9 Care

A man in his late 40s walked out of the room with a suitcase in his hand. His face was grim yet there was a certain air of calmness he carried.

Iqbaal approached him, expecting an answer.

"Is he?" he asked.

The doctor sighed.

" Don't worry. He's fine.His right arm is injured due to the bullet. I've written down all the prescriptions needed.And he should stay on bed rest for a month."

Iqbaal calmed his breath and led the doctor out of the room. Meenakshi and Veronica were both standing behind him but didn't exchange any looks as such.

The whole place was dead silent as if mourning for its owner's predicament. Nobody spoke a word.

Meenakshi retired from the place. She didn't know what she was exactly feeling about Dhruv's condition.

She was kind of relieved to hear that he was alright, but still thought of him being a jerk enough to deserve this.

She walked back to her room. She knew that she had no business there! And if she stayed any longer, Veronica would not spare a good time to insult her.

Who knows if she starts blaming her for what happened.

Meenakshi sighed and opened the door of her room. Her eyes suddenly caught an envelope lying on the floor. She bent down to pick it up and eyed it for a second. It looked very much similar to the one she got before the day in the hospital.

Was it...

She immediately tore the envelope and opened the letter inside it.

It read

"Every demon resides within a human!

Choice is to live for it or against it.

Difference starts from the place

Where the one chooses to harm and the other chooses to embrace!

Pulling the demon apart, everyone is a human.

And every Almighty blesses the wife who cares for her man."

~A

Meenakshi folded the letter back. She knew what it had to infer.

*************

She stood in front of the huge double door, staring at it as if there was something dangerous behind it.

Meenakshi didn't know why she obeyed what was written in the letter. She didn't want to come face to face with Dhruv!

"Then, why are you standing here?" Her inner mind spoke.

"I don't know. Maybe I should take care of him. He's my husband after all."

"I second you. But remember what he had done to you." her mind alarmed her.

"I haven't forgotten a thing. But he's a human too. I promised myself that I'll serve people whenever they need help."

"Will he need your help? He has tons of servants to take care of him"

"Yes. But they're servants. Not his wife."

"What about Veronica?"

"Please don't scare me. I took a decision. Now, I can't back off."

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead. Make sure that your head lives through this. Where would I live if she beheads you?"

Meenakshi gulped in her fear. Her inner conscience forced her to go back.

She didn't know when she knocked on the door and Iqbaal was already there to see her.

"Meenakshi? Is everything alright?"

"C-can I see...him?"

Iqbaal was thoughtful for a moment. But he opened the door anyway.

As she entered in, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened, witnessing the grand hall in front of her.

The walls were black and grey adorned with faint gold intricacies and huge paintings. Facing her pair of brown witnesses was a vast floor-ceiling glass window, flanked by silk grey curtains on both sides. The view outside was breathtaking! It was like the whole world was visible through the glass.

She scanned around observing a huge library corner on her left. A big plush white sofa occupied the center, while a pair of similar-looking white couches sat on its side. Above it was a huge wall, compartmented into horizontal shelves that bore every color of book. It appeared like a mini version of every bookworm's dream!

And then the realization struck her. She was drooling over the books!

She turned around and gasped at the queen-size bed on which a man slept. Meenakshi approached the bed and found Dhruv sleeping on it, his body covered with a grey silk duvet.

A strong smell of medicine hit her nose and her body shivered with the cold air due to the air conditioner.

She stared at him with amusement. He looked like a baby while sleeping. Who could tell that this man here can rip apart the world when he's awake?

The thought struck in Meenakshi's head.

He's a human, just like her. Maybe he hides it behind the monstrous facade he wears all the time.

A strange idea filled her nerves. What if she can bring back the good man inside him?

A cough from a distance broke her thought. She turned to her left, finding Iqbaal staring at her.

She walked back to him.

"Umm...Can I take care of him?"

***********

Dhruv groaned, attempting to seize the source of pain on his right hand. He lifted his lids open, finding himself on his bed.

He remembered how the ACP had caught his location and the police chasing him. He was quite surprised to find him arrive earlier! And he did succeed in shooting him!

Dhruv had seriously underestimated the ACP. But he won't let the same mistake happen. He smirked internally. Challenges are his all-time favorite. He tried to lift his right arm, but again the similar pain screeched through his spine.

He squeezed his eyes shut. He felt someone holding his shoulder. He opened his eyes to witness a pair of chocolate brown eyes looking back at him.

Anger and annoyance seethed through him.

"What the fuck are you doing here!" Meenakshi was quite startled by his reaction. Hatred reflected in his eyes.

Iqbaal walked into the place to attend to his boss.

"What happened Dhruv?"

"Why is she here?"Dhruv questioned furiously.

"She told me that she wanted to look after you."

Dhruv scoffed.

"There are other maids in the house! Ask them! I don't want to see her around me."Dhruv turned his face away from her as if she was a piece of disgust.

Meenakshi felt warm liquid brimming her eyes. She clutched the hem of her dress tightly. Again, she felt humiliated and disrespected.

"W-why? Why do y-you treat me like-like I'm a piece of garbage? What have I done to you?"Her words got slurred with her sobs, but Dhruv made things worse by paying no attention.

He signaled Iqbaal to throw her out of the room.

He turned towards Meenakshi, who was already submerged in her emotions.

"Out! Don't even think of coming back to my room!!!!"

Meenakshi stood up, wiped her tears, and walked out of the room.

"I HATE YOU!!!!"

She mumbled between her sobs.