Ishleen POV
I
stand at the doorstep of my husband's hospital room unable to fathom what might happen next. The doctor told us that the tumor can cause change in behavior and hinder the capability of sound decision making.
What if the wedding was one of his bad decisions? What if I'm a mistake and all I deserve is to be thrown out of his house and life because he had a tumor when he married me? He wasn't healthy then, but he sure as hell is healthy now and I don't even know who he is without his tumor. I had came in after his surgery but he was advised rest for 5-6 hours so I went home to cook food for all of us with Ambar. Ambar got lunch while I rested at home, trying to keep the baby safe as Ayra bhabhi returned with her driver and I was told to reach here with evening tea as Rehaan ji was up.
I don't like the man he was, or the way he acted or did drugs, but atleast I knew him. Now, I don't even know my own husband.
"4 years? That's how long the tumor was in there?" Rehaan ji asks as my mother-in-law nods.
"Ishleen... Why are you standing? Aren't you pregnant? Take a seat. Get your ass out of that chair, Big brother." He says as he noticed me standing lost on the door.
"Oh, she's here. I told Ayra to go home and send her with the driver." My father-in-law says as I step in the room as Ambar veerji gets up.
"No, I can stand." I say as my husband shakes his head.
"We know you can. But you won't. Is she glowing because of the pregnancy or she's always been this pretty and I never noticed?" he says as I blush as my father-in-law clears his throat and walks out of the room.
"Don't mind him. He's still loopy because of the drugs." My mother-in-law says as I take the chair next to his bed. He stretches his arm, reaching for my hand. I place it in his, careful with the IV tube sticking out.
"I have no idea how to say this Ishleen... Like I don't even know if I deserve this... Deserve you." He says and takes a deep breath as I feel my heart thump in my chest a little too loud and a little too fast.
"What?" I say as he exhales heavily.
"I'm sorry, Ishleen." He says as I feel a weird pang in my stomach and an emptiness in my heart.
Oh my God, he's leaving me.
"I never even realized what I put you through until mom told me. I don't deserve a chance, but please forgive me. I really want to make this work. I've not been raised to treat a woman like that." He says as tears escape my eyes and cascade down my cheek as I wipe them down with my unoccupied hand as I squeeze his hand with my other.
"We'll make this work. I have no reason to leave you, but a solid one to stay." I say putting my hand on my belly.
"So, we are not counting the drugs, the assault and the domestic violence?" Ambar says as my mother-in-law turns to give him an angry glare.
"Ambar..." She says as he raises both his hands.
"Just asking If I should get those charges dropped on the account of that tumor." He says as Rehaan ji huffs.
"Bro, don't you have your own wife to attend to. I mean she's not as nice as mine, and a bit too feisty, but still she's your wife." He says as Ambar shakes his head.
"It's been over 6 hours since he is out of surgery, mom. I don't think it's the drugs anymore. We'll just have to tolerate him rubbing how nice and beautiful his wife is, in our faces for the rest of our lives." Ambar says and walks out as I chuckle.
"He's just jealous." My husband says as I shake my head.
"Rehaan ji stop, you're embarrassing me." I say as his forehead fills with lines.
"Okay, Ishleen ji." He says and I look at him almost shocked.
"What? You're elder to me. You can't use 'Ji' with my name." I say as he frowns.
"Age doesn't matter. We are partners. Got it? If you show respect by using a suffix with my name, I'll do it too." He says with a shrug and I was right.
I don't know who this man is. This man is poles apart from the man I married and yet, I am so grateful.
"Okay..." I say as he tugs lightly on my hand and I let him pull it as he kisses the back of it.
"Thank you. You won't regret this." He says as I smile and wipe my tears as my mother-in-law gets up and shuffles through her purse.
"Mom?" I ask as she shakes her head. "I need kajal to put a kaala teeka and ward of all evil. May God always keep you this happy and blessed." She says as Rehaan rolls his eyes.
"That's rude." I whisper and he whispers back. "I know, plus that hurt a little due to the head surgery."
++++++
I sat with him for the next few hours telling him what I like, and what I don't and then he told me about what he likes and what he doesn't.
"I don't like dark chocolate. It's bitter." I say as he opens his mouth a little surprised. We hear the door open and turn look at Samayra walk in with a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers.
"Ask her. She has tasted my brownies." He says as Samayra looks at me surprised.
"What kind of an allegation is that? I'm no addict and I haven't had any weed brownies of yours. Oh God, Are you trying to justify drug usage by involving me?" she says keeping the bouquet in the vase on the bedside table.
"No, bhabhi. Remember a few days after your wedding, when bhai had to go for some work in the middle of the night and you felt lonely. So, we sat on the terrace talking and eating dark chocolate brownies." He says as Samayra nods.
"Yes, ofcourse I remember. That's the only memory that helped me tolerate you, whenever you were a douche bag for the past year., which by the way was very often." She says taking the seat where mom was sitting a while ago and left to go home and take rest.
"And we have the two talkative people of the house, both being talkative and noisy again. Best time to invest in a pair of noise cancelling headphones, Ishleen" Ambar says walking in the already open door.
"Yeah, they'll help you fall asleep on the living room couch, Ambar because you can't be sharing a room with another talkative person." Samayra says as me and my husband control our laughter.
"Wow, that's a lot of sass from someone who was eating French pastries from the hands of her ex-lover two minutes ago." Ambar says as Samayra huffs.
"He bought it for me, when he heard I was pregnant with your baby and it was not from his hands AND it was almost 10 hours ago. Plus I knew it was bothering you, which I've already asked thrice and you kept denying.:
"Ofcourse, it would bother me. You're my wife and that's my baby." He says as Rehaan ji speaks.
"Guys, slow down. You're shouting and this is a hospital." He says in a low voice but just in the small gap before Samayra could answer, so they could hear him in the silence.
"And my head hurts." He adds as they both nod.
"We'll be outside if you need anything. Take rest." Samayra says and leaves as Ambar follows.
"Yeah, you should sleep." I say standing up as he holds my hand.
"Please stay." He says and I smile sitting back down to watch him drift off to sleep.
YOU ARE READING
The perfect groom ||
General FictionRehaan Deol or as his parents still call him "Chetan", the boy who changed his name for the love of a woman. The woman who left his heart shattered in pieces. He says he is ready to marry Ishleen and give love a chance while his sister-in-law, Sama...
