CHAPTER 12
Two week Later, Today
"Tea?"
"No, thank you." She smiled.
He sighed "You should really eat something. It's not good for both of you to starve. You are four weeks pregnant, Meera. You can't run from it." Samar tried again and sat next to her.
Meera sighed and took the cup from him.
"You should probably sleep. It's 2 a.m."
She didn't respond but a slight tear eascaped her eye traveling down her cheek.
"It's been a two weeks, Samar. How do you want me to sleep? Vivaan is still missing. No police, no detectives, no government, no one can find him. Sometimes I think he is no more and this is my life now with him in the form of this little one inside me, and this life long misery of loving him more and more, every time. This is getting no where. And on the other hand--"
"We have her. She is lying there unconscious, from past two weeks as well. When doctors told us about her condition and how she could have died, I died inside and it's not that peaceful death. When I know I'm a doctor and I can't do anything, kills me bit by bit. Every moment." He unintentionally crushed the cup in his hand, spilling all the content in it.
"God! I'm sorry." He spoke but as if Meera didn't notice it. She was lost in her own set of thoughts.
"Meera?" He shook her.
"Why aren't they telling us anything?" She spoke.
"Who?"
"Our parents. There is something that they are hiding from us."
"I know. I want to know, myself. Did you tell them about...?"
"No. When I saw my father, it was scared till death. I just... I just couldn't tell him and made up story, instead."
"He bought it?"
"That's the main problem. He bought it. He is a calculative business man and he easily bought it." She gulped hard and Samar maintained his silence.
Now both sat in their silence, once again.
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13 Days Ago, Past
Mr. Kapoor stepped in his car just after landing in Paris when his cellphone rang.
"Raj? I have been trying to contact you! Your secretary informed me that you are travelling to Paris. Have you reached?" The urgency in kings voice made him even more uncomfortable.
"I'm. I'm on my way to the maternity hospital."
"That means you too, got the package."
"Yes. What about you? Where are you?"
"We found Samar. But your youngest daughter was not with him. We are about to reach the hospital, where Ira is."
"Okay. I will meet you there as soon as possible."
"And Raj?"
"Yes?"
"Let's keep this information to ourselves, for now. If Meera is really expecting my son's child, I believe it's not fit for her to know what happened to Vivaan."
"I was not planning to. I will take care of her."
"Good. See you." The king disconnected the call and now Mr. Kapoor, for the first time could feel anxiety seizing him.
After some time they reached the hospital and the 60 year old man leaped out of the car running inside like a lion chasing for it's prey.
"Meera." He took a breathe of relief when he saw his daughter signing some papers on the reception.
Her face drained and turned her paller than ever. "Fa...fa... father."
He briskly walked towards her and hugged her tightly "Are you okay?"
"Yes.. what are you doing here?"
"I mean to ask you the same question, lady." He said, gazing towards the reports in her hands.
"I...." She tried to hide them.
"Can I see them?" He moved his hands towards the file but she took a few steps backwards.
"No! Umm... Actually they are Carol's and I don't think she would be comfortable in sharing this information with anyone else." She tried to make it as real as possible.
He knew she was lying. Lying on his face but he wanted her to accept it by herself. "Very well then. We found your sister."
"What? Where is she? How is she?"
"She is in a hospital. If you are okay. Then shall we leave now?"
"Yes." Meera forgot everything. Her main aim was to see her sister.
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13 days Earlier, past.
Samar was running inside the hospital as fast as he could, searching for her.
"Prince Samar." One of the doctors called and made him turn.
Samar angrily walked towards him and grabbed him from his collar.
"Où est-elle? (Where is she?)"
"S'il vous plaît Prince Samar. Calmez-vous. (Plase Prince Samar. Calm down.)" The doctor struggled in his grip.
"J'ai demandé. OÙ EST-ELLE? (I asked. WHERE IS SHE?)" He was shivering with anger.
"Laisse-le tranquille! (Leave him alone.)" The king's authorative voice reached their ears and Samar aggressively pushed him away.
"Je suis désolé pour le comportement de mon fils. Pouvez-vous nous dire où se trouve Mme Ira Kapoor? ( I'm sorry for my son's behaviour. Can you please tell us where Ms. Ira Kapoor is?)" The king politely asked, approaching towards them.
The doctor gulped hard when he noticed Samar glaring him, but nodded at the same time. "Par ici (This way)" He said and started moving.
When the party reached, the doctor opened the door and Samar ran inside, but couldn't move an inch when he saw her.
She was pale and her breathe was slow.
Even though he was a doctor himself but this was different. It was Ira, his Ira. When he saw various tube and needles attached to her body and with negligible movement of her chest, it was as if his own body that felt all that pain.
"Comment est-elle médecin? (How is she doctor?)" He overheard his mother.
"Pas si bon ma reine. Il ya assez de quantité de médicaments dans son corps pour arrêter son cœur à tout moment. (Not so good my queen. There is enough amount of drugs in her body to stop her heart any moment.)" The doctor shrugged.
"No!" Samar turned towards the doctor, glaring him with disbelief.
"No! No you can't die on me." He ran towards Ira and took her hand in his.
This time it felt like his heart ripped out of his chest.
"Samar!" The queen ran towards her son to comfort him.
"Docteur. Juste un moment dehors s'il vous plaît .. (Doctor. Just a moment outside please..)" The king turned and stepped outside the room along with the doctor following him.
"Oui, Votre Altesse? (Yes, your highness?)" The doctor asked.
"Comment at-elle atteint ici? (How did she reach here?)" He asked in a stern voice.
"Elle était inconsciente, couchée dans notre salle d'attente. Une des patientes la reconnut. Nous avons vérifié la caméra, un homme vêtu de tout noir l'a amenée. Malheureusement, son visage n'est pas visible dans la vidéo. (She was unconscious, lying in our waiting room. One of the patients recognized her. We checked the camera's, a man dressed in all black brought her in. Unfortunately, his face isn't visible in the video.)" He explained.
"Je vois. Gardons l'information pour nous-mêmes. Je ne veux pas que le monde connaisse notre tournant tragique. (I see. Let's keep this information to ourselves. I don't want the world to know about our tragic turn of events.)" The king demanded.
"Trop tard. Ils sont dehors comme des charognards. (Too late. They are standing outside like scavengers.)" Mr. Kapoor's voice came in as approached them with Meera running along with him.
"Magnifico." The king rolled his eyes. "How are you Meera?" The king asked.
"I'm okay, thank you. Where is she?"
"Come." The king took them inside.
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Present.
It was 3 am and somehow Samar managed to convince Meera to go home and take some rest.
After dropping her off he found himself standing outside the ICU door, summoning courage to go inside. It was painful for him to watch her like this, but on the other hand he was dying to get even a glimpse of his beautiful wife. So he pushed the door, finally making this way towards her.
"Hey love." He smiled still walking in her direction.
"I know it's late and it's wrong for to disturb you. But I finally got time to be alone with my beautiful wife, how could I miss it?" He took her hand in his, simply admiring the beauty of that wedding band on her finger. Claiming her to be forever his.
"Only if I knew that our first night will take this much time, I would have made love to you the day you asked me too." He chuckled on his own joke.
"God, I miss you." He pulled the bracelet out of his pocket. "Remember this? This was the first time ever I bought a gift for someone. I couldn't stop thinking about the first kiss of my life and the one I had it with. It was so special. I never felt that way before. So I got this designed for you."
He tied the bracelet gently on her wrist. "It broke my heart when the waiter told you bribed him with this, but when you walked in my office that day in New York. You were just as beautiful as a Christmas morning. You made me strong and determined to win you.... only to lose you again."
He gulped in hard to control his emotions. "I promise. I will never ever lose you again." A tear escaped his eye and he felt her gripping his hand.
"I need some water." She murmered.
"Oh God! You are awake!" He jumped in excitement.
"Water." She tried again.
"Yes!" He ran to call out the doctor, who came back running within a few minutes and were on their work.
The first thing nurse did was to quench her thirst.
"Comment vous sentez-vous? (How do you feel?)" The doctor asked and Ira frowned towards him.
"Elle ne parle pas français. Laissez-moi vous aider. (She doesn't speak French. Let me help.)" Samar informed the doctor who in return nodded.
"How do you feel, Ira?" He smiled towards her.
She smiled and nodded. "Just Sore."
"Endolori (Sore)" Samar translated.
"Okay." The doctor said in English and nodded.
"You are going to be okay, love." Samar lightly touched her forehead.
"Do I know you?" She asked in a weak voice making everyone turn towards me.
"I'm... I'm Samar." He said in a fearful voice.
"Sorry. who?" She asked again.
"Qu'est-il arrivé? (What happened?)" The doctor asked but Samar ignored him, as he sensed the storm that was about to touch their lives.
"Where are we Ms. Ira?" Samar asked in a formal tone but didn't leave her hand.
"Paris." She answered.
"Yes, Paris. And how did you reach here?"
"I dropped out college. I don't want my dad to know otherwise he'll create a scene. So I ran and came here. A week ago... I guess."
He took a brief pause, afraid to face what was about to come. "What date it is?"
"I don't remember. Some day in June??? July?" She frowned.
"What year is it?"
"2010." She said and everyone gasped.
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"How is he alive? I thought your information was accurate!!" He angrily snapped and threw his cell phone away.
"I'm here to ask you the same question." The voice came in and he could make out who it was.
"I'm sorry. I really am..." He tried.
"Shh... I took care of it. Don't worry, little one." She smiled.
"Ira is awake and remembers nothing, as we planned." He said in a shivering voice.
"I know. Bt we have another problem to deal with."
"What.. what is it?"
"I thought our parcel will leave a good impression and they will abort the child, if not then Meera's ethics will. But none of that happened."
"You were planning to kill Meera Di's child?" He was in utter shock.
"All our plans will fail if the child comes to life." She touched his shoulders making him turn to come face to face.
"We can't let that happen. You know what they did to us. Our own father!" She said in a soft voice.
"Yes. I know. What do you want me to do?"
"Nothing. You'll do nothing. You have wrapped the Princess in your fingers, I assume."
"Yes. She is in love with me."
"Excellent. Use her little brother." She smiled.
"Consider it done." He smiled weakly.
She smiled. "You are the sweetest."
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Meera opened her eyes when she saw the sun coming out, but it was still dark.
She noticed her surroundings and then recalled how she reached here.
It was 3:00 am and she found herself standing in Vivaan's room, along with his old diary, the one Tia gifted her.
She slowly walked towards his bed and sat on it.
"This is not enough." She said in soft sobs.
"I can't feel you here Vivaan. I can't feel you, anymore." He sobs turned into tears pouring down her eyes.
Suddenly she got up and ran towards his closet door and pushed it open, and inhaled deeply.
"It's you." She smiled, and walked inside, softly touching his clothes.
"It's your father, baby. Do you feel him?" She lightly touched her belly.
"Here. Let me wrap you, so that you can feel him." She pulled one of his shirts and wore it, covering her belly.
"We are safe now." She sat on the floor, clutching his diary close to her heart.
She got up and checked the time, it was 6 in the morning.
There were several miss calls from Samar, her father and the queen. Hurriedly she stepped out of the closet and noticed someone standing near the window with his back towards her.
"Excuse me?" She called and the man turned.
"No... it can't be you."
"Meera." He inhaled sharply, and moved towards her with a glass of whiskey in one had and a paper in another.
"No! You are not real. I'm hallucinating, again." She took a step backward.
"It's me Meera." There was pain in his eyes. Pain of betrayal.
She stopped and after a few moments of silence, she spoke again.
"Vivaan." She couldn't believe her eyes and took baby steps in his direction. To touch him just to be sure.
She have been hallucinating Vivaan, by visiting his room and wrapping herself around his things.
She lightly touched his face and gasped.
"Vivaan!" She started crying and hugged him tightly.
"Are you pregnant?" He asked in a stiff voice.
Meera distanced herself to face him and realize he was not hugging her back. "Who told you?"
"Answer the got damn question, Meera." He glared angrily.
"Yes." She took a deep breathe.
"Who is the father?"
"What?"
"I asked who is the father?"
"You! It's obviously you! How could you even think of me being with someone else?!"
"Stop lying on my face!" He grapped her from her arms and puled her closer.
"Vivaan.... you are hurting me." She struggled.
"Yes Meera. I know I'm. Because you are hurting me!"
"Vivaan.... I'm not. Please." She begged him.
He pushed her back and she fell on the floor, hitting her head at the corner of the bed.
"Oh yeah? Then guess what. I cannot bear my own children, Ms. Meera Kapoor. I'm sterile and you are no different from Nayesha or any other bitch." He said and moved out of the room.