Saturday 12 January 2013

The Learning Curve - Chapter 26

'The Day we found...It!'

"Welcome to Arogyanidhi Hospital, if you know the extension, please press now...otherwise please dial 1 for accidents and emergencies, 5 for ambulance service and 9 for reception...

Arnav sat still in his car for a few seconds as the phone beeped and the call ended after repeated prompts from the automated voice...he threw his phone on the seat as he leapt form the car and ran towards khushi's bulding watchman...the full realization of the call from the hospital hitting him as he banged on the security cabin door.

"Arre...kaun hai!?" [Who's there?] came a bored voice from the cabin as the occupant got out to see a harassed and angry man standing in front of his door "Where is Khushi?...Khushi Gupta.." arnav said in an urgent barely controlled voice to the confused watchman...he ran a frustrated hand through his matted hair as he repeated his question "Tell me dammit!...where is she?" he said loudly as the watchman took a step back..

"Saab..woh...Khushi madam toh" [Sir..that...khushi mam..] the watchman started saying, slightly afraid at the mad look in the well dressed man's eyes...he had seen this man coming with madam before, and the late night watchman had told him that he was Khushi madam's boyfriend...he quickly straightened up and did a quick salute to him "Salam saab...woh khushi madam ko shilpa didiji aspatal leke gayi hai...aapko nahin malum ki...?" [Sir, shilpa di has taken khushi mam to the hospital...did you not know that...?"] he started saying as arnav swiftly turned away from him and ran to his car.

That's it...he could not hear the rest...he knew that khushi was in trouble...Oh why did he wait that long! Dammit! He started his car and slipped on his bluetooth before reversing his car to go back the way he came...Arogyanidhi hospital was only a few block away from khushi's building and arnav could not wait to get there faster...he called the hospital again and picked up his phone to dial for reception when it prompted.

"Arogranidhi hospital, how can we help you?" said a tired voice...arnav took a deep breath but he found it hard to say anything, his emotions choking his voice. .. "Hello! Are you there? Hello?" asked the woman on the line who now seemed irritated... "God! Why do you call if your'e not going to talk! ..."...she said before she hung up the phone..arnav controlled it, but finally a steady stream of tears started running across his cheeks...'Khushi..." he said in a broken voice as he drove like a madman to reach the hospital on record time.

Arnav left the car on the curb before running out, towards the main entrance...he heard the faint voice of the guard calling out for him to park the car correctly...but at this point he did not give a damn...he wiped the tears on his face with both his palms as he came to the reception... "Khushi Gupta...she is here...where is she?" he demanded at the startled woman at the front desk.

"Sir, are you ok?...you need to calm down..." she said as she motioned over to one of the boys to come over...arnav just looked at her in anger as he started shouting again "Don't tell me to bloody calm down...where is Khushi? Where is she? Which room? Tell me now!" he screamed as the moderately busy lobby area with various ailing patients and their families turned towards the commotion.

"Please...calm down...and lower your voice sir, otherwise we'll have to remove you off the premises..this is a hospital!" the woman said in an agitated tone as arnav did not seem to hear a word of what she said... "I don't care! Tell me now...where is Khsuhi? You don't know who I am...I can bloody close down this hospital if you don't tell me where she is right now.." he shouted at the frightened woman as the peon placed his hand on his shoulder "Sir, please being your voice down.." he said as arnav turned around to hold him by the collar "Shut the hell up! Tell me where my..." he started saying when a soft voice stopped him

"Arnav?" he heard a familiar voice speak...he turned towards the voice to see a distressed Shilpa walking towards him from the elevator that had just landed on the ground floor..arnav let the man go as he ran towards shilpa "Where is she Shilpa? Where is Khushi? What happened to her...why didn't you.." he started rambling off to a confused Shilpa "Arnav...arnav...wait..khushi is fine...she just fainted due to stress and weakness...she's upstairs..I tried to call you but..." Shilpa said in a worried voice looking at arnav's state.

To say shilpa was shocked was an understatement...she didn't know what to make of this man standing in front of her...when she walked out of the elevator after paying the bills upstairs, she was scared to see someone holding the poor peon by his lapels..but when his voice reached her ears, she knew it was arnav...but what had happened to him? She wondered as arnav held her hands and looked into her confused eyes.

"Shilpa...your'e not joking right? Khushi is all right? Where is she? I need to see her...please...take me to her now" he pleaded as shilpa nodded her head...she held his cold trembling hand and led him towards the ER section of the hospital on the left side...she murmured assurances to him as he breathed heavily...when they finally reached the room khushi was resting in, shilpa told him to go in...she knew she probably should give them some time alone.

Arnav's hand shook as he opened the door...he remembered the last time he was in a hospital...it was the day when Yashwardhan Mallik had died...it was the day when his entire life had fallen apart...he closed his eyes in fear as he stepped in hoping that Khushi was indeed all right.

He opened his eyes as his ears heard the faint 'drip..drip' from the IV bottle...his heart started beating fast as he took in the pale form lying on the bed with her eyes closed; she was dressed in a hospital gown with the IV tube fitted into her tiny wrist...the red matted blood on it stark against the white skin...he inched towards her slowly as he saw her eyes flicker open...the sight making him sigh in relief..

"Khushi..' he said softly as khushi turned her head towards him...her drawn face lit up in a beautiful smile as she tired to get up to greet him.."No..no...i'll help you...wait..." he said as he pressed the button on the hospital bed to rise it up a little bit..he helped her sit on the bed with a pillow resting behind her back.

"Arnav...you came...Thank God...I had asked Shilpa di to call you.." she said in a weak voice as arnav nodded...he sat by her on the bed and grasped her other hand tightly in his..."Yes...I...I came...Khushi...I..." started saying as his eyes teared up...he had thought not to bother her with the turmoil he went through...but seeing her in front of him, the three hour long torture seemed to vanish...he saw khushi's eyes widen at his face, but before she could say anything to him, he leapt forward and held her in his embrace, his arms holding her tightly but not painfully against him

"Oh God Khushi...I...I did not know what to think...When you didn't take your calls and I could not get through to Shilpa...God...I thought of the worst Khushi...and...I missed Shilpa's call from the hospital...and your stupid watchman told me shilpa had taken you here...and then...I...Khushi I..." he said as khushi sighed against his chest, she let her good hand stroke his hair softly as she buried her head in his neck.

"Baby...i'm ok...I'm sorry I left my phone in my house...In fact, I had gone back to get it when I felt dizzy suddenly and fell...I could luckily ring di's bell right before i fainted..." khushi said as arnav pulled back to see her face "I don't remember much after that, but she got me to the hospital and admitted me...I just came around an hour ago and the first thing I told her to do was to call you...unfortunately in the hurry to bring me here, she forgot her phone too...so she must have called you from the hospital phone.." khushi said with a small smile

She brought her hand forward to cup his cheek "Arnav...nothing happened...it was just some weakness and iron deficiency...pretty normal...please..don't worry so much...and don't think anything else ok.." she said sweetly to which arnav nodded his head..he laid his forehead against hers before asking her in a small voice.. "Khushi...what if something big had happened...I'm cursed Khushi...i told you...why is it that when everything is going well...something like this..." he started saying when khushi placed her palm on his mouth.

Armav looked up to see pain and hurt reflected in her beautiful hazel eyes, he tried to speak when she pressed her palm further and shook her head "No Arnav...don't go there darling..please..." she begged him...he sighed and looked down as she took a deep breath, a lone tear making its way down her milky cheek...arnav quickly wiped the tear on her face as he held her face in her hands "I'm sorry Khushi...I just can't lose you...I just can't" he said as khushi placed her hand over his.

"Arnav...don't do this...it took you a long time to come out of all that...you cannot blame yourself for everything that happens to the people you love...and who love you back...I love you Arnav Raizada...I love you more than life itself...and if i ever lose you to this...this absurd thought you have created...I would cease to exist...let me live Arnav...let me live.." she said in a broken voice as arnav gathered her sobbing body to his, he buried his head in her fragrant hair as he ran a soothing hand down her back

"Im sorry baby...i'm so sorry...I love you Khushi...and we'll live...we'll live through all of this...Please forgive me Khushi...you and anaya mean the world to me...I am incomplete without the two of you...and I promise that I will never let my past haunt our future..." he said as she nodded against his chest.

Khushi pulled back and gave him a watery smile as she wiped her tears...she looked up to see him smiling at her with so much love that it made her want to kiss him senseless "What are you smiling at? Is my nose red?" she asked him rubbing her nose, when he leaned towards her and kissed her softly on her lips, a kiss so filled with tenderness that it made her toes curl...literally.

"You said the three words.." he said cheekily as khushi blushed...she smiled at him shyly as she brushed the stray hair on his forehead away "I guess i did...though i still stand by the fact that three words are too less to express what i feel for you" she said as arnav chuckled at her innocence "I know sweetheart...and I can't wait to get you out of here to express what i feel for you...in ways which I'm sure will leave you very very satisfied.." he said as he winked at her.

Khushi stifled a laugh as she hit him lightly on his arm "You are so horrible! Here I am with tubes poking out of my body and all you can think about is that!..Oh and speaking of which...if my mere fainting can make you this scared, what will happen when I give birth? I'm sure you will faint ten times before i even deliver!" she said chuckling at him but suddenly stopped when she saw his serious face.

"Arnav? What happened? I...I was just joking you know...I mean, it not like i'm pregnant or something..." she said trying to lighten the situation; he probably felt really awkward when she spoke of their baby...she was just about to change the topic when his husky voice made her stop in the midst of her thoughts "What if i want it to be true...and not a joke? Khushi...I...I was going to ask you this after i met your buaji..." he said carefully as Khushi looked on with a slight tinge on her cheeks.

"I know we discussed this...and that thing about exploring and taking things slow...but Khushi...I know this is right, we are meant to be...and I..I can't wait to have you beside me, as my better half...in fact, my best half...as a mother of my children...our children...as my soulmate, my love, my friend, my partner and above all...my teacher...you taught me to live again khushi...but that's all i'm doing...living! Without you, thats all i'll ever do...but i want to experience life khushi...you...you are my life...will you marry me?" he asked her, his eyes shining with love

Khushi just stared at him...her own eyes filling up again...her heart was banging against her chest...the slight pain in her wrist from the pinching needle was gone, her weakness from the fainting episode was, her pale cheeks turned rosy as she gazed at her love and said in a voice full of wonder as she felt only pure unadulterated love flow through her veins for his man "Yes"

No comments:

Post a Comment