Page 26 of Substitute Bride

"I’ve never spared anyone who’s raised their voice at me, yet I still want to help you. And I know that when you find out, you’ll completely misunderstand me again. I just can’t figure out why I want to help you at all."

~~~~~

Jhankar and Chitrali are sitting outside the operation theater, holding each other’s hands tightly to offer strength in this critical moment.

Tears are continuously flowing from Chitrali’s eyes, but she holds herself together for her daughter’s sake.

She keeps looking up, silently thanking God for the unexpected solution to such a massive problem in their lives.

All she wants now is for Raghunath to recover.

PAST INCIDENT

"Doctor, I have only been able to collect ?5.50 lakh so far."

"Ohhh…."

Jhankar speaks to the doctor hesitantly, embarrassed but determined to get her father’s surgery done as soon as possible. She approaches him personally to explain.

"You might be wondering why I’m telling you this. You know I’m Vikrant Dhanraj’s wife, but my parents don’t want any help from him. I can’t fully explain it, but please try to understand. We come from a middle-class family."

"I completely understand your concerns. Don’t worry. Let me show you something. Just give me two minutes."

Jhankar watches him intently as he starts gathering a few papers and checks some details. He hands her 3–4 documents and says,

"This is a large organization that covers 70% of the cost for around 200 heart surgeries each year. Please fill out this form correctly and return it to me. Based on your father’s case, the organization will bear 70% of the total costs—from surgery to hospitalization.

From my estimate, you’ll only need to pay around ?2.

5–3 lakh out of the total ?15–16 lakh cost. The rest will be covered. "

Jhankar is stunned by the information, but a smile appears on her face as she carefully reads the documents. Everything the doctor said is written clearly. She feels deeply relieved and starts filling out the form right away. As she writes, the doctor continues speaking.

"As far as I can see, you won’t have a problem managing the cost of medicines. But if you do, just let me know. We can figure something out."

"No, this is more than enough. Other people need help with medicines too. The help I needed was for the surgery, and you’ve already given that. Thank you very much."

"It’s our duty..."

PAST INCIDENT ENDS

Jhankar feels deeply relieved, knowing her father’s surgery will proceed, and she’s no longer stressed about other aspects.

She now sits beside her mother, waiting for the operation to conclude.

She looks ahead—Vikrant is quietly sitting there.

In the past few days, he hasn’t disturbed her even once.

When she refused his financial help, he didn’t pressure her at all.

What she particularly liked was that, in spite of her desperation, Vikrant—who could have helped—did not try to impose his assistance.

Instead, he told the doctor directly that he wouldn’t pay anything for her father’s treatment, respecting her parents' wishes.

As a result, the doctor found an alternative solution.

Vikrant has been constantly involved, speaking with the doctors and staying at the hospital.

He even sends Jhankar home to rest while he stays with her father.

She knows Vikrant has OCD and avoids hospitals and similar places, yet he’s still here.

She keeps staring at him while he’s working on his MacBook.

Suddenly, he looks up and sees her watching him.

He doesn’t react or gesture; he just silently acknowledges her gaze.

Jhankar then shifts her focus back to her mother, who is still worried about the surgery.

She can feel Vikrant still looking at her.

Soon, a man returns with coffee for everyone.

After several hours, when the operating theater doors finally open, she immediately rushes to the doctor.

“My father…?”

“The surgery was very successful. His condition is stable. He’ll be shifted to the ICU, and we’ll monitor him.

If everything looks good, he’ll be moved to a regular room tomorrow morning.

Once he regains consciousness, we’ll better assess his condition.

Due to his age and thyroid condition, we can’t make any guarantees just yet. But there’s no need to worry.”

After hearing this, Jhankar hugs her mother in relief. Vikrant observes them quietly. It’s the first time he’s seen Jhankar smile so brightly, with tears in her eyes. She looks at him briefly, but he resumes working on his MacBook, seemingly unfazed.

Once Raghunath is shifted to the ICU, Chitrali and Jhankar watch him through the glass with grateful, relaxed expressions. Vikrant, standing behind them, speaks to Chitrali.

"The doctor said no one is allowed to stay here, so we should all go home now… But Mansion is a little bit far, so we are staying at my penthouse, which is nearby."

Chitrali glances at Jhankar, then at Raghunath, and pleads.

“I don’t want to go. Please understand—I want to stay here.”

“There’s no point. My men are here, and the hospital staff is excellent.

If anything happens, we’ll be informed immediately.

I’m not sending you home—my penthouse is nearby.

We’ll go there. You’ll eat and rest. Tomorrow morning, when he’s moved, we’ll be here with him.

If you stay here tonight, you won’t sleep or rest, and then you will be in no condition to care for him tomorrow. ”

Chitrali looks helplessly at Jhankar, who agrees with Vikrant and says,

“Mom, we’re not going far. Vikrant’s penthouse is nearby. If you don’t feel comfortable, we’ll come right back.”

Chitrali nods. Vikrant moves forward and signals them to follow.

Both women start walking behind him. Jhankar looks back toward the ICU, about ten staff members are stationed there, clearly showing Raghunath isn’t alone.

A soft smile appears on her face. Vikrant opens the car door for Chitrali, who looks at him and sits inside.

Jhankar joins her in the back seat. Once Vikrant sits in the front passenger seat, the driver starts the car.

Jhankar looks out cautiously, uneasy about being far from her father.

She isn’t troubled by Vikrant’s arrangements, but there are many things on her mind she wants to discuss with him.

Yet, despite his consistent assistance at the hospital, she finds it difficult to articulate her thoughts. They reach a building in ten minutes.

“Please come…”

Vikrant shows them the way and immediately brings them to his penthouse. As soon as they arrive, the working staff present there warmly welcome them and say to Jhankar and Chitrali,.

“Ma’am, food is ready. Please freshen up quickly. This way, please… we’ll show you your room.”

Both of them follow the staff, and Vikrant, seeing them go, immediately heads to his own room.

All three of them have their dinner comfortably, and afterward, they go to their respective rooms to rest. Jhankar is very upset.

She looks at her mother, who has fallen asleep due to excessive fatigue, but she needs to talk to Vikrant, which is why she’s feeling increasingly restless.

She looks at the clock—it shows 10:30. She knows he won’t be going to sleep so early, but the entire day at the hospital has been so hectic that she feels completely disoriented.

Still, she exits the room and begins scanning the surroundings.

She doesn’t see anyone around. As she moves slightly forward, she notices a girl walking toward her. Spotting her, Jhankar immediately asks.

“Where is Vikrant?”

“In his room, ma’am.”

“Where is his room…?”

“Please come…”

IN VIKRANT’S ROOM

“I’m very happy with your work, doctor. You’ve handled Jhankar very well.

And if there are any issues in the future, make sure you explain things to her in such a way that she doesn’t worry too much about the bill or anything else.

No matter how much the medicine costs, tell her the minimum amount…

Just take care of Mr. Raghunath. I don’t want any shortcomings in his treatment. ”

“OKAY SIR…”

Vikrant puts down his phone and stands comfortably near the window. A knock on his door prompts him to turn around. Jhankar is standing there. He looks at her.

“Yes…”

As soon as she hears his deep voice, Jhankar looks at him, then calmly walks inside and speaks.

“I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“I’m listening.”

“I want to know how much money you’ve spent on Papa’s treatment so far, because I don’t want to owe you anything.”

“Okay… Sure. I’m not very informed about that right now because the doctor hasn’t given me any bills yet. Once the bill arrives, you can settle it then. So far, I haven’t spent even a single penny on Uncle’s treatment—I’ve only arranged for him to be admitted to the hospital.”

Jhankar can only nod slightly because she really doesn’t understand him.

He is very calm and speaks to her like a gentleman.

Jhankar spends her entire day at the hospital these days, and in front of her mother, she doesn’t want to talk to Vikrant about anything, which adds to her distress.

Because of this, she’s always looking for an opportunity to speak to him privately and comfortably, since she cannot read his behavior at all—his demeanor could change in any direction.

She returns to her room, lies down next to her mother, and tries to sleep, but she is unable to rest. All she knows is that she has become perplexed within herself because everything is happening one after the other, making her situation even more overwhelming.

~~~~