With You

Chapter 3

The low murmurs were the part of the canteen at Shifa Hospital as Zarah made her way towards the corner table where her friends were waiting for her. The lunch breaks were the only time of the day where she could catch up with her colleagues and now she wanted more time to spend with them as after one month, her best friend, Samia was going to get married.

"The bride is here..." Zarah squealed coming closer to her friend and wrapping her arms around her resulting in Samia to get blushed over her gesture and their fellow doctors to giggle.

"Stop it, Zari. People are looking at us."

Samia hit her arms playfully, making her sit on the seat next to her. "Don't be a spoil sport, Sami. " Zarah quipped pinching her cheeks, embarrassing her all over.

"Okay, just stop talking and give me something for lunch. I'm starving."
Samia requested Zarah as she was not seeing any kind of signs of Zarah to shut her talks. Sometimes, Samia's silence made her bored but that was the only thing which made them such close friends.

In class second, they got introduced to each other when Samia's father got transferred to Amroha. From there on, they would be seen with each other- Zarah Khan was a talkative soul while Samia Sheikh was a good listener, who knew how to cope with the havoc called as Zarah.

"Okay, so treat was from me. What are your orders?"

Today it was Zarah's turn to give lunch treat. After noting everyone's orders, she came to the counter. The order of three thalis and two samosas would surely take time, that was why Zarah was moving back to her table when the noises of commotion going outside stopped her.

Gesturing her friends to carry on, she left the canteen to see a man at the reception with his back towards her, yelling at the receptionist.

Didn't know where people have left their manners!

"Sir, it's a hospital."

Zarah insisted coming near him and quickly fell silent seeing the man who too was looking at her with slacked jaw and cold glare. So he also recognized her!

"Whatever you're doing here but just lower your voice. There are some rules of hospital."

"Again started with your lectures. Do your work."

The man moved his hand in front of her to shove her off while she only sufficed in glaring at him before turning towards the receptionist.

***

Didn't know what he was thinking?

Like seriously, where his freaking mind was? Firstly he woke up late for his work and after wasting an entire one hour to get ready. He cut his hand with the coke can on the way to his office. So much for thinking to give some rest to his sister.

Hamida lived in Delhi but as her husband went for the business trip, she came to Ryan's house to spend some days with him. She always prepared meals for him but as today he was getting late, Ryan didn't bother to wake her up.

He bandaged it hastily for the time being so that the bleeding would stop. But his destiny always liked to play with him.

When Ryan was finishing the reports, the blood again began to start, spoiling his mood all over again. Seeing the lunch break, he left his office to have his bruise bandaged properly. But he had no idea, today too he would be going to meet that manner less girl.

Tapping his feet rather impatiently, Ryan was just waiting for that girl to finish her talks with the receptionist. He turned on his heels when a voice stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going, mister?"

"At some good hospital where people will tend to my wounds." He replied haughtily but his eyes widened with shock as the sleeve of his blazer was in that girl's hold.

"Try to talk properly. Come with me."

Ryan quickly removed his sleeve from her grip as that girl kept him in her furrowed gaze. He came upstairs to the first cabin, maybe it was hers. So she was the doctor, such an immature one for the post!

"It's lunch time. So everyone is busy." She spoke gesturing him to take a seat near the table as she moved towards the cupboard at the corner of the room. "That lady was also trying to tell you-"

"Okay, I don't want to listen. Just finish this quickly." Ryan shut her up with his statement. He was not free to hear everyone's chatter that too of this lady. On his words, that girl put the first box with a thud on table and took a seat in front of him, taking his hand in her hold.

"How did that happen?" She asked coldly, the politeness which Ryan felt few moments ago, gone completely.

"Coke can."

Her hands were warm and soft. She gently removed the bandage and his heart instantly craved for her warmth again as the cool air hit his wound. What the hell he was thinking? Ryan moved his gaze away from his wound so as not to think whatever weird thoughts were crawling inside his mind and found a framed picture on her desk. Maybe it was her parents, her family which brought a hollow pit in his gut, the pit of remorse and incompleteness.

"Hm, it's done."

Ryan looked back on her voice, his hand was properly bandaged and now she was readying a syringe.

A SYRINGE!

"What are you doing?" He asked watching the needle in her hands, skeptically.

"It was cut due to iron, so I have to give you a tetanus shot."

"What the hell! I won't. I'm already getting late."

Ryan yelled standing up from his place, noting how the girl was watching him with amusement dancing on her face.

"It's not good to leave it like this."

She reasoned with a giggle which she instantly hid behind a cough but Ryan wouldn't listen to anything. He only knew how he hated to see these needles and syringes. He put up the money on her desk and ran outside her cabin, never looking back.