FF-Obsession,chapter29 and next thread-pg150,7oct. - Page 82

A smile of true happiness crept across her lips,when she entered the room.She wanted time to freeze at this moment because what her eyes were witnessing was a rare sight.Maan was sleeping peacefully with putul laying on his stomach.His hands were firmly yet softly wrapped around the little daughter of his.Baby's head was placed just above his heart,however naughty girl was not sleeping like her father.She was busy chewing strap of maan's vest,with her four newly grown milk teeth. Geet closed her eyes in an attempt to capture this moment in her memory forever as it was one of the rarest times when maan's love for his daughter was shown freely. Geet came on the bed,drifting baby's attention from the chewing act to feeding bottle in her hands.Soon baby started wriggling in his arms,telling her wish to come to geet's lap,in her own way.Her wriggling disturbed maan's sleep,but still he preferred to keep his eyes closed.He shifted baby to the bed,besides him as he turned to sleep side ways.."what happened to my angel??"he murmured in a drowsy voice,kissing one of her cheek.

"mm..mumm..."putul called geet while kicking her legs frantically.

"putul want to have some milk.."Geet said,pulling putul to her lap from his arms.She pushed the nipple of the bottle to her mouth,soon baby was sulking it..Maan looked at them with lazy eyes and came to sitting position,stretching his arms and muffling a yawn.

"I am sorry,geet..i don't know when sleep overcame me.."he said caressing baby's hair.In a response,baby abandoned the feeding bottle and gave a smile to him. He bend forward to kiss putul's fore head but stopped in middle.

"why did not you kiss her??"Geet asked knowing very well he would never answer this question honestly.

"She won't finish her milk then.she will start playing with me,look she had already stopped drinking.."Maan said, once again pushing the bottle in her little mouth thus making putul busy in filling her stomach.

"She don't let you sleep at night,right???"Geet asked adjusting baby in her lap.

"hmmm...she is little cranky these days.."he replied touching his vest's strap which was now wet due to baby's saliva,,"look,what she has done now.."

"your daughter is 7 months old and she is teething,maan.Kids get cranky at this time.."

"and chewing???she tries to bite everything she can get.." he asked.

"chewing is also normal,i think we should get some teethers for her..."

Maan nodded his head in response."you know alot about kids..there should be an infant in your family,,umm..let me guess..your elder brother or sister must have a small baby,right"he said adjusting small pink pillows on the bed for his little princess.She had finished her milk.Geet cradled putul on her shoulder,to make her burp.She burped and geet made her lay on the bed.

"No,there is no infant in my family"She sighed."It would be more appropriate if i say that I don't have any family."

He furrowed his brow,realizing it was first time when he had asked something to her regarding her personal life.."I don't understand.."

"I am an orphan,maan"She replied trying hard to conceal the vulnerability that came across her face.He was shocked as he tried to formulate the words in response to her declaration.Geet sensed his struggle and continued herself.."My childhood spent in one of orphanages in Dehradun.They say that i was left at the door of the orphanage at night when i was 2.After that,i was grown by the grace of orphanage staff and people who are kind enough to donate money and sponsor the primary education of children like me.I was quite bright with studies.Scholarships helped me alot to become what i am today..."She looked at him and said with smile.."A shrink..."He smiled slightly in response." Life in orphanage is different maan..Elder kids have to take care of younger kids.We become parent,brother,sister of each other.Children there, are either abandoned by their parents or cruelty of death takes their parents away.So they try to build their own relations.I can say that i have reared at least fifteen kids in my orphanage till the age of 19.That is why you found me good with kids"

"I am sure you were great parent to them..."He said trying to give a genuine smile but vulnerability and pain on geet's countenance when she was telling him her story,had stirred his insides.Love that he was trying hard to suppress till now,rose with an urgency in his heart as his entire existence urged to cocoon that vulnerable yet brave,strong yet weak geet in his embrace and tell her that he wanted to be with her always.Only he knew,how he controlled his emotions as he decided to do something which would end this struggle of his forever.He could not love geet but he could make geet hate him or at least not love him.

"I don't know that but i tried my best..by the way..you are a great parent maan..the way you manage your office and putul is commendable..."Geet's voice broke his reverie.

"Thanks but it would have been impossible without you,,," He said in cold voice as he prepared himself for breaking her heart.

Suddenly they heard baby squeaking in order to get the much needed attention from them.Geet immediately caressed baby's forhead.."what happened to my baby???" Putul spread her little arms and geet pulled baby to her lap.

"geet..."

"umm???"

"why do you love her???"He asked.

His question made her scowl."what kind of question is that???"

"Do you take care of all your patient's kids like this???or there is some other reason???"

"According to you,what could be my reasons???"Suddenly her heart was thumping in her ears as the day when she confessed her attraction towards him replayed infront of her eyes.

"I think,you see yourself in her..Are not you two similar in some way.."He knew,he was mean with his words for geet as well as his daughter but he could not help as it was the only way to make geet stay away from him.

"Yes we are similar..i am an orphan just like her.."She replied with tinge of anger and a lot of pain in her eyes but soon it was replaced with despair as she continued..."but you know there is a major difference..."

"what???"he asked..

"She has "you" with her..."she replied,as she put the sleeping baby in his lap.She herself got up from the bed to leave the room.Maan watched her leaving.Once she was near the door,she turned and said..."I love her because she is your daughter..."!!!!!

Maan did not miss the thin film of moisture covering her hazels as lone drop of tear escaped his eyes too and fell on putul's cheek.Only if geet had looked back once,she could have seen a crying father taking solace in little arms of his daughter.

putul's pic..