checking the time she saw that it was just past eight in the evening. She had planned a dinner for Adi but had ended up scrapping the idea when Adi got called into emergency surgery for a patient in the ER who had suffered a massive heart attack and needed a quadruple bypass.

Once more she checked in on Naina and Sameera before leaving for the night. While Naina was up and watching a movie with Arjun on the laptop he'd brought, Sameera had been sound asleep so Geet hadn't bothered her.

Geet was just passing the hospitals main entrance looking for her car keys when someone called out from behind causing her to jump. Turning she found a sad looking Maan emerging from the shadows.

"Jeez Maan, you scared me to death," she said as she placed one hand on her heart which beat rapidly.

"I'm sorry," Maan said.

"It's ok," Geet said.

"No…I'm sorry for what Naintara did…and what that did to us," Maan said.

"What's done is done Maan…no need in dwelling on the past," she said once she had her keys in her hand.

"How can you be so calm about this?" Maan asked, as his voice began to rise. "She changed our lives, she took so much from us…we broke up because of her."

A sad grin came on her face as Geet contemplated whether or not she should say what she wanted to say. She decided that she would tell him because she didn't want to hold anything back. It had been ten years since their lives had been torn apart, and though she had moved on with her life, she knew that there was unresolved issues when it came to her and Maan. It was time to lay it all out and put the issue to rest once and for all.

"We didn't break up because of Naina," Geet began, "We broke up because of you."

----Flashback----

Geet raced down the main staircase of Khurana Mansion. She was still reeling from the conversation she'd just had with Naina.

'I would make him choose. I did make him choose and he chose me.'

She couldn't believe that Naina – her Naina – a mere nine year old had managed to orchestrate such a huge farce that it threatened to tear her and Maan apart. This one incident would destroy a three year relationship that they had built. This one incident would destroy the love that they had shared.

Only moments ago it seemed like their relationship was done, their bond shattered. But now, now it seemed like maybe they still had a chance to salvage their relationship. If Geet could just explain to Maan what Naina had wanted and what Naina had done, then maybe they could forget this entire ordeal as if it were a nightmare.

"Maan…" she called as she rushed into the living room.

She found him standing the far corner of the room next to the fire place. His hand gripped the mantle while he stared out of the window that looked towards the main gates of the compound.

"Maan," she called again as she walked to him.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked, without turning to face her.

"I need to tell you something," Geet said.

"There is nothing left to say…I told you, we're done," he reminded.

"What if I told you that we weren't?" Geet asked, "What if I told you we could be saved?"

That caught his attention forcing him to turn and face her. When he did, Geet felt her heart break as she saw his eyes red with tears.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Behind those tears she could see that though his lips told her they were done, his heart and soul grasped at straws to hold on to each other.

"Are you saying yes?" he asked, the hope evident in his voice.

"No…no that's not what I'm saying," Geet clarified.

"Then there is nothing left to say," he said as he turned back towards the window, as if shutting her out.

Geet stayed silent as she took a few steps towards him.

"Naina doesn't want us to get married," Geet said in a hushed tone.

"What?" Maan asked, as he turned his face to the side slightly.

"She doesn't want us to get married," Geet repeated.

"What? No…no she specifically asked me…she told me she needed a family…our family Geet…she told me," Maan said as she finally faced her again.

"She only said that so that we would break up," Geet said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Maan asked, as confusion raced through him.

Geet explained to him how Naina had known that he would do anything for her and she also knew that education was something Geet wouldn't give up on. Naina had wanted Maan to ask to ask Geet to marry him because she knew Geet would say no. She also knew that that would not have been an acceptable answer for Maan thus resulting in the end of their relationship.

"All she really wanted was you," Geet said.

Maan had started taking steps away from Geet. "Do you realize what you're saying…what you're implying?" Maan asked.

"Maan don't misunderstand me…" Geet began.

She took a step towards him but he put a hand up to stop her.

"You're saying that my sister…my baby sister…lied. That she manipulated this entire situation," Maan said as he continued to take steps backwards.

"No…no that's not what I'm saying Maan," Geet said as she felt this conversation going off track. "She's young, she just lost her parents and sees the potential to lose the only person constant in her life…her Bhai."

"You're saying that…" Maan began but stopped.

"I'm saying that she's a scared little girl trying to hold on to the one person she loves more than anything in the world," Geet said.

Geet stood silently as Maan took in everything she'd just said.

"No, Naina wouldn't do that she…she would lie to me like that…" Maan said as he stared her blankly.

"Maan she…" Geet began.

"She wouldn't do that to me!" Maan yelled cutting off Geet. "She knows how much I love you…she sees how much I've been hurting these past few days. She wouldn't do that to us…she wouldn't do that me."

"Maan please…just listen…" Geet pleaded.

"I don't believe you…I don't believe you!" he roared.

Geet took a step back as he looked at her.

Did he really think I was lying?

Rage was streaming through his eyes and his hands were balled into fists so tightly that his knuckles were white. Calming her nerves, she took a deep breath.

"Maan…if I told you now that Naina was lying, that this was all just a set up to get what she wanted…what would you say?" Geet asked.

He turned to look at her from where he stood across the room. He remained silent, as if pondering what his response was to be.

"Then I would say that you were the one lying," he finally answered.

A gasp escaped Geet's lips and she had to hold onto the sofa next to her to keep from stumbling back. The accusation left his lips so easily, and with such determination that there was no going back.

Tears filled her eyes as she watched her love for the man that stood before her go up in flames.

-----Present-----

"Don't you see…it wasn't what she did that split us up…it was what you did," Geet said.

"But…I…I'm sorry I didn't believe you…I'm sorry I didn't trust you," Maan finally managed to say with some conviction, though he knew even that wasn't enough.

"I never blamed you for that Maan," Geet said with a soft simle. "Anyone in your situation would have difficulty coming to terms with what I said to you that night."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Maan stood confused at Geet's response. If she didn't blame him for not trusting her, then what was she talking about? How did he cause their split if she understood his feelings back then?

"What are you saying Geet?" he asked.

"You not believing me was just another drop in the bucket," Geet said. "But you thinking that I'd do something so horrible to Naina, that was the drop that made the bucket spill over."

"How? I don't…" Maan began but stopped.

"When you said I was the liar, you implied that I had fabricated this entire story to shove blame off on Naina…a nine year old. You believed that I would push her under the bus and lie to you about her just to save us," she explained.

Maan stood silently taking in everything she said.

"You believed that I was so selfish that I'd sacrifice Naina to save us. You didn't believe that I loved her enough to want to protect her too," Geet said. "But you were wrong. I loved that girl with all my heart."

"I had no idea…I…" Maan began stuttering as he tried to formulate a sentence.

"I would have forgiven everything Maan…everything…but it was your lack of faith in my love for your sister that I couldn't forgive," Geet said.

Maan stood silently, looking at the ground unable to meet Geet's eyes. A few moments later, when he heard her walking away, he finally looked up. As he watched her walk away everything that had just transpired began to sink in leaving only one thought in his mind.

What have I done.