Chapter: 52 (It hurts, here)

He sat on the chair near her holding her free hand into both of his hands and brought it near his lips and placed a kiss on it. He stared at her pale face while a drop of tear escaped from the corner of his eyes. His heart ached as he saw her injury.

He sent everyone home because it's already 1 am. "Mom you all go I am staying with her and don't worry if I need anything then I will let you know, okay?" He assured her and she agreed nonetheless.

He sat on the chair near her. His eyes were heavy and his body was also paining when sleep consumed him. "M... Mayank" his eyes opened hearing her murmur. "Seher" she opened her eyes slowly and blinked a few times to get a clear view and found him standing in front of her.

"Are... you alright?" She asked with difficulty her voice was too low but enough for him to hear. He looked at her confused. But when he filtered her words he pressed his lips in a thin line shutting his eyes tightly.

"You are lying on the hospital bed. You got shot with the bullet straight. Still, you are worried for me" he said and sook his head in disbelief. She tried to bring her fine hand slowly to his forehead when he held her hand. "What are you doing?" he asked, baffled. "Does it hurt?" Ignoring his question she asked, touching the bandage on his forehead slightly.

"It hurts, here" pointing towards his chest he placed her hand just above his heart. "Seeing you lying here it hurts," he said trying hard not to cry but his traitor tears betrayed him. She wiped his tears with her fingers and shook her head telling him not to cry.

"Don't cry" she said with much difficulty as she is too weak to even open her eyes. "Don't talk to me" saying he stood up turning his back towards her. "Look at me," she said, poking his arms but he slightly pulled away. "Mayank" she called him softly but he was still not looking at her. "Talk to me," she said softly but he was not looking at her. "I am injured and you are making it difficult for me" she pouted and he turned towards her.

"Why are you so selfless? Forgetting about your pain you are still thinking about me" he asked and she smiled. "Because I love you" she answered simply as he came closer to her face. "And what about my love? What you think only you love me and my love is nothing. Why do you always sacrifice yourself for me?" He asked staring into her eyes straight while tears escaped from his eyes and dropped on her cheeks. She wiped his face and stared at him. "You had already killed me. Do you have any idea what phase I went through in just five hours? You were in the ICU for five hours and it was killing me by each passing second" his voice was broken. She can feel his pain and her eyes become wet. Tears escaped from the corner of her eyes and she turned her head to the other side.

"Look at me," he said and she looked into his eyes. His heart melted seeing her watery eyes he kissed her both eyes and inhaled a sharp breath. "The slightest thought of losing you scares me to the core. I can't live without you and you didn't think about me before pulling the stunt" he said, caressing her cheeks. She felt his every word, it gave goosebumps in her body. Her heart felt his love and his fear both. She smiled with the content feeling of her heart.

"You can't live without me then how can you think I will live without you if something happened to you, I will die...." He put his finger on her lips and shushed her.

"Don't talk about death, now we are together with each other and that's enough" he said as she smiled. "I love you" she confessed with love-filled in her eyes. "I love you too," he said and placed his lips on her forehead letting his lips linger there for a long time.

The doctor checked up on her and told her to take complete bed rest for more than two weeks in the hospital as her wounds are still fresh which pissed her off. All the family members came in the morning. She was sleeping because of the medicine and Mayank already told them not to wake her up. Hearing some sounds she woke up and found everyone standing beside her waiting for her to wake up.

It took her a while to understand and when she was completely sober she felt embarrassed because everyone was waiting for her to wake up. "How are you feeling bachha(baby)" her mother in law asked. "Much better," she replied in a low tone. When she tried to sit up Mayank yanked her back and laid her down. "Don't get up. You are in bed rest" he said and she gave him a look 'are you serious' which he ignored and did what he wanted. Her mother in law sat near her and caressed her head. "Thank you so much dear, you don't have any idea what you did for me. You saved my son by putting your life at risk. Even though I want to, I can't thank you enough my whole life" she said her eyes held tears. "Mom please don't say like that and you don't have to thank me" she said. Everyone left after meeting her and wishing her to get well soon.

"Mayank no, I am not going to stay here any longer. It's been a week I am feeling suffocated here" she whined like a baby and he chuckled in his mind seeing her cute antics but made a straight face because he knew if he would be soft with her then she would demand him to take her home. He was taking much care of her.

"Are you done? Finish those apples right now" he ordered and her jaw fell. "I am not going to eat those apples either," she said, folding her arms across her chest, turning her head to the other side. He shook his head smiling at her and held the plate. He walked to the other side and sat on the bed.

"Eat," he said softly and she denied shaking her head. "You want me to force you," he asked and when she looked at him, he was serious. "You can't force m..." Without letting her complete the sentence he shoved the apple in her mouth that made her eyes wide.

"What the... " she tried to say after finishing the apple in her mouth but again he shoved another piece cutting her off. "Mayank stop it okay" her voice muffled. "You brought it on your own" saying that he made her eat all the fruits and she had no choice except this. After feeding her fruits he gave her medicines in which she made a bad face but his one glare and she gulped the medicine down cursing him under her breaths.

He wiped her mouth with a tissue and made her lay down on the bed tugging her with the duvet. He started caressing her head and soon she fell asleep because of the heavy doses.