Chapter 55: The plot and the plotter!😆
"huh!" He heard her sulking wen he called her up later in the night. "so u r still up?"he asked. "huh.. y do u even care?" "coz u have an imp surgery scheduled tomorrow morning..early on?" "so u actually had time to glance on my schedule' I m really surprised!" came a sarcastic comment! "uh'obviously Nidhi!" he said calmly! "oh.. is it so obvious 4 u.. really.. well I didn't see u around much!" He chuckled buttoning up his kurta and running a hand thru his wet hair as he went and stood by his window enjoying the cool nite! "I guess from ur words tht u r very angry.. really seriously angry at me!" "oh wow.. u got tht so easily without my even trying hard!" A chuckle escaped his lips at her cute complaint bt she frowned. "u know wat.. I don't wanna talk to u.." and she cut the phone abruptly before he cud even reply. She didn't even pick up his phone when he called her up and he took his usual alternate route SMS! A: Sweethrt I m gonna keep calling u.. till u pick up the phone. Nidhi didn't reply bt he went ahead and did exactly tht. At last, Nidhi felt tired of pouting and sulking, plus she jst wanted to talk to him. For the whole day, thy jst had those few minutes in his cabin to talk, without even seeing each other much for the rest of the day. "Hmmm!" she replied sadly, laying on the headrest, and playing with her cushion, wen she picked up his call. "sweetheart.." he called her out lovingly hearing her sad voice. "hmmm'"she uttered sliding down on the bed and hugging a soft pillow close to herself! "so how was ur first day at the hospital?" he asked. And Nidhi narrated in slow sleepy voice how it went. By the end of it, she even forgot how angry she was at not being able to meet or even talk and he hadn't even bothered to check on her the whole day and simply fell asleep. Her heavy tired eyes and body wanting some immediate rest. He called her out for a few times before cutting the phone with a sweet smile. He glanced at it as if it was Nidhi. He planted a soft kiss and uttered a sweet good nite to his sweetheart.
Nxt morning came and went as it had done on her first day yesterday! And today too, she had no time whatsoever to steal some time inbetn and visit Ashuji in his cabin. Dr. Chatterjee was literally keeping her up on her toes and not sparing her at anything. "let's round.. Dr. Nidhi!" He had started her day with his usual statement, handing her a patient's chart as soon as she stepped into his cabin and since thn, she had been running behind him room to room, seeing patients in the surgery ward, scribbling down quick notes in her notepad, and frantically jotting down progress notes as per his orders and instructions on the patient chart. She had thn ran in to the OR room to scrub him for his early morning surgery. Wen he did give her some time for a tea brk, she sat down sipping on her tea and pondering. And she realized wat hectic schedule Ashuji mst be having if she as a mere intern was having such busy morning. Her earlier months at KGH or even KAH hadn't been this hectic. Thy had been smooth sailing and pretty easy. Bt Ashuji had always been as busy as he had been now, infact more thn previously! Plus he was a dean and an active administrator too. His job required more time and energy and effort and everything thn hers, bt he never seemed tired or exhausted. She had fallen asleep yesterday nite bt he seemed as fresh, as cool and composed. How he managed everything with such ease and composure was beyond her brain. She had to match tht. She had to keep up with him at his every step as his wife after mrg. She sighed.
As new interns, things wer obviously kept less intensive tho for her Dr. Mallika had left no stone unturned to make sure she toiled like a daily wage laborer bt thn, it had never bothered her. It was a new experience at her first ever job. Thr was enthusiasm, eagerness, and keenness to learn new things. She took pleasure in learning and was enjoying it a lot! Bt this time wen she was back at KGH, everything was so different. The management was different, the collegues and seniors wer suddenly too busy to even glance at each other, forget sit and chat. KGH had turned into a battle field wer everyone was trying to compete, win, and move ahead. And sadly in all this hustle bustle in trying to run ahead of time, thr was no time to sit and think for those poor orphan kids. It was announced formally tht a new CT scan center wud replace tht orphan ward. And she hadn't heard anything abt shifting it to KAH either. She knew Ashuji wud've been feeling pretty sad abt it! She had promised she wud do something and she hadn't even had time to sit and talk to him abt it! She sighed heavily as she sipped on her last sip. Her pager beeped and she ran to Dr. Chatterjee's cabin.
On Saturday morning, Dr. Chatterjee saw her working quite dispiritedly and seriously, unlike her usual enthusiastic self! "So hows Dr. Ashutosh? Hows he doing?" He questioned her out blue while checking on a patient! Nidhi sighed. "Oh! he is fine. He is doing grt!" This whole week had passed without meeting him and the days normally ended with her dropping off in the bed at the end of thr phone conversations! Huh! All thy cud do in the hospital was to exchange those missing-you-dearly glances or greeting formally! He had to submit his research paper somewhere towards the end of the next week and his evenings and nites kept very busy after it. And Dr. Chatterjee wasnt exactly sparing her for anything. She wasn't even able to provide Ashuji a tiffin. The one thing tht motivated her to get up early on and cook some delicious food bt all her plans were thwarted by Dr. Chatterjee! And on the top, Ashuji wasn't even complaining' or rather missing having her food! Not once had he mentioned abt it! She was frowning and sulking wen Dr. Chatterjee's asked again,"haven't seen him much around lately.. wat is keeping him so busy?" "oh.. uh.. he is working on a research paper. He has a submission nxt week!" She replied absentmindedly lost in the patient chart. Bt after a while wen she looked up, she saw a queer and amused look on his face. "So the rumors r true..afterall!" he chuckled as thy went to the nxt bed. "errr.." Nidhi's face crimsoned! It was obvious and everybody knew.. bt thy hadn't actually professed it openly as such! And nobody had ever asked her such direct questions! And Dr. Chatterjee was her senior and Ashuji's colleague! God.. it was awkward! She fumbled,"I..jst.. know'" Nidhi helplessly tried to find some sort of excuse ..bt he intervened,"its okay Dr. Nidhi. I have known him for last 7 years. And such rumors abt Dr. Hardstone cannot b kept down.. you know. Infact, u wer invited last month on those monthly doctor's meet. Dr. Mehta had informed us. Oh, we missed a chance to b introduced to such a lovely girl as u!" He smiled genuinely as thy made rounds "and u r such a hardworking intern!" he praised. Aftr thy had finished, he asked her,"Give Dr. Ashutosh my regards.. will u!" Nidhi stared at him for a while and thn it suddenly struck her and a big wide grin flashed on her face. Her sad face lit up suddenly. Oh! he was letting her some free time to go and see Dr. Ashutosh! yaay! She wanted to jump in joy, bt she didn't, instead she uttered a quick thank you and sprinted towards his cabin. "only 15 minutes..remind u.. v've a 2-hr surgery on our schedule Dr. Nidhi," Dr. Chatterjee cried on her back as she reached the corner. Nidhi stopped, turned, and nodded a huge Yes before disappearing! Dr. Chatterjee grinned after her!
She was suddenly so excited tht she barged into his door without even knocking and cried loudly in her enthusiasm,"Hiii!" "heyyy!" Ashutosh cried in angry voice bt it softened to "Nidhii''" as his lips curled into a beautiful smile and his eyes began to sparkle seeing the apparent child-like delight on her face! Nidhi realized he wasn't alone. Trupti was seating across the table. She joined her with a polite greeting and a huge blush. She hadn't actually acted like the lady of the dean of this hospital in whose cabin Trupti was sitting! Nidhi came and sat beside her shyly and yet gracefully. Trupti chuckled at the innocence she displayed and the way her body language changed as soon as the awareness crept in on her. And she cud also see tht Ashutoshji cudnt get his eyes off of her! Ashutosh was silently admiring her transformation to a shy lady from a sprinting, barging, and intruding kid! "uh..excuse me.. I shud b going.." Trupti got up. "No..please.."Nidhi intervened. Bt Trupti stopped her,"I guess I have already spent a lot of time.. need to go now. Dadi bua mst b waiting. So wer is Angie?" Nidhi gave her a blank expression! Ashutosh cut in,"Oh.. sorry..i didn't inform u earlier.. bt she will need to stay back for some work. I will ask the driver to drop u!" he picked up the phone to call the driver. Tho Trupti protested, he insisted. After thy dropped her at the gate, Nidhi whisphered,"wats cooking up with Angie.. she never visited me and obviously u wer lying" Ashutosh chuckled in reply. "u wanna c wats cooking up with Angie.. thn follow me!" he wisphered and marched ahead. Aware of the glaring eyes, Nidhi feigned to b going elsewhere bt followed Ashuji to Dr. Rangnath's cabin. Thru the blinds, he asked her to peak inside. Nidhi's jaw dropped wen she saw Angie chatting quite friendlily with Dr. Rangnath. She was laughing and obviously Dr. Rangnath was flirting..handsomely! Bt wat bothered her was tht Angie was enjoying it !!!!
"wats happening?" she asked wen thy reached his cabin again. He shrugged,"the stalker finally wins his object of stalking!" "wat?" Nidhi cried in astonishment! He laughed. His eyes sparkled as he gave her a lopsided meaningful smile! "Nooo!" she cried. He nodded with his eyes! "Oh! bt he is a flirt!" He shrugged,"we shud let Angie decide tht!" "I will kill Dr. Rangnath if he ditches my best friend!" "Well.. I don't think so with Angie v wud even get a chance.. Dr. Rangnath is a dead man already if he does tht!" He joked. "yeahhh!" She agreed and giggled! She knew Angie very well. She was a no-nonsense kinda girl, a romantic bt practically romantic! Nidhi chuckled. A man wud have hard time convincing her abt himself! She is always clear abt wat she wants, how she wants, y she wants,and wen she wants. And frankly, Nidhi didn't think Dr. Rangnath was a man who can get any closer to convincing her! She sighed. And glanced at Ashutosh, who had gotten behind his desk and was staring at her lovingly. Thr brief love-eye-lock was broken by her beeper! She frowned cutely at it! Ashutosh shrugged. He twitched and his face again wore tht yearning look. Nidhi sighed deeply as she closed the door behind her! Oh! She missed him! she missed talking to him, hugging him, cuddling into him..oh..jst.. jst.. being with him!
Next morning, wen she got Ashuji's call, she cudnt take because her dadi bua was teaching her how to clean the refridgerator and stock it up neatly, hygienically, and long lastingly! It was a quick 1-hour lesson on how to manage ur fridge and forget worrying abt ur food for the nxt 15 days till u find time to go and shop for ur groceries! "A fridge is the most essential companion of a housewife. Give it all respectful due attention and it will never let you down in time of crisis!" preached her dadi bua. Crisis! God! She made it sound like she was gonna face a world war situation! She chuckled. At other times, she wud've actually laughed it all out and joked on it more sillily thn she was doing now.. bt she was slowly realizing the importance of it all! Who said being a housemaker was an easy thing! Wer was she wen her dadi bua was teaching her all this stuff! Y didn't she pay her attention thn! Oh, she was missing out on talking to Ashu ji and she knew he wud b totally totally miffed! Her dadi bua was like her reporting doctor at home and was training her as hard as Dr. Chatterjee did in the hospital! And can an intern's life b any easy!
She sighed and slumped heavily on the living room of sofa as she took her phone and played with number of Ashuji! He had planned a date for today evening, bt the evening was booked for the shopping and she had no guts to call him up and tell tht! Bt she had to! Thy had been missing each other so much. "so wen shud I pick up up?" he asked,"sweetheart.. thrs lot to catch up!" "err.." she hesitated. She buried her face in the sofa pillow and grunted as she tried to hold her phone on her ear! She practically had no time to spend with Ashuji! "so I guess.. u r busy!" came a displeased voice from the other end! "eh.." she didn't know wat to say..wen she herself was feeling so low,"v' v r going out for shopping.. u know..thr r jst these Sundays tht v have some free time to shop owing to our busy schedules!" "yeah'" he paused.. "I hope u wud understand'" she asked meekly. He sighed heavily! "yeah.. bye.. take care!" he cut the phone abruptly and she sat staring at the phone sadly! Oh! she missed him terribly! She sighed heavily. Hold on Nidhi.. jst hold on! She encouraged herself. Its jst 2 more weeks..only two more weeks!
As she stepped into the house carrying shopping bags, she heard a very familiar voice.. the sweet.. and dear one. She ran in its direction and found Ashuji sitting and chatting with her baba over a cup of tea! "hi..u'u.. r here?" she asked. Ashutosh looked at her and smiled and thn went past her to help dadi bua and Trupti with thr bags against thr protests. Angie eyed at her. Nidhi lowered her eyes and felt a little sad. He came back to her and answered,"yes.. I had some free time at hand. So I thot I wud visit ur baba.. aftrall I too do have to plan for a shopping!" "u cud've gone today!" commented dadi bua. "uh.. Dr. Rangnath wasn't free!" "who?"asked she. Ashutosh didn't miss the sparkle in angie's eyes bt she averted his gaze. "one of my colleague. He is close to me. He said he wud help me out with the shopping, given tht Armaan is not here. I think me, papa, Solanki uncle, and Dr. Rangnath wud make a grt team!" Ashutosh cud see some worry line appearing on Angie's face. "huh.. I don't think so Dr. Rangnath wud ever get any free time.. he keeps so busy in other things!" Nidhi remarked sarcastically..emphasiznig on the word other! Angie stared at her. Nidhi shrugged,"he has really bad taste..u know!" "How do u know?" Ashutosh asked. Nidhi replied to Angie,"trust me.. Solanki uncle is going to hate him!" "wat has kapil to do with dr. Rangnath!" asked dadi bua! Nidhi shrugged sheepishly and glared at Ashutosh who was trying to hide his chuckle. Her dadi bua always came up with the right question at wrong time! "oh dadi bua.. I know Ashuji will like Solanki's uncle's choice better!" Ashutosh gave a horrified look! "really?" came an enthusiastic voice from the door. Thy turned and Ashutosh stared at Mr. Solanki who was eagerly expecting a positive response from him! Ashutosh curled up an artificial smile and forced himself to say,"yeah.. I think so!" he turned and glared at Nidhi, who snubbed him and went straight to her room! An elated Mr. Solanki came and hugged him and patted over his back generously,"I know..my boy.. I know..!! if u wer jst a bit younger I wud've had luved to see u as my son in law!" Angie turned on her heels and left with her bags with a quick bye! Col. Verma came up to thm and commented,"yes.. u r very charming Ashutosh.. lets c if ur charm is still effective!" his eyes darted at Nidhi's closed door suggestively. Dadi bua had retired to her room so Ashutosh sneaked into Nidhi's room while Col. Verma and Kapil uncle set thr game of chess!
"u have to knock and come!" Nidhi yelled from the restroom door! She had jst freshened up and changed into casual T-shirt and shorts! He glanced at her full length and murmured,"wer was the need? u came out fully dressed anyways!" Nidhi gasped. "tht was very crude and cheap.." "really?" "and very lustful!" He laughed. "really?" as his eyes sparkled into hers mischievously! "lustful haaan' I thot U wanted a treat!" she turned away from him and complained,"huh.. u don't even miss me!" He stepped infront of her and smiled. Nidhi searched into his eyes. "I don't?"he asked, so lovingly, so adorably, and so cutely tht her heart melted. "sweetheart.. u don't seem to have any time for me nowadays!" he cried tenderly and picked at her cheeks bt thn he jst took a deep sigh and turned towards the door to Nidhi's disappointment! "I jst came to say u bye. I have a con call in 30 mins. I better b get going! And by the way, my new PG student had been a grt help with my paper!" "ur who?" Nidhi stopped him right at the doorway! "oh can v talk abt this later.. have to go rite now! .. c u at the hospital thn!" He smiled and left. Nidhi felt like running after him, shaking him up and ask him wat was the matter! He too seemed to have no time for her! Huh! Bt she jst plopped in her bed with a frown.
Nxt day wen, she was donning up for a surgery. She met Mrs. Dr. Mehta in the changing room! "oh! Hello Dr. Verma!" she greeted her warmly! "oh hello.. Dr. Mehta." She was a privately practicing gynecologist bt visited KGH as consulting doctor. She was also wife of her ex-dean of KAH, Dr. Mehta. And thy wer who had caught thm wen thy went for thr first very date! "so how r u doing?"she asked. "Fine.. so hows ur boy?" Mrs. Mehta had jst delivered a very cute baby boy! "excellent.. oh y don't u and Dr. Ashutosh visit us?" she asked enthusiastically. Nidhi felt embarrassed again. She didn't know how to take it wen it wasn't even formally announced. Seeling her silent, a worried Mrs. Mehta asked,"hope everything is fine betn u two?" "yeah.. everything's fine.. its jst.. tht.. I have to talk to Dr. Ashutosh first bt thnk so much for ur invitation.." She cut her abruptly,"oh I was jst worried u.. know.. thrs this new rumor abt this new PG student of Dr. Ashutosh making rounds! Thy r seen quite a few times in canteen. Infact I met Dr. Ashutosh jst today at lunchtime with her, tht PG student in the canteen!" Her!!! something fell heavily in her stomach taking it down in a deep pit! "his PG student is she?" Nidhi asked. "U don't know?" Mrs. Mehta was astonished,"I mean.. hasn't he told You!!" Mrs. Mehta made it sound like an obvious betrayal! Nidhi composed herself,"oh.. of course I know.. it jst went out of my mind!" "Really?" Mrs. Mehta eyed her suspiciously! "u know jst a bit of friendly advice.. tho v trust our man with all our heart.. v shudnt b very lenient. I m sure ur reaction wud've been different if u had seen thm together!" She shrugged and walked away! Bt she halted at the door and turned to comment,"I wish I cud meet u at the doctor's meet last month.. I wonder y Dr. Ashutosh evaded the question of y u wernt thr with him! Nways.. I wud've luved to chat with you bt I m in a really hurry.. Do come with Dr. Ashutosh to see my boy.. will u?" she asked expectantly. Nidhi nodded with a small smile and she departed. Some thick wrinkles appeared on Nidhi's face!
At lunch time, she literally ran to Ashutosh's cabin and found it empty! Her legs took her to canteen! Oh! she was finding hard to find any time out of Dr. Chatterjee's unplanned, untimely surgeries to prepare thr tiffins and obviously Ashuji was eating in canteen! She found him in the canteen with a beautiful girl eating and explaining something very deeply, apparently so engrossed tht he didn't see her coming! She took her seat at her interns' table. Tho thy spoke normally, the eyes on the table very frequently went over to wer Dr. Ashutosh had been sitting with tht girl. Nidhi tried to concentrate on her plate, bt after a while she cudnt and thankfully Dr. Chatterjee paged her urgently and so she had a better excuse to give!
The day went by and Nidhi attempted to meet him stealing every little time she got bt to her badluck, he kept very busy and she was hardly able to see him and of course, his PG student accompanied him everywhere refraining her from talking to him more privately. She was assigned under him for this whole week! She had read her name on the duty chart. Dr. Aahna Mathur! Oh! she even shared the same surname as her nana.. Ashuji's baba!!
"u eat in canteen nowadays!" she asked him later tht nite on thr usual phone convo. Surprisingly, she was very wide awake tht nite! "oh.. I miss ur tiffin!" "really?" "yeah.. u do cook good! I m kinda missing tht taste!" she didn't know y bt she felt kind of irritated! Bt she kept silent. "y.. shudnt I miss ur food?" "I don't know.." she cried in frustration,"u don't seem to b missing anything other thn food!!!" she cried back. Ashutosh tried hard to suppress his chuckle and kept his voice normal, casual, and' busy! He moved his fingers rapidly over the keyboard as he brot his phone close to it for her to hear the tapping voice! Nidhi frowned as he kept silent and paused indefinitely! "u r busy I guess?" she cried. "very busy.. in fact.. I think I have my PG student on the other line.. may b she wants to update me with the notes tht I asked for!" "may b?" "uh.. oh.. yeah.. obviously.. not may b..she IS to update me'" Nidhi cut him in midsentence "bt u said u wud ask me for assistance!" "honey.. I didn't want to stress u much.. u already r under stress of performing for Dr. Chatterjee and dadi bua.. I didn't want to trouble u more.. and frankly u don't have time for anything else.. !" "I have time!!" "honey.. can v talk this later on.." "No!" "plzz'i..'" "No! Talk to me NOW!" "okay.. ur mornings r busy.." "its Dr. chatterjee's weird schedule!" "okaaay.. and ur evenings'" "I' I'." she cudnt tell him she visited the kids and those elderly ppl.. not jst yet! "Bt u urself r pretty busy'" she counter argued! "yeah.. agree'bt not always.. I call ur home and u haven't reached ur home yet'" Nidhi felt a sudden pang in her stomach'"u'u.. call my home?" "yeah.. to talk to papa.. u know.. to keep ourselves updated!" Nidhi fell silent and didn't know wat to say.."y..u think I m spying on u?" he asked. "Nooo!" she yelled emphatically,"absolutely not!" "thnks.. I knew!..okay.. sweetheart.. good nite.. take care.. I HAVE to take my PG's call..!! sweetdreams Luv" and he hung up the phone. Nidhi stared at the phone for a while and thn threw it away on the bed! She was feeling irritated.. unreasonably irritated! She buried into her pillow. She was feeling jealous with capital J and it wasn't as if it was his fault! No it wasn't!
The rumor mills of KGH started working in full force again! The gossip of Dr. Ashutosh's new found love intrst made solid rounds in KGH! It was the hottest topic of discussion among one and all. They gossiped abt the way Dr. Aahna decked herself up to impress Dr. Heartstone. It seemed she had a good fashion sense. From, churidaars, to salwars to patiyallas to jeans and jeggings and wat not, western or traditional, she wore it all and looked amazing bt mostly she looked stunning in sarees with her perfect petite figure! Sarees! Nidhi sighed deeply. It seemed ages since she had last worn it! Thn thy gossiped abt the way Dr. Aahna threw her coy smiles to net this big fish! She was a siren.. a temptress.. and thy even suspected tht she mite b even practicing woo-dooo or something on Dr. Ashutosh! Nidhi gave yet another big sigh.
Bt the truth was tht Dr. Aahna was a very talented girl. She had really deep and very thorough knowledge of field of her interst, the neurosurgical field. It was her passion, her ambition and the senior doctors spoke praises of her hardwork and dedication. Nidhi had to agree she was quite a talent! She had ranked top among the intern passouts of the famous Indore City Hospital! And she was so impressed with the works of Dr. Ashutosh tht she specifically joined KGH so tht she was able to work under this renowned neurosurgeon! He was her idol and she had left no words to express how much she admired him! She had read all his research papers till date and cud talk and discuss at length abt it for any long hours as one wanted. And Dr. Ashutosh was actually quite impressed with her! Dr. Mallika had added at end of her narration abt Dr. Ashutosh's new PG student. Bt looking at Nidhi's worried face, she had assured her tht all tht was in it was a teacher-student r'ship and nothing else! Ashutosh being honest and encouraging, cudnt deny the fact tht she was one of the best PG students tht thy had enrolled in KGH tht year and was convinced of her bright future. Nidhi sighed. Dr. Aahna looked beautiful and cute too and she too had a lovely smile, a pretty face, and a very charming demeanor! She was beauty with brains and a very promising neurosurgeon, and quite young to achieve all tht! Infact if Nidhi was to b compared with her, Dr. Aahna wud completely outshine her merely with her talent and experience, if not anything else! And any man wud luv to fall for a girl like her!
While thr was no direct competition nor it was an equal level contest, yet Nidhi fought for it like a battle! She strived and worked hard to gain the same respect and appreciation of her seniors! She made sure she took out time to talk and meet Dr. Ashutosh, at least in working hours wen Dr. Aahna wasn't around. She even volunteered to help him out with his research paper putting everything else aside. Thy wud sit extra hours aftr hospital together and work on it! While in the hospital, officially Dr. Aahna wud help him out with it! Dr. Aahna had gotten the rumors abt wat was cooking betn thm bt she didn't think it was any serious and apparently she was in no mood to give Dr. Ashutosh up! She took every possible chance to impress him and to admit frankly, she was quite good at it! Dr. Mallika was helpless! Bt Nidhi maintained a complete silence abt Dr. Ashutosh-Aahna's love affair gossip!
On the day tht Dr. Ashutosh had to submit his paper, Dr. Aahna was elated and expressed her joy effusively to her peers in the canteen. "oh! my name wud b on an international research paper along with The Dr. Ashutosh! Oh jst imagine!" she cried exuberantly and went into her daydreaming abt the research paper, the international recognition, and Dr. Ashutosh! She sighed moonily. Her friends teased her,"sad tht ur brief rendezvous with Dr. Ashutosh wud b over!" Her week with Dr. Ashutosh was getting over and another aspiring PG student wud b assigned under him! "yeah.. pretty sad!" she rued,"bt I think I made quite an impression' and u know wat.. I think.. Dr. Ashutosh kinda likes me!" she smiled positively! "uh oh! u know Dr. Ashutosh is sort of engaged!" "huh..those r jst rumors! And if at all thr was anything, I didn't see much of it in these days tht I worked under him!" "really?" "yeah.. not a single call.. or.. u know.. c'mon.. thy work in same hospital.. and if thrs anything.. thy wud.. u know.. it's a big hospital'" she shrugged.
Nidhi was sitting in the far corner of the canteen away from wer Dr. Aahna cudnt see her, bt her voice travelled and reacher her ears quite clearly! Her friends threw furious glances at Dr. Aahna while Nidhi took it silently with her downcast eyes! Any confrontation in a place like canteen was going to blemish Dr. Ashutosh's name for a relation tht wasn't even declared yet! It wud jst provide more spice to the gosspis. She sighed helplessly! She hated his name being dragged in such gossips tht tainted his reputation..and all thnks to Dr. Aahna!
"I think thy have broken up!"Dr. Aahna declared as others hawed! "uh.. I m very sorry to disappoint u Dr. Aahna Mathur.. in fact I m engaged to be married soon!" A gruff voice barked behind her and afraid, she looked up to stare into two very angry eyes! "and need not to mention to whom as apparently I guess the whole KGH knows abt it..rite?"he barked. "out of all the students, u Dr. Aahna Mathur, u.. the most promising, immensely talented, young and bright PG student of KGH chose to indulge in gossiping abt ur senior in such a place as canteen!" Dr. Ashutosh spat some angry words as he rebuked her sharply! "I m utterly disappointed with u Dr. Aahna.. its not jst talent tht matters.. Dr. Aahna Mathur, it's respect tht u earn.. a person's character outshines everything else Dr. Aahna.. I had high hopes on u.. I really thot of u as my worthy protege!" He barked disappointedly and turned on his heels and left as quickly as he had come.
Nidhi sprang on her feet and ran after him! The anger tht underlay beneath his controlled voice deceived the amount it held in his heart! The rage tht she had seen on his face was immense, probably no one thr wud understand the hurt Dr. Aahna Mathur had caused him, it was equivalent to the pain he felt! He was about to push the vase tht lay on his table down in anger when Nidhi entered his cabin to stop him jst in time! "pleaassseee'" she cried. Ashutosh looked at her with painful eyes! "I m sorry.. Dr. Aahnaa.. shudnt have disrespected u this way'" she mumbled in low voice. The pain in his eyes turned into remorse! "I'I m sorry luv.. " he muttered in deep throaty apologetic voice. She cudnt understand.."y?" He took her hands gently as he leaned on to the table and pulled her close,"u know wat an honor for a man is?" Nidhi stared at him quietly."To hold the hand of the woman he loves and proudly announce to the whole world tht he had been honored by this lovely lady to have taken him as her husband! An honor, a privilege, and a moment of proud!" Tears welled up in Nidhi's eyes. "And nothing less thn tht wud do my sweetheart.. and I m sorry tht I had to declare it in such unhonorable way!" she shushed him gently bt he continued,"to have subjected u to such insidious gossips!" "oh.. u r overreacting'!" she cried to lighten the moment. He grabbed her arms,"u know I m not!" She smiled thru her tears,"ohhh u r such a gentleman.. u know tht!" she cried lovingly. A smile involuntarily crept up on his lips seeing her pretty smile! "And this praise is genuine!"she commented "I know!" he uttered softly. "I had wanted to declare it wen it was official with all the pride, dignity, and respect tht u so much deserve sweetheart! The words' girlfriend.. girl.. or any such words wudnt do justice to wat u r for me Nidhi.. u r my sweetheart.. my life partner!" Nidhi stared deep into his eyes adoringly! Swept in sudden wave of his plush luv, she stepped up on her toes to kiss him! The place.. the time.. the peeping eyes of the world didn't matter, wat mattered to her was this man.. this man who was so adorably.. so sweetly.. so lovingly..declaring his love! "sweetheart.." bt he instantly pulled her back. She groaned cutely. He chuckled,"v r in the hospital and to b precise in the cabin of the dean of this hospital!" "bt the blinds r on.. and the dean is momentarily my Ashuji!" she said sweetly and leaned closer to kiss him. He laughed and tried to keep her at a safe distance from him,"say tht again.." "wat?" "the way u say.. A.. shu..ji.." he smiled bewitchingly. Nidhi blushed,"I thot u wudnt have noticed..!" "oh how cud I have not!" "hmmm'.. thn plz let me kiss u'!" she cried cutely. "Wat?" he laughed,"u realize u r asking such a thing so blatantly!" "so wat?" she tried to push her way in..he laughed harder and dodging her, he ran around the table in a safe area. "huh!"She pouted. His shoulders shook heavily as he laughed,"I m sorry'sweetheart.. its jst not the place!" "bt the cabin is dark and closed!" "thts bcoz I was going out on a consultation and wasn't planning to return!" She made a very cute disappointed face,"oh u luv such rules and regulations!" "sweetheart its my duty!" "bt..thrs no fun..!" "sweetheart.. u r not in college .. u r on a job..a sense of responsibility towards one's duty, morally or otherwise, comes with maturity and learning!" he explained gently,. She stared at him,"u mean I m not tht mature or responsible enuf!" He jst gazed at her lovingly and gave her a soft lopsided smile in reply! "this means I m not?" she asked. Bt thr conversation was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Dr. Aahna came in to apologize. Dr. Ashutosh accepted her apology graciously and she wished thm good luck. Wen she left, Ashutosh replied,"Nidhi.. u r a very dignified girl.. u r very understanding and a very good learner.. bt u still have a bit of impatience.. restlessness..tht young thing in ur blood.. tht jst bubbles out of u spontaneously! Bt u will learn.. u will learn to control it, stabilize it, and use it to ur utmost benefit!" He said tenderly and Nidhi tried to grasp the meaning behind his words.
She knew she was changing, gradually, sometimes consciously and sometimes subconsciously..bt she was changing! This whole Aahna issue brot forth a new Ashutosh from him and a new Nidhi from her. She didn't knew thr was such streak of patience and resoluteness in her, such passion to prove herself, come wat may. He had put her on a high pedestal and she didn't want him to b proven wrong! She wanted to make him proud! It wasn't just a journey of love. It was journey of self-discovery! She sighed and went towards Dr. Chatterjee's cabin! Tonite was Ashuji's submission and she wished him best of luck. He needed some time alone in the evening and hence she had decided to visit those kids and elderly ppl, whom she had neglected all this week!
Come Sunday and Nidhi's house was bustling with all the preparations and decorations for Nidhi's mom's birthday and the puja! The grand scale of it pleasantly surprised Nidhi! Even the caterers and decorators wer called upon. Her house wud b decorated as if thr was a festival! Her last puja at home doesn't mean thy had to b extravagant in ther expenses aftr decoration! Bt her dadi bua and baba wanted it nevertheless! Ashuji had come early on and tagged behind him was kaka. Mallika was invited this time. And Rohan made a very early entry expecting to make up for his disappearance for so many days now! Dadi bua cud always help with all the extra hands tht she got!
Finally done with the preparation and decoration of the puja place, Nidhi, Rohan, and Angie went to the guest room wer her baba, Mallika, Trupti, and Ashuji were sitting and chatting! "oh it worked.. my plan worked.. and I m sooo glad tht it worked!" Ashutosh uttered satisfyingly! "eh.. I still think u stressed Nidhi too much.. I mean.. it was literally emotional blackmailing.. wasnt it Verma Uncle?" Mallika voiced her protest. Col. Verma smiled at her,"to train a soldier well, u need to subject him to harsh conditions!" "Bt Nidhi isnt a soldier uncle" Trupti added softly,"she is jst a young girl and a very sensitive young girl. Didn't I explain to u her whole point behind getting involved in this whole house management training?" she looked at Ashutosh. He simply sighed,"I know!" "No Ashutoshji I don't think so u know.. u wudnt understand unless u wer tht girl who is abt to get married..the responsibilities.. the duties.. tht come with this word "wife" is immense.. and she was trying her best to b perfect..!" "I understand.." Ashutosh replied in a low voice. "I don't think so.. otherwise u wudn't have been this harsh with her.. wat if she wud've crumbled under such multi-pronged pressure!" "Oh! I knew she wudnt.. she is a strong girl.. very positive.. very brave!"he said "Bt I still think making her overwork was a bit too much.. at the end of the day she was left tired and exhausted.. u shud've looked at her..she seemed a poor thing!"cried Mallika. Ashutosh remembered how Nidhi slept off at the end of thr nightly conversations. He sighed,"Bt it did bring her out of this whole I-want-to-train-myself-as-a-perfect-homemaker thing!" "bt its equally important for a girl!" Trupti intervened! Ashutosh shrugged,"I don't know.. I did wat I thot was right for her! She needs to take her mind off of this whole mrg thng and concentrate more on her career!" Ashutosh was immensely relieved to learn from Trupti the other day tht even Dadi bua wasn't insisting on her overworking herself with household chores and cooking stuff, instead it was Nidhi who tagged behind dadi bua and nagged her to teach her at least some things in her free time! Afterall, she was still a stubborn girl, bt overall he was happy! Not only had she been working hard for her internship, bt she was also giving him time and she had also shown a keen interest in his research paper! And the doctors at KGH were all praises for her and virtually every surgeon wanted Dr. Nidhi Verma as their scrub.. she had been tht good and definitely, she cudnt have gotten a better mentor thn Dr. Chatterjee. His choice had been perfect! He smiled to himself.
"Oh.. so thts wat had been cooking behind my back all these days!" Nidhi frowned as she entered and looked at the team tht had been formed.. the team Ashutosh!!! huh! "beta'" his baba started to defend'Nidhi charged in,"baba.. I thot u wer MY baba bt u joined Team Ashutosh!!" Ashutosh chuckled,"Team Ashutosh!!" Nidhi didn't find it funny at all! Looking at her seriously glaring face, Ashutosh thot it wise to drop his chuckle for his own good! "Nidhi.. a father cannot b on any side bt his daughter's.. and Ashutosh is on ur side.. and so r v!" Bt Nidhi didn't restrain herself from expressing her displeasure at those who seated on his side! "Nidhi'" Trupti got up and came by her side. "I wasn't expecting this from u bhabhi' at least u shud've told me!" she complained. Trupti smiled affectionately,"Nidhi.. someone needed to explain ur POV in all this.." she shrugged,"and I tried.." "and I know if Armaanji was here, Ashutoshji wudnt have been able to put up this game against u for long!" Nidhi looked at her understandingly and thn threw a cute rebuking frown at Ashutosh. He jst smiled back tenderly! Wat frustrated her was tht he wasn't even affected by her anger. Her anger didn't make any difference to him. She felt so irritated. She jst wanted to rile him up .. make him angry somehow. His calm and cool composure was frustrating her! She crossed her arm and flared her nostrils! "it was for ur own good.. beta.." his baba told her tenderly as he got up and patted lovingly over her head,"Dr. Mallika told us how well u r performing at the hospital.. so my sweet child has really become a doctor.. a good doctor.." he said. Nidhi looked at Mallika who nodded with a pretty smile! "bt still.. u all took Ashuji's side!" she cried! "yeah.. I agree.. it wasn't fair..how cud u keep me in dark.. at least I shud've been included!"Angie cried. "yeah.. totally.. in fact it was basically.. a planning.. a plotting.. a'a' conspiracy against u Nidhi!" Rohan added! A chuckle escaped Mallika's lips. "Will u two jst get out!" Nidhi glared at her best friends and bawled in anger! With such best friends who needed enemies.. ohhh'y wer thy all on his side, wen it was she who suffered! "see papa I told u.. she has yet to grow up.." Ashutosh commented as everybody made thr way out. Her baba chuckled and commented tenderly as he followed others out,"Nidhi.. u will understand my perspective wen u will become a parent' a mom!" And he closed the door behind him.
A parent.. a mom?.. Nidhi blushed. Ashutosh repeated those words teasingly! "I m not talking to u.." she declared. He laughed,"bcoz I said.. u still have to grow up?" "yeah..for tht too!" Ashutosh cudnt help laugh harder. She was too cute. "so basically u r miffed tht I led u back on the rite track!" "I WAS on THE rite track!" "oh yeah.. my mistake.. u jst went a bit off track.." "I didnt!""U did!" "uh.. how can u judge!""bcoz I m ur senior' ur mentor.. ur well wisher.. and ur partner!" "huh.." Nidhi had no answer to his logical arguments! "so was this Aahna thing too a part of ur plan?" "uh no!" "u know how jealous I got!" she was very cutely frank! "I know!" "U knew?" he chuckled,"of course.. it was very clear to see.." she pouted,"and yet.." "and yet I played along.. bt c wat it brot out of u.. u used it very constructively.. very positively.. I m very proud of u!" "huh!" He laughed,"y r u so miffed?" "I .. I don't know.. I m jst miffed!" "I know y.." "y?" "bcoz.. u wer made to do things.. u know u still have tht rebellious streak in u..tht hates someone controlling u..!" "I hate controlling!" "well, I cant help it..its in my streak to control.. if I can say" Nidhi sighed frustratedly,"u know.. u r sooo arrogant.." "really.. well.. no one has given such frank opinion abt me.." "and.. and.. u r not even bothered of how its affecting me.. u r so cool and unconcerned' it doesn't even occur to u to say a little sorry!" she cried in irritation! He jst laughed in reply and clearly a sorry wasn't coming! She pursed her lips in anger! He looked at her flushing face adoringly. He sooo luved her flushing angry face and oh! how can he miss this opportunity to tease her! "u know.. I missed ur tiffins!" "huh.. I know u knew how jealous I was seeing u in canteen with Dr. Aahna..eating tht pathetic food!" He chuckled and teased,"u wer?" She glared! "well.. u can prepare a tiffin for me from tomorrow.. u r permitted!" Nidhi gritted her teeth,"oh..thnk u so much for ur permission.. bt I WILL not!" "u will Nidhi!" "Definitely NOT!" "so does tht mean u want me to keep having lunch with Dr. Aahna in the canteen?" He chuckled. Nidhi felt like hitting him with something! "And aaah.. Dr. Aahna reminds me.. I sooo missed u seeing in a saree!" Nidhi glared at him with intense anger. How come he didn't utter a single word to her for wearing a saree and trying to act to stumble and fall to grab a chance to hold his hand! "huh.. y wud u care to see me in a saree.." "u know.." "I DON'T KNOW!" Her anger flared up like anything! He laughed,"U WILL wear a saree for me ..wont u?" "Huh.. in ur dreams!" "really?" "yeah!" "u know even ur dadi bua is in my team.. The Team Ashutosh!" "FYI..I still am very much in my own team.. take the whole house in ur team I don't care!" "well.. not for long b4 u will jump into my team!" "huh.. dream on.. mister..I m not going to comply to any of ur wishes..u will get back for wat u did to me!" she stomped out of the room in anger! He bundled into a huge laughter after her! She was a cute thing and he loved to tease her! However strongly she didn't want, she WILL have to wear a saree! Poor thing.. and wether she accepted it or not, she cudnot b NOT in his team! Love was such a wonderful thing!
Wen she stepped out to get some fresh air and cool down her temper, she saw dadi bua instructing panditji on the havan kund! Havan kund? It was never required in this pooja. She was confused and she marched up to her to enquire! "Oh.. Nidhi.. u rnt even ready yet.. its time already.. go and get ready.. I have placed a beautiful saree and matching set on ur bed.. wear tht!"she ordered. "Oh! dadi bua.. I don't want to wear a saree!" Her dadi bua looked at her as if she had lost all her sane sense! "its pooja today baccha!" "I will wear a normal dress like I normally wear.." "wen will u grow up Nidhi... my son-in-law is here today and all the relatives wud b here for his introduction and..." "He wudn't mind!" Thy heard a sudden cough interrupting thm from behind as Ashutosh walked up to thm. "Dadi bua, I have to comply to her wishes!" he shrugged. Nidhi glared. "now stop talking and get ready.. I will send Angie to help u out..." "bua..its jst pooja!" nidhi cried! "I know.. now get ready!" Ashutosh chuckled at Nidhi bt his chuckle was shortlived as dadi bua ordered him as well,"and u too!" "dadi bua.. wats problem with this.." he motioned at his kurta-pyjama attire, which according him was very much okay and in line with dadi bua's preferences! "Ashutosh beta..today you will b introduced as my son-in-law to our relatives.. I want u to look your best!" And to his horror, he was asked to put on a heavy sherwani. A sherwani in pooja! Whose ludicrous idea was it he didn't know, bt certainly dadi bua wasn't going to relent! He glanced at his figure in the mirror. It was a light marron sherwani with some decent embellished work all over it. Thr was a funny anecdote behind buying of tht sherwani! Apparently, dadi bua was in lot of hurry for him to go for his pending shopping. So one fine evening, col. Verma called him up and ordered him to meet at the market for shopping. He tagged Dr. Rangnath along with him. Dr. Rangnath not very much aware tht Mr. Solanki was Angie's dad! Thy wer as different as cheese and chalk cud b. And for some unknown reason, Mr. Solanki took instant disliking of Dr. Rangnath. Thy had a decent gentlemanly 20-minute argument over choosing his sherwanis, right from the color, to the style, to fashion, to work' thy differed and argued on everything.. literally everything. And Dr. Rangnath was determined to not give in to choices of some unknown uninfluential third party person as Mr. Solanki in choosing the best attire for Dr. Ashutosh on his one-in-lifetime event, when col. Verma had no issues whatsoever with watever thy bot! Dr. Rangnath took offensive of Mr. Solanki's interference and fought tooth and nail for Dr. Ashutosh to get wat he liked. In a way he shud thank Dr. Rangnath tht he saved his day while putting his own self in the line of fire. Bt he was more interested to see wat wud b Dr. Rangnath's reaction once he comes to know by wat relation thy r bound! He chuckled to himself! So the acid test of Dr. Rangnath begins! Welcome to the family of wud-b-brides and grooms! Sometime later, he mite even b welcoming Mallika! He wasn't the only one to endure those tests!
Nidhi gaped at the saree tht laid on the bed. It was a heavily embroided saree with maroon work! She remembered her mom wearing it! Dadi bua had kept a decent not-so-heavy necklace with it and a box full of maroon, white, and golden bangles. Wow! She cried with joy as she picked up the box and ran her finger over the bangles. She loved the bangles and its noise. She bit her lip and went in the rest room to change! Wen she came out, she saw Angie waiting for her! "Wow.. yaar.. u luk like a bride!" "eh!" Nidhi rebuffed jokingly. "No really.." Nidhi giggled as she glanced herself in the mirror. The maroon work in background of white did give her a bridal look. Angie helped her put on the bangles and necklace and thn she made a wonderful chignon at the back of her neck and decorated it with artificial flowers. The designer blouse displayed a pretty back and her saree was very neatly done and she really looked very beautiful. Nidhi giggled as thy applied mehndi tattoos on thr hands,"This seriously feels like my wedding day Angie!" "yeah.." thy giggled. Nidhi missed her payal and kamarbandh tht Ashuji had gifted and sighed. She cant help it, he was jst too jealous! And inspite of everything, she did love the way he looked at her wen she wore a saree!
Wen thy wer called for the pooja, the pundit argued over the violation of pooja ritual rules with dadi bua! Apparently thy cudnt sit for the pooja together as thy wernt ritually engaged! And shagun wasn't in his terms called a formal confirmatory ritual of this alliance' at least not in front of the God, whom thy wer gonna pray as a couple! And hence it was decided quickly tht thy wud first get engaged and thn perform the pooja! It took in a while for both Ashutosh and Nidhi to understand wat exactly happened and before thy cud even put in their views, thy wer ushered to thr seats beside the havan kund placed outside. And thn it occurred to both of thm tht it was a surprise planned for thm beforehand! Ppl suddenly poured in from nowhere to bless thm as the ritual started. And after a whole set of rituals, mostly on part of Nidhi, wen it was time to exchange rings, a hand appeared with two boxes in front of him and he looked up at the person and saw a grinning face of Armaan! Ashutosh cud hardly hide his joy. Happy tears almost brimmed in his eyes as his best friend appeared before him to share his feelings! Armaan patted him and urged him to make Nidhi his bhabhi both officially and ritually! He took the ring and glanced at Nidhi. She shyly took the ring and slipped it gently into his fingers. He stared at her for a while forgetting the place and time and the ppl looking upon thm before slipping on the ring in her dainty finger and took a silent moment by holding her fingers still in his hands and staring deep into her eyes to realize tht it was all happening for real! His Nidhi adorned in tht beautifully saree and looking very innocently shyly pretty was finally.. formally.. ritually his fiancee!
Udne Ki Aasha
Anupamaa
