Arjun's POV:

Ahhh....

My head hurts...

And right hand too...

I felt something sharp pierced into my left hand..

I tried opening my eyes but I felt too much brightness hitting my eyes so I turned my head to avoid the brightness and tried to lift my hand to cover my face but I couldn't do that too...I felt like my hand is tied up to something

I realised that I was in hospital

Come on I am smart enough to know what's happening around me

I am not a typical daily soap hero who would say "Mai kaha hu...Kya hua mujhe...Mai yaha kaise aya"

So I just blinked few times and adjusting the light I slowly opened my eyes to see my little brother and my best friend standing in front of me with a smile...

No not a smile...

They were grinning

What's wrong with them??

Why are they grinning at me??

Rolling my eyes at them I tried to straighten myself but failed as my body didn't support and groaned in pain

And the two idiots were standing still flashing their 32 teeth...

Can't they see I am hurt...

They are supposed to help me right??

And instead of helping they are murmuring something in each other's ears and that too covering their mouths

Why are they behaving like newly a married couple??

"Aaru and Abu" I scoffed at the monkeys and they stilled within a blink as if a teenage couple was caught doing some hanky panky

I raised my brows at them and they simply shook their head and coming to me they helped me to sit straight

Lowering my lashes I glanced at my body...that there was  pipe attached to my left hand and right hand  covered with a white cloth and lifting my right hand I touched my head and felt some fabric covering my forehead

"If you are done with checking out yourself you can use the washroom Aaloo" saying Abu took out the needle from my hand

Placing my feet on the floor I tried to get up from the bed but as my legs had gone strengthless I was about to slump back to the bed but Aaru hugged my upper torso and supported me to stand straight and said

"Awww my baby brother...shall I carry you in my arms??"

I frowned while Abu added "Aaru don't you dare tease my baby Aaloo"

Did he defend me or taunt me??

And what's this baby chant...

I am not a baby

Yes, you are...

From where did the voice come??

It was neither Abu nor Aaru

It's me...your inner voice Mr Gadhe (donkey)

I am not a Gadha

Oh yes right you are not a gadha...you are a baby gadha

I am not a baby

Yes you are

No, I am not

Yes, you are...

You are a baby...only her's ba

I shook my head and  didn't let the thought complete

Freshening up I stepped out of the washroom and saw Maa sitting on the chair next to the bed and I got tensed

What is she doing here??

Who is with Baba then??

"Deepu is looking after your Baba" getting up from the chair Maa said with a thin line on her lips...

How did she come to know what I was thinking??

Aaru helped me to walk back to the bed and the moment I was settled on it Maa took my head in her soft palms and engulfed me in her chest

Feeling her warmth after years my eyes brimmed up with heavy tears and without my knowledge, my hands were circled around her stomach and tears made their way down my cheeks

"Awwwlele....our baby is crying"

I heard those monkeys and ignoring them I flipped my head to the other side stuffing my face more into her warm chest while Maa ruffled my hair with her affectionate touch leaving kisses on the crown of my head

Closing my eyes I hugged her for a brief period of 10 minutes

I don't know what I was doing...

All I know was I needed that...I needed that so badly

It's been year's that my body was craving for her affectionate touch

"Feeling better??" I heard Maa and I moved out of her while Maa wiped my tears with her saree veil and later she traced her fingers all over my face and taking her fingers close to her lips she pecked them

And a smile crept up my lips recalling the memories where she used to do the same when I was a kid because the little me didn't like kisses on my cheeks

But what my mouth uttered left me in shock "You can peck my cheeks Maa"

Did I really say that???😳

In no time she held my chin and pecked both my cheeks with tears in her eyes and said

"You would make faces when someone kissed your cheeks"

"Why Maa??" Aaru asked for which Maa answered

"He had round plumpy cheeks and whoever met him would love to kiss his pink cheeks and as he didn't like it
scrunching his little nose he would make faces"

And she pinched my nose with a giggle while Abu pinched my cheeks saying "That is why I call him a Aaloo"

Did everyone forget that I am 30 years old man??

No one pinches the cheeks and nose of a grown-up man...

While I was wondering why am I being given a special treatment Maa patted my stomach and said "Let's feed our baby's tummy"

Baby???

Again???

And as I opened my mouth to speak a morsel was stuffed into it

Maa feed me with her hands and gave me meds and later asked me to rest

And this babysitting session of mine continued for the next two days...

Maa would feed me and sit next to me ruffling my hair until I doz off and Aaru would stay with me in the nights

I asked Maa to get back to Baba but she was so adamant to stay with me

Everyone visited me except HER

Where is SHE??

Why didn't SHE visit me??

You want her to visit you??

No...when did I say that??

Did she LEAVE me??

Wasn't it you who asked her to leave

Is she fine??

Obviously, she will be fine because she is not with me...

If she would have been with me definitely she would have get hu

No...no...I don't want to think about it

I don't want to think about her

But what's wrong with others??

No one even tried to utter her name

All were behaving as nothing happened...

I thought at least Badimaa would tell me about her but she too behaved normally as others

Wasn't it she who on my birthday celebration was asking me when I am going to tell her about my love to her??

She was so desperate to know her reaction to my confession

And now why the hell she is not even ready to talk about her

I couldn't take it...

And as she was about to leave I spoke out "Did you tell her everything??"

She stopped at the door and turning at me she said "What do you mean by the word EVERYTHING Arjun??"

"About...about...

I couldn't speak further I just kept stammering while she announced

"About your LOVE"

Bowing my head I nodded a yes

She came close to me and cupped my face "It's your love Arjun...and you are the one who is supposed to express it...a third person like me have no right to speak in between your love...in fact no one has the right to speak between a husband wife issue...you asked her to leave so she left...now it's up to you"

Kissing my forehead she left...

And even once at night when I was getting restless for no reason Aaru taunted the same "this is what you wanted right?? You wanted her to leave...anyways it's up to you" and before I could speak anything he switched off the lights and closed his eyes

************************************

(In the balcony of my room)

The moon that has witnessed many more beautiful moments of our love was no longer shining in the sky

Just like me, the sky looked pale...

Under the moonlight, the moments we shared were so beautiful and serene

One such moment was on my birthday...closing my eyes I was flown into that moment and her angelic face   crinkled a thin smile on my face

With the glossy moonlight falling the face of my sleeping angel her beauty glowed to the next level..her fair complexion with cottony soft pink cheeks...cute nose...her pouty peach lips...everything about her was so beautiful that it was giving a tough competition to the shiny moon

But when I opened my eyes the smile on my lips was gone and my eyes turned cloudy

Yes I wanted her to leave

Because my inner demons are stronger than anything...they don't any have strong jaws and big sharp teeth but the impact they leave just tears me apart

And every time those invisible monsters attack I make her go away from me

For the first time when I was attacked by those monsters, the impact I had on me was something that no one could ever imagine

In the garden wearing a blue frock...two ponytails with her favourite barbie clips she looked like a mini Jasmine at the age of 4

Bending on my knees I looked at her baby face and my heart ached while my eyes welled up

Her chubby cheeks had tear stains...her cute little nose was running...her eyes were continuously pouring...her tiny head was moving up and down due to her hiccups

Taking her baby hands in mine I asked "What happened to Sona...why is she crying??"

Without uttering a word she pointed out her finger at the totally dry flower and I understood why my baby was crying

I wiped her tears saying "Wait here...I have a surprise for you" and went inside the house

Coming back to her I knelt again and drew a flower right on the birthmark on her wrist and said "this flower will never leave you"

She looked at the flower for a few seconds and then moved her gaze to me and her face bloomed with a big smile

And next, she closed her fingers into a fist and outstretching her index and middle finger she asked in her baby tone "Fliends Alljun??" (Friends Arjun)

Without Badimaa's help she spelt my name and recognised me for the first time

But I was rooted to my pain...I had witnessed something very bad that I was feared that everything would turn ugly and I just left from there and decided to be alone

I decided to love  from a distance and to hold her close to me in my dreams and thoughts

And today the yet another time I am all alone...

The one who made my every day mean something special to me is not with me...

I don't even exist because without her I am nothing but a lifeless stone of flesh and blood

I am incomplete without her

Where are you Jaana??

I am...

BROKEN WITHOUT YOU

And tears oozed out effortlessly 

"Arjun" I heard Maa behind me and immediately I wiped my tears and got into the room

She handed me the glass and ordered "Gulp it till it's hot"

It was turmeric milk and without my knowledge, my face expression was changed

"You are a baby wrapped in a 30-year-old man's body" again Maa pinched my nose and I groaned "Maaa"

"Stop making a babyface and gulp it fast" she pushed me to the bed through my shoulder and sat opposite to me

This is why I address my Jaana as a mother....

She would have done the same

Again you are thinking about her...

No, I am not

Coming out of my trance somehow I gulped the yellow milk

I kept staring at Maa and again a shocking statement came out of my mouth "Maa...Can I sleep on your lap??"

Damn...what's wrong with me...

My mind and body coordination was totally failed...

What did doctors inject into my body??

And without my knowledge the next second my head was in her lap and body was settled comfortably on the bed

One of her hands was on my chest and the other one was caressing the wound on my forehead that had a bandage she asked in her soft voice

"Is it still hurting Bacche??"

That word Bacche welled up my eyes again but I blinked it back and hummed a no

"I am not talking about this" and patting my chest she said "I am asking about the discomfort here"

I kept up mum while she continued caressing my forehead "You know what bacche...you can stop the bleeding here and heal it with medicine"

And patting my chest again she added "but this can be healed only when you will heal the wounds of your bad memories or else it will continue to bleed and no one can do anything"

I flipped my head and looked at her

"Life is never the way we want it to be Bacche...there were some things in the past that didn't work out...there were moments when life was really so harsh on us...

And one such moment in our lives was the day when Akka (sister) left us...

When we came to know that she is diagnosed with blood cancer all of us were broken down...

In the initial stages, she ignored her health and didn't let anyone know about her suffering but then when your Baba sensed changes in her health he forcefully took her to the hospital and the truth came out...

She didn't want to spend her last days in any closed pale room of any hospital...she wanted to stay at her house till her last breath...she wanted to cherish and accumulate all her memories and die peacefully at her own place....but Baba wasn't ready for this so she made him emotional and took a promise from him

She wanted to remarry and get you a mother but again your Baba was adamant...he said no one can take her place...neither as his wife nor as a mother to his son...

He asked me to take care of you and her in his absence while he went on roaming like a madman with a hope to save her...

Digesting the fact that she is going to die was impossible for him...

At night he used to sit in the verandah and cry over his helplessness...

He was shattered to the core...but he had to stay strong for you...you were too small...he had your responsibility...

He didn't want you to witness her powerless health that was worsening day by day...he knew it will leave a bad impact on you so he sent you to Raghav's place to keep you distracted

But on that day when you cried a lot to meet your Maa he cried more than you...he kept asking me Saru what would I answer my son when he'll ask  about his mother...he wanted to protect you from that horrific scene of your mother laying lifelessly on the bed

He strictly said no but when Akka wished to see you he couldn't deny her...

I think she knew it was her time to leave so she wanted to see you for the last time

And that day everything happened within the blink of an eye that none of us could do anything...

Your baba wished not to let you witness her misery...

But some things happen against our wish and you witnessed her death"

Her tears fell on my face while mine flowed down my temples

I wiped her tears and she continued

"You thought Baba was not with you and you were sleeping with me but that's not the truth....every night he used to carry you on his shoulders and sit beside your mother

He was witnessing his happy life turning into a sad one...

On the day after the last rites you were sleeping on his shoulder and his tears were flooding like anything

I don't know how to tell...your father is a good human being I have ever seen

He was judged by the people for marrying me immediately after his wife's demise but it was me who forced him to marry me...He was not at all ready for that...he didn't want to spoil my future but I made him bound to the promise and he married me only for you...

Getting up from her lap I asked "Why did you choose to be my mother??"

"To be honest I was fallen in love with your father...I was amused to see the love for his wife...

At the time when I was asked to look after you and her I was already ditched by the boy whom I loved...It was my first love and I was at the toughest phase of my life

And seeing the pure love of your father I was fallen head over heels for him...

I had seen that man cleaning your mother's pee on the bed...

He took care of her like a newborn infant...

Right from feeding to cleaning her body, he did everything for her

And then I came to know the meaning of the word LOVE

It was my selfishness to gain his love so I forced him to marry me

Initially, I was only your mother but it took me time to gain his love and become his wife"

I couldn't react anything...tears were helplessly flooding down my cheeks

Wiping my tears Maa said "Who wants to be a mother to the naughtiest boy on this planet??" and again he pinched my nose

"Maaa" I groaned and she laid my head on  her chest

"This is what life is Arjun...we have no control over what it throws at us...we just need to face it and move on with a strong spirit...

But then again if at points life was harsh on us...at points, it was beautiful too....

Some moments really worked out as we wanted...like your dream to set up the hospital"

Cupping my face she added "Hai na??"

I nodded and she went on "Past is gone Bacche...you have a beautiful future ahead...I let my past go and  enjoyed my present and see today I have 2 Sons and a loving husband...what else I want

Enjoy your present and shape your future Arjun because

Our life is what we make...samjhe??"

I nodded again and she placed a kiss on my forehead and taking her hands in mine I said "Sorry Maa"

"For what??"

"When I was a kid I was angry with you and behaved rudely"

"If you were angry with us then every year without fail we wouldn't have been getting those cute handmade greeting cards on our birthdays"

"Vo..vo...Maa...I..

I was trying to frame a sentence as I was caught while Maa said "You can't fake your love Arjun...for us, you are still the same naughty Aladdin"

A smile curled up against my lips and lifting both her hands I kissed her knuckles

She was about to leave but then she stopped at the door "Hold yourself back or heal yourself for a better future.... choice is yours"

She held the doorknob and I stopped her with my voice "Maa"

I really don't know why did I stop her...I was blankly looking at her and she said

Baba is right next to your room" and left

And as I said my body coordination was totally failed... without my knowledge my legs took baby steps towards the room and my hand clutched the doorknob

Shall I talk to Baba??

Shall I get inside???

************************************

Here's the double treat with a long chapter ❤

The most awaited one...

Finally Arjun is back❤❤

What do you feel about his reaction??

Why his family  being normal??

And where is Arjun's Jaana❤

Thanks for your patience❤

This chapter is specially dedicated to my dearest friend Its_faaaari239

Happy wala birthday Farii😘😘

Shower your good wishes on our birthday girl❤❤🤗🤗