[Inside the ICU]
Khushi
rushes inside the ICU ward with Payal and silently to her father's bedside. The
nurse hovers in the background keeping a hawk eye on the proceedings around her
patient. Khushi forgets everything about her conversation with Arnav the moment she sees her father lying on the bed, his neck heavily bandaged, but his eyes
were open and he was blinking at Garima. Khushi sees her Amma leaning towards
the bed, holding her husband's palm in her hand, her eyes brimming with tears
of joy. She instinctively turns around and summons Khushi.
"Khushee! Dekh bitiya! Tumre bauji ko hosh aai
gawa hai," Garima's voice sounds shrill with happiness. Khushi smiles and
slowly sits by her father's bedside.
"Bauji!"
she says to her father. To her utter delight, she watches as her father turns
his neck slightly to turn his gaze from his wife to his daughter. His eyes are
alight with happiness too.
"Khushi
dekh!" Payal's excited voice comes from behind her. Khushi turns around to see
that Payal is pointing at Bauji's toes peeping out of his sheets. There is
slight movement in them. Khushi gapes in amazement. Her father was wriggling
his toes! She looks back at her father thrilled. "Bauji! Aap... aap apne paer
ki ungliyan hila pa rahe hain?" she exclaims delightedly. She looks towards
Garima. "Amma! Dekho! Bauji apne paer ki ungliyan hila pa rahe hain!" she
points to his toes excitedly.
Garima
walks over to Khushi and hugs her happily. "Haan meri bachi. Poore ek saal
baad, ye chamatkaar hui raha hai," her voice breaks with happiness. Payal too
hugs them tightly and the three Gupta women stand awkwardly in the embrace half
laughing, half crying. The nurse's gaze softens for a moment, and if someone
would have seen her, they'd swear there was a hint of a smile on her lips too.
Garima
slowly sits down on the chair next to Shashi and holds his hand gently in hers
again. She murmurs gratefully, "Devi Maiyya ka lakh lakh sukar hai." Payal and
Khushi sit on either bedside of their father. Khushi wipes the tears that had
surfaced in her eyes. The nurse comes back and checks on some of the instruments
around him.
"Inko
aaj raat tak yahan under observation rakha jayega. Aur kal subah inko normal
ward mein shift kar denge," the nurse explains as she updates the patient
chart.
"Hum
inko ghar kab tak le ja sakte hain?" Payal asks the nurse who shrugs.
"Woh
to aapko doctor se hi poochna padega," she replies. Before walking out she
reminds Garima that the morning visiting hours concluded in the next 20 minutes
so they should leave her patient and let him get some rest.
[Outside the ICU]
The
Gupta family walks out of the ICU chattering happily about Shashi's positive
signs post operation and probable health improvements in the near future. All
three of them look upbeat. Suddenly, Khushi stops in her tracks.
"Aap abhi tak yahin hain?" Arnav looks up to
find Garima, Payal and Khushi walk out of the ICU 20 minutes later. Khushi
looks surprised to see him still sitting outside the ICU. Arnav stands up
immediately.
"Khushi
mujhe tumse kuch zaroori baat karni hai," he requests her. Before Khushi can
reply, the nurse walks out of the ward and stops to stare at the gathering in
the corridor. She looks mightily displeased.
"Visiting
hours khatam ho chuke hain. Aap log please yahan se jaiye," she says, the
"please" losing its value in her bossy voice. Garima and Payal nod their head
in understanding and start walking towards the lift talking happily between
them. Khushi also starts following them. Arnav gapes at her walking past him, seeing
his request of wanting to speak to her wordlessly dismissed from her mind.
He
quickly runs after her, grabs her by her arm and turns her around. "Khushi!
Maine kaha mujhe tumse baat karni hai!" Arnav repeats insistently, his voice
rising a little. Khushi's stares at him in disbelief that he was getting angry
with her again. She slowly removes his hand from her arm.
"Par
humein aapse koi baat nahin karni hai," she hisses back at him and starts
walking towards the lift again. Arnav stands rooted to the spot. This is all
very alien behaviour to him. Khushi had never dismissed him like this before.
His glance follows her back as she stands in front of the elevator doors with
her mother and sister, waiting for the lift to arrive. The he notices something
behind Khushi; a closed door with FIRE EXIT written in bold on it. His lips
curve into a smirk.
He
walks casually towards the lift, timing his steps. He sees the lift doors open
and a few people walk out of it. He walks closer. Then he sees Garima walk
inside the lift, followed by Payal who is carrying the bag. He hastens his
steps. Just as Khushi is about to step inside the elevator, he grabs her by the
arm, walks streadily to the fire exit door and pushes it open. Before Garima or
Payal can realise what has happened, he pulls Khushi out in the landing of the
staircase and quickly shuts the door behind him and latches it from his side.
All this happens in the time frame of a blink, a gasp and a heaving breath.
Khushi
is shocked to say the least as she realises what Arnav has done. She is
standing on the landing of the dimly lit staircase. She tries to run back
towards the door, but Arnav quickly walks towards her, pushing Khushi against
the railing of the staircase. He places both his arms on her either side,
caging her and blocking her way out.
"Par
maine kaha, ki mujhe tumse baat karni hai," he steps closer to her and his voice
comes out unintentionally husky. Khushi notices the taut muscles of his arms,
unyielding in their hold onto the railing. Khushi's gazes up to meets his eyes.
He holds her captive in an unwavering gaze. Her breathing instantly hikes up.
Dhad Dhad. Dhad Dhad.
Arnav looks down at the vulnerable woman enclosed
within the lock of his open embrace. From the point he is standing, a lone
source of light filters on Khushi, and he can see her pupils dilate. He feels a
strange feeling in the pits of his stomach, like he has missed a stair while
walking down the staircase. His heartbeat starts racing.
Dhad Dhad. Dhad
Dhad.
Her eyes dart to his lips before she pulls her gaze
to his eyes again. Even though he has not embraced her and was standing a foot
away, she feels her resolve of not talking to him fading.
Dhad Dhad. Dhad
Dhad.
He notices the trembling of her slightly parted
lips. He feels his thoughts slipping away from his mind. He starts forgetting
what it is that he wanted to say to her.
Dhad Dhad. Dhad
Dhad.
Suddenly
they hear footsteps coming from the stairs above them. Both Arnav and Khushi instantly
look up towards the source of the sound. They see two pairs of feet walking
down. Khushi looks back towards Arnav and taking advantage of his laxity,
quickly pushes him away from her. The doctors look at them curiously as they
pass the couple and continue walking downstairs.
Within
the few seconds that she pushes him away from her and the doctors walk past
them, Khushi forcefully pushes the distractions clouding her mind. This was
Arnav and she couldn't afford to lose herself into him. She couldn't afford to
let him sweep her off her feet. She couldn't afford to lose her senses. She
couldn't afford any mistakes!
Arnav
looks back at Khushi who is now glaring at him. The moment was gone.
"Kyun
aaye aap yahan?" Khushi asks him sternly. Arnav does a double take. Wasn't he
the one who wanted to do the talking to her?
"Main
tumse baat karne aaya hun, Khushi," he replies back confidently. Khushi folds
her arms and leans her back on the railing of the staircase.
"Kyun?
Pichli mulakat ke baad, abhi bhi kuch kehna baaki reh gaya hai kya?" Khushi
asks him sarcastically. Arnav looks startled. He hadn't thought that she'd
bring up their last meeting within the first minute of their conversation. "Ek
minute," she adds as if suddenly remembering something. "Par aapne to vaada
kiya tha na? Ki us din ke baad se humari zindagi mein kabhi nahin ayenge. To
phir Arnav Singh Raizada ne," she
stresses on the name, "apna vaada kaise tod diya?" she asks him in mock
surprise. Her voice ricochets around the closed staircase eerily.
Arnav
stares at Khushi as her words remind him of the the angry vengeful monologue he
had uttered not long ago. Main tumse
kehta hun, ki meri life mein tumhari koi jagah nahin hai. Aur aaj ke baad se
main bhi tumhari life mein kabhi nahin aaunga. I promise you Khushi Kumari
Gupta! He closes his eyes and slowly shakes his head, trying to wipe off
the memory of that disastrous night. Concentrate!
"Mujhe
laga ki..." Arnav starts off, but feels a lump in his throat as the thought her
her having an accident comes back to his mind. "Mujhe laga ki tumhara
operation-"
"Ji
nahin. Na to humara operation hua hai aur naa hi hum ICU mein bharti hue hain,"
Khushi clarifies angrily by stating the obvious. "Par Jeeji par chilla kar to woh
baat aapko samajh aa hi gai hogi?" She says casually. Arnav is again at a loss
of words as he remembers. I shouted at
Payal too, damnit! What the hell is wrong with me? "Ya phir bauji ko ICU
mein le jaate dekh jab aapki hansi chooti thi, tab to aap samajh hi gaye honge."
"Main
un par hans nahin raha tha Khushi," Arnav immediately tries to explain. "Main
bas relieved tha ki tum theek ho." She folds her arms and cocks her head
sideways, looking challengingly at him.
"Matlab
aap pareshan the?" she asks him. "Hamare
liye?" she adds incredulously.
"Haan
Khushi. Main... main worried tha ki tumhe kuch ho gaya hai," he whispers
torturedly. Anger quickly rises in Khushi's mind.
"Ohh,
matlab jab aapne humare operation ke bare mein suna, tab aapko hamari chinta
hui?" Khushi asks scathingly. "Ki dekhun to sahi, Khushi zinda hai ya mar gayi,"
she asks her voice rising with every word. Arnav stands staggered, his eyes
widening in horror at hearing Khushi's words.
"Khushi..."
he whispers in shock.
Khushi
takes a step towards Arnav. "Jab humare
parivar ki beijjati hui thi, tab hamari chinta nahin hui aapko?" She asks angrily.
"Jab humein mandap par akela chod ke chale gaye the, tab hamari chinta nahin
hui aapko?" Another step forward by Khushi and Arnav steps back. "Jab hamein
rulaya tha, humara dil dukhaya tha, tab hamari chinta nahin hui aapko?" Arnav stares
as angry tears brim in Khushi's eyes and she roughly wipes them away. "Jab
humari Jeeji ko unke sasural se alag kar diya tha, tab hamari chinta nahin hui
aapko? Jab apni angoothi utar kar humse saar rishte khatam kar diye, tab hamari
chinta nahin hui aapko?" Arnav's back touches the door. He is cornered by
Khushi who keeps coming closer, her eyes still shining with tears. "Jab humari
zindagi se hamesha ke liye nikal jane ka vaada kiya tha, tab hamari chinta
nahin hui aapko?" Khushi's voice rises to a shout echoing all around
them.
A lump the size of a golf ball was lodged in her
throat. Khushi was on the verge of bursting into tears but she held on to her resolve. She could not allow herself to break,
knowing that if she'll cry now, if she'll let the dam of restrain crack, she'll
lose herself completely in the rapids of her emotions.
Arnav
looks into her eyes to realise something had changed. The warmth that was always behind
those hazel orbs is gone only to be replaced with a burning flame of fury. He
slowly reaches out to touch her shoulder, "Khushi..." but she shirks away from
his touch. His heart sinks. They stand still for a long silent moment just
looking at each other, listening to each others' breathing, completely
oblivious to the occasional sound of footsteps behind them.
"Khushi,
kya tum mujhe kabhi maaf nahin karogi?" Arnav says to her forlornly, as the
gravity of his mistakes sinks into his mind. Khushi stares at him, speechless
for a moment. Then she looks away.
"Hum
aapko maaf kar bhi dein to usse kya farak padta hai Arnavji?" she asks in a
surprisingly calm voice. "Ab hum dono ke beech koi rishta to bacha nahi." She
again looks back at Arnav and he can see the anguish in her eyes. "Par apni
zindagi aapko apne zameer (conscience) ke saath bitani hai. To aap khud se
poochiye, kya aap khud ko maaf kar sakte hain?" Khushi asks him. She slowly
turns around and walks down the stairs leaving a stunned Arnav standing at the
door, reeling under the effect of her words.
ENGLISH VERSION
Chapter 14 scene 2
[Inside the ICU]
Khushi
rushes inside the ICU ward with Payal and silently to her father's bedside. The
nurse hovers in the background keeping a hawk eye on the proceedings around her
patient. Khushi forgets everything about her conversation with Arnav the moment she sees her father lying on the bed, his neck heavily bandaged, but his eyes
were open and he was blinking at Garima. Khushi sees her Amma leaning towards
the bed, holding her husband's palm in her hand, her eyes brimming with tears
of joy. She instinctively turns around and summons Khushi.
"Khushee! See! Your father has regained consciousness," Garima's voice sounds shrill with happiness. Khushi smiles and
slowly sits by her father's bedside.
"Bauji!"
she says to her father. To her utter delight, she watches as her father turns
his neck slightly to turn his gaze from his wife to his daughter. His eyes are
alight with happiness too.
"Khushi
look!" Payal's excited voice comes from behind her. Khushi turns around to see
that Payal is pointing at Bauji's toes peeping out of his sheets. There is
slight movement in them. Khushi gapes in amazement. Her father was wriggling
his toes! She looks back at her father thrilled. "Bauji! You are... you are able to move your toes?" she exclaims delightedly. She looks towards
Garima. "Amma! Look! Bauji is able to move his toes" she
points to his toes excitedly.
Garima
walks over to Khushi and hugs her happily. "Yes my dear. This miracle is happening after an entire year," her voice breaks with happiness. Payal too
hugs them tightly and the three Gupta women stand awkwardly in the embrace half
laughing, half crying. The nurse's gaze softens for a moment, and if someone
would have seen her, they'd swear there was a hint of a smile on her lips too.
Garima
slowly sits down on the chair next to Shashi and holds his hand gently in hers
again. She murmurs gratefully, "a million thank you to Devi Maiyya." Payal and
Khushi sit on either bedside of their father. Khushi wipes the tears that had
surfaced in her eyes. The nurse comes back and checks on some of the instruments
around him.
"He'll be kept in the ICU for one more night under observation. He'll be shifted to the normal ward tomorrow," the nurse explains as she updates the patient
chart.
"When can we take him home?" Payal asks the nurse who shrugs.
"You'll need to confirm that with the doctor," she replies. Before walking out she
reminds Garima that the morning visiting hours concluded in the next 20 minutes
so they should leave her patient and let him get some rest.
[Outside the ICU]
The
Gupta family walks out of the ICU chattering happily about Shashi's positive
signs post operation and probable health improvements in the near future. All
three of them look upbeat. Suddenly, Khushi stops in her tracks.
"You're still here?" Arnav looks up to
find Garima, Payal and Khushi walk out of the ICU 20 minutes later. Khushi
looks surprised to see him still sitting outside the ICU. Arnav stands up
immediately.
"Khushi
I need to talk with you about something important," he requests her. Before Khushi can
reply, the nurse walks out of the ward and stops to stare at the gathering in
the corridor. She looks mightily displeased.
"Visiting
hours are over now. Can you all please leave?" she says, the
"please" losing its value in her bossy voice. Garima and Payal nod their head
in understanding and start walking towards the lift talking happily between
them. Khushi also starts following them. Arnav gapes at her walking past him, seeing
his request of wanting to speak to her wordlessly dismissed from her mind.
He
quickly runs after her, grabs her by her arm and turns her around. "Khushi!
I said I need to talk to you!" Arnav repeats insistently, his voice
rising a little. Khushi's stares at him in disbelief that he was getting angry
with her again. She slowly removes his hand from her arm.
"But I don't want to talk to you," she hisses back at him and starts
walking towards the lift again. Arnav stands rooted to the spot. This is all
very alien behaviour to him. Khushi had never dismissed him like this before.
His glance follows her back as she stands in front of the elevator doors with
her mother and sister, waiting for the lift to arrive. The he notices something
behind Khushi; a closed door with FIRE EXIT written in bold on it. His lips
curve into a smirk.
He
walks casually towards the lift, timing his steps. He sees the lift doors open
and a few people walk out of it. He walks closer. Then he sees Garima walk
inside the lift, followed by Payal who is carrying the bag. He hastens his
steps. Just as Khushi is about to step inside the elevator, he grabs her by the
arm, walks streadily to the fire exit door and pushes it open. Before Garima or
Payal can realise what has happened, he pulls Khushi out in the landing of the
staircase and quickly shuts the door behind him and latches it from his side.
All this happens in the time frame of a blink, a gasp and a heaving breath.
Khushi
is shocked to say the least as she realises what Arnav has done. She is
standing on the landing of the dimly lit staircase. She tries to run back
towards the door, but Arnav quickly walks towards her, pushing Khushi against
the railing of the staircase. He places both his arms on her either side,
caging her and blocking her way out.
"But I said, I want to talk to you," he steps closer to her and his voice
comes out unintentionally husky. Khushi notices the taut muscles of his arms,
unyielding in their hold onto the railing. Khushi's gazes up to meets his eyes.
He holds her captive in an unwavering gaze. Her breathing instantly hikes up.
Dhad Dhad. Dhad Dhad.
Arnav looks down at the vulnerable woman enclosed
within the lock of his open embrace. From the point he is standing, a lone
source of light filters on Khushi, and he can see her pupils dilate. He feels a
strange feeling in the pits of his stomach, like he has missed a stair while
walking down the staircase. His heartbeat starts racing.
Dhad Dhad. Dhad
Dhad.
Her eyes dart to his lips before she pulls her gaze
to his eyes again. Even though he has not embraced her and was standing a foot
away, she feels her resolve of not talking to him fading.
Dhad Dhad. Dhad
Dhad.
He notices the trembling of her slightly parted
lips. He feels his thoughts slipping away from his mind. He starts forgetting
what it is that he wanted to say to her.
Dhad Dhad. Dhad
Dhad.
Suddenly
they hear footsteps coming from the stairs above them. Both Arnav and Khushi instantly
look up towards the source of the sound. They see two pairs of feet walking
down. Khushi looks back towards Arnav and taking advantage of his laxity,
quickly pushes him away from her. The doctors look at them curiously as they
pass the couple and continue walking downstairs.
Within
the few seconds that she pushes him away from her and the doctors walk past
them, Khushi forcefully pushes the distractions clouding her mind. This was
Arnav and she couldn't afford to lose herself into him. She couldn't afford to
let him sweep her off her feet. She couldn't afford to lose her senses. She
couldn't afford any mistakes!
Arnav
looks back at Khushi who is now glaring at him. The moment was gone.
"why did you come here?" Khushi asks him sternly. Arnav does a double take. Wasn't he
the one who wanted to do the talking to her?
"I came here to talk to you, Khushi," he replies back confidently. Khushi folds
her arms and leans her back on the railing of the staircase.
"Why?
After our last meeting, is there something still left for you to say to me?" Khushi
asks him sarcastically. Arnav looks startled. He hadn't thought that she'd
bring up their last meeting within the first minute of their conversation. "One minute," she adds as if suddenly remembering something. "Didn't you promise me? That after that night you'll never come back into my life. Then how come Arnav Singh Raizada," she
stresses on the name, "broke his promise?" she asks him in mock
surprise. Her voice ricochets around the closed staircase eerily.
Arnav
stares at Khushi as her words remind him of the the angry vengeful monologue he
had uttered not long ago. I'm telling you this that there is no place for you in my life. And from today onwards, I'll not come back into your life either. I promise you Khushi Kumari
Gupta! He closes his eyes and slowly shakes his head, trying to wipe off
the memory of that disastrous night. Concentrate!
"I thought that..." Arnav starts off, but feels a lump in his throat as the thought her
her having an accident comes back to his mind. "I thought that you had an operation-"
"No. Neither was I operated upon, and nor am I in the ICU,"
Khushi clarifies angrily by stating the obvious. "But having shouted at Jeeji must have clarified that for you, right?" She says casually. Arnav is again at a loss
of words as he remembers. I shouted at
Payal too, damnit! What the hell is wrong with me? "Or else, when you laughed when you saw Bauji being taken into the ICU, I guess that must have clarified it for sure."
"I wasn't laughing at him, Khushi," Arnav immediately tries to explain. "I was just relieved that you are alright." She folds her arms and cocks her head
sideways, looking challengingly at him.
"Oh so you were worried?" she asks him. "For me?" she adds incredulously.
"Yes Khushi. I was... I was worried that something had happened to you," he whispers
torturedly. Anger quickly rises in Khushi's mind.
"Ohh,
so when you heard about my operation, that is when you got worried about me?" Khushi asks scathingly. "Oh let me check, if Khushi is dead or alive,"
she asks her voice rising with every word. Arnav stands staggered, his eyes
widening in horror at hearing Khushi's words.
"Khushi..."
he whispers in shock.
Khushi
takes a step towards Arnav. "When my family was disrespected, that time you didn't worry about me?" She asks angrily.
"When you left me at the altar, that time you didn't worry about me?" Another step forward by Khushi and Arnav steps back. "When you made me cry, when you hurt me, that time you didn't worry about me?" Arnav stares
as angry tears brim in Khushi's eyes and she roughly wipes them away. "When you caused the separation of my Jeeji with her in-laws, that time you didn't worry about me? When you took off the ring thereby finishing all relations with me, that time you didn't worry about me?" Arnav's back touches the door. He is cornered by
Khushi who keeps coming closer, her eyes still shining with tears. "WHEN YOU PROMISED ME THAT YOU'LL NEVER COME BACK INTO MY LIFE, THAT TIME YOU DIDN'T WORRY ABOUT ME?" Khushi's voice rises to a shout echoing all around
them.
A lump the size of a golf ball was lodged in her
throat. Khushi was on the verge of bursting into tears but she held on to her resolve. She could not allow herself to break,
knowing that if she'll cry now, if she'll let the dam of restrain crack, she'll
lose herself completely in the rapids of her emotions.
Arnav
looks into her eyes to realise something had changed. The warmth that was always behind
those hazel orbs is gone only to be replaced with a burning flame of fury. He
slowly reaches out to touch her shoulder, "Khushi..." but she shirks away from
his touch. His heart sinks. They stand still for a long silent moment just
looking at each other, listening to each others' breathing, completely
oblivious to the occasional sound of footsteps behind them.
"Khushi,
will you never forgive me?" Arnav says to her forlornly, as the
gravity of his mistakes sinks into his mind. Khushi stares at him, speechless
for a moment. Then she looks away.
"how would it matter, if I forgave you Arnavji?" she asks in a
surprisingly calm voice. "There's nothing left between us anymore." She
again looks back at Arnav and he can see the anguish in her eyes. "But you'll live with your conscience all your life. So the correct question to ask here is, can you forgive yourself?" Khushi asks him. She slowly
turns around and walks down the stairs leaving a stunned Arnav standing at the
door, reeling under the effect of her words.
NEXT CHAPTER (click)
Writer's note: FEEDBACK people! So, how was it? Good/bad/ugly/goosebumpy/not upto the mark/anti climax 😆 Tell me all about it dears. Your words push me to write better!
cheers! 😊
comment:
p_commentcount