SWASAN: AASHIYAN [EPISODE-20]
I am so sorry that I didn’t post for three weeks. I had my exams in my college and I couldn’t get time to inform you by posting a short post even. Adishu sorry dear. Now it will be a minimum two posts per week.
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Raglak room-
Laksh- how all this happened? Swara can’t do anything like this.
Ragini- I know laksh but maa is worried about the child and I couldn’t support swara because that time maa would have been upset. After all that has happened she don’t want anything to go wrong. And I couldn’t even talk to swara once as maa was all the time with me.
Laksh- you don’t take tension. It’s not good for your health. Soon we will find out how all this happened and the first chance we get, we will talk to swara and sanskar. Chalo sleep now.
Dp-ap room-
Dp- Annapurna how can you blame swara like that. You know what all she had done for the family, for everyone of us individually. I didn’t expect any such behaviour from you.
Ap- ji I didn’t want to blame swara. At least you understand me. My one son betrayed us and is in jail, the other one was missing for so many days. And when I have him back safe after so much troubles I don’t want anything wrong to happen and over that we have got the good news after so much difficulty. I haven’t ever asked for much from anyone. It’s just the wish to see my grandchild that made me to lash at swara. I was just concerned for ragini and the child. If you find me wrong then i am sorry but I will not let anything wrong happen with laksh, ragini or the upcoming child because of anyone. [she said in tears and went off to sleep]
Dp was tensed for the family. He very well know what is happening in the family although he never intrudes in anyone’s matter. He was really upset with annapurna’s behaviour towards sanskar over the past days and had also seen sanskar’s condition. He has the knowledge of sanskar extra hours of work and him coming to home rarely and even after swara has returned things between them wasn’t good and he knows it. He has the experience to study people without involving in their matters.
He has accepted swara as a daughter and her truthfulness and loyalty has made a different place for her in his heart. He can doubt on others but not swara. He had experienced that her every decision is very thoughtful and never compromises with the well being of others. He sighed not knowing what could be done.
Swasan room-
After he fed swara he offered her water which she took without any resistance. She stood up and started walking towards cupboard.
Sanskar- [confused] where are you going?
She didn’t reply, just went and opened cupboard. Taking her handbag, she took out some medicines and gulped them with water. Sanskar came to her.
Sanskar- swara what are these medicines for.
Swara- [in low voice] some medicines prescribed by doctor to be taken during pregnancy.
Sanskar- [worried but hesitant] is there some……something serious?
Swara- no. it is necessary for pregnant women to have some general medication for the growing baby. [said looking down at the floor]
Sanskar- ohhh
Swara took out her report from the handbag and forwarded to sanskar who confusingly took it.
Swara- my pregnancy reports.
She saw the small gift box in her bag and took that out too and was forwarding to give it to him but then stopped and kept it back in her bag. Sanskar saw this but didn’t say anything.
She walked back to the bed and while sanskar looked at what she is going to do next but she simply lay on the bed, covered herself with comforter and closed her eyes in order to sleep.
Sanskar wanted to talk to her, ask her everything, know what’s going in her mind but in this condition, he thought it’s better to let her sleep, take some rest as it’s quite needed. The situation was quite awkward for them. For the first time they didn’t know how to talk, what to talk as for swara nothing was left and for sanskar, he was all confused with so much happenings in just few hours. He sat on the couch and opened her reports and just understood few things, and one of those was pregnancy test +ve. He turned the pages and found that in one and half month she has visited doctor twice. One just after two days she has left from here and the other is about three weeks back.
Keeping the reports in the drawer he sat beside swara and caressed her hair, who was sleeping lying on her left side. Although tired but she wasn’t sleeping in deep slumber. She could feel sanskar softly caressing her hair. Few tears slipped from the corner of her eyes. Sanskar too saw the tears forming its way from the corner of her eyes and gently wiped them with his fingers and knew that she is not in sleep. he gently patted her with affection to sleep. After about half an hour when he felt that she has slept he slowly kept his hand over her belly from above the blanket.
Sanskar- hey my child……… I ….i am…pa..papa. do you know about me? i….i got to know about you sometime before? Swara introduced me naa…I mean your mumma. I am sorry I didn’t know about you before. I am not able to believe it till now that you are a part of our life, that you are really there. good night baby.
Slowly sanskar took swara in his embrace and got lost in his thoughts.
Sanskar’s pov-
Don’t know how all this happened suddenly. I thought everything will be clear today and me and swara will start afresh but here something else was going on. And…..swara…..she was talking all those rubbish. But how suddenly all these happened. And maa [ap] she knows swara then also……..something is wrong. Swara will never tamper ragini’s medicines. Tomorrow first and foremost I will talk to swara and clear all misunderstanding between us and then will solve all these problems. Any further delay may cause more damage.
Sanskar’s pov ends.
He slept thinking all this.
In the middle of the night sanskar sleep got disturbed and he opened his eyes, rubbing them and looked at swara. She was shivering a lot and murmuring something in sleep. He became worried and tried to wake her up but she wasn’t getting up and he felt her temperature high so he touched her forehead and he felt it burning hot. He brought one more blanket and covered her properly and with thermometer, measured her temperature and it showed 101 degree Fahrenheit. He became more worried and started rubbing her palms and feet alternatively. He didn’t know what to do. May be because of being wet and sitting in balcony in cold weather she got ill. He thought to give her medicine but in this condition may be he shouldn’t give her medicine by his own.
Worried he finally went and knocked on uttara’s door who opened the door after few attempts in half sleepy state.
Uttara- haan bhai. Why did you wake me up at this hour.
Sanskar- I need your help.
Uttara- [sensing tension in his voice] what happened bhai?
Sanskar- swara has fever. She is shivering too. Tell me what should I do now?
Uttara- what let me wake maa and badi maa. They will see bhabhi.
Sanskar- have you seen time. It’s half past two in the night. You come with me and help me. And maa and mom will wake up by 5:30 or 6:00 then we will tell them otherwise everybody will be tensed. I don’t want any kind of chaos now. many things have happened about which I came to know late. So better, we tend to swara and then in morning we will call doctor.
Uttara nodded and both went to swasan room and uttara told about keeping wet cloth on forehead which sanskar did.
They both cared for swara the whole time till morning and uttara dozed off beside swara on the bed and sanskar was sitting on the otherside of swara. He didn’t sleep as he was extremely worried for swara. Swara in her sleep was moaning in pain and even she was murmuring things and was restless. He observed tears coming out of her eyes at that time. He was feeling so helpless and was extremely worried. He wiped her tears, kept on caressing her hair and changing the wet cloth on her forehead.
It was 7:30 in the morning. Sanskar was awake till half past five but didn’t know when he too dozed off. Feeling some movement he woke up and cursed himself for sleeping and immediately checked swara’s temperature. Still she had fever but it has decreased. Swara was a bit conscious and asking for water. Carefully, he supported her and held her from shoulders and made her drink water. Laying her back, he softly caressed her hair. He thought to freshen up and then will wake up uttara and call the doctor.
Sanskar- swara you take rest. I will just freshen up and come.
Swara hummed and drifted back to sleep. By the time sanskar came out from washroom he saw sujata on the door scolding uttara.
Sujata- what are you doing here? I was going mad searching you in the whole house and what are swara and sanskar doing? No one came for puja too.
Uttara- maa actually…..
Sujata- first listen to me. We are going to leave in half an hour. Take care of things behind us. I had told you yesterday also to wake up early but no…. who listens to me in this house. Everyone has to do of their own. Leave my way and let me talk to swara and sanskar. [said in her hypertension mode]
Uttara- maa listen atleast….
But sujata entered inside the room and saw swara sleeping and a cloth on her forehead.
Sujata- what happened to her. Why is she sleeping till this late? [seeing sanskar] areh sanskar we are going to rajasthan. Take care of yourself and [concernedly] this swara too…… [back in her mil mode] by the way why is she sleeping till this late. Here I am shouting and still she is sleeping.
Sanskar- mom she has fever.
Sujata- [widening her eyes] fever… when did this happen and why you both didn’t told us. [came to swara and checked her forehead] Don’t you both have sense to tell us that she is having fever. Leave it. Did you give any medicine to her?
Sanskar- no I am going to call doctor now.
Uttara- yes maa. In night we kept wet clothes on her forehead and her temperature has reduced slightly but then in morning her temperature again was high.
Sujata- then what were you thinking till now. call the doctor.
Sanskar called the doctor and sujata went and informed about it to everyone.
The doctor arrived in some time and checked her. Only sanskar was with swara in the room. Rest were outside.
Doctor- from when she has fever?
Sanskar- at night she was shivering and had high temperature. Also she got wet in the rain yesterday.
Doctor- hmmm.
Sanskar- doctor she is pregnant. So….
The doctor looked at him and continued to check her.
Doctor- since she is pregnant I can’t prescribe any medicine. Any type of medication will affect the child. I will advise you to give her sponge bath time to time and continue keeping the wet cloth on her forehead. Since she got wet in rain, this may be the cause of her fever and so won’t last long if properly taken care of. In this condition it’s not good to become ill and that too this much high temperature. At this stage extreme care is required for the pregnant woman and constant support. Yaa if her fever isn’t cured by the second half of the day then I will suggest you to approach her doctor who is handling her case. Now I will take your leave.
Sanskar- thank you.
The doctor came out of room and on enquired by others the doctor said them that she will be fine soon. And she got fever due to being wet in rain. Everyone got relieved. All the while swara was in half conscious state. She felt burning sensation in her eyes due to high temperature.
Sujata and uttara came to room ad sat on either side of swara. While the men went after once looking at her. Ap and ragini too came in the room but ap made ragini to sit on the couch far from swara asking her not to take stress. Sanskar told that doctor advised for sponge bath.
Sujata- [seeing swara slightly opening her eyes] swara do you need anything?
Swara- [feeble voice] water
Sujata and uttara helped her to get up from the bed and made her drink water which she refused after taking two sips.
Uttara- bhabhi how are you feeling now?
Swara- eyes….burning…..
Uttara – wait I will just come. Uttara came with a bowl of cold water and mixed rose water in it and wetting cotton on them placed on her eyes. This made her feel better.
Sanskar- uttara vo..will you give swara sponge bath.
Uttara- I will do it. You all go outside.
Two hours later-
Swara was better than before but too weak to even sit by herself. Sanskar came with bowl of soup and made her sit. Slowly he forwarded a spoon near her lips and she had it without any protest.
When soup spread across her mouth, sanskar wiped it with napkin and then finally done with feeding her, he gave her medicines and again made her lay down. Swara was not in condition to even think anything, let alone talk. But she was being overwhelmed with the moments she had while sanskar fed her soup. She was longing for care from a long span. But then she discarded the hopes with the thought that it will soon fade.
Sanskar- how are you feeling now? [said setting the quilt over her properly]
Swara nodded her head expressing that ok. Sujata constantly checked on swara. And sanskar was all the time beside her changing the wet cloth. After two times sponge bath her temperature was 99 degree Fahrenheit, slightly above normal.
Few minutes later-
Ap and ragini came with sujata to swasan room this time as ragini insisted on seeing swara once. Sujata sent sanskar to have food forcefully as he did not had anything since morning.
Ragini- [to swara] how are you swara?
Swara- better.
Sujata- what was the need to get wet in rain? You called for problems yourself. If you wouldn’t have got wet then you would have been fine naa. [said sujata scoldingly] [hindi translation- thare ko ke jarurat thi bearish mein bhigne ki. Musibat thane khud bula li. Are naa bhigti naa bimar hoti.]
Swara- sorry mom.
Sujata- I came to inform you both in morning about our departure and so I got to know about your fever or else we couldn’t have known even and would have left?
Swara- were you supposed to go somewhere? [said slowly]
Sujata- yes we were going rajasthan for visiting ambe maa’s temple for blessing ragini and her child and protect them.
Swara just heard them and she remembered the last day’s incidents.
Ap- yaa we were supposed to go but now we aren’t. you get well soon and then we will leave. [spoke thinking worriedly] it’s not good that before leaving itself there is any kind of delay. I am worried that nothing should go wrong.
Ap said it worriedly but swara thought that because of her it’s delayed and remembering past incidents she didn’t want to upset ap and sujata and also she didn’t want that anyone stop their works for her.
Swara- badi maa, mom I am fine now. why don’t you all start for your trip now. Because of me it got delayed. I am sorry. But it’s just three hours delay. If you start by now then too you will almost reach by the time you had planned.
Sujata- swara first you get well. How can we go leaving you in this condition? Are you seeing your condition? You aren’t properly able to sit by yourself and…
Swara- mom I am fine and by evening I would be able to do all the works too. So don’t take my tension. And uttara will be here naa.You all please go. I insist. please.
Sujata- but…
Ap- I think swara is correct. Her fever has gone down. Uttara too will be here. She will take care of swara along with sanskar.
Ragini- but maa…
Ap- ragini what I am saying is correct. We will leave after an hour. Let me inform laksh about this. And before going we will check swara once. In such works [visiting ambe maa’s temple] we shouldn’t delay. Come with me ragini. We will inform laksh.
Ap along with ragini was coming out from room when she saw sanskar standing at door. She didn’t say him anything and directly went to raglak room taking ragini along to inform laksh.
Sanskar was just looking at the way ap left from there. He came in the room and said to sujata
Sanskar- mom I have to tell you something. Don’t go. I will need your help because swara is pr……
Swara- [coughing a little] wa..t..er
Sanskar carefully made her drink water.
Sanskar- you ok.
Swara- hmm [not looking at him] [to sujata] mom please send uttara and you will need to check your bagpacks once again. So you go and without any tension. I am fine.
Sujata- ok but I am again saying. We shouldn’t go. Jiji toh…
Swara- mom please
Sujata huffed and left murmuring that everyone wants to do of their own will.
Swara released sanskar’s hand which she has been holding rather pressing, insisting him not to speak. Sanskar was confused as to why she is stopping him and was getting angry too.
Sanskar- why didn’t you let me tell mom about your pregnancy?
Precap- sanskar shouting on swara. voice message, raglak ap and sujata left for rajasthan and sanskar swara intense moments.