Back at Sanjivani, Juhi was restless ever since she heard from Sis. Philo that Shashank had left in a hurry informing her that he will be back in one hour...
She was worried for him.. " God knows what this man is upto again.." she thought
She kept walking to and fro in his cabin when shashank walked in looking very excited like a kid who found his favourite candy ..
"Where were you Dr Shashank.." she questioned him in a serious tone..
" I had some important work so I left for an hour..." he replied scratching his temple
" Why couldn't you inform me.. Do you even have a clue how worried I was for you... you know it's not good for you to drive or go out alone at this moment... how can you be so careless Dr Shashank .. " her voice cracked
Realising how tensed she was he placed both his hands on her shoulder and said " Hey Juhi ...don't get so worked up.. I'm extremely sorry.. agreed I should have let you know... but see I'm back in one piece so please stop worrying... I'm sorry okay..." he said
Juhi folded her arms across her chest and refused to look at him while he kept staring at her reading her expression...
When he could no longer hold himself back he burst out laughing.. Juhi was shocked..
and looked at him questioningly..
" You are behaving like a typical wifey material .. Juhi " and continued to laugh..
Juhi turned crimson red hearing his comment... She blushed not knowing how to react..
Just then Anjali walked into his cabin to get few signatures and discuss a case file..
Juhi actually thanked her stars silently because Anjali walked in and saved her from further embarrassment...
Not missing this opportunity, Juhi excused herself and walked out leaving behind the father and daughter to finish their discussion...
Shashank kept staring at her with a smile on his face till she vanished from his sight while
Anjali had to snap in front of his eyes to get his attention back...
Juhi walked into her cabin while Shashank's words kept ringing in her ears ..
"Wife" .. she whispered
It sounded sweet.. if only life was so simple... but soon she thought about all the hurdles that lay ahead of them to cross..
Closing her eyes right, she took in a deep breath....
On the other side Shashank was excited about gifting Juhi the saree .. He just wanted to make the most of it while he was still hale and hearty... God knows what the future beholds ... he sighed
Playing with the paper weight on his table , while Anjali was discussing the case file... he cut her in between saying... " Anjali.. let's all go out for dinner tonight.."
Anjali was annoyed.."Dad here I am discussing about a patient's case history and you are planning a dinner date.. ufff dad.. I ll come back to you later .." she stood up to walk out "Accha baba I'm sorry.. Please sit.. I'm all ears now.." he apologised to her..
Giving him a stern look she sat back and continued their discussion...
It was past 8pm after Juhi and Anjali oversaw all the arrangements made for the last day of conference ...
Shashank had booked a table for three at JW Marriott..They drove there directly from Sanjivani.. Shashank was banned from driving by both the women.. Anjali took to the wheels, while shashank sat beside her and Juhi in the back seat of his Range Rover..
As expected Juhi and Anjali were in awe of an incredible ambience the place held..
From wine , to great food , to good music for the ears , to great laughter all the three shared...the world stood still and everything seemed like a perfect life that moment...
Shashank was trying to be over enthusiastic.. despite the emotional trauma that was eating him up inside.. This didn't go unnoticed by both of them sitting beside and across the table..
Not missing an opportunity to tease him,Anjali asked " Dad .. what's special .. you are over-enthusiastic since afternoon... " she winked
Smiling faintly he hummed " kya pata.. Kal ho na ho..." and winked back
Only then did Juhi and Anjali understand why he was doing all this, leaving both the women teary eyed..
Both of them yelled simultaneously...
"Dad.."
"Dr Shashank.." stop saying such things please.." she placed her hand over his which was resting on the table..
" Okay .. I'm sorry .. he folded his hands to both of them... " Bad joke.. agreed.. my sincere apologies... he said and made a puppy face.. Both of them were really upset but gave in finally to his antics.. he was very very special to both of them ... they realised
To lighten the atmosphere, Shashank was back at cracking jokes during their drive back home..
Back home Anjali retired to her room first since she was exhausted.. followed by Juhi...
Juhi freshened up and changed into her night wear.. she needed some fresh air so she walked to the balcony and sat on the two seater swing .. and lost herself in thoughts..
Almost an hour later.. Shashank walked into her room and noticed she wasn't there so he walked into the balcony and found her in deep thoughts swaying slowly on the swing ..
She immediately sensed his presence and looked up at him
" I thought you were asleep.." she said
" Can I sit with you for sometime..." he asked
She shifted a bit making place for him to sit..
He sat beside her...
She instantly snuggled closer to him and he wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulder...
Both sat in absolute silence letting their heart and soul connect with each other without a single word being spoken...
Juhi eventually fell asleep while Shashank continued to hold her protectively and sat cherishing the precious moment.. He just didn't want to let her go.. He felt good and secure when she was around him..
Lost in thoughts he even lost track of time... Pulling out his cellphone from his track pant pocket he checked the time.. It showed 1am... which meant they have been siting there for almost two and half hours..
The night was getting chilly..and the last thing he wanted was Juhi falling sick..
" Juhi.... wake up.." he whispered rubbing his hands over her arm trying to warm her as well as wake her..
"Juhi..." he called again
Juhi gradually opened her eyes.. and she snuggled closer to him..
"Juhi it's getting very chill.. and it's late.. Let's go inside... " he said
She continued to snuggle and both sat in silence for a few more minutes... Finally Juhi pulled herself from him.. "let's go in .. " she said
She walked in followed by Shashank who locked the balcony door after him..
Juhi already felt cold and lonely.. she missed his warmth..
He walked towards her , placed a tender kiss on her forehead saying " Good night Juhi.. " and walked out of her room closing the door behind him..She knew he was vulnerable but he needs his space.. she thought .. hence she didn't stop him.. After a lot of tossing and turning she finally fell asleep ...
Meanwhile Shashank walked into Anjali's room.. sat beside her for sometime watching his adorable daughter fast asleep ... he sat there thinking about how wonderful a surgeon she had become... after all his genes.. he beamed with pride.... and sat there reminiscing her childhood days..
After awhile he covered her properly with the comforter, pecked her forehead and walked out closing the door behind him...
He did not want to go to his room.. he felt claustrophobic... So he relaxed himself on the easy chair in the living room... Exhaustion took over and he fell asleep gradually...
Juhi woke up in the middle of the night feeling thirsty... she had forgotten to carry a bottle of water when she came up to sleep... So she walked down to the kitchen to fetch a bottle of water... Walking towards the kitchen she was surprised to see that Shashank had fallen asleep on the easy chair... She walked slowly towards him.. She was in two minds whether to wake him up or let him sleep.. but the soft snore indicated he was fast asleep ..so she walked back to his room..
Picking up his comforter, she walked back and slowly covered him with the comforter ..
She then gently ran her fingers through his hair and pecked his forehead.. and walked back to her room after picking up a bottle of water..
Shashank woke up when his alarm went off at 6 in the morning... He then noticed that he was covered with a comforter.. knowing who covered him..he smiled
Two hours later, all three were at the dinning table having breakfast.. Anjali was deciding on what she was going to wear for the banquet dinner that evening.. while Juhi sat clueless.. When Anjali asked her what she was wearing, Juhi replied saying she would wear any one of her salwar suits as she hadn't come prepared for the banquet dinner ...While Shashank sat as a mute spectator hiding his smile behind the newspaper..
Post breakfast they left for Sanjivani together..
While Anjali and Juhi went about overseeing the conference proceedings, Shashank chose to rest in his cabin since he wasn't feeling very great from the time he woke up that morning..
After working on his laptop for almost an hour, he decided to take a walk to his favourite place - the children's ward..
As he walked in, all his tiny folks screamed and greeted him.. he went around giving hi-fi to each and everyone enquiring about how they were doing...
Hearing the roars and laughter, Sis. Philo rushes into the children's ward only to realise that it was Shashank's presence which was responsible for the commotion.. Smiling she stood at the door watching him interact with the kids..
Half way through this rounds, he began to feel dizzy... his palm began to sweat.. he could feel his neck going into spasm.... fearing having a blackout and creating panic situation right there, he held the side of the bed and motioned for Sis. Philo to come in... Sensing his unusual behaviour she rushed to his side immediately... " Dr Shashank, are you ok..."
"Sis. Philo please help me walk to my cabin" he whispered.. She knew something was gravely wrong.. she held his arm lightly while all the tiny pals looked at him clueless...
" I ll be back later.." he waved at them and walked..
As he neared his cabin, his orientation was almost wearing out.. Thankfully Sis. Philo supported him right and managed to make him sit on the couch in his cabin...
Sis. Philo panicked seeing his state..
" Dr Shashank , you are not fine.. Let me call Dr Juhi and Dr Anjali.." she said
" No Sis. Philo I'm fine.. it's just dizziness..
No need to call either of them.."he replied
" Something is not right Doctor.." she sounded concerned
Closing his eyes he continued to talk holding his neck with one hand.. " Yes Sis. Philo...
There is a recurrence of the tumour.."
" Jesus Christ... Doctor what are you saying.. how could that happen.." she said with tears brimming her eyes..
" Does Dr Anjali and Dr Juhi know about it.." she asked
He nodded his head positively
" Why aren't they treating you then..." she was almost weeping
" very soon .. Sis Philo .. " he replied asking her for a glass of water and for the tablets placed in his drawer
She picked up the glass of water and the tablets from his table and helped him drink a few sips..
He felt a little better he thought but the headache was severe...
" I'm okay now Sis. Philo.. Please don't tell Anjali or Juhi about it .. As it is they are already so worked up with the conference workload .."
She nodded her head in negation..
" Trust me ..I'm fine Sis Philo..
I would like to rest for sometime.. If there is a need I ll call you..." he smiled faintly
Unconvinced, she still decided to let him rest and walked out half heartedly..
Knowing him and working under him for almost 25 years, she had seen his ups and downs.. she shared a wonderful bond with him.. although she was older to him by a few years still she had tremendous respect for him and vice versa ..
She was devastated when she heard about his tumour a few months back and now the recurrence shook her again..
Saying a silent prayer she walked out of his cabin..
Almost thirty minutes later, Shashank started to feel a little better.. He removed his coat and rolled up his sleeves.. and rested his head back on the couch ...
Minutes later Juhi walked in..
She felt very unusual seeing him resting that way on the couch..
Even before she could call him out he spoke
" Yes Juhi ... " with his eyes still shut
" How did you know it was me ,Dr Shashank.. " surprised , she asked
Smiling he replied " tumhari khushboo.."
She blushed
" Are you alright Dr Shashank , concerned she asked him noticing his top shirt buttons which were left open, his sleeves rolled up and hair disheveled..."
" I'm fine Juhi.. relax .." he lied
"So if you guys are done, let's leave early for home now.. We need to be back again for the banquet .." he told her
" Yes, Dr Shashank, that's the reason I'm here to tell you Anjali is waiting for us in the car..."
Hoping to remain steady , he stood up slowly and he could manage to do so without giving her a hint of what just happened an hour back ..
" After you.." he said motioning her to walk ahead of him while he flung his coat over his shoulder and followed her to the car...
Back home, Juhi pulled out all her clothes which were arranged in the wardrobe.. She finally managed to choose a black embroidered salwar suit for the banquet ... Leaving it on the bed she went into the bathroom to take a shower..
Shashank walked in with the box in his hand.. he saw the dress that was laid out on the bed.. Smiling to himself he placed the box containing the saree on the bed.. he picked up her black dress , folded it and placed it back in her wardrobe and walked out closing the door behind him...
Ten minutes later Juhi walked out of the bathroom wearing a bathrobe.. neither did she notice the saree box nor the black dress that went missing..
She sat in front of the dresser drying her hair ..
After setting the curls like the way she wanted , she walked to the bedside and was stunned to see a box lying on the bed and her black suit missing...
She sat on the bed and slowly opened the box...
Instantly she knew who had come into her room and placed it.. Her eyes swelled up .. She gasped as she picked the saree from the box... it was breathtakingly beautiful.. Running her hand gently over the fabric, she sighed "Dr Shashank......"
Everything made sense to her then.. so this is why he went missing yesterday while I was so worried for him.. she thought
Holding it close to her chest, she felt special.. He always made her feel special .. she thought..
She blushed noticing the saree box also contained a inner skirt and a blouse..
"Does she have a choice when he has already made his choice....naaaa " she blushed again
Ten minutes later she stood in front of the mirror in awe of herself... She looked ethereal draped in the masterpiece he had chosen for her.. The blouse fitted her perfectly accentuating her curves in the right places... She decided to leave her hair open .. he liked it that way .. She kept her makeup minimal.. lined her eyes with kohl.. and chose a red shade of lipstick and a lipliner to accentuate her already beautiful lips...
She was all ready except for one thing which was incomplete .. The dori of her almost backless blouse had to be tied and she struggled to tie them and gave up initially...
She again tried, her hands reaching back trying to pull it into a perfect knot but she failed again ..
Shashank who was eager to see if she had accepted his gift, slowly peeped into her room and saw her struggling trying to tie the dori..
Smiling to himself he slowly walked in and stood beside her..
Juhi who was engrossed trying to tie her dori was shocked to see him standing right behind her.. She could feel his breath on her back..
Their eyes locked.. She looked divine .. he thought
He looked devilishly handsome wearing a black tuxedo .. clean shaven.. hair gelled back.. and his side burns were to die for...
Without saying a word he picked up the dori from her hands and tied it slowly still maintaining their eye lock.. Unable to hold his gaze Juhi shut her eyes.. The gentle brush of his fingers on her back created a havoc within her.. He purposely took his time tying it slowly teasing her... his fingers gently grazing the creamy skin of her back...
finally he gave up seeing her turn crimson red from his act...
" I'm done .." he whispered in her ear lobe
" Thank you for the lovely saree.." she said holding his gaze through the mirror
" Thank you for wearing it... Juhi
You are breathtakingly beautiful ..." he said and placed a tender kiss on her exposed back below her neck and walked out of her room..
Few minutes later, Anjali and Shashank were already down in the living room.. Juhi walked down looking a bit nervous.. Both Anjali's and Shashank's jaw almost dropped down seeing her ..
"Dr Juhi you looking stunningly beautiful.. " Anjali said
" Thank you Anjali, Juhi blushed while Shashank continued to stare at her..
" Can we leave... " she asked noticing him staring at her..
" Sure.. " he said and walked out followed by the both of them
Shashank sat beside the driver , while Anjali and Juhi sat in the backseat
" Such a gorgeous saree, Dr Juhi...
You lied saying you weren't prepared for the banquet .." Anjali complained
Caught off guard Juhi covered up saying "Actually with so much happening , it just slipped out of my mind that I was carrying a saree.. only this evening i realised i had brought it along..." she lied
Shashank chuckled and gave her a mischievous grin through the rear view mirror ..
The convention centre of Sanjivani was decked up in its full glory... It was not just a banquet dinner but also a fundraising dinner and dance event... Proceeds from this event would be used to support economically weaker patients ...
All eyes turned when Shashank walked in with two gorgeous women by his side..
While the welcome drinks were being served, all three went about meeting their colleagues, peers, students and friends ...
There was a welcome speech by the organising committee Secretary.. followed by musical performances and a couple of speeches by some members from the fraternity sharing some of their lighter moments during this conference.. Juhi was asked to propose the vote of thanks by Shashank.. and she did it gracefully.. taking his breath away... While food and drinks were already being served most of them took to the centre of the hall for the dance...
The lights were dimmed followed by retro numbers being played .. There was laughter, fun and lots of love in the air...
Shashank stood at a corner with a glass of scotch in his hand while watching Juhi stand at the other corner having an animated conversation with a friend of hers...
Anjali was swaying it out on the dance floor with her long lost friend laughing her heart out ... Almost all of them had partners and were unwinding on the dance floor..
After a few retro numbers, the DJ changed to one number which had the crowd hooting and whistling...
Shashank walked towards Juhi, while she was still conversing with her friend... She saw him from the corner of her eye and by the look on his face she knew he was upto something....
Asking her friend to excuse her, while Juhi looked at him questioningly , Shashank held out his hand asking her for a dance...
Juhi was stunned beyond words..
"Dr Shashank ... I can't dance..." she fumbled
Ignoring what she said he asked huskily " May I have the pleasure of dancing with the most beautiful woman in this room.."
Just then the song started playing ...
"Hum Tere Bin Ab Reh Nahi Sakte
Tere Bina Kya Wajood Mera"
His eyes held her gaze...
"Hum Tere Bin Ab Reh Nahi Sakte
Tere Bina Kya Wajood Mera"
He held his hand out to her..
"Tujhse Juda Gar Ho Jaayenge
Toh Khud Se Hi Ho Jaayenge Judaa"
She gently placed her hand in his ...
"Kyunki Tum Hi Ho
Ab Tum Hi Ho
Zindagi Ab Tum Hi Ho"
He slowly led her to the centre of the dance floor...
"Chain Bhi, Mera Dard Bhi
Meri Aashiqui Ab Tum Hi Ho"
As the music played he placed his hand over her waist while the other entwined with her hand.. she gently placed her other hand over his chest..
"Tera Mera Rishta Hai Kaisa
Ik Pal Door Gawaara Nahi
Tere Liye Har Roz Hai Jeete
Tujh Ko Diya Mera Waqt Sabhi"
He refused to move his gaze from hers.. pulling her a little more closer to him..
"Koi Lamha Mera Na Ho Tere Bina
Har Saans Pe Naam Tera"
Both swayed in perfect synchrony ... lost in each other's eyes..
"Kyunki Tum Hi Ho
Ab Tum Hi Ho
Zindagi Ab Tum Hi Ho
Chain Bhi, Mera Dard Bhi
Meri Aashiqui Ab Tum Hi Ho
Tumhi Ho... Tumhi Ho..."
He rested his forehead against hers.. his breath fanning over her face...
"Tere Liye Hi Jiya Main
Khud Ko Jo Yun De Diya Hai
Teri Wafa Ne Mujhko Sambhala
Saare Ghamon Ko Dil Se Nikala
Tere Saath Mera Hai Naseeb Juda
Tujhe Paake Adhoora Naa Raha Hmm.."
She never wanted this moment to end.. With the dim lights and sensational music they were lost in their own world ..
"Kyunki Tum Hi Ho
Ab Tum Hi Ho
Zindagi Ab Tum Hi Ho..
Chain Bhi, Mera Dard Bhi
Meri Aashiqui Ab Tum Hi Ho"
She gently wrapped both her hands around his neck and rested her forehead against his..
"Kyunki Tum Hi Ho
Ab Tum Hi Ho
Zindagi Ab Tum Hi Ho..
Chain Bhi, Mera Dard Bhi
Meri Aashiqui Ab Tum Hi Ho..."
As the music played she rested her head on his chest and swayed along clinging onto him...
There was great applause once the song ended... Shashank slowly called out to her.. while she was still reeling under the magical spell.. "Juhi.." he said
No words came out of his mouth too since he was also reeling under the same effect...
Slowly untangling from her he steadied her... Her eyes burned with love and passion just like his... Holding her hand he said " come let's go .. and guided her to the dining area ..
Walking hand in hand Juhi looked at her hand entwined with his and smiled..
With a big smile on her face she lifted her head to look in front as they walked and there she saw him at the entrance...
Rahul was standing at the door with a shocked look on his face.. Slowly untwining her fingers from Shashank's who looked at her questioningly , she looked into his eyes and then looked back towards the door indicating him to look in her direction and feebly said .."Rahul ......."
Hey guys
So a long update after a long wait..
Trust me guys it has been extremely difficult for me to pen this part after the last week shocker .. 🤦🏻♀️
I have lost the connectivity..
Hope I have done some justice to this part
Please keep your love coming
Lots of love right back 😊