Pooja Hegde stepped out into the limelight. Cameramen focused on her, photographers started clicking non-stop. She was wearing a unique gown that was like a miniskirt up to her thighs but there was a long skirt that only went around the back half of her body. This long skirt was almost sheer and reached to her feet. On the top the dress was a strappy design with one ethnic strap and the other strap being a thin white cord with beads around it. It was a think silk material that hugged her body nicely and showed her gorgeous figure to advantage.
The silver and white mix colour of the dress worked well with Pooja's tanned complexion. Her hair was loose and hanging in the back, flowing behind her as she walked the ramp in typical model catwalk. Her 6" high heels were showing her long legs beautifully and making her posture look ultra sexy. She walked with a confident gait and looked over at the crowd in front of her.
Her long silver earrings that dangled from her ears caught the camera flashes and dazzled as she walked. It is customary for models to maintain a sombre, neutral expression, but even this early in her career Pooja was well-known for her smile. She had only done two films so far but her beauty and talent were already being talked about. She smiled at the cameras as she walked down the ramp with her hands on her hips.
Suddenly her smile turned into an expression of alarm as a corner of the long skirt caught on the tip of her pointed heel and she felt her balance tipping. She tried to push her foot forward to find a new purchase on the runway but the heel still stuck in the skirt fabric caused her knee to bend. When her foot landed on the runway the angle was very wrong, her ankle twisted and she fell toward the left side of the runway. To her panicked mind it all seemed to be happening in slow motion. Her body was turned upside down and she was looking up at the stage lights as she was falling back off the runway.
With a jerk her downward progress came to a halt and to her immense relief instead of falling on the solid ground with a heavy thud, Pooja found herself supported by two strong arms, holding her like Superman catches Lois Lane as she falls from a skyscraper.
The stranger who had caught her was still holding her. Pooja tried to find a place to put her foot down so she could relieve him of his burden. She screamed as her foot touched the runway.
"Hold still. Don't do anything!" The man said and laid her gently down on the runway on her back. Pooja felt him straighten her left leg and she yelped in pain.
"Your ankle is twisted. You need to go to the hospital." The man said whose face she could not see because the lights from above were right in her eyes. He then turned to someone behind her and said "Kareena, call an ambulance."
Even in her current state, Pooja recognised the voice of Kareena Kapoor "Sir, I have called, they are saying it will take one hour."
"Bullshit! She is in pain, she needs attention now." He picked Pooja in his arms again "We'll take her ourselves."
Now that the adrenalin was ebbing, Pooja could feel the pain in her ankle. It was taking all her focus and she was becoming less conscious of her surroundings. She could hear some female voices telling people to move out of the way. The same man was still carrying her, she guessed it was through the crowd of spectators. Then they were outside. She could feel the cold air on her skin. Sound of a car door opening.
"Kareena, you sit in the back, Katrina, you too. Kat, you keep her leg elevated and away from the car door. I will be driving fast. Nanavati is not far."
Pooja could feel her eyes closing completely. She was losing consciousness. The pain was unbearable. The last thing she remembered before passing out was that the car she was in was moving very fast.
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She came to in a hospital bed.
"Where am I?" It didn't strike her odd to ask the quintessential patient question used in thousands of Bollywood movies. She remembered going for a fashion show for Rina Dhaka in Sun N Sand hotel. But this was not the hotel.
"You are in the Nanavati Hospital. Don't worry, you are ok." A nurse said.
The door opened and Pooja's mouth opened wide as Romeo entered. Just like anyone who was anyone in the film industry, Pooja also knew that Romeo was a hotshot director and filmmaker. He was arguably the most powerful man in the industry. He was well-known for...well, he was well-known for many things like his penchant for picking projects that made insane amounts of money, his way of taking risks on completely new actors, his habit of supporting industry people. But what he was notorious for was that he kept a steady harem of the most beautiful girls in the industry as his live-in whores.
In Bollywood there were people who were in awe of him, there were some who were jealous of him, possibly some who hated him as well, but there was noone who didn't envy him at some level. For upcoming actresses he was a god gift because he could literally make them overnight stars if he liked them. But catching his eye, getting close to him, becoming one of his possessions, that was not easy. There was an expression among the strugglers in the industry that your chances of meeting God were better than your chances of getting time alone with Romeo.
Pooja herself had been trying for a while to meet him. She had sent her portfolio to his office. She had called his studios and asked for an appointment. Both were things that every upcoming starlet did on arriving in Bombay. When Pooja's first film had been released she had hoped that Romeo would come. The producers had invited him, of course. She knew that as the main female lead of the film she would get to spend at least a little time with Romeo if he came. But it was a slim hope. Everybody invited Romeo to their events. Because of the sheer volume of invitations, there were only a few that Romeo could attend. He had not come to the premiere of her first or second movie.
Recently, someone had told Pooja a secret about Romeo. Another upcoming actress and model, Ruhi Singh, had whispered to her in the secrecy of the green room that there was a room in Romeo's mansion where a girl could go and hope to meet Romeo if she had the patience to wait long enough. She had told Pooja it was called the Meat Locker. But she had also only heard of it. Supposedly there was some protocol like passwords etc. to get in. Ruhi was going to find out the password and tell Pooja in a day or two.
But here he was, right in front of her, in the flesh. Hold on, Pooja told herself, how do I know this is real? What is more likely that Romeo dropped everything to come and visit her in the hospital or that the doctors gave her some powerful painkiller drugs and she is dreaming? The dreaming, she decided. She looked at the two girls flanking him - Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. Equally ridiculous. Why would two of the most successful actresses of Bollywood come to her hospital bed. She could not reach them to get an autograph in reality. But in hallucination, everything is possible.
"How are you feeling, Pooja?" Romeo asked.
Now Pooja was sure it was a hallucination. How could Romeo know her name? She had never met him. She knew his name, but he was famous.
"You are not real." Pooja told him. How dare this hallucination try to fool her.
Romeo smiled "I am not?"
Pooja shook her head "You are not. You are just a dream. Chemical locha in my brain."
"Okay. Well, can you tell this dream how you are feeling?" Romeo asked, the smile still lingering on his lips.
"Why should I? I don't talk to dreams." Pooja refused his request.
The nurse who had been watching, now said "Sir, she's under painkillers. She is okay. Only her ankle has been sprained."
"Oh, thank god." Romeo said. Now Pooja was sure this was a hallucination. She had read in a magazine that Romeo was an atheist. Why would he thank god. She turned her face away.
"When can she can go home? Do you need to keep her overnight?" Romeo asked the nurse.
"Actually, no, Sir. We don't need to keep her overnight. We are just running some tests. The doctor wants to be sure there's no concussion. Then she can go. Maybe one hour, maximum two."
"That is so good to hear. Thank you, sister."
The nurse pouted "Sir, at least you don't call me sister."
She was a cute girl in her late 20's. Romeo smiled and patted her cheek "Thank you, darling." She smiled.
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"I just want to make sure that there is somebody to take care of her, then we can go." Romeo explained to Kareena and Katrina.
"Did I say I am bored?" Kareena said, putting her hands on her hips "Did either of us complain?"
Romeo laughed.
Kareena continued "You might not know this. But for us, home is wherever you are."
Supporting her with a nod, Katrina added "We can stay here till the morning if you want."
"Good whores." Romeo smiled.
"Is she ok, Sir?" Madhuri said, walking up with a tray of coffee cups. She handed one to Romeo.
"Yes, yes. Just a sprained ankle thankfully. She will be fine. They are running some tests for concussion etc. then she can go home."
"That is a relief. Lucky girl." Madhuri said.
"Lucky? Super lucky!" Kareena said holding her coffee cup "If Sir wasn't there, she could have died tonight. Did you notice that people actually fell back when she stumbled?"
