CHAPTER : 9 :
How could I do that? How could I get so weak and do that? I'm such an idiot! That can't happen again ... I can't get that close to him again , Manyata kept saying to herself as Ajay drove the car to Mumbai. Manyata was very disturbed about her "near kiss"with Veer.
Ajay took Manyata to the lab in Mumbai first , to drop off the water-samples. They told her that they will e-mail her their findings, because it will take at least 2 days to process. Next , Ajay went to pick up the car-part tht he had come there for in the first place.
Once both tasks were complete , it was time to head back "HOME" , but a constantly yawning Ajay ; got Manyata worried. How would he manage to drive back if he's already feeling so sleepy, she thought. I could offer to drive , but that would seem like a disrespect to him!
Her thoughts were disrupted when a news-bulletin , in the car-radio sounded. The deaths in Devgarh seem to have subsided, but until the reason for the deaths is not disclosed ... the quarantine will continue. Maharaj Brijraj & Maharani Komal , have expressed their distress over the situation and have offered their condolences to the bereaved families. The people of Devgarh, however ; are feeling abandoned by the Royal Family ... they want to hear from Rajmata Mrinalini Devi; who it seems , has gone AWOL. Speculation is that Rajmata is in Europe , receiving treatment for Alzheimer's Disease!
Manyata was stunned beyond belief. She had to see for herself. She had to meet her family tonight. She asked Ajay to take her to DS's palace which was nearby. He did. Unfortunately , besides the servants ; no-one was home. All the servants welcomed Manyata warmly & told her how much they missed her. She told that she'll be spending the night there, and invited Ajay to do so also. He telephonically informed Veer & Shivani of their nightly arrangement. When Manyata asked about the elders of the house, she was informed that Brijraj & Komal were staying in a hotel in Kaligarh and will be there , till the quarantine was lifted from Devgarh. It seemed DS underwent a major operation a week ago and was expected back tomorrow.
But if DS has Alzheimers ... what operation did she have to undergo? wondered Manyata. It didn't make sense. As far as she knew ... an Alzheimer's patient becomes forgetful, their thinking becomes hampered and as the illness progresses ... they start losing their memory. There is NO CURE for it as yet! Then what was this operation about? ,she continued worrying.
****************************************
It was in the early part of the morning , Veer's nightmare was in full swing. "CLINK" , CHINK" , "CLANK" ... the sounds were louder ... MORE DISTINCT. The scene wasn't blurry anymore. It was him , but he was dressed so differently. He was dressed as if he was Royalty. Something made out of metal was in his hand. It was a sword. He was fighting with someone ... he was fighting with a girl. She was so angry. She also had a sword in her hand. She swung her sword so wildly in her angry mood. He couldn't duck in time. His sword fell. In trying to duck another swipe from her, he dropped to the ground , but her sword made a cut in his fore-arm. Everything was so clear ... except for the girl's face; although, she did seem familiar.
He did not awaken as the 2nd part of his dream continued. There was gun-fire. Shots were being fired from all directions. He's running ... running whilst holding someone's hand. It's that same girl! She's worried about him ... he has been shot in the arm. It's bleeding , but they cannot stop. If they stop , they'll be shot dead! They need to go a bit more , then they can get to the helicopter ... and get to safety. He is shot again ... HAAHHH!!! , with a deep breath , he woke up.
Roopa Aunty rushed to him. It's alright Beta ,she comforted him. Maa , the dreams are getting clearer ... I think I might be getting my memory back! He began telling her what exactly happened in those nightmares. Normally whenever he'd wake up from that torture - he would feel so distressed. But this time , he felt a weird sense of happiness. He was on the way, to getting his life back. If only I could see her face .. , he told his mother.
The day, u see her face ... I'LL LOSE YOU! she said in her mind. Beta ... that sword-fight was an "act" between u and Shivani at some fancy dress party. As for that shooting scene ... I think you're imagining that there was a girl with you. All that gun-fire ... must've been when you were stationed at Kargil. U were shot twice there , u know ... 1 on your arm & 1 on your side.
Reluctantly, Veer accepted his mother's explanation. Mom , tomorrow morning ... I'll ask Shivani about the fancy-dress-party. NO VEER!, Roopa Aunty shouted. She quickly realised her error and tried to cover up. She cupped his face in her hands : Beta ... don't u trust me? I promoise you , that what I'm telling you is the truth. I wouldn't lie to my child! Then , she hugged him lovingly.
***************************************
Manyata struggled to sleep the entire night. The thoughts of Veer & DS were clouding her mind. It was 6 in the morning that she decided to get out of bed. Within a few minutes , she received a text message from Giriraj saying that Doctor Uncle and DS were arriving shortly.
Deciding to let go of the past , Manyata braced herself for the meeting with her grand-mother. DS ... I'm gonna tell you about your great-grand-daughter today ,Manyata said to herself.
As Ajay & Manyata sat for breakfast ... DS arrived. But nothing could've prepared Manyata for that shock. DS was slumped on a wheel-chair , which Dr Uncle was pushing. The old lady's head was shaven and bandaged. Her eyes were open , but there was a lost look in it. Dr Uncle was pleased to see Manyata and hugged her.
Manyata knelt down beside her grand-mother : DaadiSahib ... aap aise? She touched the lady's face, and she smiled back at her. Beta - let's get your DS comfortable in bed first , then u can have a nice long talk with her ,said Dr Uncle. Manyata agreed . DS was taken to her room and was tucked into bed. Her bandages were even changed and she looked much better than when she first arrived.
Manyata sat on the bed , beside her and held both her hands in hers. DS - why didn't u tell me , U were sick? I should've been here with you ... I could've helped you. DS gestured for her to stop talking. She turned to Dr Uncle and told: Doctor Sahib - aap Giriraj ko phone kijiye. Please thank him for allowing us the use of his private jet. He listened and left to carry out the task handed to him.
DS : Haan Beta ... aap kuch bol rahe the?
Manyata: DS ... mujhe maaf kar do. Aap ko meri zaroorat thi , lekin main yahan nahi tha. DS - what happened in the past ... I just couldn't forget it. And that anger , coupled with my stubbornness ... caused me to drift away from my family. I am really sorry DS.
DS squeezed Manyata's hand , as if saying that: "ALL IS FORGIVEN" . Manyata smiled in relief. She took a deep breath, before announcing her news.
Manyata : DS ... Devgarh has an heir. U always wanted that ... U wanted the 4th generation to carry forward your legacy. U have a great-grand-daughter DS. Her name is U...
But Manyata could not complete, as DS interrupted her : Lekin ... aap koun ho Beta? Hum aapko nahi pehchante! At first Manyata thought that it was a trick by DS as she was still angry with her, for not carrying out her request for remarrying. DS - aap kya keherahi hein? Just then Dr Uncle arrived. Dr Uncle - DS , aise baath kyun kar rahe hain? Kya woh humse itni naraz hain ... ke woh mujhe pehechanne si inkaar kar raha hain! Dr Uncle gestured for Manyata to come outside with him. His explanation shocked Manyata to the core.
Manyata beta ... your grand-mother just had surgery for a brain-tumour. The operation was a success ... but , as was expected - SHE HAS LOST PART OF HER MEMORY. Dr Uncle - ye sab , kab hua? Maybe a month after UdayVeer died ... we started noticing changes in her character. Her thinking was very erratic. Some decisions she took ... did not make sense. She , herself ; felt that something was wrong with her mental-health ... and confided in me. I carried out a few tests ... then we did a cat-scan , that's when we found the tumour in the frontal lobe of the brain. Because of the position of the tumour, the operation was ALWAYS gonna be risky. And u know , how stubborn your grand-mother is ... SHE PUSHED HERSELF TO THE LIMIT ... before finally agreeing for treatment.
We put her on a 10 month course ... which involved tablets & injections - that was to shrink the tumour , so that when we did operate - there was minimum risk. Last week , we performed the surgery and everything looks good. The woynd is healing nicely. Unfortunately ... only time will tell ... if her memories will return. Manyata's tears rolled continuously. But Dr Uncle , she remembers you and Baba (Giriraj) ... then why not me? The brain is the most complicated organ. The frontal lobe , the corpus Callosum and the 3rd ventricle controls our memories. And that was where the tumour was situated. When we removed the tumour ... that part of her brain got disturbed, that's why she remembers certain things , whilst the others ... he stopped talking.
Koi baath nahi , Dr Uncle ... ab main agaya! I'll stay here with DS , and makes sure she recovers fully ... MEMORY AND ALL! Beta - there's something more important for you to do. U must "save" Devgarh. U know how much Devgarh means to RajMata ... U need to carry out your duty now. GO & MAKE YOUR GRAND-MOTHER PROUD! She had a lot of faith in you - DON'T LET HER DOWN! Manyata nodded.
U know Beta ... when RajMata began suspecting that she was getting ill, she was so worried about the future of Devgarh. She didn't want your parents to rule after she was gone. They were not capable of such responsibility. She wanted you! Even though , she was distraught about UdayVeer ... and she knew , u were in mourning for him - SHE STILL PROCEEDED TO GET YOU SETTLED AGAIN. She wanted to see u happy again ... before she closed her eyes.
Ajay walked up slowly to Manyata ... and she understood that it was time to go back. She bid Dr Uncle farewell & kissed her grand-mother good-bye ... even though the lady was still confused as to who she was. Don't worry DS - I WON'T LET US LOSE DEVGARH! Ajay thanked them for their hospitality, before both left.
**********************************
Veer took out a small gift-box from his closet. It contained a chain with an "ANGEL" pendant (the 1 he bought a few months ago). Angel - u almost kissed me yesterday ... THAT MEANS U FEEL THE SAME WAY AS I DO! When u get back home ... he began imagining : He's giving her the box. She opens it and admires it. "I LOVE YOU, ANGEL" , he says. Her eyes are filled with tears of happiness. "I LOVE YOU TOO , VEER" , she replies. "WILL U MARRY ME?" She nods in a 'yes' . He takes the chain and fastens it around her neck ... then they both hug.
Roopa Aunty caught Veer day-dreaming. She knew what he was thinking. Beta - I can't let your dream come true! As soon as Manyata gets back ... I'm gonna ask her to leave , she thought.
***********************************
Manyata , still in the car - on the way back ... as soon as I get back to Chittorgarh ... I'm gonna pack my bags and leave. I'll go to Kaligarh and stay with Maa & Daata ... until this quarantine fiasco gets over. I must get away from Veer. I can't let any more mistakes happen!
*****************************************************
Okay girls , that's all 4 now. DONT forget the GOLDEN RULE ...
45 "likes" ... then only I'll update the next chapter 😉😈!!!
😊😊😊NAVINA😊😊😊
Edited by ...navina... - 12 years ago
. O yes - that will happen soon😃.
the most fav scne of mine of this entire chapter was whn manveer came so close to each other tht their lips brushed against each other. I really wish tht scne could lasts fr longer, nd an actual kiss culd happen...but navi tumne aisa hone nahi diya ,,,kyun dear kyun ???? Mere paas koi jawab nahi hain😕. But as soon as I know ... I'll let u know😆.Now, i have started to beleive strongly tht Veer is Uday only.but still if u want to confuswe ur readers with this veer nd Uday thing, thn i m nt gonna faal in this trap of urs. Damn!!!!As i said before, i m done with the guessing nd now will wait how the story unfolds but i really hope tht Veer turns out to be UDAY only
Cricket
CID
