Part 65 Pretext

Arnav felt bad for his father. He could understand his condition. Poor him, he would have lived in fire every day thinking about the video. No wonder why he danced to Kishor's tune. He could not blame him for not telling him the truth. No father could dare tell about that kind of video to his son. He was glad that his father agreed to pretend like a coma patient. He could not believe Kishor could stoop low to that extent. Just to get him married to his daughter, how could he put his father on fire? He and his daughter should be taught a lesson.

Arnav waited for information from Rohan. He could plan anything accordingly.

"Dad, is your head aching?" he asked Arvind.

He nodded yes.

Arnav called the doctor and said that Arvind gained consciousness.

"Is it?"

"Just now doctor. He is in pain"

"Yes, he must be. After all, his head was injured... I'm coming" The doctor disconnected the call.

"Dad, the doctor is coming... please, wait for a few minutes"

"You asked me to pretend like a..."

Cutting him,

"I have spoken to the doctor already. He will declare your come stage tomorrow morning"

"Mmm" he closed his eyes.

Arnav waited for the doctor. Within half an hour, the doctor reached the hospital. He gave pain killer to Arvind.

"He won't feel pain anymore. I will give a sleeping doze tomorrow morning. He will sleep when we declare his coma stage. People will not get doubt then"

"Thank you, doctor"

"Welcome," the doctor left the ICU.

Arnav called the nurse when the saline was supposed to finish. She came to the ICU and changed the bottle. She left after finishing her work. Arnav again locked the door and sat on the chair.

The next morning

Arvind was still sleeping. Arnav came out of the ICU and sat on a steel chair that was outside the ICU. Ratna came to the hospital with Khushi and Lavanya.

"Chotte, how is Arvindji?"

"He is still unconscious, Mom..."

"Can I see him?"

"Yeah, I got a special permission. You can go and meet him"

They went to the ICU and saw Arvind motionless.

"I'm scared, Chotte" Ratna cried.

Arnav was silent. He didn't know whether he should give her hope or not. If he did that, she would fed up after the doctor's declaration. So, he decided to be quiet. It would keep her state of mind stable.

"Arnavji, get fresh and eat breakfast," Khushi said. She brought breakfast for Arnav.

"I already got fresh..." Arnav said.

"OK then, come and eat first. You would not have eaten anything" Khushi said.

Arnav smiled. Yes, he didn't eat anything. He was supposed to go to the canteen to eat something as he was so hungry. Thank god, his wife brought something to him.

"Mom, did you eat?"

Ratna nodded yes and said,

"Khushi forcefully made me eat"

"Did you eat, Khushi?" Arnav asked.

Before she said anything,

"No... she has not eaten anything," Lavanya said.

Arnav made her sit with him and gave the plate to her.

"You too eat..."

Khushi didn't deny it. She ate from the same plate smiling.

As per Arnav's plan, the doctor declared Arvind's coma stage, making his loved ones shocked and sad. Ratna cried bursting out. Khushi and Lavanya were at a loss, not knowing how to pacify her but Arnav took the lead.

"Mom, don't lose hope. Dad will be all right. The medical field improved a lot. We will surely get him back" he said softly.

"What will I do without him, Chotte?"

"Mom, he is with you only and will get out of the coma stage soon. I promise" Arnav said.

Breaking the hug, Ratna looked at him perplexed. How did Arnav PROMISE about something uncertain? Arvind was in a coma stage. No one could say when he would come out of it. Then how Arnav promise?

"Trust me..." Arnav added.

"Did you find any new medical treatment for the coma stage?"

"Yeah, I remember I read somewhere. We will find it out"

"Do it fast, Chotte"

Arnav nodded ok.

Arnav attended all the incoming calls to Arvind's phone and conveyed Arvind's condition. Arvind's coma stage matter spread like a forest fire. People started inquiring about Arvind and his accident.

Kishor visited the hospital with his family, as Arnav expected. He saw them entering the hospital. He got inside the ICU where his family women were. He saw Khushi sitting with Ratna and Lavanya on a couch. There was no couch in the room.

"Lavanya, could you give me a place?"

Lavanya was about to stand, but Khushi stopped her.

"You sit Lavanya, I will..."

Cutting her,

"No... you sit" said Arnav.

The trio looked at him perplexed.

"Hilma's family is coming" Arnav said.

Lavanya stood up swiftly and gave a space for Arnav to sit. Arnav sat next to Khushi closely.

They saw Kishor entering the ICU. His face drained to see Arnav sitting close to Khushi. None of them welcomed them. Hilam was not with them. Arnav didn't know where she was. He saw her entering the hospital with them.

"I heard about Arvind. We are really sorry..." Kishor said emotionally.

No one responded to him. They didn't like to talk to them.

"What happened?"

"He is in a coma stage. He met with an accident and got a head injury" Khushi answered as she knew no one would do that.

"I'm really sorry..."

Cutting him,

"Why are you sorry? Is that you who are the reason for his accident?" Arnav asked.

Kishor was stuck.

"I said that formally..."

Arnav was about to say something but stopped to see Hilma entering the ICU. She rushed to Arvind crying and fell on him.

"Uncllllle... what happened to you uncle? Am I alive to see you in this condition? I never dreamt of seeing you like this, uncle. I don't know what to do. Oh, God... save my uncle. Please, give him back to us. Please..." she burst out crying.

Raizadas looked at her like what the...!

She rushed to Ratna and kneeled in front of her.

"Aunty, please don't lose hope. Uncle will gain consciousness soon. We will see him talking to us happily. Be strong Aunty. I will be with you until Uncle gets rid of the coma stage... I will take care of you"

Ratna was looking at her loathly. She raised her brows and looked at Arnav. He gestured for her to keep quiet which made Ratna confused. Khushi who saw that surprised. What Arnav was trying to do? She didn't know what he was up to.

Ratna stayed silent.

Hilma looked at Kishor and said,

"Dad, you go home. I will be here with Aunty. Let me serve her... I'm not lucky enough to become her daughter-in-law. At least, let me be with her for a while" She wiped her eyes.

"We don't need your help. We will manage" Lavanya said heated up as she could not tolerate her acting.

"Lavanya, just think once. We would have been friends if I had married to your brother..."

"But you didn't... my brother is married now. If you talk about marrying him again, I will kill you for sure" Lavanya shouted forgetting that she was in the hospital.

"I can understand your anger, Lavanya. Do you know how dissatisfied your father was about your brother's marriage? From the time he got married, nothing seemed good in your family. He was so fed up about it"

"You shut up... you don't have to talk about our family...if it is true that my father spoke to you like that, I won't even like to call him father... get out"

"Lavanya..."

"I said get out..." Clutching her neck, Lavanya brought her out of the ICU pushing her.

Arnav followed her and stopped her clutching her hand.

"Wait Lavanya... don't lose your temper"

"Ask them to leave, Arnav"

"Why are you so angry, Lavanya?"

"It's because we hate our father..." Said Arnav, making them stunned.

"He is not a nice father. He kept on torturing us for no reason. We don't know why he changed to irritating us. He made our house like a battlefield. Because of him, there was no peace in our family. He made us hate him" Arnav said gritting his teeth.

Kishor looked at him thunder stuck. More than him, Hilma was disappointed because her acting went in vain. She thought she could make a rift in between them using Arvind's name. it didn't seem to happen.

"Before WE do anything, leave..." Lavanya shouted.

They left the hospital murmuring.

Arnav smirked seeing their hung faces. He was sure that Hilma tried to seed negativity in their minds about Khushi. To get confirmed about her acting only he asked Ratna to be quiet. He knew Lavanya would not be tolerated if Hilam had crossed her limits. What exactly he wanted happened.

Arnav waited expecting Rohan's call. As he expected, Rohan called Arnav. He attended it.

"Yes, Rohan..."

"ASR, did Hilma try to stay with you in the hospital?"

"Not with me but with my mother"

"No, ASR, it was an excuse to be with you"

Arnav rolled his eyes in irritation.

"My sister didn't let it happen"

"Yeah, they cursed her"

"What information do you collect about them?"

"There is a lot of information I collected about them... especially about Hilma's Ex-boyfriend"

"Ex-boyfriend?"

"Yes, ASR... I'm outside the hospital only. I'm coming in" Rohit disconnected the call. Arnav saw him advancing to the ICU.

To be continued...