Monsoon

14. Reality Check

Naina spotted Ayush in cafeteria, sipping coffee while browsing through his phone. Finally, she grinned. It was difficult to get hands on him when he was alone. Most of the times he was either following his senior, Dr Banerjee or he was surrounded by patients or flock of nurses.

Naina went and sat down opposite to him pasting a sweet smile on her face.

"No way," Ayush frowned looking up at her. "I am not doing that."

"Come on!" she insisted.

"That's against the code," he hissed. "Do you want to get kicked out before the month-end?"

"Please," Naina whispered back. "I am not asking about a random patient. He is my Papa."

"With whom you don't talk at all."

"Still Papa."

Ayush weighed his options. "Why are you doing this?" he asked curiously.

"I'm just worried about him."

"Then ask your mom," Ayush argued. "She will tell you."

"Oh please," Naina huffed. After the last spat, only thing her mom will tell her would be - Go to Hell.

"Come on Ayush," she groaned. "We know each other for how many years now yaar?"

"What would you give me in return?" he asked.

"In return?" she asked back with a deadpan face. "Think of this as a payment for every time you crashed on my couch."

"Evil woman," he muttered and got up. "Five minutes. I don't know when Banerjee will return from his rounds."

"More than enough," she shrugged and followed him to Cardiology section.

Ayush took her to his supervisor's office and logged into patients' records. He pulled out her father's medical history and turned the screen towards her.

Naina quickly browsed through the medical history, symptoms and ailments. There were multiple incidences of severe hypertensive episodes spread over past five years. Naina swallowed.

One event caught her attention. It was a myocardial infarction followed by stent placement procedure. Her cursor froze over the date. One day after Naina had sent her mother the photo of her graduation ceremony. Two days before Satish uncle handed her the restraining orders. A month later, most of her shares were transferred to her grandmother's name.

"What's going on between you and Shardul?" Naina jumped in her seat. She had zoned out for a moment. Ayush was peering through the glass window to make sure no one was coming this way.

"Nothing," she said clearing her throat. "I mean something."

"Nothing? Something?" he quizzed. "Be honest, are you seeing him, aren't you?"

Hiding things from Ayush was difficult given the fact that they knew each other for very long time and were working together now. Naina frowned. She had to tell the lie to everyone to avoid confusion. "Yeah, we are together," she said turning back to the screen, checking the blood work and prescriptions.

"Can I get a copy of this?" she asked hopefully.

"No."

"Fine," she mumbled. "No harm in trying." She quickly clicked a photo of dose regimes and check-up schedule.

"Trust me. I have already gone through his details as a part of case study. I will tell you if there is anything serious."

"This whole report is serious."

"Naina," he said slowly. "I know you are worried but don't you think, there is bliss in ignorance?"

Naina pressed her palms to her eyes and sighed. After seeing the dates in the report, she couldn't agree more. Half-heartedly, she closed the window and let him guide her out of the office.

"So do you love him?" Ayush asked once they were in elevator.

"Of course, I love him!" she frowned. "He is my father."

"Shardul, I meant," he smirked. Naina wanted to punch him for that but anything to keep her mind off the dates, she thought.

"Just seeing him, Ayush."

"I don't think so," he grinned. "I saw him dropping you other day," he mused. "Really, really early morning."

"Fine!" she threw up her hands. "I am dating him and I am living with him."

"Well, this was bound to happen someday," he chuckled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked carefully.

"What? He liked you from the beginning!"

"He was dating my flatmate," she said with a deadpan face.

"Yeah. But he liked you."

"What rubbish!"

"Seriously!" he shot back. "If you hadn't told me he was dating your flatmate I would have taken you for a couple. It was that clear."

"Please," Naina smiled. Deep inside it made her heart light to think Shardul was interested in her.

"He had always been crazy about you."

"Will you stop it?" she felt blush raise in her cheeks.

"Fine," he hmphed. "Believe what you want to but I had caught him watching you more than once. And it was different from how he watched Rakshanda."

Naina pressed her lips andtried to recall how Shardul use to look at her but all she could see were herfather's cholesterol levels.