Baba had a heart attack. It was a minor one and things were in control. But Nidhi was shattered. As soon as she was allowed in his room, she had run inside and refused to come out. Ashutosh checked with the cardiologist and confirmed that there was no danger. An emergency case had come in and Ashutosh had to rush to attend that. He asked Anji to take care of Nidhi.
The emergency case was that of the accident of a minister’s eight years old son and was blown out of proportion. Apart from handling the medical emergency, Ashutosh also had to take care of the security arrangements and the media. He returned after five hours and saw Anji pacing up and down in the corridor.
“Kya hua Anji? Sab theek to hai?” she clearly looked worried.
“Achchha hua aap aa gaye Dr. Ashutosh. Nidhi ki…”
“Kya hua Nidhi ko?”
“Woh tab se Baba ke paas baithi ro rahi hai. Na kuchh khaya hai, na piya hai. Wahan se hilne ka naam hi nahin le rahi. Dr. Gupta ne to kaha hai ki yahan kissi ke rukne ki bhi zaroorat nahin hai. Lekin woh maan hi nahin rahi hai.”
“Main dekhta hoon.”
Ashutosh went inside the room and saw Nidhi sitting exactly how Anji had described to him. He gently patted her shoulder. She looked at him, but turned back and started staring at Baba again. Seeing her tear stained face tore his heart. Why were so many things going wrong in her life? One had hardly been sorted, when the other problem came up.
He whispered so as not to disturb Baba, “Bahar chalo Nidhi.”
She nodded negatively.
“Please. Tumse baat karni hai.”
She got up and followed him.
“Ye kya halat bana rakhi hai tumne apni? Tum khud doctor ho. Itna to samajhti ho ki agar tum khud beemaar pad gayi to Baba ki dekh bhaal kaun karega?”
“Mujhe kuchh nahin hoga,” Nidhi said stubbornly.
“Nahin. Tumhein kyon kuchh hoga? Tum to super woman ho na,” Ashutosh paused before continuing, “Look Nidhi. Maine Dr. Gupta se baat ki hai. Minor heart attack tha. Ab koi khatra nahin hai. Tum ghar ja sakti ho. Kal aa jaana.”
“Main Baba ko aise chhod kar nahin ja sakti.”
“He is under sedatives. So rahe hain aaraam se. Tum yahan ruk kar kya karogi?”
She did not reply.
“Nidhi. Tumhein mujh par zara bhi bharosa hai ki nahin? Main tumse kuchh galat to nahin kahunga na?”
She nodded in agreement.
“Tumne jo ye apna haal bana rakha hai, usse sab kitne pareshaan hain tumhein pata bhi hai? Anji tumhari wajah se yahan se hil nahin rahi hai. Uske parents pareshaan hain. Dadi Bua pareshaan hain. Isse kya fayda hai? Meri baat maano. Abhi ghar chalo aur aaraam kar lo. Subah apna achchha sa, hansta hua chehra le kar Baba ke saamne aana. Tumhari aisi thaki hui, roni shakal dekhenge to usse unki tabiyat aur kharaab ho jayegi. Samjhi?”
She nodded and followed him.
—
Anji got coffee for all of them at home.
“Baba ke ghar aane ke baad mujhe chhutti chahiye hogi. Kam se kam ek-do mahine ki.”
“Kyon?” Ashutosh asked.
“Main apni zindagi mein aisi mashgool ho gayi thi ki mujhe Baba ka dhyaan hi nahin raha. Pata nahin kab unki tabiyat itni kharaab ho gayi aur ye halat ho gayi. Unhein meri zaroorat hai. Kam se kam do mahine tak main unke saath rahungi aur unhein koi kaam nahin karne doongi. Pata nahin kitna stress lete hain.”
“Tum zyada se zyada ek hafte ki chhutti logi, aur kuchh nahin.”
“Kyon?”
“Kyonki Baba se zyada tumhare patients ko tumhari zaroorat hai. Nidhi – ye minor sa heart attack tha. Ek hafte mein woh bilkul fit ho jayenge. Aur waise bhi yana unka dhyaan rakhne ke liye aur log hain. Tum bhi alternate days ghar par rahogi. Phir kya problem hai?”
Nidhi spoke after a while, “Aap shayad theek kah rahe hain. I am sorry. Main bhi kabhi kabhi bachchon jaisi harquatein karti hoon.”
“That’s not a problem,” Ashutosh smiled affectionately, “I love kids.”
—
“Aao Nidhi. Baba ko hosh aa gaya hai,” Ashutosh was already in the hospital when Nidhi reached here.
“Aap poori raat yahin the?”
“N… nahin to. Main bas abhi aaya hoon.”
“Jhooth bolne ki umra chali gayi hai aapki Dr. Ashutosh,” Nidhi said making him smile.
“Achchha baba. Main pakda gaya. Ab jao Baba se mil lo.”
“Ji.”
—
An acquantance of Yograj Verma had come from Canada and had given him the proposal of exporting clothes to a big Canadian retail chain. It was too big an order for his company, but at that person’s insistence, he had taken up the project. He had to take a loan from the bank for this. Later it turned out that the person had cheated. He had sold off the clothes in the local market and had gone back to Canada with the money. No payment ever reached Yograj Verma.
Baba’s manager told Nidhi the entire story, “Woh aapko nahin batana chahte the beta. Lekin abhi unki ye halat hai to kissi ko to kuchh karna hi padega na. Bank ke paas bhi ye khabar pahunch gayi ki unhein paise nahin milne waale hain. To unhone bhi notice bhej diya. Us dhokhe se to woh pahle hi shock mein the. Ab ek mahine ke andar bank bhi loan ka disbursed amount wapas chahta hai. Jab bank manager ka call aaya, usi ke baad unki tabiyat kharaab ho gayi.”
“Kitna amount hai loan ka?”
“Ek crore.”
“Ek crore,” Nidhi’s eyes widened in shock. How will she ever arrange for that money?
Ashutosh was sitting beside Nidhi as she heard the entire story. Nidhi said after manager had left, “Baba ki life style bahut healthy hai aur unka regular check up bhi hota tha. Mujhe pata tha ki koi aur hi baat hui hogi jo unhein heart attack aaya hoga. Ab itne paison ka intezaam kahan se hoga?”
“Nidhi. Tum uski chinta mat karo. Amount bada hai, lekin main intezaam kar sakta hoon…”
“Nahin. Baba iske liye kabhi nahin maanenge.”
“Nidhi…” he started to insist, but realized that not only Baba’s, but her own self respect also meant a lot to her. So, he changed his reasoning, “Nidhi. Tumhein yaad hoga ki Baba ke ghar ke liye maine tumhein isse zyada ka offer diya tha. Tum woh ghar mujhe bech do.”
“Kaisi baatein kar rahe hain aap? Woh ghar aapka hai. Main uske liye aapse paise kaise le sakti hoon?”
“Tum ye kaisi baat kar rahi ho Nidhi. Woh ghar Baba ne tumhein diya tha. Pyaar se. Unhein is baat ka dukh tha ki woh apni beti ke liye kuchh kar nahin paye. Ab agar is museebat ke samay mein unka diya hua ghar tumhare kaam aa jaye to shayad unki aatma ko shanti milegi.”
“Aap bahut intelligent hain. Achchhi reasoning kar lete hain. Lekin woh ghar main pahle hi aapke naam kar chuki hoon. Bas registrar ke paas jaana hai. Main uske liye paise nahin le sakti aapse.”
“Nidhi. Ya to apna samjho. Ya gair samjho. Agar apna samajhti ho to mujhe madad karne do. Agar gair samajhti ho to ghar bech do.”
Nidhi sighed, “Theek hai. Agar koi aur intezaam nahin ho paya to jo aap kahenge wahi karoongi. Lekin mujhe koshish kar lene dijiye. Please.”
“Theek hai. Lekin tum apna khayaal rakhogi aur iske liye chinta kar ke ke apni tabiyat kharaab nahin karogi.”
“Promise.”
—
“Koi intezaam hua Nidhi paison ka?”
“Ji. Dadi Bua ne bataya ki Mummy ke gahne locker mein rakhe hain. Dadi ke diye hue the. Unhein bech kar kuchh paison ka intezaam to ho hi jayega.”
“Tum apne khaandaani gahne bechne waali ho?” Ashutosh asked in disbelief.
“Aise bhi khaandaani nahin hain. Dadi ne Mummy ke liye hi banwaye the. Phir ban jayenge. Main kaun sa unhein pahanne waali hoon. Purane style ke honge.”
“Lekin… Achchha theek hai. Tum market mein uska price pata karwa lo. Lekin bechna mat. Meri jaan pahchaan mein hai koi. Wahan se shayad better valuation mil jaye.”
Nidhi thought for a moment and said, “Theek hai.”
—
“Ab kaisi tabiyat hai aapki?” Ashutosh was visiting Baba at home.
“Itne saare doctors ke aas paas rahte mere dil ki kya mazaal jo kuchh idhar udhar kar jaye.”
Ashutosh laughed as Baba continued, “Waise thoda tadap zaroor raha tha ye?”
“Kyon bhala?” Ashutosh was still smiling.
“Tumhein thanks bolne ke liye.”
“Mujhe thanks kyon?”
“Paison ke intezaam ke liye…”
“Usmein maine kya kiya. Gahne aapke the.”
“Sawa crore ke the?”
“Ji. Uski pahchaan to mujhe nahin hai,” Ashutosh laughed nervously, “Jo daam mujhe bataya gaya woh maine Nidhi ko dilwa diya.”
“Ye bhi theek hai. Lo bhai. Nidhi ki coffee aa gayi. Waise aaj kal chai bhi banane lagi hai. Improvement hai tumhari sangati mein rah kar. Bua bahut khush hain.”
Ashutosh and Nidhi looked at each other nervously. Ashutosh knew that Baba was aware of the tension house issue had created beetween them. Nidhi didn’t know even that. And Ashutosh wondered if Baba knew more than that. About their relationship? What else could that remark mean?
—
To be continued