Chapter Three

"Open your mouth for me." Aarush was in his clinic looking after a little girl. "Alright, it seems the infection is gone, but you're saying you still feel a bit of pain?" He looked at the little girl and asked with a smile.

"Yeah, it hurts when I swallow." She said with a pout. The girl was very young, maybe five or so.

"Dr Yunus, is there anything that can be done?" The girl's mother asked with a bit of concern. "She isn't eating anything because it hurts to swallow."

"Don't worry about anything." Aarush smiled and then looked at the little girl. "Here, wanna know why it's hurting?"

With a nod of her head, the little girl looked at Aarush with a frown. "Yes."

"Alright." Aarush got up and brought a few toys over. There were two action figures and a house. He picked up the little girl and placed her on a chair in front of a table. "Ready? The red one is the bad thing in your mouth, alright? The blue one is your mouth's defenders, while the house is your mouth." He began to make the two action figures fight, the house got damaged and soon the red figure 'died'.

"Haha." The little girl laughed watching the little play.

"Haha, funny, right?" Aarush smiled and asked. "Look, the red bad guy is gone, and what do you have?"

"Blue guy and house." She answered with a smile.

"Yup, but look, the house is broken." Aarush pointed at the house that was still damaged. "Slowly, the house will begin to fix, alright? It will hurt a little while it's being fixed, but in the end, everything will be good again. Alright?" Aarush looked at her to see if she got it.

"So the pain will be there still?" She asked with a pout.

"Just for a little while, but look. If you stay strong and eat lots of healthy food, the house will fix faster. See, look at this." Aarush showed her a new demonstration. He fed the blue figure a snack and showed it rebuilding the house at a faster rate. Although it wasn't the most accurate representation, he just wanted to show something to the little girl. "See, when you eat, the blue guy gets stronger and builds faster. It will hurt a little, but isn't it better to get better faster? Then you can eat anything you want." He patiently explained to her. "If you want, you can eat ice cream and popsicles, they will make you feel better. Want to try?" He then looked at the mother. "Is that alright?"

"Whatever you say, Dr. Yunus." She smiled and nodded. She trusted Aarush as he was their doctor for the past few years now. He was never wrong with them at least.

Nodding his head, Aarush got up and walked to the exit of the room. "Meera, can you grab me the safe popsicles." The difference between the popsicles he had versus the common ones was that his were less tasty. They had barely any taste, mostly because the flavorings used less acidic components, which could cause harm. Really, the popsicles were basically water, with a hint of taste. Meera quickly brought a red colored popsicle and handed it to Aarush. "Thanks." He walked back into the room and handed the popsicle to the little girl. "Here, try it. It won't hurt too much."

She took the popsicle and licked it. Although swallowing did hurt, because of the coldness, it was less than before. She smiled abruptly. The little girl ignored the lack of taste and focused more on the lack of pain. "Wow, it doesn't hurt that much."

"Of course. Just eat it and it won't hurt, alright?" Aarush then looked at the mother and smiled. "For now, let her eat colder snacks, but avoid anything that could harm her throat. Things like spices, hot food, and foods with acid and alike, will cause pain and might even hurt her healing throat, so avoid them. Give her fruits, things like apples, but avoid acidic fruits like oranges." He patiently explained this to the mother as the little girl ate her popsicle on the side. After a few more jokes with the little girl and child like explanations to help her understand, the two left. Aarush sighed with a smile and grabbed a water bottle from the side, taking a sip from it. It was dark outside and the moon hung high up in the sky. "This week is going by faster than usual." It was already Wednesday night. He had been busy preparing his students for their exams while also coming to the clinic for eight hours before heading home. 'Well, that was the last patient. I can head home now too.' He smiled and got up from his chair, walking out. He saw Meera's husband waiting on the side in his suit and tie. He looked young and handsome. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, alright? Be safe." He smiled at the two and left the building.

"Bye, Dr. Yunus." Both of them quickly spoke in unison as he left. Aarush got on his bike and left the area. The sky was dark and the amount of people out was still plentiful. Families were shopping while couples were also roaming around. It was a beautiful night with a crescent moon.

"Maybe I can get a bite to eat on the way." He parked his bike nearby and walked to a random shop. It was a messy place, but the food was great. "Can I get lassi and this nihari." He pointed at the dirty menu that hung on the side of the shop. His 'waiter' nodded and quickly ran off with his off-white salwar kameez.

"Here you go." He came running back quickly, handing the food to Aarush with a smile. With a nod, Aarush began to chow down.

"Bhai, forget about it, we don't need to get so much." From a different table which was nearby, Aarush saw two boys eating food as well. They were young, in their teens at most. The youngest looked around eleven, while the oldest looked eighteen. The gap wasn't too large.

"Don't worry, I have money saved up. Eat whatever you want, your brother will pay for it." The older of the two had a smile on his face as he spoke with a doting expression. "I work for this, so don't worry."

"Are you sure?" The younger one asked again.

"Of course." Aarush watched as the older one persisted. He couldn't help but smile at this scene. It reminded him of his younger days quite a bit.

"Aarush, you don't have to get me this, I'm already full."

"Maazi, I already ordered it, so just eat it. I know you wanted it, so don't worry about it. Your brother is still alive, so don't worry about these things. Go ahead and eat."

"Alright then, thanks."

He couldn't help but recall all the times he spoiled Maaz. Out of everyone, excluding Noori, the one he spoiled the most was Maaz. Whenever he had the money, or even when he didn't, he would get Maaz things. Sure, he also beat Maaz when he did bad, but that was because he truly cared for Maaz's upbringing. In his life, he never had kids, but he considered himself to be Maaz's parent in a way. With his parents always being busy with work, he raised Maaz his own way. Beating him when he did bad, spoiling him when he did good, teaching him right from wrong, everything. Maaz was less of a brother and more of a baby to him. "Maazi, are you doing well? I heard you finally graduated. Sadly, I wasn't there to see you walk the stage. I really wanted to see you walk that stage and finally get a degree."

Drip

Suddenly, a single tear fell from his left eye as he thought back to the years he missed. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. 'I've missed too much, I don't want to miss anymore.' Maaz was his most important family, more than his parents and sisters. He was the youngest and the one he took care of the most, spoiling him whenever he could. Thinking about how he missed his graduation, the one thing he looked forward to seeing in the past, he felt hurt. 'No, I'm done with keeping this bullshit distance.' He picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?" It was a deep voice. Mature and filled with a manly charm.

"M-Maazi, it's me." Aarush spoke with a bit of hesitation. It had been seven years since he spoke to this baby brother of his. Seven years.

"Who's this?" The voice sounded confused but then suddenly a weird sound came from the other side. It was like a choked breath. "Aaru b-bhai?! I-is it you?" The voice was shocked and filled with a hidden excitement and sadness.

"Yes, Maazi. It's me." Aarush's voice came out more smoothly. He was still very worried talking to this brother, but he felt more calm after hearing his voice.

"Aaru bhai!" Suddenly, a scream came from the other side. Aarush's left eye closed in a bit of pain as he rubbed his ear. "Mom, dad! It's Aarush! It's Aarush! Maya, hurry up! Aliya!" He could hear the screams of excitement from the other side. Aarush felt even more guilty because of this, but excitement filled his heart. This was his family, the one he hadn't spoken to in so many years. He cut them off for his own selfish reasons, threatening them, but now… he could finally hear their voices. "Aaru bhai, wait, I'm going to facetime you, alright? Don't reject it."

"Sure." Aarush smiled and just waited. He took a sip of his drink, but looking closely, one could see his hands trembling, as well as his body. He wasn't as calm as he acted.

Ring Ring

The phone rang again, but this time it was a video call. Aarush's shaking finger clicked the accept button and the first thing he saw almost made him want to tear up again. It was his whole family. His mom and dad, Maya and Aliya, and right in the front, Maazi. "Aaru!"

His mom suddenly screamed with excitement, tears streaming down her face. "Mom, how are you?" His words were choked. He couldn't help but smile painfully after seeing his mother after so many years.

"How am I? You tell me! My son disappeared for seven years, all alone. How could I be good?" She spoke with a sobbing voice, making Aarush tear up a little too.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what else to do." He spoke in a submissive voice. "But, I'm done with it. I want to see you guys now, I miss all of you." Aarush finally spoke what he wanted to. In recent years, he was a lot more nostalgic, missing his family, yet feeling it wasn't yet the right time. Now though, he felt it was finally right. He was missing them too much, feeling alone without them.

"We'll come right now, where are you? We're in Pakistan with everyone, so we can all come together!" His mom was the main person speaking, and no one stopped her.

He was taken aback by her words, but his heart felt warm because of it. This was his mom; no one else would be in such a hurry like his mom. "I'm in India. I'll send Maazi the area." He quickly sent the location while still on video call. "Also, how is everyone else? I kept up to date with everything everyone was doing. I heard that Maazi and Maya finally graduated. Maya, you haven't gotten married yet?"

"How could I get married if you aren't around? Do you think I can do that?" Maya was also in tears as she spoke. Although Aarush did bully his two younger siblings, he cared for them both greatly. No matter what, his two younger siblings respected and loved him greatly.

"Well, come and we will finally get you married. You're getting old." He smiled and joked, but everyone on the other end could see his tears. "And you, Aliya, I heard you're pregnant."

"Six months." His older sister spoke with happiness on her face. "Luckily, my second child can see you when he's born."

"Oh, a boy?" Aarush asked with a bit of excitement.

"Yup." Aliya answered with a smile. "Luckily, it is a short flight over, or I might not have been allowed to come." She also smiled in relief. She missed this younger brother of hers. His life was always going wrong and was filled with problems. She felt bad for him and wanted to help him, yet nothing worked. They found him a wife after such hard work, and she was a beautiful, wonderful, person, yet only a month in and she passed away. Truly a catastrophe. It was only because of this that Aarush dropped and left in heartache, cutting everyone off for seven years.

"Good, just come with everyone. I have a big house here, we can all live together again." Aarush spoke with excitement. He had decided one thing when he called Maazi. He loved his family too much to be apart from them anymore. Once his family came, he would have them stay with him from then on. He couldn't go back to Pakistan because of the bad memories, while America was the same. India was his place of a new beginning, so he would settle down in India permanently. He loved the place.

"Aaru, Maazi will book the earliest flights, so keep your schedule empty that day." His mom spoke.

"Of course." He nodded his head. "Maazi, do it now. What's the earliest flight."

Maaz quickly pulled a laptop out and began to search. "The earliest is leaving in a few days. We should be there by Sunday morning." He answered.

Aarush nodded his head. "Alright. I'll empty my Sunday schedule."

They spoke for a bit longer, talking about various things. No one could see his new style as he was only showing his face, not his hair nor ears. He wanted to surprise his family with his current look. It was completely different from his old look.

Speaking for two more hours, Aarush finally shut the call and sighed in happiness. "They are finally coming. I haven't seen them in so long, I'm so happy." He couldn't help but smile. "Aeleya, pray I don't get in fights with them when they come." This was the most worrisome thing. Living alone for so many years gave him one bad habit, he was very straightforward with everyone now. He argued easily and had a bad temper, worse than in the past. He worried that if his parents or siblings say something to him, he could lose it and yell and get into an argument. He didn't have the same self control that he used to have.

"Alright, everyone hurry up and begin preparing. We're going to see him in a few days, I don't want anyone messing around." Back in Pakistan, his parents were ordering the children and everyone around. They were super anxious and excited to see their son after so many years. "Dear, I can finally see him again. Finally, I can see him again." His mom was the most excited, doing whatever she could to prepare. "Call Dara and inform him that we will be coming soon, he needs to make sure no problems occur." She looked at Maazi and demanded.

"No need, I'm right here." Suddenly, a voice came from behind. They all turned around and saw that it was Dara. He looked much older then before, but his good looks were still present. He was also a lot more buff.

"Good, Aaru finally called and now we can see him." Aarush's mom was so excited that she grabbed Dara's arm tightly. "Tell me about him a little more, you never did before, but I'm assuming you can now, right?"

Dara sighed. He didn't show the same happiness, rather he showed a bit of worry. "He is doing better, but I want to warn all of you about him. He is a little different then before."

"What do you mean?" Aliya was the one who asked this suddenly. Out of her whole family, she knew him best, but Dara knew him more. It was to the point that only Dara and the other two knew where he was.

"Well, I have visited him many times during these years to check on him. Adi and Harris also visited many times, making sure he was alright." He sighed and sat down, gesturing to the others to sit as well. "After Aeleya died, he went through a weird state which lasted a year or two. He started to study again and finished his Ph.D and also completed his residency, which is all a good things, but that's not all. Because of the heartache, he went into depression and became a drinker and smoker."

"What?! Drinker? That's…" His mom stood up in panic.

"I know, it's not a good thing, especially for his and your beliefs, but losing Aeleya made him hate everything. He started to drink, get into constant fights, and he almost went to jail a few times." Dara sighed. "He smokes and drinks as if it is a normal thing and the last time Harris mentioned it, Aarush beat him up and kicked him out of the house. Adi also said something and Aarush kicked him out of his house too." Everyone had a serious expression, listening to all of this. "Anyways, he is a lot more aggressive than before. He will easily get mad at anyone if they say anything about his lifestyle. For him, his lifestyle is something he finally obtained and worked for, so when you guys do get there, don't say anything like that. I know him well enough to say that he might run away again, and once he does, there will never be a return."

"But… why…" His mom wanted to say something, but Dara shook his head.

"I know it will be difficult, but you have to just let him do as he pleases. I know he won't drink in front of you guys purposely, nor smoke, but if you do run into him doing it, just ignore it. If he does something that you guys don't like, for example getting angry at random people for no reason, don't say a thing, just let him be. Whatever happens, just let him be. He kicked me out of his house many times too, swearing and hitting me. He is different from before, but at the same time, he is the same." Dara explained patiently. "Also, don't ever mention anything about him marrying a new girl, or even looking for one. I swear, he will flip out and will definitely leave you guys. I have done it once, and he almost stabbed me with a knife. I was dumb, but I had to give it a shot, haha." Dara rubbed the back of his head. "If he wants to remarry, let him ask you first, or he will find someone himself. Whether you like the person he chooses or not, all of you will have to accept it."

Sighing a little, his mom nodded her head. "I got it." She looked at Dara with a pained look. "Aliya told me that Aarush went through a lot of stress and pain because of us. She kept saying that if me and my husband weren't so hard on him and so cold to him, mocking him so much, he might have stayed back after her death."

"I agree with Aliya." Dara looked at her with a bit of hesitation, still he decided to speak more. "Although I shouldn't say too much, I think you should know this. Aarush has been burdened so much by everything, that Aeleya's death was not only the death of his wife, but the only joy he had in life, which was why he took it as badly as he did. Before Aeleya, tell me, did Aarush ever seem so happy? He was always around her, defending her as if his life was on the line. To Aarush, his childhood was filled with depression and pain. He never got encouragement from anyone, only pressure. He was only ever appreciated when he made money, but before that, he was mocked and pressured even further." He spoke slowly, explaining things more. "All of this is the past, but it affected him badly, and now he finally released all of that and is doing whatever he wants. He doesn't do anything illegal, but he is who he is now because of everyone around him."

"How is he doing right now?" Aliya asked this question once again. "Is he happy with his life?"

"He is happy with his current self, but still, he isn't super happy. I can tell he is lonely and misses Aeleya even now." He shook his head at Aliya. "Still, once you guys go over, I am sure a lot of his depression will vanish. Just never do anything that would make him angry, and everything should be good. Act like everything is normal really."

"No problem. For my brother's happiness, I'm willing to do anything. As for mom and dad, if they ever do anything to bother Aarush even after all that happened, then trust me, I will be their worst enemy." Aliya glared at her parents before walking away with her large tummy. Dara smiled helplessly.

"Anyways, I will give you guys the rundown about his current lifestyle, his new habits which I was able to pick up during my visits, and anything else that is important." He then began to give them a full explanation, which they listened to carefully.