CHAPTER 27
Introducing Dr. Yash Malhotra. I like Arjun Bijlani and I think he's perfect as the doctor😃
Thanks Bratty for the suggestion.😉
He was not only bad, he was a crazy lunatic and a control freak. She glared daggers at him and was breathing heavily while Dadi and Dev watched the words flying back and forth between them as if it were a ping pong match. They weren't quite sure whom to root for though.
And it had all started in the parking lot of the hospital.
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Dev was wary when he entered the hospital; however, he soon relaxed when he saw people with different disabilities, including a few other kids. They first had a consultation with a neurologist in the hospital. The doctor checked him along with suggesting several tests that were to be done at a later day. He had concluded tentatively that there was nothing wrong physically with him and they had gone on to meet with the person who was going to be the real connection between Dev and his mind's inability to walk. He was renowned clinical psychologist Yash Malhotra; besides having been Geet's psychologist at one point, he was also Brij's best friend. He was also an incurable flirt, though quite harmless.
The moment the two of them entered his consulting room, he jumped to his feet and walked over to them.
"Aaiye aaiye... Haaye...tune maari entriya toh dil mein baji ghantiya re. Tang tang tang re Geet.
Arey waah chote nawab bhi tashrif laye hain, mallikaye husna ke saath. Welcome to my humble gareebkhana chote nawab"
Dev looked at the doctor warily, than motioned to Geet to bend down. When she did, he whispered in her ear.
"Uhh Di. Yeh pagal kaun hain? If he is my doctor main abhi yaha se ghar ja raha hoon."
Geet grinned and straightened up.
"Dr sahab if you don't shut your mouth, you are going to lose a very wonderful boy as a dost right now.
"Haaye Geet tumahre muh se Dr sahab kitna sexy lagta hain. Chalo abhi bhaag ke shaadi kar lete hai. Phir tum zindagi bhar mujhe Dr sahab hi bulana."
"No!!! Di is not going to marry you. Dev's voice was sharp with denial.
"And why not chote nawab?"
"Coz she is going to marry my br...I mean.. never mind that. And stop calling me chote nawab. My name is Devdan Singh Khurna. You can call me Dev though" He said with all the arrogance he could muster up.
Yash grinned at him and stuck out his hand.
"Glad to meet you, Devdan Singh Khurana. Urf Dev though."
"It's just Dev. D.E.V ... Dev. Got it? Di we are leaving."
Geet slapped Yash on his arm. "Yash stop that. You never know when to stop. Mere saath mazak karte ho thik hai, par mere Dev ko akele chod do."
"Main tumhare saath kabhi mazak nahi karta hoon Geet. Tum hi sab mazak banake rakh deti ho. You feel safer that way na." His tone was serious and his humorous eyes completely unsmiling in that moment.
"Yash stop psycho analyzing me. I am not your patient right now."
He looked like he was going t to argue, but instead nodded and bent down to Dev.
"Hey buddy. I am Yash Malhotra. From today onwards we are going to be so close that we are going to make your Geet Di jealous."
"Uhh. I don't want to get that close to you."
Geet laughed at Dev's prompt reply, while Yash retorted.
"If you don't want to get close to me it's okay. That means I can keep her closer to me. He pointed at Geet. Dev grabbed onto Geet's hand and held tight and glared at Yash as if daring him to try.
"What is it about my handsome face that repels people I wonder. Aur tum...tum kya jadu chalati ho Geet ki hum sab tumahre fan ban jaate hai? Sahi kaha na maine Dev?"
Geet knew that Yash was trying to draw Dev's attention away from the fact that he was a Clinical Psychologist, there to help sort out the confusion in the child's mind. However she was never comfortable when he went overboard with his attentions to her.
"Yash agar ab ki baar aap chup nahi baithe na then I am not going to share the besan ke ladddus I made for you before coming here."
"Besan ke laddu!!!" Yash practically yelled. He jumped to his feet and pretended to zip his mouth while moving his arm forward to ask for the dabba.
"But Geet why stop me from a little flirting? Did you know that flirting is excellent for your health. It increases the WBC's in the body, which in turn increases body's immunity."
"Really? So what exactly does this flirting constitute?" Dev asked him curiously. Yash looked at him with startled eyes and then a wide grin spread across his face. He had found the pulse that made Dev Singh Khurana tick.
The doctor and his curious patient eventually bonded over a shared tin of laddus and an exchange of strange and curious facts about various things.
Yash slowly drew Dev out of his shell and learnt that the one thing that Dev missed very much in school was playing sports with his school mates.
The moment he heard that Yash jumped to his feet.
"Let's go buddy. I want to show you something."
Geet and Dev followed him through some double doors, onto the side of the hospital. There Dev came to an abrupt halt as he came face to face with a bunch of people who were zooming around in manual wheelchairs, playing a rousing game of basketball.
Dev was fascinated.
The one suggestion that the neurologist had made for Dev had been that the automated wheelchair that he used be occasionally switched with a manual one, as there had been drastic muscle loss in the five years he had been in it and needed to start by building his body strength. Dev had been completely unsure about this change in his routine.
Now his eyes shone with excitement as he turned to Yash and asked,
"How soon he will I be able to play like that."
Yash shrugged.
"That would depend on how long you spend exercising your muscles."
"So where and how can I get a manual wheel chair."
When Yash informed him that the hospital provided them he was exhilarated.
"I want to get one immediately." Geet stood back and watched grinning as he ordered Yash. He reminded her of his older brother in that moment. The same commanding posture even in a wheel chair, the same arrogance. She snapped out of her drifting thoughts and focused her attention back to the duo in front of her
An orderly brought the wheel chair outside, and Dev insisted on taking it for a spin.
Yash asked the orderly to take him as he wanted to discuss some more details with Geet.
While Dev was exploring his surroundings on his new ride, he wheeled out into the parking lot and saw the the huge car parked at the far end. He grinned and asked the orderly to accompany him there.
He approached the car slowly and knocked on the window on Dadi's side. She rolled it down and looked at him guiltily.
"Woh hum yaha pe satsang ke liye aaye the." She blurted out nervously.
Maan groaned at that. He waited for Dev's reaction and it was swift. He burst out laughing.
"Dadi aap aur satsang, aur woh bhi hospital ke parking lot mein. Waise updesh kaun de rahe the. Guru Maan Singh Khurana ji?"
He found that outrageously funny and started laughing loudly.
Maan looked at his little brother in high spirits and breathed out a sigh of relief.
He got out of the car and walked around to Dev's side. He dismissed the orderly after telling him that he'd take care of his brother.
Dev in the meanwhile enthusiastically shared his meeting with the doctor and also talked endlessly about the basketball game. He showed off his new wheelchair to Maan and Dadi.
"I am still unsure about Dr. Malhotra, bhai. I like some things about him, but some things not all all. Maan watched is brother wrinkle his nose in disgust as if remembering something unpleasant about the doctor.
"Pata hain bhai, woh Geet di ke bhi doctor the."
Maan looked down at his brother in shock and then at his dadi, who looked away conveniently at that moment. He sighed silently. More questions, more confusion and no answers in sight. Just then he looked up to see the manifestation of his chaotic mind, Geet Handa rushing towards them.
He saw that a slight limp was still present in her gait. His guilt quotient just hiked up another notch.
"Dev!! Dev!!" She called out moving towards the direction the orderly had told her the car was parked.
"Main yaha pe hoon Di." he called out. She had been worried when the orderly had told her that somebody claiming to be the boy's brother had dismissed him.
She saw Maan leaning against the car and sagged in relief.
"Thank God aap hai. Main bilkul dar gayi thi. Woh uske doctor mere saath uski case discuss karna chahte the aur uske saath woh orderly tha toh..." She stopped abruptly.
Damn it. In her anxiety she had broken her promise to herself, but she did not regret it. Nothing was more important than Dev's safety.
He opened his mouth to say something and on cue, she walked away.
Damn it. What did it take for a man to apologize. Why was it so difficult to get her to just listen to him.
He had seen the anxiety in her eyes as she had walked towards the car. He did not know when and how it had happened, but as far as Dev was concerned he trusted her completely. Perhaps it had been the night he had seen his brother break down completely and how she'd nurtured him through it.
She loved that little boy...and absolutely hated his older brother. He disgusted her.
He felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach at that thought. He did not mind her hatred, but he could not bear her revulsion. She thought he was a violent man who pushed injured and helpless women to the ground. The worst part was his heart and head had been so chaotic yesterday that he could not remember what exactly he'd said to her. He had never ever experienced such a thing before. How did one go about apologizing for something one did not even remember?
He watched as she ran her fingers through Dev's hair and praised him profusely as she told dadi about how much he had progressed today.
He felt a pang in his heart. His hands balled into fists and his jaw tightened. Just for a wild moment he was jealous of the attention she showered on his little brother.
Then he sighed.
Maan you have fallen to a new low with this admission, you know that right?
He looked at the adoring eyes with which his brother looked at her. How could he begrudge him the affection of this woman who had helped him take the first step out of his dark world.
He looked up suddenly and realized that dadi had been calling his name for some time now.
"Kya hua Maan? Kaha khoye hue ho aap? Chaliye. Jaate jaate Geet ko uske ghar drop kar denge."
Geet promptly backed away from the car.
"Arey nahi Dadi main khud chali jaungi. Mu...mujhe ghar jaane se pehle aur bhi kaam hain."
There was no way she was getting in that car along with him, even with Dev and Dadi there to act as buffers.
She kissed Dev goodbye, hugged Dadi and started beating a hasty retreat while they both were still protesting. Maan blocked her way.
"Miss Handa...Miss Handa please... Geet. Will you at least listen to what I have to say?"
She looked up and glared at him fiercely. And it was at that moment that Maan's mind chose to release a clear shot of the moment where he had arrogantly asked her to address him as Mr. Khurana. He groaned and closed his eyes at that sheer idiocy of his. When he opened his eyes Dadi and Dev were beside him, staring up at him in fascination while, Geet had walked away several feet.
He looked at them helplessly and then at Geet's slow but sure steps that were taking her away from him.
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He could not... just could not let her walk away from this moment like this. He felt restless, suffocated when he thought of this cold war continuing between them without any resolution. He never felt the need to justify himself to anybody for his actions, coz they were always logically and carefully thought out. However yesterday had been a purely emotional reaction and he was still floundering around, dealing with it's after effects. This was precisely the reason he kept his emotions under tight control at all times. Every emotional decision he'd ever made had always landed him in trouble; including the time he'd let his uncle, his father's cousin brother, Inderjeet Singh Khurna, affectionately called Indy chacha, take over Khurana Group of Industries( KGoI) .
His parents had been dead, his brother paralyzed and his Dadi walled behind deep depression. He'd had no time to grieve for himself, while looking after them, as well as learning the day to day management of the complex workings of a huge empire. In had stepped his most favorite Indy chacha, the one who'd been as close to his father, as any brother could be. His father had lavished love and wealth equally on Indy and his family. Indy had not been particularly business savvy and had let Prakash Khurana, run the show, while sitting back and reaping the benefits. Maan had gradually let his uncle and his sons, take over more responsibility of the company as he'd been desperately taking his brother from hospital to hospital to find a cure for his unexplained paralysis. The first year after the accident, Dev would turn hysterical every time Maan or dadi disappeared from his eyesight. So Maan had set up his office from home and tried to run the company from there. One fine day he had received and unexpected call from a few member of the board of directors, who had been with his grandfather from the initial days of the Khurana . They had told him that Indy and his sons had called a secret shareholders meeting and were garnering votes to knock him off the chairman's position. He had walked into the boardroom unannounced, dragging dadi and Dev along with him, still believing that there was some mistake and Indy chacha would never ever do that to his own brother's family. After making sure that the two stayed outside, he had walked in to hear his uncle's words.
"Prakash Singh Khurana, the money making tree of KGoI, on whose back we all climbed the heights of success, is dead. I am extremely sad for the loss to our family, however we must all look after our own families now. The stocks have been plummeting as the heir of the Khurana's hides at home, behind the excuse of an old woman and a child. And as such I do not believe that a young kid like Maan can fill in his father's shoes. We will of course give what is due to him. However, I have been in talks with our rivals the Rathods and I know that they have been acquiring the stocks on the market for the past few years. I have approached Mr. Rathod with a plan which constitutes a hostile take over bid. The Khurana name will be dissolved and the companies absorbed under his own banner, however each of you will be wealthy beyond your imagination."
Maan had been burning with fury and humiliation. The sense of security, the trust in family bonds, the blood ties, all the blindfolds were ripped from his eyes. Indy had stopped being chacha to him that day. In that room he'd seen men on whose lap he'd played and whose sons and daughters had gone to schools and colleges with him. He might have forgiven his uncle out of family loyalty, if not for the fact that he'd insulted his father, who had loved and pampered his brother all his life. If only he'd not called him a money climbing tree. Maan had walked out of there carefully, only to see his Dadi standing there with tears in her eyes and a helpless Dev sleeping in the wheelchair beside her.
Maan had hugged her briefly assuring her that everything would be okay. He still had time before his uncle could put his plan into action. He'd turned every stone and finally found a trail of market manipulation of the stocks of KGoI, for lowering the prices that were than being bought out by a dummy company under Indy's name. He had called the SEBI that governed the activities of all the companies for this very particular thing. He had given details along with evidence, and Indy had been arrested as he had been on the way for the take over meeting. The Rathods had immediately washed their hands of the whole scandal and withdrawn quietly.
The whole thing had brought KGoI on the brink of financial ruin, however Maan had worked relentlessly and ruthlessly. KGoI was now flourishing under his leadership. He'd mercilessly replaced, inefficient and corrupt people in all levels of the companies. He'd had board members fired by exposing their underhanded dealings to the shareholders.
And he had stopped making decisions based on emotions the day he had heard Indy and his backstabbing strategy. He had won that day.
Or so he had thought. He watched Geet walking away from him now and wasn't so sure.
She had used the same words at the charity ball as Indy had. She had called him a money tree. And for that he had laid the sins of Indy's crimes at her door. He had turned judge, jury and executioner in that moment and knew somewhere that he was still judging her. He was letting Indy win without even being present there. He wanted to compartmentalize her into a recognizable slot in his life, but she refused to fit in and was taking over his mind and his hear...
Don't go there Maan, don't think it.
He took a deep breath to say something, anything to stop her, but his mind drew up a complete bank. Perhaps he should just let her walk away, before he said something wrong yet again.
"Flirt- Verb. Behave as though attracted to or trying to attract someone, but for amusement rather than with serious intentions."
Three heads turned to look at Dev as he spoke the words loudly head bent down, reading them from his cell phone.
"Di" He called out to her. "I am so glad that Dr. Malhotra is not serious about this attraction thing. Waise I am confused. He said he is flirting with you, because it increases the immunity toh phir yeh attraction wali kya baat hain Di? Hmm. Let me look up the meaning of attraction. I understand the meaning of the word, but there is more than one meaning to a word and I need to know the meaning in the context that Dr. Malhotra meant."
Geet rushed towards him as did Maan, but it was Dadi who snatched his phone.
"You are too smart for your own good kiddo."
"Of course I am smart." He grinned proudly and added softly . "See she is coming back. Bhai subah se try kar rahe ho. Jo bhi kehna hai jaldi se keh do, warna Dr. Malhotra's flirting will not only increase his immunity it might also break down Di's resistance through his persistence. Hey that rhymed. Am I smart or what."
Dadi gazed at her older grandson, who was looking at his younger brother as if he'd sprouted two heads.
She covered the laughter that burst out of her with a cough and mentally hi-fied her younger grandchild. She knew about the misunderstanding that had happened between Maan and Geet at the charity ball. Maan thought that Geet's words and their similarity to the ones spoken by Indy had been the cause of his animosity towards her. However to Savitri's eyes it seemed like he had used the words as a barrier against her. She clearly remembered the night of the ball when Maan had come back to their reserved hotel room. He had been lost in thought and she had asked him.
Khoobsoorat thi?
Ji, he had answered absently.
She had been amazed at the response and very curious so she had continued.
Kaun?
Ji Annapurna, Maan had replied still lost in his thoughts.
He had thought of her as Annapurna at that time she remembered.
She had walked up to him and shook him.
Yeh Annapurna kaun hai bete?
And he had snapped back to reality.
He had not had that lost look on his face while thinking about Geet's words. He had been lost in the thoughts of Geet, the woman and that was the whole crux of the problem. The attraction that had been beyond his ability to control had in turn made him lash out at the very object of his desire.
However the wonderful man that he was at heart, could not rest in peace each time he lashed out, coz it was a behavior very foreign to his nature and she knew that until he admitted his true feelings for Geet to himself completely, he'd continue punishing both, her and himself in the process.
Geet was now in front of the wheel chair, but before she could say anything Maan grabbed her arm and gently turned her around.
"Miss Handa."
"Dadi inse kahiye mujhe kuch nahi sunna hai." Geet slapped her palms on her ears.
Fine if she was not going to talk to him he was going to make her. He picked the one subject he knew she wouldn't be able to resist.
"Miss Handa as Dev's brother, I would like to ask you, why the hell was Dev's chair changed to a manual one without informing us."
"But bhai, I told you..." Dadi slapped her hand over Dev's mouth. She knew, this time Maan's words were not meant to hurt Geet, but rather provoke her.
There was no reply from Geet.
"Miss Handa this is extremely unprofessional behavior. I am asking you a question and I would like my reply sometime this year."
How dare he call her unprofessional. She took her job very seriously and as far as Dev was concerned her love for him made her go beyond the call of duty; she more than anybody wanted to see him back on his feet. A pulse ticked in her jaw, but she controlled herself. She was going to write a report about their visit and hand it over to Dadi, but she did not feel like sharing that with him.
"Why did u change
Dev's chair to a manual one?" He
repeated.
"Coz I felt like it, Mister Khurana" She mocked him, while dragging out the 'Mr
Khurana'
"Don't use that tone of voice with me
Miss. Handa."
"Kyun? Iss tone of voice ka kya apne theka le
rakkha hain. And I will answer your
question when you really want to know an answer, not when you want to question
my authority, Mister Khurana."
"What the hell?"
"Same to you Mister. Khurana."
"Aur yeh baar baar Mr. Khurana... Mr. Khurana kehna band kar do."
"Kyun? Aap hi ka toh hukm tha na yeh Mr Khurana, ki main aap ko Mr. Khurana bulau? Kyun sahi hain na Mr. Khurana."
Gosh keeping quiet had been so silly. This was so much more fun.
Maan clenched his jaw hard to stop the grin that was trying to stretch his mouth. She was hopping mad and enjoying shoving the Mr. Khurana down his throat, at every opportunity. He was relieved beyond measure that she had finally spoken even if she was having too much fun provoking him.
And he she wasn't done yet. She was on a roll and still continuing with her tirade, the words she had held back against a damn of silence, bursting out of her now that she'd finally let go.
"Aap toh humare boss hain na. Mere boss, mere bhai ke boss. Aur woh kya hain na, har ghar ki tarah hume bhi Gandhiji se bohot lagav hain. Isliye jo boss hote hain, unki baat sunni padti hain...Mr Khurana, warna agar boss gussa ho gaye toh Gandhiji bhi ruth jayenge."
Now he was lost.
"What the hell are you talking about Geet. What does Gandhiji have to do with this?"
"I am Miss. Handa to you. Aur Gandhiji ka to bohot gehra sambandh hain Mr. Khurana. Yeh dekhiye." Geet dug her wallet from her purse ad pulled out notes of Rs.100, Rs.500 and Rs.1000.
"Main inki baat kar rahi hoon." She said showing him the notes with Gandhiji's face on each of them.
He looked at the notes in her hand for a moment; thought back to what she had said and burst out laughing. She stared at his laughing face in fascination. Head thrown back, the sound gurgled out of him, sometimes rough, sometimes velvety. He had a beautiful laugh and he laughed with his whole face. Eyes crinkling at the corners, his lightly bearded jaw framing the white teeth that were all the more endearing for their slight unevenness. The sound would catch at odd moments as if he was out of practice and was surprised to find the alien sound bursting out of him.
He finally stopped laughing and looked down at her with soft eyes.
"You are unbelievable Geet." He said gently, absently, as if he were saying it to himself. His hand trailed softly on the corner of the dupatta.
She snapped out of the hypnotic trance his laughing face had put her in and stepped back away from him hastily. She was trying hard to hold on to the anger that had been rushing through her body moments ago, only to find it slipping away from her rapidly.
As she heard Dev and Dadi's laughter from behind she suddenly recalled their presence that seemed to have completely slipped her mind, while she'd been gaping at him.
"Waah Di. Kya baat hai. Superb comeback. "
"Ab aap ki baari hain Maan bete. Khurana's ki izzat ka sawal hain. Aap ki Miss Handa ne toh iss ladhai mein Gandhiji ka bhi sahara liya. Ab aap kya karenge?" Dadi egged him on.
Geet decided she'd had enough of this game and was ready to take off.
"Dev, Dadi main ja rahi hoon."
He blocked her way and roared.
"Shut up. Just shut up all three of you. You Miss Geet Handa have been trying to drive me nuts since the day you came into my life."
"I did nothing of the sort Mr. Khurana. It is all in your mind."
"Will you just shut up and let me apologize woman. I am sorry okay, I am extremely sorry for pushing you yesterday. It was just a sheer reflex. No damn it that sounds like an excuse. And I am not trying to give you any excuses. I am sorry for whatever else I might have said besides.. besides asking you to address me formally. Was.. was there a lot more?"
She looked at him in shock. That had been completely and totally unexpected.
"There were other things you said besides shoving me aside Mr. Khurana."
"I don't remember damn it, I don't remember what I said."
"What the hell is going on here? Who the hell are you and how dare you shout at Geet?"
Dr. Yash Malhotra put his arm around Geet protectively, while he glared at the man in front of him.
***********************************
Abhinandan Nisha, navya dhagyasathi.
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