Dil Mileya

Chapter 10

Aarushi's POV

The drive to the hospital is short. I call Rakshita in advance hoping she's on call tonight. We walk in, running into her at the reception. "What's up?" She holds me at an arm's length, scanning me from head to toe.

"Are you hurt? Is it bad?" I shake my head. "I'm fine, Rashmi. I'm okay," I nod over my shoulder, "Him, not so much," Her eyes glance past me, and I watch the recognition dawn on her features.

She looks back at me, amusement dancing in her gaze. I cock a challenging brow. "Don't you dare, Rashmi. I swear, not a word," I warn, breaking out of her hold. She just raises her hand in surrender.

She makes a show of zipping her lips, and throwing the key over her shoulders. I just roll my eyes. "Can you be a doctor, if you're done being a child?" She chuckles, nodding. "What's up?" O grab Kabir's wrist, careful not to touch his palm.

"Hey, Rashmi," Kabir waves his poorly bandaged hand. Rashmi chuckles, waving back in acknowledgement. "You couldn't stay out of trouble, could you?" She shakes her head like a disappointed mother.

"He cut his hand pretty badly. Can you take a look? I think he might need stitches," Rashmi leads us into a tiny room. She leaves briefly, returning with the supplies she needs. She takes a brief look at his palm, confirming what I initially thought.

You might want to leave the room, Aru," Rashmi warns, her sole focus on her task as she sets up her suture kit. I nod, making a beeline for the door, when a different voice interrupts me.

"Wa-wait!" I turn to face Kabir, frowning. "You okay?" Rashmi questions, quizzically glancing between me and Kabir. He address her question. "Is it ..... okay for her to ..... stay?" I frown. He wants me to stay?

Rashmi shrugs. "If she wants to. It's not going to be pretty, though," I assess Kabir's nervous features for a silent moment, trying to figure out what is really going on. His confident self is nowhere to be found.

No, he's really fidgety, his eyes bouncing all over the place, landing anywhere but on me. He repeatedly wipes his hand down on his trousers, as if he's ...... nervous. But why would -

Everything suddenly clicks into place. A small smile escapes me before I can reign it in.

"Are you still afraid of needles, Kabir?" Rashmi's eyes widen, snapping to mine, then back to Kabir's, before she bursts out laughing. "Is he really?" She asks me between fits of laughter, her smile mirroring mine.

I simply nod, walking over to where Kabir is sitting. He pushes his lower lip out, pouting, looking like a kicked puppy. Despite myself, I gotta admit, he looks really adorable. I offer him a small smile, standing beside him.

I bend down to whisper my next words to him, so that only he can hear me. "Do you want me to hold your hand?" He nods once, making me chuckle. I grab his hand in mine without much thought. Rashmi's gaze says fixated on our joined hands for a beat too long.

I know exactly the interrogation that's coming my way tomorrow, but that doesn't bother me. Not in the moment. I not at her once, giving her the green light to start her work.

She sobers up pretty quickly, her sole focus on the task at hand. I scrunch my face as the first stitch is in its place, Kabir's pained whimper doing nothing to ease my own discomfort. My heart beats against my chest, eager to leap out of its ribcage.

I angle myself away from where Rakshita works with complete focus, hoping the lack of physical evidence of Kabir's pain would reduce the thumping beat of my heart.

Kabir threads his fingers through mine, his grip tightening to the point of pain. My own fingers tighten around his as I stroke the back of his hand with my thumb, hoping to distract him from the pain somehow.

The procedure seems to go on forever, and it feels like an eternity, before Rashmi chirps up. "All done!" I heave out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "I'll send a nurse to do your dressing, okay?" She informs Kabir, who nods in return. She turns to me, peeling off her gloves.

"And make sure the dressing is changed every third day without fail," I nod. She disposes off the used supplies, the eerie silence of the hospital surrounding us like a blanket. I clear my throat. "Um.... Kabir?"

He tilts his head to meet my gaze. "You can let go now," I attempt to pull my hand from his grip, but it's no use. His hold is relentless. He stares at me blankly, as if he cannot comprehend my words at all.

"My hand, Kabir?" I hold up our joined hands to emphasize my point. Kabir's grip loosen, and I snatch my hand back. I rub my hand in soothing circles, trying to ease the redden imprint of Kabir's grip.

"I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" He sounds nervous, concerned. I shake my head. "Nothing I can't handle. Does it hurt?" It's a stupid question. But I prefer the stupid questions over the silence any day.

"Nothing I can't handle," I roll my eyes, but smile none the less. So does Kabir. The nurse enters a moment later, greeting us before she bandages Kabir's hand.

She rattles off the precautions we need to take simultaneously. We thank the nurse and Kabir settles the bill at the reception before we take off. I can't wait to get home and call it a night.

NOTE: A short, unedited one, I know!! More updates coming soon! Stay tuned.

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