Fun fact: I wanted to title this chapter 'Adventures of SSO and the five-lettered-word.' Only if it would fit in :(
***
Shivaay was in a debate between going to Kalyani and consoling her and staying with Annika to make it up to her. Both were equally important, one for his family and the other for himself. All he knew was that he could not let Annika leave him this time.
He cupped her face, "I am-so-rr-"
"Billu!"
"Dadi!" he hit his palm on the wall.
"You should go to her. She is worried," Annika advised.
Shivaay looked at her with reluctance visible in his face. He did not want to go away from her until and unless she forgave him.
"Come with me," he pulled her along him to reach downstairs and greet Kalyani.
Annika stayed silent as if she lost the ability to speak. She let him do whatever he wanted. That's what she did last night and that's what she was doing now. What she wanted was beyond her comprehension,
***
"Dadi, she is fine. They just kept her under supervision to avoid things deteriorating further," Rudra was assuring Kalyani when Shivaay and Annika reached there.
"I went to Rishikesh. I was praying for all four of your well-being. What happened in my absence. My dear child!" Kalyani cried.
"Dadi," Shivaay reached her, his hand still in Annika's, "Prinku will be fine, okay? Trust me, I arranged for the best team of doctors and nurses to take care of her."
Kalyani kept weeping.
"Dadi, don't worry. Shivaay said, right? If he is saying something, we must trust him," Annika said to Shivaay's surprise. Only now he realized she had been calling him Shivaay since they reached home last night. He sighed in relief for the first time in a while. And her words were equally surprising. If only she believed the same in case of herself.
His phone rang. While his left one held Annika's hand, he used his right one to fish out his phone from his left pocket and answered the call. Annika sighed. The man won't leave her hand but will go through the unease of taking out the phone from his left pocket with his right hand.
"What are you saying?" his voice seemed tensed, "I bribed them to not let the news out. Okay, don't worry. Don't leave Prinku for a second. I am reaching there right now. I will handle these."
"Billu?" Kalyani asked once Shivaay ended the call.
"Some reporters have invaded the hospital. I bribed their management team to not let the news out. Ba****ds!"
Annika witnessed Shivaay using a profane word for the first time. He was terribly off in the department called mood.
"Let's go," he walked out of the mansion with Annika.
"What made her suicide?' Kalyani asked Rudra.
Rudra turned pale. He did not reply for quite some time.
"If something disturbed her, then why couldn't she tell Billu? My Billu would have destroyed the person by now," Kalyani spoke with visible pride in Shivaay.
"Bhaiya did all this," Rudra confessed. Just then he received a text and narrated everything to Kalyani as is except for the part where Shivaay and Annika lived separately for a week.
Kalyani knew all but one thing. If she was there, she won't let Shivaay insult Dev like he insulted Mallika months ago.
***
"Shivaay, please," Annika uttered.
He made her sit on the passenger seat and closed the door. Then he sat on the driving seat beside her. A text was sent to Rudra saying Take care of Dadi. I will call both of you when the situation is under control in the hospital. Dadi can meet Prinku as well. And don't tell Dadi about things going on between me and Annika. I hope you understand. Take care.
Annika stared at Shivaay's emotionless face while he drove out of the mansion.
***
The media buzzed outside the hospital like bees around honey. After parking, Shivaay walked out of the car and marched towards the front of the hospital. Annika followed him. She could easily take the chance to escape him. She chose otherwise. A part of her heart had unwillingly started to reside inside Shivaay. For the sake of that very part, she couldn't leave.
When she caught up with him, the paparazzi circled Shivaay.
"Is it true that Ms. Priyanka Singh Oberoi tried to suicide?" a reporter asked pretty foolishly on his part.
"What made her take the decision?" another journalist asked.
"We also heard that you and your wife are living separately for quite some time," a man dared to speak, "It's only three months to your marriage. Are you considering divorce?"
"Ms. Oberoi's suicide and Mrs. Oberoi's leaving the mansion, are these anyhow related? Is it related to your property worth billions?"
Shivaay stood there in shock. They were going live. He had no option to bribe the media. Whatever they asked, he had to answer right now. Else their reputation will be at stake as if it was not already.
"In that case, the deal between Oberoi and Kabeers, your current position as the acting CEO of Kabeer industries, will all these anyhow be affected?"
"Our sources say if you get divorced, you won't receive any alimony from Mrs. Oberoi, a smart businessman like you won't make that decision. Then why?"
"Stop it!"
To everyone including Shivaay's shock, it was Annika who yelled in front of the public for the first time. The same girl who needed Shivaay's arms around her to stand in front of them until last month.
"You are saying whatever is coming into your mind and expect us to reply forgetting our privacy? What is between me and my husband is ours. Ours! Can I not go to my paternal home and live there for some time? It doesn't mean I have problems with my husband. What if the mansion is empty? I grew up there. It is my right to go and live there and not have stupid rumors spreading around. And about Priyanka, we will be releasing a statement very soon. Then you can post it anywhere you want and increase your TRPs," a furious Annika replied.
"Let's go, baby," she linked her arms with Shivaay and entered the hospital.
***
Once they were out of the privy eyes of media, Annika left his arms. Shivaay contemplated for moments about how to thank her. And apologize. He never thought that she will side with him like that. He was glad they were on the same page in at least one thing. They both knew how to keep things private between them.
Annika moved away when he tried to reach her.
"Annika," it came out like a gasp.
"Since we are here, I think, we can meet Prinku. Om must be tired sitting beside her all night," Annika said making Shivaay realize something. He had to think of Omkara too. He did not want to leave Annika for a moment, but Omkara deserved a break.
He stopped her by holding her hand when she motioned to leave. She looked at him and the sight of his face made her feel weaker than she actually was.
"Thank you," he began, "I honestly couldn't do it without you. If I was sane till the end of last night, it was because of your presence. You create really positive vibes around me. And right now as well, I have always been in the center of media's attention. I thought I knew how to deal with them. What happened today, makes me think otherwise. You were really good in front of the media. You handled it. Nobody could say it was your second time before them."
"You were disturbed. Else, I believe you are well capable to handle these things by yourself. I just hope I didn't say anything wrong-"
"If I could, I would have said the same thing," Shivaay completed for her.
She passed him a faint smile. After a quick realization, he frowned.
"And I am-so-rr-"
Annika knew what he tried to say. His ego had to come in between everywhere. How she wished he had less of that.
"Why don't we go, meet Prinku, and release Om?" she offered, making things easier for him.
He followed her silently. On the inside, only he knew how much he cursed himself.
His phone rang again. "It is Rudy," he said.
"Pick it up, I will go and check in for the both of us," Annika offered.
He hummed before picking up the call and she left.
.***
Annika made her way to reception table. A different person sat there this morning. She asked if she could meet Priyanka Oberoi. She went on to inform how Omkara, Priyanka's brother, had been there all night and now she wanted to switch with him.
"Name?" the lady asked so she could fill out the register.
Annika took a deep breath before replying, "Annika Vardhan-"
"Annika Shivaay Singh Oberoi," Shivaay stood beside her and passed a faint smile, "And Shivaay Singh Oberoi."
The lady wrote their names and handed them their visitors' badges.
"Please let Mr. Omkara Oberoi know that he must leave now. Sorry, but we will only allow two at a time."
Shivaay nodded and followed Annika to Priyanka's ward.
"I thought we were on the same page. What is between us, is ours. Even if it is a bl**dy fight-"
"Watch your profanity-"
"I won't! When she asked for your name, what was the need to give her your maiden name?" Shivaay asked.
"My choice!" Annika replied.
He shook his head, "Not your choice. I handled it this time, I hope you will take care of it from now on."
A disappointed Annika walked on. He got caught up with her and held her hand in his.
"I am saying, right? It was my mistake. I shouldn't have made you uncomfortable; I am-so-rr-"
"Leave it. You wont be able to say it," Annika claimed with pure conviction and continued on her way to Priyanka's ward.
Shivaay hit his hand on the window nearby, breaking the glass and followed her afterward, uncaring of the blood dripping from his palm. He couldn't say a simple sorry to his wife. Something he took pride in made him disappointed at himself today
***
Once they reached Priyanka, they released Omkara for the day. Annika was angry and hurt seeing the blood dripping from his palm. She tried her best to show how his wounds left her unaffected.
"Do you need something, Prinku?" Annika asked to divert her own attention.
"No, thank you bhabhi."
Annika sat on Priyanka's left side. Shivaay pulled a chair for himself and sat right across Annika to Priyanka's right. Annika could still see the wound. It affected her. She wondered why he could not dress it up.
"Bhaiya, what happened to your hand?" Priyanka beat Annika to ask. Annika felt happy from the inside. Her sister-in-law made the work easier for her. She hoped that at least now Shivaay would mind dressing up his wounds.
"Nothing much, I just hit a glass window while coming," he spoke like it was everyday he hit a glass and got hurt. Annika stared at his wound unbelievably.
"Why don't you dress it up?" Priyanka asked.
Shivaay looked at Annika and then at his wound. He smiled, "It's okay. I will take care of it later."
Annika hissed in anger. This man was impossible. She called for the nurse with the help of a button kept beside Priyanka. At least now, she hoped, Priyanka will insist that the nurse dressed his wound, to which Shivaay won't be able to say no and she will be at peace.
***
The nurse entered after twenty minutes. Generally it was Shivaay, who would react if someone got this late. For the time being, Annika seemed to have taken over his job.
"Twenty minutes!" she reacted, "Where were you all this while? No, actually you should have came after the patient died."
Shivaay, who knew how much his wound affected Annika, smiled.
"Bhabhi-"
"Sorry," Annika took a deep breath.
"Good that you came, look my bhaiya got hurt. Please dress him up," Annika made a jeering sound after listening Priyanka. Her bhaiya got hurt deliberately. Only if the poor girl knew.
The nurse came close to Shivaay in an effort to dress his wounds. Only one glare was enough to send her away. He asked that she leave behind the dressing and so she did. Annika stumped her foot on the floor to hide her anger.
"Why did she leave?" Priyanka asked, innocently.
"A single nurse is in charge of four to five patients at a time. Someone must have called her urgently unlike your bhabhi who called for no reason," Shivaay covered up for himself.
Annika looked at him with wide eyes. His face screamed his mischievous plans.
"Who will dress you up now?" Priyanka asked, "Bhabhi, you do it."
"Me?" Annika was taken aback.
"Who else?"
Annika got up from her chair and pulled her chair closer to Shivaay's. His eyes gave away his overjoy. She started to dress him up, once in a while blowing air over the place.
"It's okay to love your sister, but it's not okay to hurt yourself for the same love," Annika said while she finished up the dressing.
"I did not do it for her," Shivaay confessed.
"Who else?" Annika asked.
Shivaay's eyes were enough of an answer.
***
Around lunchtime, Rudra brought Kalyani to meet Priyanka and Shivaay and Annika were sent back home.
***
Shivaay moved his hands like a machine. His one mind focused on the video and the other on cooking. He never cooked dishes from indian cuisines that qualified as street foods such as Pav Bhaji or Golgappas. For Annika, he decided to try them out too.
There were two benefits he saw: one, Annika's forgiveness and two, an addition to his list of cooking.
Annika heard some sounds from the kitchen and entered to find him. His sister was in the hospital bed, his Dadi was a crying mess, he got hurt on the palm, and he was cooking. Did he think what might happen if the masalas he used got in the wounded area? She was not a cook. She did not know the k of kitchen. Despite her lack of knowledge, she did know that masalas in wounded area will burn like anything. The man was simply impossible.
He was taking advantage of her care. He knew that if he screamed in pain like a kid, she only would have to apply cream and calm him down. The fact that Omkara was sleeping like a log and Rudra and Kalyani were in the hospital with Priyanka did not help.
"Hey," he acknowledged her presence, "Remember when you wanted to eat Pav Bhaji for lunch in Matheran? I denied promising to order from a nice restaurant some other day? I admit that later I got busy and forgot my promise, but better late than never. Today, I prepared Pav bhaji and Golgappe just for you."
Annika looked at the delicious looking food. It's smell was enough to make her crave it. She decided to control herself and straightened her expressions.
"Your sister is in hospital and you are fooling around like this," Annika commented.
"Agreed. But you don't know. I am doing all this for my wife," he said, a silly smile playing on his lips, "and she is more important."
"More?" she whispered, a bit taken aback with the sudden admittance from his side.
"Family is too. They are important because they are family. And you are important because you are mine," Shivaay completed in his husky voice.
He took a spoonful of bhaji from the saucepan and held it forward to make her eat. Initially reluctant, she had to taste the bhaji after some time for the sake of her taste buds. Whoever said the way to man's heart was through his stomach was so wrong. They should have added hu to the spelling.
"How is it?" he asked.
"It's- nice, fair," she lied.
Shivaay smiled, having caught through her lie. He did not mind. The fact that she liked it meant a lot to him.
"I am sorry," he said in one breath. His hand wandered around and finally caught her hand.
Kissing the back of her palm, he restated, "I shouldn't have said that. I should have thought of your comfort. I should have thought how you would perceive my behavior before saying such things. I am sorry."
Annika stared at his face without speaking a word.
"I know it took me a long time. I am not used to saying it that's why. For you, I am ready to keep aside my ego and apoologize," he confessed, "I just want you in my life. From today, I prioritize you over my ego. Please forgive me."
"Just a sorry and I should forgive?" Annika maintained a strict tone in her voice, "If Prinku was at my place and her husband did something like this to her, would a sorry be enough?"
She continued, "A man who has never said sorry in his life before suddenly decides to keep me above his ego and I should melt and forgive him? It isn't that easy. I know two things, Mr. Shivaay Singh Oberoi, if Prinku's husband did the same thing to her that you did to me, he would be behind the bars by now. And if my Papa was alive today, you won't be."
Precap: "If anyone or anything makes you uncomfortable, even if it is me, I should be the first person to know," he said before lovingly kissing her forehead.