CHAPTER 14: ON HIS DEMAND

CHAPTER 14

Arnav looked at her, she was out of breath, her forehead had filled with beads of sweat, her face had turned paler, tears flowed from her eyes mercilessly.

He had just turned away when Khushi looked at him in disgust but soon after he heard Khushi grasped in pain.

"Aaahh!" Khushi's head fell back and she screamed as pain in her womb shoot like a rocket.

***

"What is taking them too long? Akaash bitwa please call Chote!"

"Yes, Dadi!"

When Akaash tried Arnav's number, it was out of range.

"I don't know Dadi his number is out of range."

"I think we should really inform the police," Dhruv spoke up.

NK: But bhai did say that he has found bhabi!

Dhruv: But why aren't they back yet?

NK: It's all because of mom.

"Nani we should wait for a while, if we didn't hear anything from them then we will call our security team," Dhruv finalized.

***

"Khushi!" Arnav shouted her name, taking no time he had caught her in his arms.

To balance her in his arms, he put one hand under her waist and one under her neck. Khushi's eyes kept on shutting, but her hand had clenched her tummy as pain grew every second, making it hard for her to bear the pain.

"Khushi sit here," he said as he made her sit down on the floor. Arnav's hand joined her hand. But he had no idea what has happened to her.

"Khushi you need to go home, you are not feeling well!"

On the other hand even though Khushi had no energy left, anyhow she managed to free herself from his grip.

"You (she took a quick sharp breath) don't have to worry about anything. Just go from here!"

"Khushi don't act like a child. You are in pain!" Arnav retorted.

"Oh, you really see my pain now?"

Khushi got up and held the pillar for support. "What about when you purposely hurt me, abused me?"

Arnav kept quite.

"I never hurt you on purpose Khushi!" he whispered to himself. He shut his eyes, to soak the tears that had moisten his eyes, but shortly opened when Khushi again cried in pain.

"Please, Khushi we can talk about it later but let me take you home!"

"No, I don't want to go anywhere with you. I hate you! Do you get that? I hate you. I don't want to live with a murderer of my dad. You killed my dad Arnav ji...you killed my dad."

"Damn it, it was just an accident!"

Khushi looked at him in disbelief.

"How easy it is for you to say that it was just an accident. Okay, I believe that it was just an accident. What if I was in place you and my dad in your dads place? Would you have been able to forgive me?"

Arnav looked at her blankly as he has no answer to her question. "Even if it was an accident why didn't you tell anyone?"

"You don't have nothing to say because you know you are a murder. Mr. Raizada you will rot in hell," Khushi said as words left her mouth in contempt. At the moment she was totally out of her mind. She had lost her peace of mind.

As soon as she finished her sentence she held her head as it started spinning, despite the wind howls, temple bells ringing the only noise she heard was the blood flowing in her ears as her body suddenly went cold, first everything in front of her eyes was blurry and eventually blacked out.

"Oh shit, Khushi," Arnav took one step forward to catch fainted Khushi and balanced her weight on his shoulder.

"Kh...Khushi!" he helplessly called her name and patted her cheeks lightly.

He looked around for water but there wasn't. He took her in his arms and made a way to his car, settling her in the front seat on the left he sprinkled water on her face but she remained unconscious. When he picked up his phone to call Dr. Sharma he saw 10 missed calls from home, but he first called Dr. Sharma and asked her to come to the RM. Then he called Akaash and told that they will be home in few minutes.

***

@ RM

Arnav rushed into the house and the family came running towards him as he carried Khushi in his arms.

"Bhai what has happened to bhabi?" Dhruv asked.

"Is she fine?" NK added.

"Oh God Khushi bitiya!" Nani said and put her hand on Khushi's head.

"What happened to her? Where was she?" Nani further asked.

Arnav was just too dread to answer all of them Khushi's health was troubling him.

"Ma, doctor is here let her do the check up!" Mama ji said "Arnav bitwa take her to the room immediately."

He nodded and took her to his room and let Dr. Sharma do her check up.

It took full 15 minutes for Dr. Sharma to do Khushi's check up. But for Arnav they were like hours. He paced restlessly outside the room back and forth, periodically he ran his hand in his hair. A storm of emotions had built in his heart in which he had no control of. Didn't matter how much he tried hating Khushi but he couldn't.

"Bhai please don't worry she would be fine!" Dhruv tried to calm him.

"Dhruv...Khushi...she..." Arnav mumbled.

"Please don't worry chotey!"

"Is she fine?" Arnav said to Dr. Sharma at the same time he was surprised by the fact that his own voice was broken.

"She is fine due to the stress she had fainted. Mr. Raizada can I talk to you for a while alone?" Dr. Sharma said as she looked at family members and then back at Arnav.

"Sure!"

Arnav took Dr. Sharma to his study.

@ The Study

"Please have a seat!" Arnav said offering Dr. Sharma a seat.

"How is she doing?"

"She is okay. But I have to talk about his brother."

"Is he fine?" Arnav said as he swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Unfortunately Mr. Raizada Aryan is still in coma. Doctors are not sure if they will be able to save him."

"Please don't say so!"

"It's the truth. Other than God's will we won't be able to save him. Our duty is to provide the treatment and everything else depends on Almighty. It's a brain injury."

"What about the brain transplant?"

"Mr. Raizada even though brain is an "immunological privileged organ," that is it is not immune towards other organs so rejection would not be a problem but at this point of time his body would reject it."

"Mr. Raizada I am telling you all this because I can't tell it to Khushi. I am letting you know this so that you could tell her in your own way. She is totally broken one more shock she would loss her mental imbalance if we are not careful with her. Your whole family is here I am pretty sure she would fit herself in. I have disclosed the news of her brother with you so you know..."

"You don't worry I will do everything to keep her away from her brother. I would...," Arnav immediately stopped before anything else he could say he stood up from his seat. His eyes fixed at the dark figure in the door.

"Khushi!"

Dr. Sharma's eyes followed Arnav's glanced as she too got up from her chair.

There was a dreadful silence in the study for a moment, but it was broken when Khushi took step forward towards him.

"Khushi what are you doing here...you should be resting!" Arnav stuttered, but Khushi, didn't hear her and continued walking towards Arnav until she was standing right in front of him.

Something happened next that Dr. Sharma had never expected. A loud sound roared in the study. Khushi had again slapped Arnav. Dr. Sharma's covered her mouth in shock.

"You want to seperate my brother from me?"

"Khushi?" Dr. Sharma said as she was questioning about her actions.

Arnav stuck his hand in the air to stop Dr. Sharma to say nothing. She didn't wait and left almost immediately.

"Khushi Dr. Sharma was just..."

"Weren't you just happy by separating my father from me?"

Arnav was surprised when she asked the question and glad that she hasn't heard whatever Dr. Sharma told her.

"Khushi go from here! You need rest!"

"No, I don't need any rest and why do you even care? Anyways, as long as you are in my life I can't take rest. Every time I think that probably its the only way you could hurt me, but no every time you prove me wong. Can't you see others pain? Can't you see how much other suffers because of your actions?"

Khushi asked looking straight into his eyes even though it was hard for her to see clearly through the teary eyes.

"Enough said Khushi don't test my patience. Yes, I want to hurt you. Yes, I have no heart so that I could care about anyone," Arnav said as he held her arms. "And the reason of my behaviour is no one, but you and that..." Arnav stopped immediately stopped and left from their in anger.

***

In Arshii's room!

It was 1:00AM in the morning when Arnav came into the room from somewhere. Since now there nothing known about his whereabouts.

Khushi had laid down on the bed. Her body was literally shivering and burning with fever when Arnav ran towards her and pulled covers on top of her, but still her shivering didn't stop. He took one more blanket and with that turned on the heat.

He went to the kitchen. He remembered when he used to get sick his mom would put moist towel on his forehead. So he did the same way, he took a small plastic bowl and put cold water in it plus few ice cubes. And on the way back way to his room he grabbed a small towel from the laundry room.

Khushi was clenching the blanket tightly. Two blankets had not just not enough to provide heat to her body. He brought one more blanket and put it over her.

He then soaked the towel in the cool water and placed it on the Khushi's forehead. He kept on doing so until her temperature had lowered a bit.

In between he had dozed off, but his sleep broke when he heard Khushi babbling something in her sleep.

He resisted to say anything so he doesn't wake her up he patted her head gently comfort her and she eased up a bit and drifted back to sleep. He then went to his side of the bed and took a file to keep himself awake and periodically checked her temperature. He removed one of the blanket from top of her and turned off the heat, when she was slowly recovering.

He didn't even realize that he hasn't changed his own clothes. He quickly got fresh and settled beside Khushi.

He relaxed seeing her sleep comfortably and unconsciously kissed her forehead. Tears moisten and escaped his eyes and he brushed them with his knuckles. And in no time he dozed off too.

***

Rays of sunlight sneaked through the white net curtains into the room. Arnav opened his eyes slowly, but still he wasn't aware of Khushi lying too close to him. He rubbed his eye with his fingers but when he tried stretching his arm he only realized Khushi's arm wrapped around his waist. Her warm breath hitting his cheek made his skin danced. His heart beat increased with the close proximity of her body with his. He cautiously lifted her arm from his stomach then he brought his hand under her neck to lift her head up so that he could free himself. But it was stuck under her weight. So he laid back after giving up and waited for Khushi to wake up. For few minutes she didn't move an inch and peacefully slept. Arnav had his eyes closed but then came a sudden blow of her arm in his nose. That surely awoke his every sense.

"Aaahhh!" Arnav wailed in pain. He was sure Khushi had damaged his nose cartilage.

"What the?" Arnav grunted when he heard Khushi giggling in her sleep as she was dreaming something funny and he looked at her.

He wiggled his nose to see if it was in its place. It was bleeding little bit.

"Ouch!" Arnav again winced in pain as he tried to free his arm. And Khushi immediately opened her eyes, she lifted her head up to face him, their eyes met, their breaths mingled and their hearts had automatically beat in a sync. Arnav's hand remained under Khushi's neck as they kept looking into each others eyes. Getting self conscious Khushi pushed his hand away from her.

"How you dare to touch me?"

"I wasn't touching you, but just moving you away," Arnav said. "My hand underneath your neck."

Khushi hasn't realized that Arnav's arm was under her she immediately got up and set her hair back to cover her exposed back.

"I am sorry," said she as she felt embarrassed and quickly rushed to the washroom.

And Arnav slowly lifted his numb arm and stretched his numb arm that was under Khushi for don't know how long. And he too got up from his bed to check his nose in the mirror. He first got scared looking at it, it was blistered but it wasn't bleeding anymore.

"Chote!" Nani said as she knocked on the door.

"Please come in Nani!"

"Good Morning, Chote how is Khushi bitiya!"

"She is fine Nani just have gone to the washroom."

"Oh okay I will talk to her later then," Nani turned around to leave. "Chote! What happened to your nose?"

He touched his nose and moaned in pain "Ah nothing I bumped into a wall."

"What?" Nani asked as she couldn't digest the reason.

"Oh, yeah it was dark and I was half in sleep and didn't see the wall and bumped my nose into it," Arnav lied.

"Are you sure?" Nani asked when she wasn't convinced.

"Yes, Nani!"Arnav said and walked to his walking closet to get his clothes.

"Okay, for next time be careful and after getting ready come downstairs!"

"Uh-huh!"

And Nani left smiling.

Since, he slept late last night he woke up 2 hours later then his usual routine. But it was Saturday and because of the party Nani had given strict orders to everyone in the family to not to go to work. So he had pretty much whole day that he knew would kill working at home. But starting off with the day he went to the gym.

***

@ The dinner table

"Hey, ASR!" Lavanya said as she waved at Arnav. "You haven't ate your breakfast yet?"

"Yup! Slept late last night."

"What happen were you alright? Sorry I went to sleep early!"

"No, it's okay...Khu!"

"Good Morning, bro. Good Morning la!" Akaash said as he joined both of them at the table. Arnav smiled at him.

"Hey Aki!" lavanaya said.

And soon after Dhruv and NK joined them as they were arguing over something.

"What happen to you guys now?" Lavanya asked.

"Hey, La you are a girl!"

"Oh I didn't know that!" Dhruv sarcastically said.

"Keep quite!" NK retorted.

"Okay, ask her now what you had to ask!"

"Tell me if a guy has to give his girlfriend on his first date what he would give? A flower or any other gift?"

"Since it's your first date a flower would work!"

"Give me high five!" NK said to Lavanya as he raised his hand in the air. "We think alike!"

"I told ya Dhruv bro so far I have dated million girls and I know how to convince them."

"Oh yeah, tell me how many times did you give them a ring on your first date and they gave you a nice slap in your face?"

NK started counting numbers and when he was done he finally said "actually none of them!"

"Then what was the point of counting."

"I was just finding of one."

"Okay let's ask Khushi bhabi! Bhabi what do you think?" Dhruv asked Khushi and repeated the questions.

"I don't know!"

"What? It means Arnav Bhai didn't give you anything?"

Khushi's memory had been forced to travel back to their first meeting. What would she say that on their first meeting her husband put his demands?

"Your honesty!" Khushi answered. "Your honesty towards the relationship that you are going to start with that person. Honesty is the most important factor and even love comes after that. If there is no honesty and trust in a relationship than love doesn't exist in between two people."

"Love you bhabi! Ha ha now tell me what you have to say Mr. Playboy!"

"Well bhabi you really convinced me. It's actually true what you have said," Dhruv said.

Khushi gave him a smile.

"Khushi bitiya why are standing please sit down!" Mama ji said as she joined everyone at the table.

"I actually have to serve food."

"No need of that just sit down. You have not yet recovered!" Nani said. Khushi took a seat beside NK. "Aha bhabi this is not your place. Your place is beside your putty dev!"

"It's pati dev!" Dhruv corrected.

Khushi got from her seat and sat beside Arnav who was busy reading newspaper.

"Chote, if you are done reading paper could we all start eating."

Arnav put down the paper reluctantly.

"Wait bhai what happened to your nose?" Dhruv asked.

"Oh yeah why its geography has changed a bit today!" NK enquired as he had asked the question seriously.

"Nothing!" Arnav answered in a serious tone.

"No, Nanav bhai show me!" NK said as he ran to his chair and touched his nose.

"What the?"

NK immediately flinched.

"Nanav bhai looks like Khushi bhabi was really angry at you last night," NK said in a humorous serious tone.

Everyone laughed out except Lavanya she was surely fuming.

NK in Amitabh Bachan's voice to Dhruv: I have a car, bungalow, bank balance what do you have?"

Dhruv in Shashi kapoor'c voice: I have a car, bungalow, bank balance.

They both remained quite for a while.

And suddenly mama ji spoke up "Then where is your ma?"

Khushi couldn't help out and laughed out loud. Arnav looked at her in surprise for the first time after too long Arnav had actually seen her laughing, like there is no tomorrow. He looked at her lovingly as she laughed and his own lips had curled into a wide grin. And she looked at him watching her laugh turned into a smile and they kept looking into each others eyes when someone cleared their throat and they both looked away. "Dr. Sharma was right he thought his family is the one who would help her to get back to her normal self.

"Papa she has gone to the salon!" Payal replied.

"Oh I see it doesn't take complete 12 hours to get ready not because to look beautiful but it actually takes 12 hours for her poor beautician to plaster her face. And when she calls her beautician that poor girl has to cancel all her appointments just for her."

"Khushi bitiya do you think love is blind" Mama ji said to Khushi.

Khushi thought for a bit and said "yes!"

"Hmm that's good. You know I was deeply in love with your mami and when I first met I told her that she was cute, beautiful and angelic and she agreed. That's true, believe me, I swear because love is blind!"

She again laughed. "Be happy like this always bitiya!" Mama ji said.

Lavanya smiled inwardly "She will be happy if I will give her chance too. Laugh Mrs. Raizada as much as you want because today is your last day. At least I could do this much for you."