8. An Angel

DIYA

I was about to panic, but I had to calm myself down. There was no way I could panic because I have an eight-year-old kid in front of me whose father is almost unconscious due to fever.

"No. Why would he leave you? It's just a fever, Vedu," I assure him in a soft tone.

"Then why isn't he waking up?" He sobbed.

I had no idea about how to deal with these kinds of situations, but I knew one thing, I had to think and act quick.

"Because he is sleeping, na. Whenever you go to bed and sleep, how much time does it takes to wake you up? How many times your papa calls you to wake you up?" 

Do heck with the logic, I have to calm Ved down and then call a doctor as soon as possible.

"So, you're saying he will wake up?" He asked me.

"He will, for sure. Now do one thing, call your grandma, fast," I tell him.

Rajveer's mother should know the condition of his son. She will be the best person to take care of him.

"She isn't here. She went out of town," Ved informed me.

Oh heck! What do I do now? Think Diya, think.

"Oh! Then do one thing, call anyone you see in this house. Go, fast," I tell him.

I do not have a phone, but these servants would for sure have one. 

"Okay," he nodded and immediately ran out of the room.

I touched Rajveer's forehead just to check his temperature once more. The fever is too high, he needs immediate medical assistance or else the condition would go on to be more serious.

Within a minute, Ved entered the room with one of the major and oldest servants of the mansion.

"Hey, do one thing. Call the doctor, fast. He is having a high fever," I tell the servant in a polite manner.

"Okay," he nodded and took out his phone to make a call.

He called the doctor and talked to him while I waited impatiently for his response. On the other hand, Ved was crying, but at this moment, I could do nothing to make him stop crying because I had to take care of Rajveer.

"Ved, don't cry, your papa will be okay," I tried to console him. 

While he sobbed as he nodded.

"The doctor is arriving in twenty minutes," the servant informed me.

"Oh, okay. Do one thing then, bring me a bowl of cold water and a cotton cloth," I tell him.

I had to use the techniques that I used to treat Baba whenever he got a fever as we couldn't afford frequent doctor visits.

The servant went and brought me the bowl and cloth that I needed. I looked at Ved and noticed he was scared. And at that time, I realised one thing. He can't be scared anymore. His father will take care of him, but in turn, he had to take care of his father.

"Ved, come here," I look at him.

He obeyed and climbed onto the bed and sat beside Rajveer. Then I dipped the cloth into the cold water and handed it over to him.

"Now do one thing, place this cloth in your father's forehead," I tell Ved. 

He nodded and did the same.

"Ved, do you remember how your mother used to care for you whenever you got sick?" I asked Ved.

"Yes," he replied.

"So, now your papa is sick. So we are going to do the same. We will care for him," I tell Ved as I dipped the cloth once more and hand it over to him.

"You're good, Diya," Ved told me as he put the cloth over Rajveer's forehead.

"Why?" I looked at Ved in utter surprise.

"Because mummy never cared for papa whenever he got sick. She just took care of me," Ved replied and I was surprised.

She never took care of Rajveer? What kind of nuptial relationship they had? They were married for ten good years.

I tried to distract myself from the married life of Rajveer and Leena because right now, Ved and Rajveer's health is my priority. 

As we were providing a cold compress to Rajveer, we could see that he was gaining his senses slowly. It gave me a sense of relief as I sighed.

"See, Ved. Your papa is waking up," I muttered to give Ved a glimpse of hope.

"Yes," Ved smiled finally.

And that's when the servant entered the room with the doctor. I moved aside to provide the access needed to the doctor. He immediately checked Rajveer's temperature and other vitals.

"The tough rituals of the Funeral has taken a toll on his health. He will be okay in a couple of days," the doctor's words relieved the worried soul inside me.

"Thank you, doctor," I immediately smiled.

"The cold compress has worked. The fever has dropped a bit," he told, looking at Ved who was still holding the cotton cloth in his fist.

"Papa will be okay? Doctor," Ved asked in a worried tone.

"Yes, he will," the doctor answered with a smile.

And then, the doctor prescribed a few medicines that the servant went to purchase and both of them went from the room.

"Come, Ved. Let papa rest," I tell Ved and took him to his room as well. 

I had to divert Ved's mind and for that, I will have to play with him and be his best friend.

We go to Ved's room and started playing with him.

RAJVEER

I wasn't feeling well at all, I felt extremely cold while my body felt like burning in heat and that's when I understood I will be having a fever. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep because I knew one thing, that whenever I get sick, no one is there to take care of me and this time would be the same as well.

But to my surprise, Diya and Ved entered my room. I wasn't unconscious, but I felt so terrible that I couldn't move, but I could hear everything they were saying. 

I was surprised by the way Diya handled Ved. She made him feel good, she tried her level best to ease her tension and everything.

And then, after a few minutes, I could feel a cold cotton cloth on my forehead. Diya and Ved were taking care of me. They were making me experience something which I never experienced since I turned twenty maybe.

Maa has been strict with us, so whenever we got a fever when we were adults, she left us on our own, so that we can be strong and heal ourselves. She had a logic, we are the mafia, and we aren't meant to be weak. 

Leena never looked at me whenever I felt sick, caring was something that I would never expect from her.

But then, Diya. She is a stranger to me, we have known each other for a couple of weeks and right now, whatever she was doing for me, it's something no one has ever done for me in the past twenty years. Even if it was a mere cold compress but it felt special and good. That there is someone who cares for me.

I felt like thanking her, but I felt so weak that I couldn't even open my eyes, so I just remained the way I was until the doctor arrived.

After a couple of hours,

I was feeling a bit better ad the fever had gone low. So, I decided to wake up and sit on the bed, resting my head on the headstand of the bed. I looked aside, there was a glass of juice kept and I knew, it must have been Diya.

I picked up the glass and gulped the juice at once because I felt thirsty. And then, I could hear footsteps approaching towards my room. I paused and looked towards the door and as the door creaked open, it was Diya.

"Sir, you're awake?" She gave me a surprised look, but then I could see her face relaxing which made me believe that she felt relieved when she saw me awake.

"Yeah. I was feeling better so," I responded.

"Even if you feel better, you should have complete rest. The fever doesn't tend to go away for three days," she spoke as she walked towards my bed and sat beside me.

But then, she realised that she sat on my bed and immediately got up.

"Oh! I am sorry," she apologised with a guilty face.

"It's okay. You can comfortably sit here," I tell her that made her smile mildly as she sat beside me on the bed.

There was a distance between us, but I don't know why, I hoped that distance to diminish.

"How is Ved?" I asked her.

"He slept just now and so I came to check on you," she tells me.

"He was worried?" I looked at her, I never wanted my son to worry about me.

"He was. But, he is okay now," she replied with a smile.

I nodded mildly.

This eighteen-year-old girl, she takes care of my son beautifully. I have never thought that she would be so good at her work.

"Thank you, for taking such good care of Ved," I sincerely thank her. 

Because I couldn't deny the fact, if she hadn't been here and I hadn't met her, I had no idea how would I take care of Ved.

"Sir, it's my job," she politely replied with a smile.

This little girl, she is indeed something, like an Angel to my son maybe, or an Angel in our lives.

"Thank you for taking care of me as well," I tell her and she looked at me.

Ah! Finally, that unfiltered gaze of her, which shamelessly stared at me without any worries. I have to admit, that I liked her gaze, the way she isn't bothered about anyone when she looks at me. It's something beautiful and something that attracts me to her.

"Ved told me that your wife never took care of you whenever you fell sick?" 

She immediately asked me and bit her tongue due to the attack she showered with her personal question.

Well, to be honest, she asks too many personal questions and it feels like she doesn't have that manner about what to say to someone. But it's okay, I don't know why, but I don't mind her questions.

"Well, he is right. Leena wasn't bothered whenever I got sick. So, I have a habit of handling everything on my own. But you little girl, you tend to ruin my habits," I teased her.

I never tease anyone, but her giggles and childish laugh, it makes me feel happy.

"What? Sick people should be taken care of. Medicines do work, but the care of someone you love works miraculously," she glared at me.

"You're just eighteen. How do you know so much about these things?" I asked her because I was surprised by the sense of her maturity.

"Well, experience and situations do tend to teach a lot of things to people, especially when you're poor. I have seen Baba's condition, and I am taking care of Baba for the past five years so I do know these things," she replied with a smile.

"Luckily you don't have to worry about my health. I fall sick too rare. Maybe once a year," I chuckled. 

The mood was way too serious right now.

"Wow! You're lucky because I fall sick every month and my fever goes high up to 104," she immediately responded, telling me how bad her life is while I was shocked.

"Do you know that falling sick so frequently isn't normal?" I immediately asked her.