AND THE GAMES BEGINS

Hospital

The sun arises presenting some hope to each things in the world. Ram woke up and stepped out of his room. Rubbing his eyes, he glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and was startled by the time. He quickly got freshened up and went into the kitchen, where he made two cups of coffee. With both cups in hand, he walked to Karthik's room, where he saw Karthik still covered in a blanket.

"Karthik, wake up! It's already 8 o'clock." Karthik didn't even stir. Ram walked closer to him.

"Hey, wake up, man. It's getting late.." Ram said, placing one cup on the table while sipping from the other. Even then, Karthik only grumbled and turned to the other side.

"Karthi... don't make me angry. Get up. You've got to go to the office today." Ram said, nudging him.

"I just arrived from Mumbai yesterday. Let me sleep peacefully for a while.." Karthik said, pulling the blanket off his face.

"Enough of that. You know you have to go to the office today. Get up, I'm leaving. I can't waste my time waking you up. I've got other things to do.." Ram said, with finality in his voice. Finally, Karthik got up. He threw off the blanket, ran his hand through his hair, and sat up in bed.

"Uff, you still sleep like a child.." Ram teased. Karthik dismissed the comment with a slight smirk. Karthik stepped out of his room, while Ram sat on the sofa, quickly flipping through some case files. Karthik came and sat beside him, eyeing the files and a few letters and documents from the office.

Ram was saying something to him, but Karthik wasn't listening. When Ram nudged him, Karthik snapped out of his thoughts and looked at him.

"What's with you... Are you okay? Why are you sitting there daydreaming?" Ram asked with a light chuckle.

"Nothing, just lost in thought. Are you going to the office? I'll come along. Give me five minutes.." Karthik said, trying to catch up with reality. He quickly went to get freshened up.

A few minutes later, Karthik was ready.

"Ram, let's go.." Karthik said, noticing Ram scrolling through his phone. Ram stood up, grabbed the keys, and they both headed out of the apartment. They walked to the car, and as Karthik opened the car door, something dawned on him.

"Ram, we need to stop by the hospital quickly."

"What for?" Ram asked, puzzled.

"You forgot, didn't you? You got a cut on your hand the other day. You need to get a tetanus shot. Otherwise, you might get an infection," Karthik said, sounding like he was giving an order.

Ram gave him a look and then started the car.

After driving for a while, they reached the hospital. Ram parked the car in the parking lot and walked toward the main entrance. Karthik paused for a moment to take a call. When he finished and turned around, Ram was nowhere to be seen. He looked around but couldn't spot him. Still, Karthik started walking, searching for Ram. Along the way, he accidentally bumped into someone. Jolted by the impact, he looked up and saw a female doctor looking back at him.

"Sorry, Doctor. I didn't see you," Karthik apologized softly.

"It's okay. I wasn't paying attention either, rushing around.." she smiled gently before walking away.

"Excuse me, Doctor, where can I get a tetanus shot?" Ram called out to her in a raised voice as she was hurrying off.

"Just go straight and turn left.." she replied quickly and continued walking.

Karthik followed the directions, and at the same time, Ram walked out of the doctor's office.

"Where did you disappear to?" Ram asked, seeing Karthik approach.

"I should be asking you that. I stepped out for a call, and by the time I looked back, you were gone.." Karthik replied, feigning annoyance.

"Alright, alright, my bad. Let's not create a scene here. You can sit somewhere while I go get my blood test done" Ram said, trying to calm him.

"If you're going to do everything yourself, why did I even come along?" Karthik asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Who told you to come along? You got in the car yourself when I was leaving. Now that you're here, go get your blood sugar checked. Who knows? You might have high blood sugar or something," Ram said mockingly, which made Karthik annoyed.

"Shut up... I'm not that weak. No illness can get to me. I'll be sitting around somewhere. You finish up and then come find me.." Karthik said with mild irritation as he walked off.

Ram hummed to himself and went on his way.

Karthik found a seat near the reception area. He watched people coming and going, noticing their expressions. Some faces were filled with fear, others with sorrow, some with anxiety, and a few with joy. Lost in thought, his mind drifted to the past.

"Dr. Aditi..." a voice suddenly called out, pulling him back to reality. He blinked and looked around.

His eyes landed on the same female doctor, now walking by with a warm smile. For a moment, her smile transferred to his lips as well.

"What is it, Sister?" the doctor asked as she walked over. Karthik overheard the conversation between the doctor and the nurse.

Afterward, Karthik watched as she playfully interacted with a child. He was captivated by her affectionate gestures toward the little one. Her every smile seemed to carve a mark in his mind. As he was enjoying the scene, a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to see Ram.

"Bro... daydreaming again? Let's go," Ram said, letting go of his shoulder.

"Uh... yeah, let's go," Karthik mumbled, shaking himself out of it. They both left the hospital and got into the car. Ram started driving.

"Karthik, how's your case going?" Ram asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, you could say it's fine. But there are a lot of problems related to it. The locals aren't letting us investigate the case properly. It was driving me crazy, so I came here for a break. I've done whatever I could from there. Now I can manage things from here. Plus, the rest of the team is still on-site. What about yours?"

"Same story here. The locals are creating unnecessary obstacles, coming up with all sorts of rumors to delay the investigation. But no matter what, I have this strong urge to solve the case." Ram said.

They arrived at the office and got to work. Ram handed Arun a new case, and both Karthik and Ram settled into their tasks. After wrapping up, they headed home for the day.

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New character arrived na? Do you want to know who is it... Check the next part... There is complete details about her..