Chapter 3 Panic
The private VIP floor of Mehra Multispeciality Hospital had never been this heavily guarded before.
Armed men stood outside every entrance.
Black SUVs lined the hospital parking area.
Whispers spread through every floor.
Someone dangerous was here.
Very dangerous.
Inside the private suite, machines beeped softly in the dim light.
Ekansh Rathore lay unconscious on the bed, his injuries finally treated.
Even asleep, he looked dangerous.
Like violence resting temporarily.
A fresh bandage wrapped around his abdomen while another crossed his shoulder.
But his face-
Cold.
Sharp.
Emotionless even in sleep.
Aarohi Mehra stood beside the bed reviewing his vitals quietly.
Stable for now.
Barely.
The door opened behind her.
Rishabh Mehra entered, removing his glasses tiredly.
Aarohi's elder brother.
CEO of the hospital.
And one of the few people in the city who looked completely unsurprised by armed mafia guards standing in his hospital corridor.
"You treated him yourself?" he asked calmly.
"Yes."
Rishabh looked toward the unconscious man.
Then sighed.
"You know who he is?"
Aarohi finally glanced at him.
"I know he has severe medical trauma."
"That's not what I asked."
Silence.
Then
"He's dangerous," she answered.
Rishabh gave a humorless smile.
"Dangerous is an understatement."
He walked closer to the bed.
"You're looking at the most feared man in Jaipur's underworld."
Aarohi's expression barely changed.
That caught Rishabh's attention immediately.
Most people reacted with fear hearing his name.
She didn't.
Instead she asked quietly,
"What happened to him?"
Rishabh looked at her carefully.
"You already know it wasn't anger."
Aarohi nodded once.
"It was panic."
The word hung heavily in the room.
Because that was exactly what it had been.
Not rage.
Not madness.
Fear disguised as violence.
Rishabh folded his arms.
"People say he's psycho."
"He's traumatized."
"And extremely lethal."
"That too."
For the first time, Rishabh almost looked impressed.
"You're calm about this."
Aarohi closed the file.
"I've seen patients worse mentally."
"But not more dangerous physically."
Fair point.
Before Aarohi could respond, the heart monitor suddenly spiked sharply.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Ekansh's breathing changed instantly.
Fast.
Uneven.
His hands clenched violently against the sheets.
"No-"
Aarohi moved immediately.
"Ekansh."
His head turned sharply side to side.
Sweat covered his forehead despite the cold room.
"No! LET GO-"
Suddenly his eyes flew open.
Pure panic.
Pure violence.
His hand grabbed the IV line attached to him instantly and ripped it out.
Blood splattered across the sheets.
"Ekansh-"
He looked around wildly like a trapped animal.
White walls.
Machines.
Hospital.
The memories crashed into him brutally.
Leather restraints.
Needles.
Electric shocks.
Screaming until his throat bled.
His breathing became dangerous.
One nurse rushed inside hearing the commotion.
Big mistake.
The second she reached toward him, Ekansh snapped completely.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!"
The tray beside the bed crashed against the wall violently.
The nurse stumbled back in terror.
Outside, guards immediately moved toward the room.
Rishabh cursed under his breath.
"Shit.
But Aarohi stepped directly between them and the bed.
"Everyone out."
"Are you insane?" Rishabh hissed.
"He's unstable."
"OUT."
Something in her voice made everyone stop.
Even Ekansh.
The room emptied quickly.
Only Aarohi remained.
Ekansh sat against the bed breathing hard, blood dripping from his hand where the IV had torn out.
His eyes landed on the door.
Calculating exits.
Threats.
Escape.
Then finally
Her.
Aarohi approached slowly again.
"No one's touching you."
"Take this shit off me."
His voice sounded rough.
Raw.
Terrified beneath the anger.
Aarohi carefully removed the remaining monitoring wires without argument.
"You're safe."
"Don't lie to me."
"I'm not."
His chest rose heavily.
"You put needles in me."
"You were unconscious when treatment started."
Wrong answer.
His expression darkened instantly.
"You promised."
Aarohi froze slightly.
Ah.
Control.
Consent.
That was the core trigger.
Not hospitals alone.
Violation.
She corrected herself immediately.
"You're right."
That surprised him enough to pause.
"I should've waited."
Silence.
Most people defended themselves.
Excused themselves.
She admitted fault directly.
Aarohi slowly sat beside the bed again.
Not too close.
Not forcing.
"You're bleeding again," she said softly.
Ekansh glanced at the blood on his hand like it belonged to someone else.
Didn't care.
But his eyes kept returning to her.
Like checking if she'd betray him too.
Aarohi carefully held out gauze.
"You can do it yourself."
Another pause.
Then slowly
He took it from her hand.
That tiny action felt bigger than it should.
Because he was allowing help without losing control.
Minutes passed in silence.
The storm outside continued heavily against the windows.
Then suddenly Ekansh spoke.
"Why aren't you scared of me?"
Aarohi looked at him calmly.
"Should I be?"
"Yes."
No hesitation.
No false modesty.
Just truth.
Anyone else would've been disturbed by how casually he admitted it.
But Aarohi only tilted her head slightly.
"You've had multiple chances to hurt me already."
His jaw tightened.
Because that was true.
And somehow that made her more dangerous than everyone else.
Fear he understood.
This calm?
This was unfamiliar territory.
Aarohi noticed his hand trembling slightly again.
Adrenaline crash.
Exhaustion.
Probably fever too.
"You need rest."
"I don't sleep well."
"Nightmares?"
His eyes flicked toward her sharply.
She had guessed correctly.
Again.
A long silence filled the room before he finally leaned back slowly against the bed.
Still watching her carefully.
Still tense.
But no longer attacking.
And somehow...
That felt like progress.
Then quietly, almost unwillingly, he asked
"Are you leaving?"