(Not) Just a dream (OR, the ICT steals a groom)

Hospital coffee and the reel

February, 2023

"WHY MUST THEY ALWAYS MAKE COFFEE THIS SWEET IN HOSPITALS?"

Shreyas' roar brought a nurse running to Rishabh's cabin. "Anything wrong, sir?"

"No," said Rishabh pointedly as Shreyas opened his mouth to say something contrary. "Thank you, can you please close the door?"

Shubman and Ishan howled with laughter as Shreyas said, "Why didn't you let me tell them anything!"

"It's me who has to drink the overly sweet coffee every day, not you," said Rishabh indignantly.

"Then you should tell them--"

"I think the coffee's nice," Shubman put in. "See, Ishan?" 

He offered his mug to Ishan, who took a sip and nodded. "Yep, some people always overreact, you know."

"I am not overreacting," grouched Shreyas. "I was the one who played today. None of you three."

"Must you rub in?" said Rishabh, wounded.

That made Shreyas guilty enough to stop grouching and sit at the foot of Rishabh's bed, drinking the undrinkable coffee without further protest.

Shubman and Ishan took the couch against the opposite wall after Shubman stripped a blanket from Rishabh's bed, partly because it was still chilly in Delhi in mid-February, but mostly because Rishabh looked far too comfortable.

"What are the doctors saying?" asked Ishan. "You can walk perfectly with crutches now?"

"How can a walk be perfect if it's with crutches?" Rishabh said cynically.

"We'd appreciate if you drop the invalid jokes, Rishu." said Shreyas, as Shubman laughed again. "They're insensitive."

"Insensitive to who?"

"To us," said Ishan. "It's our friend who is the invalid. If anyone jokes about him, we will--"

Shubman handed Ishan a thermometer to accompany his brandishing demonstration. It flew across the room and Shreyas had to dive to catch it.

"Don't throw stuff, Ishan," ordered Rishabh.

"Don't make invalid jokes, Rishabh," said the other three in unison.

 Rishabh sighed.

"I missed watching Ash bhai and Jaddu bhai on a dust bowl. Do you think they missed me, too?"

"Oh, definitely," said Shubman. "Ash bhai definitely missed your commentary behind the stumps."

Rishabh brightened. "Did he say so?"

"Yes," said Shreyas. "And he was certainly not being at all sarcastic."

India had won the 2nd Test of the home Border Gavaskar series earlier that day, with Ashwin and Jadeja sharing all 10 wickets of Australia's second innings between them. India had only had to chase a little over hundred.

With two days to stay over in Delhi anyway, where Rishabh was presently admitted, the team had come up with a schedule of visiting him (three or more visitors were frowned upon, but none of Shreyas, Ishan or Shubman backed off from fighting for the first visit).

"Ash bhai and Jaddu bhai are in the next in line, in fact," said Shubman. "They're coming tomorrow morning. They might have come now, but they couldn't win a fight against us," he added proudly.

Rishabh looked very pleased with himself.

"The memes coming up are hilarious," said Ishan. "Ash bhai even reacted to one--"