Posted:
Hello everyone. I am sorry to have kept all of u waiting. Here is the next update. It is short, I did. Ot have enough time to,make it longer. Please excuse any mistakes, not much time for editing either.😳
CHAPTER 35
Nidhi wished that Ashutosh could have also come with her to her Baba's house for the pooja ceremony, of her mothers barsi. But, he had a very important surgery that was scheduled for that morning, that could not be rescheduled.
Baba, and DB held this pooja for her Mother every year since her mother had passed away. She hardly had any memories of her mom, and those she had were passed on to her from Baba and DB. Even though DB had been there for her, and had tried her best to fill that role, she still missed having a mom, which was one of the reasons that she had envied Anji so much. She and Shyama Aunty had the most beautiful relationship. Aunty was Anji's best friend, confidant, and her strength. Most of the days, even though she always missed her mom, she didn't mind so much. But days like today, and other special occasions, the reality of it hit hard. Baba, had tried to hard to fulfill both the roles, but it wasn't the same. She adored her father, and they too had a beautiful bond between them. They were both more like friends than father and daughter. And she would always thank God for such a wonderful father. But a mother was a mother and nobody could ever take her place.
After the pooja was over, Nidhi, went over and looked at her mother's picture, she resembled her. Nidhi, put her hand on her stomach, where her children were, and thought, "will they look like me, or will they look like their father.". She smiled, at her mom,"Maa, I know that you are here with me right now,I can feel your presence. Maa, I need you to watch overyour grandchildren, as you have watched over me all these years. Please shower your blessings on them, so that may have long happy and healthy lives. And please bless me also, so that I may be a good mother, and fulfill my role and all my duties towards them properly. Maa, please also give me your blessings, so that I may always fulfill my duties as a wife, with the same loyalty and honesty that you did. Aapke ke aur bhagwaan ke aashirwad se mujhe Dr. Ashutosh ke roop mein bahut achche pati mile hain. And I am very happy in my life. Please bless our family, now and always." she had tears running down her cheeks, as she spoke to her mother. She turned to leave, and saw the her father was standing behind her, with tears in his eyes also. Nidhi, went to him and put her head on his shoulder and her arms around his waist, and her father hugged her tightly to him.
"Nidhi, your mother would have been very proud of you. You have grown into a amazing young lady. And I am also very proud that, you are as beautiful a person on the inside as you are on the outside."
"Baba, I am the person I am because of you. The values and principals, you instilled in me, have shaped the who I am today. You are my best friend, and my father. I would be nowhere without you. You have been the guide I have looked up to all my life, even today. In any difficult, or important situation, I always think, what would Baba say if he were here with me right now, and I act accordingly. I know that I don't say it enough Baba, but I love you. I love you very very much. Mera wajood , aapse hai Baba. You are the one who had given me my identity. I am very proud to be your daughter."
Both father and daughter just stayed like that for a while, looking at the woman, who was connection between the both of them, both lost in their own thoughts. After a while, her father, drew back and kissed her forehead and just looked at her. Both father and daughter understood each others message, no words were necessary. Lunch was a somber yet happy affair. And the general topic was again the twins. Apparently, every one, still had not gotten over that surprise. It seemed everything, from the day of birth,and everything else in between, up to their marriage was being discussed, and they weren't even born yet. Nidhi was happy that she was able to give them this happiness.
After lunch, she told everyone that she had to leave, as she was on ICU shifts, and had gotten coverage only till the afternoon. On the drive over, she kept thinking how lucky she was, inspite of not having a mother, she had had a wonderful childhood. Her father and DB made sure she never lacked for anything, whether it was love or material things, she had everything in plentiful amounts. But, she could not forget Ashutosh's childhood story, and about her conversation with him the day before. No child should have to go through that. She wished she could somehow take away that pain from his heart. She wished there was something she could do, or find someway to at least ease, if not erase, that sense longing, inside of him. The longing to know who he was, where he had come from, who his parents were and where he had been wanted by them or not. She felt his pain yesterday, and when he had talked about not knowing what kind of legacy he was passing on to his children, and that they might have been better of without him, well, that broke her heart. Her husband never talked about himself, or his past, and just the fact he had yesterday, showed her how much this fact bothered him. She wished there was something that she could do, but unfortunately, there was nothing she co...unless. Suddenly she got an idea, "well, why not? Stranger things than this had happened.". She got really excited. Nidhi wished that she could act on this immediately, but, she had to get to the hospital. But, she could at least, set plans in motion. And to do that she would need help, and she knew just the people to ask. Nidhi knew that Anji's in-laws were visiting for the weekend, so she would not be available. Nidhi, parked her car on the side of the road and called Arman, and discussed the idea with him, to see if it was any good. Once she had explained exactly what was on her mind, she waited for his response. There was not even a seconds worth of hesitation on his part, he approved whole heartedly. So they agreed that they would get together tomorrow, and finalize all the details, and in the meantime, he would go ahead and make some calls, and gather whatever information he could over the phone. Nidhi agreed, and then asked him if it was ok to get Rohan involved, also. Arman, agreed that three was better than two, and that it would be fun to spend sometime together. After hanging up with Arman, she called Rohan, and went over everything again. Rohan also was very excited, and told her that he was free and would love to join them. Nidhi also asked to him bring Aanchal along with him, and he seemed keen on that idea too, and said that he would call and see if she was free. He sounded really excited, Oh yes! He definitely had it bad. And she grinned, well another bachelor out of the running, she thought. Now if only I could find just the right woman for Armanji also...but that was for later. It would be her very next project, right after this one. After all her babies needed, a Chachi along with their Chaha. She thought what Ashu's reaction would be if she told him that she was planning to doing some match making. Of course, she would have to find just the right girl. Armanji, was just too special for her to hand over to just anybody.
Nidhi started her car, and started driving again, she had a grin on her face the whole way. She was very excited. She had two very important items on her agenda. And she needed to get them done before the babies came. Well one of the items, at least.
She went to see Ashutosh, but he was not in his cabin, his peon informed her that Dr. Ashutosh was in surgery at that time. After that she went straight to the ICU, and relieved, the resident who had been covering for her for the morning. Nidhi was sorry, that she did not get to see her husband.
Although, there were no emergencies that day, the ICU had enough patients to keep her very busy, the rest of the day, and late into the night. She got her first break, around 1:00 am. She was surprised to see how late it was. Well, she sighed, apparently she would not get to see her husband till the next morning. Nidhi was really tired and her feet were killing her, she really needed to rest, and put her feet up for a while. So after checking on her patients once again, she informed the nurse on duty to paige her if necessary, and went to the doctors lounge to get some rest. She, greatfully sighed and as she put her feet on the sofa, and lay down. Nidhi, took out her phone, she wanted to call Ashutosh and hear his voice, but it was so late that she didn't have the heart to wake him up. After all, at least one of them should get some rest.
Meanwhile back at home, Ashu was missing her like hell. He was so used to having her there, with him, next to him with her head resting on his shoulder that could not sleep. He had not seen her since that morning. She had tried to see him after getting to the hospital, but he had been in surgery. He also, had tried to see her a few times, but she was busy. He had also tried calling, and then texting her. He knew that she would have called if she could have, but apparently the ICU was keeping her really busy. Ashu hoped that she would at least get time to eat, and maybe get a little rest, in between. Ashu did not feel like doing anything, and if Baba had not forced him to, he probably would not have eaten. And look at him now, sulking around his room like a lovesick teenager. He went and sat down on the sofa, near the bedroom window, and stared out into the darkness, when had it gotten so bad? He had not even realized how deeply she had invaded all the recesses inside,so much so, that without her nothing seemed important, not eating, not sleeping, not even his work. All day today, he had been thinking about her. He looked around their bedroom, she was there, everywhere. At, her dressing table getting ready, at the wardrobe choosing clothes for the both of them, in the morning, on their bed, making love with him, snuggling close into his side during sleep, or sitting next to him in the mornings, to wake him up with her smile and a kiss good morning. So, far not a single day had gone by, when she had not kept her promise to him, to be the first thing he saw each morning, or the last thing before going to sleep. Maybe that was the reason he had not been able to sleep today. He had gotten used to her taking take care of him and all his needs, big and small, right from waking him up to going to sleep. Today after coming home he had realized that it had gotten so bad that, he didn't even know where most of his stuff was. He had been thinking of calling her to ask, but the moment he had stepped into his room, he saw that he wouldn't have to do anything, she had laid everything out for him in readiness, for the evening. She thought of everything. He marveled at how she managed everything at home and the hospital, without so much as a whisper of complain. In a very short time she had taken over so completely that all of them from HK kaka, BB, to him, all depended on her completely. At dinner tonight, the whole topic of conversation had revolved around her, and their babies. The babies, just the thought of his children, filled him with awe. How had he gotten so lucky. First with her, and then BB back in his life, then a whole complete family. Then the biggest happiness of all the news that they were to have a child. He had been expecting one, but trust Nidhi, when she did something she really went all out. Imagine twins, one of each a boy and a girl. He could hardly wait to hold them in his arms. He had known since the beginning, when he had realized his love for her that life would never dull, or boring, and so far, she had not disappointed him. She had filled each corner and crevice of his being with her love, that even a days separation from her was impossible to even contemplate.
When he had said that she could finish her internship, he hadn't even thought about the night duty rotations. Well, he consoled himself, it was only temporary, he would just have to grin and bear it. For her he would do anything, and he knew that completing her internship was very important to her, so that it important for him too. And besides after the babies were born, they had both agreed that would take a year off to stay at home with them, before she continued with her career, so he would have her all to himself, and that's what he would think about, when he was missing her over this next month.
Nidhi, saw the text message alert blinking on her phone, so she brought up the screen to check on her messages. There were 4 from Ashu. The first was earlier that evening, apparently he had come to see her, but she had been busy, so he had left. The second was when he was leaving the hospital to let her know that he was heading home, and to call him, whenever she was free. The third one was to remind her to get some rest and and make sure that she ate something, and the last one was about an hour ago, saying good night, and that he missing her a lot. It also said to tell his babies good night from their Baba, and telling her not to overtax herself too much. Reading his texts put a smile on her face, and reminded her of the fact that she had not eaten and that she was starving. She thought about getting up and going to the canteen, but she was just too tired to get up. 'Ok', she thought 'just five minutes, I will rest five minutes and then get up to eat'. That was the last thought, before she fell asleep. The next thing she knew was her pager was going off. She looked at the time, she had been asleep for 2hours. Her pager went off again, apparently there was an emergency. She hurried to the ICU, one of the patients, was coding, a massive cardiac arrest. She hurried, into his room. The nurses were there already, working on him. As soon as she they saw her, they told, her that it was the accident victim, that had been admitted earlier in the day, his injuries had been very severe, he had had massive internal bleeding. He was on life support, apparently his prognosis had to been good. His family had already signed a DNR order, apparently even if he had survived his quality of life would have been no better than a living vegetable, and the family thought it best that no heroic measures were needed. So there was nothing she could do, but let him go peacefully.It was all over in a few minutes. When the monitor flatlined, she took his pulse, and called the TOD. After that she had to complete all the paper work, and arrange to have him taken down to the morgue. The family had already been notified.
This was the one aspect to her profession that she did not care for. She knew that death was a part of life, but it was still hard to face. She admired the courage of the people who did this day in and day out. Anyway, after that, she had little time to ponder on that subject, as for the next few hours, she was again caught up, in one crisis after the other. At 10:00am she gladly signed off to the intern, on duty during the day, and with tired achy feet, dragged her self to the lounge to collect her stuff, and have a cup of coffee to wake herself up, so she could head home. After her coffee, she went to Ashu's cabin, to say hi and to let him know that she was going home. But, once again he was not there, but, his peon told her, that he would be back soon. She sighed in frustration and went and sat down on the sofa, and put her feet up on the coffee table, and decided to wait for him.
This was how he found her about 30 minutes later, asleep with her head laid back on the sofa, and her feet resting on the table, and her hands on her stomach. Ashutosh went and sat down beside her, she looked tired he thought. A wave of tenderness filled him at the thought that she had not gone home, as tired as she was , she had had come to see him first. She needed him as much as he needed her, and that she loved him beyond reason with evident in all her actions. All of his life he had wanted this, wanted to be needed, wanted to be so important in someones life, that living without him would be impossible, but he had never found anybody, that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
It had taken him 42 long years, but finally, his patience had been rewarded. The fates had sent her into his life, and she had come bringing sunshine and happiness with her, and had filled all the dark corners of his being with her light. And now she was giving him what he had been his greatest wish, a child, well children, he corrected himself with a chuckle. He looked at her again and sighed, he wished that he could let her sleep, but he could not let her just stay like this. she needed to go home and get proper rest. He reached out his hand to brush away a few errant strands of hair away from her face, and leaned down to kiss her eyes.
Nidhi, stirred and opened her eyes, and saw Ashutosh. She smiled and leaned sideways to rest her head on his shoulder, and snuggled into him.
Ashutosh, put his arms around her and kissed her head.
"Nidhi, why are you still here, sweetheart, you should have gone home."
"
"MMM, this feels so nice, being near you in your arms. I was missing you, and have not seen you for more than 24 hrs now. How could I go home, so I came here to your cabin, and as you were not here, so I decided to wait for you. I have no idea when I fell asleep, I must have been more tired than I thought."
"Ok, now you have seen me, now you need to go home so that you can rest properly. and have you eaten anything?"
Nidhi looked at him sheepishly," Well, i meant to really. but at first I never got the time, it was so busy. Then when it calmed down i was too tired, and just wanted to get some rest. Later, it just got busy again, and then when my shift ended, i had some coffee, and then i came down to see you, before heading home, but I just ended up falling asleep again."
Ashutosh sighed in frustration,"Nidhi, you know better than that. You have to take care of your self, and in this case you are not eating for two, you are eating for three. If, you neglect your health like this, you are going to harm yourself, as well the babies. I shouldn't have to tell you all this, after all you are a doctor. I think that I should tell DB that , hmm? What do you think she will say when she finds out that you are neglecting your health?"
Nidhi looked annoyed, and panicked," Yeh toh koi fair baat nahin hui, aap mujhe blackmail kar rahein hain."
Ashutosh, raised his eyebrow, in that really cute way of his, and smiled,"Well sweetheart, you don't leave me much choice, if you won't take care, then I will have to use extreme measures. And since Dadi Bua is the only one you will listen to, well..."
"Ok, I promise, I promise. No more skipping meals, and I will also make sure to get enough rest. Satisfied?"
Ashutosh, grinned and pulled her near him for a hug,"Sweetheart, I am sorry I had to resort to these tactics, but you forced my hand. Anyway, from now in I am personally going to take care of you. Chalo, let's go to the canteen. We can get something to eat, before you go home, and then I will see you when I come home this evening.
The first thing she did after talking to Bade Baba, when she got home, was call Arman, to enquire about their plans. Arman told her that he made some enquiries, and based on his information, they would need at least a full day.
"Hmmm. Armanji, this will be tricky. I have to figure out a way, to let Ashutosh know I need a day off, and not be home at the same time. It wont be easy."
"Don't worry, Nidhi, I will be help you think of something. But, first, tell me when is your next day off."
"Well, i am duty tomorrow during the day, and then I am off day after tomorrow, but I have to be back by evening, as I am on duty that night."
"I think that if we leave early in the morning, we should be back back evening."
"That would be perfect. Now, what will we tell Dr. Ashutosh?"
" I told, you not to worry about that. I'll tell Ashutosh that Anji and I need your help. He already knows that I have a show coming up. So that will gives the perfect excuse. And I will just take you with me, the morning, the same time as I leave for work. How's that?"
Nidhi, told him that, that was a perfect plan, then thanked him and told him that she would talk to Rohan and let him know the plans. Then, she called Rohan. He was also ok with the time and the day. Once that was all finalized, she relaxed, and finally lay down to get some rest.
That evening when Ashutosh came home, he found Nidhi in the kitchen with HK kaka, making dinner. He was exasperated, "what do I have to do", he thought,"this woman, just can't stay still. It's getting harder to keep my cool. Maybe, I can just tie her down for the next 3 months. Oh, who am I kidding, I can't even stay angry at her, all she has to does smile and I'll melt, and she knows that. It's no use. I'll just have to do the best I can, and take care of her myself." He shook his head and just resigned himself to the situation. Ashutosh, looked once again towards the kitchen, she had not even noticed that he had arrived, she was too engrossed in her conversation with HK kaka and the dinner. He smiled to him, then he went to their bedroom to change, and freshen up for dinner.
Ashutosh, was just ready to come out of the room, when his phone rang. It was Arman . " Arman, hi. So, what's going on? Show ki saari tayyarian ho gayi? Are you coming home for dinner, or will you be late?"
"Nahin, Ashu. That's one of the reasons why I called. I wanted to let you know, that I won't be able to come home tonight. There's a lot still left to do here. I think, by the time I get finished, it'll be too late to come home, so I'll just go,ahead and stay in town tonight. And the second reason was that I needed to ask you for a favor."
"Ok, I'll let Nidhi know, you won't be home. And what's the favor? Anything. For you, you know that?"
"I talked to Nidhi today regarding this, but she said that I would have to ask your permission, before she could say yes."
"Aisi kya baat hai, Jo usse meri permission ki jaroorat padegi, karne ke liye?"
"Well, Anji, and I need her help, with something in regards to the show. And I'll need her to be here with us, for a day, and since the day after tomorrow she's free during the day, I thought that I could take her with me in the morning?"
"Arman, normally it would to be a problem, but she is in the night shift that evening, and in her condition she needs to take it easy.
If she is working all day with you, how can she do that and work that night?"
"Ashu, meri jaan, please credit me some sense yaar. You sirf tu hi nahin hai jisko, uski phikar hai. I know that she needs to rest. That's why I said the whole day. I will make sure,she gets plenty of rest and eats properly, don't worry. So...?"
"Yeah, I know you love her too. It's just that I can't help worrying about her. And fine it's not a,problem, as long as she listens to you. But you know her, she has a mind of her own, and she can be quite a handful when she wants to be."
"I don't know who you're talking about. With me she is a perfect angel. And I already warned her that if she didn't listen to me, I'd call you, and send her back home. She promised me that she would do everything I said."
"Arman are we talking about the same person here? You are talking about my wife, Nidhi? A perfect angel? Well that remains to be seen, but I'm fine with it, as long as she follows instructions."
Then after talking for a few minutes, Ashutosh ended his call, and started chuckling to himself,"if Arman thinks that nidhi will listen to him, he was in for a big surprise." he thought to himself, and went out to the living room to sit with Bade Baba for a while before dinner.
That night, before going to sleep, in bed with his arms around Nidhi, Ashutosh told her about his conversation with Arman. He told her that he had told Arman that she could go,with him if only he promised to see that she got plenty of rest and ate properly.
"You know, I am an adult, and a doctor. I know how to take care of myself." she said grumpily.
"Yes, sweetheart, and you gave me a perfect example of how much of and adult you are yesterday." he said in a sarcastic tone.
"Well, that was a one time thing. And I have already promised you na, it won't happen again. Besides, Ashutosh, I can't just stay and rest all day and not do anything. And tomorrow, I am working only during the day, so I have tonight and tomorrow night to get plenty of rest. And, besides, Armanji is very strict with me, even more than you are, nowadays. He is worse than a mother hen. You should see how many times a day he calls me, and texts me, to make sure I am ok, and taking care of my self, and his niece and nephew. And even more so, since the news of the twins. Sometimes he dives me bananas. Also, it'll give me an excuse and time to spend the day with Anji. Between her inlaws, and this upcoming show, we hardly even get the time to talk, let alone spend anytime together. I miss her. And Armanji, and I have so much fun together. So, your ok with these plans na?"
Ashutosh sighed in defeat,"Yes, it's ok if you keep your promise.
Now enough about Arman and your plans. How about we talk about us, and how much I missed you last night."
Nidhi laughed and hugged him hard, that was her favorite topic, she loved to,talk about them," I missed you too. Don't feel bad, but I thought that I would be so busy, that I not get a chance, but I was wrong. As busy as I was, I could not stop missing you. I hates being away from you all night, and even worse not seeing you or being able to talk to you and hear your voice for a whole day. Ashutosh, every day, I surprise myself. Everyday, I realize just how much my love and need for you keeps growing. It's gotten so, that you are with me every second. There's not a time in the day, no matter how busy I am that I don't think about you."
"And how do you think it is for me? I never knew that I would come to need you this much. When we got married, I had thought, ok now that she is mine this constant need to have her with me, in front of me all the time would not be so intense. But I was wrong. Like you, whenever we are not together, I keep thinking about you and wondering what you are doing and if you are missing me, as much as I am missing you. And last night Nidhi, my arms felt so empty with you, I could not sleep, my need for your presence was overwhelming. This room, our bed felt so empty. I love you, Nidhi, so much. I can't even tell you how much, there are no words that can ever convey the depths of my feelings, they would be so inadequate. You know, before I met you, whenever I used to hear anyone say, Oh I can't live with so and so, I thought, it was ridiculous and that these people are just pretending or showing off. But now, I realize what they meant. I can't live with out you either Nidhi. Now, when I think about all those years, before you came into my life, I realize that I was not, living at all, I was merely existing. I started living the day you entered my life. You are my life, sweetheart, you and now our children. All three of you are the reason I exist, the reason I was born. Basically my reason for being." and he pulled her even more closely into her arms.
"Ashutosh, I know you love me. Believe me when I say, that for me the one constant in my life, other than my family, is you and our love. I know that your love is so unconditional, that no matter what life throws our way, and no matter whatever mistakes I make, your love for me will,never change. You love, your respect for me and my feelings and desires, your willingness to give me anything I want , even at a cost to yourself, and your trust in me, that's everything foe me in my life. You know,when got married, I did not want to have a child quickly, I wanted to wait, may be a couple,of years maybe a little more. I had always thought that if I got pregnant immediately, I would never have a chance to have a career for myself. Very few husbands tolerate a wife working and having a career, specially from your generation. And I was afraid, that maybe you would feel,the same way. And then, we found out that I was going to have a baby, and while I was ecstatic about that, believe me when I say that I have never regretted it for a second, there was always a little fear at the back of my mind, about your reaction. I can't tell you, how proud I am that I was wrong. The way you have supported me, and taken care of me is unbelievable. Ashutosh, every wife loves her husband. But in my eyes respect and liking is more important. See, love happens, you can't control it. But liking and respect, that has to be earned. I don't know how many wives, in this world, can honestly say that more than love, they respect and like their husbands. But I can, I can honestly say that more than love, I respect you, and, I like the person you are. I am so proud of you. And I am very proud to be your wife. It's an honor, and a privilege I will cherish as long as I live. And I will make sure that our children also know and realize the fact, that how,lucky they are to have you are their father."
Ashu was so overwhelmed, he did to know,what to say, his wife, along with her childishness which was very endearing, she was probably one the the most mature, people he had ever known. If fact, he would go so far as to say that she had a maturity and depth of character far belied her age.
" Thank you Nidhi, that is the best compliment you could have ever given me. I am humbled. I have no words to..."
He was not given a chance to finish his thoughts, by his wife, as she put her lips to his.
"I think that that is enough serious talk for now, wouldn't you say?
How about more important matters...Like my husband showing me how much he missed me. Hmmm?"
Ashu, laughed, and pulled her even closer.( while writing this, I was think, yaar 6 mahina pregnant hai, aur kitna closer aayegi. Khair fiction hai boss, yahan Kuch bhi ho sakta hai.) He was more than willing to show her exactly, how much he had missed her.
The next morning, Nidhi got up very earlier than normal, she wanted to talk to Bade Baba before Ashutosh woke up.
The whole day and night passed quickly for her. She spent quite a bit of time planning a course of action. She was also careful to not, let her excitement show too much in front of her husband. If she did, he would know something was up, and then she would not surprise be able to him.
Arman came home early that evening, in the hopes of getting her alone, to discuss the plans. They managed to talk for a few minutes before Ashutosh came home, and then it was time for dinner.
"So Arman, what time will you guys be leaving home tomorrow morning?" Ashutosh asked.
"I was thinking around 8 in the morning. That will give us time to beat the traffic, and we can start early and be able to get everything done by the end of he day, so I can have Nidhi home in time for her to rest and freshen up before going to work."
"Well, Arman about that, after you and I talked, I started thinking that I didn't feel very comfortable with Nidhi, working the Night shift, after being out all day with you. So, today, at the hospital, I talked to a few people and made arrangements for some one to take over her shift. this way you guys don't have to rush around trying to get your work done."
"Wah yaar, bada samjhdar hogaya hai tu. Baap banne ki khabar milte hi, akal bhi after all gayi hai tujhe. I am impressed. Thank you, meri jaan. This makes life a lot easier for us."
Before Ashutosh could say anything else, Nidhi spoke up,
"Par aapne aisa kyon kiya. That is not right. It is not fair of me to put another intern on the night shift, just because, my husband happens to be the chief of staff. I would have been fine doing the night shift."
"Nidhi you would have been fine, but i would not have. I know that it would tire you out, and right now that is not good for you.
Also, you don't need to worry, I did not rope any poor intern into taking your shift. Actually, I had covered for one of the doctors, a while ago, in he ICU. I merely asked him if he was available, and he said that he was. So, problem solved."
The next morning, Nidhi and Arman early, after saying bye to Ashutosh and Baba. She was so excited, she was almost bouncing up and down. Ashu, thought that if she had not been over 6 months pregnant, she probably would have. If he didn't know better, he would think that she was up to something. She couldn't possibly be, he thought. She was going with Arman to his studio to help out, with god knows what, in his up coming fashion show. Ashutosh, passed this off, he was over reacting. What could she possibly do, being pregnant sorely limited her possibilities. He was just being fanciful, he thought, it was nothing. He knew that she got bored, and restless nowadays. Like the time she had wanted to go to the disco, what a crazy idea. she was just excited because she did not get to go out much, other than to the hospital. He forgot sometimes how young she was. He was glad that Arman had taken her with him today, a change of scene would do her good.
When Nidhi and Arman came home that evening, Ashutosh was surprised to see Rohan and Aanchal were with them. All four of them, looked tired happy and excited all at once. Even Rohan's new girlfriend Aanchal, seemed to be opening up. Normally she was such a shy thing, but today, she too was chattering away with Nidhi. When they saw Ashu, they all stopped talking and just stared at him. All of them looked liked guilty young children, who had been caught with their hand in cookie jar, and specially Nidhi, the way she was looking at him...She looked happy, and something else, something he couldn't put his finger on. Well, he would make sure and remember to ask her later. Later, Nidhi distracted him, so he forgot.
The next month flew by quickly. And, before she knew it, her internship, was almost at an end, She only had one more shift left, she thought with happiness, and relief, as she drove home from work, that afternoon. And tonight, tonight was her Godh Bharayi. Dadi Bua had been planning it for the last two weeks, ever since she had completed her seventh month, and started her eighth. She was going all out, it seemed. And, even though Nidhi herself would have preferred a small ceremony with just family and close friends, Dadi Bua wanted to do it on a grand scale. And seeing her happiness and excitement, Nidhi didn't have the heart to deny her. Dadi Bua, had waited a long time for her great child, and now that God had granted her wish along with a bonus(twins), her happiness knew no bounds. And, besides, she was also getting her wish, after all. She had finally done it! She had finally completed her internship, and after tomorrow she would be a Doctor, officially. She had fulfilled her mothers dream, that was now her own also, to become a doctor. And in just a little over a month, she would give her PG entrance exams, right before their babies came into this world.
She would not have been able to achieve any of this without her Husband. Ashutosh, every time she thought of him, her heart filled with love, and reverence. Reverence and thankfulness for their love, Reverence and gratitude towards God, for anything and everything, responsible for sending Ashutosh into her life. She had been blessed, in so many ways, in this life time, but most of all in her family and friends. But above all, her husband, her most precious possession in this world. She didn't think that she could ever love anything or any one more than she loved him. And today, today right the ceremony, after all the guests had gone, and there was only their family left, she would give him something that he had been wanting for practically all of his life. Answers. She would put to rest all his doubts, all his uncertainties, regarding himself, his past, his origins. She would give him the legacy that he so badly wanted to pass on to his children. She could hardly wait!
The moment she got home, Dadi Bua took over. She led Nidhi, to the dining table and sat her down," Chal achcha kiya tu time se agayi meri bachchi. Ab pehle tu kuch khaa le, phir bahut se kaam hain. Mujhe bahut se rasam karne hain, aur tere aane ka hi intezaar kar rahi thi main. Chal jaldi se khaa le, maine saab tere hi pasand ki cheezein banayi hain. Main abhi aati hoon hunh."
Nidhi, smiled in amusement, Dadi Bua had said that in one go, hardly even taking time to take a breath. She was in her element, screaming directions and reprimanding everyone, wherever she went. Nidhi, started eating, knowing Dadi Bua, what she said was no empty threat. When she said Bahut saari rasmein karni hain. she meant it. There were probably a boat load of them, and she would not even remember even half of them. She looked up at her Dadi Bua, with tenderness. she knew that her first impression was that of a very strict and sometimes heartless task master. But only until you got to know her, and then, you saw that she a teddy bear. Nidhi loved her with her whole heart. She had been her mother all her life, and Nidhi couldn't have asked for anyone better.
After lunch, Dadi Bua asked her to go change her clothes, for the mehendi ceremony. It took her a while to get ready, everything seemed to be a chore nowadays. She was 7 & 1/2 months pregnant and already was as big as a house. The doctor had told her that it was normal in twins, and that because she had been so active throughout her pregnancy, she was smaller and had not gained as much weight, as some other women expecting twins.
Well, she did not feel small, she felt like a huge ballon, who was ready to pop at any moment. Anyway, she finished putting on her clothes, and then sat down to do her hair and put on some jewelry. She had barely started, when her door opened and Anji poked her head in. Seeing Nidhi sitting at the dressing table, she smiled and came in and shut the door.
"So, mom to be. How are you? Kaisa lag raha hai, huh? AB toh bas thoda sa time aur hai."
"Anji, are u trying to cheer me up, or scare me? And yes, Maasi to be, I am fine, well as fine as can be, considering I feel like a huge bloated up buffalo. I can't wait for these two to come out, I can't sleep, because they are treating me as their personal punching bag."
Anji, laughed delightedly,"Nidhi, tu duniya, ki sab se khoobsoorat, mother to be hai. I am sure that Jeejaji also thinks so. You have nothing to worry about."
"Yes, Ashutosh says he loves me like this. He says that I am looking beautiful, and that I have a glow about me."
"See what did I tell you? Ab, tu zyada soch mat, aur jaldi jaldi tayyar ho ja. Dadi Bua ne mujhe issiliye to yahan tere paas bheje hai. Here let me help you, toh sab jaldi ho jayega."
"thanks Anji. Yaar, what would I do without you. I know I don't tell you enough, but I love you. We have been friends since we were little, and you have always been by my side through all our ups and downs. I just wanted to let you know that my babies are lucky to have you for their Maasi. Now all I have to do is figure out a way, to keep you from spoiling them rotten."
"Apne chote se dimag ko itna pareshan karne ki koi jaroorat hai. They will be my babies too, and I have all the rights in the world to spoil them, or not. Who are you to come between us? Achcha, ab bahut baatein ho gayi. Let get you ready fast otherwise Dadi Bua hum dono kimaake pitai kar dengi."
Anji helped Nidhi to get ready and then helped her stand up. But, before Nidhi could make a move to start walking, Anji caught her in a quick, fierce hug, and kissed her cheek,"I love you too, Nidhi." and Nidhi saw that there were tears in her eyes. Nidhi wiped her tears, and hugged her again, then both friends walked out into the living room.
Dadi Bua had had the furniture moved to the side, to accommodate a small area, for the mehendi lady to sit and also for the sangeet ladies. The moment she spotted Nidhi and Anji, she smiled and went to them and brought Nidhi over to sit to have mehendi put on her hands and feet. Nidhi, was surprised to see so may ladies there. She had not been expecting quite so many people. Oh my, she thought, if this was any indication, she shuddered to think how many people would be coming that evening. Well, it was too late to do anything about that now, pehle bolna chahiye tha. Ab toh it was better if she just went with the flow. She couldn't wait to see, how Ashutosh would react. He hated such big crowds even more than she did, and specially if he or she were to be the main attractions. All throught the mehendi, her eyes kept drooping, she was just so tired. Nidhi, wished that she could get some rest, even an hour would be enough, but of course that was not going to be possible, so...
After her mehendi had been applied, Nidhi, looked for a comfortable place to sit, so that at least she could rest for a while.
But, to her surprise, Dadi Bua came up to her and led her back to the bed room. There she had Nidhi, lie down on her bed,
"Chal meri bachchi, AB tu thodi der ke liye so ja. Main tujhe function se pehle, tayyar hone ke liye jagaa doongi."
"par Dadi Bua, aapne toh kaha tha ke abhi bahut saari rasmein baaki hain?"
"arre meri bachche, tu itni thaki hui hai, mere liye itna kaafi hai. Rasmein tujhe zyada zaroori, thodihi hain. Saab shyam ko ho jaayegi. Chal main chalti hoon bahut kaam hai, tu aram kar le."
Nidhi hugged Dadi Bua, who hugged her back and kissed her forehead and left the room. Nidhi closed her eyes thankfully and settled herself more comfortably on the best and fell asleep.
That was how ashutosh found her later when he entered their room. Dadi Bua had warned him that Nidhi was sleeping so he shouldn't wake her up. But he could not resist going in to take a peak. He saw the mehendi on her hands and feet, and was reminded of their wedding, looking at her face, and the happiness reflected on it even in sleep, she looks the same, he thought, just like the morning after when he had come home from the surgery to find her asleep on the first morning after they had gotten married. He smiled, only difference this time was that she was pregnant. He still thought that she was the most beautiful thing in this world. Ashutosh bent down and gently kissed her cheek, Nidhi stirred and smiled, and back to sleep. Poor thing was tired, he thought and left the room to let her sleep.
Later that evening, he was not allowed to even come back in, he was told by Anji and some other girls that he had to get ready else where as Nidhi was being dressed , for the ceremonies, and he was handed his clothes, which had been picked out by her. So, grumbling, but with a smile he went out to do just that.
All the guests, and there must be at least 200people there Ashutosh thought looking dazed, had arrived. Now everyone was waiting for Nidhi to be brought out. Ashutosh spotted her the next instant , flanked on one side by Dadi Bua and Anji on the other. She looked exquisite, he thought. Just like a new bride, only with her stomach sticking out, he thought with a chuckle. Anyway, the ceremony began. Dadi Bua had Nidhi sit on a chair and did her Aarti and then the pandit ji had Ashutosh come over, and had both of them sit. For a havan. After all the poojas and rituals had been preformed, the fun began. There were dances, and ladies sangeet. Even Anji preformed a dance on a song. The happiness on Nidhi's face was there, clearly, for all to see. Then the Godh Bharayi began. Everyone lined up, one after the other, to come up and feed her a tiny bit of sweet and put some sort of shagun, on her lap. Ashu had never seen all these things in his life, so while he himself was not big customs, he enjoyed the whole process. And the fact that it was important to Dadi Bua and all the elders and also to Nidhi, was enough for him. And he gladly enjoyed and joined in, in all the festivities.
Later after all the guests had left, everyone(the family, and Arman and Rohan ) were sitting in the living room, waiting for Nidhi. She had told Anji and Rangnath, and Anji's parents, and Rohan to wait, for her as she had some news that she wanted to share with her family. So, everyone was sitting and having some tea and talking amongst, each other and wondering what it was that was so important that Nidhi wanted to tell them. But, Nidhi had been very uncomfortable, in all the heavy clothes and jewelry, so went to change first before she announced her news,
Just a few minutes later, looking fresh and much more comfortable in a light loose salwar suit, and also looking extremely excited, Nidhi came out carring a large flat rectangular object, wrapped in a gift wrap. She walked up to Ashutosh who was sitting near Arman and Dadi Bua, and gave it to him. Ashutosh looked up at her with surprise.
"what is this Nidhi?"
"Dr. Ashutosh, on the Godh Bharayi function everyone focuses on the mother to be, she gets all the attention and blessings even gifts and accolades. As if having a baby has everything to do with her only. But they forget the dad to be. After all without her husband, how can a wife be a mother. Anyway, I thought that if I can get all the gifts, why not you? So, I got you a gift, I have been waiting for a while now,trying to find the perfect time to give it to you. And I thought what better than today. So, here it is, please open it up."
Ashutosh, smiled at her. His Nidhi never forgot about him, not even for a second. The whole world could forget, but not his nidhi. So with a lot of excitement and curiosity he opened the package. It was a photograph, beautifully framed, and it looked like it had been enhanced digitally maybe from some old newspaper or magazine. It was a black and white photograph of a couple holding an infant, maybe no more than 5-6 months old.
The man looked familiar. Ashutosh looked up at nidhi, puzzled.
"Ashutosh, look at the picture carefully, can't you see the resemblance? This is your father. You look exactly like him. Look again."
Ashutosh looked once again, of course the man looked familiar, it was him. This was some joke. I was p,aging on him.
"Nidhi yeh kya mazak hai, that's me. Only I have no idea who the woman or baby are. what are you trying to do. This is not funny."
"Ashutosh, I am not joking. That is not you, that's your father and next to him is your mother and in their arms, that baby is you."
"how do you know that, and where did you find this. How can you be so sure?"
At that point Arman spoke up.
"Ashutosh, remember about a month ago, when I took Nidhi with me for some work. Well this was what we were doing. We did not want to tell you, because we were not sure if we would find out anything for sure or not. And we did not want to raise your hopes or want you disappointed. You see Nidhi had called me a couple of days earlier, and told me that she wanted to try and see of we could find out anything regarding your birth parents, and she asked me for my help. So, Rohan,Aanchal Nidhi and I went to a place near the Delhi Lucknow highway, where Bade Baba said your village had been, before being abandoned due to the cholera outbreak, and from there we went to a few nearby villages and tried talking to some of the older members there, in hopes that someone maybe remembered, or had knew anything regarding the people who had once lived there and what had become of them. Anyway, the fourth or fifth village we went to, and let me tell you we would not even gone there is Nidhi had not insisted, she said that she had a feeling that this was the place we would definitely find out something, because after that much time we were all exhausted, and I was worried about Nidhi, we found a very old man, who said that he vaguely remembered something. Anyway, the man told us that there used to be a young man, a young doctor, who used to live there nearby somewhere, who had set up some sort of a clinic, for the villages nearby. The doctor had a young wife and a small son, but he said, that the doctors wife had died before their had been a year old, and he did not know why. Then he told us that the doctor himself had also died a few years later, of some kind of a fever. And their son had been taken in by one of the villagers. Anyway, then village had the cholera outbreak, that basically wiped it out, mostly everyone died and those that didn't had fled, and after that no one knew what happened to the little boy or he even had survived."
Throughout all of this, everyone had been listened intently.
Then Nidhi spoke up again.
"so after we we got all of that information, and based on that, the next day, I started making rounds of the library, you remember complaining about how many hours I was spending away from you and home, well that's where I was and what I was doing. So, it took me a few days, and a lot of reading, oh, and if anybody wants to know what happened in the news or any gossip from 25-30 years ago(we have to remember that in ktlk Ashu had said that Baba had found him when he was around 10 yrs old) they should to talk to me I am an expert now after having read so much. Anyway, I found an article in one of the local Newspapers, about how a Young doctor and his family had settled in a village and opened a small clinic, and was dedicating his life to serving the poor and underprivileged. The Article said that he had a wife who was a school teacher, and that they had an infant son. Any way, the article went on to describe his work, and how much it was appreciated and how more people like him were needed in the world. I have a copy of the article right here, I had it laminated and preserved for you. And then I used that picture. I took it to a professional photography studio and had them enhance and frame it for me. Dr. Ashutosh Mathur, let me introduce you to your parents Dr Abhinav Kumar and His wife your mother Mrs. NISHA Kumar. Your parents. I know I can't give you absolute proof, I could not get a hold of your birth records. I guess in those days they did not keep records of births in the villages. But anyone looking at this photo of this man, anyone can see the resemblance and could tell you that he is your father. You could be twins."
Ashutosh, was stunned beyond belief, he didn't know what to say.
"Nidhi why, did you do this, why did you go to all of this trouble?.t
"Ashutosh, I know that it has always bothered you that you didn't know anything about your origins. I know that since Bade Baba had never adopted you legally, you have always wondered about your identity, and legacy. So this was my way of giving it to you. Now you know exactly who you are and where you came crime, and who your parents are. They were both wonderful people, who you can be proud of. Also, you can rest easy and know that they did abandon you. They loved you, you can see it on their faces, even in this old newspaper clipping. I know that this has been bothering you all your life, and specially now with the children coming. Ashutosh, you have made me so happy, you have given me your love and support, and done everything in your power to give me all I wished and desired, So couldn't I do this one little thing for you. I can't stand to see you sad, or have anything bothering you, Ashutosh I want you to be happy, I want to give you as much happiness as you have given me. I don't want there to be even any trace of unhappiness in our lives. So in doing this I have also been selfish, because if you are unhappy so am I, and i don't like to be sad. So i did this for the both of us. Now you have a legacy that you can pass down to your children, with pride."
Ashutosh had no words to thank God, for this miracle, named Nidhi, which he hd sent into his life. First her love, then his children, now this, his identity. Was there no end to this woman's generosity, her love. So in front of his family, his adopted father, and friends, he got up, with tears streaming down his cheeks, and went to her and pulled her I to his arms. "I love you, Dr. Nidhi Mathur, very very much."
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