Shahrukh, Rani and Amira were in Kajol's room in the hospital, all in their pajamas, she fainted because of the hunger strike she was having. Shahrukh was leaning his head to her bed and holding her hand silently.
'so, uncle didn't know about the rehab thing?' Amira asked sadly
Rani nodded in denial 'no, and he mustn't know about it' she replied
'no, he must, he has to stop Poja from what she is doing, she is taking decisions as if uncle isn't here or has no opinion about anything. She is taking benefits of him wanting to not destroy their marriage but this is cruel; everyone is getting hurt' she whined
'I think this is not a suitable time to talk about anything' Rani said blaming and gesturing to Shahrukh so Amira stopped talking 'don't worry, I talked to the doctors and they told me she will be okay' Rani said to Shahrukh reassuring and patted over his shoulder
Amira's phone started chiming; she took it out of her pocket and went out of the room. Rani kneeled in front of Shahrukh 'I will get you coffee and something to eat, okay' she said kindly but he nodded in denial still covering his face from her, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders 'you need to take care of yourself, she won't be happy when she wakes up and finds you like this, she will feel worried; and for your sister too, you need to get yourself together, please'
He sat up and wiped his face 'okay' he said sniffing
'go and wash your face and I will get us some breakfast' she said and stood up, he also did and walked towards the bathroom
Abhishik waved at Amira when she entered the cafeteria in the hospital 'hey' he said when she sat down
'I am ready' she said confidently
Kajol opened her eyes slowly and looked around her, saw Shahrukh leaning his head to the edge of the bed with his face to her; but his eyes were closed. She gently passed her hand over his hair. He flinched and opened his eyes, when he looked at Kajol, tears formed in his eyes; he held her hand and kissed it strongly. Kajol faintly pulled him closer to her; he closed his eyes and kissed her lips.
Rani cleared her throat when she came in with coffee cups and some breakfast, Kajol smiled shyly and bit her lower lip and Shahrukh pulled back feeling annoyed 'come to eat' she said to Shahrukh 'I will call the nurse for you Kajol'
'no, I don't feel like eating anything now' Kajol said in a low voice
'Kajol that's enough, what do you want to do to yourself more?' Shahrukh asked in boredom
'later Shahrukh, she needs rest' Rani said blaming when she was placing everything over a table in front of the couch
'no, I need to leave. I hate hospitals' Kajol whined
'at least not today Kajol, you need to be taken care of' Rani said and Kajol blew
Shahrukh helped Kajol sit up and sat in front of her at the edge of the bed silently 'what's wrong?' Kajol asked when his face changed
'you are sent to the hospital twice because of me' he said sadly looking down
Kajol rolled her eyes 'Shahrukh please don't say that, you have nothing to do with this'
'if I wasn't in your life...'
Kajol interrupted 'it would be miserable Shahrukh; I can't live without you, okay? Now go and eat'
'look who is talking' he said sarcastically then he looked at Rani 'won't you wait for Amira?' he asked
Rani clicked her tongue 'she asked me not to wait for her on breakfast, she was already on the phone when I saw her down there' she said and took a bite of her sandwich
'what took you so long? I thought you changed your mind' Abhishik asked and sipped his coffee
'don't be silly, there is no going back' she replied confidently
'so why didn't we run away earlier? Were you looking at everything for the last time like films and novels?' he asked sarcastically
She sighed 'believe it or not, yes; I was looking at everything for the last time. I took my time to not hesitate. Day by day I understand that this is the only way out'
He nodded 'I understand'
'What happened to Kajol today is the spark that is leading to the fire; I couldn't see her or my brother like that. I know it's going to be so hard for Shahrukh and he will hate me for what I will do, but our running away is not only for their own good but for our own good too' she said then sighed sadly 'Poja is challenging my brother, her target in life is to destroy him; but I will make her regret her doings and destroy everything she has worked for'
Abishik looked confused 'Destroy him?'
She replied sadly 'Not only him Abhishik; she is taking revenge of both of us. It is not only your father that loved my mother, Poja also loved my father and she is taking revenge from us because she couldn't have him; she is acting like your father'
'Can we just stop discussing all this? I told you that I am ready and so you are. There is no need to say reasons for our plan' Abhishik said nervously
Amira noticed his behavior, he was shaking his leg and tapping his fingers over the table 'are you okay?' she asked and he just nodded then she narrowed her eyes and asked 'don't get me wrong, but how can I make sure that you won't change your mind at the last minute Abhishik? Is it just your love to me that will make you run away with me?'
He sighed 'my love to you isn't the only reason'
She furrowed her eyebrows 'what do you mean?'
Abhishik ran his palms through his hair then took a deep breath 'I want to cause my father a scandal as he did to you and your family'
She widened her eyes 'what? I don't get it. What would your father have to do with what happened to my family?'
'I found out that he is the reason that your father bankrupted and his project failed. My father somehow managed to destroy everything to him and he told everyone about his past and the drugs thing, he helped in spreading a bad reputation about your dad so no one would help him'
She placed her palm over her lips in shock 'they would have been alive if he didn't do this' she barely whispered
He placed his palms over her arms 'I know you may have hated me very much now after what I told you and after you knew that I am the son of the man who destroyed not just your life but also your brother's life'
'oh my god' she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks
'I just want you to know that I love you so much and I hate my father so much. I want to show him that he wasted his life, that I loved the daughter of the man he hated. That the reputation didn't stop anything and that Karma did its work. He was the reason for the scandal to your family but the same thing happened to him from the same family' he said and searched her eyes then asked 'now I am the one who is asking you. Would you run away with me?'
'you are feeling happy now that you sent Rani back home?' Kajol asked sarcastically
'Yes, so much. We need some private time together' Shahrukh replied happily while he was feeding her with a spoon 'she will bring you something else to wear'
She swallowed the soup 'I am not staying here for another day Shahrukh, so there was no need' she winked 'okay that's enough, I am full' she said pushing his hand away gently when he was filling the spoon
'it is not allowed that we shout at a hospital, so don't push me to' he said impatiently
'I swear there is no place for food Shahrukh, my hunger strike is already spoiled so why would I hide it when I am hungry? Why do you keep making excuses to get angry at me?'
'fine' he said calmly and put away the plate and the spoon 'but I have to admit that you proved that you will be a great wife in the future, and Karvachauth is going to be easy for you' he winked
She faked a laugh 'very funny'
He pouted 'so, this means no more letters?'
'you aren't angry anymore and hunger strike isn't the best idea ever, so yes, I think so'
'you said I keep making excuses to get angry at you, so there is still a chance?' he said and winked
'don't you dare get angry ever at me' she said punching his arm jokingly 'and I am sure that if I didn't come up with the letters idea you yourself would come up with something to try to make us speak, I told you before you can't act'
'Kajol I wasn't acting, I was really hurt, but yeah; as much as I try, I won't be able to ignore you or stay away from you'
'You would die if you stayed away from me' she winked
'Sure, I would' he said smiling and came closer to her and kissed her then they heard the door knocking and they pulled back 'come in' Shahrukh said then Abhishik appeared with Amira following him and they were holding hands
'I am not shocked' Shahrukh said and shook his head when he saw Abhishik
'I bet that Preity and Saif are on the way' Kajol said and giggled 'this means that everything is okay between them' she whispered happily to Shahrukh when she saw them holding each other's hands
'I just came to see you after Amira told me what happened' Abhishik said politely
'thanks a lot Abhishik, come here' Kajol said sweetly and gestured to him to sit down, he came closer and sat at the other edge of the bed in front of her and held her hand.
Abhishik noticed that Shahrukh is fixing his eyes on him silently 'what! She is like a sister to me' he said and shrugged
'no, don't feel shy, do you want me to leave you guys alone to feel more comfortable?' he asked coldly then looked at Amira 'why aren't you saying something?'
Amira came closer to Abhishik who looked confused with half a smile and Kajol burst out laughing then said 'look at the guy's face, poor Abhishik. Don't worry, you will get used to his mood swings by the days'
Abhishik smiled and shook his head knowing that Shahrukh was joking 'you got me' he admitted 'but don't worry, my heart is full with your sister' he said, pulled her to him and wrapped his arm around her shoulder
'eh, hands off my sister' Shahrukh said threatening jokingly
'don't act like you don't hug Kajol too, and who knows what else' Amira said playfully and Abhishik winked at him
Kajol scoffed and Shahrukh rolled his eyes 'shut up' he said
'I will go and wash my face' Amira sniffed and said to Abhishik then walked away.
Shahrukh looked suspiciously to his sister's puffy eyes 'I will go and see her' he said at once 'but I will be back' he said warning jokingly to Abhishik then left
'were you crying?' Shahrukh asked Amira when he stood at the door frame, she nodded silently and kept washing her face and rubbing her red eyes
'are you sure you are okay?'
'yeah, don't worry about me' she said turning off the tap
'you have really grown up' he said smiling sadly
She furrowed her eyebrows 'what do you mean?' she asked
'you know what I mean' he said and gestured back to Abhishik
'have you just noticed?' she asked sarcastically
He came in and handed her a tissue to dry her face 'I didn't expect that day to come so quickly and see you having a boyfriend, you are growing up very fast' he said with a half smile
'that means you are growing up too' she said still sniffing and threw the tissue in the bin 'time flies, my dear brother'
'that's why I have to speak to Poja and try to make her change her mind as much as I can' he said sadly and she just looked at him hopelessly
'I am so sorry Kajol' Abhishik said sadly
'that's okay, thanks for coming' Kajol said smiling
'No, I am really sorry, all of this is happening because of my weakness and because I am being a coward, I could have saved a lot of time if I did take any action but I didn't'
'there is nothing in your hand' she said kindly 'so I see everything is back to normal and there is no need for any rubbish plans, am I right?'
'I can't promise you' he said and stood up to leave
'Abhishik we haven't finished our conversation. Wait' she widened her eyes threatening then nodded in denial pleading
He noticed that Shahrukh was coming back 'and you look tired, you really should take rest' Abhishik said changing the subject
She cleared her throat 'yeah, sure. I completely agree with you' Kajol said quickly and nodded
Shahrukh rose his eyebrows 'wow, you should have come earlier when I was begging her to eat' he said feeling surprised
Abhishik smiled nervously 'I think I should be going now, get well soon Kajol' he said and she nodded silently, then Abhishik waved bye to Amira who was coming out of the bathroom then he left.
Kajol fixed her eyes on Abhishik when he was leaving, then she looked away feeling lost 'what's wrong?' Shahrukh asked
'nothing' Kajol said and pulled the blanket and lied on the bed 'Abhishik is right, I need to sleep a little' she said and closed her eyes quickly
'are sure you okay? Shall I call a nurse for you?'
'No need, I will just sleep' she said still closing her eyes
'okay' Shahrukh said and shrugged then sat on the couch and Amira sat next to him, she held his arm and leaned her head to his shoulder then looked up at him.
'what?' he asked
'nothing' she said with teary eyes and looked down
'why were you crying anyway? I hope things didn't go bad with Abhishik'
She nodded in denial 'things are going okay with Abhishik'
'then why were you crying? Haven't you seen your eyes in the mirror?' he asked and felt worried
She gestured with her head towards sleeping Kajol then whispered 'things are going bad day by day; to all of us'
He hugged her 'I know that what is happening is unbearable' he said sadly
'I am so sad Shahrukh; that is too much' she said and burst out crying hugging him tightly
'Oh please, don't cry I don't want you to have a panic attack; I will do my best to fix everything. Don't be sad' he said reassuring and rubbed her back but his words didn't help, she cried harder and then she pulled back 'you are the best brother ever Shahrukh, I want you to always know that I love you so much' she said between her breaths
'I love you too sweetheart' he said kindly but she kept crying. Shahrukh didn't know what to do, he just kept wiping tears over her cheeks looking at her helplessly. Kajol pulled the blanket to cover her whole face as she kept shedding tears silently.
Rani came back with a bag that had some clothes for Kajol, when she came in; she found that Kajol was awake but Shahrukh and Amira were asleep leaning their heads to each other. Kajol gestured to Rani to not make any noise and just come and sit in front of her at the edge of the bed. Rani placed the bag on the floor and went towards Kajol.
'what did I miss?' Rani whispered sitting down
'there is nothing serious, Abhishik came to see me then left. Amira cried a bit and Shahrukh stood helpless in front of her, and I had to act asleep while this was happening to give them a little space' Kajol said then both her and Rani looked at Shahrukh sadly 'I have just realized what we have done to him Rani; I feel so stupid' she said, tears rolling down her cheeks
Rani held her hand 'calm down'
'I have been so cruel to him; the whole world is being cruel to him and he doesn't deserve that' she said barely whispering and wiping her tears
'So, you have to be by his side Kajol, he really needs your support' she said kindly and Kajol nodded and looked back at Shahrukh and so did Rani 'poor Shahrukh, he has seen a lot in his life'
'look at them sleeping peacefully' Kajol said sniffing
'unfortunately, they won't be sleeping peacefully for so long because I have to take them back home'
'damn it' she blew
'I promise we will come to take you tomorrow night'
'that's a long time Rani' Kajol whined
'don't act like a baby, a night away from Shahrukh isn't so long' she winked and Kajol rolled her eyes smiling shyly. Rani was on her way to the couch but Kajol stopped her 'what?' Rani asked
'If he asked you about me tell him that when you came back you found me asleep; just in case, I don't want him to see my puffy eyes'
Rani sighed 'okay' she said then Kajol covered herself with the blanket and after that Rani went towards Shahrukh to wake him up first 'Shahrukh' she whispered and shook his shoulder. He opened his eyes slowly and sat up 'we have to go' she said gently
'why can't I stay with her?' he asked with a sleepy voice
'the hospital won't allow this. Don't worry, if there was something serious, I would have stayed myself'
He clicked his tongue in boredom and wiped his face with his palms 'she has been sleeping for so long' he said looking at Kajol
'yeah, she really needs rest, and you too Shahrukh; so, let's take you home' Rani said and he nodded silently and woke up his sister.
Poja was sitting over the swing in the garden waiting for everybody to come, she was checking her wrist watch every now and then; when she saw Rani parking her car she stood up and looked at all of them coming closer to the house.
'how is she?' Poja stood up and asked
Shahrukh looked furiously at her 'as if you really care about her' he said in disgust, shook his head and came inside the house and his sister followed him silently
'she will be fine auntie' Rani said calmly 'how is uncle?'
'I didn't tell him about Kajol'
'why? Are you scared of what you did?'
'she did it to herself and she pushed me to think of this solution, but anyway I didn't tell him because I was scared for him'
Rani scoffed 'and he didn't notice our absence too?'
'I told him you went to Preity'
Rani rolled her eyes 'anyway, we will pick her up tomorrow night, you won't have to come up with any other lies'
'behave yourself'
'I have no more energy for you auntie, good night' Rani said angrily and went inside leaving Poja outside
Shahrukh just stood under the running water in the shower, feeling drained and exhausted; he wished the water can wipe his sadness and frustration. He had to change because he was out all day in his pajamas. It is another tough day he had to face in his unstoppable tiring life. He put on another pajama and went out of the bathroom, he stood in front of his dressing table to comb his hair before bed as he is used to but then he didn't feel like doing it. He placed back the brush on the dressing table and headed to the bed, he just sat there staring at the ceiling silently then he heard the door knocking. He prayed that it is not Poja who is coming to his door.
'come in' he said faintly, the door opened and his sister appeared
'can I ask you for something? First promise you won't laugh at me' she asked pulling her sleeves
'sure'
She scratched her fresh washed head 'can I sleep next to you tonight?' she asked and he smiled 'you said you won't laugh' she said and pouted
'I am smiling because I remembered' he said and patted over the bed, she went towards him and covered herself with the blanket and so did he
'we haven't done this for a very long time' she said and slept with her face to him
'we would shower, and dress up in a different pajama everyday' he said smiling and remembering while he was looking at the ceiling
'dad sleeps next to us' she continued looking at him
'and tells us a story' he said blinking slowly as he started feeling sleepy
'until we fall asleep' she whispered
'mom was so jealous of him' he said smiling looking at her
'yeah, a lot; she couldn't tell stories as good as him' she said smiling sadly
'and sometimes she would join us, and our small bed suddenly seemed very big and comfortable' he said sighing
'yeah'
He smiled sadly 'good days' he said and looked again at the ceiling then he closed his eyes and fell asleep
'yes, they were' she said whispering and a tearskipped out of her eye and fell over the pillow, then she sat up and studiedhis face, she came closer to him to kiss his forehead but she retreated to notwake him up. She went out of the bed and looked at him again before getting outof the room 'Goodbye brother'