The Workaholic Wife ✅

Plainly Pain

I wake up, dazed. The blurry room comes into focus after a few seconds, catapulting the pain with it. I recognize the bland wallpaper. This is my hospital.

I remember every detail of Aniket's Kidnap.

Chinna, Aniket's proposal, the blood red ruby necklace, the dance and the fight.

And I ended up here, in my own hospital.

I sigh, examining myself. I can feel every stitch up my chest, and the bandaged ankle that was currently producing blotches of blood.

I need to get up. Give a police complaint. Get to my family. Find Aniket. Bring him back. Throw anyone who hurt him behind bars.

I repeated the checklist in my head as I sat up, wincing as the stitches reopen.

Who the hell did these awful stitches?

As if answering my thought, Dr.Anand struts into the room, a grim expression on his face.

He sees the bleeding on my chest, and comes to my help. He opens the button of the hospital gown, but before he could take it off, I grasp his hand.

"Get a lady nurse. And fire whoever did the stitches." I order, clenching my teeth as I try to sit up again, and failing. I sink into the comfort of the hospital bed, feeling hopeless.

Dr.Anand scratches the back of his neck, shaking his head. "The nurses are all on strike. There's only a few doctors left, and they are trying to their job. I was tired when I did those stitches, but if you fire me for saving your life, I'll be more than happy to leave you dying here." Aarav says, pushing me onto the bed as I get back up to protest.

"Why are they striking? I pay them more than enough!" I say, getting angry.

"Some nurse; she changed in the on-call room, and she was photographed and leaked on the internet. Some claim that it was a male-doctor. We're not really sure who it is." Dr.Anand says, shaking his head.

I sigh. How many problems do I have to overcome?

"And what are the nurses demanding?"

"Not only nurses. All female staff are on strike."

"Peachy." I say, clucking my tongue.

"There's been an official police complaint, and the police are investigating male doctors."

"Great. Does anyone even know that this is an hospital? Where is all the compassion? There are people dying as we speak."

"They've been moved, Krithi. We're not that stupid." I slap a hand to my forehead.

"Can I trust you?" I ask, sighing. He was my last hope. He nods firmly. "Don't inform my parents. If they call, tell them I'm facing a crisis and won't be back home for another few days. I'm assuming I've been out for a couple of days. I need a full report of who got me here, and I need CCTV footage near and around the on-call room the nurse was photographed in. Inform the police that we'll settle this on our own. Get me the nurse who was affected, and—

"Woah, there. Slow down. I'm running in coffee here. There's no one in the cafeteria. And the hospital is surrounded."

I huff. "Shut up ad do your job, Aarav."

"Fine, you crazy lady."

"Watch your mouth. I'm still your boss."

"That's the only reason you're alive." He yawns.

I could take him any day. Scrawny idiot.

I spot a syringe on the desk beside me. I aim it at his turned head, and throw it, pointy side face his head.