"Why the hell is Angad Khanna not here yet?" Kripa was yelling for the first time in a month at the moment. Jason, Faith, and Amna watched her pace from one side to the other.
"Kripa relax." Jason said trying to calm her down.
"Relax?" She threw her arms in the air and then stomped to him. "How? How the hell do I relax when I have to discuss so much with him? We have fund raising to get started on, and he's not here. And, he hasn't even called in yet." She groaned. "If he were sick he…" She looked at Jason with her eyes widening. "****! Faith handles my appointments for today, and cancels anything right now that you can't. How can I be so stupid?" She grabbed her keys and purse and ran out.
"But what's wrong?" Faith asked turning with her.
"I'll tell you when I get back." They all watched her run out of the cabin.
"Alright guys. Let's get back to work." Jason said defeated. "Kripa Kapoor is a mystery."
Thirty minutes later Kripa's car stopped in front of the Khanna House, she took the key out and literally ran to the door, panting she rang the bell non-stop.
"I'm coming!" She heard someone yell. The door opened and stood Sana with a shocked look.
"Where's Angad?" she asked still panting.
"Oh Hi Kripa. You should be at the hospital Kripa, not here." She looked at her tensed, angry, frustrated expression.
She asked again, "Sana, where is Angad?"
"Who told you?" Sana asked carefully.
"I knew it!" She calmed down. "Just tell me where he is Sana."
"In his room." She moved aside and watched Kripa run up the stairs. "She loves him alright!" She shook her head and closed the door.
Kripa opened the door and looked at Angad sitting on his bed. He looked up from his laptop and smiled nervously. "Hi Kripa."
"Don't you dare, 'hi Kripa' me." She sat down beside him, her hand instantly taking his wrist. She checked his pulse. "You're burning Angad!" She looked up at him still worried and then calm. After a few seconds she hugged him. "I've been yelling at the entire staff because of you all morning, and you haven't called up to tell me once that you're dieing here."
"I'm fine." He placed his laptop on the other side and hugged her back. "I'm not dieing, I'm just… I just have a fever."
"Just?" She pulled away. "It's not just a fever. You are boiling like hot soup, Angad. I can't believe you haven't seen a doctor yet."
"How do you know?" He grinned.
"Oh please." She leaned closed looked at his eyes. "Your eyes are yellow too. Are you sure you don't have pneumonia or jaundice." She looked at his other eye. "You're so careless. You've been sick since yesterday, haven't you?"
"Well no. I've been having on and off fever since last Monday and-"
"And you never told me?" she was yelling at him now. "Gosh, you've been working thought sun and rain with a fever?" Her stomach felt sick at the thought. "I hate myself for not noticing earlier." She said looking away now; the anger was replaced with concern and care. Something he hadn't seen in her ever before. Suddenly he was scared that she was falling for him, and without knowing it.
"Don't say that." He kissed her hand. "Look I'm ok." She was frowning left and right. "Ok, maybe I have a fever, a little cough, a runny nose-"
"Maybe a headache, maybe your lungs are filling up with mucus, and of course with yellow eyes even Sia could tell that you have jaundice."
He laughed, "Do you even know how to spell the word pneumonia or jaundice?"
"I am so not in the mood, Mr. Khanna." She stood up. "And since you don't care that I care for you, I'll leave." She picked up her keys and turned to see Dev walking into the room.
"Dad?" Angad sat up. "You were in San Francisco."
"I was son. You are more important than San Francisco." He touched his forehead. "You're burning!" he exclaimed taking his hand back. Kripa rolled her eyes. "Look, your eyes are yellow too. Did you see the doctor yet?"
"Yeah, Kripa." He was weakly grinning.
"Well Kripa is a gynecologist." Dev said slightly irritated with the fact he hadn't seen the right doctor yet.
"Well she was able to figure out I had pneumonia and that I was burning with a fever, and with a few million other problems."
Kripa rolled her eyes, "I'm leaving Dad."
"No you're not." He took her hand and made her sit down. "Call the doctor now."
"But Dad…"
"Don't you dare 'but' me." He stood up, stern and clear.
Angad saw the fear cross Kripa's eyes. "Yes." Her voice was soft and scared.
"Doctor, Kripa?" Dev reminded her.
"Yes, of course." She quickly called the hospital and asked a doctor to report at the Khanna House right away. When she was finished she looked up at Dev.
His expression was still stern, more worried rather. "Inform me when he's done with his check up." Kripa nodded biting her lip, and they both watched Dev leave room moving his finger across the pad of his phone. Kripa turned and looked at Angad. "Did you eat anything yet?"
She was still annoyed, he decided. It would be fun to annoy her further. "Of course not."
"Dear god." she rolled her eyes. "I don't want to talk to you Angad. I don't care if you kill yourself. Have fun!"
"Ah!" he yelled titling over, obviously in pain.
Kripa ran to him and helped him sit up. "Are you ok?" She said rubbing a hand up and down his back.
"Yeah." He still looked like he was having hard time breathing. "You sure you don't care about me?"
She looked up at him and took her hand back. Before she could get up he took both her hands. "I'm fine Kripa, really. Stop worrying. You're a doctor, your job is to comfort everyone not worry yourself." He ran a hand over her cheek. I shouldn't be this close, everything is going wrong, he told himself. He wanted to leave her, but he couldn't. His finger tightened on her arms as he drew her closer. Stop it, he told himself again.
"Angad what are you doing?" Kripa asked him worried. There was something in the way he looked at her.
"Can I kiss you?" he suddenly asked.
Her body stiffened at his question. Kripa placed her hand on his chest to stop him. "Of course not." She was loud and scared. He left her arms and she quickly stood up. Still nervously she turned around.
Doctor Smith walked into the room with Neha at his side. "Hi Doctor." Kripa greeted in a gloomy tone. "I'll be outside if you need me."
"No Kripa." Neha quickly said. "Please stay here I have to finish with Esha. Please."
She nodded reluctantly and stood beside the doctor.
"It's nice to see you after such a long time doctor." The man said checking Angad's pulse. "Your children's floor is coming along great."
"Thank you doctor. Is he ok?" Angad looked at her, she was still nervous.
"Well he doesn't seem fine. He's slowly going into jaundice, as his eyes are slightly yellow." He placed the stethoscope on his chest. "Breath please." Everyone was silent for a few seconds. "And his lungs are full." He took out a pad and clicked the end of the pen, started scribbling. "Seems like you've been out in the rain lately." He said with a smile, handed the prescription to Kripa. "Just make sure he gets a lot of water or even Gatorade or sprit would do fine. Stay away from coffee, and milk. Green tea will help his lungs. Eat light food until you feel your lungs clear up." He looked at Angad for another second. "You should be fine if you take some precautions. Nothing big to worry about. You should check in with me next week again."
"Alright doctor." Kripa said looking at the prescription.
The old man stood up and smiled at Kripa. "I still remember when you came for the summer during your third year of college. You're quite a hard worker. Now you're married."
Kripa glanced at the doctor and then at the Angad. "We aren't married doc."
"Oh I'm sorry. You just looked so worried, and then you guys look quite good together. Anyways, take care of him and he'll be fine in a few days. Make sure he's not outside very much."
"Ok." Kripa said with guilt rushing over her again. "Thank you doctor. I know you don't take personal visits."
The old man smiled, "For someone like you I do. It's nice to see you this calm Kripa. You were always yelling and screaming when I used to be around." She smiled at him. "I'll get going now."
Kripa was sitting in the sitting room on the second floor rubbing her fingers on her temple. She didn't like the idea of being around him, so close to him. They were engaged, true. But it was an act.
A week before the awards night they were sitting in Kripa's cabin working on a fund raising file when Kripa asked him the same question again.
"Anything get better between Amna and you?"
He placed his mug of coffee down. It was raining like hell outside and they were stuck inside. Kripa, instead of just hanging around had him working. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "No." His hand reached the file and closed it. "It seems like she's taking me for advantage. She's knows I'm here so she doesn't care." He sighed while nodding his head really disappointed.
"You should make her jealous." She said with a chuckle. "I still remember Faith tried that with us, it didn't work very well then."
"It will work with Amna." His eyes were sparking now. "Why don't we?"
Kripa stood up and walked to the window to see the weather. "Oh no." She turned. "I'm not going to play this silly game with you." She sat down on the sofa, and watched Angad move beside her.
"No think about it. If we tell everyone that we are engaged would it affect her?"
"If she really loves you it will." She shrugged. "You can act it out with Faith if you wish."
"Oh please." Angad rolled his eyes. "The world knows that she's in love with Doctor Jason Law." He looked at her with a pleading smile. "Let's try it. If nothing happens we know it was a game."
Kripa looked sad. "Have you ever looked into your fathers eyes Angad? He has so many hopes from you, he would be heart broken if we played this game. He wants us to be married, I would hate to give him hope and then break it."
"We won't let him know."
"Oh please." Kripa rolled her eyes and turned so she could see him properly. "How can he not come to know?"
"Ok then we'll break-up for some reason later on."
Kripa nodded her head disappointed. "I never said yes, Angad."
"Then say it now. It'll be fun."
"Fine we'll think about it."
The memory ended as she opened her eyes again. They never talked about it again, and he just proposed to her that night. It seemed so real, yet like a dream. It wasn't until after the dance that she had realized what had actually happened. When she had her conversation with Will Turner, the reporter, she had realized that it was a play. If she would have realized on stage what Angad was doing she would have said no despite of her emotions for Dev.
Now as she stood and walked back into Angad's room she cursed herself for saying yes, for not realizing what he was doing. She reached the door knob for Angad's room; she had to talk to Angad.
But he's sick Kripa, don't be so heartless. She took her hand back and stood still.
He's ruining your life Kripa. You have to talk to him. You're falling in love with him, while he's in love with Amna. Do you really want to ruin your already ruined life more?
"No," Kripa whispered. Angry tears covered her eyes, her whisper violent, scared. She opened the door, and stepped inside. Angad was sleeping. She moaned before walking to his side. His head was falling off his pillow and he was shivering.
Hesitating she leaned down and picked up his head, placing a pillow under it. Then she pulled the quilt over him and made sure all the windows were closed. She sat down beside him, just looked at him for a few seconds. She had to leave now, attend the appointments she had left for the day, if any. It was four; most likely she didn't have very many left.
Angad turned in his sleep and his arm landed in Kripa's lap. She smiled absently and placed her hand on his arm. "You've changed me, Angad." She whispered holding his hand. Then she left his hand and tucked it under the quilt. Leaned down, kissed his forehead, and left the room.
Down stairs Sana and Neha were sitting with their daughters. Kripa smiled fishing the keys out of her pocket. "I'll leave now Sana. Angad is sleeping."
"Alright." Sana smiled at the young, upset, girl. "Everything ok?"
"Yeah." She pressed her lips together and then smiled. "Make sure Angad doesn't get any coffee and more water. I have his prescription you can go get the medicines." She handed the slip to him. "I'll see you later." She turned around and walked out of the house.
She walked aimlessly through the drive way of the Khanna House crashing into Dev. "I'm sorry."
"Kripa, I need to talk to you."
She felt something getting stuck in her throat. "About what Papa?"
"Angad and you." She took her deep breath and then exhaled. "When are you guys planning to get married?"
"Dad this isn't the right place to talk. Let's go to your office." He nodded and they walked back into the house, right into his office. "Now tell me."
Kripa sighed and just looked at him for a second.
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