Part 90

He came back to his room. placed all his precious belongings in his cupboard and opened his laptop!

His phone rang! It was papaji.
"Puttar I got the key of your house and I wish to borrow your house for some days, till your wedding!" he came straight to the point.
Wedding bells ringing in his ears, his heart thudded  with speed!
"Puttar, I got a few auspicious dates for your marriage. We need to discuss!" said papaji and Arnav's heart took a somersault.
"Ok!" he said trying to keep his voice steady.
"But then I have to ask Raj too about it! Ok. may be after a few days we will discuss" Said papaji. Arnav had to hide his disappointment. "Few days? why not now?" his heart screamed.

"Papaji, another thing. I could get my parents belongings. I feel those will help. I will make arrangements to send them to you." said Arnav.
"Oh! That’s great news! But remember! You have to do this very carefully. No one! Do you understand? No one should know about this! Take care Arnav puttar!" he seemed very serious.

"Look! i am going to have the tests done privately first and then with the Government Laboratories when the case stands in the court. I will require your and your sister's samples too!" said papaji.

"Yes, papaji!" assured Arnav.
"Ok. Puttar! Take care..!" papaji disconnected and Arnav.

He sat there closing his eyes resting his head on the back of his arm chair for a long time. "The entire scene of his first marriage with Khushi ran before his eyes and he shuddered feeling Khushi's plight! "Khushi, this time I won't let you down!" he muttered.

His cell rang. It was his doctor who had examined Anjali.

"Yes, Doctor! Any news?" asked Arnav apprehensively.
"Not so positive, I am afraid!" said the doctor seriously.
"She did the ultrasound! The reports are satisfactory, it seems! I did not see the reports!" said Arnav in one breath.

"Can you come to my clinic?" he asked Arnav and they fixed the time.
Arnav took a deep breath. So many things happened in such a short span. It was difficult even for a person like ASR to keep up with the pace. He badly wanted a time out but knew that was not possible.

He called up Aakash about the progress of restoring the data. Aakash was on track and was confident that all the backups were intact and he would restore it soon.

Arnav had nothing to do but wait for the probable dates.

He still had not come out of the hangover of his childhood memories and had gone back to live in Sheesh Mahel again with his Di. A smile appeared on his face for the first time when he dreamt about Sheesh Mahel. He always used to see this mehal as a nightmare and used to get up in a jerk in the night.
This reminded him of Khushi. Like her he had started thinking positive about his dark past. "Pagal....! mad hatter!" he blurted thinking of Khushi. The catharsis about his dark past in front of Papaji and Khushi had cleared his mind. Some happy thoughts had started seeping in slowly in his heart.

** *** ***

Khushi was sitting on the sofa alone and was engrossed in her thoughts. Papaji had told her about the wedding dates but had not disclosed the dates. He wanted to discuss first with mummiji and Raj. She wanted to call Arnav, but knew he would be busy. "Why does he have to be so busy when i want to talk to him?" she thought irritably. She tried to busy herself watching TV but soon got thoroughly bored with the stupid programs. Papaji had forbidden her from going out and had given her strict warning not to go out unless he was there with her. She felt frustrated. She missed Delhi. She was a free bird there. Had it not been that Sham, she would have been here too! With the thought of Sham, her blood started boiling. She tried to push the thoughts away but Anjali and Sham came back occupying her thoughts. She thought of Anjali and what her life would be when she would know the truth. She shuddered with that thought. She couldn't imagine Anjali's heartbroken state. Khushi prayed her Devi Mayya. "Save her! protect her! give her some good moments in her life, hey devi mayya, give her strength!!" she prayed. The phone rang. She opened her eyes startled and picked up the handset. It was Shondeep! She felt happy listening to his pleasent and soft voice. Her eyes brightened when he said that he was going to Delhi for a week for the office work. She hurriedly said "Sir, i will call you back. I need to give some things to some people in Delhi. I will send those through you!" She kept the phone and jumped in the air in excitement.

"Hey devi mayya, you have given me signals!! I know what to do!" she said aloud closing her hands and eyes in prayer.

She ran into mummiji's room but after some time came out with small face. Mummiji had not encouraged her with her stupid idea. She waited for Papaji.
When papaji came back from office she waited for him with his favorite lacchaa parathas. He knew! "Tell me puttar, what is your new demand this time?" he with his style came to the point.

"Nothing... just like that!" she started beating around the bush. "Ok!" he said indifferently and concentrated on television news! She grew restless.

"umm papaji?" she tried to talk to him. He ignored her.
"Papaji!!" she snatched the remote from his hands and switched off the TV. He looked at her folding his arms on his chest.

"umm .Papaji! umm I wanted to ask you something..umm.. how old is Shondeep Sir?" she asked.
"Khushi! No! don't go ranting on that topic. I have told you before!" he dismissed her. But she was not going to give up so easily.

"Papaji... at least let us talk to him.." she said pleadingly.
"Khushi, he knows!" Papaji said "And don't! i am warning you!"
"What? What all he knows?" asked Khushi excitedly.

"Khushi i have told Shondeep about you and Arnav and about his family!" He knew what she was hinting at.
"Did you tell him about HIM?" she asked apprehensively.

"Yes" He said and added "Khushi! No! Not now at least! Now the pieces have started falling in place.. Don’t spoil it Khushi. He is still there out at large moving free. We have to be careful!" he warned her again.

"Khushi..! Look my child.. you have to be very careful in these matters. Don't force anyone in situation! What do you know about shondeep?" asked papaji looking at her defiant face.

"What? That he is a very good person with pure heart, he is handsome, his family is very good! Any girl would be lucky to have him as her husband!!.."she went one.

"Khushi, listen! I agree he is a very good person. But we should see his side also. He joined us five years back. He had a failed marriage in US. He is a very sensitive person and it took him years to come out. So don't even think about it!" Papaji said sternly.

"But papaji... I mean... I am not going to..." Khushi started arguing.
"Don't do anything stupid, Khushi! You have already done that before!" Papaji scolded her. Her brightness did not reduce. Papaji turned to leave.
"Papaji, I promise, I will not do anything stupid but if it’s something good, then? Will you support?" she asked optimistically.
"No!" papaji said entering mummiji's room.

"I know! No means Yes!" Khushi heard what she wanted to.

***************  *********

Arnav took doctor’s appointment and went alone to meet him after a couple of days, when the office mess was cleared up considerably. Sham was in and out and had stopped talking to anyone in the house. Anjali looked worried about his attitude. He frequently got irritated with her too.

Arnav had to shift to study room as the renovation of the poolside block was at the peak. No one knew what was he up to. But he wanted to finish it as early as possible. Aakash tried to ask him many times but he just said "Aakash, you will see once its done!"

"Hello Mr. Raizada!" the doctor greeted him.
"Hello doctor!" Arnav responded taking his seat.
"Could you get the ultrasound reports, Mr. Raizada?" asked the doctor.
"I am sorry Doctor, I could not! And I am not sure how reliable that report is!" said Arnav guiltily and declaring his suspicion about the report, sham had got.

"Ok. But she has to take the test again. I cannot tell you for sure but my experience tells me that there are complications in her pregnancy. I hope it is not a pseudocyesis case." the doctor said seriously.

"What? What does that mean?" Arnav asked confused.

"Its a pseudo pregnancy (false pregnancy). The woman has all the symptoms of pregnancy, including weight gain and other changes in body shape, swelling of the belly gradually. Even she tests positive in normal pregnancy test and sometimes feel the movement of the foetus.

This happens when a woman has a strong desire of bearing a child and has been under stress or anxiety for not having a child. This is a psychosomatic problem changing the hormonal balance in the body. The hormonal imbalance renders all the symptoms.

Only ultrasound after some weeks, reveal the reality. The woman breaks down psychologically. Mr. Raizada.. and I am afraid... She has a history of anxiety related disorders. Her feeling of insecurity, fear and her worrisome nature added to this." said the doctor seriously.

" Was she on sedatives anytime in the recent past?" asked the doctor.
"No!" Arnav dismissed the possibility at once. but then suddenly remembering that the sachet her maid gave him had turned out to be containing tranquilizers, he said "May be! I do not know for sure." He looked at the doctor anxiously.

"See Mr. Raidaza, i am not ruling out any possibility yet. But we need to run the test and then decide further treatment. Now it is your responsibility to convince her for ultrasound again. Earlier the better. If our worst fears turn out to be true then its better we reveal this to her at early stage, else it would affect her mental balance. Do you understand the gravity of the problem, Mr. Raizada?"

Arnav's heart doomed. He felt her pain. He came back worried. The ringing of wedding bells had vanished replacing it with the gong of disaster.