Family... (An Ishqbaaz FF) ||✔||

Part 5

Rest of the family members came there.

Dadi: Om, doctor kya keh rahi thi? Anika puttar kaisi hain? (Om, what did the doctor say? How is Anika?)

Om tells them about Anika's condition. Dadi gets shocked and stumbles but Jahnvi catches her.

Jahnvi: Mummyjee! (Mom!)

She makes her sit down while Bhavya tends to them.

Bhavya: Aap please chinta mat kijiye Dadi. (Please don't worry.)

Gauri: *panics* Rudy bhaiya, hume bahoot dar lag raha hain. Agar...agar Anika bhaujai ko kuch... (Rudy bhaiya, I'm feeling really scared. What if...what if something happens to Ani...)

Shivaay: *cuts her* Kuch nahi hoga usse. (Nothing will happen.)

All look towards him.

Dadi: *hopelessly* Yeh naamumkin hain Billu. Anika ka bach paana mushkil hain. (It's impossible Billu. It's difficult for Anika to survive.)

Shivaay: *teary eyed* Mushkil hain, naamumkin nahi. Jab tak main zinda hoon, main apni biwi ko haarne nahi doonga. (Difficult, but not impossible. As long as I'm alive, I'll not let anything happen to my wife.)

He goes from there. Rudra tries to follow him but Om stops him by placing his hand on his shoulder and nodding a no. He makes him sit and wraps his arm around his shoulders.

Shivaay goes to an idol of Lord Ganesha and look at it with eyes filled with anger.

Shivaay: *to the idol* Aap aisa kyoon karte hain? Aap kis baat ki sazaa meri Anika ko dete hain? Bachpan se le ke aaj tak usne itna saha phir bhi aap usse aur taqleef kyoon dena chah rahe hain. Agar galti meri hain toh saza bhi mujhe milni chahiye, meri biwi... ya mere bhai ko nahi. Mera vaada hain aapse, main apni biwi aur bhai ko harne nahi doonga. (Why do you do this? What are punishing Anika for? Since childhood she has only seen suffering and you still want to put her in more trouble. If it's my fault, I should suffer but not my wife... nor my brother. I promise you, I won't let fail my wife and brother.) 

He takes some ghee and an oil wick in his right hand and lights it.
Shivaay: Aaj tak humesha aapke saamne sirf ek businessman khada tha. Likin aaj aur abhi, aapke saamne ek pati aur ek bhai khada hain. Aaj aapki zid ke saamne mera pyaar khada hain. Aur apne pyaar ke liye main kisi se bhi lad sakta hoon, ...aapse bhi. (Till today, I stood before only as a businessman. But now and in this moment, a husband and brother stands before you. It's my love against your stubbornness . And I won't let my love fail.)

He shut his eyes, thinking only about the welfare of Anika and Mahi, not caring about the oil wick burning his hand.

An hour later, everyone except Shivaay, were sitting outside the OT, waiting for some news about Anika and Mahi. Dr Sharma (Mahi's doctor) and Dr Mehta come out, discussing something.

Seeing them, Rudra runs to them, followed by OmRiVya.

Rudra: Doctor, Mahi bhaiya aur bhabhi kaise hain. (Doctor, how is Mahi bhaiya and (Anika) Bhabhi?)

Dr Sharma: It was close but surgery successful rahi. He's stable now. (It was close but surgery was successful. He's stable now)

Dr Mehta: Mrs Anika ki bhi surgery successful rahi woh bhi without too many complications. (Mrs Anika's surgery was also successful without too many complications.)

Gauri clasped her hands in prayer and whispered under her breathe...

Gauri: Thaankoo Sankarjee. (Thank you Shankarjee.)

Dr Sharma: Hum unhe ICU main shift kar rahe. Mr Oberoi, aap kuch formalities poori kar dijiye. (We are shifting them to the ICU. Mr Oberoi, please complete some formalities.)

Om: Jee doctor. (Yes doctor.)

The doctors leave from there.

Rudra: O, formalities main dekh leta hoon. Aap please Shivaay bhaiya ko le aayiye. (O, I'll take care of the formalities. You please bring Shivaay bhaiya.)

Om agrees and goes to find Shivaay. Shivaay was still standing in front of the idol with his eyes closed. Though the flame had extinguished, blood was dripping down from the burn in his palm.

Om: *calls out to him* Shivaay?

Hearing him, Shivaay jerks his hand and tuns towards him.

Om: Tu kabse yahaan hain? (Since when are you standing here?)

Shivaay: *holding Om's shoulder* Om, Anika kaisi hain? Aur Mahi? Woh kaisa hain? Woh dono theek hain na? (Om, how is Anika? And Mahi? How is he? They are fine, right?) 

Om: Relax Shivaay! Surgeries successful rahi. Woh dono theek hain. (Relax Shivaay. The surgeries were successful.)

Shivaay leans against the wall and breathes a deep sigh of relief. Om glances at his shoulder and notices blood drops on the spot that Shivaay held. He grabbed Shivaay's hand and was shocked to see it burnt and bleeding.

Om: *appalled* Shivaay, yeh kya haalat bana rakhi hain!? (Shivaay, what have you done to yourself?!)

Shivaay: *jerking his hand away* Kuch nahi hain Om. (It's nothing Om.)

Om: Yeh kuch nahi hain? It's bleeding, goddamnit! Tu abhi mere saath chal aur dressing kara. (This is nothing? It's bleeding, goddamnit! Come with me and get your wound dressed right now.)

Shivaay: Uski zaroorat nahi hain. It... it'll be fine. (It's not required. It... it'll be fine.)

Om: *grabbing Shivaay's left hand* Main poochh nahi raha tha, bata raha tha. (I wasn't suggesting, I am ordering you.)

He pulls a reluctant Shivaay into a treatment room and asks a nurse to dress his wounds while he waits outside. After some time, Shivaay comes out and Om keeps his hand on his shoulder.

Om: Tu theek hain? (Are you okay?)

Shivaay nods.

Shivaay: Om, Anika aur Mahi kahaan hain? (Om, where are Anika and Mahi?)

Om: Woh abhi ICU mein hain likin unki abhi-abhi surgery hui hain isliye doctor ne andar jaane se mana kiya hain. Kal jab uhne private room main shift kar denge, phir mil sakte hain. (They are in the ICU but since they just came out of surgery, the doctor hasn't allowed anyone to meet them. Tomorrow, when they will be shifted into the private room, we can meet them.)

Shivaay: Okay.

Without saying much, he walks away. 

Om: *in his mind* I'm sorry Shivaay. Agar humne us din bhabhi ki baat nahi maani hoti, toh shaayad aaj sitution alag hoti. (I'm sorry Shivaay. If we hadn't done what (Anika) bhabhi said, maybe the situation would've been different.)

He follows him where Rudra, Bhavya and Gauri where sitting. Rudra had asked Dadi to go home along with the others, on the condition of providing updates on Mahi and Anika's condition. By the time ShivOm reached, Rudra, Bhavya and Gauri  had slept. Bhavya and Gauri were leaning on to Rudra. Om sat beside Gauri and made her lean on his shoulder. Shivaay went to Anika's ward and stood in front of the glass panel. She was very pale with many machines and pipes attached to her body. His heart ached seeing her condition. A lone tear escaped his eye but he quickly wiped it as he could not be weak in front her. Neither having the courage nor the energy to see Mahi, he went back to Om, Rudra, Gauri and Bhavya. He sat on one of the benches, leaned back and closed his eyes as his mind occupied itself in sorting out his whirlpool of messed-up thoughts.