CHAPTER 31 (A)
The next few weeks passed very fast. Khushi had physiotherapy sessions for her leg. Her shoulder and ribs had healed. Shankar gave her permission to remove the sling from her shoulder. He warned her not to lift heavy things for a while. She joked around that the metal detectors will always go off if she passed through it due to the steel plate in her leg.
She was able to walk short distances without anybody's support. She was asked to continue her exercises as it would help her. Arnav was a great support. Once in a while, she seemed to tune out of the conversation around her and admire him even when they were in the middle of a lot of people. Sometimes it resulted in the other people giving them the privacy they needed and most of the times, it resulted in teasing which in turn ended with both Arnav and Khushi turning tomato red with the blushing.
One day, Khushi decided to speak with Payal which the both of them were avoiding. Payal had come to pick up the kids from Khushi's apartment. Their conversation started off with Payal telling Khushi how happy Arnav has been since the time he met her.
The kids were busy with the new xbox that Adithya had gifted Rahul for his birthday. Payal reminded them that they had to leave within ten minutes.
"If I didn't know better, I would say that he was flying in the air. I have never seen him so happy. Looks like you weaved some magic spell."
Khushi hesitated for a second before asking, "You are not angry with me, are you?"
"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't be angry with you. Inspite of everything you faced, you have still succeeded and I admire you for that. From what I recently learnt about my parents, they would never apologize to you. And they should actually. So, I'll say sorry for what they did. An apology is not going to bring back what you lost."
"You don't have to apologize. You didn't do anything. To be honest, even if they say sorry, I would never be able to accept it."
Payal nodded and said, "I can understand. We haven't really met often in our childhood days to become friends. Why not start now? So what do you say?" She extended her hand and said, "Friends?"
Khushi smiled and shook her hand. "Friends."
"You make Arnav happy. The kids love you. Jiju, di, Akash and I admire you and love you like a little sister. You have the whole family in your hands. You are a perfect addition. Welcome to our family, Khushi. You have been a part of our family from the day Arnav first told us about you."
"Thank you."
"And yeah... Prem, Jyothi and Rahul are also a part of us."
After they left, Khushi felt like the luckiest person in the world. She told Arnav about her conversation with Payal.
"See...? That is what I told you. We all love you," he told her.
Kishore helped her with her studies. Since Khushi was free for the whole day, except for the time when her family came to see her, she used her time to look into the portions she had missed.
Arnav spent most of his nights in her apartment because he couldn't bear to stay separated from her.
Arnav began to concentrate on surgery and he sometimes worked as a consultant paediatrician. He had no surgery appointments for the next day. He gave a couple of post operative check ups to a colleage as he decided to spend the whole day with Khushi. He had already stocked a few set of his clothes in the apartment. The next morning, after Vaishnavi left for school, he made breakfast for Khushi and himself. They ate breakfast in the couch and watched television. After finishing breakfast, Khushi leaned against Arnav's chest and cuddled close to him as she enjoyed his warmth.
"Someone is feeling very cuddly," Arnav said.
"What can I do? You are like my warm teddy bear."
"Teddy bear? G. I. Joe or He man would have boosted my ego."
She found a comfortable place in the crook of his neck to rest her head and stopped moving. Arnav covered the both of them with a blanket and wrapped an arm around her.
"Maybe you are a G. I. Joe. But you are still my warm teddy bear I can hug when I sleep."
She thought for a second and laughed.
"What...?" he asked when she laughed.
"That is going to be your nick name."
"Which one?"
"Teddy bear."
His eyes widened and his jaw fell open. "Khushi, what the... Teddy... Really... I mean... Are you sure?"
She chuckled and said, "Of course."
He groaned. "But Khushi that name doesn't go with my image. Think about it. Arnav Singh Raizada and teddy bear. Oh...! What will happen to my reputation?"
"How about we come to a compromise?"
"What compromise?" he asked eagerly. "It is not going to be teddy bear, is it?"
"You are still going to be my teddy bear..."
He groaned again.
"... but I won't call you that in public."
He thought about it and said, "That sounds okay."
"Great. You know something?"
"What?"
"You are my first teddy bear."
"Really?"
She nodded.
"I am glad." He lowered the volume of the television and asked, "Khushi, when are we going to get married?"
"When am I going to start walking without support?"
"In about two to three weeks."
"Cool. We can get married anytime after that two to three weeks."
"I am serious, Khushi," he told her in a serious tone.
"I am serious too, Arnav. I wouldn't play with this stuff."
"I'll ask di and jiju to consult with Prem and fix a date." After a second, he said, "Now that we are talking about marriage, we have to talk about two other things."
"Like...?"
"Like your specialization degree and children."
She moved a little away from him and asked, "Children?"
"I remember saying something like specialization', too," he said with a wink. "Did you hear children' alone?" he teased.
She hit his arm playfully.
"What do you want to specialize in?"
"There is this guy I like very much who has specialized in two areas. At first I wanted to be a paediatric surgeon. After I met him, I got so hooked up with him that paediatrics is in the number one position."
"Are you by any chance talking about me?"
She pinched his cheeks and said, "Of couse, my sweet teddy bear."
He gave her a fake glare to which she laughed.
"Let's move on to the next topic. Children... As you already know, I love children. I want lots of them."
She was shocked. "Lots of them...? How many?"
"Looks like you are worried about many'. I think I'll manage with four. Two girls and two boys. Since we already have a cute daughter, I want another girl and two boys."
"Three more?"
He nodded. "You are surprised? Shocked?"
"Both, I guess."
"Why?"
"Who do you think in today's world plan for four children? Most of them are happy with one or two. It never goes beyond that. You are different."
"That I am. How about we think of Arnav Junior and Khushi Junior as soon as you complete your education?"
"Sounds good."
He pulled her closer to him and said, "I never imagined I would be lucky enough to stay close to you and talk about your marriage and children. Thank you for giving me a chance, Khushi."
"You don't have to thank me, Arnav. I have spent a lot of time in solitude and I have been waiting for someone to call as my own. I didn't think my dreams would come true. I have been waiting for you all this time, Arnav and I am glad that I waited."
"I have also been waiting for you to enter my life, Khushi. Our wait is finally over. You make me feel complete."
"I know the feeling. It's mutual."
When she yawned, he said, "Come on. Let me take you to bed."
He tried to lift her but she stopped him. "I'll walk. And don't hold me."
As Khushi walked to her room, Arnav followed her to make sure that she didn't fall. He sat on the bed with his back against the head board. Khushi placed her head on his thigh and wrapped her hand around his waist.
She kissed his abdomen above his shirt and said, "I love you, teddy bear."
He couldn't stop the smile which lit his face. "Love you too, sweetheart."
He stroked her hair as she slowly fell into a deep sleep.
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