Chapter 25 Come Back
The VIP recovery room was quiet except for the soft rhythm of machines.
Warm golden evening light filtered through the curtains gently, falling across Aarohi Mehra's pale face.
She looked peaceful now.
Too peaceful.
And that was exactly why Ekansh Rathore was losing his mind.
Two hours.
Two whole hours since doctors said she would wake up.
And still nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Ekansh sat beside her bed gripping her hand carefully like letting go would somehow stop her heart again.
Meanwhile one unfortunate nurse stood trapped near the medicine counter looking seconds away from resignation.
"Your doctor lied."
The nurse blinked nervously.
"S-sir?"
"He said few hours."
Ekansh looked at the wall clock darkly.
"It has been two hours and seventeen minutes."
The nurse swallowed hard.
"She needs rest, sir..."
"She has rested enough."
The poor nurse looked ready to cry.
"If my wife doesn't wake up soon,"
Ekansh continued dangerously calm, "I will shut this entire hospital down."
The nurse physically trembled.
Near the sofa, Rajeev Mehra rubbed his forehead tiredly.
"Beta, threatening medical staff will not speed up consciousness."
Ekansh looked genuinely unconvinced.
"It might motivate them."
"No," Savita Mehra interrupted immediately while gently pulling the terrified nurse behind her protectively, "it will traumatize them."
The nurse looked deeply grateful.
Savita glared softly at Ekansh like a disappointed mother.
"You are frightening my staff."
Ekansh glanced toward Aarohi instantly.
"She frightened me first."
Nobody had an answer to that.
Across the room, Vivaan Khanna leaned dramatically toward unconscious Aarohi and whispered loudly
"Doctor bhabhi, please wake up fast."
Everyone looked at him.
Vivaan pointed helplessly toward Ekansh.
"Otherwise he'll make all of us mentally unstable."
Even Rishabh Mehra snorted quietly at that.
Ekansh shot Vivaan a death glare instantly.
Vivaan ignored it bravely.
"For two days this man threatened doctors, cried, prayed, nearly murdered a vending machine"
"It ate my money."
"IT WAS brOKEN!"
Savita covered her smile unsuccessfully.
Rajeev sighed deeply.
"We survived mafia wars for this."
Despite the chaos around him, Ekansh's attention returned to Aarohi almost immediately.
Always her.
He slowly sat back down beside her again.
Then gently lifted her hand between both of his.
The room slowly quieted.
Because suddenly
the terrifying mafia lord looked heartbreakingly soft again.
Ekansh lowered his forehead against her knuckles briefly.
"Enough drama now."
His voice became quieter.
"Torturing me is becoming your hobby."
Silence.
His thumb brushed slowly across her fingers.
"You promised me forever."
A faint crack entered his voice.
"So wake up and keep the promise."
The room grew emotional instantly.
Because everyone could hear it now.
The raw love in every word.
Ekansh looked at her face silently for a long moment.
Then finally whispered the truth he never stopped feeling
The sentence came out broken.
Honest.
Like breathing.
And then
very faintly
"I love you more."
Silence exploded.
Ekansh froze completely.
His head snapped upward instantly.
Aarohi's eyes were half-open now.
Weak.
Sleepy.
But looking directly at him.
Alive.
Conscious.
Real.
For one second, Ekansh genuinely forgot how to function.
Then suddenly
"AAROHI!"
He stood so fast the chair nearly crashed behind him.
Before anyone could react, he leaned down and pulled her carefully into his arms.
Not too tightly.
Like he was still afraid she might disappear.
Aarohi smiled weakly against his shoulder.
And that was enough to completely destroy whatever emotional control he had left.
"You came back," he whispered shakily.
Tears filled his eyes instantly.
Aarohi slowly touched his cheek weakly.
"You talk too much."
A broken laugh escaped him.
Then without caring about literally anyone present
Ekansh kissed her.
Right there in front of the entire family.
Slow.
Emotional.
Relieved.
The room erupted instantly.
Vivaan clutched his chest dramatically.
"DISGUSTINGLY IN LOVE."
Rishabh groaned loudly.
"I need eye bleach."
Savita smiled emotionally while Rajeev looked half-exasperated, half-softhearted.
Aarohi pulled back weakly, blushing slightly.
Ekansh still refused to move away fully.
Like physical distance itself offended him now.
"You scared me," he murmured again against her forehead.
Aarohi's eyes softened instantly.
Then slowly
she looked toward her parents.
Savita reached her first.
The moment mother and daughter hugged, both started crying quietly.
"Maa..."
Savita kissed her hair repeatedly.
"You came back to us."
Aarohi's own eyes filled instantly.
"Sorry."
"Never apologize for surviving."
Even Rajeev looked emotional while holding her hand gently.
"You're stronger than all of us."
Aarohi smiled weakly through tears.
Then Rishabh stepped forward trying very hard to look composed.
Failed instantly.
The second Aarohi held her arms out toward him, he hugged her carefully.
"You idiot," he whispered shakily.
"Do you know what you did to us?"
Aarohi laughed weakly.
"You're crying."
"I am not."
"You literally are."
"Hospital lighting issue."
Vivaan walked over next looking personally victimized by the entire experience.
"You know," he began dramatically, "your husband became emotionally feral."
Ekansh narrowed his eyes.
Vivaan ignored him.
"He threatened doctors."
"They were incompetent."
"He prayed."
The room fell silent briefly.
Because everyone understood how significant that was.
Vivaan pointed accusingly at Aarohi.
"Do you understand? This man used religion for you."
Aarohi looked toward Ekansh softly.
And saw him looking away slightly.
Embarrassed.
That alone nearly melted her heart again.
Vivaan continued his rant enthusiastically.
"He didn't sleep, didn't eat properly, nearly killed anyone who said the word coma"
"Vivaan," Ekansh warned dangerously.
"Oh and he cried too."
Complete silence.
Ekansh looked murderous now.
Aarohi blinked slowly.
Then softly
"You cried?"
Immediately Ekansh looked at literally anywhere except her.
Vivaan looked delighted.
"Buckets."
"Vivaan."
"Waterfalls."
"VIVAAN."
Everyone burst into laughter finally.
Even Aarohi laughed despite the pain.
And the moment Ekansh heard her laugh again
real and alive
he quietly closed his eyes for one second.
Grateful.
Because after years of darkness, violence, trauma, and loneliness
the universe finally gave him one thing worth fearing to lose.
And somehow
miraculously
she came back to him anyway.