Chapter 51: Fine-Print

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Chapter Fifty-One

Fine Print

“No, you misjudged your daughter. I’m just grateful that I haven’t made the same mistake, no matter how hard you tried to make me do so.”

Khushi paused in her steps, confused to hear Arnav’s usually cheerful voice so momentous. 

The award ceremony had finally come to an end just a few minutes ago. While everyone was still busy socializing, congratulating winners and making plans for grabbing drinks nearby, Khushi was busy looking for Arnav who had mysteriously disappeared along with her father, who she was sure had been present in the auditorium. 

Following directions from a staff member who spotted someone in a wheelchair leaving half-way through the ceremony, Khushi was searching in a small, almost empty, hallway when she heard serious voices deep in discussion. One, of course, was Arnav’s and the other–

“You spoke so much about my daughter’s happiness, about her wants and achievements....”

It was her father’s voice. 

Fastening her pace, Khushi rounded the corner to see the Alok sitting down on a bench, surveying Arnav –whose back was turned towards her– closely. 

“Why is that exactly?” Alok continued, unaware of her presence. “If my daughter was nothing but an obligation thrusted into your unwilling hands, then why do you care so much?”

Khushi held her breath. 

What were they talking about? She had been expecting her father to be livid, to be unreasonable and obnoxious after seeing her on stage, but instead, he was calmly discussing with Arnav about the nature of their marriage?! 

“Because Khushi is my wife.”

Khushi froze, perplexed to hear Arnav’s honest voice. Did… did he realize what he had said?

Alok spoke again: “In that case, you have clearly underestimated me. True, the circumstances leading to your marriage were less than ideal… but my decision to get you both married was more than ideal. So you see Arnav, in the end, I doknow what’s best for my daughter.”

If Khushi wasn’t so caught up with Arnav’s words, she would have definitely rolled her eyes. Her father could not be more predictable: Unwilling to accept he was wrong, and forever eager to justify his actions as the greater good. There was no point explaining to people who wanted –no, needed– to always be right. 

What was unpredictable, however, was Arnav’s reply:

“No, Mr. Gupta. Only Khushi knows what’s best for her. What you and I think was, is and will always be irrelevant. Go ahead and revoke the merger, or Vihaan’s CEO position as you do best… but the fact is, Khushi no longer answers to you. And I will do whatever it takes to keep it that way. Not only today and tomorrow, but every single day from now on.”

It all strangely, suddenly, and staggeringly just clicked.

Whether she liked it or not, whether she believed it or not, whether it meant anything or not, this one man with all his flaws and mistakes was more perfect than all the knights in shining armors she was told of growing up. He may not own the mightiest of swords, but he definitely would make sure she had one of her own. He may not have come to save her, but he definitely would make sure she was saved. He may never accept her, but he definitely understood her. 

And that’s why she loved him.

Ved was right, they all were. Love didn’t need grand gestures or heavenly premonitions... love just happened, there was no how or why. 

That crushing epiphany was enough for Khushi to turn around and walk away, barely registering the retreating figure of her father –who was sure to be back with more clever plans– or the familiar faces of her colleagues, wishing her congratulations. She needed to be alone, she needed time to think. 

It was only after she managed to grab her handbag and get into a taxi that she got his text. 

Where are you?

Khushi gulped. She had her excuse ready, of course, only she wasn’t very sure if he was going to believe it. 

I’m going to the penthouse, she typed. Have a bad headache… will you be okay sleeping alone in the hospital tonight?

His reply was instant:

Is everything okay? Is this…  about your father? 

For once in her life, it wasn’t. So, she replied as honestly as she could:

Not at all… couldn’t care less why he came here today. I just had a long day… will sleep and be okay tomorrow. Don’t worry.

Okay 😔 Rest well Dr. Gupta… you earned it.

She smiled. You too. Don’t forget to take your meds.

Yes, yes, I will. See you bright and early tomorrow morning for yet another torturous check-up with cranky Dr. Arora.

Good night Arnav.

Sweet dreams Khushi. 

Khushi was just about to tuck her phone away when she received one last message:

I thought I would say this to you in person, over dinner, eating the hospital’s distasteful food… but tonight is your night, so I guess I can forgive you for wanting some alone time. Congratulations Dr. Gupta… you have made everyone who knows you so very proud. And your speech… if I wasn’t bound to a wheelchair, you would have received a standing ovation from me. I hope at least from now, you’ll realize just how talented and capable you really are. You deserve to win most, if not ALL, of the awards. I’m only wondering how best to deal with your nerdiness once it becomes world-famous 🤓 And thank you for including me in your thank-you’s, although it’s another thing that you have absolutely nothing to thank me for. But that’s a conversation I will save for tomorrow when I see you in person along with a fail-proof plan on how best to celebrate this joyous occasion. P.S. - Will be dreaming about birds tonight 😉

Khushi read that message at least ten times. By the time she reached the penthouse, it felt as if a glowing ball of fire was nestling in her chest. Like countless times before, Arnav had once again brought her warmth even in his absence. 

Looking back, it was really no wonder that she fell in love with him. Like a moth to a flame, she had always been destined to fall for him. He was everything her father was not. He was everything she wanted to be. He was everything her heart had unknowingly craved. 

He was also one hundred percent correct. Only she knew what was best for her. Not her father, definitely not her brother and perhaps, not even him. As bizarre as it sounded, what Arnav thought was not really her concern. 

This was entirely and absolutely her fault. Falling in love with him may not have been her choice, but how she owned up to that responsibility, however, most definitely was. There was no way she could let her feelings affect him, affect the delicate balance they had built. Besides, did she really need his validation, or for that matter, his acceptance? Would her feelings change even a little bit if he told her flat-out that he didn’t love her back?

No, they wouldn’t. Regardless of what Arnav felt for her, she would love him still. Always and forever. 

And rather than confessing to him with half-baked excuses of why she didn’t know any better, she preferred sticking to what they had now… and maybe in a few years, when Myra’s wounds were nothing but faded scars, she could find the courage to ask him for more.

Khushi sighed, for the first time in the past week feeling sorry for Ved. Did he have the same dilemma as her? She had blamed him for not being able to take ‘no’ for answer, but was she any different? Wasn’t she also fearing Arnav’s reaction? Like how Ved hid behind their friendship, was she also hiding behind the façade of her marriage?

She didn’t know. And she didn’t see how she was going to find out either. 

It took Khushi –nestled in Arnav’s favorite window seat beside the kitchen– most of the night to figure out what to do next. The situation, really, boiled down into three possibilities. 

The obvious one was confessing to Arnav up-front. It wasn’t a brilliant idea considering her absolute zero experience with romantic proposals. In all realisticness, she would probably end up fumbling like Ved and embarrass herself to death. And even worse than that would be Arnav’s reaction. He may have accepted her as his wife to prove a point to her father, but it was foolish to believe that he really did care that deeply about her. So, it would only be a matter of minutes before their easy camaraderie inevitably turned into an awkward mess. 

The second option was agreeing to Vihaan’s proposal. The consequences of that, however, would be disastrous. For starters, her father wouldn’t hesitate to completely destroy the merger with Raizada Industries, leaving Arnav to, once again, deal with a sinking company. Did she really have the heart to put him through that? And perhaps even more importantly, could she actually manage to live without him? Would they even be friends after? Perhaps… but they definitely wouldn’t be like how they were now. And that thought alone was enough to abandon the idea altogether. 

The last option and by far, her favorite, was simple. Stay and keep things the way they were. It sounded selfish, but wasn’t that the whole point of freedom? Be the way you wanted to be without having to fear the repercussions? So then, what was so wrong if she chose this messy, nameless relationship with Arnav over everything else? At least she would be happy.

It was with these questions that Khushi entered the hospital the next morning, sleepless, anxious and still very unsure of how to face Arnav. Surprisingly, she was greeted with excited murmurs. Wondering what the new gossip was, Khushi curiously stopped at the nurses’ station, when she noticed Ved standing on the other side of the counter, pouring over some x-rays, oblivious to her presence. Even after her speech last night, his anger didn’t seem to have subsided. 

“You should have heard him screaming at the director,” Shilpa –the same nurse Khushi had once yelled at for flirting with Arnav– said excitedly to her friends, all huddled together, their morning coffees in hand. “He was threatening to sue the board!”

Khushi hovered near them, pretending to check her schedule for the day. 

“And in return we can sue him for harassment,” Sona muttered. “Remember how he yelled at me last week for not giving him a copy of some reports?”

The nurses nodded furiously. “It’s good riddance if you ask me,” another one of them said seriously. “I just wish we knew why they fired him…”

“For misconduct,” Shilpa answered promptly. “Me and the rest of the floor heard it when he was screaming this morning.”

“Really?” Sona asked, surprised. “He must have really rubbed someone the wrong way then. No one gets fired for a simple behavioral misconduct… plus, it’s no secret that Dayal sucked up to the trustees big time.”

Both Khushi and Ved looked up at that, their eyes wide in disbelief. 

Dr. Dayal was the one who had been fired?!, Khushi thought to herself incredulously. What were the chances that–

“Wait,” Ved said, looking at the nurses. “Dr. Dayal has been fired? Are you sure?”

“Yes!” Shilpa told him, thrilled to have a new voice join their discussions. “No one knows why though. I think they will send out an email once he clears out his office and leaves the premises.”

Ved struggled to make sense of it all. “B-but… he is ancient! Why didn’t they just let him retire next year?”

“That’s my point too,” Sona said. “Why would the board take action now? Unless he pissed off someone high up–”

Ved –unexpectedly– turned to meet Khushi’s eye as though putting two and two together. He stared at her for a full minute, realization dawning to him, before shaking his head in exasperation. Collecting his things, he walked away without another word. Fortunately, the nurses didn’t notice, too busy as they were, speculating over Dayal’s departure. 

Khushi exhaled, relieved.

Abandoning her morning rounds, she dashed to the VIP floor, having no trouble like Ved in understanding what must have happened. Arnav was staring intently at his laptop when she reached his room. Khushi couldn’t help but stop momentarily at the door, dazed to realize that one look at his calm face was enough for all her anxiety from the night before to disappear. 

Registering her presence, Arnav glanced in her direction. “Oh, look who showed up,” he said, a wide grin on his perfect lips. “Good morning Dr. Best-First-Year-Resident… slept well?”

Khushi couldn’t stop his infectious smile from spreading to her. How silly was she to worry about how she was going to face him! This was Arnav… her Arnav. There was nothing complicated about him.

“Forget about me,” she said, walking inside and taking her usual place on the stool beside his bed. “Did you sleep well? Or were you too busy arranging papers for Dr. Dayal’s termination?”

He didn’t even blink. “Who?”

“Oh you know, that cranky old guy who yelled at me yesterday… turns out the board fired him last night.”

“Really?” he said with a poker face. “Interesting.”

Khushi rolled her eyes. “I know you did it Arnav, drop the pretense.”

“I thought you said the board fired him?”

“You are the board.”

“Can’t say I’m not flattered, but there are more people on the board Dr. Genius. I’m not the only important member there.”

She ignored that. “Why did you do it?”

Arnav shrugged, nonchalant. “How would I know? Didn’t the board give a reason?”

“Apparently for misconduct,” she replied, recalling the nurses’ chatter. “Although Dr. Dayal has been behaving like that for a decade, so no one knows what’s so special about it today…”

“Maybe the board finally realized that they can’t run a hospital with people like that. It looks not only bad on the staff here, but also on the patients being admitted. Can you imagine what impression Dayal must have given them?”

“Is that what you told them?” Khushi asked, narrowing her eyes. “That having a doctor like that is unhealthy for business?”

Arnav flashed her a lopsided smile and turned his attention back to his laptop. 

“Seriously, Arnav… why did you do it?”

He didn’t answer. 

“Dayal has yelled at lots of people lots of times. It’s not new–”

“So his termination will make many people happy then. That’s reassuring.”

“Arnav!” Khushi snapped. Why couldn’t he give her a straight answer? 

He finally met her eyes, the mischief in his smile gone.  

“Why did you do it?” she repeated, this time much more softly. 

“Because you are my wife Khushi. No one gets to yell at you and walk away like that, least of all on my watch.”

Her heart skipped a beat. 

There it was once again. His simple acceptance that she was his wife, and this time there was no one around for pretense. He had meant every single word he uttered, just like how he had meant every word he had told her father yesterday. 

And that was enough for Khushi’s doubts to clear. 

Why was she so caught up on what to do next? He went from denying her mere existence to proclaiming her as his wife… wasn’t that enough reason to believe that maybe, one day, he would want something even more? She had stayed with him this long out of obligation, couldn’t she be patient enough to wait some more? Couldn’t she be understanding enough to give him time? 

“Any more questions Dr. Gupta?”

Khushi blinked. Arnav was looking at her, his cheeky grin back in its rightful place. 

She cleared her throat. “You don’t fire people just because they yelled at… at your wife.”

He snorted. “Actually, I had to… I am pretty sure it’s a clause in our marital pact.”

A line appeared on her forehead. “I am pretty sure it’s not.”

“Maybe your eyes are weakening with age... but it’s all written there, in the fine print.”

“Okay let’s say for a second that is remotely true,” Khushi agreed, playing along. “What other clauses have I overlooked in the fine print?”

Arnav laughed. “That you are obligated to be my doctor for the rest of my life.”

“That was a given–”

“That you will never sleep on any sofa ever again.”

She rolled her eyes.

“That you will uptake ownership of this hospital.”

“Now you are just making things up–”

“And most importantly, that you will tell me whatever it is that is bothering you.”

Khushi froze. Should she even be surprised at this point? He knew her inside out. 

“W-what do you mean?” she asked anyway. 

“Where were you last night?” 

She deterred from his gaze. “I told you… I went to the penthouse.”

“Let me rephrase, why did you run off to the penthouse instead of basking in the glory of your award?” 

Khushi scrambled to find a believable answer. 

“So it was about your father,” he concluded, misunderstanding her silence. “Did he say something to you?”

“Even after knowing that I was no longer answerable to him?” she said quietly. “I don’t think so.”

Arnav was surprised. “You were there?”

“Just long enough to hear you say he can do whatever he wants, but I’m free to do whatever I want.”

“You’re not mad, are you?” he asked, slightly worried. “I know you don’t like me interfering in your family, but–”

“Don’t be silly,” she interrupted, awkwardly looking down in her lap. “I just… I don’t know how to thank you… for standing up for me like that… especially in front of my father.”

Arnav didn’t answer, making Khushi wonder how foolish she seemed to him, fumbling about a simple thank you. What she wouldn’t give to be able to talk as freely as him, without having anything holding her back? 

“Oh Dr. Gupta, what am I going to do with you?”

Khushi’s head jerked up, confused to hear his exasperated voice. 

“You don’t need to thank me silly,” he explained gently. “Thank yourself for working so hard. Your father may be stubborn, but he is not an idiot. He knows you are not unimportant… He just doesn’t want to accept it.”

“But you didn’t have to vouch for me… and that too, at the cost of your company? You know what my father is capable of.”

“Have you been paying any attention to our pact?” he teased.

“Yes, but–”

“I don’t repeat my mistakes twice Khushi,” he said seriously. “I know you enough now to understand that my company is not worth more than you. If I had realized that sooner and rejected your father’s proposal then itself, I could have saved myself a whole lot of guilt today.”

She gazed at him, attentive. 

“Anyway, I’m not scared of your father. If my company drowns, let it. I’ll start another one… if there is anything I have learned in these past few months, it’s that there is always a second chance. You just have to be patient for it.”

So true. 

“And for the record,” Arnav said, looking directly into her eyes now. “Please don’t ever thank me or anyone else for silly things like having your back. Because people only bet on winners, so be proud that you are a winner against the odds. You don’t need anyone to place their faith in you Khushi… it’s actually quite the opposite, believe it or not.”

Khushi’s heart swelled. He had all of her faith without question, every last drop of it. Perhaps, in due time, he would even realize it. 

“Good morning Mr. Raizada.”

Khushi jumped, having completely forgotten that Ved was due for Arnav’s morning check-up. She swiveled on her stool to find him standing at the door, waiting. 

“Hello Dr. Arora,” Arnav answered, unruffled at the sudden appearance. 

“I apologize if I’m interrupting.”

Khushi was taken aback. Ved was being polite instead of petulant? Did that mean he was finally ready to speak to her… and maybe even consider forgiving her? 

She stood-up hopefully, welcoming him inside: “Not all… we were just talking. Come in.” 

Ved walked into the room, pulling out his stethoscope. “So, Mr. Raizada, how are you feeling today? Are the pain killers helping?”

“Pain killers?” Khushi repeated, alarmed. “But why? Arnav said he’s fine–”

Ved ignored her. 

“Your x-rays look good Mr. Raizada,” he continued formally. “So if there is nothing else bothering you, I think we can finally get you discharged.”

Discharged?!

Khushi turned wordlessly to Arnav, who, expecting her panic, reassured her with a grin, mouthing, ‘I’m fine’. 

She didn’t believe him even for a second, of course. 

“If he is in pain,” she said frostily to Ved. “Shouldn’t we keep him here for a few more days?”

Ved didn’t reply. 

Khushi gritted her teeth. “Dr. Arora,” she fumed. “Did you not hear my question, or do you not have an answer?”

“I heard you loud and clear the first time Dr. Gupta. I thought the answer was obvious.”

Was it? 

Ved straightened up, having finished checking Arnav’s vitals. “Mr. Raizada had a fracture. For it to heal, bone regrowth is necessary, which, as we know, is not pain-free. So, I have been prescribing him pain-killers as a precaution.” 

Khushi relaxed a little. “Okay fine, but how can you be so sure he is ready for discharge? He hasn’t really been walking that much–”

“You know full well that recovery from a fracture takes four to six weeks Dr. Gupta. Surely, you can’t expect me to keep him here for the whole time–”

“What’s the harm in being precautious–”

“No need. His bone has set properly–”

“But what if he is in pain–”

Arnav finally decided to intervene. “I’m fine Khushi, please don’t stress… I’m a veteran at fractures, remember?”

She glared at him in response.  

“Besides, Dr. Arora knows what he’s doing,” he continued coolly. “Why don’t you go and finish your morning appointments? We’ll talk later.”

Khushi didn’t follow. “I don’t–”

“It’s okay,” Arnav said pointedly. “I’ll be fine. You go ahead.”

He wanted her to leave. 

Why, she had no clue. And there was no way she was going to find out either with Ved present stonily in the room. So, grudgingly collecting her white coat and stethoscope, she left to complete her long overdue morning rounds. 

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A/N: And our heroine has finally come to terms with her feelings... and decided to stay. Thoughts?

Running a bit short on time today, but thank you for the wonderful comments to the last chapter! I think I enjoyed reading your reactions more than writing the confrontation 😅

Next chapter will be up on Monday evening, EST!

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