Forever Yours

Chapter Forty Four

"Maa, baith jao na ek jagah, shaanti se." Shehnaaz exclaimed. "Mein theek hoon na."

Rita Maa glared at Shehnaaz. "Bukhaar aaya hai tujhe, awaaz nahi nikal rahi hai aur tum keh rahi ho theek hoon na mein." 

"Utar jaayega bukhaar. Aap itna tension kyon le rahe ho?" Shehnaaz sighed. "Idhar aa jao, baitho mere paas. Aapki thapki se sab theek ho jaata hai, thapki de do."

Rita Maa smiled, walking back to the couch where Shehnaaz was curled up under a blanket. Maa sat on the edge of the sofa, pulling her tiny frame into a hug. 

Shehnaaz snuggled into her mother's arms like a baby and Rita Maa started to run her fingers through Shehnaaz's hair soothingly.

"Thode dinn off le le ab. Bahut zyada kaam kar rahi hai tu aaj-kal." Maa said, concern dripping from her words. 

Shehnaaz coughed. "Mein theek hoon Mumma. Kal tak toh bukhaar utar bhi jaayega." 

Rita Maa shook her head, amused. She knew how stubborn Shehnaaz could be at times, especially when it came to her health. "Kaadha banaane jaa rahi thi, woh bhi nahi karne diya. Kal tak konsi jaadu ki chadi ghoom jaayegi jo tu ek dum fit ho jaayegi?" She asked sarcastically.

"Bas ho jayega kucch." Shehnaaz responded, her face buried in her mother's shoulder, sounding cranky and yet so adorable. Maa couldn't keep herself from smiling. 

She patted Shehnaaz's head rhythmically, humming under her breath. 

"Sidharth bhi aise hi sulaata hai mujhe, lori suna ke-- chote bacchon ki tarah." Shehnaaz said quietly.

Rita Maa smiled, "Toh tu bacchi hi toh hai, iss ghar ki nanhi-si-jaan." 

Shehnaaz giggled softly. "Itna laad mat kiya karo mujhe Maa. Sidharth ka competition nahi banna mujhe." 

Rita Maa smiled, "Sidharth ko iss ghar ka har insaan apni jaan se zyaada chaahta hai, aur woh hi Sidharth tujhe apni jaan se bhi upar rakhta hai. Jab teri importance iss ghar ke laadle ki zindagi mein itni hai toh automatically humaari zindagiyon mein us-se upar hogi na?" 

Shehnaaz hmm-ed, shifting just slightly. Rita Maa positioned her carefully on her lap. "Aaram se soja ab.

A few minutes later, Sidharth opened the door cautiously and looked inside. Maa was sitting on the couch with Shehnaaz on her lap. If Sidharth hadn't seen his mother's hands move rhythmically to pat the pile of blankets and her lips moving in a soothing lullaby, he wouldn't have been able to guess that Shehnaaz was in the room.

Sidharth tiptoed inside the room and sat across from his mother, raising his eyebrows in a silent questioning gesture.

"Fever. Aaj rain sequence shoot tha, toh halka sa bukhaar chadh gaya hai aur cold bhi start ho gaya hai. Upar se kitne dinn se lagaatar kaam kar rahi hai, without any breaks."

Sidharth sighed. "Uska fault nahi hai, Akshar ka schedule messed up hai. Woh 3 ghante ke liye set pe aata hai, iska poora dinn block ho jaata hai." He said bitterly. "You know how absolutely uncomfortable he makes her."

Maa sighed. "That's not fair. Why does he get so much flexibility?"

"Kushal bata raha tha. Thoda puraana hai woh industry mein, iska debut hai. He knows people there so they make allowances for him, he gets to come in late, leave when he pleases. Bloody double standards." He scoffed.

"Yeh at least next 3 dinn shoot nahi kar rahi hai, inform her team. She's already ill, rest nahi milega toh mushkil ho jaayegi." Rita Maa said firmly and Sidharth nodded immediately. 

Sidharth watched his little bird curled up in his mother's lap and felt an overwhelming surge of pure affection into him. He smiled, never getting tired of thinking about how she had wrapped all of his existence so effortlessly around herself.