Gauri felt like flashes from a badly edited movie were playing out in her head. She tried to make sense of disjointed memories.
She remembered Omkaraji's voice calling out to her "my little detective", that's what he used to call Chulbul. Did it mean that Gauri was dressed like Chulbul, that Omkaraji had confused her again with Chulbul? No, it was her, Gauri, not Chulbul. The drama of Chulbul was long over. Then why was he calling her that familiar name? Had Omkaraji forgiven her for that drama with Chulbul? Was he angry with her no more? Were his issues of trust over?
Gauri remembered the police after that. Someone, two people, wearing green clothes poring over her. She remembered some people pulling her and putting her on some bed which moved. Where were they taking her? At this point, Gauri remembered clutching someone's hand in panic. Someone, Omkaraji's voice said, "Don't worry, they are taking you to the hospital, they are going to treat you" Hospital? That meant needles! Gauri didn't like needles, they would hurt too much. "Don't worry it will be fine" came Omkaraji's reassuring voice from somewhere.
Gauri didn't remember much after that. She faded in and out of consciousness, but she could feel the doctors patching her up. Gauri just left it to them, and retreated into the world of blankness.
When her eyes next opened slightly she was in her bedroom, no, Omkaraji's bedroom, in his Nani's house. He was rearranging pillows below her head, and seeing to the blanket. He saw her stirring, and said, "Everything is fine. The doctor said the injury wasn't deep, you are a strong girl. I didn't tell him, that you are much stronger than he imagines, you have felled a demon on your own, yourself. He discharged you tonight itself, so we brought you home."
Gauri tried to nod her head in acknowledgement of his words but the slightest movement brought a wave of heaviness in her head, and she blanked out again.
Her brain felt much lighter now, as she sifted through these memories, linking them together in a chronological chain. She could remember Jahnvi auntyji and Nani's voices too, saying something to her, but maybe she was sedated or something, because she didn't remember what exactly they said. Her head felt much better now, lighter, not aching. She partially opened her eyes, and felt her forehead. It was bandaged. Her arms and legs seemed to be aching, but Gauri supposed that was to be the aftereffect of the fall from the accident.
Accident! Gauri opened her eyes fully now. The accident was supposed to be fake, she wasn't supposed to land up in hospital for sewing up. Maybe she underestimated the risk she undertook with this move.
Gauri looked beside her to find Omkaraji, his upper body lying on the bed, while his lower half was on the floor as he knelt on the floor, sleeping leaning against the bed. She could see the sun rising from her window. How long had she slept?
Omkara felt a movement on the bed. He got up awkwardly, to see Gauri awake looking at the window.
"Are you fully awake this time, or are you going to pass out again?" he asked with a straight face, joking uncertainly.
Gauri scowled, and stuck her tongue out, making a face at him. "Everything feels bitter. What did they feed me?" she asked
"A lot of strong pain killers, I presume. And I asked them to give you an extra-bitter dose, so that you remember it next time before you plan something stupid" Omkara scolded.
Gauri had the grace to look ashamed. But then something got through to her.
"You know about the plan? Did it work?" she asked excitedly, but the excitement made her slightly dizzy.
"Easy, easy" said Omkara, helping her sit up, and handing her a glass of water, forcing her to gulp down another bitter dose of medicine.
"If by worked, you mean the police arrested Svetlana, then yes it did work. The police came just after the accident, five minutes after I did. Looks like my father, made sure that the police got the tip off and the fake witness, who claimed to have acted on Svetlana's orders. There was enough circumstantial evidence to put her behind bars, at least as an under-trial. Svetlana was flabbergasted, of all things, she expected, it was not this. But before you take this as a green signal to plan similar stupidities, let me warn you that the next time you think of something like this, I will personally escort you to the police station where they would lock you up to stop you from committing such idiocy" said Omkara, sternly.
"But...but Omkaraji, it wasn't meant to get this serious. The car was just supposed to brush past me, and I was supposed to act as if I am very shaken and had a lucky escape. It wasn't actually supposed to hit me" said Gauri in her defense.
"Did my father arrange this 'accident'?" asked Omkara, with quiet rage sounding in his voice.
Gauri realized what a mess she had created.
"Omkaraji, all well that ends well, I'm fine. Sultana is in prison, little bit here and there with the accident doesn't matter" said Gauri placatingly.
"Gauri?" asked Omkara again, seriously, his question remaining the same. Gauri accepted defeat and nodded.
"Don't try to move, the doctor has advised bed rest, and you are not allowed to get down from the bed until he says so" ordered Omkara, as he got up and left the room.
Downstairs, it seemed like Tej had already got an earful from everyone else. Nani, particularly, said quite a few vicious words, which however seemed to have little effect on Tej, apart from making him look slightly ashamed.
"Nani, Mom, Nana, Gauri is awake, you all can go and meet her" announced Omkara. The three of them were keen to see her, so they went upstairs eagerly.
"Om, beta..." started Tej.
"I'm not your son, Mr. Oberoi, that right you lost the day on cheated on my mother. I grew up to know that you are failure as a husband, as a father, as a son. But yesterday, you reminded me again, why you are the biggest failure as a human being. Do you realize the kind of danger you put Gauri in? She is Rudra's age, for god's sake! She always has these mad ideas, but you are supposed to be wise, how did you let a young girl agree to her death? Even after my mother tried to dissuade you, you let Gauri do this?" asked Omkara, trying hard not to shout and create a scene, that would distress his family upstairs.
"Death? Om, it was just a fake accident. And I wasn't even sure that Svetlana would be fooled by the fake information that spy of hers gave her. Guess, I overestimated Svetlana, or she is desperate, as your fake wife presumed. Once, Svetlana messaged her to meet up, the ball was already rolled out, we couldn't back out at this stage. I had told the guy strictly to just brush past by that girl, but accidents like these are risky. I'm sure that girl knew the risk she was taking" said Tej, sounding more like he was convincing himself, than Omkara.
Omkara was disgusted by the cavalier attitude of his father towards a human life.
"You and your selfish, self-serving actions, always looking out for your own cause, others be damned! Have you seen the size of her? She is tiny! She could have lost her legs or arms, paralyzed for life! And she is my responsibility, do you understand that? But then who am I expecting to understand the meaning of the word responsibility, the man who has always ran away from his" spat Omkara.
"I didn't run away from my responsibilities this time, son. I wanted to save you, and my family, from Svetlana, that's why I agreed for this. Maybe Gauri also wanted to pay back for the debt of her mother, which she owes you. Or maybe she a scheming girl, who wants to get into your and Jahnvi's good books by showing how noble, self-sacrificing she is. Whatever, it may be, I did it to save my son, for you sake, I will apologize to her..." Tej almost pleaded, he wanted Omkara to see that he was trying to make amends for all the sins he committed since the years, trying to regain his family, his son.
"Apology, my foot! You will stay away from her, if you know what's good for you. And as for saving your son, too late Mr. Oberoi. The greatest tragedy of my life is that your blood runs through my veins. Now, get out of my grandparents house if you know what's good for you" said Omkara angrily.
Tej left the house, shaken by Omkara's rejection.
Omkara breathed out. Breathe in, breathe out, keep calm.
He turned to see his grandfather coming down the stairs.
"Nani and your mom, are helping Gauri change, like yesterday night. So, I came downstairs" explained his grandfather.
Omkara nodded.
"The girl is really clever and brave, but also stupid. She should have come to me with her ideas. Jahnvi never thinks properly in times of crisis, and Tej, he is one selfish idiot. Not a good combination of people to plan with. But I hope you realized one thing" said Nana
"What?" Omkara asked puzzled.
"If you haven't realized it now, then I hope you do it before its too late" said Nana, philosophically, patting Omkara's shoulder and going to his room.
Omkara, for his part, was confused. Was his grandfather growing senile?