Suhani- soumya isnt rags’ babu soo cute…
Soumya nods. Suhani leans over rags’ shoulder and gently strokes babu’s cheek.
Suhani- Can i hold him di?
Rags smiled at her and slowly passed babu to Suhani …
Dadi- You are giving babu to that girl? Take him back!
Suhani- But dadi…
Dadi- You hands are too dirty to hold a Birla child, give babu back to Rags.
Suhani starts to pass the baby back, Soumya smiles…
Pratima- Suhani… Hold Babu. Mummy ji don’t tell Suhani not to hold babu…
Yuvraj- Dadi, whats the harm in it? Let Suhani hold Babu if she wants to.
Dadi turn and walks away, defeated again by the fact she can’t refuse he favourite grandson. Soumya’s smile drops.
Suhani oohs and aaahs over the baby. She rests the baby on her forearms and her hands, lifting up and down making babu giggle. She whispers to him in baby- sounding gibberish, excited and energetic. Yuvraj sighs and smiles. Rags talks about having to cook lunch and leaves. After a few seconds, babu starts crying loudly, Suhani rests him over her shoulder, rubbing his back and shhing him.
Yuvraj- You wont be able to do it Suhani… (He smile arrogantly)
Suhani- What?
Yuvraj- Babu loves me the most…
Suhani- No way… (Suhani nuzzles her nose against Babu’s with a nurturing smile.) Suhani Auntie is his favourite.
Yuvraj goes over to Suhani and Babu. He reached around Suhani’s neck and took Babu from her. Suhani looked around in annoyance. Yuvraj placed Babu over his shoulder like Suhani had done and rubbed his back. He swung slowly from side to side and hummed quietly. Yuvraj, Suhani and Babu were all standing facing the sofa where everyone sat.
Suhani- Aaare Sadu! (she whispered) Give him back to me!
But suddenly Babu stopped crying. He sucked his little thumb and looked very tired. Yuvraj looked over his shoulder to check on him with a fatherly smile and then lifted Babu of his shoulder and held Babu facing him. Suhani who stood behind them looked on with a huge smile.
Without thinking, she placed her left hand on Yuvraj’s left shoulder and her chin on Yuvraj’s right shoulder, and with her other hand she stoked the back of Babu’s head. The family were seeing a picture of perfect little family and they all grinned big happy smiles, except Soumya who was stiffled by rage and whose mind was crowded with evil thoughts. Yuvraj and Suhani look at each other and their eyes meet. Suhani opens her mouth to say something but freezes still, mouth slightly open. Yuvraj’s face softens. Suhani moves her arm which was on babu to Yuvraj’s middle. Both their faces are still confused and blank. They tilt their heads slightly and their foreheads touch. They smile.
Suddenly Babu lets out a tired cry and Suhani and Yuvraj jump out of the way they were standing. Soumya leaves the room quickly. But the family who had watched them holding in their laughter let it go. Suhani blushed red and Yuvraj quickly gave babu to Pratima.
Yuvraj- Whats funny?
Sharad- Whats funny your asking? (He laughs loudly)
Yuvraj- yes. Thats what im asking…
Sharad- You tease me about romancing with Bhavana ji and you both do that and you aren’t even engaged…
Suhani- Do what?
Menka- Suhani di di… you really dont know?… you and Yuvraj…
Suhani blushed the colour of blood and rushed out of the main entrance of the house. Yuvraj looked up and stepped forward, opening his mouth to say something and reaching his hand forward to stop her. Sharad sighed, silently laughing, and placed his arm on Yuvraj’s shoulder.
Suhani kept on running, the rain cooling down her burning cheeks. She was embarressed to the core but for some reason she couldn’t wipe the grin off her face. And while hearing the rain thunder on to the pavement and flood the road slightly she can’t keep her mind of Yuvraj’s touch. The way his soft palm felt against her shoudler, the way the tips of their noses touched and their skin touched, the intensity of his big brown eyes.
In the spur of the moment, Suhani felt a hand on her back, it applied much force and pushed her over. She tried to look around at who it is but she slipped over because of water that the rain had left behind. She fell into the brick wall, her knuckles hit into the wall and she could her hear every knuckes crack out of place. She fell to the ground with a scream of pain, involuntary tears spill out of her eyes.
Inside everyone jumps in shock at the screams and looks around in disdain.
Yuvraj- SUHANI?!?!
He rushes out the door with concern written all over his face, everyone follows him.
Yuvraj- Suhani? Suhani!
Suhani replies in quiet whimpers of pain. Yuvraj turns around the corner and sees suhani on the floor gripping on to her hand in pain. He runs over to Suhani and kneels infront of her, both eyebrows raised in concern. Suhani was looking down in pain, hair covering her face.
Bhavana- Suhani!?
Yuvraj scooped her hair to behind her ear to see her face. He moved his finger to below Suhani’s chin and raised her so it faced him.
Yuvraj- Suhani what happened?
Suhani slowly reaches out her hand that was covered in burgundy, sticky, dried blood. Her knuckles were ghost white and her palms sodden with frantic sweat. Bhavana was already on the phone with a doctor, she paced around and around the garden in ultimate chaos. Rags had gripped on to babu tightly and stood extremely close to Saurabh, tense. Anuj looks away from the scene, holding back digust at the gory sight. Sharad followed Bhavana in an attempt to calm her down. Pratima stood behind Yuvraj, looking at the pair.
Yuvraj’s eyes shared the pain in Suhani’s. He took her hand in to his and held them gently. Yuvraj implored for Suhani to look up at him through his touch. She looked up with glassy eyes rotting with fear. Yuvraj could sense that she was terrified and felt care swell his heart.
Yuvraj- How did this happen Suhani?
Suhani started crying bitterly, shivering with uneasiness.
Yuvraj- Suhani!?
Suhani- Some… somebo… somebody p-u-shed me
Yuvraj- Thats it? (he laughed a laugh of slight relief)
Suahni looked at Yuvraj with childish rage. She lifted her injured hand to playfully punch Yuvraj but he quickly grasped her hand before she could injure it further. Helooked at her with wide eyes, and she smiled at her own stupid antics.
Yurvaj- Suhani! Try and be more careful: budhoo!!
They both laughed loudly making everyone glare at them with utter confusion. Suddenly Suhani yelped in pain and Yuvraj’s eyes lit with the flame of rage.
Yuvraj- Who did this? (he said his had curling in to a fist)
Suhani- I-I- dont know Yuvi, but it was someone from the house.
Yuvraj wiped a tear of Suhani’s face wih his thumb and had a look of confusion on his face.
Yuvraj- Suhani, you know that nobody in the ouse would want to harm you, right?
Suhani- No but…
Yuvraj- Suhani…
The doctor came through the gate and asks for Suhani. Yuvraj signed over to the doctor to come over to her. The doctor enquired about the injury and Yuvraj lifted the wrist of Suhani’s injured hand and showed it to him. The doctor spun it around in his hand and glanced over it.
Yuvraj- Is it very bad, doctor? (he grips suhani’s shoulder)
Doctor- You are very lucky miss, you have a very caring husband…
Everybody smiles with joy but the pair spring apart and blush profusely.
Suhani- nai nai… he’s not my husband.
Doctor- Oh… sorry. Im sorry but miss we are going to have to click every finger black in to place and it will hurt quite a bit.
Suhani- No, no doctor saab! Just leave it, its fine.
Yuvraj- Suhani… dont be such a kid. You have to do it…
Suhani- nai, nai… Yuvraj… i dont want to do it…. (she moaned like a little child.)
Yuvraj leaned against the brick wall next to Suhani and sprawled his legs out comfortably.
Yuvraj- Fine, fine. Don’t do it. But you’ll have to listen to my story that will tell you why you should do it…
‘story?…’ Suhani thought, confused. Yuvraj signalled for the doctor to do his work while Suhani is distracted and the doctor and everyone else smiled as they understood his scheme.
Suhani- Haah, tee kai… start
Yuvraj nodded at the doctor and shuffled down in his seat.
Yuvraj- Okay… So… There was a little tree. All the other trees towered above him, strong and filled with sensational pride, but the little tree was always insecure, scared of being an outcast.
(He strokes Suhani’s foream)
In the winter, birds flew to bulid nests for their little ones, but they all nested in the big tall tres, and everyone forgot about the little tree putting him in dismay.
(Yuvraj used big animated gestures to make his story more amusing, Suhani didn’t even notice as the doctor clicked her second finger back in to its place, as she was to busy imaturely giggling at his tirelessly boring story, made interesting only by his personality and character. )
And then the wind came and tickled the tips of the of the branches, bringing joy, but only to the tall trees. “Give me some wind as well” The little tree begged.
(Yuvraj uses a commical whiny lipsy voice that causes her to break out in hiccups of laughter while her fourth and final finger was clicked back in to normality.)
The wind went past without a care in the world leaving the little tree alone. Then huge muscly men came with terrifying axes and started cutting down the trees. But they didnt cut down the little tree. “Your too little” The men told him. And the rest of the trees looked up at him in jealousy, as they were all cut down, one by one. But the little tree stood standing, brave, confident and finaly proud. Thank you, thank you.
(He bowed with fake arrogance, while Suhani slightly smiled with confusion as everyone laughed.)
Suhani- Well done Sadu Birla, but what does this have to do with me letting the doctor fix my hand?
Yuvraj- Nothing… He’s already done that…
Suhani looked down as her previously hurting hand and raised her eyebrows in awe when she could clench it in to a fist without any pain.
Suhani- But doctor saab, i didn’t feel it at all…
Yuvraj gave a wide silly proud smile and thumped himself in the chest.
Yuvraj- That was because of me!
Suhani- Acchaa… (she raised her eyebrows and bit her lip mischeviously)
Yuvraj – haaaaah…. tho wont you say thank you?
Suhani- Thank you? (her voice is made innocent and she runs her finger down his chest slowly, which makes everyone raise their eyes in suspicion or cower with uncomfort, yuvraj just glances up at her with confusion written on his bare soul)
She then starts frivolously but agressively punching Yuvraj’s chest repeatedly.
Yuvraj- Ouch… (He winces in pain and gives a wide eyed smile of suprise) Why’d you do that?
Suhani- To… (she hits him) Make you… (she hits him again) pay for… (she hits him again) making me listen to that stupid kids story ! (She hits him numerous times)
Yuvraj- But I was helping na?! (He gets up and runs away, eventhough Pratima calls him back, laughing)
Suhani- Oiii, tu! (she runs after him, holding up her skirt) Thank you na, Yuvi…
Yuvraj- What did you say?
Suhani- Thank you…
Yuvraj- Aaah. Thats nice to hear…
She laughs at him, but while giving a glare of annoyance.
Precap- Suhani springs up in bed at the middle of the night with a startle and mummuring ‘please,please don’t….’ seeming to have woken up from a nightmare, and she wipes away beads of sweat running down her face, brething heavily.