Armaan opened a comic and started reading excitedly like a child…Ridz walked out of the ward and looked at him standing outside…she smiled to see her innocent Armaan, who meant everything in her life…
She knocked on the glass door… “Come in…”
“Haan Ridhima…boliye…”, she knew she had come to talk about Armaan, “Ab Armaan kaise hain???”
“Dr. Keerti ab who theek hai but bahut weak hai… muscle mass bahut loss ho gaya hai uska….”
“Haan…20 days se koi liquid diet par hai…so its quite expected….”
“Maam woh ghar jaana chahta hai…pooch raha tha…use discharge kab karenge???”
“Aap bataiye…aap unki attending doctor hain….”
“Maam ab symptoms tou nahin hai…but kafi weak hai…tou hum discharge tou kar sakte hain… and bed rest recommend kar sakte hain….”
“Jaisa aap theek samjhe…”
“Main ek baar Atul se baat kar leti hoon…Armaan Mumbai mein aake usi ke ghar par ruka tha…”
She walked out and went to the ward…Armaan had kept the book open on his chest and had fallen asleep due to his weakness…
Atul was sitting there…
“Atul…mujhe tumse kuch baat karni hai…”
“Bolo ridz…”, she signed him to keep his voice low as she did not want to disturb Armaan…
“Maine abhi Dr. Keerti se baat ki…unhone kaha hai that hum ab Armaan ko discharge kar sakte hain…lekin woh bahut weak hai tou uska bahut khayal rakhna parega…he lives with you right???”
“Tum chinta mat karo Ridz main hoon na…Armaan ka main khayal rakhunga…”
“Theek hai main uske discharge papers taiyaar karti hoon…”, she left the room and Atul came to Armaan…
“Armaan…”, he said lightly as he touched Armaan hand…
Armaan opened his eyes with a jerk… “Kya hua…???”
“Kuch nahin yaar main hoon…”… “Sun tujhe discharge kar rahein hain…chal uthke change kar le ghar chalte hain…”, Atul smiled…
Armaan got up slowly…he felt better, though a little weak but still he was tired of staying in the hospital…
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He got dressed in his a pair of jeans and a white sweat shirt…as he came out pulling up the zipper of the sweat shirt …he looked at Atul and said… “Meri jeans kitni loose ho gayi hai yaar…”…
“Dr. Armaan a proteinless diet to cure your typhoid!!! Muscle loss tou hoga hi…”, Dr. Keerti said… “Aapko discharge tou kar diya hai but aapko har roz check up karwane ke liye aana parega and yeh raha aapka prescprition…”
“Dr. Atul aap ki responsibility par hum Dr. Armaan ko discharge kar rahe hain…please inke khaane pine ka khayal rakhiyega, inki medicines time par dijigeya, roz aapko inhe check up ke liye laanaa parege for atleast 10 days and please dekhiyega yeh zyada exert na karein…”
“Maam aap chinta mat kariye, main Armaan ka khayal rakhunga…”
Armaan was looking for Ridhima, Atul collected his stuff and signed his discharge papers…his eyes kept on searching for her but she did not come… Armaan was crestfallen… “Ek baar jaane se pehle milne nahin aa sakti thi???” , he muttered to himself…
“Kya kaha tune…???”, Atul asked…
“Nahin kuch nahin…”, he said lost in himself…
Atul opened the door and supported Armaan as he walked in…he knew Armaan was very weak so he directly led him to the bed room and made him lie down…
He opened the window and pulled the curtains so that he gets some breeze but is not disturbed by the sunlight… “Tu rest kar main yeh medicines lekar aata hoon abhi…”
Armaan did not say anything, just looked at Atul…
“Bahar se lock kar ke jaa rahaa hoon…waise ek key is table par rakhi hai…lekin kahin jaana mat…Dr. Keerti ne aaraam karne ko kaha hai…yaad hai na???”
Armaan nodded and Atul left closing the door behind him…
He sat there and looked around…there was a punching bag hanging in the room from the ceiling…
He got up and punched the bag ligtly… “ARMAAN TUM WAPAS KYON AAYE MERI LIFE MEIN AB TUMHARE LIYE KOI JAGAH NAHIN HAI…MAR CHUKI HAI TUMHARI BASKET TUMHARE LIYE… CHORH KAR TUM GAYE THE NA MUJHE…TUMHE EK BAAR BHI NAHIN LAGA MUJHPAR KYA BEETEGI… MAIN AB RIDHIMA GUPTA NAHIN RAHI..MAIN RIDHIMA MODI BAN CHUKI HOON…”
He went on punching the bag..his body hurt and his arms hurt worse after each punch, but he was lost in his thoughts and went on punching harder and harder everytime…
“Basket tum ek baar mujhse milne bhi nahin aayi…”…he said and punched the bag… “Tumhe ab meri koi zaroorat nahin hai…???”
He felt sweat trickling down his body and he was finding it hard to breathe… he looked at the window…it appeared hazy and then he looked at the punching bag…it seemed to be getting dimmer and dimmer…suddenly everything became dark and he felt the punching bag hit him on his chest and he fell down
Atul came back and called his name a couple of times…he thought that probably he was sleeping and opened the door softly…
The flat was absolutely dark…he switched on the drawing room light… “Armaan light bhi nahin jalayi tune…”…
He said and went to the bed room…he switched on the light…”Chal uth kar davaa kha le and main kuch dinner layaa hoon…kha le…”
“ARMAAAAN…”, he shouted to see Armaan lying on his chest on the floor…
He shook him…but he did not move…he took out his phone and dialed…”Ridhima tum ghar aa sakti ho…Armaan behosh ho gaya hai…”
“ARMAAAAN”, Ridhima stood up… “Atul main abhi aati hoon”…
“Armaan…Armaan…”, Atul was splashing water on his face…
Armaan tried to open his eyes but he could not do so… He could hear voices around him…
“But Atul hospital se chalaa tou theek tha…maine khud condition dekh kar hi discharge papers taiyaar kiye the..”
“Ridz main ise ghar chorh kar medicines lane gaya tha…”… “Raaste mein socha dinner bhi le loon..”… “Aake dekha tou yahan bed room mein behosh para tha…”
Suddenly everything became quiet…after some time…he felt a needle in his arm and then felt a familiar figure sitting next to him…
He felt his hair being stroked gently… “Armaan…”, he heard his name and opened his eyes…
Thanks a lot to all of you for your lovely comments Anuj, Naimat, Pooja, Ashima, Vaishu, Hinal and Poonam. I also appreciate the Silent Readers who pressed the Like Tab. Do continue to read and comment...you are my inspiration...