Written In Stars (Ashlok version) Sample

ch 51

Astha looked at NA and smiled, her voice was hoarse due to lack of use as she called him baba. NA gave her one arm hug mindful of the tubes attached to her arm. Anjali bent and kissed her on cheek crying. astha held her hand but didn't say anything. She looked at sojal and smiled. Then, she looked at varad and shlok and her smile dimmed and then slid off her face.

Varad went toward astha and bent and kissed her on forehead. Tears fell down from his eyes and onto her face, he got away from astha and went out to cry in private.

Shlok could understand Varad's condition, the relief at seeing her alive and well was overwhelming but he could not move forward and touch her neither he could leave the room,so he stood there still as statue unable to express feelings, he just stared at her face.

She was sobing now and ayi, baba were trying to console her. A nurse came and she told them all to leave as it was not good for patient to cry. NA asked anjali and shlok to go home and shlok went because he wanted to be here at night and watch her sleep undisturbed for hours.

...

Astha was sleeping when he came back, he gave a small smile to the nurse, put the bag with things ayi had sent for astha on the chair and sat down on the other one. There was a small cot for visitor to sleep at night but he didn't want to sleep.

Slowly he touched her cheek , her nose, her lips feeling her warmth, he had a nightmare, when he napped earlier at home, he had heard crying, he could see her sitting on the floor, calling for him but when he tried to go to her, she vanished and again he would hear her crying somewhere else, he kept searching for her and she kept vanishing.

It was a dream , just a dream, he told himself as he touched her. Never again tiny, never...no one will be able to take you away from me. He slowly moved his fingers through her hairs.

...

Next day

NA came to meet astha in the morning carrying break fast anjali had made fro her, she was going to mandir to fulfill some manat she had asked for astha's health. Then, she will come to hospital.

He found astha awake and talking with the doctor. Shlok was no where in the sight. Doctor greeted him and then left giving him privacy with astha. Astha beamed at him,'' Morning baba''

NA smiled,''Morning beta, here is your breakfast.'' He opened and poured some soup into a bowl and gave it to her. He expected her to protest, she never liked soups but today she took it and drank using the spoon. He watched her eat while he told her how kavya was insisting on coming to meet you today, she will come in noon with sojal.

Astha smiled at that her eyes lighting up. She gave him empty bowl and NA asked if she wanted more but astha said no. So, he put it back.

''Baba'' astha said quietly.

NA looked at her,''Yes, beta ?''

Astha bit on her lower lip and then asked,'' How did the function went? did they manage to cover my blunder?''

NA frowned,'' what blunder? function was perfect.''

Astha looked away from him and stared at her fingers,''Didn't shlok complain to you?I gave a wrong order and ordered to break down the stage and built a new one but there wasn't enough time. I am sorry baba, I am too stupid, I don't think about things, I am always making mistakes.''

NA listened to everything quietly and then said,''this was worrying you yesterday, when you kept crying? I hope not astha or I will be upset with you.''

Silent tears fell down her cheeks, NA removed them using his finger and said,'' look at me.''

Astha looked up at him through tear blurred eyes.

NA,''You are not stupid,mistakes are meant to happen and as long as they are corrected, they become a learning experience which makes us stronger and better able to deal with the problems in future. Don't think about such things,they will just make you unhappy and anything which troubles you and makes you unhappy, it will make me unhappy too.''

Astha stared at NA and whispered,'' I was so afraid baba that you will be angry at me too. Thank you baba, thank you for everything''

NA bent and hugged her,'' never be afraid, I am here for you.'' But he thought to himself, who else was angry at her and why was she so afraid, this was not the confident astha he had raised.

...

1 month later

Astha stood at the door with varad, shlok and NA while anjali took aarti of her and then, she was allowed to come in,astha took a deep happy breath, she was tired of staying at hospital, finally she was back at home. She was fine now but she had lost lot of weight and she had weakness making it difficult for her to walk for more than a few steps, NA had an arm around her shoulder and he helped her move in and then helped her into a chair.

Astha sat there as kavya happily talked to her. She came to visit astha regularly at the hospital. Astha grabbed her hand and pulled her closer before she remembered varad's presence and with a worried glance at him, she let kavya go.

NA thought astha was getting tired and he asked her, on her nod, he helped her up ready to take her up to the room but shlok said he will do it. Shlok picked astha carefully and went upstairs carrying her.

NA was about to go when Kavya jumped in front of him and said,''ajoba you can carry me upstairs.'' NA laughed with everyone at her antics but he picked her up and carried her but on reaching her room,she said,''no, no wrong stop, I want to go to play room.''

NA,''guide the way.''

Kavya told him to go back the corridor and turn right, go down the hall, first door near the staircases.''

She smiled proudly to be able to give the directions as her teacher was teaching her.NA frowned but that was astha's room. did kavya play there? he carried her to astha's room and opened the door,it was totally changed, decorated for a girl kavya's age with toys for her.

He gently put kavya down who ran to pick a car eager to show it to him.

...

Shlok carried astha to his room, and gently laid her on bed. She didn't look at him. The silence in room stretched, shlok went back and closed the door and locked it. She was looking at the closed door apprehensively. She started to get up but shlok stopped her,''relax, your medicine are here,'' he picked them up from side table and removed the ones she need to take now, filled a glass with water and gave them to her, she took the tablets and water.

Shlok picked a blue cover one and told her,''these ones are sleeping pills, you are only suppose to take them at night for one week, don't take them during the day.''

she nodded but didn't lie down.

Shlok tried to hold her hands but she pulled them in her lap and held them tightly. shlok sighed, she was still angry at him for the stage thing. He sat down on bed beside her and said,''Ok, I am sorry, I shouldn't have gotten so angry at you at office, it was your first time.''

She didn't say anything. Shlok bent over her and with his finger raised her chin, still she didn't look at him,''I said sorry, now let it go,please.''

He bent closer and hugged her close to him and gently touched her cheek,'' sorry'' he bent and kissed her right cheek,''sorry'' ,he was going to tickle her next to get a response as he kissed her left cheek, and whispered ''sorry'' but the salty flavour of tears on his lips stopped him. He moved up shocked to see she was silently crying her hands held more tightly,''astha?'' he asked worried,

''what happened?'' but she kept crying, ''astha?'' he again called.

''Don't touch me'',she whispered brokenly.He let her go and got up from the bed shocked, what happened?he thought. She turned on her side and cried. he watched her standing there until the meds showed the effects and she fell into sleep.

She hadn't spoken to him at all during her stay at hospital but he thought she was angry at him and he didn't want to say anything to her in hospital afraid her condition might deteriorate but now...he moved his hand absently through his hairs as he let out a weary sigh, what was wrong with her? did she blame him for those pills?

...