ArShi FF: Homebound

Chapter 8: Honesty

"I'd like to take you out to lunch."

His voice echoed in her mind, the sentence repeating a thousand times over. It has been over 24 hours since he had left her with ignited hope and eyes full of promise. Before she can brace herself the doorbell rings, and she sits up on the bed, trying to peer beyond the slight opening of the door in the room.

"Titaliya! Doctor saab is here to see you!"

Buaji's announcement eases her thudding heart. Oh. It's just Dr. Patel.

Dr. Patel comes in behind Madhumati, Garima and Payal, who is pushing Shashi inside in a wheelchair. Dr. Patel asks her how she feels, to which she replies quite positively. In the midst of the weekly routine checkup, he nods impressively.

"I'm happy to say that Ms. Gupta is recovering faster than I had expected," He smiles, adjusting his glasses, "I have to ask, have you been on bedrest this entire time?"

Khushi nods, looking helplessly at her Buaji.

Madhumati intervenes, "Why of course, doctor, she hasn't left the bed since she came back from the hospital!"

The doctor's eyebrows knit in confusion. "Madhumati ji, she was released from the hospital because she didn't need to be in bedrest anymore. She should have been able to resume daily walking two weeks ago!"

The women look at each other and then back at Dr. Patel, visibly worried.

"We thought her legs are still too weak..." Garima says, looking at Khushi with sadness.

"I understand your intentions came out of care and love," He shakes his head, "But Ms. Gupta is more than ready to go back to doing the things she did before the accident. We did weeks of physical therapy to make sure she was in the best condition, and she is," He turns to Khushi, "Here, sit up for me dear,"

Khushi fully sits up on the bed, finding it easy to do after learning of her doctor's confidence in her. She realizes her feeling of weakness for the past few weeks perhaps had something to do with her family treating her as if she was made of glass. The weakness was in her mind, not her body.

"Now, put your feet on the ground and try to stand up,"

The soles of her feet touch the floor and she rises, her lower back aching a bit from not standing up for so long. She holds the side of the bed for support and then fully stands on her two legs, without anyone's help.

Khushi lets out a relieved laugh, finally feeling like herself in months. Her gaze goes to her family, their eyes glazed with tears to see her on her feet on her own this way. She knows whatever they did in the past few weeks were because they cared for her, perhaps too much. She smiles.

Just then the doorbell rings again, and Payal wipes a happy tear from her cheek before going to open the door. A few seconds later she comes back, followed by an astounded Arnav.

Khushi looks up and their eyes lock.

For a moment or two he stares at her, looking at her legs and then back at her innocent face with an unreadable expression. And then her heart stills as she witnesses a smile play on his lips, the truest and brightest she'd ever seen.

"Arnav! Take a look at Ms. Gupta's progress!" Dr. Patel exclaims.

Arnav keeps the tears at bay, trying to hold it in. "I see it, doctor," He whispers as relief floods through him at the sight of her getting better so soon.

"Well," Dr. Patel turns to his patient, "Try to walk in breaks throughout the day every day now, alright? Other than that, keep taking your medication for the prescribed time and you'll be just fine dear,"