Part 1
"Trrrnnggg….!!" the bell rang.
The door opened in a few minutes.
"Aap?"
"Kalyani ji…!!" the man standing outside the door spoke. His voice was hoarse and heavy.
"Andhar aayiye.." Kalyani gestured him to sit on the sofa and got him a glass of water.
"Ss… sab teekh hai na Sourav ji..", Kalyani asked, an unknown shiver running inside her.
He shook his head, "Nahi…!! Malhar…"
"Kya hua Malhar ko..?" Kalyani panicked.
"Malhar ko hospital le gaye hain.. Teen goliyaan lagi hai usko…"
Kalyani was shocked and couldn't react.
He got up, "Mujhe pata hai aapko koi farak nahi padtha, lekin aapko batana mera farz tha.. Ab mujhe apne dost ke paas hona chahiye. Mai chalta hun Kalyani ji."
Kalyani stood like a statue.
Sourav walked towards the door.
"Rukiye..!!"
He turned back.
"Mujhe leke chaliye Malhar ke paas… please…" tears dropped down her eyes.
Sourav nodded and wiped his own eyes as she grabbed the keys. Locking the house, she got into Sourav's jeep.
At the hospital, the nurse was asking the receptionist, "Emergency ward me jo patient hai, Woh ACP Rane jise goli lagi hai.. Unke family se koi hai kya…? surgery ke pehle form me unka signature lena hai.."
"Family members toh hai nahi sister, lekin unke department wale yahin hain.. Unse puchte hain.."
They went towards the two police constables who were standing there and enquired.
"Hum toh constables hai. Hum sign nahi kar sakte.. Sourav sir abhi pohonch jayenge.. Woh sign kar denge.."
The nurse spoke angrily, "Gaye kahan aapke Sourav sir..? Patient ki haalat kharab hai.. Emergency surgery karni hai aur woh ghumne gaye kya? Phone lagaiye unko jaldi.."
One of the constables quickly began calling but couldn't get through.
"Kya hua? Nahi mila? ACP saab ke koi gharwale toh honge…"
"Ji.. Sister…unke gharwalon ko bhi try kar rahe hain hum.."
"Kaise aap log itne irresponsible ho sakte hain…Aapke officer ki jaan khatre me hai.. Apne kisi senior se permission leke aap donon me se koi sign karo…."
"Sister..!!"
She turned around to see another man in uniform and a woman beside him.
"Sourav Sir..", the constable handed the form to him.
"Finally pohonch gaye aapke Sir? Ab jaldi se sign kijiye… ACP Rane ko theatre me le jaane ka wakt ho raha hai.."
Sourav took the form to sign it when Kalyani stopped him, "Mai sign karungi…."
The nurse turned to her, "Aap kaun hai…?"
"Ye unki family member hai.." Sourav answered her and handed the form to Kalyani.
"Acha..!! Kya rishta hai aapka patient se?"
Kalyani's eyes brimmed again.
Humare beech kabhi koi rishta nahi ho sakta… Mai aapko apna pati kabhi nahi manungi…
"Madam ji… kis soch me pad gayi aap? Kya rishta hai aapka ACP saab se..?"
"Pp.. Pati…!!! Mere pati hain woh…", Kalyani touched her neck. It was plain as always because she never wore her mangalsutra.
"Acha..!!" she scanned Kalyani who was devoid of any marital signs but since she had come with a police officer, she nodded her head, "Jaldi sign kijiye.."
Kalyani quickly signed the form and handed it over. Precisely at that moment, two ward boys came wheeling a patient towards the operation theatre.
"Are tum donon jaldi karo.. Bohot khoon beh chuka hai inka..." the nurse scolded them.
Seeing the man on the stretcher, Kalyani felt numb. It was Malhar being wheeled towards the operation theatre.
As the ward boys hurried, Kalyani stopped them for a moment. She went closer to him and that saw his eyes were closed, he was covered upto his neck in the hospital blanket.
She blinked her tears and touched his face for the first time. They began moving him towards the theatre and she automatically went behind them.
The doors to the theatre swung open and he was taken in.
She was stopped there by the hospital staff, "Aap andhar nahi aa sakti Mrs Rane. Aap waiting area me intezaar kijiye…"
"Kalyani ji chaliye.. Hum wahan baitkar intezaar karte hain.." Sourav said softly and she walked behind him.
Kalyani couldn't control her tears as her mind replayed their conversation on the day they were married.
Kalyani was standing in the room. She heard the door open and close and knew that he had entered.
"Are..!! Dekho dekho kaun aaya hai..!!", she turned around and blurted in a tone laced with anger and sarcasm.
He just looked at her, not saying anything, not moving forward. She went forward and dropped her saree's pallu, looking at him with contempt.
He looked away.
"Kya hua Mr Malhar Rane, muh kyun pher rahe hain..? Karch kiye hue paison ka pura faida uta sakte hain aap.. Lekin itna yaad rakhiye, sirf mere jism ko chu sakte hain aap, mere dil ko kabhi nahi chu sakte…kabhi nahi… samjhe aap..!!"
He closed his eyes for a moment then bent down to pick up the fallen pallu and covered her back.
"Mujhe tumse kuch nahi chahiye Kalyani …"
"Oh..!! The perfect gentleman..!!" her sarcasm continued.
His eyes had held tears as he spoke, "Maine tumhe iss shaadi ke liye majboor nahi kiya.. tumhe khud bhi pata hai wahan...."
"Ofcourse…!! Aap toh the saviour Malhar Rane hai, Knight in shining armor.. Jo mujhe bachane aaye….hunh..!!!", she clapped her hands in front of his face.
"Aisa kuch nahi hai.. Mai nahi chahtha tha ki uss wajah se tumhari zindagi barbaad ho…"
"Acha !!! Toh aapko lagta hai meri zindagi ab bach gayi..?"
"......"
"Kya hua..? Saanp sung gayi kya? Sorry to break your bubble Mr Rane, Jis din aapse mulakat hui hai usi din se meri zindagi barbaad ho gayi…."
"......" a lone tear escaped his eye.
"Sach sunke bura laga aapko? Aadat daal lijiye…"
Not receiving any reply she continued, "Mujhe kisika ehsaan rakhna pasand nahi hai.. especially aapka ya aapke parivaar ka.."
He looked at her, speaking softly, "Teekh hai, lekin uske liye apne aap ko mat jhukana.. tum jab chahe apne aap ko iss unchahe rishte se aazaad kar sakti ho…"
"Oh..!! Toh ab aapko aazaadi chahiye.. Hmm!! Let me think..!! No way Mr Rane, ab aapko aazaadi milne se rahi.. Ab aapko yahi zindagi jhelni hogi.. yahi hogi aapki saza.."
She shouted, "Humare beech kabhi koi rishta nahi ho sakta… Mai aapko apna pati kabhi nahi manungi…"
She scrubbed her hair partition vigorously to remove the streak of vermillion, removed the few bangles she had worn, throwing them down on the floor and pulled the mangalsutra off her neck, throwing it on his face.
"Yeh aapko meri taraf se shaadi ka tohfa… Aap bohot lucky hain.. Kisi bhi mard ko aisa nazara dekhne nahi mila hoga… apne biwi ko vidhwa hote dekhna.. Lekin aapko mili hai…aap apne biwi ko aise hi dekhenge.."
Malhar dropped to his knees holding the mangalsutra in his hands. He picked up a few of the fallen bangles which had broken.
She could feel his throat was choking with the tears he was trying hard to hold back.
When he saw her spreading a bed sheet on the floor, he quickly got up and said in a hoarse voice, "Tum bed pe so jao… mai neeche.."
"Please…!! Ye bakwaas ka chivalry mujhe mat dikhaiye.. Soch kaise liya aapne ki mai iss bed pe let jaungi.. ? Ye bed jise aapne istamaal kiya, jisme aapki khushbu hogi.. Bardaasht nahi kar sakti mai.. Mai to aapka ek chadar tak istamaal nahi karungi… apna khud ka use kar lungi.. "
He hadn't said anything after that but he too had picked up a bedsheet and laid it on the other side of the bed.
Both of them had laid down on the hard floor on either side of the bed.
"Kalyani ji… ye lijiye chai..", Sourav's voice brought her back to the present.
She wiped her eyes and shook her head, "Mujhe kuch nahi chahiye.."
He sat down on the chair next to her, "Pi lijiye Kalyani ji.. Warna agar aapko kuch ho gaya toh mai apne dost ko kya jawab dunga.." and made her drink the warm tea.
"Malhar teekh ho jayenge na..?" she asked him with a tear laden voice.
"I hope he does Kalyani ji.. He's one of the best officers in the department.
Waise aapko kya farak padtha hai.. Woh jeeye ya mare.. ? Lekin agar use kuch ho gaya toh aise log bhi hain jinhe farak padega… Atleast un nanhe bachon ke khatir Malhar ko teekh hona hoga.. "
Kalyani kept quiet, unable to tell anything. She couldn't tell that she would be very much affected if anything happened to her husband. Her heart was aching right now, seeing him lying lifeless on the stretcher.
"Bache…?", she asked softly.
"Haan.. Sunrise Children's Home ke bache.. Jo har Sunday ko Malhar ki raah dekhte hain.."
"Malhar har Sunday subah wahin jaate hain..?"
"Kitni ajeeb baat hai na Kalyani ji ki aapko ye baat mujhse pata lag raha hai.. Aap uske saat, ek hi ghar me rehti hain, lekin aapne kabhi koshish nahi ki use jaannne ki….."
"Mrs Rane…!!", a nurse came out and handed a packet to her. "Ye aapke husband ke kapde hain.."
Kalyani opened the packet and saw his uniform covered in blood. She closed it back and clutched it to her chest.
Aapko teekh hona hai Malhar.. Sirf un bachon ke liye nahi.. Mere liye.. Aapki Kalyani ke liye bhi.. Haan... Mai aapki ho gayi hun...pichla ek mahina, aap ghar me nahi the..bohot khali laga ghar bhi, zindagi bhi.. Mujhe chodke nahi jaa sakte aap.. Ab apne dil ki baat batana hai aapko.. Please Malhar, mujhe ek mauka chahiye… please Bappa mere Malhar ko teekh kar dijiye…
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Hi guys, please give your feedback about this start..
If you all like it then I'll continue.. Warna mai apne baaki ke stories par hi dhyan deti hun..
I haven't given any title to it because I couldn't think of one.. Any of you can suggest one.. 😊
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