Stubbornness & Deductions

"Good morning." He softly said while she tried to blink away the blurs in front of her eyes and make out his figure clearly. Her hand lifted up to reach him but stopped confused, so he grabbed it and squeezed slightly.

"You didn't... home?" She managed to speak unclear, but he understood anyways.

"No."

"Go home..."

"I'm fine, I don't need to." He was glad in a way that she saw things blurred now, because otherwise given the red in his eyes and sockets formed underneath, she would have already scolded the hell out of him.

Others; Kaka, Kaaki, Tapesh, even Lalmohan babu- It wasn't like they all couldn't see him ignoring his health, they just weren't able to convince him to leave Sindhuja's bedside and go back home.

But today, Kaka was determined. "Sindhu, you have to get angry at him now. He doesn't listen to any of us..."

"What's this?" She spoke in a slow way.

"Kaka I really am fine."

Kaka crossed his arms. "You're not. It's been three nights since she's admitted, and three nights since you went home Felu; you need rest now. It's hightime!"

"Kaka, but I've slept alright here too, it's all the same..."

"Go home. We're here to look after her. Relax and eat properly."

"Please, I'll stay here Kaka..." He still insisted.

She repeated exhausted while pushing on his elbow, "Go..."

"Shh. Don't tire yourself!" He turned to her.

"Go home!... I'm... fine." She continued.

"I don't need to! Kaka, please..."

But Kaka didn't say anything in reply while Sindhuja pulled her hands away from him and sat back sighing.

He kept a hand on her shoulder. "What happened?... Headache?"

She weakly shook his hand off while turning her head the other way.

"Sindhu?"

But she kept looking away silently.

"What's the matter? Talk to me..."

Still no reply.

"Sindhu... Are you angry?"

She finally spoke with severe efforts. "You... you don't listen..."

Kaka intervened walking upto them. "See, even Sindhu's upset with you for neglecting your health."

"I'm not neglecting anything, I just need to look after-" He trailed off mid-sentence as his eyes stopped at Sindhuja."Sindhu something is wrong. What's happening?"

But she neither told nor turned to him. Only shifted in place, squeezing her eyes shut while her hand went to her head.

"It's a headache... Don't touch the wound, wait! Sindhuja!" He held her hand firmly and removed it from her head, nestling it in his grip.

She pursed her lips trying not to scream with the pain as she felt a thousand needles being jabbed through her skull while the scar itched teasingly. Her head now pricked and throbbed at the same time, and she was fighting the urge to claw her nails in and rip it all apart, especially the place where the scar was supposed to be.

So she dug her nails into his palms holding her hands instead, and he flinched for a moment in surprise more than pain. Looking up at her pulled face, he tightened his grip as if her nails were nothing at all.

Kaka spoke with worry. "Sindhu, are you okay?"

She just pursed her lips in even more.

He also joined Kaka now. "Speak up! This is no time for tantrums!... Should I call the nurse?"

But she just shook her head saying no.

"Then what?! Look here, for god's sake Sindhu; talk to me!"

She still didn't turn to him. Instead, she tried to pull her hands out of his again, but he held on firmly this time."Stop this childishness!"

"I don't... Don't want to- talk..."

"What-"

"I told you... Go... You never listen... You neve-..." She winced as a bolt of pain rushed through her head, things around blurring out.

He stroked her head to calm her down. "See! How should I leave you like this?!"

"I'm fine... You go-"

"No. And you keep quiet now!"

"Why-"

"Shhh!... Not a word!" He scolded.

But she was too determined this time."Why... Why should I listen?... No..."

"Please sweetheart, stop being stubborn!"

"You're... You're stu-... I won't...." She continued brushing his hand off painstakingly.

Helplessly, he finally sighed in defeat holding his hands up. "Fine; I'll go home. Hm?"

She paused.

"I'll go; stop exhausting yourself now."

She sat back sighing."You... you don't listen... Quietly..."

Kaka smiled looking on.

"You're still... still angry?..."

He kept looking quietly at her hand which he had been holding.

"Mitter babu..."

He looked up at her.

She broke into a giggle. "Oh my god... Someone's... Very mad!"

His lips curled up and he couldn't help smiling too. "You literally kicked me out from here this morning. Should I not be mad?"

She rolled her eyes."Fine... I'm sorry!..."

He shifted close to her, tucking a lock of her hair behind the ear. "I was only worried about you..."

"Worry... worry...." She sighed. "Always worried..."

"You make me worried, that's why!"

"And does your worry... help?"

He looked at her questioningly.

"It doesn't... Only... only makes me feel... more sick."

He blinked.

"You've... you've changed... You were never so... so anxious...Everyone... everyone is so... so gloomy... It feels suffocating..." She looked away."Like... like I'm... already dying..."

"Sindhu!" He put a hand to her mouth. "We had decided not to talk about this topic."

"You all... keep reminding me!... You all keep... keep behaving like this... Weirdly to me..."

He furrowed his brows. How had he not realized this all the while? Kissing her hand that he was still holding, he looked down."Sorry sweetheart... I didn't mean to make you feel worse."

She sighed. "Just... be normal... I don't need a sorry..."

"Yes... I will." He said in almost a whisper.

She let out another deep breath and rested her back against he headboard.

"I'm bored... Talk... about something..."

He looked at her for a moment before answering."I- I don't know... What do you want to talk about?"

"Anything... What... what new have... you.... read?"

His face paled. It had been neuroscience books, Brain-physiology & research, accident recovery... None of which he wished to mention to her.

"Nothing interesting."

"Nothing?"

"Uhm, let's see..." He looked around, thinking of something else to talk about quickly."Deductions?" He asked shooting his brows up. "That's really the most normal thing for me to do!..."

She almost laughed. "Sure!"

He smiled before looking to the door. "The nurse. She's coming, I can hear her rolling table and footsteps."

The nurse came in as predicted by him and changed the saline by her bed. He started a conversation with her speaking casually,"What a rainy day it's been! There's hardly any taxis out."

The nurse agreed. "Yeah, the constructions around made traffic even worse!"

"Construction... At Tagore road? Do you live near the flower market?"

The nurse furrowed her brows. "How did you?..."

"I think I've seen you there, sister... I go there for work..." He said trying to sound as sincere as possible.

"Oh? What do you work in?"

"Well, near Bidyaa Mandir School; that's where your son goes doesn't he? Sweet little chap, what was his name-"

"Ajay, yes! But how do you-"

"Ajay was sick wasn't he? How is he now?"

"What? How do you know?" The nurse was surprised and suspicious.

"I told you, I work near the school... I'm acquaintance with the teacher too..." He said to reduce the nurse's suspicion.

"Oh! Yes, yes he's fine now. But, I don't remember seeing you any time..."

"It's alright, you're always in a hurry going every evening..."

The nurse smiled. "Yeah, that's true... I am always rushing." Then she looked at the trolley."I'll go now... I'm already late today, can't make the supervisor more angry... Nomoshkar..."

He returned the greeting and turned to Sindhuja.

"What... was all this?... Flower... market? When did you-"

He shrugged. "Haven't been there in months. Moreover, I've never seen that woman or her son there even once."

"Then how..."

"Well, deductions, my darling. The nurse always comes having flowers in her hair, for a shift starting at five. To get flowers so early, you need to be living near the flower market... And there's only one near Tagore square.And then she is always in a hurry to leave when her shift is ending. That means she has a family at home- but because she's clearly a widow, must be a child. Honestly, it was a little risky because I simply assumed that the child was a son; but it worked! And then there aren't a lot of schools near the area which a nurse can afford... guessing Bidya Bhavan wasn't any challenge.As for today, her saree had mud on the lower side, she forgot to wear flowers in her hair, and was sniffing from a runny nose herself. She went early yesterday too. It meant that she has been hurrying, preoccupied by some issue at home, someone sick probably from a cold which she's caught too. Most probably, her son. Her saree also had a little stain of turmeric, it was still yellow, not been touched by detergent; so must have been from today morning. She probably gave the son turmeric milk or something before coming for work. Thus; I guessed some of her story, and she told me the remaining herself!"

"Ahhaa... I see..." She said thoughtfully.

"Let's hope she doesn't come again asking for where I work exactly..." He said curling the corner of his mouth up.

She gave a small chuckle. "Come up... with... another story, then...."

"Yeah, I'll just tell her something complicated with a sprinkle of English words. Given her more rural accent, I think she would only understand it's some more educated Baabu's work and keep shut about it."

She laughed more. His eyes softened too. It felt so light again; he realized how much he'd been busy only planning treatments and medicines for the future, while his present, these invaluable moments with her, had been slipping away right from his hands.

He held Sindhuja's face in his hand again as she quietened down, thumb tracing her lower lip."How about you stay silent for some time now? You've talked and laughed enough to get tired."

She blinked. "What... do you... want to..."

"I just want to make sure your mouth is closed. So that you rest, of course!" He whispered in a mischievous voice, as his fingers dug into her hair behind the neck.

"Pch! We're.... in a hospital!" She scolded understanding what he meant.

"One kiss, please..."

"I'm ill... Did you... forget?"

"But you're still my beautiful wife... And I'm your helpless-in-love husband..." He said dramatically.

She rolled her eyes.

"Just a peck, I promise." He pleaded.And he tasted her lips smiling, careful all the same.

Just then the nurse returned opening the door, gasped and covered her eyes. He pulled back and quickly stood up flustered, turning the other way.

The nurse muttered something and immediately turned outside the door of the room.

She laughed again as he frowned and sat by her side.

"Stop laughing!" Ha said trying to sound angry.

"This... flopped so bad..." She said still laughing.

"My ideas never flop, I am THE Pradosh Mitter, understand? This was just a... a small miscalculation. I did not expect her to come back... Now, stop mocking me will you?"

But she continued laughing anyways, and he finally joined in too.