Panchali’s POV

“I’m hungry!” Kai announced as I cursed, while closing the curtains.

The whole day I had been slaving away doing whatever he wanted. Well not really but I had to listen to him even if I didn’t do what he said. I had to go do consultations and then check on him every hour.

I had tried to beg Dr. Komal to let me off but she just seemed amused.

“Patients are our first priority Dr. Panchali. And plus he’s your friend.” She had said and I had to return to Kai’s room, to find him smirking, with something new for me to do.

“Panchali?” he said, shaking me out of my trance, “Food?”

I flopped down beside his bed and took the tray of soup in my hand, feeding him a sip.

He cringed and started to fan his tongue.

“Its hot!” he complained and I sighed and blew on the next spoonful before putting it in his mouth.

All through this whole ordeal he kept looking at me. I wasn’t really the kind who enjoyed that kind of attention and got conscious very quickly.

“Yah! Stop looking!” I said finally as he chuckled.

I was about to slap him when something interrupted me.

“Jongin-ah?” both of us heard a gentle voice and my gaze turned towards the door.

A middle aged woman was standing at the door. Behind her stood a man and another girl.

The woman smiled at me and walked in. She patted Kai on the shoulder and then hugged him gently. I guessed she was his mother.

“Kai! You’re looking well!” she said and gave him a warm smile.

He smiled back at her and without knowing it I started smiling too.

The man came in next. He was tall and well built and he stood beside the woman and touched Kai’s leg gently.

“I’m proud of you son. It was brave of you to go in there!” he said in a heavy voice.

It was then that I noticed how much he looked like Kai. The same pouty lips, cute grin… wait since when did I find his grin CUTE?!”

The girl standing in the doorway jumped in next. I’m guessing she was his sister.

She looked to be about a few years younger than me and her hair was pulled back in a scrunchie.

She jumped on Kai, ignoring the several tubes coming out of him as he let out an audible “Ooof…”

She continued to hug him and then let go and started talking in an incredibly fast voice, “Ohmygeeeeeee I am so glad you’re okay! You are such an idiot going in there! Who told you to do that! Stupid pabo! And you were telling me you were saving lives! Oh but whatever!” she stopped and hugged him again as he chuckled and Kai’s mother said “Come now Jaerin! Let him get some rest!”

She instantly unwound herself and stood next to her parents smiling at her brother.

Kai smiled happily at them and I realized that I myself had been smiling this whole time.

Quickly bowing my head, I turned to leave the room. I didn’t want to disturb their family time.

I had taken barely a few steps in the corridor when I heard the same gentle voice from before behind me, “Panchali?”

I turned to see Kai’s mother standing before me.

“Yes?” I asked, smiling at her.

She took my hands in hers and said in a sincere voice

“Thank you very much. Who knows what would have happened if it weren’t for you. Thank you so very much.”

She raised my hands to meet her forehead and I felt small tears on my hands.

“M-Ma’am! There’s no need for that! Really!” I said, withdrawing my hands from her grasp.

“You are such a sweet girl.” She said and touched my cheek affectionately.

I smiled and thanked her and then she said “Your parents must have raised you well.”

My smile faltered and I felt a pang in my heart.

If only that were true.

She didn’t seem to notice and I just nodded as she disappeared back into the room.

Turning towards the room, I saw the family silently from the blinds.

Kai was laughing happily as his sister started saying something again.

His mother was gently his hair as his father looked on, silently.

I smiled sadly as a not so forgotten memory resurfaced.

“Aren’t omma and appa coming?” The five-year-old me asked my nanny innocently as she took the thermometer out of my mouth.

“No Panchali I told you didn’t I? Your father is shooting and your mother is attending a fashion show.”

“Didn’t you tell them I had fever?” I asked again, curling up inside my blanket.

“I did. They said they’re busy.” She said and gasped at the thermometer, “My my you have 104! I think we’ll have to take you to a hospital!”

Grammy burst in at that moment and said in an angry voice “She is ill and no one informed me?!”

My nanny shot up and said, looking down, “Subhadra ma’am told us not to inform you…”

Grammy was silent for a moment and then just said in a cold voice “Go.”

My nanny rushed out quickly but not before informing my grandmother of my temperature.

“Grammy.” I said and reached my short, chubby arms out towards her and she picked me up and cuddled me in her padded lap.

I cuddled into her warmth, pretending she was my omma.

“Grammy I want to talk to omma!” I said, grinning and her smile faltered a little.

She just nodded after a moment of thought and handed me the phone.

I pasted it to my ear and said in a joyful voice “Omma!”

“What is it?!” My mother hissed on the other line.

I felt my joyful mood drain away “I-I was missing you…” I said quietly.

“You think I have time for this you stupid girl?! MISSING me?! I am working to give you enough facilities! Stupid, ungrateful kid.” She said and hung up.

Grammy looked at me with a regretful expression as I handed the phone back to her and sunk in my bed.

I said in a small voice “I’m not taking any medicine.”

“Why?” Grammy asked, worried.

“Because then I’ll get worse and I’ll have to go to the hospital.”

“But why do you want that?” Grammy asked, curling up closer to me.

“Maybe if I go to the hospital and get a lot of injections and operations. Maybe then omma and appa will visit me…”

I could feel tears form in my eyes but I forced them to dry up before they fell down. I was long past crying because of my parents. It wasn’t as if they cared in any case so what was the point of wasting my tears on them?

All I could think about as I walked away to the ENT department was how lucky Kai was.

                                                               ~~~

“Sir its just some disturbance. You need to get your ear cleaned.” I said to the patient sitting in front of me.

“But I’m telling you there is a fish in my ear!” he insisted again.

“Sir you’ve had a CT and an MRI and we haven’t been able to detect any fishes. There really is no fish in your ear.” I answered calmly, putting the used instruments in a tray and handing them to a passing nurse.

“Of course there is! I’ve had surgery for it twice! The first time they told me that they took an insect out but theres another one in my stomach! The next time they told me that the insect turned into a fish inside my stomach! Now its in my ear!”

I sighed again, getting up and taking off my gloves, “Sir this is the diagnosis I can give you. If you think its wrong you are free to consult someone else.”

I went back to check on Kai.

This patient had been pestering me for so long. He was convinced there was a fish in his ear and he had two surgeries in Afghanistan before coming here.

Now how do you even explain to someone that there isn’t a fish in their ear?

I sighed and pushed the door to Kai’s room open and found, to my surprise, that he was alone.

“They went to get some food. They’ve been travelling since morning.” He said and grinned at me.

I smiled back at him and picked up his charts, assessing everything and adding points wherever necessary.

“Panchali?” he asked softly.

“Hmm?” I answered absentmindedly.

“When do you want to get married?” he asked making my head shoot up.

“Why do you want to know that?” I said, suspiciously.

“Just like that.” He said and looked away.

There was silence for a while as he looked away awkwardly and I turned back to his chart.

Finally I broke the silence “Never.”

He looked up at me “What?”

“I don’t want to get married.” I said, softly, “Ever.”

“Can I ask why?” he said looking at me strangely.

“You can.” I said, laughing and placed his chart back.

“Okay then why?”

I was silent for a moment and then walked over to the tray of towels, refolding them, “When I was four and I learnt that people die I asked my grandmother to stay forever. She said she couldn’t. Then seeing my face she said she wouldn’t leave me before I got married happily. She said she would take care of me till then after which my husband would.” I turned towards him, “That’s why I never want to get married. She’s my only family.”

There was silence for a moment and then Kai said “Hey.” and I looked at him uncertainly “Want a hug?”

I laughed and bounded over to him as he gently embraced me.

It was a little awkward, considering the tubes coming out of his body.

Kai’s POV

I hugged her as lightly as possible and closed my eyes as she hugged me tightly.

In truth I wanted to hold her close and tell her it would all be okay. Assure her that I’d take care of her. She’s gone through a lot.

It made me very grateful for my parents.

I was going to say something I had been holding in for some time when I felt her suddenly being yanked from my grasp.

I looked up to see Cho Hyunseung, the super star standing in front of me but he hardly looked like the gentle father he acted as in the movies.

He had been my favourite actor.

His face was red and his eyes were bulging from anger. His hair was frazzled and he was gripping Panchali’s wrist very tightly.

He gave me one of the worst death glares I had gained in a lifetime and said in a cold voice “Come with me Panchali.”

She tried to withdraw her hand but he spat “COME WITH ME RIGHT NOW! You are nothing but a disappointment to the family. You were always ungrateful. We have slaved away all this while to give you everything and you can’t even get married where we want. Come. Right now.”

Saying this he practically dragged her away.

“YAH!” I yelled, trying to get up.

Panchali looked at me apologetically and was about to say something but then lowered her head and just tried to wrench her wrist out of her father’s grasp as he dragged her away.

I gulped. I wanted to help. So much.

Donghae’s POV

I made my way to Diksha’s room smiling happily.

I had planned out a lunch date for the both of us at her favourite restaurant. I was sure she would like it.

My hand was on the doorknob when I heard something from inside.

“Oh my god Chanyeol… that is so good. Oh please don’t stop.” I heard Diksha’s voice from inside the room.

She moaned.

“You like that Dr. Diksha?” I heard Chanyeol ask in a deep voice as she said “Ahhh…oooooh yes… yeah…. Oh… So good… You’re so good Chanyeol”

“You’re very tight Diksha.” He said and my eyes widened as I gulped.

“Donghae doesn’t know how to this actually. I mean he’s tried but he’s not as good as you.”

What the hell was happening in there?

She let out another moan and I burst in, red in the face and yelled “HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO MY WIFE?!” to find Diksha sitting on a chair and Chanyeol standing behind her, hands on her shoulders.

They both looked at me with surprise clear on their faces as Chanyeol said “I was giving her a massage Dr. Donghae. Her shoulders are very tight and tense.”

“Oh yes Hae… he is so good… You should learn from him!”

I just stood frozen in the doorway, not knowing how to react as Chanyeol smiled sweetly.