Chapter Twenty Eight (Final)
Zoya blinked rapidly to clear the fog currently obscuring her vision. The lights in the room were too bright, tears dried and crusted around her burning eyes. Her ears picked up a slow beep, beep, and when she turned her head, she found a bank of machines with flashing lights and numbers, connected to tubes, and the tubes were connected to her arms. A woman and a man she'd never met stood beside her bed, discussing heart rate and vitals.
She frowned. She was in a hospital?
Yeah. Made sense. She remembered throwing up and being carried away from the carnival in Asad's arms. Now there was a strange heaviness to her limbs, a shakiness she wasn't used to experiencing.
"Asad," she said. Or rather, tried to say. Her throat was sore, her voice nothing more than a whisper.
The man in the lab coat heard her, however, and patted her hand. "Zoya, I'm Dr. Roy. You're at City hospital as you've been very sick. We removed a tube from your throat, which is why you're having a bit of trouble speaking. But don't worry, the discomfort will pass."
A tube down her throat"she'd needed help breathing?
"Where's Asad?" She needed Asad.
"We'll talk about him in a minute," Dr. Roy said.
He propped his hip against the side of her bed. He wasn't very tall, and was a bit on the heavy side, his features stern. "Do you know why you're here?"
"I was sick."
"Not just sick. Zoya, you were poisoned. Thankfully, you've responded to the medications very well. You'll make a full recovery with no lasting damage."
Her mind got stuck on a single word "Poisoned?"
"But...but...how? And by whom? So few people hated her now. Right? And she'd done nothing to anger anyone. Had she?
"It was a prank gone horribly wrong, apparently. Someone from your hometown put eyedrops in your tea. You slipped into a coma four days ago."
Wait, wait, wait. "I don't understand." Four days?
"When confronted by your police chief, the culprits confessed to their crimes. I don't remember their names, I'm sorry. There were two women and a man. They've been charged with contaminating a substance for human consumption. They're lucky they weren't charged with attempted murder."
"Asad," she croaked. "Where is he?" He had to be worried. "I want to see him."
The doctor's expression remained impassive.
"Let us finish checking your vitals, all right?"
For the next half hour, she was poked and prodded and questioned, and she did her best to keep her temper in check. Asad had to be more than worried about her; he had to be freaking out. As poorly as he'd handled her vomiting, she couldn't imagine what the coma had done to him.
Finally the exam ended, and the medical staff filed out of the room.
"Don't forget to send in Asad," she called.
The doctor stopped in the doorway. "I'm sorry to tell you this, Miss Faaruqui, but there isn't anyone in the waiting room for you."
Zoya lay in the bed, heart stuttering in her chest. No one was out there? Truly? "Maybe he's in the cafeteria?"
His half smile was not reassuring. "Yes, I'm sure that's it." He shut the door with a soft click. "Give him time. He'll arrive soon enough."
No way Asad would have left her, even for a minute. Unless the thought of losing her"as he'd lost so many other people in his life"had pushed him over the edge. He might have abandoned her in an effort to protect himself.
No way in hell. She wasn't going to think the worst of the man she loved and trusted with her fragile heart. But she was going to find him.
She maneuvered her legs over the side of the bed and stood. Her knees instantly buckled, her weight too much to hold, and if not for the bedrail, she would have toppled. When she felt more stable, she transferred her grip to the pole with her IV and catheter bags. Her paper-thin gown gaped in the back, but she couldn't hold it closed and hold herself up.
With as much dignity as she could muster, she worked her way to the door, the hallway, calling, "Asad! Asad!"
The nurse who'd poked and prodded her rushed over to latch on to her and prop her up. "What do you think you're doing? You shouldn't be out of bed."
"Asad!" Thankfully, she managed to do more than squeak this time. "Where is he? I know he's here. He wouldn't have left me." Tears beaded in her eyes. "He wouldn't."
Taking pity on her, the nuse said, "All right, sweetie. We'll go have a peek in the waiting room." She helped Zoya bumble onward.
Six people sat in the cushioned chairs, watching TV or reading magazines, and one slept on the couch. But none of them were Asad, or any of her friends.
"He's...he's not here." The tears spilled over, and a sob bubbled up, nearly choking her.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I really am. Men can be pigs."
"Not mine. He's""
"Zoya? Zoya!"
Asad! She turned, practically collapsing with relief when he raced from the elevators. Rehaan, Samar, Priya and Khushi were right behind him.
A second later, Asad had her wrapped in his arms, his callused hands meeting the bare skin of her back, offering the comfort she'd so desperately craved. Her tears came more freely, but this time they sprang from relief. He was here, and he was with her.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you woke up, love." He tied her gown closed at her waist. "Dr. Roy told us you'd come out of the coma but that the sedatives in your system wouldn't wear off for another few hours, giving us plenty of time to finish our errands before you actually woke up. But here you are, alive and well." In his eyes, unadulterated relief mixed with elation.
"I didn't want to believe you'd left me, that the fear of losing me was too much." Her voice was small, needy, but she didn't care. Trust and share.
"I will never leave you, love. Never." He drew back only far enough to cup her cheeks. "You are everything to me. I just had to run a a few errands."
"We all love you, Zoya," Priya said. "You're one of us, and we will always be here for you."
"You're our whiskey sister." Khushi fist-pumped the sky. "Whiskey sisters, unite!"
She smiled at them, the girls who'd forgiven and accepted her and the guys who'd welcomed her with open arms. But her smile faded as she studied their formal attire. Tuxes on the men, glittering gowns on the women.
Even Asad wore a tux, looking sexy and almost too beautiful to touch. "Why are you so dressed up?"
"For a party," Asad said.
"Okay, you guys." The nurse clapped her hands to ensure she had everyone's attention. "This is sweet and all, but I've got to put a stop to it. Miss Faaruqui needs to be in bed."
"Then let's put her in bed." Asad scooped her up, while Rehaan followed them, the IV pole in hand.
Zoya leaned her head against the strong shoulder she'd come to rely on. In her room, Asad gently laid her on the bed and tucked the blanket around her legs. She would have pulled him beside her, but the nurse hooked a monitor to her chest before leaving.
"What party?" Zoya asked when the woman left, picking up the conversation as if there'd never been a lull. "Why did you leave? What errands did you have? And just so we're being open and honest with each other, whatever you say, I'm not going to think it's good enough."
His lips twitched at the corners. "Thank you for being open and honest."
"Welcome. Now answer me, please."
He brushed his knuckles over her jaw, the caress tender and reverent. "Since you fell ill, I've had to do some soul-searching about what I really want for my future."
Her heart monitor sped up, the fast beep embarrassing.
"Without you, my future would be bleak. Zoya Faaruqui," he said, dropping to one knee and holding out a ring box. Inside glittered the biggest diamond she'd ever seen. "Will you marry me?"
Shock played havoc with her reasoning. "Excuse me?"
"I want to marry you, and I want to start a family with you. I want as many little Zoya's as I can get. I want you to be my painter slash trophy wife. I want to take care of you, and to be taken care of by you. I want to share the house with you, and only ever cook my famous breakfast for you. I want to go to sleep with you every night and wake up to you every morning, and tug you into the shower anytime during the day."
"But...but..." This was more than she'd ever dreamed possible, her every wish coming true right before her eyes. "The cage..."
"You didn't cage me, love. You set me free." He slid the ring onto her finger. "The party is for you, to celebrate your precious life...and our engagement"if you'll have me."
She placed her hand over her racing heart, the diamond glinting in the light. "Asad."
"Say yes. Tell me we can do a small ceremony as soon as possible, finally make you mine legally, then do a big one later on. I'm not sure how much longer I can go without knowing you are lawfully bound to me."
"Asad," she said again, tremors sweeping through her.
"I love you, Zoya. Every part of me loves every part of you. There is nothing I won't do for you, and nothing I won't do to keep you. You're it for me. My one. My only. And it would be an honor"a privilege"to be the man you choose to spend your precious life with. To create a family with you. To be what you need and what you want. Now and always."
Tears of joy filled her eyes. But he wasn't done.
"I won't allow fear to lead me anymore. I won't push you away, won't let you push me away. I am happy now, and I see happiness in the future. I'm holding on tight to you, baby, and I'm never letting go. I'm crazy, sick, devastatingly in love with you, and I'm sorry if I'm coming on too strong right now, but no, that's not true. I'm not really sorry. You're mine, and I'm yours. Our issues can go to hell where they belong. You and I, we belong together."
Khushi opened the door a crack and stuck her head inside the room. "Say yes already. Listening from the hallway is harder than you'd think."
"And don't forget," Asad added. "If you say yes, you'll get to live in your house again. You can paint murals on every single wall. In fact, I'll insist on it."
As if Zoya needed more encouragement. This man owned her, and had from the beginning. "Yes," she said with a laugh. "Yes."
"The others spilled into the room, cheering. Asad kissed Zoya right on the mouth, not seeming to care that she'd been in a coma. He didn't seem to care about anything but her, because he treasured her, and he planned to spend the rest of his life cherishing her.
The way she would cherish him, through the ups and through the downs. "Just so you know," she said, "this is a big change. A true life-altering one."
"Love, as long as your feelings for me stay the same, everything else is inconsequential."
She gripped the collar of his jacket. "My feelings aren't something you ever have to worry about. I love you so much. You are and always will be more than enough for me."
"Not even poisoning and a near-death experience could keep her away from you," Khushi said, patting him on the shoulder. He flinched, and she laughed. "What? Too soon to joke about?"
"I'll be ready to joke about this in...never," he said.
Zoya scooted over and patted the bed, and he crawled in beside her, drawing her to his chest.
"What's going to happen to Mahek, Chanchal and Akram?" she asked.
"They're going to spend a little time behind bars," Samar said. "Felonies are a bitch, and not something you can sweep under a rug."
Zoya should have been overjoyed by the news, but she wasn't. She wasn't even mad at the threesome. Not really. Did she think she deserved what they'd done? No. Not anymore, and not ever again. Asad was right. She'd paid for her crimes, and she was a different person now. But the misery of others no longer made her feel better about the misery of her own life. Not that she was miserable anymore. Because of Asad, she'd never been happier.
"I'm going to agree to a supersmall, superfast wedding because I want to become Zoya Ahmad Khan as soon as possible. But I'm also going to take you up on your offer of a second, larger wedding," she said to Asad. "I want the women of Ratibad Valley to witness our vows, even though I'm pretty sure they'll attend in funeral attire, mourning the loss of their Asad."
As the others beamed at her, Asad kissed her temple. "I'm not their anything, love. I'm yours. Now and forever."
Thank you everyone for reading and appreciating this story. The name of the book is 'The Hotter You Burn' written by Gena Showalter. If you are interested in reading about Rehaan and Khushi's love story, you may want to try reading the next series of this novel. 'The Harder You Fall'. Enjoy everyone.😊
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