AbhiRa Moments ~ OS/TS Collection

Pehle Bhi Main [Shot - 4]

"The court has finally come to a conclusion that Ms Goenka and Mr Birla will have joint custody of their child, Abhir Birla, six years old till he's legal. After that, he can lead his life as he pleases. The court is adjourned." With the slam of the hammer, the judge delivered his statement.

The Birla family members were still reeling from shock, not understanding how Akshara Goenka let Abhimanyu Birla - the man she now hates with all her heart - become the joint custodian of her son. But standing on the opposite side of the room, the Goenka family members were satisfied with the outcome. Though they were now not as compatible with their ‘ex-son-in-law’, they were willing to work out a stress-free schedule for the comfort and happiness of their child, Abhir.

Abhimanyu Birla, the once strong and fierce, intelligent and talented doctor was now nothing more than a shell of himself. He left his work four years ago, the lack of concentration and precision due to his stressful personal life was too much of a risk in his line of work. His slight negligence could cost someone their life. So being the responsible person that he is, he resigned. Now that his son came back to his life, he was willing to improve, to be the father his son needed; even at the age of forty. After all, Abhir has been his first priority, even when he was inside the warmth of his mother's womb, still developing.

So he did everything necessary to restart his life. The first step was to let go of the baggage and move forward, hence he started with the therapy.

~*~

"So, are you ready to finally be ‘back to work’? It has been so long Abhi..." Harshwardhan asked his son as he descended from the stairs, smartly dressed and a little nervous.

"Yes, Dad," Abhimanyu replied meekly. Hoping his father won't catch the slight tremor in his voice but he forgot about the power of parental instincts. "It has been so long. I don't know how I'll be able to handle myself. Most of the staff are the same as before because we need experienced people to run a hospital. I don't know how they'll react to my presence." He sheepishly admitted.

Harshwardhan smiled and patted his son's back reassuringly before calling for someone. "Please come inside."

Abhimanyu looked up and saw a little group of four people entering inside. He looked at his father for answers but stopped when his eyes met a girl, one from the group. Her eyes held an emotion so familiar to him - pain, longing but there was also a tinge of hope in them. It reminded him of himself, the young girl reminded him of himself.

"This is your team, Abhimanyu. You are already familiar with nurse Rosy Dsouza and Dr Rohan Verma. This is Dr Dev Sawant and resident Shivangi Mittal, our hospital's top performers this year. Besides being one of the best in their fields, they're also kind-hearted and easy to talk with. I hope that I did not go overboard and overwhelm you by doing this but I just wanted to help you return to a sense of normalcy." Harshwardhan tried to explain himself.

Instead of answering verbally, Abhimanyu just hugged his father. His gratitude and love were clearly visible in his actions.

"Chalein bandar?" He joked with Dr Rohan.

"Yes sir," Rohan replied with a salute.

Their little banter made Nurse Rosy tear up. After seeing Abhimanyu trying to work on himself after suffering for so long, she felt happy and prayed to God for his happiness. She prayed for the old jovial yet strict Dr Abhimanyu ‘passionate’ Birla to be back.

~*~

After a few weeks.

“Papa, I want to have a sleepover at your place and tomorrow is my holiday so I was thinking about coming to the hospital with you. Will it be okay?” Abhir asked on a video call. Being the polite child that he is, he asks for permission for everything and he still feels hesitant about demanding things directly without feeling guilty or like a spoiled brat - courtesy of his mother and foster father. (🙄)

“Yes, my star. I would love to spend time with you and introduce you to my colleagues. But baby, will your mother agree? I don't want to give her more stress than I already have.” Abhimanyu replied truthfully.

It made Abhir smile proudly. He loved that his father talked to him like an individual and asked for his preferences, respected his wishes instead of belittling him or ordering him just because he was his father. “I already asked her papa. She said ‘It's okay’ and that I should get to know you more. Pick me up after I return from playing. Good night. I love you.”

Abhimanyu couldn't believe his ears. He stared blankly at the screen, gazing at his son's face with tears lining his eyes. “I love you too, my star.”

He was about to turn off the phone and go to sleep when a notification popped up.

Resident Dr Shivangi:
All the best for your tomorrow's speech, sir.

Thank you.
Please go to sleep, Dr Shivangi. Tomorrow is more important for you than for me.

I know, sir but I am nervous.
What if I mess up?

Nothing will go wrong.
Have faith in yourself.

Do you have faith in me, Dr Abhimanyu?

I do.

Then it's enough for me.
I will rock it tomorrow and then you'll have to give me a treat.

Whatever you want.
Good luck.

Thank you.
Good night sir.

Good night.

With a little genuine smile on his face, Abhimanyu closed his eyes and instantly fell asleep, lost in the thoughts of his precious son and a pair of big brown eyes.