Arshi FF-Truth behind the Layer

6. A Third Person

Lifeline Hospital

Delhi

Khushi flutters her eyelashes adjusting to the light, feeling heavy in her head. Her vision is hazed as she tries to look around, without moving her head but eyeballs, only to feel more pain.

"Khushi?" Khushi heard a voice, since her senses were dazed, she wasn't able to remember whose voice it was.

"Khushi, are you fine? How are you feeling now? Look at me," Payal caresses her cheeks, hovering over her, all frantically with tears in her eyes, looking at her sister looking all frail.

"W...ater..r." Khushi slurred, her throat was dry, and Payal who heard had immediately given her a glass of water kept beside the bed, making her drink a bit.

"Ar..nav-jii..p..ain," she whispers, her hands shivering in cold, the saline drip on her pale hand giving her shivers.

"I'll call the doctor," Payal, as instructed by the doctor, pushes the red button on the side. Soon she saw a Nurse rushing in along with Devyani.

The doctor has strictly told not more than one should stay in the ICU.

So, Payal is looking after her sister while Devyani sat out, old age wasn't giving her enough strength to endure the pain of seeing their children in the ICU.

The nurse paged the doctor who must be on his way.

"Please, Mam. We need you out of this room. The patient will get disturbed. Let us do our work," The nurse shows them the way out.

With no option left, they were about to go when the doctor entered.

"He isn't the one who's treating Khushi, where's he?" Payal questions looking at a doctor who was not working on Khushi's case.

"Mam, Dr. Ankit is busy with the other patient. Until then Dr. Keshav would check the patient. Please cooperate," Nurse explains, making them understand as Dr. Keshav walks in, smiling at the two ladies and checks her vitals, and starts asking some questions Payal wasn't able to hear as Nurse closes the door.

Akash, Anjali, and Manorama were out sitting on the chairs when Devyani and Payal were shown the door by Nurse.

"What happened? Did Khushi-ji gain consciousness?" Akash asked, looking at his wife outside the ICU.

She was inside the ICU keeping an eye on her sister from the time the doctor allowed her to.

"Yes, Bitwa, and they are checking her now," Devyani replies instead of Payal who had worry lines on her forehead, and her face was drenched with tears.

Before he could comfort his wife, Devyani asks, "How is Chotte? His oxygen levels didn't drop again, right? Did he gain consciousness?"

"Yes, and he was just asking for Khushi Bhabhi and we don't know what to say any more about Bhabhi to him. He already guessed we were lying. Di called the doctor before Bhai could ask more and is now checking him," he answered, taking a long sigh.

And just then Dr. Ankit walks out.

The other patient was Arnav!

"How is he, doctor?" Anjali asks him without a second's delay.

"He's all fine. He needs to have food and medicine on time, that's it. Still, we'd suggest keeping him till night to observe his sugar levels." He was about to walk out on Anjali's nod when he stops on the way.

"He's also uttering Khushi after every word. I know she is his wife, but his wife needs to be put in the ICU without disturbance until she gains consciousness. Hope you understand. He was insisting we put him in the same room as his wife," he paused a bit and was about to tell her to make her brother understand when Anjali starts, "You told her about Khushi Bhabhi's condition?"