Ritika lay curled up against Abhiram, her cheek gently pressing against the dampness of his chest while listening to his heart pounding against its cage. His arms were around her, clasping her tight in a silent promise to never let her go. She loved the way he cuddled her.

Ritika rasied her head and studied him quietly. His heavy lidded gaze roamed lazily over her nude body and his mouth was twisted into a subtle smile. She trembled at his bold perusal and the next instant, he pulled the duvet over to cover them both.

"Sorry," he murmured into her ear and her skin broke into goose bumps. Did he think she was trembling because she was cold? She smiled at her husband's ignorance. She ran her fingers over his unshaven jaw and planted a kiss on his chin.

"What have you decided?" she asked him.

"Good plan, Ritu. You totally wore me out and now you want to discuss?"

"Tell me. Why are you so reluctant?" Ritika had to know what was bothering him so much. Why was he so averse to the idea of another child?

"First one, I'm not ready to share you with one more human being. Already, Abhika has taken up all of your heart leaving me with only a paltry corner." Abhiram murmured.

"Do you realize how cheesy and stupid you sound, Ram? These are all excuses. I want the real reason. "

Abhiram inhaled deeply.

"I don't want to let go of what we have now. We have time for each other now, which won't be the case if we have one more kid. Have you even thought of the responsibility? The stress? You were so sick during the early months the first time around. It's a whole lot of things, Ritu."

"Obviously, responsibility comes with it. And being sick is inevitable with being pregnant. Do you think it is fun to put on twenty kilos of weight and waddle around the house?"

Abhiram looked amused. He chuckled softly.

"You looked cute. Hot, perhaps." The next moment, she felt him stirring against her and her eyes widened.

"You.Are.Unbelievable," Ritika enunciated each word.

"More like insatiable. May be we should put on some clothes."

He gently swatted his palm against her bottom and got out of the bed to put on his boxers. Ritika too scrambled out of the bed and reached for her dress.

"Okay give me six months to play the idea in my head," Abhiram tried negotiating but it only earned him a glare.

"Three months?" Abhiram raised his brow.

Ritika sighed. He really didn't seem ready. May be she should reconsider the idea.

"Fine, let me think too. Now that you have told me what you feel."

***

It was ten in the morning. Abhiram was at the hospital. The medical administrator had called him a while ago and asked him to join him post-lunch for a quick chat. Apparently he wanted to pick Abhiram's brain about the ER-ICU set up.

Rohan and Sara were in his room too.

Sara was on the laptop, typing a case report for publication. Rohan had been ogling at Sara for the past ten minutes but to no avail. Abhiram shook his head at his junior's pathetic attempts at wooing a girl. Not that he was a pro, but he definitely did better than this, he thought.

The ear-splitting siren from an ambulance reached the ER. Rohan and Sara were immediately on their way to receive the patient. A middle aged man was wheeled in to the ER in a stretcher, his shirt covered in blood and looking disoriented.

"He vomited blood," the bystander, a young lad in his twenties informed them.

Sara took charge of the patient and with the ER team, she tried to

His vitals were not stable. His pulse was feeble and he seemed to have trouble breathing.

"Is his airway secure?" Abhiram demanded, his eyebrows lifted accusatorily at Sara.

"Quick. Check his saturation," he ordered. Sara followed is instructions. Normally she

It was falling rapidly. There was blood in the patient's windpipe. The patient needed to be intubated immediately.

"Damn," Abhiram muttered.

His reflexes were jet fast, more so when he attended to an emergency. Soon the team, headed by Abhiram, was on the mission to resuscitate the patient. Sara tried her hand at putting the tube down the patient's wind pipe but there was so much blood that she couldn't see anything. Then, with Abhiram's assistance, she finally managed to do it.

Rohan and the nurses assisted the two of them. The patient was diagnosed to have ruptured esophageal varices, so they sought the gastroenterologist's opinion. Meanwhile, the patient's blood sample was sent for tests and for making arrangements for blood transfusion. Cold saline wash of the esophagus was done and some drugs were injected into his blood. After stabilizing the patient, he was shifted to surgical ICU.

Abhiram took a deep breath.

"Phew. That was gory," Rohan

"Alcohol does that to you," Abhiram said blandly.

"I couldn't intubate the patient,sir," Sara's lips curled down.

"It's okay .Sara. There was too much blood in the field."

"Hmm but what if you weren't there?" Sara was sure she would've lost the patient.

"That's why you have senior staff posted along with the juniors, right? Don't worry." Abhiram consoled her.

***

-Are you free for a cup of coffee?-

Abhiram pinged Ritika.

-I have a small procedure. It will take ten minutes.

Ritika messaged

-I have a terrible headache. Need caffeine urgently.

Abiram replied.

-Okay,go ahead- Came her reply.

It had been a grueling morning. Abhiram asked Rohan and Sara to join him for coffee. Rohan was still typing some details regarding the patient into the Hospital Information System.

"Give me five minutes, sir, please."

"Make it fast man.

It took nearly twenty minutes by the time Rohan finished his work. The three of them soon reached the cafeteria.

"Sara, why did you choose emergency medicine?" Rohan asked casually.

"I lost my uncle to a heart attack. I was at home that day and it was a nightmare."

Abhiram leaned against his chair and stretched out his leg.

"Mine is a similar story, My granddad suffered a heart attack," Abhiram said, vividly  remembering that day.

They chatted about life in general while waiting for coffee.

***

Ritika washed her hands thoroughly and wiped her hands on a clean towel. She had just finished a derma- peeling procedure for one of her patients. She had one more minor procedure but the appointment was after twenty minutes, that gave her a small time window for a coffee. She took the canteen card which she could swipe at the café. She sent Abhiram a quick message asking if he was free. She didn't get a reply so she headed to the café, Alone

As soon a she reached the entrance of cafeteria, she spotted Abhiram , Rohan and Sara. Rohan was laughing his head off. Sara seemed to be hooked to what Abhiram was saying.A sharp pang of jealousy hit her and she didn't feel like staying there anymore.Ritika made a silent retreat and walked back to her OPD.

She asked her assistant to order a coffee for her. She would have it here.

Why hadn't he called her? Didn't he tell her he wanted coffee urgently nearly half an hour ago? She had told him it would only take her ten minutes, still he didn't tell he would wait for her,But he waited for Rohan and Sara. Couldn't he have called her and checked?

***