I can only stare in disbelief.
6 months ago, the man before looked nothing like my
husband.
I almost didn't want to believe that the man before me
was my husband, but his voice... that rough whisper was Maan's.
"Hey" Dr Geoffrey walks into the room, his eyes
scanning the room and he notices me. "You can't be in here, Dr
Khurana" he says picking up the chart.
He's my husband, the
words are on the tip of my tongue before I hold myself back. I glance over at Maan,
he'd chosen her over me.
"She's not working" Emma assures intervening on
my behalf.
Dr Geoffrey looks up from the chart then at me,
"Alright, you're here as his family" he states and glances around.
"Dr Anderson, have you started an IV drip?"
"Yes doctor" David nods.
"Have you run the tests?" he questions.
"Yes, we're just waiting on the results before treating
him" Emma answers.
"Alright, you know what you're doing. Page me when
you get the results" he says placing the chart down and walks out of the
room. David follows him out.
"Geet, you okay?" Emma places a hand on my
shoulder.
I snap out of my thoughts and turn to her, "This... is
Maan?" I question.
"W... who else... would I... be...?"
His rough voice echoes ending on a whisper, he shifts and
coughs loudly.
I glance over at Maan feeling my throat tightening at his
state, his cheeks were sunken in, his eyes seemed so much smaller. He definitely
lost a lot of weight, his once tanned skin seemed greyish, he looked
malnourished.
I approach his bed side, my eyes perusing his body. He looked
frail and aged.
"What have you done?" I question but he only
smiles and turns his head away from me. I cover my mouth with my palm to hold
back the sob that threatened to spill, Emma places her hand on my shoulder and
turns me to face.
"Shh..." she whispers.
I nod, I needed to get away from this room right now. I clench
my teeth together curling my fingers into a fist and stalk out of the hospital room.
I hadn't ever thought for a moment, I would ever see Maan
like this. He looked damaged, weak and just so ill.
His condition reminds me of his mistress, I wonder where
she's disappeared. She should've been with him. She should have been caring for
him yet... here he seems alone. I don't even know how I was going to tell Varun
about his elder brother, how do I tell him the brother he knew 6 months ago is
completely different.
I still cannot believe this is Maan.
And I had been in love with him for the past decade.
"So Maan, is
your thing working? I was expecting great grandkids by now... when are you going
to give me some good news" Archana questioned looking between Maan and Geet
as they sat down to eat dinner.
Geet sputtered on
her drink, Maan grabbed a napkin and patted her back.
"Girl, I taught
you better manners than that" she shook her head. "Cover your mouth
when coughing".
"I wouldn't be
choking if you stopped asking for grandkids!" Geet wiped her mouth and placed
down the bunched napkin angrily on the table.
"I wasn't talking
to you" Archana rolled her eyes and looked at Maan. His eyes bulged out,
he glanced at Geet for help.
"You need Geet
to answer for you? Don't you have a voice, boy?" Archana arched her brows
and turned to Geet. "I told you that boy isn't good for you".
"He's not answering
back because he has respect for you, but I don't, Crazy old woman. Stop asking
for kids! I ain't giving you any yet" she snapped.
"What the fu..."
Geet yelped when her grandmother grabbed the cane and poked her with it. "Ow"
she screamed again when she was poked again.
"I respect you
but I love my wife more" Maan intervened wrapping an arm around Geet.
"Stop poking her"
"How about you
put a sock in her foul mouth?" Archana scowled. "I taught you both
better than that"
"It's clearly
in my bloody, you crazy bat" Geet stood and sprinted backwards when
Archana went to poke her again with her cane. "You're sleeping on the
sofa" she looked at Maan angrily.
"What did I do?"
"You made me
come to this stupid dinner, we could have been having a romantic evening but
nooo... you had to be the 'dutiful' and come" she narrowed her eyes.
"You pregnant?
Or is that you just with a stick up your ass?" Archana interrupted.
Maan looked between
both women as they started on arguing on and not allowing him a chance to even
speak.
"Dear Lord..."
he muttered a quick prayer as Archana stood up with the cane and swung it
around attempting to hit his wife who'd only jumped backwards and continued taunting
her grandmother.
"Geet, we're
going home" he told her enveloping his arms around her and pulling her
back.
"I'm going
home, you're not coming with me" Geet answered turning to face Maan.
"I wanted a romantic evening and you brought me to this crazy house"
she poked him in the chest with her finger.
"Hellooo, I'm
home" Kavita sang out loudly slamming the front door closed.
"Great another
crazy comes..." Geet turned and walked past Kavita just as she entered.
"What's up her
ass?" Kavita frowned.
"The girl is
pregnant"
"Grandma, she isn't
pregnant. She'd come home after a long day at medical school and I dragged her
here when she just wanted to spend our anniversary together" Maan responded.
"Now you're
crazy" Kavita laughed, "your anniversary isn't for another 4 months".
"Our date
anniversary, Kavita aunty" Maan corrected.
Archana and Kavita
shared a look then turned to Maan, "You're both so sad..." the words
simultaneously.
"You made her
soft, she was such a badass kid" Archana stated with a shake of her head.
"Are you still there?" I question pressing the
phone harder to my ear. There was silence on the other end.
"It... can't be" Varun voiced out after a moment.
"You're... mistaken. Test him again".
"I wish I was lying, Varun" I sigh heavily pinching
the bridge of my nose. "Come and see Maan... please"
"How... How can I look at him, Geet? He's... If what
you're saying is true, then... then he... wouldn't... be the brother I knew" he
was crying now.
"I know" tears slip down my eyes, I turn my
head staring through the glass at Maan. "He... isn't the same person we knew
6 months ago".
I cut the call and cross my arms, my eyes entirely focused
on Maan. As I stand here staring, the determination to know what had happened boils
within me with fury.
I had a million questions stirring rapidly in my head,
but I had to wait. I couldn't just spit it out and hope Maan answers. If anything,
he wasn't going to be saying anything to me. I knew one thing, everything
started with his business trip and the woman named Sara.
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