Page 3 of Driven By Desire

F ury carried her through the hospital and out to the auto stand on the street beyond the parking lot.

She still had to pick up her car which was parked outside Adi’s house before heading home.

Hailing the driver in the lead auto in the queue, she told him the address and settled into the familiar routine of haggling over the price.

Finding an auto that ran on the meter in Hyderabad was an unparalleled feat if you didn’t book it through an app.

Agreeing on a price finally, she was just getting into the auto when she froze.

Price? She hadn’t paid for her check up at the hospital.

As distasteful as the idea of going back in was, she wasn’t going to walk away and let someone else assume the price of her night’s adventure.

Squaring her shoulders, she walked back to casualty and made her way over to the nurse’s station again.

“Hi.”

The nurse threw her a harried glance and continued rummaging furiously through a drawer in a desk. “Yes?”

“I’d like to get my discharge summary so I can pay the bill.”

“You’ll have to wait a few minutes.” Pushing back from the desk, she said, “I’ll be right back.

” The last bit was accompanied by the sight of the nurse’s fast disappearing back.

Sighing, Max made herself comfortable in a corner chair and waited.

Eyeing the closed curtain around the bully’s bed, she let the noise and confusion of casualty swirl around her.

She watched Aditya pull the curtain back slightly and stick his head out.

Scanning the room, his eyes lit up when he saw her.

Murmuring something over his shoulder, he shut the curtain behind him and made his way over.

“Hi. I thought you’d left.” Dropping into the chair next to her, he stared morosely at the floor.

“I had but I forgot something.” When he didn’t move for several minutes, she tilted her head in the direction of the bed and asked, “Don’t you have to go be with your brother?”

“He wants to be alone.”

“Oh.” There didn’t seem to be much to add to that. After another moment of silence, she asked, “Did the doctors say he’d be okay?”

“He needs some stitches for the cut on his forehead. About four, I think. And they want to monitor him overnight for possible concussion but he’s refusing to stay the night.”

Of course he was. The man wasn’t sane or rational. He probably bared his teeth at the doctors the way he did at her. Savage. Unaware that her thoughts were translating into angry muttering, Max looked up and into Adi’s amused eyes.

“He’s not that bad you know. He just has a lot on his plate.”

“Don’t we all? We don’t go around snarling at people.”

“Well, in all fairness, you did –“

“Don’t say it. I know!” Groaning, Max let her head fall back against the wall. “I’ve tried to apologize.”

Chuckling a little, Adi murmured, “I bet that didn’t go down too well in his current mood.”

“King of understatement, as always.” Grinning affectionately at him, Max contemplated the mess that was this evening.

She hadn’t known Adi long, having met him only a week earlier when she signed up for guitar classes but they’d managed to bond over their love for street food.

That and the fact that they were the only ones in class who were completely and totally tone deaf.

Offering him a ride home after their last disastrous class had led to the even more disastrous events of the evening.

“I need to go call my other brother. The one who’s out of town.

I’ll be back in a bit.” Pulling his mobile out of his jeans pocket, he loped off in the direction of the entrance doors.

Giving those entrance doors and their promise of escape a longing look, Max settled back into her seat, waiting for the nurse or duty doctor to appear.

A squeal and a sudden commotion over by the ogre’s bed had her looking over in time to see a nurse exiting from behind the curtain in a huff.

The ass probably tried to pinch her bum.

Snickering a little, she stood to try and ease the stiffening of her leg muscles.

As busy as the casualty ward was, this shouldn’t take forever.

Scanning the ward for any sign of the nurse she’d spoken with, she found her eye drawn to the ogre’s curtain that was now shaking rather ominously.

More rustling followed by the appearance of a long trouser clad leg.

A leg that looked like it was escaping without doctor’s approval.

Frowning, Max took a step forward before stopping at the sight of the other leg joining its partner.

If he wanted to behave like an idiot, let him.

She’d tolerated as much abuse as she possibly could for the night.

Lips firming, she was about to turn away when she heard a voice behind her.

“Ma’am?”

Turning, she found the squealing nurse behind her. “Yes?”

“You came in with the gentleman in that bed?” Gesturing towards the legs that were slipping on their shoes, she continued without waiting for an answer, “I need your help.”

“We came in together but we aren’t together.” The nurse’s incomprehension had her sighing, “What can I do to help?”

“He refuses to let me give him the injection the doctor prescribed. I’ve informed the doctor but he is busy with an emergency and will reach only in another fifteen minutes.

I have to give him the test dose of the local anesthetic ma’am or he cannot get the stitches he needs.

I haven’t met such a rude and arrogant man before.

So difficult to manage.” Throwing her hands up, she muttered something more in Malayalam which didn’t sound very complimentary.

Stifling a smile, Max said, “Join the club. His brother will be back in a few minutes. He’s just making a call. I’ll ask him to talk and-“

“He is leaving now! Look!” The angry exclamation had Max turning towards the bed again and yes, he was on his feet now. Swaying but on his feet.

Resigning herself to the fact that the next few minutes were going to be unpleasant, Max made her way over to the tall, blood stained figure that looked like he would topple over at any minute.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Leaving. Something you should try.” The terse response bordered on a snarl. Unwilling to let it deter her, Max planted herself in his way.

“Move.”

“No.”

Fury darkened his eyes, making her swallow nervously.

“I said move!”

Fascinated, Max watched him get the words out through furiously gritted teeth. Starting to enjoy pissing him off now, she grinned, “Make me.”

“Excuse me?” Disbelief darkened every syllable.

“I said make me.” Her impish grin spread, lighting up her whole face.

“I could move you with one finger.”

“Normally, yes.” Lifting up her own index finger, Max said, “Let’s see what I can do with mine okay?” Making sure his eyes were tracking her finger, Max leaned in and pressed against the still raw and oozing wound on his forehead.

A yelp of pain followed by a stream of the most imaginative curses possible had her blinking. Smiling sweetly, she helped him topple back into his bed.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” Groaning, he shut his eyes before asking, “What the hell was that?”

“That was me making a point.” Waiting till his breathing evened out, she sat on the side of his bed and asked, “What was the point you were trying to make by leaving without getting treated?”

“I hate hospitals.” Pain and fatigue had him lowering his guard. Keeping his eyes shut, he wondered if there was a part of his body that didn’t ache like it had been trampled by buffaloes at the moment.

“I doubt there is anyone who doesn’t. Well, except for maybe doctors and nurses.”

One eye opening disbelievingly at that statement, he took in the sight of her perched on his attender’s stool. She looked like she’d settled in for the long haul. God help him.

Chattily, she continued, “Think about it. They chose to spend the majority of their waking hours here. They would never have done that if they didn’t secretly adore the place. The white walls, the antiseptic smell, the stretchers and the wheelchairs. It’s probably what gets them off at night.”

His lips twitched. Hard as he tried, he couldn’t control the grin that made them curve.

Encouraged by the unwilling, barely visible smile, Max asked, “Don’t you think so?”

Silence. The twitch in the lips disappeared leaving her to doubt its brief appearance.

Lowering her voice, she whispered confidentially, “Personally, I think what seals the deal is the bed pan.”

“No.” Opening his eyes, he looked at her and smiled. “I think it’s the easy access to drugs.”

Feeling that lethal smile warm places inside of her that she hadn’t known existed, Max stared dazedly back at him. Eyes dancing with amusement that invited her to dive in and share in it had Max smiling back helplessly.

“Why won’t you take the test dose?” That sex on the rocks voice scraped pleasurably over his tense nerves and had him feeling more than a little drugged. Who needed anesthesia? They should just have her sit next to all their patients and talk them to bliss.

Putting one delicate hand on his arm, she gave him a gentle shake.

“Why? I’m just going to keep bugging you till you tell me so you may as well give in quickly.”

“My parents died in a car crash.” The almost inaudible murmur cut off anything else she came up with.

“My mom was killed on impact but my dad was rushed to the nearest hospital in critical condition.” Unable to believe the words coming out of his mouth, he stared unblinking at a yellow patch on the ceiling.

“Towards the end, I prayed he wouldn’t make it just so he didn’t have to go through what the doctors were putting him through.

” Swallowing hard, he shook his head, “I hate hospitals after that. Can’t stand to be at the mercy of anyone in it. ”

“CEO of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the country and phobic about hospitals. This has to be the eighth wonder of the world.”

“How do you know I’m in pharmaceuticals?”

“Your brother talks.” Rolling her eyes, she added dryly, “A lot.”

“Thank God I have easy access to drugs too.” The muttered growl set her off again. Laughing easily, she patted his hand with a strangely maternal air.

“You came willingly. No one had to force you.” She pointed out.

“That was the sane, rational me that disappeared the minute we reached this place.”

“ That was you being sane and rational????” The laughter vibrating through her voice had him chuckling as well.

“What can I say? You landed on my bad side.”

Rich, throaty laughter rang through the ward and had heads turning in their direction. Enjoying the sight of her chortling away on the narrow metal stool more than he should, Krish let the laughter wind through him and relax the last of his tense muscles.

Still smiling, Max leaned forward and rested an elbow on the side of the bed. “Let them do it.”

“No.”

“I’ll make you a deal. That should appeal to the businessman in you.”

When he only glowered at that, she continued. “So here’s the deal. You let them treat you, pricks and all. I mean, not pricks, not those kind of pricks.” Flushing, she straightened from her more intimate lean over his bed at his sardonic grin, “Injections and all.”

“And?”

Since his proximity had managed to fry her brain again, she only managed a stupid, “And?”

“What do I get in return? A deal usually has two sides to it, doesn’t it?”

“I’ll hold your hand through the whole of it.” The offer escaped her lips before she could clamp them shut. Apparently her brain had still not caught up with her mouth. Echoes of shared laughter and bitter insults shared in the space of the last few hours hung in the silence that fell between them.

“Okay.” Closing his eyes, he held his hand out, palm open. Placing hers in it, Max let his huge palm engulf hers. Large, hard and warm, it dwarfed hers.

As she stared a trifle mesmerized at their clasped palms, he murmured, “Bird bones.”

“Sorry?” Startled, she looked up but found he still had his eyes closed.

A small dimple winked at her as a smile creased his cheek.

“When you landed on me, I thought you were a bag of bones. I stand corrected. You have bones like a fragile, little bird. You might want to close your mouth and call the nurse.”

For the first time since they’d met earlier that evening, Max was stunned enough to do exactly what he asked.