The Mafia Bride

Chapter 16

"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!"