PYAAR KI MANZIL

EPISODE 55

Prachi felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up.

"Don't cry. Aunty will be fine as she is one of the strongest woman I know. She probably won't like her daughter to be weak." Rhea said and walked away with an impassive face.

Shahana wondered if she was hallucinate and Prachi smiled at her. Though it was a small thing, it meant a lot coming from Rhea and specially for Prachi.

The doctor came out after a while that Pragya was fine and would recover soon. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief at the news.

-----

Abhi was growing restless in the office. Somehow, he felt he should be in the hospital.

"I have to visit the hospital once. Even Rhea is there and I haven't been away from her without notice for so long." Abhi turned to his best friend, Purab.

"If you want so, I'll keep Alia engaged and you can sneak out." Purab suggested.

"Thank you bro. You are my saviour." Abhi thanked him.

Soon enough, he was in the hospital. He noticed the kids and went towards then.

"How is everything here?" he asked.

"The doctor has said that maa is out of danger now. She will regain her consciousness shortly." Prachi informed.

"That's something good. Where is Vikram? I had sent him to take care of you kids and he has vanished." Abhi said.

"No sir, he was with us till now. Since none of us wanted to go from here, he has gone to bring coffee for us." Shahana explained.

"Dad, why don't you see aunty once?" Rhea suggested and dragged him to the ICU where Pragya was in.

One look inside was all it took to stun Abhi and bring tears in his eyes. Inside the room, there was Pragya, his wife lying lifelessly. He wanted to run inside and hug her but decided against it as it's could be fatal for her.

"Why are you crying dad?" Rhea's words brought him to reality.

Wait a minute, if Prachi's mother was Pragya, that meant Prachi was his daughters! The girl that often reminded him of his lost daughter was his daughter. It was indeed a lucky day for him.

He walked towards Prachi and enquired her in a protective fatherly hug, taking her by surprise.

"Did anything happen, sir? Why were you crying?" Prachi asked once he had finished caressing her head and released her.

Abhi refrained from telling the truth as he had no idea how the children would react. He decided to break the news together with Pragya.

"Nothing. I felt what you must have gone through since the previous night." he lied.

Leaving the youngsters alone, he went to a secluded corridor and quickly called Purab to give him the news.

As expected, Purab was extremely happy and promised to get everything in place at home for welcoming the lost family members. He also advised Abhi not to inform Alia about anything till they were home safely.

-----

"The patient has regained consciousness. You may meet her but don't give her stress." the doctor instructed.

The girls along with Abhi went inside her cabin while the boys went to complete the formalities as Pragya would be discharged soon.

Prachi and Shahana broke down into tears on seeing Pragya.

"Why are you crying? My children are strong, aren't they? Look there, Rhea is braver than you." Pragya stroked their heads gently and calmed them.

Rhea couldn't control her tears on hearing it. It was she who was responsible for Pragya's condition. She had almost killed the lady who had saved her numerous times. Tears streamed down her face.

"Why are you crying now? I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Pragya gestured Rhea to come forward. She engulfed the three of them in a warm motherly hug, making them feel secure.

Abhi admired the scene in front of him.

"Fuggi....." a soft voice escaped his lips.

Pragya was stunned. Her hands left the girls slowly, who were now watching Abhi moving slowly towards Pragya. In a split of second, they were in each other's arms.

"Where were you all these years? I missed you so much." Abhi sobbed.

"I missed you too."

Their moment was upset by a falling glass. They had forgotten that they were not alone in the room. The other occupants had guessed how Abhi and Pragya were related. Prachi had involuntarily moved back, hit the table that had upset the glass on it.

"This.....this .....means.....you are my mom." Rhea broke the silence.

"Listen we....." Abhi tried to explain, but Rhea was out of the room before that.

Their attention turned towards Prachi who was still immobile.

"Prachi, you are rational enough to understand......"

"I.....I need some time." Prachi stumbled out of the room.

Abhi and Pragya looked at each other helplessly after reactions of their daughters.

"Shahana, can you make them understand and bring them back? They won't listen to us but may be you can help." Pragya requested.

"I will try maasi." Shahana, who herself had grew melancholic for some reason replied.

-----

"Isn't it Prachi? Why is she crying again?" Ranbir frowned.

"You should go behind her." Aryan suggested.

Prachi sat down on an empty bench. She didn't know how to react. On one hand was her dislike for her father who had abandoned her and her mother while on the other hand she had always wished to have a father like Abhi.

"Share your worries with me. I may be able to help." a warm hand wrapped around her.

"Mr. Mehra..... is my father."

"What's wrong about that? You share a great a bond with him. You will be able to reunite with your family." Ranbir said.

"I don't want to forgive him so easily. I want to hate him for leaving us alone, for all the taunts I had to face for being an illegitimate child despite not being one, for all the hardships we had to face. I want to blame him for everything." Prachi tried her best to express her emotions in words.

"What you are feeling is not wrong. You have every right to blame him, but think about him once too. I have seen chief miss you and aunty everyday. Sometimes, he would not sleep and cry the entire night in your remembrance. I'm not asking you to forgive his faults, but give him a chance to rectify them." Ranbir explained.

Prachi looked at him and decided what she wanted to do next.