Swara's eyes were closed. Sanskar picked her up in his arms. In the moonlight, her face was shining. She was indeed worthful of love from Nikhil. Afterall, this much of bravery was expected just from few.
Sanskar carefully placed her on the backseat along with a lady officer. He then himself drove the car towards destination. Durga prasad was also sitting with him who was quite aware of his actions.
Swara's first aid was going on. Shekhar was pacing impatiently outside the ward. His eyes had tears. As soon as doctor came out, he ran towards him.
"Don't worry! She is fine. She just has a little injury over her forehead." Doctor informed.
"Thank god!" Shekhar folded his hands and sat over a bench nearby. He hid his face in his palms and cried tears of relief.
"Dr. Shekhar! Your daughter is a fighter." Durga prasad tried to calm him down.
"Thank you so much! Thank you for...!" Shekhar couldn't say anything further. Hia voice choked.
Durga prasad's eyes were trying to find Sanskar. He knew that Sanskar's guilt is keeping him from meeting shekhar.
And he found him, standing alone in a corner, watching Swara from a window. Shekhar too noticed him. Even before Durga Prasad, he came near Sanskar.
"Thank you so much! Thank you!" He again folded his hands in front of him.
"Please don't uncle! What I did is nothing compared to what Nikhil did for me!" Sanskar's gaze was lowered. His guilt was so heavy that he couldn't raise his gaze.
"You called me uncle! Can I call you beta?" Shekhar asked.
Sanskar couldn't say anything more. Shekhar's soft behavior increased his guilt more.
"Beta! What Nikhil did was his duty. What you did was your duty. Please don't feel guilty." Shekhar patted his shoulder. He could understand what Sanskar was going through.
"Uncle! But what about Dr. Bose? No amount of self satisfactory phrases can change the reality that I am the reason of her misery. A would be bride, with freshly applied heena over her hands, eyes brimming with joy, has been converted to a ..." Sanskar cloud speak further. His guilt choked his voice.
"I should leave!" Saying so, he left from there but not before taking a last look at Swara.
Durga Prasad was observing Sanskar. He felt happy that still there is a soft heart beating inside his iron shell in which he had isolated himself after his divorce.
"How is Swara after the incident?" Durga Prasad wanted to change the topic. As well as he was concerned about the girl who lost her happiness so that Sanskar should remain fine.
Shekhar sighed. The pain of father was visible in his eyes.
"You may call her fine. She wakes up, smiles, goes to hospital. In short, she pretends to be happy but she isn't. I have heard sobs from her room late at night. I have seen how she places roti back to casserole as she has lost her appetite. She just stares at moon at night and wipes her tears. You may call her fine because she pretends to be. But I know she is not." Shekhar said all these things to Durga Prasad who was just a stranger to him. But he felt the need to let it out. He was helpless and thus, frustrated.
"Since childhood, she has this habit of not saying her pain to anyone. She was 10 when her dear mother passed away. She saw me broken. She saw her little sister and brother crying. Though she was just a kid, but that day, her childhood ended. Just from the tender age, she started playing the role of a mother to Uttara and Ayush. I was too drowned in my own sorrow that I always overlooked her emotional needs. I never acknowledged that she has also lost her mother. She too needs love." Shekhar put his face in between his palms, " I am not a good father to her. But I love her. When Nikhil came to her life, I saw changes in her. I never knew that my daughter looks so precious when she smiles from her eyes. I never knew the voids she had in her heart untill they were filled by love of Nikhil. I felt guilty and happy simultaneously for her. And then, that black day snatched everything from her."
Durga Prasad was listening patiently. His heart was sinking just by hearing this. A completely stranger to him, her story was prickling his heart.
"I am sorry! I said a lot." Shekhar suddenly realized what he said
"It's okay! You had to let out everything." Durga Prasad said but his heart was still aching.
He came back but his heart was still heavy. He thought the love he gave to Sanskar Laksh and Adarsh.
"What happened? Is Dr. Bose not fine?" Annapoorna, his beloved wife asked.
" She is! I mean physically but..." Durga Prasad told her everything. Annapoorna listened to his words and in the end, a tear escaped from her eye.
"Indirectly, we are responsible for what happened to Swara! I will pray to god to give her strength and happiness." Annapoorna was visibly distressed just by hearing her story. Then imagine what would be the condition of the person whose own story it was!
Swara was sitting in her room staring blankly at wall. It's been 3 days to the incident. She heard a knock and was sure it was Ayush.
"Your favorite, choco truffle cake!" Ayush entered with a box of cake in his hand. Swara smiled a little.
"Are waah! Thank you so much!" Swara said and looked at time, "8:30! Papa's medicine time it is!"
Saying so, Swara ran towards Shekhar's room. She forwarded his medicine to him.
"Beta! Don't worry! You please rest!" Shekhar stood up and took medicine.
It was when she heard someone screaming and yelling downstairs. It was Uttara.
"No! I am not gonna eat this sabzi!" She was shouting at the maid.
"Mam! Tell me! What should I make?"
"Nothing! I won't eat anything today." Uttara again yelled.
"Uttara! Mind your voice. Tell me, what do you want to eat today. I will make it in minutes!" Swara came running downstairs.
"No! You keep resting. Don't know how much rest you need!" Uttara answered her back with same rude tone.
Shekhar came in front of Swara. He stared at her.
"What is this behavior?" He said angrily but Uttara was adamant.
"She just needs rest. She knows I don't like this Sabzi. Couldn't she make it?" Uttara stared at Swara.
"Didi is not well! You know this!" Ayush raged.
Uttara looked at Swara and smiled sarcastically," Oh really! Yes afterall she is the most helpless creature of this house after Nikhil's death. Comeon! Get over it! It's been more than a month!"
Swara felt someone stabbed her chest. She tried hard to control her tears. Had it been another day, she would have reprimand her for her rudeness. Afterall, this was the sole reason of Uttara's dislike towards her. She always used to discipline her where needed. And this was never appreciated by Uttara.
"Uttara! A single word and I will make sure you won't get your pocket money." Shekhar was almost red with rage.
"I am getting my stiepend. I don't need your pocket money!" Uttara replied shamelessly.
"Uttara! Is this the way of talking to your father!" Swara was now getting angry.
Uttara again smiled sarcastically, "Stop desciplining everyone. May be this was the reason that Nikhil thought dying was better than living with you."
Suddenly Uttara felt a stinging slap on her cheek. Shekhar was staring angrily at her.
"Your room! Now!" Shekhar ordered. Uttara stomping her feet on floor, retired to her room.
Swara felt someone repeatedly scratching her heart. Her dried up tears again freshen up. Amidst those tears, she smiled at Shekhar and went to her room.
Ayush just looked at Shekhar and said,"I wish you had slapped her years back!"
Shekhar sat down in remorse. He should really slapped back Uttara years back. But couldn't!
Next morning was a beautiful one. Swara dressed up in a peach salwar kameez. She was ready for hospital.
"Di! You should take some more days off!" Ayush exclaimed on seeing her.
Swara sighed,"I will get mad if I stay here more!"
Swara's gaze fell over Uttara having her breakfast. She was not in a mood to argue or descipline her for anything. Her words from last night were still ringing in her ears.
"I will have my breakfast in hospital only!" And she stormed out of the house before Ayush could even open his mouth.
Ashna was not well too today. She was having a little cough.
"Ragini!" Sujata said,"Take her to the hospital today!"
"Chachi! Me and Laksh have to go to Pune to attend a CME there."
"Offo! Bade bhaiya is also busy today! Bhabhi is also having lots of clients!" Sujata spoke and winked at Ragini. Ragini understood.
"And pari bhabhi must be helping ma! Adarsh bhaiya is also having the grand inauguration of his new restaurant chain. Who will take Ashna to hospital?" Ragini said the last line pointing towards Sanskar.
Sanskar looked bemused. He tried to get up but Ram spoke," Sanskar! You can definitely take Ashna to hospital today!"
"But papa....!"
"She is your child. Her health is your responsibility." Ram explained him.
Sanskar grunted but agreed.
It was 11:40 when Sanskar entered Swara's cabin along with Ashna. He looked at Swara and was surprised. He assumed that after that incident, she must have been taking rest. But she was here, though she appeared weaker.
"Dr. Bose?" Sanskar called her name as she didn't noticed them. She was too busy in reading the files 0f patient.
Swara stood up at once and smiled weakly at him. She was indeed weak, thought Sanskar.
"How are you?" Sanskar asked.
"I am fine, not completely but still!" Swara smiled, "All because of you!"
Sanskar smiled. Swara looked at Ashna.
"So! How are you little one?"
"Papa brought me here!" Ashna replied," I have cough. And fever, and throatpain..."
"Aww! Let me ask your papa first, okay beta!" Swara tried hard to not look astonished at the fact about Sanskar having a daughter, that too three year old.
"Mr. Maheshwari! Can you please elaborate her complaint?"
Sanskar scratched his head. He didn't know anything about Ashna at all. He stuttered a little and mumbled a few in audible words for which, he got a confused look from Swara. She then shifted her attention towards ashna only trying to ask her and get the maximum information from her. At last, she forwarded a prescription towards Sanskar.
"If you please, can we have a little talk Mr. Maheshwari?"Swara asked as she saw him getting up from the chair.
Sanskar looked or rather glared at Ashna who stood up timidly and left the room. This behaviour of him didn't went unnoticed from Swara and she was shocked. A child of three years was supposed to throw tantalum but she obeyed like an adult. She almost felt as if her innocent eyes were hiding something. She got so busy in these thoughts that for a second, she almost forgot about what she was going to say to Sanskar.
"Dr. Bose.?" Sanskar's words brought her back from the ocean of thoughts. For a moment, she resisted an immense urge to ask him. She took a deep breath and said, "I wanted to thank you for all your help! If you didn't arrive at time, God knows what would have happened!"
Sanskar stared at her eyes. These much years of experience in interrogation of highly trained and cunning terrorist made his gaze so piercing that he could identify true and fake emotions just by eyes. And her eyes were true, she was scared as well as gratified.
"I did what should I have done! Don't increase my burden of guilt." Sanskar replied.
"Sir! Please don't feel guilty. This way sacrifice of Nikhil will go in vain." Swara said as she forwarded to offer him water. She noticed his eyes little welled up.
Sanskar was astonished. In these years, he had mastered the art of hiding his tears but Swara broke the wall. How could she? Why she wanted to invade in his lonely kingdom of grief?
He glared at her which was unexpected to Swara. She gulped and tried hard to open her mouth but no words came. His one glare was enough to scare her for the moment.
"May I go?" Sanskar said in such a rude tone that Swara again stumbled. Without waiting for her reply, he stormed out.
Swara tried hard to recall what just happened! What she did to earn such nasty stare! She stood up but her flies fell down. As soon as she bent down to pick those papers up, her head spined and her legs gave up. She experienced her vision going in and out of focus.
Sanskar looked at Ashna sitting on the bench outside and realized he forgot her files inside. He pushed open the door and found Swara sitting on the floor holding her head in her palms. He at once ran towards her. Holding her one hand and supporting her shoulder with the other, he looked at her face which had become pale.
"Dr. Bose? You okay?" Sanskar asked. He didn't know why, he was feeling extremely worried, as if she was his own.
Swara nodded. Sanskar made her sit on the chair and forwarded water. She gulped a little and finally looked at Sanskar.
"Should I call Dr. Shekhar?"
"No! He will get worried. It's just, maybe my blood pressure fell down!" Swara replied and smiled a little," Thank you once again!"
Sanskar forward a chocolate to her. Swara was surprised.
"I always keep this with me. Whenever due to long missions, I get no time to eat meals, I eat this."
There was a gentle care in his eyes which was stark opposite of the glare she had witnessed just a few minutes back.
Author's note:
How many of you are interested in Harry Potter fanfiction? I have an interesting concept.