More than just Feluda (Fanfic)

Relief

"Sindhuja..." He uttered in a small voice.

He found himself looked at once again by the most bewitching pair of eyes he ever knew; the eyes that penetrated through his heart and soul every single time, though seeming sunken and tired at the moment. She was sitting up on the bed, leaning on the support from behind. Tapesh who was sitting by her side got up and went upto him exclaiming, "Feluda, I tried to call you back, but the line wasn't working because of rains."

But everything else had shut off to him already. He ran to her bedside and slowly cupped her face in his hand. Her skin felt the same, warm and soft. So this isn't a dream...
Eyes shining with tears, he kept staring at her face trying to say something coherent which seemed quite like an impossible task at the moment.

"You- really- I- I..... Ohh Sindhu, I was so scared!"
His voice crackled at the end and he immediately took her in a hug, holding her as close to his heart as possible; taking in her electrifying touch and soft scent which made his heart flutter. Tapesh stood by almost crying too. Meanwhile the nurse who was apparently used to see such emotional situations every now & then, unamusedly called him out for disturbing the saline-syringe injected in the patient's hand.

As for poor Sindhuja, she was only recovering from the shock of him hugging her anywhere outside their bedroom, that too right in front of TAPESH and a complete stranger; when she heard a little sniff in the crook of her neck. She was astonished realizing it came from him. He was crying. The first time in her life was she listening to her cool-headed, ever brave husband shed tears, and she could not help but feebly return his embrace and stroke through his messed hair to calm him down.

After a few moments she slowly managed to push him back in place. He was looking thinner and drained out, eyebags under reddened eyes. Wiping tears off his face with one shaky hand, she found it grabbed by him in a clasp.
"I'm so sorry for... for all this... I was careless... And reckless... I should have-"

"Mitter babu..." Her voice came alarmingly weak as a heaviness settled in her head, clouding her sense of surroundings.

He looked at her. She had just regained conscious after two and a half days, and was in such a fragile state that she could hardly sit up by herself. Sensing it was not right to stress her out at the moment with mentioning what had happened, he just kept smiling at her fondly.
The nurse meanwhile adjusted the saline and went off for her work.

However she tried, she could not smile back at him or Tapesh. All that was on her face was confusion and fatigue. She wanted to say and ask so much, but did not have any strength for it. Her eyes started drooping and she managed to mumble "I'm... Tired..." before stirring into sleep.

He left her hand and stroked her head carefully enough not to disturb the bandage. "Of course..."

Sindhuja opened her eyes to see Tapesh, him and a man about his age with slightly greying hair standing around her.

The man gave her a formal smile and said. "Namaste Sindhuja Debi. I'm your doctor, Ashok. And if you might be knowing, also an old friend of your husband from college cricket-clubs. How are you feeling now?"

Ashok enquired about more particulars of her health, and went out of the room, followed by him.

Tapesh came by closer to her and asked with a fresh smile, "You look like you're much better now Boudi."

"Y-yes. It's just the bothersome headache. And fatigue."

"Hmm, I see..."

"What is the time?"

"About- 11:30."
She looked out to the window. It was dark. So it was 11:30 in the night...

"Oh my! How- how will you go home?"

"Don't worry about me, there's taxis around here every now and then."

"But is it safe then?"

"Boudi, this is Kolkata! Stop worrying about the silliest things... I hadn't expected you to have a 'concern about safety in taxis at night' as the first thing to ponder upon after waking up, We can find a better topic."

Meanwhile he returned in the room and exclaimed, "Started teaming up already, have you two? Must be a conspiracy against me, I presume..."
She was relieved he had composed himself back into the cool, sarcastic Felu Mitter once again after whatever that shocking meltdown before had been.
Tapesh grinned while she just sighed. He came and sat on the bed besides her. All three of them remained silent for some time. There was so much to tell, but none knew where to start.

She finally gave in. "Stop looking at me like that, you both!"

He answered, "Madame, you've got up after lying here unconscious for almost two days and a brain surgery. We were told there was a risk of you slipping into coma. And here you are, finally awake without a wiped off memory or a disorder, asking us why we're looking at you. Because you had scared the life out of us for two and a half days!"

She frowned.

He decided to change the subject. "By the way, Kaka and Kaaki will be reaching here by early morning."

"You called them too?!"

"What else was I supposed to do? I haven't been to these hospitals very much... "

They talked casually, carefully trying to avoid any pressing or stressful conversation. It was not until when he went to drop Tapesh home, that she made her mind to talk about serious matters to him.