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Deepak gathered some strength to talk to her. “What do you think, Roshni?”
Roshni looked over at Akash and then at Sheetal. She wondered if Akash and Sashank bhaiya had told him of the accident and if she was the reason he came. She remained quiet.
“So, Roshni, you did not think it necessary to inform me?” he asked.
Roshni raised her head to look at him. “Deepak–”
He interrupted her. “Why did you not inform me about this?”
“You are at a dist–”
Deepak did not let her continue and started in a louder tone, “Why didn’t you tell me, Roshni? I tried to discourage you from coming here, but you were adamant. I understand Sashank bhaiya and Akash bhaiya also discouraged you, and you did not listen to them either. And…and now this. What have you done to yourself? Thankfully, Sheetal ji was with you to bring you to this hospital. If not…if not – Roshni…what if…? I was so worried when I heard this! And…”
He had a major download of his anxiety for her. He was perturbed, and the distress was visible in his tone and expressions. Sheetal and Akash were astounded. They watched Roshni’s reactions. She was quiet, letting Deepak vent his emotions. She had seen this behavior before.
After his download, Deepak became quiet and stood there, staring at Roshni and her injuries with wet eyes.
Akash stood in disbelief. How could Deepak behave so insanely? He shook his head; this behavior definitely was not appreciated by Roshni!
“Are you done?” Roshni asked Deepak very calmly.
Deepak remained silent and felt embarrassed. He did exactly what everybody in Mumbai had been worried about. Roshni did not say a word after nor showed any interest in talking to him. She had no energy to talk much anyways.
“Deepak, please…leave her alone for a while. Let’s go out in the corridor; I would like to talk to you,” Akash said and took Deepak out of the room. He looked at Sheetal and nodded his head. Sheetal joined them.
“Deepak, why did you have to react like that to Roshni? Don’t you know her condition?” Akash paused and shook his head. “Why did you behave as such?”
Deepak had no answer. He just stared at Akash and Sheetal.
“You should go and apologize to her. What you did is definitely not acceptable. How could you…I mean…look at her condition; how could you say anything to her? You are very heartbroken to see her in this state, but that does not mean you express your anger at this time.”
Sheetal secretly admired Akash for admonishing Deepak for his behavior. Akash again asked Deepak to go in the room while he and Sheetal waited outside. It was important for him to talk to Roshni and show some concern and love, which he had tons of, and he had to express it to her.
Roshni’s thoughts whirled. What have I done to this man? What enmity does he have with me? Every time he sees me, he is upset and angry? And today…even in this condition, he has no mercy. What an individual! He was unhappy for not being informed, but…is this the way he expresses his emotions, hurting people? Does he even realize the impact this has on people? She had tears in her eyes; she was so weak, she did not have strength to cry. She put her right arm across her face to hide her eyes, but tears slowly trickled down her cheeks.
Sheetal and Akash asked Deepak to talk to Roshni and console her, and to apologize to her for his behavior. Deepak came closer to her and sat on the chair next to her bed. Roshni had her left arm resting across her belly and hid her face with her right arm. Deepak held her left hand and gently squeezed it with his head down. Roshni removed her hand from her face, and he noticed her tears. She wiped the tears that would not stop trickling down her cheeks.
“My sincere apologies, Roshni. I should not have yelled at you.” So saying, he squeezed her hand and looked at her.
Roshni tried to pull her hand away from him but was unable to. Deepak’s grip was firm, and her weakness did not help her. She stared at him with teary eyes. “Why do you do this to me always? What have I done to you? This move to Bangalore was intended for me to stay away from you and your family, and yet…you don’t seem to hesitate to yell and bring tears to me, why? Why, Deepak? As far as I know, I have not done anything to bring trouble to you in this life, so…why? Is this all my last birth karma…to get married to you and…and…is that why you torture me again and again? How long am I to suffer like this? Why don’t you leave me alone!” she said with tears continuing to trickle down.
Deepak leaned forward and wiped her tears. “Roshni…Roshni, please stop. I didn’t mean to. I…I was so worried for you, and then…and…you not telling me made me very angry, so…I could not control myself. Please forgive me! Please stop crying. You are too weak already, please…”
He pleaded with her not to cry, but Roshni could not control herself, and tears continued to flow down her cheeks. Deepak stayed, holding her hand, and his eyes were moist too. He bent down and gently placed a kiss on her hand. “Do you know how difficult it is for me to watch you like this,” he said after a brief pause. “Here I came to India to spend some quality time with you, and…and I find out you’ve been in an accident. Do you know what I went through and am going through? Can you even comprehend? I just wanted to fly like a bird and be at your side. I was terrified. I do not know how to react to all this. I guess I cannot handle such situations well; this is my weakness. Please… Roshni. What have you done to yourself?
“What if Sheetal and Aunty were not here? Did you imagine your condition with nobody around to take care of you!” he added.
Deepak wiped his tears and waited for her to respond, but Roshni quietly listened to him and wondered why he had such feelings for her. They stared into each other’s eyes – the heartache evident in both of them.
Sheetal and Akash entered the room, and Sheetal interrupted the silence. “The doctor is on his rounds. He should be here soon, and Aunty will be here as well with food.”
The doctor came in on his regular visit. He saw some visitors in the room, and he recognized Akash. “Ah, you are back already?” he asked.
“Yes, doctor, this is Deepak, my brother and Roshni’s husband.” Akash introduced Deepak.
“Oh yes, I am glad you could come, Mr. Verma. I had mentioned it to Roshni, but she said you are a busy man, so she did not want to disturb you.”
“Yes, Doctor, I can be busy, but this is more important than anything else.” He glanced at Roshni. Being anxious, Deepak asked the doctor a whole bunch of questions regarding Roshni’s condition and her recovery, and the doctor very patiently explained everything.
