Anandi has FLU...! - OS

A sound of a deep, painful cough woke him up early that morning.

Shiv opened his eyes and looked down at his chest, where… sprawled across him laid a beautiful woman.

Anandi always looked so peaceful when she slept, but now a grimace of pain crossed her face as she coughed again. A jolt of shivers run through her body, and her skin was unnaturally warm against his and her cheeks were too flushed for a healthy person. Her breath felt warmer on his arm than usual and was escaping her mouth in irregular pants.

Yes, his wife is definitely sick. He covered them with the blanket more tightly as she shuddered again, then run his hand along her face towards her forehead.

Just as he thought, she is burning…a hoarse moan escaped her lips as she woke up. Last time when she'd felt so bad was a few years back and had the worst flu in her lifetime. Her 'maa' isn't there this time, there is Shiv instead …still it pleased her more than anything.

She snuggled her heated face against his chest and covered his hand, now resting on her cheek, with her own.

"Aapke haath bahut thande hain" - She said gratefully and looked up at his concerned face. He sighed loudly.

"No Sweet Heart… Aapko eisa lag rahe hain…kyounki aapke chehre pe shayad 103 degrees hoga…!" He replied caressing her cheek tenderly. That felt so good. She wasn't sickly when she was a child, so she could count the times when she got ill on the fingers of one hand, but she hated that anyway. To make things worse, her 'maa' was always cooing at her and making a big fuss around her, when all that Anandi needed, was a big hug.

"I don't want to be mean, but maine aapko bola tha ki sardiyon me der raath tak terrace pe wakht bitaney ka zidd karna health ke liye., accha nahi hain." …He added pressing his lips to her warm forehead.

She smiled weakly.

"Par bahut majaa aa raha tha…aur aap zyada complaint toh bhi nahi kar rahe the…" She said sneaking her small hand under his T-shirt. He groaned loudly. "Aur waise bhi., mein in choti choti bhukaar pe itna dhyan nahi dene waali." - She added coughing loudly.

"Haan..yeh baath ka mujhe andaaja hai..." He commented looking into her eyes. They were glossy, the sign of fever. "How are you feeling?" He asked sweetly stroking her left eyebrow with his thumb.

She sighed. She felt like someone who collided with a fast moving train, but she didn't want to complain. It'll make him sad and worried.

"Bahut accha toh nahi " She replied.

He laughed.

"I can see that. Come on, Anandi. Sach mein." He said shaking his head at her. "yeh mat bhoolo..mein ek hi hoon is duniya me., jo tumhara jhooth turanth pakad saktha hoon…!"..

She sighed again and shivered.

"Theek hai…Theek hai.." She said hoarsely. "Mera gala jal raha hai…Sar me jor ka dard ho raha hai…chakkar aa raha hai…aur mera hare ek muscle kacha mehsoos ho raha hai….ab aap khush hai…. Mr. Shiv Raj Shekhar…?" She asked with annoyance.

"No." He said truthfully. "But I'm glad aapne mujhe bataya." He added. "I want to make you feel better." He said stroking her arm under the blanket. She opened her eyes to look at him.

"Abhi se., mein better mahsoos kar rahi hoon…" She replied with a blush., making her already heated cheeks turn even more pink…. He kissed her nose and started to make his way out of their bed.

She caught him by his t-shirt.

"Aap mat jayiye…!" She whined miserably. " abhi bahoot samay hai." She added glancing towards his alarm clock. He still had about three hours before he had to go to work.

He grabbed her hand and kissed it sweetly.

"I'll be right back, I promise." He said brushing her hair out of her face with his other hand. He shook his head and sighed loudly at the warmth of her forehead, before he got up and left the room only to be back after a moment with a wet towel and a thermometer in his hand.

"Apna muh kholiye.." He demanded sitting at her side of their bed and trying to stick the thermometer into her mouth. She obliged unhappily.

"Be careful, don't bite it." He warned her.

She would snort at him, but she decided that her throat is sore even without it, so she only rolled her eyes at him. Did he really think she's that stupid?

He gently placed the cool towel on her forehead.

"aapka haath behtar tha." She mumbled, he smiled slightly but shook his head at her.

"Shhh, Anandi.. No talking." He commanded holding her chin up with his index finger to close her mouth.

She narrowed her eyes at him, she hated being ordered and he perfectly knew that. He got up again.

"Uthiye math.." He said heading towards the door again. "Mein abhi aaya…Oh, aur agar mujhe pata chala ki aap yeh thermometer se cheat kar rahe hai …toh mein aapko is bed pe baandh loonga…! Samjhe?" He said with mock sternness. She took the thermometer out of her mouth only to stick her tongue at him. He chuckled softly and left the room.

When he was back about fifteen minutes later, he found her laying on her stomach with her hands around his pillow and her nose burrowed in it. He smiled at that view.

When he was away on any official duty, she was always sleeping like that. He could say, because sometimes he was back at home in the middle of the night. He knew that she absolutely loved to cuddle and snuggle while she slept.

For a few months now, he was waking every morning with Anandi tangled around him, sprawled across his chest or clutching his arm so tightly that he almost wasn't able to feel it. He was more than happy about it actually. For him, there was nothing more comforting than feeling her as close as it's possible, holding her in his arms, nuzzling her hair, feeling her rhythmical heartbeat or peaceful breath on his skin. They were a perfect match in that matter. And in every others as well.

He crossed the room and opened their wardrobe, she moaned hoarsely when the door squeaked silently. He turned around to look at her.

"Sorry, maine aapko jagaya kya..?" He asked apologetically. She sneezed, coughed, groaned and then shook her head weakly.

"mein so nahi rahi..." She said with hoarse voice. Her throat was burning like hell. Shiv placed her fresh change of clothes on the foot of their bed and reached for the thermometer which now was laying on her bedside table.

" 102 degrees ?!" He exclaimed loudly glancing at it.

"Jitna bhi ho..." She mumbled rubbing her burning eyes with her hand.

"Jitna bhi ho..?! aur thoda jyaada…aur aapko baatein karne ke liye mushkil hotha tha..!" He exclaimed, eyes wide with concern.

"aur thoda kam…mein bilkul theek thaak hothi thi.." She replied calmly. She sighed looking at his worried face. "Mein bilkul theek hoon ..Shiv…bas thoda sa sardi aur bhukaar hai.." She added grabbing his hand in hers to calm him down.

He was always treating her like a fragile doll and she thought that it's unnecessary, but she couldn't be angry at him about it anymore. She knew he was doing it because he loved her and she loved him for it even more.

"I'm sorry. Mein aapke bare mein thoda over protective hi hoon…." He said stoking her hand with his thumb. She smiled slightly.

"mein jaanthi hoon.." She stated and kissed his knuckles softly.

"Mein aaj aapke saath hi hoon…maine Bhim Singh ko inform kardiya hai…" He said after a moment reaching for the tray he brought with him from downstairs. She was beyond happy about this, but he had work and she knew how much important it is.

"Ek aur baar soch lijiye…? Kuch urgent kaam hai toh mere wajah se., aapko problem nahi hona chahiye…" She said before coughing for a good minute. He was rubbing her back gently.

"There is no way…mein aapko is haalath mein akela chod saktha hoon…" He said grabbing a bottle of cough syrup and some sheets of tablets from the tray. "Besides, I'm the Collector of Jaitsar…ek din toh apni marji se leave le sakta hoon…." He said proudly.

She actually snorted this time and immediately regretted it as she felt her raw throat aching like hell. She winced a little.

"haa..haa..bilkul..." She said trying and failing to laugh at him. .

He filled a teaspoon with the cough syrup and held it to her mouth…which she drank without any resistance…

He now peeled a tablet from one of the sheets and held it in front of her…

"Please, Anandi..." He pleaded when she shook her head stubbornly. It surprised., him., her resistance to gulp down a single tablet., when she could drink bitter potions the vaidji gives without a sigh…Anandi never fails to surprise him…

He sighed and lowered his hand.

"aap behthar feel honge…." He tried again. She narrowed her eyes.

"Just one little tablet... Please, " He said sweetly using his best puppy-eyes expression.

She was always softening when he uses his trademark puppy expression. She cursed herself in her head. She just couldn't say "no" to him.

He tried to hide his victorious smile when she opened her mouth.

"Swallow, Sweet heart." He said softly, when she winced at the taste the tablet left on her tongue. He tenderly kissed her forehead when she obliged.

"Good girl." He added tweaking her nose.

Mein change karke aathi hoon…she said., reaching out to the fresh set of clothes from the end of the bed., which he had earlier placed…

Chahe toh…mein help kar sakta hoon….he said teasingly…

"Jee zaroorath nahi…mein itna bhi kamjor nahi hoon" - She said smiling at him.

He chuckled…

After she had changed and got to the bed again, he noticed that she already looked better. Probably the medicine started to work and her fever was decreasing.

He had to force her into drinking some warm milk…, which was a new experience since she never is finicky about food... Another sign that she really is ill.

"Shiv., aap meri ek baath maanenge…?...She asked weakly when her eyelids started getting heavy.

"Whatever you want.., Boliye..." He replied touching her forehead gently. It was still warm, but not burning like earlier.

"Mere karib letiye naa..." She said silently.

He laughed loudly and crawled in the bed …beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and she nestled her head in the crook of his arm. He nuzzled her hair and covered them with a blanket.

"I love you, Sweetheart..." He mumbled into her hair. She smiled slightly.

"I love you too, Collector saab." - She replied snuggling even closer and falling asleep in her husband's arms.

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Just a small weekend treat...😉 😃