Heeyyyya guys. The sixth chapter is here...So let's begin with the thank you notes...
~Suhasini :- Thanks Suhasini. Thank you so so much...
~Abhirika Jai :- Thank you :-D
~LoveDaya :- Jee bilkul..hum likhte rahenge...Aap muskurate rahiye... I hope that smile never ever leaves your face. And rahi baat Tarika ki toh I intended on creating a strong character of her. Sometimes I felt that she was overshadowed by all abhirika scenes. Don't get me wrong...Abhirika is a fabulous thing but woh chiz me kahi na kahi Tarika ka character apni identity kho raha tha...
~ Teki Jyoti :- Aajka bhi chapter bohot hi bada hai yaar...Aaj toh literally bas padhte hi jao aisa hone wala hai.
~Tst :- Bhai nok jhok toh hum dikhate hi rahenge...Aap bas dekhte jaiyye... BTW thanks for you constant , constant support.
~obsessedwithShreya :- Thanks man.. I hope to write up to your expectations always.
~XYZ :- Thank you Xyz...:-D
~Rubli :- Thank you so much Rubli. Aapki thank you bolne ki toh koi baat hi nahi hai. Many times aisa hota ki right in the middle of dialogue ekdum block hojata hai. Ki Ab kya likhu. And that's where your suggestions come into play. So this is for everyone, ki Aap kuch padhna chahiye yaa fir you want some particular scene toh usi idea ke bahane likhna age badhte hai. So Aise ideas always and always welcome rahenge.
~Pari :- Thank you so much Pari. Thats really a lot of kind words. Really appreciate it.
~Priya :- Thnx Priya :-D
~Govind Agrawal :- Aap toh ekdum hi serious ho gye 8-)
~Guest :- Thank you so so much.
~Guest :- Thabk you :-)
Author's Note :-
Umm So guys I kinda started this trend in the last chapter. Fron now on I'm going to write what inspired me to write the particulat chapter. I guess that's my kind of thing to create awareness. And from today's chapter we are going to deal with a little mental health issues here and there. So this thing I read some where very very long time ago and it still instills a very strong message in my mind. Hope it does the same to you too...
" What you don't heal , your children take on. Unresolved issues don't disappear with time. They grow into anger. Seasoned depression and irrational fear. Cut energetic ties with stories/emotions/people that don't serve you anymore. That's how you release the next generation. Let's heal so our children don't have to suffer from the giants that we were so afraid to face behind our eyelids. The hereditary trauma that comes with blood , memories. The losses that hurt. Let's raise children who don't have to recover from their own childhoods."
Soon..let's begin now...
CHAPTER 5 : WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THE BAD
Shreya rummaged and rummaged through the hangers. This wasn't planned. The shopping I mean. It was just that She and Daya had planned to watch a movie in the multiplex and Daya was kinda late. So instead of sulking alone , Shreya had decided to roam through the mall. She was continuously moving hangers from one end to another as if her life depended on finding something new.
Jyada kisiko pata nahi tha...par Shreya loooovvvveeeedd shopping. Usko bas ek shopping mall me ghanto ke liye chod do...Aur kuch nahi chahiye...
Shreya then looked at her watch. " Yeh Daya bhi na ! Aaj jyada hi late kar rahe. Aise toh kisi movie ka ticket bhi nahi milega !" Shreya said as she again rummaged through the pile of clothes. After waiting for 10 more minutes finally she got a call. " Hello Daya ! Aapko aane me kitna time lagega aur ?" Shreya asked. " Are agya ! Upar dekho!" Daya said. Shreya raised her neck and saw Daya standing outside the glass door. Shreya just smiled looking at him as he was waving from outside the store. She then kept the phone back in the pocket and made her way through the various sections.
" Sorry thoda late ho gya ! Kisi case me fasa tha !" Daya said as Shreya came near him. Usually uptill now no matter which girl Daya had dated , she would be like : Kya Daya tumhara to humesha ka hai. Sirf case or case. Tum tumhari priority decide karlo ya me aur tumhara so called kaam.
But Shreya just walked in with utter calmness on her face. " Its okay Daya ! Tumhara kaam tumhari Priority hai. Ye movie wagre ekdum secondary ho jata hai aapke duty ke samne !" Shreya said as she was finally standing besides Daya.
Daya raised his eyebrows at that statement. " Achcha Ji ? Tum ladkiyaan itti mature kabse ho gyi ? Haa ?" Daya asked as they both proceeded to the floor of multiplex. " Isme maturity ki kya baat ? Ye toh simple logical baat hai !" Shreya said. For a change it felt nice for Daya that someone understood that maybe he wasn't lying all the time. Maybe he was as busy as he told people to be.
" Me ticket leke ata hoon ! Agar koi itte late available hogi toh ! Daya said. " Any specific genre ? Romantic cliches ?" Daya asked about Shreya's choice. " Koi comedy hogi to dekhiya na. Thodi hera pheri types!" Shreya said. " Jaisa Aap kahe !" Daya said and went to get some tickets. Shreya stood their by the pillar. She received a call from her collegue Priya. " Are nahi uska dose maine aaj dopahar ko hi badhaya tha. Ek din intezaar krte hai. Agar kuch effect nahi dikha toh fir medication change krenge !" Shreya said over the fone. At that time only Daya came victorious with two tickets in hands. He waved them at Shreya and soon realized that she was on a phone. Shreya just signaled him 2 mins with her hand and Daya patiently waited besides her. " Nahi nahi ! Subah koi reaction nahi thi. Lekin agar thoda bhi doubt araha hoga toh Raat ko moniter krte rehna usko. Kisi Intern ko observation duty pe lagade. Wohi best rahega. Haa. Chal thik hai. Me rakhti hoon. Kuch laga toh call karna !" Shreya said and kept the phone. " Hospital se phone tha !" Shreya said. " Kuch serious ?" Daya asked. " Nahi nahi ! Ye toh almost roj ka hai. Kabhi bhi phone liye tayar rehna padta hai !" Shreya said.
" Tumhara bhi lagbhag mere jaisa hi job hai. Hai na ?" Daya said. " Matlab ?" Shreya asked. " Bohot alag hai. Me kisi ko giraftar nahi kari aajtak !" Shreya said. Just then her eyes locked on the her favourite coffee stall. " Coffee piyogi ?" Daya asked without even thinking about it. " Yes please. Kabse yaha akele ghum rahi thi. Ab coffee pine ka Maan kar raha hai !" Shreya said and they both walked towards the counter. " Anything specific ?" Daya asked. " Cafe latte !" Shreya said. " 1 espresso and 1 Cafe latte !" Daya said and then they waited for the order.
" Aap job ke barime kya bol rahe the ?" Shreya asked. " Yahi ki Matlab Tumhe bhi kabhi bhi phone ajata hai aur nikalna padta hai. Chahe din ho ya Raat ho ! In sense thoda bohot mere jaisa hi !" Daya said as he picked up two large cups and handed one to Shreya. " Haa...busy toh rehti hoon bohot baar. But that's what I signed up for right ?" Shreya said very casually. " Itti busy rehti ho ! Aajtak ekbaar bhi jikr nahi kiya ki me doctor hoon. Me bohot busy rehti hoon !" Daya said staring at Shreya. Untill now Shreya's finger was roaming around the Styrofoam glass rim but it suddenly stopped. Shreya then looked towards Daya and directly into his eyes.
Shreya was wearing a light blue colored jeans coupled with a white colored crop top. And to complete the outfit she topped it with a knee length baby pink colored cardigan and white colored shoes. This was pretty different from the outfits that Daya had seen her in uptill now. But she looked good as she carried them with confidence. Looking into Daya's eyes, Shreya said, " Aapko kya lagta hai Daya , Busy rehna jyada important hai yaa fir me busy ye jatana jyada jaruri hai !"
Daya then looked down and broke their eye contact. He himself was wearing a dark blue colored jeans and had coupled it with the latest chambray shirts. Adding to this smart looks were the brown colored leather shoes that displayed class. " Mujhe bas itta lagta hai ki Iss Jamane me tumhare Jaise soch hona jyada important hai !" Daya said making Shreya blush to roots. Suddenly she looked down and started adjusting her hair to let that adrenaline flow.
This was the first time Daya had seen Shreya in casual clothes and day by day he had become a fan of her dressing style. She never wore brights and colors that would totally stand different in the crowd. Instead her clothes radiated her personality. The choice was smart , professional and casual at the same time and radiated warmth love and care just as her. " Waise ticket kaunse movie ki mili ?" Shreya asked finally. Daya then handed her the two tickets and said , " 15 min hai movie ko !".
" Ye ?" Shreya said shockingly. " Haa Isme kya problem hai ? Actually Isi ke tickets available the ! Par reviews achche hai movie ke don't worry !" Daya said as he tied his lace that had loosened up a little. " Haa par ye horror movie hai !" Shreya said again completely protesting. " Haa toh ?" Daya said. Daya then realized what Kaki had told him many times. Shreya was a little darpok afterall. But then again he was in a good mood today.
" Kya hua darr lag raha hai ?" Daya asked mischievously. Shreya then looked at Daya with glare. " Me kyu daru ?" Shreya said trying to cover her fear. " Haa ! Darne ki koi baat hi nahi hai!" Daya said still trying to tease her. " Is movie me bhoot hai Daya ! Pata hai na aapko ?" Shreya asked just trying to be sure. Daya laughed a little. " Haa ! Horror hai toh pariyaan toh definitely nahi hogi !" Daya said as if he was thinking about it very seriously.
Kaha fas gyi yaar...pehle hi toh light shuru krke soti hoon... Aaj toh hanuman chalisa padhke sona padega...
" Tum kaho to bachcho wali kisi animated movie ka available hoga ticket to check Karu ?" Daya asked. Shreya put a strand of hair behind her ear and said , " Nahi ...nahi...koi Problem nahi !". She said the last part in a very low confident voice. Both of them then started walking towards the thetre when Daya held Shreya's hand and said , " Shreya...ek movie hai Sirf right ? Aur me hoon na tumhare baju me !" Daya said trying to comfort a little. Maybe she was really scared of something. Maybe there was a serious reason why she kept the light on always when she was alone. " Haa...koi darne ki baat nahi ! Chalte hai! " Shreya said and both of them went inside.
( Movie theater)
The genre of the movie was horror. But the word horror was underrated. It was a Hollywood movie and it consisted of everything. Gothic horror , bloody blood , high volume screams, kidnapping, torture and all those unholy things. Shreya tried to watch most of it but when the climax scene was approaching, Shreya just hid her face behind Daya's shoulder. Lots of the movie was spent holding Daya hand and even pinching it a bit but at the climax , Shreya's patience broke.
" Do you want me to describe you the climax?" Daya asked. " No ! Just no. Bas ye movie khatam hone ke baad jaldi se light me chalna !" Shreya said. Was she really this scared of such things.
( Late night )
It was past midnight, since the showtime that Daya and Shreya had selected was quite late. The parking lot they were walking through was also kinda vacant. Daya was on phone call and he was talking something about saboot, hatyar and all that stuff. Shreya on the other hand was walking as close to him as she could. Daya could sense some fear in Shreya's body language so without even thinking about it, Daya held Shreya's small hand in his large ones. This made Shreya relax a little. Shreya liked this kind of moments when Daya took things into his hands and that too without asking any permission. He never gace a second thought to protect Shreya, never took permission to help her from any guy in public. He just did that on instinct. And Shreya loved that. There was finally someone who for whom she mattered.
Both of them were walking like this when finally Daya's call came to an end. He kept his mobile phone back in pocket and in teasing tone asked, " Waise Kaisi lagi movie ?". Although he knew that Shreya hardly watched the movie. Most of her time was spent covering her eyes , hiding herself behind Daya's large arms. But still kinda loved the leg pulling both of them did it with each other. " Thik thi !" Shreya said with sulking face. " Darr nahi laga ?" Daya asked. Shreya took deep breathes and said, " Thoda thoda ! Jyada nahi !". Shreya said. " Achcha Ji!" Daya said totally laughing at her scared body language. " Toh me 5 mins me aau ? Akele reh logi ?" Daya asked. " Akele ? Akele kyu ? Iss Waqt kaha jana hai !" Shreya asked horrified. Daya again laughed internally. " Are washroom jana hai yaar !", Daya said pointing towards the men's restroom sign in the parking. " Tum Ruko bas me 5 min aya !" Daya said leaving Shreya alone for a few minutes. " Are par ... Suno !" Shreya said but Daya didn't listen to her.
Shreya now stood alone in the large parking lot. She relaxed taking support of the pillar.
( Flashback )
The dark room was a place out of time. It was her room only. But she didn't know why Mami kept it so dark. Ek night bulb bhi nahi lagani deti thi. But slowly slowly Shreya had made herself accustomed to the darkness building up in real life too. She had over the days understood that maybe mamaji and mamiji didn't love her as they as much as they pretended.
" Waise Abhi thodi choti hai , par ek injection dene ke baad jald hi kaam pe lag sakti hai !" She heard a man. The voice was unknown and he wasn't even trying to whisper. " Aur wahape baki ladkiyaan bhi hai jo Ise dheere dheere sab kuch seekha degi !" The voice was now much much closer than before. Suddenly she felt some unknown touches to her feet that made her come out of her sleep real quick. There were two guys in her room with of course her so called mamaji and mamiji.
Shreya screamed and screamed and tried to run in the darkness. But one of the man slapped her real hard and held her wrist very tightly. Where were these guys trying to take her. It was the middle of night. And what of injections. She didn't like injections.
" Me nahi jaungi !" Shreya screamed and threw some tantrums. She even threw some things that were handy to her at all the 4 people. A glass show piece hit mamji flying and he had a minor cut on his eyebrow. That angered him even more. " Ye Silah karegi tu ? Tujhe khana aur Bistar dene ka ye Silah dogi ?" Mamaji asked. Although his face was not visible as the room of completely dark. Shreya could see a small flame that was nearing her. Perhaps it was the lighter with which he used to light his cigars.
" Nahiiii...Nahi...mujhe Jane do ! Mamiji ye kaun log hai...mujhe Jane do...aaaahhh...jal raha hai... !" Shreya screamed...
( Present )
Shreya pressed on a dark brown colored faded mark on her palms. She was seen taking support from the pillar and was constantly murmuring things to herself in her mind. " Please mujhe Jane do ! Mujhe nahi jana anjaan logo ke sath ! Mamaji hath jal raha hai mera...!" Shreya kept murmuring such things to herself. There were beads of sweat on her forehead. Very radically her posture had changed from some one confident to some one who was begging. Her eyes were still closed. Probably she hadn't come out of Flashback.
" Shreya ?" Daya asked as he came from behind her. She didn't give any response to him.
Kuch toh bhi putputa rahi thi. Dard ho raha hai...nahi jana...bohot andhere hai...
Daya hadn't seen Shreya like this ever before. Yes he knew that she was afraid of the dark. But looking at her like this was whole new level. Her breathing was out of controll and she was constantly pressing something on her palm. " Shreya ?" He screamed a little this time and shook her. This bought Shreya out of her trance and both of them had an eye contact.
Shreya's eyes had turned reddish and it was clear that she was on the verge of crying. And within no time her small figure collaped in Daya's embrace. She was crying and heaving and trying to breathe in between. " Mujhe...sath...jana...!" She tried to form a coherent sentence in between but was unable to do so. Daya didn't understand what was happening. He had just left her for 5 mins and to be sure he just looked around, there was no one there. Who was she scared of ? Daya tried to separate her from his embrace to ask her some questions but the more he tried to free her the more she clung to him.
Finally realizing that more than interrogation, Shreya needed human comfort more than ever, Daya accepted her into his embrace. The hug was stronger than anything Shreya had ever experienced. It was as if holding Daya wasn't enough but she had to feel every ounce of him. In a way that nobody was gonna touch her here. Her open hair splattered around her face that was quite sweaty uptill now. Gently Daya placed the locks behind her ear and rubbed circles on her back. With one hand he rubbed circles on her back and the other placed her on her head. The action kinda relaxed Shreya.
" Shreya ?" Daya then said in the most compassionate voice that Shreya had ever heard. " Hmmm ?" Shreya said in a low voice. " Are you OK now ?" Daya asked after he felt that shehad stopped breathing erratically. Shreya just nodded and tried her way to wiggle out from his strong embrace. But as if it was possible. " Its okay! It's okay!" Daya said. Instead of freeing her, he held her tighter as he said that. And to his surprise Shreya accepted it instead of rejecting it straight away. Looks like she was really scared of whatever that was going on in her mind.
" Are you calm enough to listen to me ?" Daya asked still stroking her smooth hair. Shreya again nodded. Just a nod. Perhaps she didn't have anything to say. " Yaha koi nahi hai. Koi bhi nahi ! Jo Tumhe khatra pohocha sakta hai ! Okay ?" Daya said very calmly trying to bring her back to reality. " I have looked around myself. There's no one here !" Daya said again. That caused Shreya to stir a bit and have a look around a little. Not much because, Daya still held her tighter. When Shreya was sure that what Daya had spoken was the truth. She then felt Daya cupping her cheeks and making her look directly into his eyes. " Aur agar tumhe koi kuch bhi karne ka try karta hai, toh me humesha tum dono ke bich khada rahoonga ! Okay ?" Daya said with as much as love , compassion and confidence as he could. He just wanted Shreya to believe whatever he was saying. " I won't let anything happen to you. Trust me !" Daya said again still cupping her cheeks.
Finally, Shreya relaxed a little bit. She had never anticipated this too happen. But sometimes the past just gets best of you. " Uss din woh do chaman ladko ki halat nahi dekhi thi kya tumne ?" Daya said reminding her that day. That again made Shreya giggle a little. He then kept his large palm on her head and said, " Okay now ?". Daya asked. Shreya just nodded wiping her eyes a little.
( Next morning )
Daya rang the door bell as hard as he could. " Aree haaa...kitta jor se bajaoge ?" He heard Kaka's voice from inside. And within no time, Kaka was standing in front of him opening the door. " Tum ? Iss Waqt ?" Kaka asked shocked. " Kya hua ? Mera bhi ghar hai. Me nahi aa sakta kya ?" Daya asked equally surprised. " Are Shreya agyi tum?" Kaki came asking. " Chal dawai rakh de. Aur aja garma garam Nashta karne. " Tere pasand ka South Indian khana hai aaj. Sambar wada !" Kaki said. But then again she was also equally shocked to see Daya instead of Shreya. " Tum ?" Kaki asked in the same tone as kaka.
" Haa. Woh Shreya ka subah phone aya tha ki use kuch emergency agyi hospital me toh aapko ye dawai urgently pohochadu krke." Daya said. Kaki then took the medicines from Daya's hand and just said, " Achcha !". She then left inside immediately. " Are me bhi kabhi kabar south Indian Nashta kar leta hoon !" Daya said but as if kaki paid a heed to him. Kaka laughed at poor Daya. " Baat kya hai ?" Daya asked. " Aao bhai tum andar aao pehle." Kaka said as both of the men got inside. " Woh Shreya pihlchle baar naraj hoke gyi thi na. Bas Uske liye hi tha itta taam jham. Aur Uske jagah agye tum !" Kaka said as they sat of the couch. " Achcha Ji!" Daya said acknowledged.
" Waise kaki , Ye Shreya teri Ladli hai samajh sakta hoon ! Par Uske piche tu mujhe bhul rahi hai..Ye samajh ke nahi lunga !" Daya said and that made everyone laugh. And then both Kaka and Daya were having breakfast sitting on the dining table. Kaka was served with a plate full of fruits, chia seeds and juice. While Daya was having the tastiest South Indian food.
Waise Abhijeet sahi hi bolta hai. 7 din me ekbaar kuch aisa mil jaye toh Achcha hi lagta hai...
Daya then peeped inside kitchen. Kaki was into her own prepping for the lunch he guessed. So he took the opportunity and asked Kaka. " Kaka ? Waise Shreya ke barime ek baat puchu ?". Kaka was equally surprised. Usually he was the spectator in this Daya - Shreya - Kaki triangle. And he had this strict kinda personality. So Daya used to think twice before saying anything in front of him. " Haa Haa pucho !" Kaka said. " Yeh Shreya ke sath kuch hua tha kya Bachpan me ?" Daya asked and instantly the clattering of Kaka's fork stopped. " Kuch btaya usne Tumhe?" Kaka asked. " Nahi.. bas woh kabhi kabhi lagta hai..toh yuhi puch liya !" Daya asked not giving out what had happened yesterday night. " Bas beta yuh samajhlo ki bohot kuch galat hone se pehle Shreya ne khudko Bachaya hai. Ek baar nahi kayi baar !" Kaka said.
Daya just didn't say anything and instead went onto thinking mode. " Aur aiseme pata hai kya hota hai ? Insaan duniya se ladte ladte thak jata hai. Use roj subah uth kar zindagi jeene ke liye bhi himmat lagti hai !" Kaka said. Daya took in that too.
" Tum achche insan ho Daya !" Kaka said. Daya was a little surprised to hear that all of a sudden. " Ekdum se aisa kyu kaka ?" Daya asked. " Mujhe tum par Pura bharosa hai ! Bas Bete itna Dhyaan rakhna ki Shreya ne jo Tumpe vishwas kiya hai, Use Uske liye bohit bada dil laga hai. Use kabhi dukh mat pohochana !" Kaka said again. Daya was just stunned on hearing that. " Nahi kaka ! Aisa nahi hoga ! Aapse wada hai mera !" Daya said and suddenly his fone rang.
" Are Aise kaise farar ho gya ?" Daya said over the phone. " Haa Haa...Abhijeet ko bolo ki woh bhi nikle me bhi nikalta hoon !"
Daya said that and left hurriedly leaving half of his breakfast.
( Crime Scene )
" Sab apne apne position pe hai ?" Abhijeet asked. " Yes Sir !" Daya and Fredricks replied in unison. " Boss ! I'm going in !" Daya said. " Daya ! Chaaro ore Chaukanna ! Thik hai ! Kahi se bhi firing hai sakti hai. Tum jab tak hold kar paa rahe ho tab tak karke rakho Taki hum Sanjeev tak pohoch paye !" Abhijeet said. " Tum meri chinta mat karo boss ! Aaj Sanjeev bachega nahi !" Daya said and finally went in the abandoned house.
And then there was shooting, gun firing and just more of that. However 5 minutes later Abhijeet and Fredricks emerged into the front area of the house with the culprit. Their plan had worked. One distracted and the others did the job. This thing never failed. Daya then looked at Sanjeev and said , " Bohot bhag liya tu. Ab tujhe mujhse kaun Bachaya?" Daya said...
Aur fir pada ek jor ka lafa...
" Me Sanjeev ko leke bereau jata hoon !" Abhijeet said. Abhijeet left and Fredeicks then looked towards Daya and said , " Me Dr. Saab ko call krke bolta hu ki tumhe hath pe goli lagi thi ! Woh sab tayar rakhenge Matlab!" and he started dialing Dr. Salunkhe's number. Daya took a pause and then said " Fredricks ! Mere dost ka hospital yahi pass me hai. Waha chale ?" Daya asked. His one hand still covering and applying the pressure on the wound. Fredricks smiled, " Thik hai Chaliye sir ! Waise bhi Dr. Salunkhe Ilaaj kam aur taane jyada Marte hai !" Fredricks said as they proceeded over.
( Hospital )
Shreya was in her cabin signing some discharge papers when suddenly a nurse knocked on her door. " Mam aapke liye koi patient emergency ward me puch raha hai !" The nurse said. " " Emergency me koi resident hoga na. Meri aaj ICU me posting hai. Wahake resident se baat karlo ekbaar !" Shreya said as she again got up for her icu rounds. " Mam maine bol ke Dekha! Lekin koi CID inspector Daya hai. Keh raha hai ki aapko janta hai !" The nurse said. " Daya ?" Shreya asked in worry. " Daya ko kya ho gya achanak se ?" Shreya asked as she made her way to the emergency room. " Gun shot wound hai Mam!" The nurse replied and Shreya made a mad dash towards emergency ward.
Daya was sitting there on one of the bed clutching his arm tightly. Blood was oozing from the wound and it had stained his clothes a little. " Daya ? Ye kab hua ?" Shreya asked as she ran towards him. " Are woh kuch nahi , thoda case me hojata hai idhar udhar kabhi kabar !" Daya said very casually.
Shreya then uncovered the wound. " Cut deep hai Mam ! Bullet exactly kaha par hai ye pata krne ke liye guide scope laye ?" Another sister asked. " Nahi ! I can handle it ! " Shreya said. She then signaled her hands in particular way that medically meant she needed gloves now. " Retractor Stat!" Shreya ordered.
......Pass se toh aur bhi Khoobsurat dikhti ho Shreya tum...
" Waise work mode me kafi serious rehti ho tum !" Daya said. " Tum mujhrim ko pakadte pakadte joke sunato ho ?" Shreya asked mischievously. That made someone laugh at the door. Shreya turned back to see who the person was. Suddenly Daya whispered in her ear, " Sub Inspector Fredricks !". Shreya's tongue stuck out on the realization and after that she kept quite.
Shreya kept the bullet in a kidney tray making a clinking sound ! " The bullet is out !" Shreya said. " Hume ye bullet chahiye !" Daya said in a very bland voice. " Sister ! Saline se clean karo uss bullet ko !" Shreyan rdered the sister. " Me stitches ki tayari krti hoon !" Shreya said. Daya looked at the numbing injection. He wasn't scared but he knew that it was going to pain as hell. Shooting a numbing medication directly into wound. Shreya noticed something uncomfortable.
" Daya ye injection bohot dard deta hai !" Shreya said showing him the syringe. " Haaa toh pehle baar kaunsi goli lagi hai mujhe !" Daya said. " Nahi me bta raha thi ki insaan kitna bhi hatta katta ho ! Rota jarur hai !" Shreya said. " Me toh abtak nahi roya ! Tumhe hatte Katte log mile hi nahi honge mere Jaise!" Daya said. He then squinted his eyes shut to bear the maximum amount of pain without even making slightest noise. " De du ?" Shreya asked again. " Haa !" Daya said. " Pakka ?" Shreya asked again. " Are yaar tum Kaisi doctor ho ! Baki ke log distract krte hai ! Tum toh ulta aur darr badha rahi ho !" Daya said frustratingly. " Chalo ready ! De do !" He said again.
" Ho gya !" Shreya said. Daya heaved a sigh of relief that nothing pained as Shreya had described. But then he found out that Shreya was removing gloves. Wasn't shensupposed to stitch the wound. " Oo hello madam ? Take kaun lagaya?" Daya asked furiously. Shreya smiled a little and instructed the nurse something. " Taake lag gaya hai tumko. Madam hogya bola. Suna nahi tumne !" The sister said in a typical matren tone. " Hogya ?" Daya asked surprisingly as he touched his wound and yes indeed it was closed. Shreya worked very very fast. " Tum hath seedha rakho na baba. Merko dressing lagani hai uspe !" The sister shouted on Daya and Shreya laughed.
Daya then reached his mobile and typed something. With eye contact he asked Shreya to check the message.
Your nurse is a peace of art...
Shreya laughed that in turn made Daya laugh. " Are baba tum kayko itna hilra?" The sister said again and finally Daya sat still. " Me kuch papers sign krke leke ati hoo." Shreya said took the leave.
" Waise sir ! Ye doctor mujhe Badi Achchi lagi !" Fredricks said. " Kitna fast kaam kiya aur aapko kuch dard bhi nahi hua !" Fredricks then said in a typical freddy tone. " Freddy ek cid officer ko kabhi dard bhi nahi hona chahiye !" Daya said in a authoritive tone. Soon Shreya came with papers and prescription. " Daya, Ye kuch medicines likh ke de rahi hoon. Ye wali antibiotic hai. Subah ekbaar khane ke baad and Raat me ek khane ke baad. Ye pain killer. Same routine. Ye ek aur strong painkiller hai. SOS lena agar Ye pehle wali goli se bhi dard nahi gaya toh." Shreya said and then touched Daya's forehead. She then wrote something again on prescription paper. Thodasa fever chadh raha hai. Ye Uske liye !" Shreya said. " And sabse important 3 din ka rest !" Shreya said. " 3 din ?" Daya's eyes widened. " Haa kyu koi problem hai ?" Shreya asked. " Nahi ..Nahi...bas yuhi !" Daya said. " Thik hai me chalta hoon. Kuch laga toh call karunga !" Daya said and took Shreya's leave.
( Late Evening )
Daya was standing in front this mirror. He had just readied himself in his denims and a cargo shirt. He folded his sleeves just like the way he used to love it. Though he was feeling a little feverish but then again his informer had called him to give some necessary information. So taking the dose of medicines early , he was about to leave when the bell rang. Daya came down to open the door.
" Are Shreya tum ? Abhi Iss Waqt ?" Daya asked. Though he loved to spend time with her , but he was leaving for important work now. " Aur hum bhi ! Kaki kaki said standing besides her !"
Ab ye sab kahase aa gye yaar...
Daya exclaimed and ushered them inside. " Kahi bahar jaa rahe the Aap? " Shreya asked looking at his clothes. " Nahi..me Haa.. matlab nahii..." Daya said. Daya then looked dumbfounded. " Aram karna chahiye na aapko. Bukhar bhi hai thoda!" Shreya said trying to touch his forehead by raising her heels. " Haa woh bas kisi khabri ka phone agya tha !" Daya said finally giving in. " " Bohot dard ho raha hoga na Daya !" Kaki said. " Nahi woh ! Just pain killers li hai toh !" Daya replied.
" Daya tu kuch bhi bol. Tere na Iss job se kabhi kabar darr lagta hai mujhe. Hoga tu bahadur par hum nahi hai. Tujhe kuch hojata aaj toh !" Kaki said. " Kaki...itna kya darna. Pehli baar thodi hai !" Daya said. " Ye baat toh sahi hai beta. Darr toh lagta hai bohot!" Kaka said. Now Daya had no words to say.
" Kaki, Kaka...Aap bhi na...!" Shreya said. " Aapko Daya ki Takat banni hai. Unki kamjori nahi !" Shreya said trying to pacify the elders.
Kya samajh hai ye ladki ki...
" Waise me jis kaam ke liye aapko yaha layi thi woh toh kar hi nahi rahe Aap log !" Shreya said. Daya looked towards her confusion. " Are Haa...itni chot me bahar kyu nikal raha tha tu. Shreya ne barabar andaja lagaya ki tum gharpe nahi rukoge !" Kaki said.
Shreya ki bachchi tum bhi...
Daya said to her. Shreya just stuck her tongue out. But then shrugged her shoulder. " Daya...kuch dino ki toh baat hai !" Shreya said trying to convince him. One look at her eyes and Daya immediately said , " Thik hai me Abhijeet se Keh deta hoon ki thoda sambhal le krke !".
" Dekha Kishori...Ye mamle me aajtak humari ek baat nahi mana ye ladka. Aur aaj ek jhatke me tayar ho gaya. Ho na ho tumhara Daya aur Shreya ko eksath lane ki soch bohot sahi thi.." Kaka said to kaki as they both looked at the two souls that maybe had started to secretly love each other.
Just then Bablu came and touched Kaka kaki's feet. " Aree Kaka, Kaki.. itne dino baad !". And they were having a small interaction. " Umm ye Bablu hai...yaha kaam karta hai !" Daya said to Shreya clarifying. " Oh !" She said as she looked around the house with inquisition.
" Abhi lagegi Bablu ki class..." Daya said. " Matlab ?" Shreya asked.
" Bablu kaha tha na ye khidki ke curtains ko drycleen krne daalna tha ! Aur akbar itte bikhre kyu pade hai ?" And kaki went on...Shreya giggled at that.
Kaki ke hathbse toh kabhi safsafi wale Bach hi nahi sakte.
" Waise tum pehli baar ayi ho mere ghar !" Daya said as the realization hit him. " Haa !" Shreya said as she looked around.
" Tum baitho me coffee banake lata hoon !" Daya said. But then Shreya just realized that when she was not in a place to do anything how Daya had done almost everything for her. Even helping her washing hands. " Daya ? Me bana du?" Shreya asked politely. Daya just smiled. He could never ever say no to that angelic voice. " Banao ! Aaj tumhare hath ki coffee pi lete hai !" He said as he showed her the way to the kitchen.
( Kitchen )
Shreya just added some coffee powder to the puffed milk. Daya just stood their near the cabinet watching Shreya making some coffee. " Waise tum ek bohot Achchi doctor ho !" Daya said as he pointed her the location of sugar. Shreya smiled and asked " Matlab ?". " Are Matlab woh kehte hai na..ki kuch doctor Aise hote hai ki jiske sath baat krne se hi adhi tabiyat thik hojati hai. Waise types !" Daya said. " Matlab mujhe toh samjha bhi nahi ki tumne kab bullet nikali, kab local anesthesia diya kab suturing ki !" Daya said again. " You look quite familiar with the process. Aapki kaunse number wali bullet thi ?" Shreya asked changing the topic.
" To be honest , jitte Kaka kaki ko pata hai and jitte Kaka kaki ko nahi pata...Total 1 plus 4 and aajki ek so total 5 !" Daya said. " Darr nahi lagta ?" Shreya asked. " Honestly, I sleep better at night ! You know..Sometimes you need just 20 second of insane courage, 20 seconds of insane bravery and something really great comes out if it." Daya said. Shreya liked the response and it could be made out from her expression only.
" Waise Shreya ? Khudke barime bilkul baat nahi krti tum hai na ?" Daya said making Shreya blush again. " Matlab ?" Shreya asked. " Tumhari baat nikli toh baat ko Aise palat ti ho ki samne wale ko pata bhi nahi chalta ! Mujhe pata chalta hai par!" Daya said being confident. Shreya just gave a sheepish smile. " Aap bhi toh bade hoshiyaar hai. Baaton baaton me sab padh lete hai samne wale ke dimag me kya chal raha hai !" Shreya said that made Daya blush now. " Chaliye ye bhi thik hai. Me koi mujrim toh nahi. Padh lijiye humara bhi dimag !" Shreya said smiling.
" Are nahi me toh aisehi hi. Jo dopahar me mere sath aya tha woh Fredricks tha. Woh toh bol raha tha ki Tumhe apna family doctor banayega !" Daya said almost changing the whole conversation. Shreya then increased the flame of the gas and turned around to face Daya. " Actually iske pehle jaha job karti thi waha mostly pediatric patients ko handle kiya hai. Toh shyd Waise hi adat pad gyi hai !" Shreya said. " Bachcho ko treat krne me bohot patience lagta hai !" Shreya again said.
" But you have a very different school of thought !" Daya said. " Aapki na adhi bate mujhe samajhti hi nahi !" Shreya said. " Are Matlab simple si baat hai. Bachcho ko toh sab distract krte hai ye btake ki woh waha chat par dekho, ye yaha Jameen par dekho , bilkul jyada dard nahi hoga...! Tum toh ekdum reality ke sath describe krke distract krti ho. I found it quite different. Actually fascinating !" Daya said. He really observed Shreya very keenly.
Shreya then turned around and started to pour the coffee that was ready in cups. After giving it a thought she finally said , " Numbing the pain for a while will actually make it worse when you actually feel it. Toh isse behtar hai ki reality hi batado. Ki dard hoga , bohot hoga Lekin itta bhi nahi ki tum handle hi na kar pao !" Shreya said and turned around with 5 cups on a tray.
Daya was about to pick one of them when suddenly Shreya slapped his hand. " Ye kya tha ?" Daya asked surprised. " Aap coffee nahi piyenge. Aap ye dudh lo !" Shreya said handling him the cup. " Aisa kyu ?" Daya asked. Shreya then pointed towards the medicine wrappers on the dining table and said , " Aapne Raat ko dose Abhi hi le liya. Aur dawai pe coffee nahi lete asar kam hota hai !" . Daya sighed in frustration. " Yeh toh Achcha hai bhai. Mujhe chod ke baki sab ko apne hath ki coffee pilao !" Daya said.
Shreya was about go into the living room when Daya stopped her again. " Waise Shreya ! Baat ekdum sahi boli tumne...Numbing the pain for a while will actually make it worse when you feel it ! Lekin ye kabhi khudpar aajma ke Dekha hai ?" Daya asked. " Matlab me nahi samjha ?" Shreya said again. " Koi bina wajah itna nahi ghabrata Shreya !" Daya finally said it referring to last night. And Shreya's stomach turned into knots.
Suddenly the hands that were holding the coffee tray started shivering. " Idhar Lao woh !" Daya took it from her hands and kept it on the platform. " Daya Thandie ho jaygi coffee ! Please samne dene dijiye! " Shreya said again trying to turn off the topic.
" Firse garam kar lenge. Koi baat nahi !" Daya said shooting a piercing look into her eyes. " Mujhe nahi pata kya dard hai tumhare andar. It's just that you're numbing your pain for too long. And your pain is manifesting as your fear ! You wanna talk about it ?" Daya asked.
Shreya took a deep breathe and again picked up the coffee tray.
" I don't talk about the bad Daya... !"
Saying that she immediately closed the topic.
Now Daya was standing alone in the kitchen.
Baat to tum karegi Shreya...Me tumse karwa ke rahunga...I won't let you suffer alone...