Reality Ever After

Part 45. Solace in your Arms

Hi everyone,

Hope you all are doing well. Here's another chapter for you guys. Sorry, it took so long but it's a really long chapter and I wanted to put it up as a single chapter and not in parts. So I hope you enjoy it. And do let me know your thoughts.

-SV

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Nandini had unfortunately caught the flu and she had high fever and chills accompanied with tiredness and a headache throughout. On the Friday night that Nandini had spent at Manik's house had been quite bad for her. Manik had woken up a couple of times in the night because her temperature had risen quite high and she was feeling very cold. He had woken her up and made her have one more tablet of paracetamol and also put cold strips on her forehead after googling on what more could be done. He had never taken care of anyone this sick before and so he was quite clueless on what needed to be done. It was too late to even call the doctor. However, thanks to google, he had managed to survive the night and bring Nandini's temperature down. He had just shut his eyes after a long night when he heard his phone ringing. He wondered who was calling him this early in the morning as Nandini was fast asleep right next to him.

He picked his phone to see Chachi was calling him. He picked his phone and went out of the room to ensure Nandini didn't wake up.

Manik - Haan Chachi.

Chachi - Sorry Beta. Tumhe itni jaldi utha diya. Par maine tumhara message abhi dekha aur main pareshaan ho gayi. Nandini ki tabiyat abhi bhi kharaab hai? Aise achanak kya ho gaya. Kal raat ko toh theek thi.

Manik - Nahi Chachi. Kal raat ko bhi thoda fever tha. Nandini ne aapko bataya nahi hoga.

Chachi - Yeh ladki bhi na. Anyway, ab kaisi tabiyat hai uski?

Manik - Abhi Abhi fever kam hua hai. Poori raat high fever tha. Shayad viral flu ho gaya hai usse.

He didn't mention to Chachi about how he had googled all her symptoms and the least scary and the most common answer to her symptoms was the viral flu.

Chachi - Hey Bhagwaan.

Manik - Chachi, woh jab bhi uthegi, tab main use doctor ke paas lekar jaunga. Aap tension mat lijiye.

Chachi - Haan. Woh theek rahega. Ek kaam karna, jab tum doctor ke paas jaoge, toh mujhe phone kar dena. Main Tumhe doctor ke paas milti hoon.

Manik - Nahi Chachi, I'll manage. Aap Rishabh ke paas rehna. Main Nandini ke saath rahunga. Waise bhi Chacha out of town hai.

Chachi - Pakka, tum sambhal loge?

Manik - Haan Chachi. Don't worry.

Chachi - Accha. Aur Manik. Usse phir ghar le aana. Aise.. tumhare ghar par.. accha nahi lagta. Aur phir woh mere paas rahegi, toh mera mann bhi shaant rahega.

Manik realised that she was a little uncomfortable with Nandini staying with him when she was sick and also that she was hesitant in coming to his house too. He didn't disagree. The last time she had come home to visit him when he was sick, Nyonika was quite rude to her and Rishabh despite him trying his best to deflect the situation.

Manik - Theek hai Chachi. Hum doctor ke paas jaakar ghar aa jayenge.

Manik went back to his room and once again checked Nandini's temperature before he decided to take a quick nap as he had to take Nandini to the doctor once she woke up. He knew it would be a task trying to get any food into her for breakfast either. Urghh. He hated it when Nandini was sick. She was a child who didn't listen to anything and feeding her with food and medicines was always a task. But to be fair, he was worse when he was sick. He refused to rest at all and insisted he was fine all the time making her even more worried. At least Nandini slept well and only demanded for attention when she was sick. He then suddenly remembered their conversation in Bangalore where she told him that she only threw tantrums on him. That's when it struck him that this behaviour was reserved only for him when she was sick. He was the only person she could be a baby to. Now that he thought of it this way, taking care of her didn't seem like a task anymore. He gave her a quick kiss on her temple and finally closed his eyes.