Page 108 of Love after Marriage

They heard a knock on the door. A young doctor stood by the door, waiting for Deepak and Roshni to give him permission to come inside. He was on his rounds and came to examine Roshni.

After enquiring about her health, he tested her vital signs and asked if she needed a physiotherapist (PT) to help her with a few movements and exercises. Roshni agreed to take a few sessions until she was discharged, and the arrangements were made.

Chapter 27

Roshni’s Homecoming from the Hospital

Roshni attended a few sessions of physiotherapy and was discharged to go home on Thursday. Aunty had the room ready for her. Roshni was worried as to where Deepak would sleep. Aunty had told her that all his stuff was in her room, but this…sleeping, what could she do? Aunty was occupying the extra room, and it would be rude to have him sleep on the floor; moreover, Sheetal and aunty didn’t know of her relationship with Deepak, and she didn’t want to create a scene.

She was in a dilemma, and she thought of the statement Deepak had made in Lonawala: “We are adults, and we know to respect each other. Why don’t we sleep on either end of the bed?” She remembered both of them had slept on the same bed on either corner.

Since Deepak had returned, she had noticed a few things about him: he was respectful of her, and he was genuinely concerned about her and would never agree to be away from her. He had never taken her for granted, so it was okay if he shared the bed with her. This would be a test for him again. Let’s see how he fares! she thought and mentally agreed to share her bed with him.

Deepak sorted out the hospital bills, providing the insurance information to the hospital. He also informed the insurance company. He updated Roshni and gave her a copy of the insurance card in case she needed it in the future. This was one assurance to her that he was sincerely making efforts to build their relationship.

By Thursday, Roshni had done more walking, and Deepak was pleased with her improvement. Dr. Swaminathan examined Roshni and made some recommendations of what to and what not to do. He suggested weekly medical examinations and prescribed some medicines. After the examination, Roshni was discharged.

Fortunately, Babuji’s car was available for Deepak to drive. Everything was packed, Aunty helped Deepak load a few bags in the car, and on the last trip, while Aunty waited in the car, Deepak went to the room to take Roshni with him. She was wheeled out to the hospital entrance, and Deepak helped her into the passenger seat. She was so glad to be outside. She took deep breaths and smiled. She’d missed the fresh air outside, the hustle bustle, sound of the vehicles, vendors shouting and people walking on the streets. Deepak noticed this and was amused at her. He drove them to the apartment.

The apartment was on the second floor, and as Deepak wheeled Roshni to the elevator, she was lost in thought. She always preferred to use the s

tairs, and now her condition demanded she use the elevator. Aunty was already in the room, waiting for them. When they reached the apartment, Roshni looked around, a sense of relief and satisfaction evident on her face.

Roshni did not want to go to her room immediately. She wanted to relax on the sofa in front of the TV for a while. Deepak let her rest while he helped Aunty unpack; then he refreshed himself and changed to more comfortable clothes. Roshni was pleased to see him help Aunty. She also thought, And now I don’t have to depend on Deepak because Aunty is home full time.

Sheetal arrived in the evening and was relieved to see Roshni back home. Deepak called Sashank to let him know they’d arrived home. Kusum and Sashank both talked to Roshni and were glad she was feeling better; more importantly, they were happy Deepak was there to help Roshni.

Roshni asked Sheetal to have an IT person contact her the next day so she could get set up to work from home.

Deepak heard this. “Roshni, you are not working yet. It is important you rest and regain some strength.”

Roshni tried to justify it, but Deepak interrupted her, saying, “No argument, Roshni. You can work maybe in a week, but not now, all right!”

Roshni was not in a frame of mind to argue and kept quiet. They all had dinner, and then Roshni walked into the room with Aunty’s help.

~ ~ ~

A week passed, and Deepak noticed that Roshni depended upon Aunty to help her for every activity and made no attempts to ask him for any help. This infuriated him. He was worried that if this continued, he would never be able to prove his feelings to her and win her back. He wondered if he could send Aunty somewhere for a few weeks.

Sheetal noticed this as well and was concerned for Deepak. She wanted him to act on this sooner rather than later or else the situation would not help Deepak.

Roshni had her weekly medical examination the following Thursday. The doctor’s visit went well, and Roshni improved in her strength and walking. The cast on her left arm and right foot remained, but other bandages were removed. One could see the scars on her forehead and thigh, which probably would take time to heal. Roshni felt exhausted after these few activities. She was worn out, and Deepak brought her home. After lunch, he helped her rest for the afternoon. Being fatigued, Roshni fell asleep very quickly.

Deepak took advantage of this time. He needed certain clarifications on his project, so he went to the office. He called to make sure the relevant people were available. The thought of Roshni being away from him terrified him, and he wanted to discuss this with Sheetal while he was at work.

Fortunately for Deepak, there was a project meeting scheduled for that day. At the meeting, he was introduced to a few people who used the ‘new’ software. It was here he became aware that Roshni was on the same team. He was delighted that he and Roshni could work together on this project and he could train Roshni on this new software and its capabilities. He decided to remain silent and let Roshni find out on her own that they were on the same team.

Deepak contacted Sheetal and asked if she was available to meet with him for a few minutes, and they met in the cafeteria. They agreed that Roshni was avoiding Deepak and this was not good for their relationship. Deepak suggested sending Aunty away to Mumbai to Sashank bhaiya’s house for a few weeks, and Sheetal concurred.

Deepak called Akash bhaiya from the office so Roshni wouldn’t be able to overhear their conversation. During the conversation, Akash mentioned that Kaki had fallen and injured her knee and foot. She was bedridden, and he and Sashank bhaiya were helping Kusum bhabhi with chores around the house. Deepak saw this as a perfect opportunity and suggested sending Aunty so she could help bhabhi around the house until Kaki recovered.

Akash approved of this idea. It was decided that Akash would talk to Sashank and call them later that evening. Both Sheetal and Deepak were relieved, and they sincerely hoped that Sashank would agree to the plan.

~ ~ ~

After dinner that evening, the phone rang, and it was Sashank.

Deepak answered, “Hello, bhaiya, how are you?”

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