Page 17 of Fixation

“As long as is needed,” she replied.

“Can you not shift me on pills? And I want to get out of the room,” Vedant said. “I don’t like being stuck here.”

Ignoring him, she attached the new IV bag to the stand, connected the pipe to the cannula on his hand and turned to leave.

“Wait,” Vedant said.

She spoke a few words to the nurse who headed out. Once alone with them, she faced Vedant. “Yes?”

“I asked you a question, doctor,” he said. “When can I step out of this fucking room? I need you to do your job and get me on my feet. Oh, and enough of the damn needles.”

“Vedant,” Armaan gently warned. “Take it easy.”

She lifted her jaw. “Mr. Oshnov?—”

He cut her off. “Call me Vedant. How many more times do I need to tell you that?”

She glared at him, then exhaled, her expression clearing.

“Mr. Oshnov,” she began again. “Like I’ve been telling youdaily, you need to rest and sleep as much as you can. You went through two very delicate surgeries, and you need to give your body time to recover. And for that, your medication has to continue as is for now.”

“I’ve been stuck here for days,” Vedant complained. “You refuse to give me access to my laptop or my phone. You don’tlet me out of this damn room. I have someone who comes and bathes me here on the fucking bed. I am sick of it all.”

While his brothers had taken over his work in the business, Vedant knew they were bound to be overworked. Their plates had already been too full, and his disability must surely be adding to his brothers’ woes. His doctor gave him a death glare.

She walked to him and pressed a finger into his shoulder, just above his chest. A shout escaped his mouth.

“What the fuck?” Vedant growled. Shit, that bloody hurt.

“I will give you your laptop or phone whenthatstops paining,” she said.

Taking his right leg in her hand, she lifted it slightly. Vedant gritted his teeth. Even the slightest of movements was doubling his pain. Fuck.

“I will let you move when this,” she said, putting his leg down gently, “stops paining. And while you are unable to move this leg and have a cast on it, pray tell me how will you reach the bathroom to take a bath?”

She faced Vedant. “Mr. Oshnov, I’ve been locked inside your house like a bloody hostage for more than a week, but you don’t see me complaining. I am doing my job, aren’t I? But if you are doubting my capability, I am happy to leave, and you can find someone else to take my place.”

“It’s fine, doctor,” Armaan cut in. “Vedant doesn’t like being sick. He is being a grouch because of that.”

She finally turned to look at Armaan, who was studying her carefully.

Mihir entered. Sensing the tension in the room, he asked, “What have I missed?”

With a slight nod at Mihir, she walked out, leaving them alone.

“Vedant’s behaving difficult with the doctor,” Armaan explained.

Mihir went to Vedant. “That woman saved your life, you know. It won’t hurt to be nice to her.”

“Yeah, whatever…” Vedant grumbled. “She just rubs me the wrong way. There’s something about her that I can’t put a finger on…”

Actually, he could put a finger on it. There was something about her that affected him. He just didn’t know what it was yet.

“So, Vedant,” Armaan intoned naughtily, “Who is this Anita Svensson who has been calling you continuously? Tyrion told us that she’s been calling your cell regularly to ask about you.”

Mihir chuckled. “He only tells her that you’re unavailable, because we haven’t revealed the news of your attack to anyone outside of our immediate team. Even the office staff thinks you’re on some sort of sabbatical.”

He winced. His being indisposed had definitely put a huge burden on his brothers. Despite that, he knew they’d never complain.

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