The two couple reached and found Gayatri, with a slightly showing 4 months baby bump due to her 2nd pregnancy, sitting on one of the benches and crying uncontrolably.

Tia rushed to her side and she immediately hugged her. Arjun knelt in front of them and clasped Gayatri's hands together. Priya sat on the other side of Gayatri and patted on her back.

"Doctor ne kya kaha?" Arjun asked slowly.

"Doc... Doctor..." Gayatri tried to speak but her voice was cracking.

"Pehle pani peeo, Gayu," Praneet handed her a open bottle of water while Priya helped her to drink.

"Doctor an...dar hain. Abhi...tak kuch...pata nehi," Gayatri tried to control but her tears flowed again.

"Shhhh," Tia tried to calm her with eyes stuck on the cabin door.

The cabin door of the cabin opened and Tia beat Arjun and Praneet to rush to the doctor.

"Doctor, vo...andar...."

"Pehle bataiye ki aap unnke lagte kya hain," asked the doctor.

"Hum unnke rishtedaar hain," Arjun came forward. "Hua kya hain?"

"Leukemia. Jald se jald operate karna parega. Otherwise..."

"Ye kaise hosakta hain? Vo toh bilkul thik the!" Praneet

"Yeh aisi bimaari hain jo dhire dhire asar karta hain. Ek jhat mein kisiko Leukemia nehi hosakta. Zarur pehle thore thore symptoms dikhe honge. Agar pehle diagnosed hojata toh aur bhi aasaani se cure hosakta tha. Par untreated rehne ke wajah se ab condition bohot critical hochuka hain."

Tia walked past the doctor like a zombie and stared at Jai through the little round window of the cabin door. He was lying unconscious with several machines attached to his body.

"Apko jo bhi operation karwana pare karwaiye, hume koi problem nehi hain," Arjun assured the doctor.

"Baat vo nehi hain. Aap mein se patient ke blood relative koi hain?"

"Behen hain ek. Lekin cousin," Praneet answered.

"Cousin... Thik hain. Jo bhi blood relative hain, unnhe jaldi bulaiye. Humare paas waqt nehi hain."

"Doctor, baat kya hain?" Arjun was losing his patience.

"He is almost in the last stage. Ab sirf Bone Marrow transplant hi elaj hain. Aur aise cases mein sabse pehle blood relatives ke saath match karke dekha jata hain. Waise humne donors bhi dhundna shuru kardia hain. Par agar blood relative ho, toh zyada match hone ke chances hain. Aap unnke cousin ko bulaiye. We can't wait!"

With a nod to the doctor, Arjun pulled out his phone. But the moment he was about to swipe to call, a hand stopped him.

"Rani-sa, this is not the time to argue. Hume Tejaswini ko call karna hain, Jai ke jaan ka sawal hain," Arjun told Tia.

Silent tears flowed from her eyes as she stared at the shiny tiled floor emotionlessly.

"Usski zaroorat nehi paregi..." Her voice was low.

"Kaise zaroorat nehi? Jai ki ek lauti blood relative hain Tejaswini aur..."

"Aur vo...main hoon."

It seemed as if the world had come to a halt. Everyone, even Gayatri looked up to stare at Tia in shock. It felt as if someone had cast a spell on them to be frozen.

Arjun recovered from the shock earlier than the others and tried too say something but no sound came out.

"Na ye mazak karne ka waqt hain aur na hi ye baat mazak mein bolne wali. Aap Tia hain. Humari Rani-sa, right?"

She wiped her tears and walked to the doctor, "Main hu unnki cousin. Aap mere samples match karke dekhiye."

She turned back to take one look at Arjun, who was staring at the spot she was standing a while ago. As the doctor guided, she followed.

"Arjun," Praneet kept a hand on his shoulder.

"Haa... Huh?" Arjun's trance broke.

"Iss waqt hume Gayatri ka dhyaan rakhna hain."

Arjun shifted his gaze towards the bench where Gayatri's head was rested on Priya's left shoulder. Her shivering and crying had stopped. Though tears were flowing, she was staring at the cabin Jai was in.

While Arjun sat beside Gayatri, Praneet decided to follow Priya as she excused herself to somewhere.

He found her standing against a wall, far away from Jai's cabin.

"Priya," he called out.

"Tia jab pehli bar humare kothe mein ayi thi... Bohot chhoti thi, 13-14 saal ki hogi shayad," she paused and looked at him, "Hum soch bhi nehi sakte uss larki ne... Pathankot ki Rajkumari ne aur Jaipur ki hone wali Rani apne zindagi ke 8 saal...apna pura bachpan kya kya jhela hain! Kaha use aisho-araam wali zindagi jeena chahiye tha aur kaha usko mardon ki havaniyat ka samna karna para..."

Sniffing, she continued with a smile, "Lekin look at the brighter side, "Use akhir wahi mila jo usska tha! Rasta jo bhi raha ho, vo aapni manzil mein pohoch hi gayi. Vo khubsurat zindagi jo usske kismat mein tha, akhir use mil gaya. Hain na?"

Praneet nodded with a smile, engulfing her in a hug.

~

"Nurse, bahar mere parivaar se kaun kaun hain?" Jai asked a nurse, standing by his bed monitoring the machines.

"Sablog hain. Kisiko bulana hain?"

"Nehi. Ab hum mein kisika samna karne ki himmat nehi bachi..." He sighed.

"Chinta matt kijiye, Rana-ji. Hum donors dhund rahe hain. Aap bilkul thik hojayenge."

"Yeh bimari humare paapon ka fal hain. Hume nehi lagta hum bachenge..."

"Don't worry, Rana-ji. Ab aap jitni lambi zindagi jeena chahte ho, jee sakte ho. Congratulations, apko donor milgaya hain," the doctor informed as he entered.

"Ek aur baat. Aap bohot khushnaseeb hain jo apko aisi behen mili. Pregnant hone ke bawajud bhi donor apka banna chahti thi. Luckily hume ek aur donor milgaya hain."

"Hold on a second, doctor," Jai was confused by the revelation. "Humari behen? Vo bhi pregnant! Apko koi galatfehmi huyi hogi. Humari behen..."

"Veer-ji," a voice cut him off.

"Rani-sa?" Jai was stunned to see the girl.

"Doctor, kya main thori der apne Veer se baat kar sakti hu?"

"Sure," the doctor left along with the nurse.

She took small steps and sat on the tool beside the bed.

"Chinta matt kijiye, Veer-ji, sab thik hojayega."

He was yet unable to digest the revelation, "Tejaswini?"

She nodded slowly.

"Par...kaise?"

"Ekbar aap thik hojaiye, main sabko sab kuch sach sach bata dungi. Aap bas ekbar thik hojaiye."

~

Arjun was sitting on the bench outside the cabin, staring at the shiny hospital floor without blinking. She came out of the cabin and saw him.

"Arjun..." she called but he didn't look up from the ground.

"Mere saath aisa kyun kar rahe ho! Baat..."

She didn't notice his leg and has almost tripped over it but he held her on time.

"Rani-sa, kya kar rahi hain aap! Dekhke chaliye. Baethiye yaha pe," he made her carefully sit beside him. "Aapko kahi choot toh nehi ayi?"

She grabbed his hand before he could remove it, "Please, Arjun. Baat karo mujhse. Your silencing is killing me," she held his shoulder and tried to turn him towards her.

He sighed heavily and faced her. His eyes clearly reflected how hurt he was from within.

"Kal aap keh rahi thi na ki aap confused hain? Aaj hum apki jagah par hain aur hume samajh nehi aaraha ki hum kya kare. Hum bhi bohot confused hain, Rani-sa. Iss baat se khush ho ki aap hi Tejaswini hain? Ya phir iss baat se dukhi ho ki aapne humse itni bari baat itne saalon se chhupake rakkha? Hume nehi pata apke liye hum kitne mayine rakhte hain, lekin hum apke kuch toh lagte hain na? Humare shaadi 5 saal hogaye hain aur aaj hume pata chal raha hain ki humari biwi toh humari bachpan ki dost hain!"

She didn't intervene and let him continue because she knew he had a lot to express.

"Aap shuru se janti thi ki hum Tejaswini ko hum kitna chahte the. Honestly...hume aap pe shak toh bohot bar hua tha. Lekin jaise jaise din guzarte gaye, hume laga nehi... Agar humara shakh sach hota toh abtak aap sach bata deti. At least jab Tejaswini, vo nakli Tejaswini, ayi thi tab bata deti. Ek anjaan larki aapke samne aap hone ka dhong kar rahi thi aur aapne kuch nehi bola? Aap soch sakti hain agar aap hume ye baat pehle bata deti toh humara rishta kitna alag hota?"

"Rani-sa... Hume samajh mein nehi aaraha ki Agar aap Tejaswini hain to aap Tia kaise ho sakti hain?" He saw her close her eyes and tilt her head downwards at the question.

"Aur agar aap Tejaswini hain to vo kaun thi jo itne saalon se Tejaswini bannke humare samne thi? Aur agar vo Tejaswini nehi hain to phir aapne ye sach humse chhupake kyun rakkha?"

He paused but was still looking at her, "Boliye, Rani-sa, kya baat kare hum apse? Ab toh humein doubt horaha hain ki apne kabhi humse sach bola bhi hoga ya nehi. Jo insaan apne pehchaan ko leke jhooth bol sakta hain, apne apno se itne saalon tak dur reh sakta hain...ussne pata nehi aur kinte jhooth bole honge. Usse hum kya baat kare? Boliye, de sakti hain aap humare sawalon ka jawab?"

She finally looked up and saw his glassy turn eyes, "Main sabke sawalon ka jawab dungi. Tumhare harr sawal ka jawab main dungi. Ekbar Veer-ji thik hojaye, main sab bataungi. Par please tum mujhse aise naraz matt raho. Please, Arjun?" She broke into tears.

Without wasting a second, he wrapped her in his arms, "Humne apse pehle bhi kaha tha ki kuch bhi hojaye hum humesha apke saath rahenge aur aap humesha humari Rani-sa rahengi!"

~~*~~

So, the truth is finally out in the open!
I know, many of you had already guessed it.
But how was it?
Was it worth all the suspense?
Or was it just cliched?

What do you think
why did the
heir of Pathankot, Tejaswini
become Tia, a prostitute?
What made her life turn Hell from Heaven?

Next
Chapter 39: Curse of being Bluebloods

~~*~~

Reads: 75050 || Votes: 4787

~ Published on 13th July'19 ~