Life is so unpredictable and unfair as well.
Never did Nandini thought that a day would come when she would be standing motionless with scared heart in front of an operation theatre and praying. The nearly deserted corridor with just three or four people roaming, was giving her silent jitters.
She recalled what happened five hours back that shook her to death.
"Hello"
" Am I speaking with Ms. Nandini Moorthy?"
In delimma Nandini replied getting a call from unknown number that too in this late night. Her mind is poking her about something bad.
" Yes, it's her. Who am I speaking with?"
The person from the other side asked "Mam, do you know Mr. Naren Moorthy?"
Listening her father's name whom she had no contact with for long time, shocked her. So with utter confusion she murmured
" Ye.....es, that's my fa.....ther "
" Mam, I request you to come down to Pune City general hospital immediately. Your father is admitted here due to a road accident this evening. You are the only one listed as his family member in his records. We have to operate on him on urgent basis. "
Hearing this Nandini felt blank. A complete blank. A pool of tears met her cheeks silently.
Getting no response from her, the hospital staff again continued
" Mam, please come as soon as possible, we need family consent for the surgery and other hospital formalities. "
Still getting no response for another few minutes, the staff said little louder " Are you with me in this call, Ms. Nandini? "
That broke her strance and she asked
"Ohh yyeess. So...rry. What happened? How's he now? "
" He is in critical state. I request you to come immediately so that we can start the procedures. " Stating the staff hung up the call leaving a baffled crying Nandini.
Sriya was waiting for her friend to finish her call so that they could sleep. But it was already very late and Nandini was still in the attached balcony. So, she got up from bed to look for her.
But as soon as she saw Nandini's pale tear coated face staring blankly the phone in her hand, she rushed to her and asked "Nandu, what happened? "
All she could utter was " Appa.... My dad"
Sriya understood it might be something to do with her father. So she enquired again " What happened? Did he call? Tell me Nandu. Calm down first. "
Nandini then hold herself getting her best friend's support and uttered with difficulties
" My father met with an accident. He is hospitalized. Hospital staff called. I have to go there fast. "
Sriya understood the emergency and being the composed one, she helped Nandini to get changed quickly along with her and then they woke up Abhi to rush to the hospital which was forty minutes driving from her place due to no traffic in the mid night time.
In that all rucksack, Nandini completely missed the few messages from Manik.
As soon as they reached the hospital, she rushed to her father. Seeing her father so pale draped in bandages and unconscious, broke her heart. She missed her father dearly but she couldn't find the courage to call him again after he stopped answering her calls one and half year back. She so wanted to reach out to him and tell him that her dream came true. She met the love of her life and she was immensely happy. She so wanted to tell him that how much she was missing him. But, her father had completely cut all ties with her.
Though she has thought that one day she would get the courage to meet him and introduce her achivement to him proudly and win his heart back. But, never in her worst dream, she had thought that she got to see him like this.
She sat beside his bed and took his bruised hand and murmured " Aappa, please get up. I missed you so much. I have a lot to share with you. Please get up and stay with me. "
Abhi squeezed her right shoulder lightly to provide her support and said " Get a grip of yourself Nandu. He will be alright. Don't worry. They're waiting for you for surgery formalities "
Wiping the never stopping tears, she took few deep breaths to compose herself. Sriya guided her to attend the formalities while the nurses started to get ready her father for the surgery.
" Please pardon me Appa and come back to me. " She prayed and giving a last look to her unconscious father she walked out of the room.
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It was a really hectic day for Manik. Back to back meetings, appointments tired him to the core. All he needed the comforting embrace of his lovely fan-girlfriend and sleep. But, to his dismay, she wasn't there to comfort him or kiss his stress goodbye with her feather loving touches. So, he just took help of his girlfriend's pillows and soft toy which he was doing from last night.
Manik was sound sleep when his phone started ringing. It was only an hour or two that he had slept. So, his body is completely drained out and eyes were drooping shut. But the constant nagging of the phone rings were opposing the idea of getting rest after a long day. So, irritatingly he picked up the call after sixth ring.
" What?" A sleep filled exhausted yet confident bark greeted the other person on the call.
" Sir, it's Ricky Peters."
The other person uttered and it took no time to wake Manik up.
" What happened?" He asked then and there completely alerted and awake.
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The red indication of the operation theatre was mocking her and telling her that she should have been with her father no matter what happened between them. She shouldn't have abandoned him. She should have sticked by his side even though he had asked her to leave.
She was feeling agony inside. She so wanted to wake her father and request for forgiveness to leave him alone when he needed his daughter the most. She regretted leaving him alone but for once she didn't ever regret following her dream and that leaded her to the most precious outcome..her World's King. Her Manik.
Manik!!!
She was terribly missing him. She so wanted to throu herself on his protective embrace and cry her heart out. Only her Manik could give her the solace she was desperately seeking for then. She so wished for him to be with her that crucial moment.
But alas! That couldn't be possible. He couldn't be there to console her or hug her sorrow away. She couldn't even call him to share her fear of loosing her father. She couldn't do that. The harsh reality was stopping her. The forbidden and hidden love of a commoner with a celebrity was preventing her. She knew of she called him, he would rush to her aid. But she couldn't be a selfish to risk his reputation. Also, as funny as it may sound in this upsetting moment, she couldn't even call him if she wanted to as well. The funny reason being she had forgotten to bring her phone with her in all rush. She left her phone in the dresser while sriya was helping her to get ready and then they rushed out of the house without her phone.
She sighed deeply desparately being so careless. But her father's safe recovery was all in her prayers then and in her habitual manner her heart prayed
" Manik please help my father. Keep him safe please. Please God! "
And, her helpless heart desparately added silently " I need you Manik. I need you now very much beside me. I am scared. Please come My World's King. I am in dying need of your support."
Abhi and Sriya witnessed their friend's vulnerability and they were also praying. Seeing Nandini silently shading nonstop tears, Sriya pulled her for side hug to console. Abhi also kept on patting Nandini's back for providing his support. Though Nandini was getting the support of her BFF's and she was truly feeling blessed to have them beside her, she still wished for Manik to be there with her. She needed his comforting embrace most that time to sooth her hurting scared heart.
Suddenly they heard a commotion in that deserted long corridor that too in that very late hours of night.
Abhi was the first to get surprised seeing five dressed in black blazers well build men approaching towards them hurriedly. Before he could react, he got another shock with bit force and unknowingly his confused to the core lips whispered
" Manik Malhotra !!!"
That mere audible whispered name was enough to drive Nandini's attention. She looked around and aback seeing Manik jogging towards her with worried face. His bodyguards were securing his path to her.
Without wasting a second she stood up and ran to him. They met halfway and their body collided with desperation.
Nandini hugged Manik with all of her wit and will as her life depended on that. And Manik welcomed her with same urge and need.
" Manik, you came!"
Is the only thing she uttered on his chest and then hugged him more tighter crying bitterly to let her heart out which she was holding by then. Manik dropped an assuring kiss on her head and clutched her petite body more firmly in his protective arms. He let her pour her heart that he was sure she was controlling by then.
They finally found their home and solace in eachother completely forgetting the two most stunned persons standing behind them.
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Thank you for waiting and loving My World's King. Stay tuned and blessed.. and Subho NaboBorsho to my all Bengali birdies!!!!