Kaira SS: Saanson Se In Dhadakano Tak

Part 9: Palkon Ke Sirhane, Tera Hi Khwaab Hai

A girl in her late twenties came rushing through the corridors of the hospital with fear of loss written all over her face. She stopped right in front of the ICCU and looked through the glass window, only to find Kartik lying on the bed, surrounded by a number of machines and tubes. He looked as if he was in lot of pain, even in his slumber. The girl tried to push the gate and enter when she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

Shaurya: Aap kaun?

The girl: Ji main Keerti, Kartik ki badi behen.

Shaurya: Kartik ki badi behen?

Keerti: Ji haan, aur aap Kartik ke boss, Mr. Singhania?

Shaurya: Nahi, main Kartik ka....a...

Keerti (looking confused): Ji?

Shaurya: woh.. Kartik humare saath rehta hai..

Keerti: Oh. Kaisa hai Kartik? Woh thik toh hai na. Bahut chot aayi hai kya use? Singhanias ne toh mujhe kuch bhi nahi bataya.. bas itna bataya ki Kartik buri tarah injured hai. Kya hua hai use.. please uncle kuch toh boliye.

Shaurya: Woh beta.....Hua ye hai ki Kartik ko...(and he tells Keerti the truth about what happened in Zurich. Also, he explains how Kartik has got so much attached to Singhanias as well as the Maheshwaris..how they considered him a part of their family..how he had helped them always.. how close he is to Naira as a friend..their Jai and Veeru bond.. he told her everything.. but only everything that he knew.. something really important was still hidden from all of them....)

Keerti: (crying) Kartik humesha se hi aisa hai.. humesha use dusron ki chinta rehti hai.. khudke baarein mein toh sochta hi nahi hai woh.. but uncle aap log ne bhi ek baar bhi Kartik se nahi pucha ki kya ho raha hai, (anger welling up inside her, which was evident in her eyes) Naitik uncle ki absence mein kya chal raha hai office mein.. agar aapki family mein se koi bhi aur aapke business par mere Bhai jitna dhyaan deta, uski jitni mehnat krta toh shayad woh Naman pehle hi pakde jatein.

Shaurya: Hum bahut sharminda hai beta. Kartik ko aise dekh kar hume bhi utni hi takleef ho rahi hai jitni ki tumhe.. Naira aur Jamai Sa toh abhi tak normal nhi hue hai..

Keerti: Abhi in sab baaton ka koi fayda nhi hai uncle. Ye sab baatein hum Kartik ke thik hone ke baad bhi kar saktein hai. What matters is him. Aapki baat hui doctors se? Unhe pata chala ki kis wajah se Kartik wapas unconscious hogaya?

Shaurya: Doctors ka manana hai ki Kartik kisi tarah ke trauma mein hai, jisse woh bahar nhi nikal pa rha. Medications chal rhe hai.

Keerti: Kartik apne aap ko bahut strong dikhata hai, par aandar se woh bahut sensitive hai. Dusron ki baat ho toh he can very supportive, he will be emotionally very strong.. but apne par aaye toh woh toot jata hai.. woh aaplogon ko bahut manta hai, shayad isliye iss hadse ka itna asar pada hai uske psychology par. Maa ke jaane ke baad bhi Kartik isi tarah toot gaya tha.

Shaurya: Maa ke jaane ke baad.. I'm sorry par kya aapki maa nhi hai?

Keerti: Haan.. I mean nhi... Actually, humari aapni maa aajse 13 saal pehle guzar gayi hai. But, humari maa hai.. Swarna maa..

Shaurya: U mean aapki stepmother..

Keerti: (stern but soft look in her eyes) Meri Maa.

Shaurya: I am sorry. Woh bas aisehi nikal gaya tha muh se..

A nurse comes out of Kartik's room.

Nurse: Mr. Kartik ki family?

Shaurya: Ji hum hai. Ab kaisa hai woh?

Nurse: Fever abhi bhi hai, aur heartbeat bhi erratic hai. Dawaiyon ke asar se thoda improvement hai. Abhi woh delirious hai. Aap chahe toh unke paas baith saktein hai.

Keerti: Ji main jaati hun.

Nurse: Par sirf thodi der ke liye. Unhe zyada disturb nhi karna hai.

Keerti: Okay.

Keerti looks at Shaurya and he encourages her to go in beside his brother. She steps inside the room and goes to sit on the same chair that was occupied by Naira the last time Kartik was conscious. She holds her brother's right hand that was bandaged and softly caresses his ruffled hair, while Kartik stirs in his sleep.

Outside the room, Shaurya was in a dilemma as to why did not Kartik inform her sister about anything that was going on in his life. Keerti knew practically nothing about his current life involving Singhanias and Maheshwaris and moreover, he never spoke about his own family. With all these thoughts still lingering in his mind, he called up Naitik to inform him about Keerti's arrival.

Here, our princess was blushing in her sleep, dreaming of her frog prince. She kept on murmuring "mera mendhak, my prince" softly until Mishti shook her violently and woke her up. Naira gets up hurriedly, scared, as if in a completely unknown world. She looked at Mishti and found her staring angrily at her. She immediately understood that she was dreaming and while doing so, she was murmuring, disturbing Mishti's sleep who was a very light sleeper.

Mishti: (angrily) ye kya hai Naira di.. kabse neend mein badbadaye ja rhi ho aap. Aapke wajah se meri neend kharab hogayi.

Naira (mumbling to herself): Mera sapna bhi toh adhoora reh gaya..

Mishti: Kyaa??

Naira (awkwardly smiling) : Kuch nahi.

Mishti: Aapko bhi BFF ke tarah khudse baat krne ki aadat hogayi hai kya?

Naira: (mumbling again) Tumhare BFF ki aadat hogayi hai Mishtu.

Mishti: BFF ki aadat matlab? Aapko kya hua hai? Neend mein bhi mendhak-prince-mendhak-prince kar rhi thi.. ek min..(extremely excited) aap sapne dekh rahi thi.. woh bhi BFF ke.. jaise woh aapke dekhtein hai?

Naira: Kartik mere sapne dekhta hai? (To herself) oh my god, woh mere sapne dekhta hai (happy to the core, her cheeks turning crimson) mera mendhak mere sapne dekhta hai..

Mishti: (slightly patting her) kya hua..

Naira: pyaar (she answers dreamily, without realising what she just said)

Mishti: BFF se? (Asks Mishti, completely ecstatic)

Naira: H....(realising what she was about to say) a... Main ready hoke aati hun..(she gets up from the bed and goes towards the wardrobe to get a towel)

Mishti: Oh my god di.. BFF ne kya aapko propose krdiya finally? Aap dono Kaira ban gaye.. wow..

Naira: (turning curiously towards Mishti) Kya kaha? Kartik mujhe Zurich mein propose karne wala tha. Iska matlab woh sachi mujhse pyaar karta hai. Usne delirium mein mujhe woh sab nhi kaha na..Ek sec.. Iska matlab tumhe sab pata tha?

Mishti: Haan.. after all hum dono BFF hai.. par unhone aapko Zurich mein propose nhi kiya kya?

Naira (with a sad face) : Nahi.

Mishti: Toh phir.....?? Hospital mein??

Naira: (Nodding) Haan. Kartik mujhse sachi mein bohot pyaar karta hai na Mishtu.

Mishti: Haan di.  Bohot se bhi bohot zyada, (sadness overtaking her happiness) isliye toh woh hospital mein hai.

Naira (guilt spread all over her face): Ye sab meri wajah se hua hai. But ab main sab thik kardungi. Main bhi usse keh dungi ki I love him.

Mishti: Toh aapne unhe abhi tak bola nhi? (Naira shakes her head in a no) oh ho... Aap bhi kitni buddhu hona. BFF kitni tension mein honge na aapke answer ko lekar. Jao aur jaldi se ready hojao. Uske baad hum dono unse milne jayenge. Aur aap please wahan unke proposal ko accept krlena.

Naira (with a wide smile plastered on her face): Okay... I love you Mishti.. (Mishti pulls up her imaginative collar and walks out of the room dramatically like an ancient Indian emperor, full of pride) Mishti ki bachi....

Naira runs after her but she runs away into her room. Naira smiles at her cute antics and goes to get ready herself. Here, Naitik receives a call from Shaurya and gets to know about Keerti, and he himself decides to go to the hospital. Wondering if Naira wants to go as well, he enters her room and offers her a lift, to which she yells a yes from the bathroom. Naitik gets ready himself and the trio, Naitik-Naira-Mishti leave for the hospital.