37. I Can't Do Without You




List of Smita's OS:
http://www.india-forums.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=2652341




An OS in 2 Parts: Dedicated to Lyraa99.



Part 1

Arnav looked at Khushi lying alone in the hospital bed with her eyes closed, her body connected to various machines to monitor the vital signs of her body. He had been waiting outside her room, peeking in through the small glass window while the doctors and nurses did their job, frantically trying to stabilise her.
Behind him were a row of seats on which Payal, Mami, Buaji, Amma, and NK sat.
A long time later, the middle-aged doctor with kind eyes said, "Mr. Raizada, your wife is stable. One person can go in to see her for 2 minutes."
Arnav looked uncertainly at Payal, Amma, & Buaji, all in tears. They looked at him, dressed in the tatters of the soiled vest that had been white once upon a time, his body streaked with dirt, his eyes anxious...panic-stricken...
"You go in, Babua...", said Amma, her voice unsteady.
Payal nodded, tears in her eyes.
"Nandkisore, tum jao...", Buaji placed her hand on his shoulder, gently pushing him towards the door.


Arnav walked into the room, his eyes searching her pale face for a sign of life, any sign that she was breathing. He looked at the machines beeping and hissing, recording her statistics, and at her chest, gently rising & falling. His legs weak, he sat down by her. His hand reached for her pale, slender one, and held it safe in his warm one, trying to transfer his life force to her.
He sat by her, silent, teary-eyed, kissing her fingers frequently, till the nurse approached him and gently asked him to let Khushi rest and heal. Turning back to look at her many times, he finally left the room and sat by NK, exhausted. NK passed him his jacket, and forced him to wear it, citing the chilly night air as reason enough.
He sat silent, hunched, lost in his nightmarish thoughts of Khushi struggling in Shyam's car, the accident, Khushi falling & rolling down the steep incline of rocks, him holding her seemingly lifeless body in his arms and crying her name aloud, wishing desperately that she would open her eyes, call his name...

Mami looked at her Arnav Bitwaa sitting defeated and lost on the cold hospital bench, and her hurt and anger bubbled out of control.
"Are you happy now?", she hissed at Buaji and Amma. "Your daughter has broken the spirits of my bhanja and destroyed the life of my bhanji. Why? Why? What did we do to your family that you had to takes such revenge against us?"
NK and Arnav looked up at this tirade.
Buaji, Amma, & Payal looked at Mami, upset.
Mami continued, her teary eyes filled with anger, "Couldn't your daughter finds someone else to love? Was there a shortage of bachelors in Laxmi Nagar and Lucknow that she had to eyes a married man, our Anjali Bitiyaa's husband?"
Before Arnav and NK could respond, Buaji said, "Manoramaji, blame us if you wish, but please don't blame Titliyaa. All she has been guilty of is excessive love for us and your family, Nandkisore!"
"Haan.", Amma said. "Khussi is innocent."
She went on to describe how the video clip of Khushi in Arnav's arms had been aired, how thugs had surrounded Khushi, and how Shyamji had helped her, how the girls had been exiled to Delhi by her, how Shyam had followed them to Delhi...
Buaji took over, describing how Shyam had pretended to be a lawyer from Lucknow, desperate for a room to rent, how he had wheedled his way in, how Khushi & Payal had treated him like a brother, how he had found Khushi a job, how he had taken advantage of Babuji's illness to get engaged to Khushi...
Payal continued, telling them how Khushi had not wanted to marry Shyamji, how she had tried to refuse the offer, how hard she had tried to get out of it, how on Diwali night, her Babuji's panic attack and the snide comment linking Shyamji & her drawn on the wall by some miscreant had forced her to agree to the engagement...
Arnav closed his eyes, clenching his fists, knowing more about Diwali night that any of them did. Would his sins against Khushi never end?
Mami & NK sat shell shocked at the revelations.
Buaji, Amma, & Payal went on to describe how Khushi had finally found out that Shyamji was Anjaliji's husband, how they had decided to tell her, how Khushi had gone to RM to tell her and failed, how they had all remained silent believing that Shyamji had reformed, how scared they had been to marry Payal into the Raizada family, how terrified they had been when Khushi too had married into the same house, how they had hoped and prayed that Akash & Arnav would protect the girls from that lecher...
NK took over from them.
"Jiju fooled Khushiji in to getting Nannav's signature on a will in which Nannav leaves all his wealth to Jiju after his death."
Mami said, "Hein?", her breath stopping for a few seconds. Arnav looked at them with wide eyes.
"Jiju then kidnapped Nannav from the airport."
"Damadji! Damadji was the kidnappers? He arranged for Arnav Bitwaa to be kidnapped? The plank to falls on me?"
Amma, Buaji, & Payal drew in harsh breaths in shock. "Hai Re Nandkisore!", Buaji whispered.
"Khushi managed to get to me. We ran from the prison, but they caught me that night and shifted me to Vasant Vihar...", said Arnav quietly.
"I knows...I knows...", said Mamiji. "Khushi and I were searching for you, Arnav Bitwaa, till I sprained my ankle."
"Khushiji found out that Shyamji was behind the kidnapping.", NK continued. "We made a plan to use Jiju's fascination for Khushiji against him. We stole Jiju's pen drive and found a soft copy of the will. We made another will according to which he transfers all his possessions to Di. We needed to get his signature on the will. So Khushiji told him to divorce Di if he wanted to get close to her. He agreed. She gave him the new will and fooled him into signing it."
Arnav smiled, his heart murmuring "Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada!", his eyes shining with pride for his resourceful wife.
"She found the restaurant bill in the parcel of gifts, and saw the Laad Governor you had written on it, and traced out the hideout..." NK paused, not knowing what happened after that.

Arnav let out a deep sigh.
"I found out about Shyam's interest in Khushi...", he cleared his throat, "...on the day of Payal & Akash's wedding. I confronted him. He said that he was going to leave Di for Khushi. I wanted to tell Di. But she fainted. And we found out that she was pregnant."
"I heard Khushi Bitiya & Damadji discuss divorcing Anjali Bitiyaa by the poolside...", said Mami.
"I was there behind the curtain...", confessed NK. "Khushiji didn't want to be in the same room with him, alone..."
Mami nodded. "I didn't know that you were trapping him...", her voice wobbled. "I...I went to meet Anjali Bitiyaa in the temple and t...told her all I heard about Khushi & Damadji..."
"How did she react?", asked Arnav urgently.
"She cried. Wouldn't believe me. She tried to asks Payaliyaa, but before she could reply, Anjali Bitiyaa fainted. She is OK now...", added Mami at the look of anxiety on Arnav's face. "Saasumaa is with her..."

They sat silent, all of them caught in the net of their love for Khushi and worry for Anjali. Arnav and the others took turns peeking through the glass window at a Khushi who seemed too still to be alive.


Arnav said, "I need to go somewhere. I will be back in half an hour."
"Take my phone.", NK forced it on him.
He got up, pushed the phone into his pocket, and walked away.
Mami ran after him, "Arnav Bitwaa!"
He halted, and turned around.
Mami came close to him, and looking up into his eyes, asked, "Arnav Bitwaa, I found out about Damadji just a few hours backs, and I can't bears it." Her eyes filled with tears. "How did you hides & bears this pain for 6 months?"
Arnav stood looking at her, lost for an answer.
She hugged him close to her, and said, "Once, at least once, didn't it strikes you to come to Mami and tell her? Wouldn't I have helped you, shared your burden? Why did you have to bears this alone?"
"Mami!", Arnav tightened his arms around the woman he had never understood inspite of living with her for years. "Next time something happens, Mami, I will come to you immediately and tell you.", he made a weak attempt to tease her.
Mami looked at his wry look, and punched him gently, rubbing the spot she had touched with gentle hands.




Part 2

 
He climbed the steps to the temple, memories of how he had dragged Khushi up the steps on a windy, dark night to marry her flashing through his guilt-ridden mind. He had bitten out with contempt that though she would appear as his wife in public, he would never accord her the place or respect of his wife. He closed his eyes to hold back the tears. He opened them to find himself face-to-face with Devi Maiyya.
The temple was deserted, not crowded like the day he had forcibly carried her out of the temple on the day of her pag phera.
Arnav remembered the day he had bandaged her finger, how he had repudiated her claim that God existed, that Devi Maiyya had held his hand and made him write his future, that he would realise his folly one day and that it would be too late as she wouldn't be with him to witness it... Tears filled his eyes.
He folded his hands, and looked straight into Devi Maiyya's eyes.
"Khushi...", he started, his sound weak. He cleared his throat. "I am sure you know Khushi. She... she comes often to see you... She speaks of you always."
"She is sick, very sick...in the hospital. She... she hasn't opened her eyes yet..." His throat felt as though someone were strangling him.
"I...I hurt her. I didn't... didn't understand her. I thought she loved Shyam..." He looked down at his folded hands.
"She needs help. Your help. Please help her get better...", he whispered.
He stood there, looking at her kind eyes. "I can't do without her. I... I can't do without her."
"Beta!", called the priest.
Arnav turned his eyes towards him. The priest gave him the sacred water and applied a tilak on his forehead.
"Can you... er... can you give me some sindoor?", he asked. "For my wife..."
"Why not?", said the priest smiling.
He gave him a small box of Devi Maiyya's sindoor, and Arnav put it into the pocket of his jacket. The priest left him alone.
Arnav turned to return to the hospital. On the steps, he looked at Devi Maiyya again.
"Don't forget Khushi. She... she needs your help. I... I can't do without her..."


Arnav returned to the hospital. A while later, the doctor permitted him to see Khushi for a few moments.


He held her hand and wept till there were no tears left.
"Arnavji!", came the faint cry.
He looked at her, astonished, unable to believe his eyes and ears.
She was frowning, eyes still closed, turning her head to the left and to the right, agitated. "Arnavji!", her lips formed his name.
"Khushi..., I am here... Khushi, Khushi...", Arnav leaned towards her, cupping her face. "Open your eyes, Khushi...", he begged.
Khushi opened her eyes with difficulty, her eyelids appearing to carry the weight of the world. She saw his poor, bruised face, his anxious eyes, conveying his fear for her, his panic at her ill health...
"Arnavji!", she said his name as though it were sweeter than jalebis, savouring each syllable.
Arnav felt tears sting his eyes. To hear her call his name...He had fallen in love with his name after she had taken to calling him 'Arnavji'. His trembling lips stretched in a smile.
"Are you alright?", she asked, her eyes lingering on his hurt face.
Arnav smiled, and nodded. "How do you feel, Khushi?"
She thought for a moment, and said honestly, "As though someone has beaten me with the baton used to wash clothes, and left me to dry..."
Arnav looked at her, his eyes filled with love.
"The doctor...", he said. "I need to call the doctor." Arnav tried to get up, but she pulled at his hand.
"Later... Later. Shyamji?", she asked, scared.
"I hit him till he fell down. His thugs carried him off."
She looked at him for a while, and then said softly, "I wish..."
"You wish?", he asked, ready to lay the world at her feet.
"I wish I could have seen you hitting Shyamji.", she sighed. "I have often wanted to hit him myself, but...", her disappointment came across clear and loud.
Arnav chuckled.
She looked at him, enjoying his laughter.
"Di?"
"We will mange her together when we get home."
They sat holding hands, looking at each other. Arnav remembered the sindoor. He freed his hand and took the box out of his pocket. He opened it as she looked on curiously.
He took a pinch of the sindoor and filled her maang, looking into her eyes with all the love in the world.
Khushi looked at him, shocked.
"Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada...", he murmured, his eyes burning with love for her. He kissed her forehead. "Your Devi Maiyya has returned  you to me. Now you are mine. My wife. No one can take you away from me."