All that matters is that you're ok... (Ishman Fanfiction)

chapter 8

A/N - I'm so sorry for making y'all wait for so long for this, but I had my finals going on and no time to think about anything else. But they're done now, I'm free so I'll be updating every couple of days! I hope y'all like it, and I'm sorry about the wait once more.

Ishan had been dozing peacefully for a while. Rohit bhai's hand in his hair felt like a glassful of chilled water after hours of practice in the sun and it was keeping the slowly growing ache in his back away. He could have told bhai to call the doctor, but that would have involved him moving away, and Ishan didn't want that at any cost.

Loud, overlapping voices coming closer to the room distracted him from his peaceful drifting. Ishan barely had time to brace himself before the entire team worked into the room, saw that he was awake, and screamed his name together all at once like a horrible parody of a children's choir.

“ISHAN!!”

That was enough to startle Virat awake from his sleep and he sat up all at once, which led to Rahul tumbling off his chest and onto the floor with a loud crash.

“VIRAT!”

The expression on Rahul bhai's face was so funny that Ishan immediately started laughing. That turned out to be a terrible idea, since his wound started aching horribly almost immediately, and he stopped laughing to let out a pained groan.

The team, who had been staring at him since the moment the first chuckle came out of his mouth, looked like they'd been told they could never play cricket again.

“Tum log sab ke chehre aise kyu dikh rahe hai?” (Why are all of you looking like that?) Surya’s eyes closed at his words, and a few tears slipped out. But it was Siraj and Kuldeep Bhai who strode forward first. The spinner reached the foot of his bed, stood still and waited till Rohit helped Ishan to sit up. As soon as Ishan stopped moving, he reached over and smacked him on the head.

“Kuldeep bhaiya!”

“Kya Kuldeep bhaiya? Tu shukar kar sirf ek hi baar maara maine tujhe. Pehle to mai hospital nahi aa paya, aur wapas aake ye SKY aur Jaddu bhai kuch theek se bata nahi rahe the. Halat kharab kar di thi tumne hamari,” (What Kuldeep bhaiya? You should be glad I've only hit you once. First I couldn't come to the hospital, and then this SKY and Jaddu were not telling us anything properly. We were so worried.) Ishan watched on as the usually mild mannered man vented out his frustration, his heart warm at the care hidden behind his words. He just smiled at the spinner, and Kuldeep just turned around with a mock irritated look on his face.

“Ab yeh chehra banaega to I can't even stay mad at you,” (I can't even stay mad at you if you make that face.)

By that time Siraj had siddled up to his other side and was standing beside Rohit bhai. Ishan didn't even realize when the person taking his weight had changed, but it was the young seamer who had a hand supporting his shoulders.

“Gussa kaise ho sakta hai koi apne Ishu par? Hero hai hamara Ishan, hero!” (How can anyone be mad at our Ishu? Our Ishan is a hero!) It was clearly a way to lighten the mood in the room, and Ishan couldn't help but feel thankful for Siraj's intervention. He turned around carefully to give him a hug, and the way Siraj hid his face in Ishan's neck told him that he wasn't as unaffected as he was showing. Even as he let go, he could feel Siraj clutching at his elbow. Ishan wisely didn't say anything and let the man take all the reassurance he needed.

“Koi zarurat nahi hai hero banneki,” (There's no need to act like a hero.) That was Surya Bhau’s voice, and Ishan's heart clenched at the pain clearly heard in his voice.

“Bhau… Aap yaha aao,” (Bhau… you come here.) Ishan was trying to get him to come closer. Surya looked like he wanted to stay mad, but one look from Rohit bhai made him walk up to the bed. But he still stood out of Ishan's reach, his way of showing he wasn't ready to forgive the kid.