NEW FF ...THE UNEXPECTED updated page 39 - Page 30

CHAPTER 32

Sugni let out a horrified  scream as she looked at Vickram  who  was lying  there  unconscious.   "Vickram?"  She   said as she knelt   to his side  .  So much  blood!.

"OH  MY  GOD ...Thakur Mallick!" The foreman said. Thinking quickly  Sugni turn to him.

"We need to get him to the hospital   quickly ...can you  put the water in the  van please?" She asked desperately.  Doing as she  said ,  he then  helped her to place Vickram in the van.  The foreman   sat in the  back  with Vickram  as he had  no idea how to drive as Sugni sat in the  driver's seat as she  was about the  start the  jeep,  Vickram's phone  started  ringing. 

Sugni was about to ignore it but  some  instinct told  her to check.  Seeing  that it was from home, she  pressed the answer button, before she  could say  anything however  Maa Thakur's frantic voice came   over  the phone:

"Vickram!  Oh thank God,  Vickram I have been calling you  for  hours...why  didn't you  answer. Listen be carefully  she ...she sent some  goons after  you   to  cause an accident I heard  her on the phone, son  be careful please."

Sugni  remembers Vickram switched  off his phone  when they  were at the haveli and must have turned it back on as  they  go to  the field.

"Maa  Thakur...!"  Sugni said.

"You!...Wh..where is Vickram?" She asked.

"He had an accident...I am taking him to the hospital now..."

"What  where  is he I want to talk to him!!! Is  he alright?" She asked frantically.

"I  don't know...he is unconscious...Maa Thakur ...I have to get him to the hospital...you can meet us there please?"

"Ok  It seems  that when he   he  tried  jumping out  of the  way   the car  hit the  jeep and  it him , and he fell in the  ditch on a stone."  Explained   the foreman to Maa  Thakur as they  waited  for the doctor  to come out and  tell them something about Vickrams' condition.  She got  there mare minutes after  Sugni  who was standing in a corner trying to stay  out of Maa Thakurs  way, but she could not leave. She had to know that he was alright. 

For now  MT  seemed to  be ignoring her, asking the   foreman what happened.  Sugni just stood in a corner and prayed. Thank fully  she was not accompanied by  Reva or Neeranjan.   Sugni   tried not to think of the fact that this was not some random accident  but was  deliberately  caused by  Reva.  How dare she !!!

The doctor  entered  the  waiting   room.   "Doctor , how is   my  son?"  Maa Thakur asked.

 "He  suffered  a concussion  when his  head  hit the  stone,  and  a few  bruises   and   scrapes. But other than  that  he should  be ok.  He is awake and anxious to  go home,   but it is advisable he  stay  here  overnight so we can  keep an eye on him. " the Dr. said.

"Can  I  see  him?"

"Of  course ...um  where is  Sugni?"  The Doctor  asked.

"Here" Sugni  said  coming closer to join them.   "he  was asking for you worried, it is  important he suffer no further mental stress  at this point,  would you  come with me."

"Yes"  She said.

Both women followed the  doctor  into  the room , where  Vickram  was.  Sugni went over to his bed, looking at him, his head was bandaged and  blood  free he had the beginnings of a   five o'clock  shadow  and he looked pale.

Caressing his face she looked at him sadly. "How are you?"

"I am good, are you  alright?"

"I am fine. See nothing  happened to me." She smiled

 "I want to get out of here but they  won't let me..." he said. Holding her hand as he leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Shh you need to stay  here, and do as they  tell you."  She said

"You stay?" he asked...

"I will, but I go get you some fresh clothes and  be back..." belatedly  remembering  Maa Thakur in the room, Sugni   said.

"Maa Thakur is  here worried,  I'll just go home and come back  soon ok..." she said letting go of his hand.

She   moved to leave as she  looked at Maa Thakur  who was looking  at her harshly. "Maa ji  you will stay  with him until I return with Rattu... I  need to get some  clothes  for him..."  Stonily  she nodded.

Sugni  left  in the jeep,  having Rattu following  behind to bring her back. The house was  quite when she got there.  Most  likely  they  were  both in their room, Sugni  avoided  even  thinking about it  all  concentrated on was the  matter at hand and that  is  getting  what she came for.  After  packing   the necessities and  taking a quick  bath herself   she came back  downstairs  in twenty  minutes,  ten  minutes after she  was  walking  back into the  hospital.

As she approach  the  door, she saw that  Maa Thakur was still at his side but he looked to be asleep. Walking into the  room quietly she went  to the place the small bag. Maa Thakur made a move to get up.

"It's ok...I'll leave you  and go outside." She  knew  Maa Thakur was uncomfortable with her here.

"No...i-its'  ok...he was mumbling your name... It makes no sense I stay  here...I am  sure  Reva  will want to  hear  what happened. I ll  go  home any  change let me know ok." She said.

She nodded.

As Maa Thakur left Sugni tucked a sheet over Vickram as she sat  holding his hand.

"Sugni..."  he  said squeezing her hand

"Shh I am  right here go to sleep" She said  caressing his face gently.

The door  opened and Maa Thakur   walked back in.  Sugni Stood up.

The next day  Vickram  was given  the  OK to  return home, but he needed  a lot of bed rest  as he was still suffering from the  concussion. The Doctor  recommended   some medicines  and  told  him to return  in about a week  to check his progress but until then  he needed  to rest  or it could  get worse.

Reva  made no appearance in this time  although  when  Maa Thakur  told her  he had  an accident   she  cried uncontrollably  saying how in the world did  this happen.   She would have rushed to the hospital but Maa Thakur said  that  with  Sugni  there it would just make a scene  and she did not want that.  The  real  reason was she  did not want her anywhere near Vickram. 

Sugni settled Vickram in  his room and  all of her time was spent at his bedside  , taking care of him. 

Two days  after Vickram   returned  Reva  paced her room  , she was disappointed at the fools spoiled all her plans  and all  he suffered  was  a  serious concussion.  And now  Sugni was   not leaving his side.   Damn   why  was all her plans  going   awry  all  of a sudden,  she  wondered .  Even  Neeranjan  left her lone to go look  for some  wh**e  she supposed.

Nooo Nooo  she did  not come  this far  to  fail now...  "Think Think...Molly think..."  She said  resorting to her   real  name in the privacy  of her room.   She  remembered  how she   came to be here  over a year ago.

She  was  working the   red-light district in the city  of  Mumbai, looking for a way  out when   Neeranjan visited  the place she worked for.  He saw her and had the most strangest reaction she ever saw, calling her a  ghost.  Everyone thought he  was mad.  But he returned the next day  specially  requesting her. 

She remembered he inspected her like she was  some kind of specimen...then he told her  he had a proposition for her , if   he helped her out  she could be  richer than she ever thought. All she had to  do was impersonate  his dead  sister.

It sounded  too good  to be true... but it was  much  better than  where she was at now.  So she agreed...it took months  of training  to be like  Reva, to learn to talk, walk and especially  the madness  part but she did.  Then the  day  came when he brought her in front of the  family.

The plan was supposed to  be simple all  she had to do was pretend to be  the mad   wife for a while and  soon they  would  make  sure  Vickram  had an accident  and  she would be the  widow,  splitting  everything  between then  50/50.   Just the thought off all that money  had her going crazy , these  people  were filthy  rich, she  had hit the jack pot...so what if the man had to die...it meant nothing to her. She came   from  a place  where  prostitutes  were  both  cheap and disposable ... where  girls  disappeared   without a trace and no one cared enough  to  miss them.   She   was in a  few  tight spots herself.  So she figured hey   if one dude gotta  die   for her to   live it up...why  not.  

It was by  some miracle  that  Neeranjan  managed  to find Dr. Suman  who was not above giving false diagnosis  if the  price was  right.   In the  year   she had  been   in the house, they  tried a few times  getting Vickram into an accident,  but luck was on his  side  it seemed. 

Then  Dr. Suman  came up with the brilliant plan  to   slowly  poison  him and it was working well to,  when suddenly,  he  fell in love with that  skank !   And  wanted a divorce.  No no ... that won't do. Her eyes  fell  on the bottle of   pills  the  good  doctor gave them  it was more than enough  to finish  the  job, all she had to  do was  somehow get it into his food. But how?

Coming out of her  room   Reva/Molly   made her way to Vickram s  room.   Through the  open door she saw Sugni  sitting at his bed side and wondered if  she would ever leave him.  Sighing  she  made her way  to the kitchen  to  find   Champa preparing what looked like a  small pot of soup  on the stove. 

"Who  is that for?" She asked.

"Thakur Mallick" Champa answered.  "He needs  light food."

"Ok..."  she said   smiling to herself. Perfect.   "Champa  when you are done  here , would you  go into the  store room and  get me some potatoes...I  am feeling for some   fries."

"Yes  Ma'am"  Champa said.

Sugni  was sitting at  Vickram's bedside.  The  medication the doctors gave him to rest had  him sleeping strongly,  she would sit  until he awoke.  She knew it  was probably   crazy, but  she felt she did not want him out of her sight.   Looking at the clock  she  saw  that  he would probably   be  waking up  soon and she was sure he  would be hungry. She  left Champa to look after the  soup she had on the stove and asked her to bring it up when it was done.

Getting up she  went to  retrieve some fresh  clothes   for him when she heard voices  in the  hall way. 

"It's ok  Ma'am  I'll  manage"  Champa said.

"Nonsense  give the tray  to me...you can go see about the potatoes ..go on...I  can serve my  Husband.!"

Wondering what was going on, Sugni looked as the door opened and Reva walked  in  holding the tray with the food. Walking into the   room  with a  sense of authority,  she placed the  tray  on the bedside  table  completely  ignoring  Sugni's presence in the room.

"Sahib...Sahib???"  She  said shaking him as he began to stir.

"What are you doing here?" Sugni asked...

"What dose it look like I am doing...my  duty  as a wife...no  two bit  tramp is  going to tell me  I  can't come in here.  In fact  why  don't you  leave ...NOW" Reva  said looking  at her.

"Excuse me?" Sugni said looking at her.

"Ohh  what you  think I would just sit back and watch you  fawn over my  husband and say  nothing...Oh  you had your fun  but it is  over...Now  leave!"   She  said again, as she sat  at his side  pretending to  straighten the sheets.

Sugni looked at her stunned ...where was this sudden concern  coming from.  For the past two days  she was neither seen or heard from . From the  corner of her eye she saw  a movement  in the corridor.  She looked to see Maa Thakur  making some sort of gesture she could not understand.

Coming into the room  Maa Thakur looked at them. 

"What's all this noise?" She asked ... "Reva  what is this?..."

"Nothing Maaji ... I  am  just  asserting my  rights !...she has no right  to be in here."  She said .

"Reva  Vickram wil be upset and  that is  not good for him...please  not now..."  Maa Thakur said.

"Then ask her to leave..." Reva said   not budging from the chair.  

Maa Thakur   walked  over to Sugni and  took her  elbow she started  half shoving half walking her out.

"Listen girl  I don't want a scene ...leave.."  As they  approached the door very  softly  Maa thakur whispered  to her..."that soup is poisoned...please..." She shook her head as she loosened her grip on  Sugni's arm. Sugni  looked at  MT  who was looking at her with a pleading expression on her face . She realized this was just  an act.

Pulling her hand away  Sugni said in a loud voice..."NO!!!!"   Moving  over to the bed she grabbed Reva  and   pulled her off the chair with so much  force the chair  overturned.

"You get out!"  She said  pointing her finger at her.

"how dare you!"  Reva said

"How dare you...come in here and pretend to be some kind of caring wife  when the you  are the reason he is   in this state  in the  first place!"  she cut  her off, angrily.

"What?"  

Realizing that she  might have said to much   Sugni closed her eyes trying to get a grip on her anger.

"Yes...We all know your marriage is over,   he wants a divorce  but no... you  can't give him that.  You  claim to love him and be his wife... Very  well where were you  when he was brought into the hospital,   all you  do is push him away  ...listen  woman... you can   stop with your fake tears , fake concern and  fake   duty  as a wife  cause you are none...If you  were I would not be here."   Reva stood looking at her in shock.

"He wants nothing to do with you... not when he is awake and  definitely  not now...and I  don't want you anywhere near him you hear me????"  She said  as she led her t the door, "Get out!"

"You can't"

"Yes I can...you know why  because I  love him...and I am not going to sit around here  and watch you  put him under any  more stress because of some power trip... Get  out!."   She said again this time shoving  her out of the threshold and  shutting the door in  her face  and locking it.

"Thank you!" Maa Thakur said.

"Thank you!...for telling me."

Turning  away  from the door they both turned to see  Vickram awake and looking at them.

Chapter  33

"You are awake !"   Sugni said  moving  towards  his bed side as he sat up

"What's going  on?" he asked ..."Why  was she...' he asked

Sugni looked at Maa Thakur, she did not want to upset him, but she  could not lie to him either. 

"She  was just  calling attention to herself as usual."  Maa Thakur  said. "She  probably   thought she can now that you are  not   100 %. Forget it... Why  don't you go get cleaned up and I'll see about sending up some dinner." She said.

"Yes that is  right... Forget it.!"  Sugni said.  Vickram  looked at the two of them.  He knew there was more here, but  he would  find that out later.

Maa thakur  took the  poisoned  soup and left. She  was  sure by now  Reva  would be  locked back in her room.

After  Vickram had his bath and  a light sandwich  that  Maa Thakur  prepared. He was sitting  observing Sugni who was acting strangely.  She was fidgety  as though she  could not sit quietly , he knew something happened that upset her and  he wanted to know  what.

"Sugni." He said looking at her as she  was sorting out his   shirts  for the third time.

"Hmmm"

"Come here please" he said.

She came over to the  bed,  "yes?" She said.

"Sit" he said patting the space  beside  him. She sat. "What?" She asked looking at him.

"What's  wrong?" he asked  her.

She  looked at him , and shook her head as she smiled slightly.

"I  know something is.  Tell me."  He said  holding her hand.  Sugni  looked down at their hands for a few  moments, then burst into tears.

"Hey   why are you  crying...What's wrong?" He asked confused by  her reaction  .  But instead of answering  him , she leaned forward , as she hugged him  resting her head on his   chest.

"I don' t want to do this anymore."  She said

"Do what?" Vickram  asked.  Even more confused.

"play this game anymore...If something happens to you..." She trailed off...saying it was too painful.

"Hey...Sugni...nothing is going to happen." He said.

"You don't know that." She said pulling  back to look at him.  "She's not going to stop,  until she  accomplishes what she wants, the  pills, the accident , and now..." She trailed of.

"And now ?" he asked.  She said nothing but closed her eyes.  "Sugni what happened?"

Reluctantly  she told him about the soup  being   drugged.   "She won't stop. If  something  happened to you..."

Vickram closed his  eyes in anger...tempted to go and throw her out at this  moment. The only  thing that  was stopping him was  Sugni.  Seeing her upset was not boding well with him.

"Shhh...it'll be alright.." he said,  pulling back to look at her"Look at me...nothing is  going to happen to me.  ."   He said.

"How?  We made no progress in the case. And all she is doing is plotting against you ."  She said  as she looked at him.  Almost losing him  shook her up more than she   thought.

"Vickram, I can't lose you too...I already  lost my  mother and I can't ...you're all I have." She said, tearfully.

Vickram  hugged her , comfortingly.  "Hey now...you are not going to lose me. I promise it'll be alright. Come on...you can't break down on me now...then what would I do? Hmm  You're my strength here you know that. The reason I don't go off and do something I   am sure to regret later. Don't cry."

"How can they be so  bad? Why?"

"I don't know  greed  makes  people do the  strangest things I  guess. But if there is a God they  won't get away with it" he said.

 He looked at her as he wiped her tears. "This will be over soon.  I  promise. Just hang in there"

"I'll try...but I am not feeling  al that strong  right now."  She  said.

"Come  here!" Vickram said stretching out on the bed, she joined him lying to his  side  resting her head on his  shoulder as the embraced each other. For a while they    lay in silence each offering the other solace in the moment.

"Sugni...I know  this is not easy  for you...but we got this far. But I can't do this without you. As long as we are together  I can face anything. No matter what they  do. "

"I am not going anywhere!" she  said. "I just want this to be over."

"And it will be...but maybe  we are taking the wrong approach..." he said  thinking...

"What do you   mean?'  She asked   looking at him.  He had a contemplative look on his face.

"Hmmm...where is my  phone?" He asked . Looking at the  side table.  Finding it he  took it and  made a call.  Sugni  looked at him in confusion.

"Hey  Amrita how are you?"

"Good  Vickram , how are you...I was  going to call you  tonight... how is Sugni?"

"She is here..a little shaken up but fine."

"Shaken up...why what happened?" Amrita  wanted to know.

"Hold on let me put you on speaker ."   turning on the speaker phone he told  Amrita  about the accident.

"Oh my  God , are you  alright?"

"Yes I am alright."

"Look I think we need  to step things up a little." Vickram said 

"Ohh ..what you have in mind?"

Vickram told her what he had in  mind, as Sugni looked at him with  raised eyebrows.

"But what if she runs..."

"Then the police will get her." He said.

"Ok I'll get on it..." She said.  "One more thing ...why did Reva change  her insurance  beneficiary ?" She asked

"What...what insurance?  she did not  have one as far as I knew." He said.

"That is strange...according to   investigations ...Reva  had a life  insurance policy  that her father  took out for her for the sum of some  2 million  dollars... the beneficiary   was Neeranjan for years until it was changed  not  to long before her accident...she named  You  as the  beneficiary. " 

"What?, no one never mentioned this to me..."

"Well apparently  her father did it  when she was  a teen. When  she had her  accident and was declared  dead the  insurance company  had started  investigations  on her demise...but it was stopped when she returned"  Amrita  revealed

"So you did not know about this?"

"No...first time I am hearing about it." He said

" Question is  why  would she suddenly   change  her from her brother to you?"

"Good  question."

"Well  we will find out ..I'll let you know what develops " 

"OK."

She hung up . Leaving  Vickram and Sugni  exchanging   confused and  curious looks as to what that was about.

Molly  was pacing her room the  next morning  , how dare  she ...how dare  she   speak  to her like this. Ohh  no  that  two bit  tramp won't get away  with it. When she  was finished  with her  she  would be  sorry  for  crossing her  paths  that is  for sure.   Thanks  to  her meddling  Vickram did not  have to soup she  spiked..other wise all now she would have  been  happily  morning  her  husband.

She was interrupted  by  the  ringing  of her  phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello madam... how is life in the  Thakur's house?  Grand  I am sure."  Said a voice she did  not recognized.

"Huh?"

"Hmm...I am sure  the welcomed you back with  opened arms ...but tell me would they   be  so  accepting  when they  find out you are nothing but an imposter...?"

"What...who is this?"  Mollly   said  as she pulled the  phone to look at the called id...Private.  Her blood ran cold.

"Ohh calm down  darling... your secret is safe with me...for a price of course!"  the voice laughed  condescendingly...

"I don't  know what you are talking about"

"Tut tut tut... nice try  doll...but that won't work... I know  you are an imposter...I know all about yours and Neeranjan's plans to be a widow ..."

Molly  was about to hang the phone up when the voice said.

"Naaa...hang up on me and the next call I make will be straight to Vickram...with evidence...before  the next  hour is  up  you will be  gathering you clothes from the side  walk... Wanna  try  me?"

"Wh-Wh-What do you want?"  she asked,  this could not be happening.

"Two million...cash..."

"What two million...I can't get that type of money!"  She said

"ohh don't give me that ...that is  Thakur  Vickram Singh  two million is a drop in a bucket for him... I am sure you will find a way... Don't worry I will give you  time ... two weeks... I will call  you in two weeks...so do what you have to...And  don't even think about running  cause I  am watching you...you  slip and it's straight to jail  you  understand. Have a nice day."  The line went dead.

Molly  sat on her bed in shock.  What just happened.  She  was being black mailed... but how by  who...no no ..the only  persons  who knew the truth of her identity  was  Neeranjan , and this was his brain child  he would  not sabotage it all now for a measly  two million.  The other person was the  Dr. Suman...who was currently  suspended and a greedy  little  witch.  But would she  stoop that low.

True when people were  desperate they  did  desperate things but still.  On impulse  she  dialed the number for  Suman.   After   three  rigs she was directed to voice mail.

"Damn it ...Where are you Suman...if you are  trying to screw with me ...you better think  again!!!"

Getting up she began  pacing...

"Molly Molly...you  did not get this far too loose...it seems  that  everything is  just going down the drain...ever since he picked up with that.girl...no ...Enough...time to get   rid of  her... how... how  think think  think !!! " She  said  as she paced...

 There was  a knock on the door. 

"Who  Is  it?"

"Neeranjan..."

She opened the  door as she let him in.

"Had  fun?"  She asked
"Hmmm"

"Good   because  we got some problems... Some one  knows about  us they  are  threatening   to  reveal   my  truth to Vickram  if I don't cough up two million dollars !"  she said.

"What ? Who..." he said  shocked...

"Well I am thinking   it is Suman...she is the only  one  and we all know how  money  hungry  she is...did  you get a hold  of her?" She asked.

"No not since   the article on the paper..."
Molly  nodded, more  an d  more she was  convinced  Suman was the culprit.  Seems she had  another problem to deal with .

"Alright...I guess  we have to deal with her as well!'  She said.  "But now it is important to  split the love birds up.  Sugni has  to leave this place !" She said.

 "How ? she is stuck to his  side!' Neeranjan  said

 There must be a way...something... I just want to get he away  from him"  she said.

After a few minutes of thinking  Neeranjan  got an idea...

" I know how to do it... but it will cost us ...  Give me a few days  I'll   handle it." he said.

A few  days  later:

Vickram  was finally  given   a clean bill of health  by  his doctor  to resume his  work  as normal.  He got caught up with what he missed  in the  fields. Sugni  was at his side  through it all .  So much  so  the field workers  and   other villagers  were beginning  to take notice of them. 

Sugni  noticed it  as she was  walking  around  the fields one day and was listening to a conversation  between  two of the   village women who were  working in the fields.

"You  really  going to do  your   Sardakhi  Reshma?"  Another  girl , Shivani  asked. As they  were  weeding the  plots.

"Yes...the  money  is good and the  Thhkur is   nice. Maa said I was fortunate  that he made the offer.  $20,000. ...it will  help Maa  with her  doctor bills."   Reshma said.

Sugni stopped as she joined the  girls . Reshma  was  just  seventeen and   Shivani  was  about the same age.  They  were  one  of the few willing to work . So it was Shocking to Sugni to hear  that  Reshma would  rather do her sardakhi.

"Reshma?  Is your  mother sick again?" She asked, knowing sometimes desperate times called for desperate measures.

"No -No. She is  well thank God...but  now she can't dance"

"So you are going to do your Sar Dakhi?? I  mean you're working here na...aren't you making  enough?"

"Yes it gets us by...but with the bills...no."

"Well maybe if you  talked to Vickram...he  will help you..." She said. "you  don't need to  go  entertain some old Thakur!" She said. 

Reshma laughed,   as Sugni  watched her.

"Please..Sugni...don't" she said  shocking Sugni. "Don't  come  with some lecture that being a bedni is wrong...you of all people. Don't give me that look because I  choose to follow   the tradition. "

Shivani gasped..."Reshma what are you saying..."

"Ohhh  I am just saying what  everyone else is thinking.   I am  seeing it on her face... she  thinks  I am  doing something wrong...a least  every  one will  know what  I  am doing and I am  not  pretending to be  doing something else.  Am I right  Sugni?"

"Reshma..."

Sugni  stood in shock at the words coming out from her mouth. She knew this would  happen eventually, she thought she was prepared, but  Reshma's words stung  nonetheless .
"What  you're  going to run to Thakur malick and get me fired...go ahead  I was leaving in a few days any way. I am not ashamed of who I am Sugni...or my  tradition...unlike you.  I am a bedni.  And Unlike you...I  don't pretend to be some  high and  mighty   girl with  big dreams when all you really  areis somebodies plaything!'

"I am not..." Sugni said.

"Oh can it... everyone knows that is a lie. Everyone  knows   Thakur Malick  told his wife...he is with you...that you  are not only  living in his house but bedroom as well. Am I  lying? What  you  think servants don't talk... So don't you stand there and  try and judge  me! Funny  naa... all these  years  your mother  would  walk around with  pride saying her daughter is  different...I  wonder what she would say  now."

Sugni felt as though the  bottom  had fallen out  of her world, as she looked around , it felt as though   everyone was looking at her, when in reality   no one  was paying attention to  their  conversation. She looked over and Saw Vickram on the phone busy  with what he was doing. Normally  she enjoyed interacted  with the villagers in the  fields as they  reminded her of home... but not  now...

Trying desperately  to control herself ...Sugni turned and  ran out of the fields away  from them all and back to the haveli...blinking  back tears the whole  time...