Rikara TS – Fire Incident – Chapter Two

Om, in the hallway, was panicking as he knew the fire was spreading fast and he could not find Gauri. His white pants was red from the blood. He turns around and see a blood trail. His blood

O: I do not care if I am bleeding but I need to find Gauri. Where did this girl go? GAURI! (Tears in his eyes) Please come back to me, Gauri! I need you…

OMKARAJI! Om turns around in shock to the origin of the voice. He limps to the room and the door was on fire. Firmly, holding onto the stick, he shifted his weight onto his injured leg and kicked the door. The door bursts open and he looks around. There, he sees Gauri on the floor, her hands burnt and bleeding. Her dupatta on the side burning and her dress ripped, revealing her bra strap. She was hugging onto something that was covered. Om runs to her and rests her head on his lap.

O: Gauri! Please get up. Gauri!

Still no response.

O: She would have a freak attack if she wakes up and sees her dress like this.

Without touching her skin, he fixes her dress. He then goes to the window and tries to open it but it does not even budge. He tries to lift her up but drops her because of his injury. Om looks at the stretcher and his face lightens up.

He drags her to the bed and then pick her up with all the weight on the other leg. He places her on the stretcher. Gauri still does not let go off the bundle in her hand, but at the moment, he did not care. Getting Gauri out of here and making sure she gets up was his only priority. He then looks for the wooden stick that he uses, but then sees it burning. Now he had to just depend on himself to get both of them safely out of the burning building. Using the stretcher as support, he pushes it through the door and to the back entrance.

O: Shit, the stretcher will not fit through the door. One more time, I need to lift her. He picks Gauri up and walks toward the door. He can feel the wound on his legs burning in pain and his arms weak. He holds his breath, bits the bottom lip and uses the last bit of strength to carry her. He gets out of the hospital with Gauri in his arm. Unable to bend down, he falls on his knees and gently places Gauri on the ground.

O(On the verge of tears): Gauri, get up. Why did you go inside? Why did you leave me here and run inside? Do you know how I felt when I saw you running inside, my heart just dropped to my stomach.

Om limps to the trunk of the car and opens it up. He takes out a water bottle and a shawl. The same shawl that he wanted to gift her.

O(Thinking): Gauri, I wanted to give you this as a present but I never thought I will give it to you at this time, when you are on verge of death.

With tears running down his face, he places the shawl on her. He then opens the water bottle to see wipe down her face and wake up. He flicks the water on her face and he can see her forehead moving.

O: Gauri, I am here for you. I am not letting you go that easily. I need my Jerry so this Tom can chase her around…Get up!

He wets his hand even more and uses it as a towel to moisten her face and clean up the black dust on her face.

Gauri slowly opens her face and at first, she cannot see what was in front of him. All she saw was a figure calling her name and something moist caressing her face. She slowly opens her face and it was Om. His eyes red, filled with tears and it was flowing down his face.

G: Om? Why are you crying?

She later notices his hand on her face and slowly looks at it. Om realizing it, takes her hand off the face. She sees the shawl on her.

G: Isn’t this the shawl that you brought from Germany? Why did you give to me if you love it so much? This is your new style and I am not interested in it.

Om starts to laugh. Not because of her joke. But, because she is talking to him.

O(Thinking): I was dying to hear your voice. Do you know how happy I am to see you talk to me? Why did I say it was my dressing style? This girl knows how to make people laugh even in the toughest situation.

Gauri takes the shawl off her and decide to give it to Om. Then she sees the shoulder part of the dress ripped and quickly puts it back on.

G: Ahhh… (Hurting her hand)

G(Thinking): That is why he put the shawl on me…

G: Thank you, Om for saving me.

O: Gauri, you do not need to thank me. There are not any thank yous and your welcomes between friends.

Gauri smiles back at him.

O: How did you burn your hand like that? What did you touch that gave you the burn?

G: Where is it?

O: Gauri, answer my question.

G: Omkaraji, where is it?

O: What? This bundle (Pointing at the bundle)

G: Yes, Om. Pass it to me.

Om gives her the bundle. Gauri attempts to open it.

G: Ouch!!

O: ARE YOU STUPID? Why are you hurting yourself like this? What is in here that is so important for you to run into the fire?

G: Remove the blanket and you will see.

With the bundle on her lap, Om takes the blanket off and it was the murthi.

O: The murthi… (Thinking) The murti is slightly warm. That is how she burnt her hands. When she touched it, she did not realize that the metal warmed up due to the heat, and she burned her hands. (Says) Gauri, but I need to ask you again. ARE YOU STUPID? Just for this, you went inside. You burnt your hands and fainted because of this statue.

G: Omkaraji… this is not a statue. It is the murthi. How can we leave this behind? We came here for this. Bhoujai and bade bhaiyya’s wedding will not happen without this so we need to bring back to the mansion. You risked your life and played Dangal for this murthi. How can I let your hard work go to waste?

O: That does not mean you risk your life for them. You said that true lovers will never separate so no matter what they will get married in the end. What if something happened to you?

G: Shankerji will protect me. (Thinking) Om, you will protect me. (Says) Om, you do not realize how important this murthi is to your family. Your grandfather had it before and Dadi wanted it. It has been in your family for a long time.

O: Well, this was in my family before and we lost it before. We do not depend on it. But, you Gauri, you are part of this family… My family, Gauri. You need to understand that.

Male Saathiya plays.

Gauri remembers the time when Om asked Chulbul to sit on the sofa as she was also part of the family. She smiles at him.

G: I am only temporarily part of your family, Om. Once the marriage is over, I will have to leave.

Om looks up at her.

O(Thinking): Gauri, who said you are a temporary member of my family. Why do not you realize that I ran into the fire to save you? I did that for you, you only Gauri.

Gauri remembers someone saying, “I am here for you, Gauri,” when she was unconscious.

G(Thinking): Did Om say that? Why did he say that?

Gauri looks at his pant and sees the red stain. She slowly lifts the pants off to see the wound. There was blood crusted around the wound and lines of dried blood running his leg.

G: Omkaraji… (Crying) Doesn’t it hurt?

O(Thinking): Not as much as the fact that I almost lost you.

She takes the water bottle and pours it over him. She hid her pain so Om does not panic.

G: This is going to get infected.

O(Taking her hands into his): Does it hurt, Gauri? Please do not do anything stupid like this again.

G: Again, this is not being stupid, Om. You know I would do anything for the people I care about.

Om remembers the time Gauri falls unconscious on the Dangal ground after fighting Balram.

O: You care about me…

G(Changing the subject): We need to go to the hospital.

O(Pointing at the burning building): This hospital…

Gauri chuckles.

G: Omkaraji… I am so tired… Can we go… home?

O: Did you not say that you wanted to go to the hospital?

G: Did I… Yes, I did. Let’s go. You go start the van and I will come.

O: No, you stay here and I will bring the car here. It will be easier for you.

G: How are you going to drive… with a bleeding leg, Omkaraji?

O: Gauri, we need to get you to a hospital to see if you suffered internally from the fire. Those hands also need medication as well. We can get this treated as well. Don’t worry… I am here for you.

Om gets up, takes the Murthi with him and heads towards the car. He opens the driver side and places the murthi inside.

O(Thinking): Van?? We came in a car and she knows that. And, then with this hospital and home mix up… Something is wrong.

He hears a thud. Om turns around and Gauri is on the floor, breathing heavily.

G: O…mkaraji… (Placing her hand on her throat) I…. cannot… breathe…

She starts to take quicker breaths and then becomes unconscious.

O: GAURI!

He places his head close to her heart to see if she is breathing and he can hear her heart beating and chest rising slowly.

O(Thinking): She is still breathing but with her unconscious, she can stop breathing anytime.

Forgetting his injury, he carries her and places her on the front seat. He quickly puts her seat belt on and comes to the driver side. As he sits down, Gauri’s head falls on his shoulder.

O: Gauri, I promised you that I will always be there for you. I made a promise that you will always be my dost. Your bunty is not going to leave you like this.

Saathiya plays.

He starts the car and heads toward the gate. There, he sees Balram and his two-henchman standing in the gate. He starts honking to let them know to move out of the way. But, they do not budge.

O: I cannot stop the car now for these idiots. What if something happens to Gauri in the meantime?

He presses the accelerator harder and feels blood running down his leg. The goons run out of the way and Om breaks through the gate.

O: Shankerji, please save my Gauri. She ran inside to save your statue and now she is in this state. Is this what you do to people that believe in you? She always said that belief in god will lead you in the right path. Is this the right path for her…. For me? When she came back, she filled a void in my life. I do not know what to call it but I need her. She is the closest person I have in my life after Shivaye and Rudra. I already lost her once and she is slowly coming back to me. I cannot lose her again.

The car speeds on the road…

That is it, guys… How is it? I know this is more than allotted 7 minutes LOL! I hope I did justice to the scene. Hope you like it