“What happened?” Nimita’s heart rate increased. Reena was tough. She did not panic easily.
“Papa collapsed. The ambulance is on the way to the hospital.”
“What happened?” She felt the blood drain from her face.
“I don’t know, but I need someone for Naya.” Reena’s voice was strained.
“I’ll meet you in the ED. Long story, but I’m already here. Bring Naya. I’ll take her,” Nimita assured her. What was going on today? Was it a full moon or something?
When the ambulance arrived, her father was wheeled out on a gurney, an oxygen mask and IV already on him.
“I’m his other daughter,” she told the EMTs as she met them at the entrance. They were giving the ED doctor his vitals and other information.
A nurse touched her arm. “Miss. Your father had a heart attack. We need to take him straight up to surgery. You can wait in the cardiology waiting room. Someone will come find you.” The nurse was kind but firm. She glanced at her. “Find a volunteer, they can give you a set of scrubs.”
She felt a pit open up in her stomach. A heart attack? She’d been messing around in the ocean, giving surfing lessons to a young woman who probably should not have been out there, while her father was home having a heart attack. Guilt, thick and strong, overcame her. What was wrong with her? Why could she not seem to get the whole family thing right?
Before she could move, Reena was at her side, Naya on her hip, trying to keep away from the crowd.
“There you are,” Reena said as Nimita walked over. She scanned her. “Where were you?”
“Teaching Mali to surf. They’re taking—”
“Surfing?” Reena said with disgust. “That must be nice.”
“Excuse me?”
“To have time to surf and hang out at the beach.”
Nimita shook her head. Whatever. “They took Papa up for surgery. He had a heart attack.”
Reena’s eyes bugged out and filled with tears. “What?”
“Listen. I am going to stay. Why don’t you take Naya home so she doesn’t get sick—”
“I think I know what’s best for my own child.”
“Of course you do, I just meant—”
“You know, I don’t care what you meant. You have made nothing but empty promises since you came home.” Reena glared at her.
“They haven’t been empty—” Nimita started, but her voice was small. She thought of the fight with Roshan at Holi, the cold look he’d given her in the parking lot after Malini’s injury. Tears burned behind her eyes. She’d had the best of intentions, but intentions did not matter. Actions did.
“Well, you say you’re going to do something and then you don’t. What would call that?” Reena snapped at her.
“Don’t talk to her like that.” Roshan’s voice startled them both. Nimita turned to see him standing behind her. He had changed into scrubs and was holding an extra set out to her. His voice was calm but firm and laced with anger.
“She’s my sister. I’ll talk to her however I damn well please,” Reena shot at him, switching Naya to her other hip. The toddler’s eyes were huge and scared as the adults fought. “What business is it of yours?”
He focused his gaze on Reena. “It’s my business when you continue to dismiss everything Nimita is doing. She has done nothing but try to make things up to you since she came back, and you do not seem to care. No matter what she does, you find something wrong,” Roshan said. “She came back to make things right.”
“The only reason she came home is because she had no place to go after she was fired,” Reena sneered.
Roshan snapped his gaze to Nimita. “You didn’t tell her?”
Nimita shook her head.
Roshan raised an eyebrow at her.
