Vineet takes Ruhana to CityCare Hospital, which is near the club. The lady is taken into the emergency room. She’s injured on the head from hitting the corner of the table, and a bullet has grazed her arm. Moreover, Vineet feels that she may have fallen on her stomach, and he’s afraid that the baby might be hurt. He paces in the corridor, consumed by thoughts about his wife’s health. Priyanka watches him and understands his worries. She walks towards him and holds his hand.

“Vineet! Shaant ho jaao. Ruhana will be fine,” she reassures.

“Ye doctor ko itna time kyun lag raha hain? Maine Dr. Anjali ko bhi call kiya hain, usne kaha ki she will do an ultrasound to check the baby,” Vineet says desperately.

“Relax, Vineet, sab thik hoga. Itni chinta mat karo. Tum usey time pe hospital le aaye na, sab thik ho jayega,” Priyanka tries to convince him.

“Meri wajah se vo already upset thi, aur phir turant ye case aa gaya. Aur ab usey itni chot lag gai!! I am responsible for this. Maine usse kaha tha vo bureau mein ruke, lekin wo sunti hi kahan hain?” Vineet reasons, upset and blaming himself.

“Khud ko blame mat karo, Vinu! Sab thik ho jayega. Ruhana will be fine, aur hamara Baby bhi. Tum aise behave karoge toh Ruhana aur pareshan ho jayegi,” Priyanka says, understanding his plight.

Meanwhile, the doctor comes out of the emergency room, and they rush to them. Vineet is eager to know about his wife’s condition. The doctor, Dr. Prateek Singhal, glances at Vineet and assures him that his wife is fine. He informs them that the bullet only grazed her, and she panicked due to the loud noise. There’s a cut on her head, and it will take a few days to heal.

Dr. Prateek further states that there’s no harm done to the baby, but they should check with the gynecologist. Vineet asks if they can meet her, and the doctor allows and also tells them that they can take her home once she regains consciousness.

Priyanka and Vineet enter the room and find Ruhana asleep on the bed. She fainted on their way to the hospital and has been given some anesthesia for treating the wounds. Vineet holds her hand and murmurs an apology. Though he's not at fault, he blames himself for her condition.

He knows that his prank hasn’t left her mind and then this incident happened. She must be tired and in pain as well. He needs to entertain her and make her feel better, after all this commotion.

An hour later, Ruhana regains consciousness and finds Priyanka sitting by her side. A smile appears on her face, and Priyanka helps Ruhana to sit comfortably.

“Ab kaisa feel kar rahi ho?” Priyanka asks her.

“Main theek hoon, bas thoda sar dard,” she touches her head, feeling immense pain due to the bruise.

“It’ll be fine, Ruu. Ab hum ghar jaayenge. Main Vineet ko bulati hoon,” Priyanka says and turns to leave the room when she sees him entering the ward. He smiles, seeing Ruhana awake. He rushes to meet her and hugs her carefully, trying not to hurt her again.

“I am sorry, Ruu…” He apologizes once more.

“Kisliye?” She is surprised and looks at him.

“Maine pehle tumhe pareshan kiya aur phir ye sab ho gaya. Khair, abhi hum chalte hain, maine Dr. Anjali se time liya hain. Let’s get an ultrasound done,” he says caringly.

Ruhana agrees, feeling a slight pain in her stomach after the accident, but it might be psychological or due to the intensity of the environment. Meanwhile, Dushyant also joins them, deeply worried for Ruhana.

“Dushyant, Pri, tum dono ghar jaao, main aur Ruhana, Dr. Anjali se mil ke aate hain,” Vineet says, gazing at his friends.

“Sath mein hi chalte hain na…” Dushyant suggests, but Ruhana declines.

“Nahi, Dushyant, tum dono ghar jaao. Vaise bhi aaj ka din itna bhaari tha, get some rest. Vaise vo case ka kya hua?” Ruhana asks.

“Vo Rocky pakda gaya aur deal bhi ruk gai. All is well. Lekin tumhe thik hona padega. Aur haan, tumhare liye ACP sir ka special order hain, ek hafta ghar pe aaram karogi tum,” Dushyant informs her, and she makes a face.

“Don’t make a face! Par filhal tum log jao, we will be waiting at home,” Priyanka says, and they part ways.

******

Priyanka and Dushyant drive home, and the ride is silent. They are contemplating the events of the day, and finally, Priyanka looks at her beloved husband.

“Zindagi kitni ajeeb hain na, Dushyant. Maine aaj hi ke din mein itne alag andaaz dekhe hain zindagi ke, ki kya bataun. Samajh nahi aa raha kispe bharosa karun aur kispe nahi?”

“Matlab? Kehna kya chahti ho?”

“Mera matlab hain ki tum dono ke mission se laut aane ki wajah se hum kitne khush they. ACP Sir ne hume chhutti bhi di thi sirf isliye taaki hum ek sath waqt bita sake. Ruhana ne tum dono ki pasand ka khana banaya tha aur maine cakes. Lekin phir tum dono ne vo prank kia….”

“Pata hai, Dushyant, jinse hum pyar karte hain na unka chhota sa mazaak bhi chubhta hain. Aur yahi toh hua, Vineet ne jo naatak kiya tha, usse main bhi darr gayi thi, toh socho Ruhana ki kya haalat hui hogi?” Priyanka says, her eyes teary.

Meanwhile, Dushyant stops the car, and she realizes they have reached home. They get out of the car, and Priyanka unlocks the door. They enter the house, and Dushyant looks at her intently.

“Main samajh raha hoon, tum kya kehna chahti ho, Priyanka? Aur

kya keh rahi thi tum?”

“Jab prank wali kahani khatm hui toh ye case! Aur phir Ruhana ki ye haalat, hume pata hi nahi tha ki ye sab ho jayega. Yahi toh zindagi hain. Jaane aur kya hone wala hain?” Priyanka shares her heart with her husband.

“Ye toh tumne thik kaha, Pri. Lekin ab se hume dhyan rakhna hoga. We will make sure ki aisa kuch na ho jisse hum mein se kisi ko bhi takleef ho,” Dushyant smiles at her.

“Haan, bahut dhyan rakhna hoga. Zindagi ki anginat girahein hoti hain, Dushyant, na jaane kab kaunsi girah khule, aur usme khushi ho ya gham, kya pata?” Priyanka peers at him.

He says nothing but pulls her into his arms. He's well aware that life has many twists, and you can't determine what life brings to you, whether it's joy or sorrow, so you need to live in the moment.

In his warm embrace, Priyanka feels all her worries melting away. She knows that as long as he's by her side, she doesn’t need to worry about anything. However, there are their friends too, Ruhana and Vineet, and as long as they're together, life might have many twists, but they'll navigate them and lead a happy life.

To Be Continued.