Posted:
Intersting FF!! M so curious to know what happened in the past..update soon and plz do add me to your pm list :)
Mr. Gupta and the kids finally managed to break in. Sahil yelled for his Mom as he saw Kushi lay unconscious at the ground. Mr. Gupta ran to his daughter and picked her up in his arms. Zayne grabbed his phone and called for an ambulance. Ujala ran down to get water. Having no utensils around, she made a little bag with her scarf and poured water in it. She ran out with it. Aarti, panic struck sprinkled water on Kushi's face in an attempt to revive her. Mr. Gupta sat in shock with his delicate daughter in his arms.
After a few minutes passed, everyone heard the ambulance sirens get closer. Zayne ran down to get the ambulance staff. Sahil rubbed Kushi's feet while Aarti rubbed her hands. Everything was failing and it just seemed like the world was coming to an end for the Gupta family until the nurses ran up and took over the situation. Sahil helped his shaken father stand up, while Zayne and Ujala stood behind Aarti and looked over her shoulders, all worried.
"I am not going to let them take her alone" Aarti said breaking the silence. Mr. Gupta nodded and informed the ER personnel that they would follow. Sahil offered to drive seeing his Dads condition, while Ujala offered to stay back and see the last of the moving. Aarti ordered Zayne to stay behind with Ujala. He looked visibly upset with his Mother for leaving him behind, but Ujala promised to take him right after the moving. Zayne not being able to argue quietly agreed.
The ambulance sped off, with Sahils car following.
At the hospital, Mr. Gupta, Aarti and Sahil paced the hallways, while waiting on a response from the doctors.
"She's reached her threshold" Sahil whispered. "I am too scared to even think of anything more."
"She's completely shattered." Aarti responded.
"Kushi use to describe herself as the sand on the beach, it's the comfort for everyone, people who walk on it, kids who play with it, waves who roll up on it. But it's the sand, all spread out in trillions of pieces, being kicked around by people, walked on, moled by kids, taken inshore by the waves. The sand who's suffering it all. I never understood what she use to mean by that, I do today." Sahil sat on the bench crying now for his sister.
Aarti sat beside him and pacified him, caressing his arm. He rested his head on his Moms shoulder, still crying. Mr. Gupta stood against the corridor wall remembering Kushis childhood, specifically the time she told him she was standing by the window for hours waiting for him to bring her the doll she had asked several months ago .
Flashback:
A five year old Kushi runs to her tired Dad sitting back on the sofa. She questions whether he got her the doll? Mr. Gupta shook his head, occupied by the TV. Kushi sat down on the ground beside the sofa and said "Papa, I was waiting for you last night. So much time passed by. You know I was singing (moving her head to the sides as she sang) "Saat samundar paar se, guryo ke bazaar se..Papa mere liya achi gurya laana..Na mile toh jaldi ghar ajaa naa…"
End of Flashback.
He felt weak and sat down crying. Aarti and Sahil rushed to him. He squeezed his eyes with his right hand and sniffed his watering nose as he spoke "Her wishes were so simple…and I couldn't even give her those..kids ask for luxuries, she wanted just us..just us Aarti and I couldn't give it to her..we couldn't..Pray to God to not punish her for our mistakes…and just give us one chance to make everything ok..just one chance.." he whispered before breaking down into more tears. Sahil hugged him while Aarti sat beside him, her hands folded, praying to God.
The doctors walked out but with no help or advice and simply stated that they need to wait on lab results to say anything, but the reason could be major breakdown, possibly due to anxiety or extreme depression.
In the same hospital, the room right next to Kushi's, Arnav laid, wrapped in white bandages to the forhead, neck, and a white cast to the left arm and leg, still unconscious. His Mom, Suhasini and his brothers stood by his bed, waiting for any sign of alertness. The doctor walked in and informed his Mom that it was a near death accident and it's only Gods miracle that he has survived such a rough accident. His Mom started to cry, with his brother holding her by her shoulders. His youngest brother, sat behind listening silently.
"The bandages will take a few weeks to come off, and the caste a little longer. All physical activity his work may require needs to be absolutely avoided for at least one month, possibly longer if his wounds take a longer duration to heal. For the next one week, keep him only on liquids, such as soups and juices then moving him to soft foods such as jellos, yogurts and ice cream. Based on his progression, advance from there. We need to take these precautions because he injured his neck area, and his glands in that area are pretty weak. I have prescribed him pain killers. He is unconscious for now, but will be alert in the next few hours. Based on how he performs when hes awake, we will then decide the best time to discharge him."
Aayaan, Arnav's brother, thanked the doctor for his time. He sat his Mom down in the chair, gently kissing her head. "Lets be thankful that the toughest moment is over and Bro is fine." Nakul smiled from behind, thanking God in his heart. He asked Nakul to sit with their Mom, while he went to collect the reports and prescription.
In the corridor, Sahil paced the floors, while Mr. Gupta and Aarti sat on the bench holding hands and starring at the doors their daughter laid behind. A few feet away was the nurses counter. Aayaan stood waiting his turn. A nurse walked over to where Mr. Gupta and Aarti sat and asked outloud "Are you Kushi Gupta's relatives?" Her name caught Aayaan's attention and he looked in the direction the Gupta's stood. Mr. Gupta stood in acceptance and asked whether everything was ok. The nurse answered in affirmative and informed them that her lab results were in and the doctor has asked them to come see him in his office. She directed them towards the office. Aarti stayed behind while Mr. Gupta and Sahil walked away.
On his turn, Aayaan questioned the same nurse whether everything was ok there. She refused to divulge any information as it was against hospital code, unless he was a relative. Considerate, he simply asked for Arnav's report and the prescription. As he walked towards the pharmacy, he looked at a worried Aarti and stood thinking for awhile. He took a step toward her thoughtful but then decided against it and walked away silently.
Mr. Gupta and Sahil waited impatiently in the doctors office. Sahil complained troubled that if the doctor was not there, why'd he ask them to come. Mr. Gupta listened silently, praying in his heart that everything be ok. The doctor walked in and Sahil bombarded him with questions. The doctor asked him to take a seat, empathetic of his situation.
"The reports are pretty normal, Mr. Gupta." The doctor stated. "There are a few vitamin deficiencies which can probably be due to her not eating, or eating less. She is, however, extremely weak, and stressed out by the physical examination. Her eyes tell me, she has been crying a lot. Has there been a tragedy in the house?"
Mr. Gupta denied, but then thought back to Abeer and Kushi's breakup, instantly nodding.
"I could tell." The doctor continued. "She needs a lot of attention and care. She's too fragile at the moment, and such breakdowns have negative affect on the body, especially the brain. God forbid, it could have led to other severe complications then just fainting. Has she seeked any medical assistance to cope with the stress/depression?"
Mr. Gupta answered in affirmative.
"That's great. She needs to continue those. I am also prescribing her some anti-depressants, which are a must. Her x-rays show some extreme inflammation in the back of her neck, as well as shoulders, perfect signs of extreme anxiety. The anti-depressants will help her relax, thus soothing the inflammation. Please be careful she takes them. Be cautious of what she's eating, how often and how much! Keep her hydrated and not to mention, far away from stress. Do not treat this as a seasonal fever, everyday-everyone thing, or cold flu, because you can not even imagine how detrimental this can become to her health. Every breakdown does not produce the same results. And a mere faint, doesn't wake everyone up. I know you love your daughter immensely, I can see it in your eyes, so do her a favor and keep her happy. Even if its tiny, if it makes her smile, it makes her better from the inside. The atmosphere she is in, the people that surround her, the events that take place, and not to mention her dietary behavior determines how and when she recovers from her stressful phase."
Sahil and Mr. Gupta listened carefully, taking mental notes of everything being said.
"We will keep her under observation for today and most likely discharge her tomorrow based on her recovery. If you have any questions, feel free to call me at my personal number. Here is my card." He handed over the card and then shook hands with both Sahil and Mr. Gupta. They thanked him, breathing in relief.
As Mr. Gupta walked back, he thanked God for giving them an opportunity to fix their mistakes and promised he would fix every step he erred at, starting from the very beginning. Sahil hugged his Mom ecstatically, giving her all the news the doctor had. Aarti was thankful that Kushi was ok, but continued to worry how they could help Kushi out. Mr. Gupta assured her that if nothing else, they could at least give her love. Sahil wanted to phone Abeer and ask him to come over, but Aarti went against it saying it would trouble Kushi even more as she would feel betrayed.
"We must stand with her, even if it means its not the best thing to do. Right now she doesn't need to know what is right or wrong, she simply needs to know that we are there for her." Aarti justified. Mr. Gupta agreed.
Ujala and Zayne also joined them in the hospital and were greeted with the news that Kushi would likely be going home tomorrow. They were extremely happy with the news.
"Aunty, do you think the moving had something to do with it?" Ujala questioned trying to make sense of Kushi's behavior.
"I don't think so Ujala. She seemed ok with the move. She was the first to finish her packing." Aarti replied.
"She seemed to have completely forgotten about the move, although." Ujala added, troubling Mr. Gupta and Aarti.
"The timing was pretty bad." Zayne added. "Too much is happening back to back." He completed.
"I think the moving was just a pin in the bubble" Sahil added thoughtfully. Everyone agreed.
Mr. Gupta had accumulated a lot of debt in the past year. His very close friend, and childhood neighbor, Mr. Raj, offered his vacant house to Mr. Gupta since he refused to take cash assistance. Mr. Gupta had done many favors in the past for Mr. Raj, which helped his financial successes. The offering of the house was just Raj's way of showing his appreciation and support. The house was located in a very high class neighborhood. Raj temporarily moved with his wife to UK, since both his kids got acceptance to Oxford University and they did not wish to live away from the kids. He advised Mr. Gupta to move in his house, and sell his own, paying his debts off and starting a new business with the money left over. Mr. Gupta was a very self-made man, and never took any help. After a lot of persuasion from Raj, and Aarti, Mr. Gupta accepted the offer thinking it would be the best for the family. He, however, told Raj he would pay rent for the house, how much ever he could afford and once he had taken care of financial mess, he would start paying the actual market value rent for the house. Having no other option, Raj agreed.
Thankfully, the Gupta house was sold above marketvalue, and their financial troubles seemed to loosen up. The moving was required immediately. Kushi had packed her stuff as soon as Mr. Gupta broke the news to the family. She wasn't the happiest person, but she understood that it was mandatory to help ease their financial troubles. And she also thought it didn't really effect her as much, as she would be moving away pretty soon with Abeer.
The nurse informed the family that they could now go inside and be with Kushi. Kushi was now conscious. Everyone, except, Sahil walked in ecstatic. Sahil ran to grab some flowers for Kushi. He knew she loved them and would smile seeing them. Kushi laid expressionless on the bed. Aarti sat on the bed beside her hand, while Mr. Gupta took a chair next to her bed. Ujala and Zayne stood infront, smiling.
"If you're not happy with the move, we can cancel the deal." He said meaningfully.
Kushi remained silent and starred out the window. Aarti gently placed her hand on Kushi's and repeated Mr. Gupta's offer. Kushi responded by just shaking her head. Sahil entered, happily and called out to her. She turned and looked. A weak smile spread across her lips as she looked at the bright red roses Sahil held. She had such a love for the flowers and they made her instantly smile. He placed it by her head and she smiled sweetly at him, Thanking him with her eyes.
"If you wanted flowers only Kushi, you could have told me, what was the need to do all this?" Sahil teased. Everyone smiled along with Kushi. Kushi looked out the window and starred at the sky again. "I had asked you for death, but you didn't accept it. Whenever I ask you for something for others, you grant it to me. Now, I only ask for strength, to be able to handle myself for the sake of my family. I can not let them suffer cause of me. So Please, grant me this wish and make me strong enough to walk out of this hospital on my own and have the ability to smile for them" she said in her heart to God.
She closed her eyes, tired. Soon enough she fell asleep. Ujala patted Sahil on the back for his idea.
"Aunty, Uncle, May I suggest that you all go home and I stay with Kushi?" Ujala asked.
Aarti refused saying she could not leave Kushi alone.
"She may need a friend more at the moment than all of us." Mr. Gupta argued. He wanted to stay back as much as Aarti but understood that the moment required practicality and consideration to Kushi's needs the most. "We can not make her feel like she is ill or something. That would put her down even more. Us hovering over her like this would pressurize her to recover faster than she can. Try to understand the needs of the moment Aarti. The more normalize we are, the more her surroundings can become relaxed. She is too grown to want us with her 24/7." He stated.
Sahil and Zayne agreed with their Dads reasoning. Aarti nodded, hesitant. Knowing what kind of complexities Kushi developed due to her being neglected, Aarti just wanted to stay with her. If she could, she would not leave her alone for a single second. But she understood deep within that the time gone was lost, and to make up for it she could only offer Kushi the bond she needed being a twenty one year old young lady. Aarti stood up thoughtfully and in a pleading tone asked Ujala to call if anything happens or is needed. Ujala assured her that she would take care of Kushi and stay with her at all times. Aarti trusted her, just as much as she trusted Sahil and Zayne with Kushi, but her motherly affection forced her to say these things.
It was a beautiful morning, unlike yesterday. The sun was out and shining bright. The birds chirping. The tree leaves moved back and forth with the light wind breezes. Ujala removed the curtains of the window. Kushi looked on silently. Ujala smiled and asked her to change her clothes. They would be leaving shortly. Kushi nodded and took her clothes from Ujala.
In the room next door, Aayaan sat thoughtfully near his brother, debating whether he should tell Arnav about Kushi being next door. He looked at his brother starring at the TV, saddened.
"You are not a rash driver, then how come this accident?" Aayaan questioned distracting himself from thoughts of Kushi.
"I met Karthik at the library.." Arnav said. Aayaan looked on surprised.
Arnav stopped initiating any contact with Karthik after the incident, but because the circle of friends was the same, they often bumped into each other. Arnav was completely miffed by him, but he didn't show too much, because he knew it would create a new mess. Karthik use to be pretty close to Arnav back in the days until he led Arnav into a sick joke they played on Kushi. Ever since then, he has tried to maintain a distance. Aayaan was aware of his brothers displeasement with Karthik and understood what must have gone on.
"You need to stop arguing over that incident, Arnav"
"How can I?" he replied annoyed with his brother not understanding. "He brings it up everytime! I mean every God damn time! I just don't see what pleasure someone can gain from humiliating someone and seeing them cry miserably??" he questioned, fuming now.
"Bahi (brother), I don't think he brings it up to brag what he did, but he clearly has come to understand the annoyance you show on it and he being himself, uses that as a weapon to tease you." Aayan said, trying to make Arnav understand that his anger at the subject matter doesn't help but worsens the situation. "You can't keep feeling bad about it Bahi. You were not apart of it."
"I was...to her…I was apart of it" he responded, sadly. "I can never forget the look in her eyes, that screamed of humiliation and distrust. The tears that flowed down on her pink cheeks as she ran away. I just can not!" he yelled.
Kushi was shocked hearing Arnav's voice and starred at the wall infront of her, the wall that Arnav laid behind.
Kushi shook herself out of astonishment. "He can't be everywhere" she reasoned. She closed her eyes trying to relax. His voice always managed to bring a tingling feeling to her stomach, something no ones voice ever did. Ujala called out, asking if she was ready.
In Arnav's room, he demanded to go home and was adamant. Aayaan made several failed attempts in trying reason with his irrational demand.
"Either you put me on that wheelchair and take me yourself, or I will crawl to that wheelchair and go myself." He argued.
Aayaan seeing no other option, agreed upset. As he helped Arnav get on the wheelchair, Kushi and Ujala walked out of the room. Kushi's scarf got stuck in the door knob and she turned to get it loose. As she loosened her scarf out of the knob, Aayaan rolled out Arnav. Kushi turned at the very moment and tripped on his wheelchair falling right on top of him. Her hands rested behind on his wheelchair while her body over him. Her hair covered their faces. It was like a silk scarf fallen on top of them. Her face was so close, he could feel her breath on him, while she the same. He was mesmerized by her innocent eyes, and beautiful scent. She was shaken and starred back speechless. Ujala helped her up, but her feet was stuck between his and she fell on top of him, again. This time, his arm rested against her sides, and she felt a weird ting down her body by his warm touch. She looked up, completely touched. Her eyes started to tear up, and a drop fell on his cheeks. He softly mumbled her name "Kushi" snapping her out of their trance. She turned to Ujala who helped her again. Kushi forced her body weight back. To help her balance, Arnav offered his free hand and she held onto it, unknowingly.
Ujala set her hair back, while Kushi was still looking down at Arnav. "Kushi" Ujala whispered, pointing to her and Arnavs hand. Kushi quickly pulled her hand back, and set her scarf back. She took a few steps back, her eyes still set on Arnav. She gulped down so many questions and unknown feelings and then hurried out, grabbing Ujala's hand. Arnav and Aayaan looked on quietly.
"Bro, you ok?" he said almost inaudibly.
Arnav just nodded. He closed his eyes remembering the soft breeze her breathing brought to his face, and smiled to himself. Aayaan just starred at his brothers behavior, amazed.
On their way home, Kushi squeezed her eyes closed…tightening them more and more as she remembered Arnavs touch… When that didn't work, she starred out the window. But that too, also to no avail. She took a deep breath and hit her head back against the head rest and groaned.
Ujala remained silent, not knowing what to say. She knew what was bothering her, but didn't feel the time was appropriate to talk about it, because Kushi surely wasn't in a state to talk. She tried her only option, which was to distract Kushi.
She played the radio, momentarily catching Kushis attention with the noise. Kushi gave a faint smile and closed her eyes, trying to focus on the music carefully. Disappointed with her again failed attempt, she sighed holding her head down. Ujala couldn't let Kushi dwell into thoughts longer, so she tried reasoning with Kushi that Arnav coming back does not necessarily have to be a bad sign.
"There is a reason behind everything, and everything happens for a reason" Ujala stated. "Sometimes what we assume to be bad for us, becomes the very thing good for us."
Kushi couldn't make any sense of what Ujala was saying and it just seemed like a philosophical thought thrown in the air. "What possible good can come out of me seeing him over and over again?" she questioned herself, not wanting to argue with Ujala. Just as she was pondering on that, Ujala said "And anyways, just because you have seen him twice already in the past two days, does not mean you will be seeing him everyday. It may just be that you'll never see him again"
This calmed the war within Kushi as she realized that what Ujala was saying was correct. Although, it was thrice in two days she came across him, none of this is strong enough to suggest she would be seeing him ever again. She rested her head back, more relaxed now. "That one was much better" Kushi whispered to Ujala, who giggled in return.
At the hospital, Arnav argued with the doctor to discharge him. He had a strong personality and always argued with attitude, giving the person in front very little chance to talk or reason. But this was something, the doctor was not going to give in on.
"There is NO way, and I mean NO way that we can discharge you today. Once we take you off these IVs the pain will sore, and some pills wont be able to ease it. (Arnav breathed a couple of times trying to control his temper) You can argue and throw as much tantrums as you like Arnav, but I will not discharge you. Not for the next three days at least, let along today. And if you push me, I will call your Mother and inform her of your irrational tantrums."
Arnav looked at the Doctor, infuriated. But he couldn't argue, not with his Mom at least. After his Dads recent death, she had been too upset, and then his accident, it would surely have worsened her condition. He rolled his wheelchair out angrily. Aayaan tried to help, but Arnav shrugged his hand away.
"Bahi!" Aayaan shouted. "Enough! You told me to take you to the doctor and I did and if he is not agreeing now, then how am I at fault?"
Arnav didn't pay any heed to Aayaan and started to roll his wheelchair again. Being his brother only, Aayaan with a very stubborn attitude said "If you don't let me help you, I will go inside and inform the doctor that you're using your very hand that you injured to roll your chair, worsening your wound. And then, you know the rest. You'll even loose out on the 3 day later discharge." He warned, intelligently. Arnav made a whining nose while resting both his hands in his lap. Aayaan smiled and rolled him back to his room.
As he helped Arnav lay back, Arnav complained about the boredom he would face in the next three days. Aayaan didn't agree and said Arnav had plenty to think about in the three days to come. He raised both his eyesbrow and smiled down at Arnav.
"what do you mean?"
"Well you can first start off by telling me, why you were smiling so widely at the tiny accident that happened earlier?"
"What accident?" Arnav responded looking away.
Aayaan took a seat in a chair nearby Arnav and rested one leg over the other, folding his arms across his chest and very comfortably said "The little accident with Kushi………(Arnav became speechless and continued to look away) or wait (Aayaan said after a pause) a dreamful moment with Kushi.."
Arnav now turned and looked at his brother who winked.
"Aayaan…" he groaned.
Aayaan gave out a loud laugh and said "You know I always use to get this feeling that there's a lot more to why you get so sentimental over topics on Kushi." Arnav looked back down, not wanting to meet the eyes of his brother. "Your eyes spoke a lot more today in that one minute than you wanted Bahi, and I just want you reevaluate your thoughts" he said meaningfully.
"What do you mean?" he questioned confused.
"If you figure out what exactly she means to you, you'll know why you become so sensitive over her. It's more than just a sorry feeling Bahi, no one sits through 10 high school graduation ceremonies to just see a glimpse of a girl because he later hopes to meet her in those very thousands of guest and apologize." Aayaan explained.
Arnav fell in deep thoughts. Aayaan picked up on the very feelings Arnav kept within him for eight years. Yes, it was true. It was more than just a sadistic incident that kept Kushi alive for Arnav, or mattered to him, or a sorry that made him want to see her again, it was feelings of true emotions he had for her, since the very first day he saw her. He looked at Aayaan, wanting to get rid of the burden he carried with himself for eight years.
"You like her Bahi" he whispered.
Arnav smiled and then nodded in full acceptance. He liked her, truly liked her. She was different. Not the usual, talkative, rolled up in make up, flying kiss girl type. She was simple, honest and and just so real. Often times, she reminded him of his Mom. Delicate yet strong, silent but intelligent, and simple yet beautiful. He didn't even realize how his liking for her increased as their school year sped by, until Aisha pointed it out.
"Is that why you broke up with Aisha?" Aayaan questioned.
"I didn't ask for the breakup Aayaan. She realized I wasn't with her even though I was physically there. She understood that it just cant be mere sympathy for Kushi and remorsefulness of the incident. She made me realize a lot more than I wanted. And today………you made me accept it all." Arnav said emptying himself to his Brother.
"In the past eight years, I have just asked God to bring her in front of me once and I would tell her everything. Tell her that I had nothing to do with the incident, that I didn't make fun of her, that I didn't think of her as a loner, and even that……she was special for me and I liked her and wanted to know her more. And then I met her thrice in two days, but…...I just couldn't get myself to talk to her…Her eyes Aayaan (he said in a frustrating tone) I see so much pain, and its like I am one of the very reasons for it. She doesn't trust me at all. She becomes so conscious and irritable around me. My very presence seems to upset her. Knowing all of this, I just couldn't find the strength to say anything." He said resting his head back.
Aayaan stood up and placed his hand on Arnavs shoulder, assuring him that once he was okay, they'd find her and figure everything out. Arnav smiled and kept his hand over his brothers.
On the other hand, Kushi was in her new house. It was pretty and big. There were four bedrooms upstairs and 1 downstairs. Aarti took Kushi to her room. The walls were painted in a light peach color. It felt calm walking in. The room itself was spacious. She had her own balcony, the only balcony located on the second floor. She opened the doors to the balcony and stood viewing the beautiful trees in front of her. She smiled feeling the soft breeze againt her face.
Aarti felt relax seeing Kushi calm. She and Mr. Gupta had chose that very room because it gave her a lot of privacy and open area. Kushi walked in looking around the vast amount of work to be done. "This is such a mess" she whined to her Mother.
Aarti laughed "You're a pro at this. I am sure you will fix it all in no time." She said in an encouraging tone, smiling at her. She didn't offer to help because she wanted Kushi to engross herself in the work. She understood very well, that memories of Abeer and her past were yet to start haunting her. Although she knew distraction was only a temporary thing, and sooner or later, she would need to sit and talk to Kushi about it, the Doctors had clearly advised them to keep her away from any thoughts that saddened her. Aarti walked out telling Kushi she would be sending juice up shortly and call her or her brothers if she needs any help.
As Aarti shut the door behind, Kushi sat on the ground and looked around the boxes surrounding her. She pulled forward the first box in site and opened it, only to be saddened by her and Abeers picture at the very top.
comment:
p_commentcount