Manan ff – unconditional love – a friend in need is a friend indeed ! Episode 20

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY !!!

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Recap: Manik comes across a heartbroken Mukti in the hospital as Abhi had been taken inside the ICU. Dhruv gets furious at Aliya for kissing him the other night and says things to her that break her heart into pieces.

Manik in his blue shorts and red tee shirt, is constantly moving up and down in his room making calls one after the other, his face reflecting nervousness and stress.

“No…No…No ! You don’t understand doc ! I don’t have 1 week ! So, if you’re not in London, can’t you send another doctor to India ASAP ?!”

“Arrgghh !! Fine” , disconnects the call on getting an unpleasant answer.

He dials another number, “Hello yes ! Mr. John ! This is Manik Malhotra from Malhotra group of Industries. ”

Mr. John: Yes yes Mr. Malhotra. How can I help you ?

Manik: Doctor, I have a serious case of last stage blood cancer and I need your help ASAP !

Mr. John: Okay well I’m at my clinic right now. Just give me the address and I’ll be there in half an hour.

Manik: No No Doc. I’m not in New York right now. I’m in India and the patient is here as well. I need you to fly down to Mumbai, India ASAP and check my patient.

Mr. John: Mr. Malhotra, how is that possible ? You know how important I am here for my hospital and my patients. How can I just leave everything and come ?

Manik: Doctor, you have to ! I don’t care how you manage but you have to ! Don’t worry about your fees. You’ll be given twice your fees and all the expenses for travel and accommodation. What more ?

Mr. John: Okay Mr. Malhotra. I’ll be there.

Manik: Great ! My manager will send you the tickets and communicate with you over the phone. See you in Mumbai.

He suddenly feels relieved at having arranged help for Abhimanyu. He had been imagining Mukti’s face all this while and it ached him in the heart to see her cry for her love. He could not even imagine himself in her position if his love would be in that situation. He very well knew the meaning and implications of losing your love. He had been through it once when Nandini left New York with her family and did not want anyone else to suffer that. He immediately got changed into his blue denims and white shirt, put on his glasses and left for the hospital.

Aliya reached home and went straight to her bedroom. Her parents lived in London for their business and she was all alone at her place. At times she used to hang out at Mukti’s or Nandini’s place or she used to call them over so that she won’t be alone but since the past few days it seemed to her as if she was all alone, all by herself. She got into her room, threw her bag on the bed and broke down there itself. All the tears she had been trying to avoid all the while came running down her eyes. She got down on the floor crying hard, her voice echoing in the whole house, yet no one to come up to her help. She was sitting beside the bed, with her head resting on the top of the bed, the bedsheet wet with her tears. All the cruel words spoken by Dhruv had been flowing in her mind.

“Why Aliya ? How could you do that ?” “I know, after Aryaman, things would have been difficult for you. You might have needed someone close.”

She started talking while crying, “No Dhruv !! How could you even say that ?? That I wanted you just close ? Just physically close ? Is that it ? Wouldn’t I have emotional feelings ?”

Manik reached hospital and rushed towards the doctor’s cabin. He entered without knocking which startled the doctor at first but on seeing a concerned Manik he immediately greeted him and asked him to get seated.

Doctor: It’s good to see you Mr. Manik. I was actually wondering how to contact you. Actually I needed to discuss something about Mr. Abhimanyu. Since I could not talk to Mukti about it, I was looking for a way to contact you.

Manik: Yes tell me doctor. And I’ll leave my number so that you can contact me anytime.

Doctor: Yes. So the thing is Mr. Manik, Abhimanyu’s condition is worsening. The time I’d told you was too much. He might not have more than a week.

Manik’s face turns pale. He could not stand the fact that two lovers might get separated without having any fault. He did not wish to see Mukti in that state again.

Manik: Look doctor. There has to be a way out. Have you heard about the famous cancer specialist Mr. John D’souza ?

Doctor: Oh yes of course. His cases have a 99.99% success ratio. He’s one of the finest cancer specialist in the world.

Manik: Yes. He is flying down to Mumbai in a couple of days. I have talked to him about Abhi’s case and he has agreed to take it over. You may please entertain him and take his help for this case but save Abhimanyu any how !

Doctor: Sure I will. It would be an honor to have Mr. John with us.

Manik: You just mail him the case history of Abhimanyu and discuss with him over the phone about whatever you have to. And till the time he arrives, Abhimanyu is completely your responsibility ! Please don’t let anything happen to him. And here is my number and the e-mail id of Mr. John (He hands him a piece of paper).

Doctor: Sure ! By the way, may I ask you something ?

Manik: (confused) Yes ?

Doctor: What relation do you have with Mr. Abhimanyu ?

Manik: I have never met him. But Mukti is my friend and I can’t see her like that. I want the two of them to live together happily and I’ll do anything for that.

Aliya had fallen asleep while crying when her door bell rings and she wakes up. She opens the door to find Dhruv who suddenly takes her into a tight bone crushing hug, lifting her up from the floor and turning her around. She hugs him back with equal force and again tears start escaping her eyes. Dhruv realizes she had again started crying and therefore breaks the hug to look at her face. He wipes her tears with his hands and holds his ears with both hands indicating a sorry gesture, making a puppy face. Aliya gives a smile and makes him remove his hands from his ears. They again hug each other and….

The door bell keeps ringing and Aliya wakes up with a jerk realizing it was a dream ! The door bell was continuously ringing so she immediately ran downstairs and opened the main door expecting Dhruv like her dream but finds Cabir. He had been holding Navya in his arms who was unconscious.

Aliya: Cabir ?! What are you doing here ? And what’s wrong with her ?

Cabir: you know what happens when she party’s hard right ?

Aliya: (realizing the matter) hmm…come get her in.

Cabir: (entering with Navya in his arms and moving towards the guest room) yeah ! We were in a nearby pub so I just thought of your place to get her instantly. She fell asleep on the way.

He makes Navya sleep on the bed, covers her with a blanket and moves out of the room with Aliya. He takes a look at her and then asks,

Cabir: what’s wrong with you ? Now don’t even try to lie because I can very well see those swollen eyes and the red nose.

After meeting the doctor, Manik goes to the ICU to meet Mukti. He enters to find Abhimanyu unconscious on the bed, with all the machines around him. Mukti was sitting on a stool beside him, holding his hand in hers, constantly staring at him, tears flowing from her eyes which she was constantly wiping away, but they would again start flowing. Manik goes nearer, standing behind her, places his hand softly on her shoulder, and she breaks down crying. She did not even know who it was but she felt like she finally had someone to share her feelings with. She turned around to find Manik and that confused her. She could have never imagined out of all the people it would be Manik who would come to her rescue. Manik took her hand from Abhi’s and made her move outside with him. She did not wish to go and therefore resisted a bit but was very weak to resist further and therefore moved out with him.

Manik: (indicating towards the chairs) Come lets sit.

They settle down and stay quiet for sometime after which Manik breaks the silence,

Manik: Look Mukti I know how hard this is for you. But can I ask you one question ?

Mukti looks at him questioningly and Manik continues,

Manik: Why haven’t you told your friends about all of this ?

Mukti: I don’t know.

Manik: Don’t lie. You obviously know ! Please tell me.

Mukti: My friends think I’m the cool girl types who would never fall in love. And I actually was like that, before I met Abhi. He..He completely changed my life. He made me live life to the fullest. And now he is the one who is making me die every second !

Manik: Why do you think your friends won’t understand that you’ve changed ?

Mukti: They might. But they won’t let me be with Abhi considering the very less time he has. (tears start flowing again)

Manik: (offering her his handkerchief) They will. You need to make them understand. And you know what ? They do have some doubt on you that you are hiding something from them They are going to ask you so it’s better you yourself reveal before they ask. And have you noticed Nandini’s condition ? She is the one who is most concerned about you. She gets so disturbed thinking about you. I can see it in her eyes.

Mukti: You don’t understand. I can’t take the risk. What if they don’t understand ?

Manik: What if they do ? You’ll have all your friends with you.

(At Aliya’s place)

Cabir: (after listening to Aliya’s story) How could Dhruv do that ? I really can’t digest the fact ! I need to talk to him.

Aliya: No Cabir ! Please don’t do anything.

Cabir: Why Aliya ? You were just drunk right ? So, that’s the reason you behaved so. Am I correct or is there something more ?

Aliya: (nervously) Of course ! There’s nothing more. I was drunk. Nothing else.

Cabir realizes that Aliya is not ready to accept her feelings herself and decides to take up that mission later. As of now he needed to be with his friend in her hard time.

Aliya keeps crying and Cabir tries to console her but fails ! After a long time of crying, she finally falls asleep on his shoulder. He slowly picks her up and makes her sleep in her bedroom and himself goes downstairs in the guest room with Navya.

(Back in the hospital)

Mukti: (after enough consoling from Manik) Okay. I’ll talk to them tomorrow. Thanks Manik. I don’t know why did you help me so much but it felt good. Thank you !

Manik: (giving her a smile) Please don’t thank me. All of you helped me look for my band member and I helped you in whatever way I could.

Mukti: But how did you find me here ? I mean what were you doing here in the evening when we met ?

Manik explains to her the entire accident thing and that he had been there with Nandini.

Mukti: What ? Nandini was here ? Thank god she didn’t find me. Or else she would have killed me !

Manik stays there with her for some more time to lighten up her mood and he even succeeds in it as she stops crying for the time being.

Precap: Mukti talking to Fab 5 about Abhi. Abhi’s treatment to begin.

Tomorrow: PaNi ff. Veebha and Ayaz talking to Niti and Parth individually. Would the two of them open up about their feelings ?

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Hope you guys enjoyed the friendship angle.

Do let me know your thoughts about friendship and what do you believe is the most beautiful part about friendship ?

Thank You !

#behappy

#spreadsmiles