"BEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!"

"NANDINI!!!!" Manik shouted. "No...No No No...tum mujhe chodke nahi jaa sakti. Nandini wake up ok, this isnt funny! Ankhen kholo! Nandini!"

Manik started going crazy and shook Nandini trying to wake her up. Nurses and doctors ran in and got the crash cart. 

"Manik....Manik bahar chalo." Nyonika tried to take him out.

"No...main kahi nahi jaa raha."

Nyonika was already in tears from seeing Nandini but pulled herself together for Manik. She held his face and made him look at her. "Manik...beta dekho mujhe. Main yahi hoon....Main humari Nandini ko kuch nahi hone dungi. Tu bahar ja varna sab apna kaam nahi kar payega. Pls Manik....meri baat mann." 

Manik reluctantly left the room along with everyone else. From the small window, he watched as one nurse was doing CPR on Nandini. Then a doctor charged the defibrillator and placed it on her chest. Her body bounced up in the air from teh shock and Manik gasped, closing his eyes tightly and looking away. Then he noticed a small Ganesh temple with a diya lit infront of him. He walked over and placed his hand over the diya.

"Manik! Manik bhai!" Riddhima, Cabir, Abhi & Rehan ran over to him to stop him.

"Manik.....kya kar raha hai tu?" Abhi said. "Haath jal jayega!"

"Jalne do!" Manik shouted. "I dont care! Main apna haath tab tak nahi thik karunga jab tak Nandini ki thik hone ki khabar nahi aata. Inko thik karna parega Nandini ko...Kya bigara meri Nandini ne kisi ka? Woh Dhruv ko apna bhai jaisa treat karti thi....usne sabse humesha pyar se baat ki hai. Kabhi kisi ki burra nhai chaha...then usse yeh sazza kyun? Woh roz inki aur bakki saare bhagwanon ki puja karti hai.....kis liye?"

Everyone was sad seeing Manik's outburst. Manik himself was not even in his right mind. He held his palm over the flame not caring that his hand was burning. 

"Aaj inko sabit krna hoga ki bhagwan hai....agar yeh Nandini ko thik nahi karte. Toh main aaj yahi pe apna jaan de dunga....aur yeh Manik Malhotra ka vaada hai!" Manik declared. Everyone was shocked.

"Manik...kya bachon jaise baat kar raha hai tu? Haath hatha apna.." Cabir tried to remove his hand but wouldnt budge. 

Sakshi ran over to her nephew and tried to get him to move to. "Beta aisa mat kar....Nandini thik ho jayegi. Tu dekh....bhabhi hai na andar? Woh humari Nandini ko humare paas vapas le ayegi....haath hatha."

Manik just shook his head. One by on everyone tried to get him to move his hand but he didnt listen to anyone.

Meanwhile in Nandini's room, the doctors had defibbed her multiple times and were about to give up but then Nandini gasped and took a deep breathe. The lines on the machine started to zig zag again and it started beeping again. 

"Nandini!" Nyonika let out a cry of relief and kissed Nandini 's forehead. "Thank god."

Nandini weakly opened her eyes and blinked at Nyonika.

She then came out and saw Manik at the temple. His back was to her so she could see his hand was on the diya. "Manik! Nandini ko hosh aa gaya!"

Manik whipped around and looked ta him mom. "S...Sach...Sach mein?" Manik asked. Nyonika nodded. He ran past her into the room where Nandini was attached to the machine. She was no longer intubated but she did have a oxygen mask over her face and she was breathing slowly but steadily. Nandini was awake but very very weak. Manik cried and gently hugged Nandini sobbing like a baby. "Nandini....tum...tum mujhe kabhi chodke nahi ja sakti samjhi? You cant....allowed nahi ho tum!"

Nandini slowly nodded. Manik carassed her face. "I love you!"

Hearing him finally say what she wanted to hear, Nandini smiled. "I...I..L...Lo..ve..y...ou...t.t..t...oo"

"Shhh..." Manik placed a finger on Nandini's lips. "Kuch mat kaho Nandini. Tum bohot kamzor ho....vaise bhi kehne ki zaroorat mujhe tha. Tumne toh humesha apni jaan khatre mein daal ke mujeh bachaya hai...iss baar bhi. Thats enough to tell me tum mujhse kitna pyar karti ho."

"Nandini." Riddhima came in with her brothers and parent and hugged Nandini. "I was so scared....mujhe abhi bhi yakeen nahi hua ki Dhruvji- Thank god tum thik ho."

Cabir & Abhi also hugged her. Nandini then saw her parents were staying away from her. She knew it was because of her. Slowly, she reached out with one hand to show that she forgave them. Neelam sobbed and ran over to Nandini and planted many kisses all over her.

"Nandini...meri bachi...tujhe agar aaj kuch ho jaata toh main paat nahi kya karti." Neelam cried. Harsh also came over and hugged both Neelam & Nandini kissing the top of Nandini's head. "Tune....tune maaf kar diya humme?"

Nandini nodded. "K..Ka..b...t..ta..k.nar..a.azz..rehti? Thak...gayi...h..oon...iss...nafrat...au..r..g..g..gu..sse...se. A..ur nahi..kar...sa..kti...main."

"Nandini...tumhe aaram karni chahiye. Mom, Dad...Yeh sab hum baad mein discuss kar sakte hai." Riddhima spoke up.

"Haan...sahi bol rahi hai Riddhima." Harsh said. "Nandini bacha tum aaram karo ok?"

Once everyne met Nandini and left, it was just Manik who was staying in the room with her while Nyonika was in the hospital for her rounds.

"Manik..." 

"Haan jaan?" Manik said.

"Ri..dhs...Dhruv...ke...ba..are. mein...kya...keh rahi t..thi?" Nandini asked. By that time, Dhruv's body had been long disposed of and the blood was all cleaned up too. Manik hada seriosu look on his face....he looked furious.

"Yeh sab Dhruv ne kiya tha. He wanted to kill me." 

Nandini's eyes widened in shock. "P..Par...k..kyun?"

"Kyunki usse meri jagah chahiye tha...." Manik scoffed. "Paata hai dukh kiss baat ka hai? Usne ek baar bhi mujhe nahi kahan ki Manik bhai mujhe iss Gang ka leader banna hai...Bole deta mujhe...bas EK baar toh main khushi kushi usse yeh jagah de deta par nahi...he tried to kill me...and worse, usne TUMHE maarne ki koshish ki."

Nandini watched at Manik went from emotional to angry. "Woh mujhe hazaar baar marne ki koshish karta...ya agar maar bhi deta na toh main uff bhi nahi karta par he tried to hurt you! Sabse badi galati tha uska....he had to die for that."

"Im...sorry..." Nandini hugged Manik who returned it.

"You dont need to apologize Nandini....tumhari koi galati nahi hai." Manik said. "Bas tum mujhe promise karo...tum mujhe kabhi...kisi bhi halat mein chod ke nahi jaoge...promise me."

"I promise." Nandini smiled weakly which then faded quickly as she saw Manik's hand.

"Nandini....kya hua?"

"Yeh kya hua?" Nandini held Manik's hand which was burned from the diya. She had tears in her eyes as she saw his red hand. "Yeh...yeh jal kaise gaya?"

"Woh....kuch nahi hai Nandini." Manik tried taking his hand back but Nandini held on.

"Tumne khudko kiya na?" Nandini knew Manik well enough. Manik looked down. "Pure pagal ho tum....kit...na...jal gaya. Dard ho raha hoga na?"

She started blowing on it to make him feel nice. Manik admired her as she fretted over his hand. As she scolded him, Manik leaned his head on his free hand and just stared at her with love.

==============================================

Teaser:

"Manik...Manik! Mera pair...mera pair...." Nandini looked at her legs in a panic.

Nyonika & Manik looked at her concerned. 

"Kya hua Nandini?" Manik asked. "Dard ho raha hai pair mein? Mom...kuch pain killers do na."

"Nahi...dard nahi ho raha hai."

"Phir?"

"KUCH NAHI! MUJHE KUCH MEHSOOS HI NAHI HO RAHA HAI....MAIN APNI PAIR HILA NAHI PA ...MANIK YEH KYA HO RAHA HAI? MA....KUCH KARO PLS...MERA PAIR..." Nandini screamed. She was freaking out while Nyonika & Manik were in shock.

"What..." 

"Ma...pls kuch karo. I cant move! DO SOMETHING!" Nandini shouted sobbing. Manik pulled her into a hug.

"Shh shhh....shant Nandini...shant. Mom..." Manik looked at Nyonika.

"Beta main abhi kuch tests karti hoon...tum bilkul chinta mat karo thik hai? Hum hai na? Tum pls shant raho...itna tension sahi nahi tumhare liye." Nyonika assured her. She then left teh room to prepare for the tests and looke back to see Manik console Nandini. "Bhagwan kaare woh na ho jo main soch rahi hoon...."

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Thoughts?

Thoughts on Manik today?

Im gonna be gone for the weekend so I thought to update this before then since it was at such a big cliffhanger.