In the heart of chaos

Chapter 11

The sun shone brightly over the temple grounds as Aarohi knelt in quiet prayer, her mind focused on everything that had been happening lately—the stress of her job, the tension with her family, and her complicated feelings about Abhimanyu. This was her place of solace, where she could find peace amidst the chaos of life.

As she finished her prayer and began to rise, she noticed a commotion near the entrance. A woman, appearing weak and unsteady, staggered forward before collapsing onto the ground. Aarohi's instincts kicked in immediately.

She rushed toward the woman, her heart racing. "Someone call an ambulance!" she shouted, her medical training taking over.

The woman lay still, her breathing shallow and her face pale. Aarohi quickly checked her pulse and opened her bag, pulling out her phone to call the emergency services.

While waiting for the ambulance, Aarohi knelt beside her, whispering, "Hang in there, ma'am. Help is on the way."

It wasn't long before the ambulance arrived, and Aarohi rode with the woman to Sarvodaya Hospital. As they rushed her inside, Aarohi still didn't know who this woman was, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously wrong.

Inside the hospital, the doctors immediately ran a series of tests. Aarohi paced outside the room, her mind racing with possible diagnoses.

Soon after, one of the attending doctors came out with a grim look on his face. "Dr. Goenka, we've found a brain aneurysm. It's quite large, and it needs immediate surgery."

Aarohi's heart dropped, but she quickly nodded. "I'll do the surgery."

The doctor gave her a surprised look. "You're volunteering to take this case?"

"Yes," Aarohi responded, already scrubbing in. "We can't waste any time. Prepare the OR."

---

Hours later, Aarohi emerged from the operating room, her face lined with exhaustion but filled with relief. The surgery had gone well, and the woman was stable. She was now under observation in the ICU for the next week to monitor her recovery.

As Aarohi removed her surgical cap and walked into the waiting area, she saw a group of people anxiously waiting. She recognized Rishi Malhotra immediately, but beside him were two young women and a man who looked equally frantic.

Rishi spotted Aarohi and quickly walked over. "What's going on? Is she alright?"

Aarohi blinked, momentarily confused. "You're... here for the woman I just operated on?"

Rishi looked puzzled for a moment, but then realization dawned. "You didn't know, did you?" He glanced at the others. "That's my mother."

Aarohi felt her stomach flip. "Your... mother?"

Rishi nodded, his expression filled with concern. "Kaushiki Malhotra. She collapsed at the temple, and now she's here. Is she okay?"

Aarohi's mind reeled with the revelation. Kaushiki was Rishi's mother? She hadn't known. This made things more complicated, but there was no time to dwell on that.

"She's stable now," Aarohi said, keeping her voice calm. "We found a brain aneurysm and had to perform emergency surgery, but it went well. She'll need to stay here for a week of observation to ensure there are no complications."

Rishi's eyes softened with relief, and for the first time since they met, Aarohi saw genuine gratitude in his gaze. "Thank you, Aarohi. You saved her life."

Behind Rishi, his siblings, Isha, Prisha, and Ekansh, rushed forward. "She's really going to be okay?" Prisha asked, her voice trembling with emotion.

"Yes, she's in the ICU right now," Aarohi reassured them. "We're going to keep a close eye on her for the next week, but the surgery was successful."

Rajveer, Rishi's father, stood beside his son, silent but visibly shaken. "Thank you, Dr. Goenka," he said, his voice filled with deep emotion. "You've done more than we could ever repay."

Aarohi gave them a small, tired smile. "I was just doing my job. She's going to need a lot of rest, but with time, she should make a full recovery."

Rishi nodded, his usual smug demeanor completely gone. "We owe you, Aarohi. I don't even know what to say."

Aarohi waved it off, feeling awkward with the sudden shift in their dynamic. "Don't worry about it. Your family needs you right now. Focus on her recovery."

The Malhotras exchanged glances, still processing everything, and Aarohi took that as her cue to leave. She needed to change out of her scrubs and take a moment to process this herself. The fact that Kaushiki was Rishi's mother added a new layer of complexity to their already volatile relationship.

As she walked away, she could hear Rishi speaking softly to his father and siblings, his voice filled with relief and gratitude. It was a strange feeling for Aarohi, knowing that she had just saved the life of someone so close to him. But despite their professional rivalry, today wasn't about that. Today was about saving a life, and that was all that mattered.

---

Later, after freshening up, Aarohi stopped by the ICU to check on Kaushiki. The family was gathered around her bed, their faces finally showing signs of peace.

As she glanced into the room, her gaze met Rishi's for a brief moment. He gave her a small, grateful nod. Aarohi returned it, a silent acknowledgment of the day's events, before she turned and headed back to her rounds.

She had a job to do, but this day had changed something between them. What that meant, she wasn't sure. But for now, all that mattered was Kaushiki's health and the strange twist of fate that had brought their lives together once again.