"Hallucinations?" Om was surprised. "Still?"
"Unfortunately yes," the Doctor said. "Imagine a drug that can paralyse your entire body, reduce your brain activity and put you in a coma-like state. Imagine how powerful that drug is. Shivaay will continue to experience nightmares and lucid hallucinations for a while. It comes under the few long term side effect these drugs have."
Om held his head. He was extremely concerned about Shivaay's security. And even though he completely trusted the Hospital's staff, he had to question them. "But still. Why is he claiming that you guys are out to kill him? It can't be that bad."
"Actually Om," Anika spoke. "It can be. I have read lots of such stories online. A lot of induced coma survivors experience violent hallucinations. Murder conspiracies are common in a lot."
The Doctor smiled at Anika. "Tell Om about your hill station trip."
"What?" Om frowned.
Anika sighed. "Yeah. Shivaay thinks that we went on a trip to some hill station with snow."
"When?" Om's frown deepened.
"Now."
Om sat back in the chair. "How? I don't understand."
"I think he has registered a few things in bits and pieces. I believe him getting buried in the snow must be from the day we had ice packs around him for his fever..." contemplated the Doctor. "And then that day when he had blood in his oral secretions? According to Shivaay, blood leaked from the ceiling and drowned him. It's just that he had some blood in his mouth. His senses must have registered it and his brain blew it up into something else. Hallucinations work like that. All your senses are in an overdrive."
"Gosh..." Om mumbled. After a few moments, he apologized to the Doctor. "I am sorry. It's just that I don't want to take any chances with his security. That's why I am interrogating you like this."
"Don't worry, Om..." the Doctor smiled warmly. "You are doing a brother's duty. I am doing a Doctor's duty."
Anika took a breath. "I wish all Doctors were as nice as you are. My neighbour is also a Doctor but..."
She could speak no more. Was Veer even a Doctor to begin with or he had lied? She didn't know.
"Really? What's his name?" asked the Doctor curiously.
"Veer Chauhan..." answered Om.
"Veer Chauhan..." the Doctor repeated the name for a few times. "Funny I don't recall any doctor with this name in this city. Which hospital does he work in? Or where is his clinic?"
Anika remembered the name of the hospital Veer had told them. "He works at Mayflower Hospital."
"Mayflower?" the Doctor looked surprised. "Are you sure?"
Anika nodded. "Yeah."
The Doctor frowned. "Uhm. But how is that possible? Mayflower closed four years back."
Anika and Om looked at each other. And then Om chuckled. "It must be something else. Bhabhi has a habit of forgetting."
The Doctor laughed. "That's okay."
"I guess, we will see you later..." Anika told him and he nodded.
When they both walked out, they sat down in the waiting room. Om mumbled, "Everything is so confusing. I can't wrap my head around it."
"Me neither..." Anika massaged her temples. "Who is this Veer anyway? And what does he want from us?"
**********************************
"Shivaay!" Shakti held the spoon in front of his son's mouth. "This is really healthy. And you like the healthy stuff. Remember?"
Shivaay kept his mouth firmly closed. Gone was the tough, stoic businessman. Lying on the bed was the spoiled, somewhat silly and very stubborn son of Shakti and Pinky who didn't want to have the bland rice porridge.
"Shivaay!" Pinky grabbed his face and forcefully stuffed a spoonful of porridge in his mouth. Then she watched him like a hawk lest he spat it out. When Shivaay tried to do just that, she widened her eyes in a warning and he meekly frowned.
But when Shakti filled another spoon for him, Shivaay pressed a palm over his mouth. Gauri took pity on Shakti and took the bowl in her hands. She sat down in front of Shivaay and said, "You know, Anika Bhabhi was right. She did say that you will do natak while eating now."
Shivaay's eyes widened. "Na...na...na...tak?"
"Yes!" Gauri gently put the spoon in his mouth. "She did say that you will make a gazillion faces while eating. Rudra is also planning to make videos of it. We can have it in our library. SSO aur unke meal time wale tante - a horror story from Goa."
Pinky laughed and Shivaay looked at her with annoyance. "Don't lauff."
"Oh I will," she chuckled. "Who will say that you are the same man who wears three-piece suits and goes around bossing everyone?"
"Wai cant bosh not hate porig?" Shivaay whined in protest, trying hard to speak in one go and without stuttering. It didn't happen. His words were not coherent and hard to understand.
"Well, you can!" Gauri again put the spoon in his mouth. "But not when your wife is Annika Oberoi. And just by the way, tonight's menu is Spinach soup. This is a hundred times better than that."
"Waath?" Shivaay gasped. "No!"
Gauri smiled mischievously. "If you finish this bowl then I might speak to Bhabhi and change it to something nice."
Shivaay glared at her. "No backmaileng."
Gauri burst out laughing. "Of course not. No need for it."
Just when Shivaay was about to speak, Anika and Om walked into the room. Gauri proudly showed them the empty bowl and said, "Bhaiya was a good boy and ate all the porridge."
Gauri had smartly kept him exchanged in nonsensical talk while feeding him.
"Oh wow!" Anika appreciated him. She grabbed a wet wipe and cleaned his face. "I am so proud of you. Does the throat hurt a lot?"
"No..." Shivaay refused, basking in her attention. "Butt ath naighth, breeng caik."
"Cake?" Pinky and Anika yelled a little loudly. "Are you serious, Shivaay?"
"Absolutely no!" Shakti scolded him. "No one is having cake. How did you even get that idea?"
"Is Rudee's birtdai tumorow. I saw the date on the mobail. You fourgot?" Shivaay said disapprovingly.
"Oh shit!" Om yelped when he saw the date. "It is indeed Rudra's birthday tomorrow. Dang, Shivaay. It really slipped from my mind."
Anika shrugged. "And the Doctor says that this man's memory can have blank gaps. He is single-handedly bringing down the country's chavanprash business down since the time he was born."
Shivaay groaned while Pinky grinned. "Excuse me, not chavanprash but almonds. Don't forget that we were are the Oberois."
Shivaay and Om pretended to baulk at her comment but she took it in her stride and ruffled her son's head. "Don't worry. We will give Rudra a good but small party tonight."
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Happy Thursday! :)
