Roshni nodded gently. She had no strength to move or speak and was very tired and exhausted.
“Doctor, what can she eat and drink? I brought some chai for her. Can I give it to her?” Aunty asked the doctor.
“Of course, let me have the nurse elevate her bed a little. She may not be able to move, but we can help her.”
As this conversation went on, a nurse came in, and upon the doctor’s instructions, she changed the bandages. The doctor left, letting them know that he would be back to examine Roshni later.
The nurse elevated Roshni’s bed so she was in a reclined position; she also helped Roshni rinse and clean her mouth and face. Aunty gave her some chai with biscuits. Roshni with difficulty managed to hold the cup and drink. The nurse showed Aunty how to lower the bed in case Roshni wanted to sleep, and she left.
Aunty helped Roshni to get a little more comfortable in the bed, and she sat next to Roshni on the chair. Roshni was tired and exhausted; she sat with her eyes closed. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes. “Aunty, when did you get here?” she asked in a feeble voice.
“This morning, maybe around nine. Sheetal beti’s friend Sunil brought me here.”
Roshni sighed in acknowledgement. She continued, “Where is Sheetal?”
“She went home to have a shower and change. Oh! She was also going to the airport to pick up your brother-in-law.”
“What? I mean…who informed them?”
Aunty gave the details to Roshni.
Roshni closed her eyes again. She was so tired; her brain was too foggy with the painkillers! Aunty noticed tears in Roshni’s eyes. She leaned over to Roshni and very gently wiped her tears away.
“Aunty, I don’t know why I had to go through this. It would be simpler if I died!” said Roshni with tears in her eyes.
Aunty was caught off guard to hear Roshni. She knew something was bothering her and immediately hugged Roshni. “Roshni bete, please don’t say such things. I know there is something that is bothering you, but nothing can be that bad, right? Everything can be sorted out, beti. Please don’t cry.”
Aunty helped lower the bed so Roshni could sleep comfortably. Soon after, Sheetal and Akash entered the room. Sheetal noticed Roshni was sleeping, and introduced Aunty to Akash. Akash wondered if Aunty was related to Sheetal, but that was not important at this time. He looked towards Roshni and could not believe she was lying in that situation.
“Aunty, did Roshni wake up?” Sheetal asked.
Aunty updated Sheetal on all that had happened after she left. She looked at Roshni. “She is very tired and weak. God knows how long it will take for her to recover.”
Sheetal had already given Akash all the details as to how the accident had happened. While this conversation went on, Roshni overheard them and opened her eyes. She saw Akash and attempted to smile. She lifted the weak hand and bade him to come closer. Akash moved closer to her and cupped her cheek with his hand, sitting next to her in the chair.
“Roshni, how are you feeling? I’m so sorry for what happened.” He gently moved his hand over her head, soothing her.
Roshni had tears in her eyes and tried to smile.
“Roshni, please…please…calm down. Sheetal gave me all the details, and I had to come see you.”
Roshni nodded her head gently. “Akash bhaiya, how are Sashank bhaiya and Kusum didi?”
“They are doing well. Both of them are very concerned for you. They wanted to come, but I suggested that I will let them know of the situation before they decide.”
“Please ask them not to come. I will be okay. Let them not trouble themselves. Even you…I am happy you came, but it wasn’t necessary.” She looked at Sheetal. “I know I troubled you a lot; sorry, Sheetal,” she said in a very feeble voice.
Sheetal came closer to Roshni and placed her hand on Roshni’s head. “Roshni, what are you talking about? I am so glad I was with you when this happened; otherwise…who knows what the outcome would have been?”
“Roshni, we are happy Sheetal brought you to the hospital immediately; we are grateful to her,” Akash agreed.
Roshni felt very exhausted.
“Roshni, you are tired. Close your eyes and rest. I will be here,” said Akash.
And as he talked, Roshni closed her eyes. Akash gently wiped her tears. He’d controlled his tears while he talked to Roshni, but now he was unable to. He knew her to be full of energy and active, and now to see her in this state was very painful.
Akash called Sashank bhaiya and bhabhi to update them on Roshni’s condition. He also explained how weak and tired she was. Sashank and Kusum asked him several questions. He assured Sashank that it wasn’t necessary for him to come and that he would stay there for a couple more days so he could give support to Sheetal.
They discussed informing Deepak. Akash said that he would like to talk to the doctor before they told Deepak, and everybody agreed. Akash also updated Sashank that Roshni was in a good hospital and that a good team of doctors attended her. Sashank and Kusum were relieved to hear this.
Sheetal asked Akash if he would like to relax at home and come back in the evening. Akash agreed.
“Sheetal bete, you can move my stuff and let him use my room. I left food in the refrigerator. Please warm it up and both of you have dinner, and then come back,” Aunty suggested.
Aunty asked Sheetal to bring some clothes for her so she could stay with Roshni in the hospital. Sheetal was unsure and was worried for Roshni. If Roshni needed any emergency help, would Aunty be able to call the doctors? Aunty assured Sheetal that if there was an emergency, she would call the nurse and doctor immediately and that Sheetal should not worry.
Sheetal agreed, and they left.
~ ~ ~
While having chai at the girls’ apartment, Akash asked Sheetal about Aunty, and Sheetal explained the entire story of how Roshni helped this woman and brought her here. Akash listened to the whole story and nodded his head in appreciation.
“Akash ji, Roshni is such a wonderful person, very kind hearted and compassionate. She has taught me so many things in just these few weeks. I really have a high regard and respect for her,” Sheetal said.
“Sheetal ji, we, both Sashank bhaiya and I, had no respect for women and treated this girl so rudely and insulted her several times, but she was so patient with us. Now, Sashank bhaiya treats her like his daughter, and for me…she is more my little sister. You’re right; she has a magnanimous heart, very caring and kind.”
A few minutes later, Akash went to the family room to relax. He turned on the TV and flipped through the channels. Nothing seemed interesting. In the meantime, Sheetal packed a few items for Aunty – her clothes, a towel, her brush – and joined Akash in the family room.
“Sheetal ji, do you think Roshni is being taken good care of here in this hospital? I’m worried for her,” said Akash, being very concerned for Roshni.
“Akash ji, this is one of the best hospitals here in Bangalore, and it has very good doctors. I don’t think you should worry about that. The doctor who has been attending Roshni seems like a nice person. You can meet him this evening or maybe tomorrow morning,” Sheetal assured him.
“I would like to meet him, certainly. Sashank bhaiya asked if we could move Roshni to Mumbai. What do you think?”
“Akash ji, you saw Roshni, right? Did you see how weak she is? She has casts and bandages all over her body. I don’t think it would be a good idea to move her at least for a couple of weeks. Let’s wait and see how she responds to the medication and then decide.” She continued after a pause, “I know you can’t wait here for a couple of weeks, but if at any time I feel she would be better in Mumbai, believe me, I will let you all know.”
Akash nodded and agreed.
“Akash ji, did you inform her husband?” asked Sheetal.
“Not yet, I would like to get more details; then I will call him. He is all alone there and might get stressed,” responded Akash.
“Akash ji, can I share something w
ith you?”
“Certainly, what is it?”
“Just prior to this accident, Aunty and I talked to Roshni about her husband, and she became very agitated and unhappy. We tried to ask her more, but she withdrew herself completely. Since then, she has been very depressed. I wanted to cheer her up, and we went to the temple, and then all this happened. Do you know why she is heartbroken?”
Akash was surprised to hear this and looked into Sheetal’s eyes. “I know nothing. I thought they were happy. Maybe they had an argument. I will try to find out more, but thanks for letting me know.”
Sheetal and Akash talked about how Deepak married Roshni and Roshni’s efforts to bring changes around the house. They had an early dinner and returned to the hospital. Sheetal gave Aunty her package, and Aunty fed Roshni some food. Roshni had no appetite but managed to get a few morsels down her throat, and this was enough to give her some strength.
The doctor came on his rounds to check on Roshni. Akash introduced himself to Dr. Swaminathan and asked him several questions. Dr. Swaminathan answered all his questions and also suggested that Roshni should stay in this hospital for at least a couple more weeks until her other bandages were removed. The casts on her arm and foot would remain for a few more weeks until the fractures healed. The doctor and nurse checked her vital signs and left. Sheetal and Akash followed soon, leaving Aunty with Roshni.
~ ~ ~
The next day, Akash came to the hospital in the morning to relieve Aunty so she could go home and relax. Akash decided to return to Mumbai, after a two-day visit. After Akash reached Mumbai, the family decided to inform Deepak.
Several attempts were made to contact Deepak, but there was no response. Every time they called, it went to his voice mail. They tried calling him at work and did not get any response there either. Finally they decided to make one more attempt before they contacted Vivek to track him down.
Chapter 23
Deepak arrives in India on an Extended Stay
Deepak’s flight to India was on Thursday, September 28th. He reorganized the furniture and other items in his house, making room for the couple, and agreed to leave his car parked in Vivek’s complex.
“Deepak bhaiya, I really hope this works. We will pray for you, but please be patient,” said Vaishali.
“I know.” He took a deep breath. “This is not going to be easy, especially after the most recent call. She is really annoyed at me.”
“Deepak, everything will be fine. You have to take the initiative. Remember, you created all this trouble, and you should be the one to pull yourself and Roshni out of this mess,” Vivek replied.
Deepak raised his eyebrows. “Yes, I know. I’m ready for this challenge! It is certain I cannot live without Roshni, and I have to prove to her that I love her. She just needs to give me one opportunity.”
Vivek and Vaishali said together, “Good spirit, keep it up.”
They assured Deepak of their support at any time. Vivek reminded Deepak to contact the Bangalore office to let them know he was coming, and Deepak confirmed that his department secretary had taken care of it. Roshni was his priority; nothing else mattered.
~ ~ ~
On Friday night after dinner, Sashank, Kusum and Akash were relaxing after talking with Roshni at the hospital. They were not able to get in touch with Deepak, and they wondered if they should call Vivek. During this conversation, the doorbell rang. Akash opened the door, and his mouth dropped open in shock. He looked towards Sashank and then towards the door in absolute silence.
Sashank and Kusum noticed Akash behaving strangely, so they came to the door and were astounded to see Deepak. They assumed Deepak had heard about Roshni, and wondered if Sheetal had informed him.
Deepak entered the house, acting as normal as one could be. Sashank, Kusum and Akash looked at each other, not knowing what to say. Deepak appeared very casual and happy; however, everybody else was nervous.
Deepak knew everybody was surprised to see him, but had no clue as to why they were so dumbfounded. He touched bhaiya’s and bhabhi’s feet and took their blessing. Then he hugged Akash bhaiya. Looking around, he could see everybody was tense, and he asked if everything was all right.
“Yes, everything is all right,” Sashank said.
Kusum turned towards Deepak. “So, Deepak, how is it you are here? How come you did not inform us?”
Deepak smiled. “Aha, I wanted to give you all a surprise.”
“Oh! You did surprise us, no doubt,” responded Sashank. He glanced at Akash, and his expression said, “No wonder he was not picking up the phone – he was on board the flight here!”
“Deepak, are you here on business again?” Akash asked Deepak. They strived to get as much information from him as they could before they revealed Roshni’s accident.
“Yes and no! Yes, because I will be here for some time working with our client in Bangalore. More importantly, I wanted to spend some quality time with Roshni. This worked in my favor because Roshni is also in Bangalore.”
“Deepak, why don’t you freshen up? Kusum will have dinner ready for you, and we can talk during dinner,” said Sashank.
Kusum found some leftovers that Kaki had left in the refrigerator. There was very little rice left, so she asked Deepak if he could wait for fifteen minutes for her to make fresh rice. But Deepak was thrilled to be there, and the lack of rice didn’t matter; the chapthis, curry and dal were more than enough.
Deepak took his luggage to his room. He looked around, and of course, the room was empty without Roshni. She hadn’t planned to come back to this house, so in preparation, she had taken most of her stuff. Babuji’s picture was missing, the closet was empty – everything that belonged to Deepak was there, but everything that belonged to her was gone. Something of her absence struck his heart – he was not able to express it, but knew he missed her. He could sense the other family members also missed her. He quickly had a wash and changed into his pyjamas and came down to have dinner.
While Deepak was in his room, Sashank, Kusum and Akash understood that Deepak had no clue of what had happened to Roshni. They agreed to tell him during dinner.
Kusum warmed up the dal, curry and chapathis and served him. While Deepak ate, Sashank and Akash joined him at the table. Deepak was so elated to see this change around the house; all thanks to Roshni, he thought. He enjoyed the meal and chatted very casually with Kusum bhabhi about Roshni, her stay in Bangalore, her roommate, etc. Sashank waited until Deepak had finished most of his dinner before he talked about Roshni.
“Deepak, have you talked to Roshni recently?” asked Sashank.
“I talked to her last weekend. You remember, I called you as well because she was very troubled. I haven’t talked to her since then. I wanted to surprise her too!”
“Oh!” Deepak, you have a bigger surprise, my brother! thought Sashank and Akash as they glanced at each other.
Everybody was quiet for a few minutes.
Deepak noticed this silence and was worried, and he looked at Sashank. “What happened, Sashank bhaiya? You’re all so quiet. Is everything all right?”
Sashank looked very seriously at Deepak. “I’m not sure how to tell you this, Deepak. We’ve been trying to contact you for the last couple of days–”
Deepak interrupted. “What happened?”
Akash and Kusum waited for Sashank to break the news to Deepak.
Sashank continued, “Deepak, Akash just returned from Bangalore–”
Deepak stood up instantly and interrupted Sashank, “Bhaiya, what happened to Roshni?”
“Roshni beti met with an accident on Sunday evening!”
Deepak just froze. He stood staring at Sashank bhaiya, unable to believe what he’d just heard. After a few minutes, Sashank held Deepak’s hand and shook him, and Akash went over to Deepak and made him sit on the chair and gave him some water to drink.
“Deepak, she’s in the hospital. It was a major accident,” Sashank continued.
Deepak was in complet
e shock. “B-b-but…but when did this happen? And…and…wh-who was with her at the time? Is…is she…I mean, is she conscious? Can somebody give me more details?”
Sashank placed his hand on Deepak’s shoulder. “Deepak, go and wash your hands; then we’ll talk. Akash just got back from seeing her, and he can add more details.”
Deepak rushed to the sink to clean his hands and in no time came back to join the family. Kusum cleaned the dining table while Sashank and Akash moved to the family room. Deepak joined them. He was restless and worried for Roshni. He looked at Sashank and Akash. “Can you please give me the details? I’m really worried.”
Since he was the one who had visited Roshni, Akash began, “I came back yesterday, Deepak. It was indeed a serious accident. Fortunately, her roommate, Sheetal ji, was with her, so she was taken to the hospital immediately.”
Deepak was impatient and wanted to know everything right now. He interrupted Akash, “But how did this happen? Why didn’t anyone tell me immediately?”
“Deepak, calm down. See, this is the reason we didn’t inform you right away! Also, we had very few details until Akash went there and saw for himself the magnitude of the accident. And with you being alone in the US – anyway, that is the reason we delayed, and then we tried to reach you, but didn’t get any response. We were going to contact Vivek tomorrow so he could help us locate you,” Sashank added.
Kusum joined them. She sat next to Deepak on the sofa and held his hand. “Deepak, please calm down. I know this was a major accident, and unfortunately, she is away from all of us, but let’s be thankful Sheetal was with her and took her to the hospital immediately. Based on what I understand from Akash, things are under control now. She is in good hands – a good hospital and good doctor,” Kusum assured him.
“I can’t believe this. Nobody even cared to tell me! After all, I am her husband! Anyway, Akash bhaiya, please give me the details: where was she, how did this happen, is she conscious?” He went on and on with questions for Akash.
Love after Marriage Page 26