Strand of Sanity

A/N: Heyy! :D This time I won't be saying anything, except this is a small OS on Abhijeet and Shreya that crossed my mind after watching Khatre Mein Masoom. And just a teensy little thing - the dialogues are obviously sign language and hence, they have been written within '*'. Also, this is my take on Abhijeet's POV, so most sincere apologies if I've made any errors.

Well, don't look for more, that's all. :P

Happy reading! :D

Abhijeet entered his house, while holding Shreya's hand securely in his. She had been to his place several times, but just as a little friend. This was the first time she was entering the place as his daughter.

Daughter. The word itself had pride in it. He had been finally bestowed with the good luck of being gifted with a daughter. It was not his biological daughter, yes, but she was his daughter none the less. It was perhaps the first time in years, he had been given the chance to be in a filial relationship. And it was something he was more than grateful for. He had always considered her as a daughter, but today it was in black and white, and on paper, something which no one would ever be able to take away from him.

Life had never been kind to him when it came to his personal life, or to phrase it better, life had never let him fulfil his duty to his family. His past had been washed away from his memory like a tsunami, which left him with nothing but his will to live, which outdid his fear to die.

He could not provide his mother the maternal satisfaction every mother hoped for - to see her son succeeding, to reach the peaks of life, to settle down in life. His life was anything but settled. His mother died with the pain of her son's suffering, and it was a guilt that would haunt him to the grave.

And then there was Survi. Her thought never crossed his mind much, but whenever it did, it made made him feel uneasy. They were at that point in their relationship where marriage was definitely the next step. But what happened? He broke her heart and left her fate in the hands of a wretched drug dealer, making her life living hell for the next 10 years post his accident.

He had initially wondered why Survi had never come forward during the initial days of his post-accident stay at home. But then, he learnt the truth. Her parents were never in favour of her marrying a CID officer, and learning about the incident, they banned her from ever making contact with him.

But now, he could never imagine having those feelings for Survi. Maybe it was because he had moved way ahead in his life, that these past relationships had no meaning in his life save his mother, but maybe because Survi had been replaced by someone.

Yes, he certainly loved Tarika. There was no denying that. But somewhere, he never had the guts to go ahead and tell her his feelings. There were several moments where he felt that perhaps Tarika did not reciprocate the same intensity of feelings for him, like he for her. She cared about him deeply, she liked him a lot, but maybe that's all there was to it.

Or maybe, there was the fear of becoming a husband. He would be attached in such a filial relationship for the 1st time in these many years, and it made him uneasy. He did want to get married, have children - but he didn't feel prepared for it yet.

And it all came to one thing. Shreya. Her entrance in his life had certainly brightened it up scores, giving him a different thrill all together - of being a father. The fact that she was physically challenged, being deaf and mute, made no difference to him. Instead it made him love her more, for her daring and guts to live life so fully, despite her short comings. He had always feared loving any one so much, lest they should be taken away from him too, but Shreya was different. She gave a different definition of love, and the love he had for her was something he had never known before - the love of a father.

The first time he had decided to adopt her - his decision was irrevocable. He had made up his mind that Shreya was to be with him forever - atleast till he lived. But fate had different plans. She was handed over to her uncle. He regretted the fact that such a chance was taken away from him, but he had given in nonetheless. He had made sure to keep in touch with the girl regularly, and he often took her out on weekends, either to a restaurant or a mall.

Shreya seemed quite happy with the life she had led with her uncle. But only if he knew the true colours the guy was hiding beneath his façade of love. He loathed the man for what his true intent was, but he was happy that he had finally secured Shreya into safe hands. There was no denying that there would be several risks the girl would be put through, but it was something both of them felt worth the risk.

He had completed the adoption formalities a week ago, and had already enrolled Shreya into a hostel for special students. It was located in Pune, the thought pf which made Abhijeet's heart heavy, but it was best for both of them. He still had a month before the next academic year began, and he would make sure he made every minute of it into a beautiful memory.

Smiling at the girl seeing her bounce happily around the house, Abhijeet plopped down on the couch, while he drank in the sight before him. He sighed in satisfaction. It was after years of solitude and hardships that he had been given a relation so pure, so innocent. He looked at the time - 3 PM. He had taken a leave for 2 days, so there was plenty of time on his hand. Just then Shreya came and sat beside him. Looking at her, while losing himself in her larger than life smile, the two of them sat peacefully beside each other, his mind drifted through various thoughts before he fell asleep.

It was dark. He tried to look around but all he was greeted was with inky black darkness. Trying to move his arms, he realized that he was bound to something - something which nearly resembled a chair. He tried to get loose from the bonds, until his body felt worn out.

Heaving, he tried to figure out where he was brought, and all he managed to deduce was that he was bound by something in an endless abyss of darkness, which was strangely eerie, yet peaceful in its own way. Until a dim light went on.

Straining his eyes to get a better look, he could see someone bound opposite him in the similar way he was bound. He had a strange fear looking at the person bound across him. He had almost forgotten that he himself was bound, his only concern was about the person opposite.

As if someone had read his mind, the scene before him zoomed. Finally getting a look at the person bound, his heart missed several beats. Sitting opposite him was Shreya. A weak 'Shreya' was mouthed, but no sound escaped him.

The girl looked at him with the same intensity of fear. But before he could do anything, he felt the bounds of his hand fall off. He quickly got up from his chair, and rushed towards Shreya. He stretched out his hand to secure the girl within his safe arms - he was barely inches away from her.. yes he was almost there... almost... before a trap door opened down below, and Shreya fell in nothingness.

"Shreya!"

Looking around, he was greeted by the sight of the hall once again, with Shreya looking at him with concern.

*Kya hua papa?*

*Kuch nahi beta... woh bas... bura sapna dekh liya tha.*

Abhijeet hugged the girl close to him, trying to obliviate the images from his head. After what seemed like an eternity, he reluctantly broke the hug.

*Papa, aap ro kyun rahe ho?*

He never realized that his eyes were wet, nor even the fact that he was shivering slightly. He tried to avoid looking at her, but she forced him to make eye contact with her. Taking a deep breath, he told her about her dream.

Looking at him with a smile on her face, she gave him a hug once again, and planted a kiss on his forehead, before she headed to the kitchen to get him a glass of water. Looking at the clock right in front of him, he jumped up from the sofa with a start. It was already 7 in the evening!

The rest of the time passed off smoothly. The two of them prepared food together, which ended up in a huge disaster, and ended uo calling from outside. The two of them shaeed some interesting stories during dinner, and played Monopoly later, which resulted in an argument to break out between the two of them. However, Abhijeet managed to get back with Shreya on talking terms, and the two of them discussed various unimportant things while watching TV, before Abhijeet looked at the time.

*Baapre 10 baj gaye! Chalo Shreya beti, abhi sone ka time ho gaha hai.*

A few protests and tantrums, and she entered her room. The room was entirely redecorated as per her tastes and likes. The room was earlier a guest room, but now, it looked more than homely. The walls were painted an apple green, which gave the room a very welcoming atmosphere. The furniture in the room was in simple cherrywood, yet elegent. The walls had various photos of the two of them. Looking at the room, Shreya gave Abhijeet an excited bear hug, while he enjoyed the happiness that radiated from her little face.

Quickly getting her to drink a glass of milk and brush her teeth, he kissed her goodnight, and left the room, switching off the lights, and giving her a buzzer, which would alert him in case she needed anything.

Heading back to his room, he sat on the bed, with his head on the head-rest, thinking more about the things that had elapsed within these many years. But that was all in the past. He had Shreya now - his last strand of sanity in this tunnel of darkness he had been lost in for years. True, he always had Daya and ACP Pradyuman as his friend and father by his side whenever he needed them, but still, it was different. Smiling, he reached for the side-table, where his sleeping pills looked at him eagerly. Shaking his head in a smile, he drank the glass of water and switched off the lights. He wouldn't be needed those pills anymore. He now had a natural medicine, residing in the next room, which would rid him of all his sorrows and griefs. Maybe finally, she was going to be the one guiding him through the tunnel, until he found his ray of light.

Thinking now about the party he was about to throw in the celebration of finally having adopted Shreya, he began making various lists in his head, before he fell asleep. And it was indeed the best sleep he had slept in years.

There! :D I hope you like it... :) Constructive criticism will be warmly welcomed.