Armaan-Abhimanyu part 9

Pred 10 – (nov 22)
Night – AR

It's late night by the time Armaan reaches back – for once he is thankful to see all the lights off. He doesn't want to talk to anyone, not even Riddhima … not till he can sort out in his head all that Abhimanyu had said. Someone in Sanjeevani had been committing fraud … had been siphoning out funds … to the extent that the trust was almost bankrupt? Who could it possibly be?

Even for one moment he cannot believe it could be one of the doctors … Muskaan and Atul he dismisses out of hand – they are so completely simple and straight forward, they could never hide something like this … besides which, none of the interns has any money … and if they had committed any fraud, they would have the money, right? He asks himself, then shakes his head – why is he even thinking of them?
It's impossible … Abhimanyu's suspicions have warped his own thinking. As for Dr. Keerti … and her sister … he remembers Riddhima telling him about Dr. Keerti's strange behaviour in taking money from all the staff … and then returning it – he had been away in Singapore during that time, had never seen the different looking Keerti … or maybe, that was the twin, that could explain it, he thinks suddenly … but again, she had been in need of money …
And then she had returned it … he thinks slowly … could that be it? Was that why Keerti was the first to fall under suspicion …

"I'm going mad," he says aloud to himself as he enters and walks slowly to his room. "Main pagal ho raha hun … kya kuch soch raha hun … I'm in serious trouble …"

"Voh to tum ho …"

He jumps and looks around. Riddhima is standing behind him, dressed in her red nightgown, arms crossed across her chest and an extremely irate expression on her face.

In spite of himself, he smiles … she looks like a furious wife waiting for an erring husband … he crosses back to her and tries to hold her in his arms … she resists strongly.

Rid: where were you? Itni der se aana hai, to agli baar bahar hi rehna … samjhe …?!!

He grins again … the scolding just completes the picture!
Ar: Riddhima … tum abhi tak meri biwi bani nahin ho … aur abhi se hukum chala rahi ho?
Rid (very pleasantly): main hukum nahin chala rahi, Armaan … (changes her tone, becoming fierce) … main tumhe strangle karne jaa rahi hun …
She puts her hands on his throat as though to strangle him … he catches them and pulls them around himself.

Ar (smiling): par kyun …? Ab maine kya kiya … ? yeh to Niki ko gale lagane ke liye tha, na? maine aisa kuch nahin kiya … I promise …

Rid: phir tum kahan the? Itni der tak? Naa kuch bataya, naa phone kiya … kabse try kar rahi thi …
He hesitates, not knowing how much to say. To distract her, he says …
Ar: lekin tum itni der tak jaag kaise rahi ho … sab so gaye kya?

Rid: Nahin … papa ke visitors aaye the … abhi abhi gaye hain … voh itni loud discussion ho rahi thi ki main so hi nahin saki … phir dekha ki tum abhi tak nahin aaye …

Ar (surprised): Dr. Shashank had visitors … itni raat ko?
Rid: Haan … pata nahin kyun … papa bhi kaafi pareshan the … saari sham study mein band the unke saath. Khaana bhi theek se nahi khaya …
Armaan looks at her, a slow sinking feeling growng in his heart …

Ar (trying to speak casually, and cursing Abhimanyu inwardly – that guy has made him suspicious of everyone): Kaun the … kuch important kaam hoga … agar itni raat tak baithe the …

Rid (impatiently): hoga, Armaan … mujhe kya pata … bank se the so obviously Sanjeevani ke problem ke baare mein hi hoga … lekin tum batao, tum kahan the … ?
Ar (slowly): … bank se the … ? tumhe kaise pata?

Rid (looking at him a little strangely): voh … ek to papa ka broker hai … pehle bhi ghar aa chukka hai … I think Dr. Abhimanyu ke saath uski koi baat hui thi … to voh papa se complain karne aaya tha … (she smiles) … lagta hai Dr. Abhimanyu sirf doctors se hi nahin, sabke saath rudely behave karta hain …

Ar (carefully): Riddhima … kya voh Dr. Abhimanyu ki complaint karne aaye the … are you sure?
Rid (impatiently): no … I'm not … maine unki baatein suni kahan … lekin Papa ki bhi aaj Dr. Abhimanyu ke saath kaafi lambi meeting hui … aur inki bhi … shayad vahi kuch discuss kar rahe the … kyun? Tum itne interested kyun ho?

Ar: nahin … kuch nahin … just wondering ki … aaj tumhare papa aur Dr. Abhimanyu ki meeting thi …? How do you know that?

Rid: Papa ne kaha … aur kaise? … voh abhi bhi worried hain … Armaan, tum itne sawaal kyun pooch rahe ho …?

He doesn't answer. A cold hand seems to be squeezing his chest … he is very, very worried … a thought is shaping in his head, and becoming more and more a certainty …


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