The Kabir Singh Story

Rude awakenings- Kabir

Kabir barely slept last night and you could really see it on his face the next morning. Normally, he hated being alone with his thoughts, hated having too face the reality of the present. But that conversation with Priyanka had been a like punch in the gut. It's not like others hadn't tried to talk him about his destructive habits before but he'd been able to shut down those people, he'd been able to scare them into silence or buy their complicity.

She wasn't like that. If one route didn't work she dig in the other direction. Fucking stubborn as a mule and it was fucking annoying. But she wasn't wrong and that's the only reason why he'd even bothered to listen to her. 

She was the only one who seemed to take his pain into account when talking to him, even though she clearly didn't condone his actions. Hell, he still didn't have any assurance that she wouldn't be reporting his cocaine use to the hospital. Those deduction skills she spoke about where on par with a professionals. 

Come to think of it, he didn't know what she did before she moved to Mumbai, or why she even moved here. There was so much he didn't know about her and it made me feel even more exposed when he thought about how much he had shared with her. 

After a night of tossing and turning, mulling everything she had said and everything he had done  in the past year, he had no choice to accept that she was right. If he wanted Pree's love, he had to be worthy of it,  he had to be someone she could come to and rely on and the way he'd carried  himself till now showed no indication of that being a possibility. He knew that by living like this, in a way that he himself didn't enjoy, he was just affirming all the things her father didn't like about him and warned her about. 

It was time for change and it was time to be better. He started by disposing of what was left of his cocaine stash and deleting his dealers number from his phone. He thought about flushing down his weed as well, but he need baby steps. If med school taught him anything it was the quitting cold turkey just guarantees some kind of disaster.

After a sleep deprived day at work, luckily no surgeries scheduled for today just a lot of paperwork, he finally met up with Priyanka and Jaya in her room as they were packing up her things and getting ready to go. He hadn't volunteered for the job but it'd been assumed that he would be driving Jaya and the twins home from the hospital today. That asshat Mr.Grover was still 'busy' with work but luckily Jaya was over prepared and had already purchased car seats for the children months in advance and they were currently strapped and waiting in his car. 

"Ok that's everything" Priyanka said returning with the keys that she had used to fill up his car with all of Jaya's and the twins belongings "I'll take a taxi and meet you guys back home". 

He'd purposefully decided to show up later and had willingly given Jaya  his car keys earlier in the day because he'd known that it was going to be an emotional scene between the nurses, Jaya and especially Priyanka. He hadn't been able to completely avoid it, when he finally came downstairs he was forced to witness them all crying over each other, feeding each other cookies, and adding each other on Instagram. He'd performed life-saving surgeries before had never once seen a scene like it but then again they'd all shared a camaraderie that he never had a chance of developing in a neurosurgical theatre. 

As they exited the hospital and loaded the twins into the car he was finding it hard to comprehend how severely his life had changed in the past 2-3 weeks. If someone had told him a month ago that he'd be escorting baby twins and their young mother home and be doing it willingly, he'd probably have spit in their face. 

But here was, doing exactly that, and doing it willingly. After she'd closed the backdoors of his car Priyanka leaned into my window and said nonchalantly "text me when you arrive". With that she conclusively tapped my hood and ran off into the parking lot and got onto the back of a motorcycle and the driver just sped off. Kabir turned to the back to see if Jaya had also found it strange but she was so wrapped up in her babies she hadn't noticed anything outside of the car. 

Though the traffic was as a bad as it normally was during rush hour, he obediently and without question texted Priyanka to inform her of our arrival and she was there waiting for us, ready to help us get upstairs. He really should've understood that something was going on from the get-go but like he said, sleep-deprived ,and so it really was a surprise when they walked into the Grover's flat to the BLA Aunties screaming "CONGRATULATIONS!".

Jaya was close to tears and Priyanka looked so damn proud of herself, while he just stood there shell shocked for a few moments. When he finally regained my composure, Jaya was in the middle of the foyer crying into the shoulder of an older lady the other ladies spread out in the apartment giving them their space. 

Jaya finally brought her head up and he was relieved to see that they were happy tears and when she caught my eye from across the room she beckoned me over. When he reached the two, he was startled by how similar they looked. Jaya smiled and filled in the gaps for me "Kabir, I'd liked you to meet my maasi. She just came in from San Francisco today to meet the twins. Maasi ,I'd like you to meet Dr. Kabir Singh. He delivered my babies upstairs in Pri's apartment".

He shook her aunts had and smiled as politely as he could and she returned it "Yes, Pri told me about him when she called me to tell me you'd given birth. I have no idea how Pri found me but I am grateful to God that she did. She's tenacious that one, a very good friend" she said kindly to the both of us.

Jaya's still wet eyes started to tear up again "I truly thought I would be alone during all of this, I'm so blessed to have them with me".

"Hush now dear, we have to be pleased that the present is better than we expected not wallow in the sorrows of what we wanted in the past. Everything will be here for as long as you need" 

He stood there awkwardly as Jaya and her Maasi embraced again, tighter this time. It felt like he was intruding on a personal moment but he didn't know where else to go. It wouldn't be much better hanging out with the BLA aunties who were cooing over Rajan while Priyanka held Kabir in her arms, proudly showing him off. 

God, couldn't she have warned me that she had something planned. What did she think, that he had nothing better to do than stand here and smile at these old ladies like one of the twins. He cleared my throat abruptly to get Jaya's attention but ended up the focus of the entire room. 

Great. 

"I'm leaving" addressing Jaya solely and made his way out. 

"We should all head out" he heard Priyanka announce from behind him. "I'm sure Jaya and her Maasi would like to catch up and get some rest, wait up for me will you Kabir"

He obviously didn't and walked out like he hadn't heard her knowing she would rolling her eyes behind him.