IPKKND FF: Trial by fire Part 33 updated on Pg 84 - Page 5

I took babuji for an initial checkup at Escorts and then worked with their stroke rehabilitation team there. The weekly visits were easy to manage because everyone here assumed that I was going for my check-up. It was harder to coordinate when Chotey and Khushi were at the Gupta house. Anyways, I was happiest a couple of weeks ago when Babuji's speech therapy progressed so well that he could speak sentences together. When I went to pick him up for his checkup, I happened to overhear him talking to Garima ji and Bua ji.

He said he was worried for Khushi with Shyam around in the same house. When Garima ji told him 'Anjali bitiya tho abhi maa bannewali hai. Log aise hi badalte hai - Aur Shyam tho naya jeevan ke intezaar mein bilkul khush or badal gayein honge. Khushi ne bhi kuch ulta-seedha nahi kaha unke baare mein. Sab theek hoga...Aap khamokhaab pareshan mat hoiye.' (Anjali is going to become a mother. People change just like that. And Shyam is awaiting the coming of a new life ,he must be very happy and must have changed. Also, Khushi has not told us that anything untoward has happened. Everything is okay. You are getting stressed unnecessarily)

Bua ji voiced her doubts, 'Jab Khushi bitiya sangeet ke liye abhyaas kar rahi thi, tab woh Shyam yahaan aaya tha. maine apne aankhon se dekha ki woh kitne gandhe nazaron se Khushi ko dekh raha tha. Maine jat se hamare ghar ki darwaze bandh kar dhi. Par mein hamesha isi dar mein rehti hoon ki hamari bitiya wahan uss ghar mein kaise theek se hai. Par jab Arnav bitwa aur Khushi bitiya yahaan aaye tho mera mann shaant ho gaya...Hamne dekha ki kaise Arnav bitwa Khushi ka khayal rakhthe hai. Woh itna bolte nahi...Par unka kaam aur soch pakka hai.' (when Khushi was practising for the Sangeet funtion, Shyam had ocme here, I saw with my own eyes, the lecherous way he looked at Khushi. I immediately closed the doors of our house. I have always been fearing for Khushi in that house. However, when Arnav and Khushi came here to live with us, I became peaceful again - I saw the way he takes care of her. He doesnt talk as much - However, his actions and thoughts are all in the right place).

Babuji finally managed to get a sentence in between ...'Mujhe abhi bhi dar hai ..Ek aadmi jo kisi ke jaan lene main koi jijhak nahi leta, woh itne aasani se badalnewala nahi hai. Mere iss stithi mein rehne ka kaaran hi Shyam hai.' (I am still afraid. A man who doesnt hesitate before taking another's life, is not going to change as easily. Shyam is responsible for me being in this state).

"To say I was shocked was to put it mildly. I saw my idol crashing before my eyes. The husband who I had trusted, had ruined lives. Was doing that even now and was dangerous. A lot of things he had said and done made sense now - the frequent absences, the money he took from my account, the animosity since the weddings between Chotey and Shyam, Khushi's skittering away from Shyam every single time when she talked so freely with everyone else.

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He cursed himself as he lifted her, wrapping her pallu carefully around her so that she and the blood stains were decently covered. Prakash, the tea boy, was already holding the door open as Arnav walked out with Khushi in his arms to get to the elevators. It was sad and ironic that Khushi had to use the elevator was his stray thought. She seemed so pale, lifeless, fragile and lightweight. If she were not in his arms, Arnav felt that he might have done something to himself.

Akash, talking on the phone, briefly overheard this, "Bhai, Khushiji will be alright, dont worry. Be strong for her.". He had never seen his Bhai like this before. Not even when Anjali di had been in the accident. When his parents had died, Bhai had been so stoic. All his tears had been reserved for his naani's lap - And even then, the weight of responsibilities had shaped him and made him stronger. "Yes, please can you have Dr. Kulkarni waiting for us. She is our family doctor", Akash said on the phone to the hospital staff arranging to have a team ready to take over immediately as soon as they reached. He had already talked to Payal and had her take a cab to the same hospital telling her not to share the information broadly.

Dr.Kulkarni was waiting for them. Arnav reluctantly laid Khushi on the stretcher - He felt that he had lost something very precious. Atleast by holding her, he hoped he could transfer some of his body warmth and life into her. Dr. Kulkarni was asking him something as they walked quickly to the critical care unit and he shook his head to focus on her..."Khushi had come here this morning. What happened since then?"

"Doctor, she slipped down the stairs. There seems to be a lot of blood. Please tell me she is going to be okay ...You have to do everything you can to get her back to me."

"So, when she came here this morning, I told her to get an ultrasound done as I seemed to hear multiple heart-beats. The fact that she had had no symptoms at all was puzzling but not unexpected. Some women are like that. Do you know if she got the ultra-sound done?"

"What do you mean multiple heart-beats?"

"Well, I suspected she is carrying twins. But we wouldnt know with 100% certainty until we could catch the heartbeat via an ultra-sound. Given she is so frail, I was concerned if she was strong enough to carry them. Now...she seems to have lost a lot of blood, I dont know what to say ...Let's be hopeful.", she said as she left Arnav and Akash behind and went into the triage area.

Arnav felt like someone had dealt him a mortal blow. Three lives -- All hanging by a thread and all because of him. Sheer pain rippled through him. Never had he felt so guilty, so hurt, so helpless in his life as he did now.

Part 6

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I hope you all like this edition. I like the way the characters are shaping up and I hope you are liking this too. I see everyone posting about plagiarism and I hope none of my nice readers do that to me ...Remember, for every writer, their creation is their baby. Dont steal someone's baby.