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The emergency room doors swung open with a jarring creak, and Aarohi rushed in, her heart thudding in her ears. Her breathing was uneven, her eyes scanning every bed, every figure in white coats, until she finally saw her.
“Ruhi!” Aarohi called, her voice thick with fear and emotion.
Ruhi sat on the hospital bed, swinging her legs slightly, a small bandage on her forehead. She looked up at her mother and immediately smiled, though it was a bit sheepish.
“Mummaaa… I’m fine,” Ruhi said lightly, holding up her hand as if to dismiss the panic in Aarohi’s face. “Seriously, it’s nothing.”
Aarohi was already by her side, crouching down, holding her daughter’s face in her hands. Her fingers brushed over Ruhi’s cheeks, her forehead, as if checking for any hidden injuries.
“You scared me, Ruhi,” she whispered, hugging her tightly. “Even the smallest injury on you makes my world stop.”
Ruhi smiled, burying her face in her mother’s shoulder for a moment. “Mathasree, you’re a doctor! You’ve seen worse. Don’t be this dramatic…”
Aarohi laughed softly, her hand still protectively on her daughter’s back. “Exactly why I’m this dramatic. I’ve seen what a ‘little injury’ can become.”
Ruhi pulled back a bit and pointed over to someone standing quietly near the wall. “If he hadn’t helped me… maybe I would’ve gotten seriously hurt. He brought me here, stayed the whole time. Mumma, he saved me.”
Aarohi turned slowly, her gaze following Ruhi’s pointed finger.
And then time stilled.
The man standing there—tall, lean, wearing a simple denim shirt, stethoscope tucked into the pocket, hair a little messy from a long shift—looked just as surprised as she was.
His deep brown eyes widened, his hand half-raised in greeting froze in the air.
“Aaryan…” Aarohi’s voice escaped as a whisper, almost involuntarily.
“Aarohi…” he said at the exact same time.
There was a moment of stunned silence.
Ruhi blinked. “Wait… you two know each other?”
Aarohi exhaled slowly, gathering herself. “Yes, beta… I… I know him. He was… he was with me during my MBBS days. We studied together. He was a—” her eyes flickered to him again, “—a close friend.”
Aaryan stepped forward, offering a soft, nostalgic smile. “We were partners in study crimes, coffee addicts, sleep-deprived zombies… she always beat me in anatomy practicals, though.”
Aarohi let out a tiny laugh, one that came from deep memories she hadn’t thought of in years.
“Because you’d never label the bones right,” she teased, almost automatically.
Ruhi looked between them, intrigued by the sudden ease in her mother’s tone. “You two sound like old best friends.”
Aarohi smiled faintly. “We were… once.”
Aaryan moved to the vending machine nearby and bought two cups of coffee, returning to offer one to her. “No sugar, right?”
Aarohi took the cup, her fingers brushing against his ever so slightly. “You remember?”
“Some things don’t change,” Aaryan said quietly, taking a sip from his own cup. “Some things… stick.”
They sat on a nearby bench just outside the ward. Ruhi wandered off to grab a juice box from the nurse’s desk, giving them some space.
“So,” Aarohi asked, her voice casual but her heart fluttering slightly, “you’re working here now?”
“Yeah,” he said, leaning back. “Transferred here two months ago. Emergency medicine. You?”
“Private practice,” she replied. “I left the hospital setting a few years ago… needed something more flexible for Ruhi.”
He nodded thoughtfully, his eyes lingering on her a moment longer than they should have.
“I heard… through a friend, that you got married,” he said softly, not looking at her.
Aarohi stiffened slightly. She took a slow sip of her coffee to buy herself time before replying.
“I did.”
He waited, but she didn’t elaborate.
“So… your husband? He—?”
“Please,” she said gently but firmly, “let’s not talk about that.”
Aaryan studied her face—those eyes that once sparkled during 2 a.m. study sessions, now carrying stories untold.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he said quietly. “I just… I didn’t mean to bring up anything painful.”
She looked away, her eyes fixed on Ruhi, who was now chatting with a nurse and laughing like nothing ever happened.
“Life doesn’t go the way we plan it,” Aarohi said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I stopped planning, stopped expecting. Just started… living. For her.”
“She’s incredible,” Aaryan said sincerely. “She reminds me of you. That spark, that stubbornness in her smile.”
Aarohi blinked, surprised. “Really?”
Aaryan smiled faintly. “Yes. And… maybe that’s why when I earlier today, I didn’t even think twice before jumping in.”
Aarohi’s eyes snapped back to him. “You did that? You risked yourself—?”
“She was about to fall,” he said calmly. “Of course I did.”
Silence stretched again, but this time it was filled with something tender, something neither of them dared acknowledge just yet.
“You haven’t changed, Aaru,” he said suddenly, using the name he hadn’t said aloud in years.
Aarohi inhaled sharply. “Aaru…”
“No one calls me that anymore,” she admitted, smiling sadly. “Not since… not in years.”
“It suits you,” he said simply. “Still fits.”
She looked at him, her eyes softer now. “What about you? Anyone in your life?”
Aaryan looked away for a second, chuckled humorlessly. “Medicine. Emergency calls. Broken bones. That’s my companion.”
“You never…?”
“No,” he said quietly. “I… came close once. But I couldn’t move on from some people.”
His eyes were on her again when he said it, and Aarohi felt her breath hitch.
He stood up after a while. “I should go. Duty calls. But… I’m glad I was here. Glad I met her. And you.”
Aarohi stood too, heart a little heavier than before. “Thank you. For being there for her. For saving her.”
Aaryan gave a small smile. “Always, Aaru. For her… and for you.”
He turned and walked toward the corridor. Aarohi stood silently, watching his figure disappear into the hospital’s fluorescent lights.
Ruhi came back, holding her juice box. “Mumma, that uncle was so nice. Do you think we’ll see him again?”
Aarohi smiled faintly, her voice distant. “Maybe, Ruhi… maybe.”
And in the quiet corner of her heart, something stirred.
A name, a memory, a feeling.
Aaryan.
-
Finally after a long timeeeeeeeee.....
I wrote " a second chance at lifeforever
Sorry for the delay 😔
YOU ARE READING
Neirohi's Family OS
Fanfictionshort story about our beloved neirohi and their children's 💗
