“Hello, sir, how are you?” Samar stopped at the foot of her father’s bed, standing tall and steady, like he had stood in front of him once long ago in Atharva’s home office.
“Sanar…” Dad tried to smile. Had they talked in his scans today? “Hay…rage?”
“No hemorrhagic conversion.” Samar shook his head. “Your latest CT is clear, and now it’s all on you.”
“Rehab, Dr. Durrani.” Mom came around the bed and sat down on a chair next to him. “Hard work for once in your life.”
Dad scoffed, making an amused noise.
“It’s going to be a breeze,” Samar argued. “You have to get back to your own patients, isn’t it?”
Dad blinked.
“When can he go home?” Amaal pressed.
“Not immediately,” Samar answered. “You can speak to his doctors, but it would be better to stay, then do an inpatient neuro rehab for at least three weeks. Early therapy will go a long way for sir, where he is looking at recovering his fine motor skills.”
Her father hummed.
“Home or hospital, what does it matter?” Mom rolled her eyes playfully. “Dad is used to staying in the clinic for fifteen hours anyway.”
Dad said something slurry and Mom caught it, chuckling. Amaal glanced at Samar. He was looking at them with so much belongingness, that she felt thrills spark up and down her spine. His eyes came to her, and she cocked her head to the door. He nodded.
They slipped away as her parents kept talking in a language only they understood best. Samar closed the door and she turned, catching his elbow — “Thank you,” she couldn’t control her smile. “I am so happy and so relieved and soeverything. You promised and you did it, thank you, thank you.”
His head bent until their eyes were close — “I won’t make too many promises in our life, Amaal. But when I make them, I will fulfil them.”
Her heart was beaming, glowing, feeling like it was a beacon inside her.
“But now it’s time for you to go.” She beamed at him. "I don’t want you to stretch yourself thin with the election and this.”
“I am here until he is transferred to inpatient rehab.”
Her smile dropped.
“Is there some danger?”
He shook his head. “Just routine stuff. Or are you trying to get rid of me?”
“Even if I tried, I wouldn’t be rid of you now.”
“Finally you learn.”
58. Himachal Pradesh Election 2019…
“Himachal Pradesh Election 2019 concludes with a shocking new party emerging as the kingmaker! Himachal Development Party stuns the state and the country with a smashing 14 seats in its maiden election. Led by Samar Dixit, the President of the KDP, the HDP has become a point of conversation in an election that went neither way. Janta Party closed at 21, while the ruling party — Himachal Jan Sangathan has fallen down to 22. In a state legislative assembly with 68 seats, where 35 is the majority mark, the question now remains — who will HDP go with? Its Jammu & Kashmir alliance partner Janta Party or the ruling HJS? Joining us live from Shimla is…”
Samar changed the radio station, turning the corner up to Chhota Shimla. His mobile rang, like it had been ringing ever since the trends had begun to solidify. Samar glanced at the ID. Yogesh Patel’s Private Secretary — Roshan Sahai. Samar smirked, hitting accept.
“Ji, Roshanji.”
“Yogesh bhai aapse baat karenge.[208]”
A few seconds later, Yogesh Patel came on. “Samar sahab, congratulations.”
“Thank you, Yogesh Bhai. Congratulations to you, too.”
“The next logical step is to convene. Our understanding in Jammu-Kashmir is a testament to our parties’ natural ideological alliance.”
