An Aesthetic Love: A Collection Of Shivika Short Stories

10| all the love and care.

Its one fine day on an October morning, and the Oberoi Mansion is involved in its regular hustle, with the seniors fighting each others and the juniors spending their time together.

However, there is one difference, which has, as a matter of fact, surprised everyone.
The early birds of the house, up before anyone else and basically the caretakers of the family- Shivaay, Annika and Shivika- have not come out of their room yet.

What has surprised OmRu, and for that matter everyone, is that Shivaay isn't out yet. Its way past his time, and they're not sure about Annika or Shivika, but Shivaay would surely be up as of now.

So they go to his room to find out, where they hear Annika's voice.

"Shivaay aap baccho waali harkatein karna band karenge? Pehle hi Shivika itni pareshaan hai, uske saath mai bhi, aur aapka yeh drama iss sab ko aur kharab kar raha hai." Annika screams at him.

"Annika, woh kitni buri tarah se ro rahi hai, and you can't figure out usse hua kya hai?" Shivaay retorts.

"Shivaay aap sunne ko taiyaar ho toh mai bolu? Usse bukhaar hai." She says, caressing Shivika's hair, trying to calm her.

Shivaay walks to them and takes Shivika in his arms.

"Bukhaar? Annika, isse bukhaar nahi hai, She's burning. Itna jal raha uska sar." Shivaay states as a matter of fact.

"Wahi toh mai keh rahi hoon Shivaay. Isse doctor ke pass le chalte hain, lekin aap woh bhi nahi maanenge." Annika is too annoyed to continue this fight.

"Annika woh injection bhi toh laga sakte hain isse. And I don't want my princess to hurt." Shivaay says the usual, making Annika cringe and sigh.

"Aur abhi kya ho raha hai? Abhi usse jitni takleef ho rahi hai itni injection lagwate hue nahi hogi. Aap toh yahi chahte hain ki meri beti aapki tarah dawaaiyon ki dukan leke ghoome. Problem kya hai aapki?" Annika says, frustrated because Shivika is suffering and Shivaay is not cooperating.
"Annika, meri bachhi ki tabiyat kharab hai aur tumhe mujhse ladne ki padi hai. Woh sab chhod ke tum iska solution nikalogi?"

OmRu, who were standing outside, giggle before knocking the door.

"Bhabhi?"
Annika unlocks the door, and lets them come in.
Inside they see Shivaay sitting in a corner with Shivika, and are reminded of their secretive days with Pari- his messy condition and painful looking face over Shivika's sickness.

"Kya hua Shivaay?" Om asks him.

"Om mai tumhe kya batau. Shivika ki tabiyat kharab hai aur yeh usse hospital nahi le jaana chahte kyuki inhe lagta hai ki isse injection laga toh isse dard hoga." Annika tells him her plight.

"Inki yahi toh problem hai. Shivika chahe theek na ho, par doctor ke pass nahi le jaayenge."

"Ek minute ek minute. Bhabhi, Shivika bimar kaise hui?" Rudra asks.
"Mujhe nahi pata. Yeh bimar yeh yeh baat mere liye kafi hai pareshaan hone ke liye. Sochne ka time nahi mila." She says.

All three of them turn to look at Shivaay.

"Meri taraf kya dekh rahe ho tum teeno? Maine kya kiya?" He says, stammering.

"Dadi kehti hai. Jab koi atak-atak ke baat kare na, matlab zaroor kuch gadbad hai." Rudra says.
"Bilkul. Bataiye Shivaay. Kal aap Shivika ko bahar leke gaye the na?" Annika asks him seriously.

Shivaay looks at her with wide eyes.
"Tumhe kaise pata?" He stammers.

"Woh chhodiye. Kal raat baarish hui thi toh thand bahut badh gayi thi. Thand me bahar ghumne se yeh bimar hui hai." Annika concludes.

"Actually Annika," Shivaay says, not looking at her, "that's not all."
Annika looks at him with narrowed eyes.

"Matlab?" She asks seriously.
"Matlab yeh ki woh zidd kar rahi thi, so," he tries to think of ways to continue, "maine usse ice cream bhi khilayi thi." He ends with his eyes closed, as Annika's eyes widen.

"Ice cream? Bas! Mujhe lag hi raha tha! Shivaay aap uski har zidd maan ke usse bigad rahe hain. Ho gayi na bimar?"
"Ab mai aapki baat nahi sunungi. Chaliye, taiyaar hoiye, hum hospital jaayenge." She states an order, and Shivaay has to oblige.

A while later, they reach the hospital, with Annika not having left an asleep Shivika to Shivaay all the way.

"Nahi Shivaay. Yeh ek baar aapke pass aa gayi toh aap isse jaane nahi denge. Mere pass rehne dijiye."

"Theek hai," he says, looking at her, "mai bahar hi rehta hoon, tum andar jao."
Annika looks at him, confused, before going inside with Shivika.

When they come out, Shivaay is sitting outside with a stream of tears rolling down his eyes, and Annika facepalms seeing him, before a mischievous idea strikes her, and she smirks.

Shivika has a little toy with her, and hence she is totally distracted from the fact that she was just given an injection.

Annika goes and sits beside Shivaay, telling Shivika to pull Shivaay's cheeks.
She obliges, pulling his cheeks with her soft hands, and giggles when he looks up at her with a frown.

"Shivika?" He says, confused seeing her laughing, and takes her in his arms.
"Acha Shivaay, doctor ne kuch dawaiyaan di hain, yeh isse 1 week tak deni hain."
"Aur injection?" He asks, playing with Shivika.

"Woh to lagna hi tha, ho gaya," she tells him.
"Yeh toh bahut khush lag rahi hai, royi bhi nahi," he says, looking at her.
"Royi thi na, maine usse behla liya. Aur waise bhi, isse zyada dard toh aapko hota hai." She says, wiping his tears.

"Kya karun, I love her too much to not feel her emotions," he says, making Annika smile at how he loves Shivika and her way too much, even more than he loved his family when she first met him.

His life is dependent on them.
And her life too.