Chapter 11: Exposed

-Archi-

@-Archi-

The content of this story belongs strictly to the author, -Archi-. Any unwarranted use/copy of it is not encouraged and is strictly prohibited.

Chapter Eleven

Exposed

The Raizada mansion was peacefully quiet just the way Arnav liked it. After three insightful and yet treacherous weeks with the Guptas, he was finally back on his turf. Following Vihaan’s eventful reception, he willingly offered to stay with his mother, who he had caught lamenting to a friend the previous night that she missed seeing her son and daughter-in-law. 

Arnav knew it was pointless to ask why she missed them when they were literally living in the same city. After twenty-six years with his mother and two emotional sisters (with one being slightly crack), he learned not to ask questions.

Of course, Khushi came along without a word. 

It was another thing that her presence no longer bothered him. Perhaps sharing a room in a house that was foreign for both of them cleared all the awkwardness there was. And after hearing her argument with her father the night before, he realized that no matter his opinions about her, she at least deserved to be treated like a respectable human being and not the cold-hearted woman he had –wrongly!– presumed her to be until now. 

Arnav quietly descended to the main hall looking forward to a relaxing day. His father once again came up with an excuse to make him stay home. By this point, he stopped trying to argue with him.  

“Oh, you are up Chote,” Satya said, walking around the living room rearranging the plants, her favourite pastime of the day. “Good, can you take a look at the light in the kitchen? It’s flickering again.”

Arnav rolled his eyes. “I am not an electrician Maa… get someone else to do it.”

“You are the only one tall enough to reach that stupid thing. Khushi almost fell trying to fix it herself this morning…. I don’t know why she didn’t ask someone else for help. She is so tiny, that girl!”

Arnav suppressed a grin, imagining her atop the kitchen counter, struggling to reach the bulb. That sounded a lot like her. “Where is she anyway?”

“In the library,” Satya answered, putting on a pair of gloves and picking up a spray bottle. “I think she will give your father good company with those books. She spends hours reading in there.”

Reading? Arnav snorted. He didn’t put it past her to bury herself in the library just to avoid seeing him. While they had no choice but to remain together in the Gupta manor, he knew there were no such obligations here. 

Something strange suddenly began to happen. As Arnav casually lounged on the sofa, listening to his mother chat about nonsensical things, he noticed her face slowly becoming red and blotchy. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked. 

Satya paused and looked at him, confused. “I don’t know… is it me or is the air becoming stuffy here?”

Panic began to bud within Arnav as he immediately stood up and led his mother to the sofa. “Take a deep breath,” he said, while grabbing a glass of water. 

But it was pointless. In front of his very eyes, Satya began to gasp, clearly unable to breathe. She helplessly clutched her throat, as though trying to force it open. 

“HARI PRAKASH!” Arnav yelled, his veins turning to ice. “CALL THE AMBULANCE!”

Running footsteps told him his orders were heard, however, the person who came to a stop beside him was not Hari Prakash, but Khushi. 

“What happened?!” she asked urgently, looking at the wheezing form of Satya.

“I don’t know!” Arnav answered, trying to keep his voice steady. “One second she was fine and then she just started gasping for air!”

Khushi crouched on the other side of Satya and grabbed her wrist, feeling for something. Her eyes darted to the red rashes, as though she was calculating something.

“Weak, rapid pulse,” she murmured. “Hives… edema… tell me clearly, what exactly was she doing before the symptoms started?”

“I told you I don’t know!” he replied, desperation colouring his voice. “HARI PRAKASH! WHERE ARE YOU?!”

“Look at me,” she commanded sternly.

Arnav couldn’t help but obey. How could she remain so calm? Couldn’t she see that his mother was literally flailing in his arms?

“Snap out it okay?” she continued in the same tone. “Screaming for Hari Prakash is not going to help her right now. Concentrate and tell me what she was doing.”

Arnav desperately tried to recollect. “She – she was taking care of the plants... giving them pesticide-”

“Is this her first time?”

“No! She always does it!”

“Did she touch the pesticide with her hands?”

“Of course not, she puts on gloves – what does this have to do with anything?”

Khushi wasn’t paying attention, however. She swiftly took off Satya’s gloves and threw them aside before checking for her pulse again. Thankfully, Hari Prakash arrived panting, informing him that the ambulance was called. Bless his soul.

“We don’t have time for the ambulance,” Khushi said. “She is in anaphylactic shock. You people probably don’t keep anti-histamines. Is anyone in your family allergic?”

Arnav shook his head. “No! Why? What is ana-whatever shock?”

Khushi groaned and began to mutter under her breath. “Dammit! What was it… anti-histamines… cortisone… epinephrine… beta agon-”

She broke off, her eyes lighting up as though everything in the world suddenly made sense again. “Where does your father keep his medicines?”

Arnav couldn’t make head or tails of what he was hearing. What the hell was she talking about?

She didn’t wait for him to understand. Turning to Hari Prakash, she ordered him to fetch Shankar’s medicine box. Arnav watched in dread as his mother become more and more blotchy, unable to breathe. He gripped her tightly, praying the ambulance was almost here. 

Hari Prakash reappeared carrying a bag of medicines. Khushi rummaged through it before quickly pulling out a strange L-shaped tube. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Arnav fired when she began to press it into his mother’s mouth. 

“Calm down Arnav,” she replied, not stopping. “I know what I am doing.”

“LIKE HELL YOU DO!” he bellowed, furious that she thought this was the time to experiment. “HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?! THOSE WERE MEANT FOR MY FATHER-”

“Yes, but the symptoms clearly indicate-”

“WHAT DO YOU EVEN KNOW-”

“ENOUGH!” Her patience apparently had reached its end. 

Arnav froze, not having expected her to shout back at him. He was so used to seeing her silent and demure, that he didn’t even think she was capable of being angry. 

“Get a grip on yourself!” she continued, the authority in her voice unmistakeable. “We don’t have time to wait for the ambulance, she is only a few minutes away from completely collapsing, so just shut-up for once and let me help her. If you can’t do that, then leave.”

Arnav didn’t know what it was that made him listen to her. Was is it the confidence that bounced off her eyes? Or the steadiness of her voice while she explained? Or his own desperation to save his mother at any cost? Whatever it was, it was enough for Arnav to withdraw his arms and let her press the top end of the tube a few times, releasing the medication stored inside. 

“Breathe aunty,” she said gently. 

As if on the cue, the ambulance arrived. Khushi accompanied him on the way to the hospital, murmuring something to the paramedics. He didn’t listen, his eyes only on his barely conscious mother. She was no longer flailing, but seeing how still and pale she looked, Arnav didn’t know if that was a good thing or bad. 

Thankfully, he didn’t have to wait long for the verdict. The doctors had diagnosed his mother within minutes of her admission. 

“She had a severe allergic reaction to latex,” a specialist explained. “She was going into anaphylactic shock. It was very clever of you to give her beta-agonists to open up her airways. It bought her extra time, otherwise…”

Arnav was glad the doctor didn’t finish that sentence. He shuddered to think what would have happened if he hadn’t trusted Khushi. 

Thanking the doctor, Arnav turned around, his mind bursting with questions. Now that the panic had somewhat ebbed away, he could no longer ignore the obvious. 

“We need to talk,” he said, stopping in front of a silent Khushi. She had been leaning against the wall while he talked to the doctors, not needing the explanation he was given. She somehow knew everything from before.  

Khushi sighed. “There is nothing to say. Aunty is stable now, that’s all that matters.”

“No, that’s not all. How did you know it was an allergic reaction?”

“Common sense,” she answered, unperturbed. “The gloves were made out of latex. It’s one of the most common allergens around the world. Everyone knows that.”

“I don’t,” he interjected, furious that she was brushing him off. “No normal person would have known that.”

She raised an eyebrow.  

“You even knew what to give her,” he continued, unapologetic. “Beta agonists or whatever… how?”

“Why do you care?”

Arnav was taken back. “What do you mean why do I care?”

“Your mother had a reaction, I knew what to give her. End of the story. Why do you care about the how’s and the why’s?”

“Because you just saved her by giving her my father’s surgery medications! What about that situation looks normal to you?”

“Every part of it,” she replied coolly. “I don’t owe you an explanation.”

She turned on her heels and began to walk away. 

“Don’t you dare walk away from me!” he muttered, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back. “You damn well owe me an explanation and you know it!”

Arnav could tell she was uncomfortable under his glaring eyes. But he didn’t care, he needed answers. 

“Fine,” she retorted. “I knew it was an anaphylactic reaction because that’s what they taught me in medical college. And I went to a medical college because I am a doctor. Satisfied?”

Arnav stared at her uncomprehendingly. 

She was a doctor? A real doctor? The one that actually treated patients and saved lives? Was she actually being serious?

“You can’t expect me to believe that,” he finally muttered. “You can’t be a doctor…”

She shrugged. “Suit yourself,” she replied before starting to walk away. 

“Wait,” he said, grabbing her hand for a second time. “How can you be a doctor? I mean, how come no one knows about it? And if you really are a doctor, why are you sitting at home pretending to be my wife instead of working at some fancy big hospital?!”

She stared at him, searching for something in his enraged eyes. Perhaps she was looking for the best way to explain, perhaps she was debating on telling him the whole truth, but when she finally twisted her hand out his grip and spoke, her explanation was quite simple:

 “Because I married you.”

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