I am so glad that the last chapter was so well-liked. It was slight begin of climax of Ridhima's breakdown. And everyone- agreed that she needs a pyschiatrist LOL They should of that in the show.
Anyway I am with a chapter that should bring someone we all want to see again- Guess who😛😛
Chapter 5
The sharp clicks on the gloss marble floor got her attention. It was a lazy hour in the otherwise hectic hospital Boston Medical Center. Though Anna Hart hate staying up at night she always took up the night duty . There was much less of a rush and excluding the emergency cases not much to do. Most doctors went home exhausted; they were dedicated to their work but who works at 3.30 am. That is why she sat up as she heard the footsteps approaching her desk.
She stared at the unshaven man who stood before her.
" Dr. Modi.." she inquired politely
Dr. Modi nodded " I am here to check up on Patient 234. He is in the Cardiology unit" he said signing in his register.
Anna stared at the guy's face who flashed a grin before walking away. Dr. Sidhant Modi was an graduating intern at BMC. He had joined six months ago and worked his way up the ladde so far that he even assisted Dr. Carmichael with genetic engineering. They say that Dr. Modi's IQ was much higher than normal. All this Anna understood- what he didnt understand was why the cute young doctor was hell bent on overworking himself to death. It was Saturday night and he was checking on a patient who was by no means critical.
She resumed her work when the phone rang. Cell phones were not allowed and all calls were diverted to the main swtch board at BMC.
" Boston Medical Centre, How may I help you?"
" I-uh- I wish to speak with a Dr. Modi- Dr. Sidhant Modi"
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Ridhima sat toying with her dupatta as Aart smiled at her.
" You look worried. Is anything the matter, Ridhima?' she asked noticing her patient's pensive mood
" I- I found that -that my marriage to Arman was illegal" she said softly " I am back home"
" How do you feel about this?"
Ridhima gave a mocking laugh " Like I am making a mockery of marriage." she shook her head as though she ws being tormented " When I was a little girl I used to make Anjali this big speeches about the sanctity of marriage and now..." she trailed off
Aarti stared at her for one whole minute before continuing. " This is your second marriage. Why did you marry Sid in the first place?"
Ridhima hiccuped " It was a marriage of -a marriage made unavoidable by circumstances. It was something that just had to be done.."
" You mean you didnt consent to the marriage?" the doctor asked gently
Ridhima stared at her and then shook her head before nodding : " Initially I was not willing to marry Sid .. but later on I begged him to marry me.." she remembered the drinking of poison and Sid's self-righteous anger.
I am done- I am done with you Dr. Ridhima Gupta
" I dont follow..."
Ridhima smiled " I better start at the beginning then. I recovered from paralysis but I never could recover from Arman's betrayal. I couldnt stomach the fact that he refused to stand by me when I needed him the most. I was broken, a shell of what I actually was. I hated the idea of coming back to India but I had to because my father needed me. It was in the airport that I first saw Sid- He slipped over something and we both fell in a trolley. By the time we stopped I was convinced that he was a major loser who did that merely to touch me."
" Oh..."
" So I slapped him thrice.."
" Thrice..." Aarti interrupted with a grin
" Yes and you could only imagine how I acted when I found out he actually worked at Sanjeevani and was actually an intern there. I wanted him out and fast...destroyed before he could even retaliate.."
" Why did you hate him so much?"
Ridhima took a deep breath plunging back in the memory lane. The first few days back in India where all she could see was her memories with Arman and how she wanted to cry but couldnt.
" I needed to lash out my anger on Arman somewhere and he was the perfect target. In some ways he reminded me of Arman..."
Main khachre ko muh nahin lagta hoon
" It was the day of the basket ball match when he had won and I actually had to kiss him. And he refused to do it that the lines blurred. He was Arman and he too had rejected me. I cried that day - cried for I was not worthy enough to please anyone..:
She sighed and continued. " I became ruthless after that. All I wanted was to get him out of my sight. I did things that I shouldnt have and he did things that he shouldnt have either- I was hurting him for things that were his fault and also for things that werent. "
She took a deep breath and continued
" Then I found out that my father lied to me.Arman had never left me, Papa made him leave because he had lost his mental stability and Papa wanted him out of my life..." Ridhima stared at the doctor and then continued " I went crazy-totally completely crazy. I knew no bounds and I wanted to know none. I defied my parents and everything I could. The only thought I had was that I needed to find Arman.."
Ridhima fell silent reliving the darkest days of her life. " I had no hope, no sense to guide me. I didnt trust anyone and nor was I capable of finding him myself as I wasnt thinking straight."
"What happened then..?"
" I met an angel..."
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Sid stared moodily at the vegetable curry served to him and looked up. His parents were arguing about where to put the newly bought home theater system. His sister Sue piped in a few sentences saying that she didnt mind fixing it to her room.It was a typical scene in Modi house and usually he used to join in. It was his and Sue's joint efforts of annoying their parents.He used to act goofily while Sue was his side kick. Now he didnt say a word and his family never commented about it. They never questioned his silence. They just accepted it as though it was normal.
They didnt talk about India or Ridhima as well. It was a taboo subject- they all knew it was a sensitive subject to Sid and a highly volatile one for his mother.So they let it be. It was an unspoken agreement. Now he had to be the one to break it.
" So Sid how is the hospital?" his father asked smiling at him
" Its good. Work is progressive. Dr. Carmichael's genetic research is taking shape very well." Sid replied proudly
" That sounds brilliant.I am proud of you, son" he replied. His mother and sister beamed at him.
It was a perfect family picture and he had to be the one to ruin it.
" I took a leave of a month from the hospital" he said suddenly
" Very good" his mother said happily " You have been working so hard that you never even come home"
Sue nodded " I am going to Hawaii with a couple of friends. You can come with me"
Sid smiled " I dont think I can. I took a leave because I had a call this morning. It was Dr Shashank. I have to go back to India.."
There was a sharp clang as his mother stood up " Absolutely not. You are not going back there..to that girl."
" Mom..." he began
"What does she want now? She has destroyed your life, hasnt she? I told you Sidhant that girl is no good. But you never listened to me..."
" It is not like.."
" You remember how you were like when you returned. How broken you were- now finally you managed to fix yourself up. Everything is going well- your work and now she calls you back. Why? So that she was trap you again- Hasnt she used you enough? And what are you going back for- a faithless woman who cheated on you.."
He had about enough of it. He stood up
" Stop it!" he said firmly " I know what she did. And I remember everything . I am not going there to win her back. I am going there to divorce her.."
" What?"
" There was some sort of problem with the divorce papers. Apparently I am still married to her but I am going to go and fix that. I am leaving tomorrow."
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" It was like my tormentor had become my angel.The person who I had cursed,screamed and tried to ruin walked by my side,holding my hand and saving me from the world and from myself. I didnt realise it then but he was my guardian angel.The kind who becomes your light in a dark alley. I followed him and he led me on. I didnt like him or even hate him but I was grateful to him. He never faltered even once in protecting me even though I gave him every reason to hate me"
She said with a deep sigh
He raped me Papa
"He saved my life and I accused him of ruining it. He was my saviour and I called him my rapist. He was hated by everyone because of me. He told me the truth and I cursed him- said that he would die paying for every tear I shed because of him. And you know what he did the very next moment?"
Aarti shook her head.
' He threw himself under a car to save him again. I dint know what to make of him- my saviour or my tormentor ? I just knew I couldnt let him die- not even I lived only because he was there..And then I found out that all the while he was just there to save me and he never harmed me once while I kept on inflicting accusation after accusation at him"
" Was it guilt that made you marry him?"
Ridhima shook her head and gave a watery laugh " I am not that good a person- He agreed to marry me to save my reputation and Papa's honour. I had no choice but to agree but .." she trailed off " I was so selfish then. I took poison at my wedding without thinking what my parents would do or how it would affect Sid. All I could see was my pain-I was so self-centred that I could think of myself only"
"You are a doctor. How could you even..."
" I dont know. I dont know.." she said shaking her head " He saved me again but he refused to marry me. I begged him for my parents' sake and he obliged. " she trailed off
" How was your marriage?"
There was a silence and then she looked up " Turbulent!Sid wanted nothing to do with me. He was changed -so changed- He was this man who was drinking in angst and there was no way to reach the real Sid. I knew ,inspite of all his hurtful words and actions that somewhere down there was the person who held me through and made me live again"
Maine kaha mere jhoote saaf karo
Baandh karo yeh natak
" I guess all his actions made me realise how horrible I must have been to him. It was all karma coming back to me.I wanted him back, to see the person he was before he lost himself. So just like he took my crazy antics I took his resentment along and was determined to prove to him my ..my.." she trailed off confusedly
"Your feelings?"
"My loyalty to him." she said
" It must have been a tough few days.."
Ridhima smiled " It was. It is not easy to walk a hundred steps for a husband who hates you but when he religiously applies ointment to your feet and ensures that you sleep in peace,it becomes all worth it. It was weird relationship. He was the one who hurt me most and yet he couldnt see me in pain without hurting himself."
Aarti looked at the peaceful smile on her face as she spoke " Did you love him?"
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A/N: I wanted to write more but I read something that made me all inspiration-less. Anyway next part will up soon. Love you all.
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