# The wrong Mr Right.

Part 36- The unexpected call

"Oh God!!! What was it????", Sanyukta tried to remember the order she had to place for the clients sitting in Aaryan's cabin.
"Three coffees, Two teas and One Coke ......or was it Two Coffees ,One tea and Two cokes....", she hated this part of her work . Just then she heard a voice behind her.

"Excuse me...... Sanyukta".

'Damn what did Krithika want now??', she thought and turned around to face her .
"Yes????"

"There's a call for you from Noida."

"Noida????", Sanyukta got worried thinking 'why have they called ??'

"It's your sister. She's saying you are not picking up your phone and she didn't want to leave a voicemail . The call got diverted to reception. I've got her online now."

Sanyukta realised she had forgotten her phone at her desk.
"Can you ask her to call back later.I'm busy now??"

"I would but she's saying its urgent and she can't wait.", Krithika chipped.

'Urgent.....what could it be??', Sanyukta's  heart sank as she thought. The last time her sister  had called her up was an year ago , when her aunt died in a road accident .

"Could you please put the call through my desk. It would be more private"

"Sure..."

Sanyukta hurried to her desk with her heart in throat. The phone was already ringing by the time she reached .
"Shanaya???", she said almost on the verge of crying.

"Dee...", the voice sounded tearful.
"Thank God.. I got hold of you. Something terrible has happened", Shanaya chipped sobbing.

Sanyukta sat down heavily on her chair.... "What is it Shanaya??? Is everyone okay??"

"No Dee, Dad........", Shanaya couldn't complete. She stared sobbing harder.

Sanyukta felt her heart would come out anytime and explode- She couldn't bear it anymore. "What about Dad Shanaya ......??? Speak up Damn it..."

"It's his heart.... I didn't know he had a problem. He's at the City Hospital . I think you should come right away. He looks awful. "

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As Sanyukta walked towards the Ward , she could see the tubes attached to her father, as if they were some strange form of plumbing . And the greyish colour of his face mirrored by the woman at his bedside. Sanyukta had never seen her mother looking so far from immaculate . Dark Circles beneath  her lack lustre eyes, wiry dark hair flattened into a shapeless mass.....

Shanaya was the one who was taking care of everything ... , from refilling the water jugs , arranging plastic chairs for visitors, insisting her mother to eat something , fetching tea.... Her hair were secured in a plate, her face bare, her shirt shapeless, eyes swollen . Shanaya the princess- lacked her sparkle.

"He's sleeping now ", her mom said after Sanyukta sat there for 10 minutes, watching him. " He was awake a while back."

"Was  he??", Sanyukta wished he would wake up now and speak to her. But then, what would she say to him?What had she ever said to him?? As a child , she had never run to him and flung herself into his arms when he came home from office." Daddy-- look at the picture I drew today! " That had been Shanaya's role. To excel, to attract and demand affection.
Sanyukta had just sat back as she was doing now. Loving her parents from a distance.

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Two days went by with no visible improvement in her dad's condition . The medical staff didn't seem discouraged but Sanyukta and her family were slowly worn down by it. Aaryan had kindly given her compassionate leave for as long as she needed and had already appointed a temporary PA called Ragini, who sounded extremely well qualified and was more than able to cope up in Sanyukta's absence.

"We might ask her to stay on as your assistant when you are back, if you feel you can get along with her", she sat beside her dad ,reminiscing Aaryan's words when he spoke to her on phone .
She sighed ..So that problem was solved to an extent .

"Is that you Anju??", she heard a voice which broke her trance making her jump and look at the hospital bed.

Her dad's eyes were still closed , just his hand was moving around as if in search of something.

"Dad -- it's me". She had been sitting there for almost two hours. The day before only Shanaya and her mother was there when he was awake. This afternoon, Shanaya was at home taking rest . She had persuaded her mother to go and have lunch just 15 minutes ago.

"Dad--", she took his hands in hers. "How are you feeling??"

"Shanu??"

"Im Sanyukta here, dad "

"Sanyu...." , he hadn't called her that since she had been a child. Slowly his eyes fluttered open.
"I haven't seen you since so long , Sanyu" .

Her eyes were filled with tears.
"Do you want me to call Ma??", she asked.

His fingers twisted around hers.
"No, I want to look at you. You have grown into such a pretty girl. "
Sanyukta couldn't hold back her tears. He continued. "When you were a baby, you were always crying. Whatever we did wasn't good enough. And you didn't  smile.....". He continued again . " It was your birth ... It was difficult ,you see. The specialist said it might have had affected you... When your mom was pregnant with Shanu, she was so depressed. It wasn't planned. That made it even harder to cope with you. .. But Shanu was different , she was easy from the start. It turned things around for us as parents, do you understand what I mean, Sanyu ???...."
" Your grandparents managed with you so well. You had a bond with them that you didn't had with us."

Sanyukta couldn't speak. Her throat was constricted . She stared at the monitor and then back at her father.

"Perhaps you sensed that we treated Shanu differently, that led you to believe that we didn't love you... But we did... We do.. We just reached a staged where we both found it hard to show it. And you seemed happier to keep us at arm length. You only let your grandparents in. And as you grew up, you were so independent and -----"

"Kishor.....???"
Sanyukta looked up feeling a pang of disappointment as her mother's shadow fell upon the bed.

"Why didn't you fetch me ,Sanyukta ?? How long has he been awake??"

"Not long.... I told  him I would get you. But , dad wanted to talk to me"

"Was he making sense?? The day before yesterday he was speaking all nonsense ."

"He has been making sense", was all Sanyukta could say with her emotions whirling . They whirled even more riotously when she looked up again.
Behind her mother, carrying a small bunch of orchids and something wrapped in brown paper bag, stood Randhir......

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Here is the next part . Thank you so much guys for your support and motivation. This part is dedicated to Rhythem, Shivani , Sanyugaur Ridhi and RemyaAk