UE part 20

Khushi staggered trying to get a hold of all the confusion around her..the sound had been distant yet deafening..there were cries, screams and panic all around her..

she saw someone about to run away on a little kid fallen and she rushed forward, as she managed to move the child away she herself was pushed forward and her head hit straight and forcefully on the metal rail ahead..

Horrible images spun in Arnav's mind as he sped his car along the road..

Live news played on his cellphone kept before him...

people being carried away in ambulances..no casualty yet reported though..it had thankfully not been an incident of a large scale and most people had gotten away with minor injuries while few had suffered major ones..

police barricades had been put up all over and Arnav jumped out of his car..

His face was wrought with worry as he hurried from here to there..

and then he spotted her..holding her forehead standing a little distance away..

"KHUSHI!!!"

Anger and worry broke all bounds as Arnav strode towards her and in a jerk was literally shaking the life out of her..

"ARE YOU MAD ?? YOU ARE A BUSINESS JOURNALIST DAMMIT!! DO I HAVE TO TELL THAT TO YOU? I THINK I HAVE TO, CUZ YOU DON'T HAVE BRAINS! YOU HEARD THAT? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE?? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?? I DON'T SIT SWATTING FLIES THAT I HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD TO RUN AFTER YOU! DO YOU REALIZE I HAVE BEEN RUNNING AFTER YOU??? THINKING WHAT NOT GOD DAMMIT YOU IDIOT!!!!! "

"I-"

"SHUT UP!! JUST SHUT UP!! ENOUGH OF YOUR NONSENSE!!"

silence...

"NOW WHY THE HELL ARE YOU QUIET??SAY SOMETHING DAMMIT!!!" he shook her shoulders violently boring his eyes into her..

Arnav Singh Raizada had officially lost it...

he stopped to breathe as he gave his 'epitome of paradox' speech a break..

"Khushi?? kh-..khushi you k?"

Khushi supported her dizzy self on a shop counter near by, trying to get some hold of the world dizzying around her...and trying to identify the source of the distant seeming voice calling her name..

She knew nothing except that there was someone who knew her and that strong arms had been draped across her shoulders the next instant..

and she completely leaned into them...

Arnav felt a surge of relief rush inside his heart, a horribly protective instinct, that he was there, and he would manage everything now..

the voices fell in her ears as she slowly shut her eyes, her left arm had scathed and the cloth stuck to her skin with the blood..the impact of getting hit straight on the head owing to her falling on the metallic rail was evident from a slight swell on the forehead...

but these things didn't matter..it was the shock of the incident which left her all dizzy..

"Relax. Just lean 'k? It's fine"

"Arn-" Khushi slightly murmured

Both were two occupied to notice that it was not coming out as 'Mr Raizada' this time..

"yeah i'm there. It's fine. It's fine"

It was hard to know just exactly who was Arnav consoling, her or himself..

Suddenly Khushi held his arms in a tight grasp signaling him to stop and knelt down on the floor..

Arnav was down the next instant, he gave her cheeks light pats with his palm...

"Khushi!!what happened?"

"i..i can't stand..w..water..i..need..water"

"it's in the car..you drink there"

saying this he moved to pick her up as he draped his arms once again around her..

but there had been a blast..

and when there is a blast ,there is media all over the place..

and the media knew Mr Arnav Singh Raizada too well..

Arnav lifted his eyes as Khushi squinted hers as the blinding flashes of half a dozen cameras hit their eyes..

'the mysterious lady' in the article of not long ago seemed to have been found after all..

Arnav darted a completely disgusted look at the reporters who had closed over the two of them..

"Mr Raizada, is that your fiance?"

"Is she your wife"

Someone thought of doing away with the formalities and came straight to the point

"Mr Raizada, your wife just escaped a serious threat to her life! How are you feeling?"

Khushi's own colleague from a different department gasped at the sight before her,

"Kh..khushi???!!!"

Khushi was too exhausted to react and the confusion merely helped her go limp in moments..

Arnav fumed as he looked up at the surrounding crowd , then at the unconscious figure leaning against his arms,and then without a word picked her up as he walked straight towards the car ,once again, like the crowd never existed, being totally deaf to the questions being showered from all around..

and the camera got it's last shot as Mr Arnav Singh Raizada fastened the seatbelt around an unconscious Khushi Kumari Gupta on his adjacent seat, who this time, was fully facing the cameras...

and the car zoomed off to Orchid hospital..

"Hello this is Arnav Singh Raizada speaking"

"yes!" Paayal, who was in the process of getting inside Aakash's car halted..

"Khushi is with me, we are off to orchid hospital-"

"WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?"

"Nothing serious. Minor injury and she has fainted...i'll see to her, you don't-"

"I am with your brother and we will be there very soon"

Arnav raised an eyebrow in surprise.. "you are with whom?"

Aakash shifted slightly in his seat.. "um..Payalji, I think we should leave"

Payal kept the phone as Aakash resumed his all new kind of fire extinguishing..while cement pile kept glancing at his adjacent seat at the occupant as if she would suddenly vanish and he'd never know...

"sir please sign here." the nurse handed him the papers "your relation to the patient?husband?"

Arnav signed the papers and then shook his head slightly in denial..

"ok..i guess you are her brother then?"

"NO!!" Arnav exclaimed ,then seeing her confused expression proceeded to "acquaintance"

Khushi blinked her eyes open and looked around her..Arnav stood by the bed ,busy on his phone and as she slightly moved herself his eyes darted to her..

"wh-"

he motioned her to remain silent..her eyes motioned silent gratitude to him and he quickly moved his own away...

In moments Payal had rushed inside...

Khushi would be discharged early in morning, as it was already midnight, and Arnav and Aakash soon took their leave home, leaving Payal staying behind with her..

not before Arnav had had a confusing and fuming argument with Payal over the bill payment...

"Now can I know who these 'she' s are???" Anjali had her hands folded..

"Khushi"

"Paayal"

both the brothers spoke in unison and then darted their heads sideways to each other..

"i see.." Anjali nodded her head.. then immediately grew concerned.." are they ok?"

"yeah di, she is fine"

"yeah di, she is fine"

both again spoke in unison..

"i see" Anjali was smiling now.. "i am so happy you were concerned about the two 'she's so much"

Aakash flustered as he edged past and hurried upstairs..

"what di?" Arnav raised an eyebrow at his mischevous sister..

"oh nothing..just wondering if Khushi ji had fainted or something"

"and that is a reason to smile?"

"no..i am sure you must have co-operated fully" she bit her lip

"you are the limit di" Arnav brushed past her..

Payal had fallen asleep on the couch beside her and Khushi was staring at the ceiling...

"DO YOU REALIZE I HAVE BEEN RUNNING AFTER YOU??"

"Khushi you 'k?"

that relieving feeling of being supported..that brushing past the crowds..when had she fainted?

Khushi didn't realize when she had started a combination of smushing (smiling+blushing)

and when she did, it freaked her out..WHAT was she doing?? yes, it was very kind of him and all that..but had she seen something more? Oh god..she was going mad..

15 minutes later Khushi's insomnia was freaking her out and so she decided to bug the person who was responsible for it..would he be sleeping? Well, what was wrong in taking a try...

Arnav lay in bed trying hard to manage some sleep...but it was not an easy job...

worrying images of his worrying over Khushi's worried state worried him in a worrying manner..his sudden outburst,the feeling he had when he was searching madly for her..why was he searching madly for her???the reporters..oh yes, heaven knew what would happen about that..but..why had he been so ridiculously alarmed..the image of something having happened to Khushi in the blast again floated in his mind and he again felt the ridiculous prickling of fear at the back of his neck..and the worrying over getting worried on her worried state started worrying him again..(yeah..something like that)

his cell beeped beside him and he stretched his arm picking it up

1 new msg from Khushi(reporter)

I was wondering, why are hospital curtains green? My favourite colour is baby pink but green isn't that bad. You met that reception desk man right? Can you believe he is engaged to the nurse attending to me? Who would have thought! They met in manali..have you been to Manali? I have this thing for manali you know..u must be wondering why I am talking to you. After all, I should be mad at you for what happened at the function..but considering what you did for me post-function, you will be happy to know I have forgiven you, and not only forgiven, I think I can break my vow of not speaking to you ever again

he arched an eyebrow at the last to sentences..unbelievable..she had forgiven him??..he would give her a detailed dose on it but not over phone..and what was this rubbish on curtains and engagement???

1 new message from Khushi (reporter)

oh god..i just saw the two of them talking to each other..OMG!!! it is so hard to get a view from this bed!! oops..she saw me..by the way did you receive my message..i know you are not sleeping...

WHAT was she doing!!! God bless Orchid hospital..what was OMG by the way?

1 new message from Khushi(reporter)

why is this nurse giving me weird looks?LOL

Arnav had absolutely no idea what LOL was, for one, he never LOLled..and next, he didn't for that matter have an idea about ANY of those 'in' acronyms..SOS,he knew,and would have freaked out if she had sent it to him, but LOL???

1 new message from cement pile

What LOL?and what the hell are you doing there?

1 new message from Khushi (reporter)

So you were reading my messages..OMG! You don't know LOL? ROFL!!

Arnav rolled his eyes..this girl was impossible..he placed his cell back on the lamp stand next to him and shut his eyes in an attempt to squeeze in some sleep..

10 minutes later,as he was just about to doze off, his cell beeped again..he saw the name and ran his hand through his hair releasing a groan..this girl was unbelievable...why, how??? was he stuck with her????

1 new message from Khushi (reporter)

since your kind act has left me with all the time in the world, I made this cool lingo dictionary for you-

LOL- Laugh out loud

ROFL-Rolling on floor laughing

LMHO- Laughing my head off

OMG- Oh my God

BTW- by the way

BRB;G2G- Be right back, got to go

TTYL – talk to you later

1 new message from cement pile

SUSALS

1 new msg from Khushi(reporter)

OMG! I don't know this one!! SUSALS??

1 new msg from cement pile

SUSALS- Shut up ,sleep and let sleep

Khushi made a face at her mobile before keeping it back beside her and resuming the ceiling staring procedure..