"Kyu kari ho yeh sab Anika, tujhe pata hai ki tum mujhse jhoot nahi bol sakti."
Shivaay asked his fiancée whom he had been engaged to for 3 months now.

"We should just break up, mein kisi aur ki hoon, Nikhil ki" Anika replied to him, slightly stuttering.

Nikhil ki? Seriously? She couldn't think of any other name other than his PA that had been fired a few weeks ago? Shivaay could tell something is up with her, otherwise she wouldn't act in this way. She isn't one to betray or cheat on somebody, at least the person he thought he knew wasn't.

"Aur aap toh meri kushi chaahte, naa? Toh mere liye iss shaadi ko todh"

Mad of her nonsense, he pulled her arm and wrapped it behind her back

"Bohot ho gaya, now you listen to me" demanding her he began dancing with her
(Song in the header box, start of shot)

Ho mujhe chhod kar jo tum jaaoge
Jo tum jaaoge, Jo tum jaaoge
(If you ever leave me and go
If you ever leave.... If you ever leave)

Ho mujhe chhod kar jo tum jaaoge
Bada pachtaoge, bada pachtaoge
Bada pachtaoge, bada pachtaoge
(If you ever leave me and go
You will regret it.... you will regret it
You will regret it.... you will regret it)

Recently she had been behaving in a very strange way. She tried to pick up fights on little things. Ever since their engagement her behaviour began to change.

Sunniya sunniya galliyan de vich rol na deyin
Boohe kise hor li tu khol na deyin
Sunniya sunniya galliyan de vich rol na deyin
Boohe kise hor li tu khol na deyin
(Do not make me wander in the lone streets, O cruel
Do not open the doors to Your heart for somebody else, O ignorant
Do not make me stray in the gloomy streets, O cruel
Do not open the doors to Your heart for somebody else, O ignorant)

Shivaay twisted her around and lingered his finger down the side of her face. She gave him a new way of looking at life after his parents died 7 years ago. He knew her for 5 years approximately, and that was enough time for him to know her more than she knew her own self.

Ho shayar Jaani nu je rulaaoge
Bada pachtaoge, bada pachtaoge
(If you ever make poet 'Jaani' cry;
You are deeply gonna regret it)

Tere bina zindagi guzarage kivein
Jaan jaan kihnu pukarange kivein
Tere bina zindagi guzarage kivein
Jaan jaan kihnu pukarange kivein
(How would i live this life without you
Who would I call my 'sweetheart'
How would I pass this life without you
Who would I call my 'dearest')

It seemed as if she didn't know her value in his life. Well, she was the reason his heart was still beating. She is the joy that pulled him out of the dark whole. She became her reason to continue in life.

Karoge je karoge je daga karoge
Sadde waali maut tussi vi te maroge
O Allah vekhda, zulm kamaoge
Bada pachtaoge, bada pachtaoge
(If you would betray me
You too would have the same death as me
God is watching you, if you're cruel to me
You will regret it.... You will regret it)

He closed the gap between them as he pulled her body on his. She spun out then back to him, their lips only millimetres apart.

On the other hand, hearing the word 'maut' meaning 'death' she shut her eyes instantly. Only she knew the troubles in her mind. What will happen to Shivaay if he knows what's in her head. She couldn't fall weak, not for her true love, she had to do this.

Ho mujhe chhod kar jo tum jaaoge
Bada pachtaoge, bada pachtaoge
(If you ever leave me and go
You will regret it.... you will regret it)

What other option did she have? Tell him? She knew she will regret it, a lot. But it's the safest option that she could recognise.

Mujhse jo nazrein churane lage ho
Lagta hai koi aur gali jaane lage ho
Khwab jo dekhe hum dono ne milke
Dheere dheere kyun dafnaane lage ho
(You have been avoiding to exchange looks with me
It makes me wonder if you've fallen for someone else
All the dreams that we saw together
Slowly, why have you stared burying/shattering them)

Yes, she didn't have the courage to look him in the eye anymore. But no, her heart still belonged to him. As he kept his hands on her face, she remembered the talks they had. Their future babies and how they'll grow up together. But one truth had shattered them all, not Anika alone.

Kar na tu hor barbaad chhad de
Rohndeya da lena swaad chhad de
(Stop breaking me down even more
Stop enjoying seeing me cry)

Truth is she's breaking down. Continuously, everyday. He spins her around, anger evident in his eyes

Je saanu pyaar layi ehna tarsaaoge
Bada Pachtaoge, Bada Pachtaoge
(If you would torment me for your love
You will regret it... you will regret it)

Ho Mujhe Chhod Kar Jo Tum Jaaoge
Bada Pachtaoge, Bada Pachtaoge
(If you ever leave me and go
You will regret it.... you will regret it)

The end of the song also signalled the end of her charade. She has no strength left, let alone strength to keep an act up.

"Aapko sach chahiye, toh li jiye sach" her shouts came out as whispers. She lost. She knew she's unable to do it, so she ran to the cupboard and took out a blue file

"Yeh lo, sach" she shoved it to him and with trembling hands he received it also. Opening the file, he became shocked reading the first paper in it

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
:     Patient  : Anika Singh Oberoi          :
:     Disease : Pancreatic Cancer             :
:     Stage     : 2, progressing to 3            :
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

"Anika yeh toh......" he stammered, lost for words. Cancer? Their life was going on so perfect, why did the cancer card have to make an entry?

"Shivaay abhi bhi samay hai, jao, kisi aur ko dhoondo, kohi permanent. Mein nahi rahungi....." she would have continued but his lips sealed the words as they met hers. After sensing her relax, he broke the kiss and cupped her fave. Wiping tears away he spoke to her

"I'm with you till our last breath" He was broken, but for Anika's sake he had to be her support. She had already given up, but he wouldn't. He would fight for her and with her.

"Bohot mushkil hoga Shivaay"

"Aur mein tumhe iss safar pe akele nahi jaane dunga" Many stories swarmed the internet, how cancer affects lives. Shivaay couldn't let her loose this fight, "Mein tumhare saath ladunga"

He got through the loss of his mother to cancer, another one and he wouldn't be able to cope

***********************************

"I'm sorry Anika, kohi improvement nahi dikh raha" Dr Gauri Kumari Sharma sighed, a defeated look crept onto her face. She knew Anika from before, and moving back to India from England, she hoped to save lives, not distribute bad news.

"Kohi nahi, hum phirse chemotherapy try karenge, radiotherapy bhi" Shivaay confidently replied to the same words he'd been hearing for a long time. She was probably the 20th doctor they had both consulted, and she told the same thing

"Lekin aap please, umeed rakho" she kindly requested Anika, who's face hadn't changed. Her friend lost all hope, but sure her next words would at least give her some.
"Aaj mere Pati aara hai, London se. Mujhe poora yakeen hai ki voh kohi na kohi solution dhoondega"

"Gauri please, nakli umeede maat do"
Anika refused. Though she didn't show it, she broke every time she heard the replies. No one had anything good to say to her.

"Anika ek baar milo toh sahi, Gauri keh rhi hai ki Omkara aayega. We both know voh bohot acha doctor hai, ese bohot cases handle kiya" Shivaay had hope. He never lost it. Omkara was one of the brightest students in their batch, if anyone could save his wife, it would be him.

"Okay, mein abhi chalti. Mujhe vaapis hospital jaana hoga. Scans bhi send karungi" Gauri caressed Anika's hairs and side hugged Shivaay. She left them and their house

"Kyu Anika? Tum umeed kyu nahi rakhti?" He wished to get an answer from her

"Jab nakli hogi, toh kyu rakh?"

Shivaay was confused, didn't she want to live? He couldn't ask anymore questions because Anika's shriek brought him out of his thoughts. He swiftly turned to see her clutching her stomach area. Her beautiful eyes were shut tightly, making creases appear on her face. Tears threatened to come out and they eventually did. Shivaay panicked. She was in pain before, but she would try to hide it first. He would find out in the end but she never reacted like this

"Kya hua Anika? Ek mint mein Gauri ko bula kar aaounga" he exclaimed in fear but made the decision quickly.

"Shivaay I love You" her breaths became heavy as she spoke

"Nahi Anika, you're gonna get through this"

"Kisi aur ladki se shaadi karlo"

He sprinted out from the room but he still heard her words. Slightly Angry on her, he left to get Gauri, who couldn't have gone far. Luckily for him she was just sat in her car, about to turn it on when she looked to her side and saw Shivaay banging on the car window. She pushed the door open seeing him trembling but cautiously as she didn't intend to injure him.

"Shivaay what's wrong" she looked worried and perplexed, unable to make any sense of his facial expression

"Anika, she's in a lot of pain" he managed to splutter out as he panted and gasped for air since he ran over
"Achanak se, pata nahi kya hua. Aap please aaye"

Before he could finish she indicated to start running back to the room and there Anika was still clutching her abdomen, loosing her conscious

"No, okay. Anika please mujhe dekho"
Gauri tried to shake her friend but she was in so much pain she couldn't react
"We have to take her to hospital, abhi ke abhi"

Shivaay simply nodded and lifted her in his arms, securely. He got Gauri to take the suitcase kept near the cupboard before hearing out. They finally reached the hospital, where Anika was immediately admitted.

"Dekho Shivaay, hum kuch tests rakhenge, aap chinta maat ki jiye"

He nodded his head and sat on the chair. Trying to figure out all the possibilities of what could have happened, he didn't realise when sleep over took him. When he woke later on with a jerk, he realised he saw a bad dream. In it, he was about to lose Anika, hence he hurriedly burst into the room to check on her

"Shivaay she's very close to the third stage. Lekin Suno, Om ke flight abhi land hua, mein usse seedhe yaha aane ke liye bolungi. Voh toh oncologist hai, he will definitely do something"
Gauri brought him hope amidst all the bad news, but he waited.

"Pehle tumour ko extract kyu nahi kar sakte the?" Shivaay asked puzzled. Most people get the tumour taken out of them, but there it was still causing problems inside of her.

"Yes joh tumour hai, bohot comlex aur ajeeb tarheeke se Anika ke andhar hai. Agar hum pehle remove karte toh there would be a high chance ki saara tumour nahi nikalega. We tried to shrink it, radio aur chemotherapy ke saath" Gauri explained.

"Oh" his reply was simple, yet held a lot of meaning.

He waited patiently for Om to arrive and when he did 10 minutes later, allowed him to carry out his observations by standing silently at the side. He also watched him check the scans and read her charts. He then saw him look back towards him, so Shivaay went up to the hospital bed and clutched Anika's hand, ready to receive the news.

"I'm sorry ki mujhe yeh bolna hai before greeting you. Tumour ki removal surgery mushkil hai, naamumkin nahi"

His face fell. Even one of TV's world's best oncologist came just to repeat the same words. Wait a minute, naamumkin nahi. This meant there is hope. He looked over to his unconscious fiancée and smiled. Tears brimmed in his breath taking eyes before he quickly hugged Om and Gauri

" Thank you so much Om, Gauri tum sahi keh rhi thi" he jumped in happiness.

"Dekh, pehle mera baat sun. Survival rate sirf 65% hai, aur taking her to surgery ka matlab hoga ki voh conscious nahi ho sakti. She'll have to go in straight away. Agar hum usse hosh mein aane dete aur phir surgery ke liye jaate, rate 20% tak girta" Omkara explained this along with other precautions he had to consider.
This gave Shivaay two options. Firstly, he could agree to send her in with the 65% success rate, but it means he won't be able to have a proper goodbye in case things take a turn on him. He remembered what she said when he was leaving the room to get Gauri, 'kisi aur ladki se shaadi karlo'
He couldn't let them be her last words. This might be his final chance to see her with some sort of life in her.
But can he be so selfish? Did he have to decrease the numbers that determine her chance of living just for his satisfaction over a small thing? Anika deserved the best opportunity, and if that included a petty sacrifice for her, Shivaay won't deny it. He can even give and take lives to be with her.

"We'll leave you to decide, challo Gauri" Om and Gauri headed to the door but stopped at Shivaay's voice

"Nahi, iski kohi zarurat nahin hai. Meri Anika surgery ke liye abhi jaayegi, aur hopefully sahi salamat bahar aaogi"
The two options of the decision did fight against each other, but he knew he would deeply regret reducing the chance of her survival

"Mein operation theatre book karu?" Gauri questions Om and he simply nods. She left the room to do the necessary arrangements

"Mujhe pata hai yeh kitna mushkil hoga tere liye Shivaay, lekin tujhe Anika per bharosa raktha hai naa? She'll be fine" He reassured his friend. Anika and Shivaay were made for each other; anyone could work this out simply by looking at a picture of them together. Minutes passed when Gauri entered the room with a few nurses

"It's time" Gauri informed him as the nurses began to push the bed and take her for surgery. Shivaay stopped them and kissed Anika's forehead

"Mere paas vaapis aana, please. Yeh tere Bhagad Billa ka request hai, aur tum manogi, okay?" He spoke to her unconscious body and even the nurses felt bad for them. They could evidently see the love in his eyes for her

"Leker jao inhe" Gauri ordered the nurse and Shivaay's hand lost the grip of hers as they took her away

"Gauri I'll get ready, dekhta. Shivaay she'll make it, umeed rakho" Om also went to prepare for the operation. He did feel pressure on him, but was confident he could extract the tumour. He'd been studying the scan for quite a while, and finally found a route. It maybe wasn't coming with a 100% success rate, but it was an option

"Mujhe pata hai ki I shouldn't really do this lekin kya aapko gallery se dekhna hai? Vaha tum Anika ko dekh sakte ho aur mein bataungi kya kya hora hai" Gauri asks him and he simply nods

"Toh challe" she led him out and they took a seat in the observation room with a clear view of Anika lying on the table

"Kitna dehr ka surgery hai?" Shivaay finally asked 10 minutes later when Om enter the OT and was about to lift the scalpel

"Bohot complex tumour hai, toh shayad 7-8 ghante le sakte" Gauri replied, bringing a few small tears in his eyes. He was a brother to her and he also helped Gauri and Om's relationship a lot. He introduced them, helped convince their parents to bless them on their wedding and also were there for any step they had to take. They both wanted to do something to repay them, but little did they know their repayment would be saving Anika's life. Shivaay keenly watched the operation. No, actually, that's a lie. Shivaay keenly watched Anika's pale face in the operation. She wasn't herself at all.
"Shivaay mujhe jaana hoga, kuch patients ko attend karna" Gauri said, making him look away from Anika's face for the first time in the whole duration of the surgery so far

He didn't know when he dozed, but woke up when a hand tapped his shoulder. He looked around startled but slowly realised where he was.

"Anika....." he immediately took the name of his love

"Surgery successful tha, aaye, voh kabhi bhi hosh mein aa sakti". Gauri smiled, helped him up and also offered a coffee, which he gratefully accepted. The two went to the ward where Anika was to recover. Her eyes slowly opened and Shivaay kept the coffee aside.

"Anika"

He sounded weaker than the one who had came out of surgery.

"Anika, we managed to get all the tumour out." Gauri told, happy that now their happiness had been restored.

"Aap kaun?" Anika questioned the man beside her. She could see his face fall slightly.

"Anika tum mujhe pechanti nahi?" He asked her in response before turning his head to Gauri and Om. They were also confused, everything went well in the surgery, then how come she is speaking like this?

"Nahi, batao aap kaun ho?"

His world was breaking but he was persistent. Tears came down his cheek, and that was when Anika decided to end this charade. Yes, charade. She wanted to play a small game with him, just to see his reaction.

"Aap roh kyu rahe Shivaay? Mein kabhi aapko bhool sakti?" Shivaay was shocked that she said his name, then hugged her tightly. Om and Gauri were also relieved that nothing happened to Anika, so they left the two and gave some privacy.

"Don't ever play such stunts with me again, bohot darr lagta"

"acha sorry Baba" she smiled and cupped his face with her delicate hand.
"Thanks Shivaay, for not giving up on me jab mein khud umeed khogayi. Agar app nahi hote toh....I don't even want to think"

"Haa, agar tu mujhe chodker chali gayi, toh tum bada pachtaoge" he kissed her forehead and snuggled with her
"Acha ek baat batao"

"Kya?" She was unsure what he would want to ask

"Abhi bhi tujhe Nikhil ke saath jaana hai?" This line of his earned a smack on his arm from her.

"Mein sirf aur sirf aapke saath rahungi"