Sadhna saw Vikky and recognized him immediately. Vedant had showed her the boys pictures when they on the flight. She approached him immediately.

"Vikky, right?"

Vikky could only nod his head.

"Apke dadaji andar hai, he gained consciousness a few minutes ago, he is waiting for you. Go meet him."

Vikky rushed inside immediately. His pops lay on the bed looking pale and fragile. Vedant Malhotra was a larger than life character. He was his super hero, his partner in crime. How could he fall sick on him?

Vedant saw Vikky come in gave a tired smile. His amber eyes filled with love. He held out his hand, motioning Vikky to come to him, but Vikky stood rooted to his spot. He was not prepared to see his pops so vulnerable.

"Ajaa baccha" Vedant's voce was hoarse. Vikky's eyes filled up, he rushed to his side immedaitely.

"I am fine, bacha." Vedant caressed his face gently, "Dekh, I am perfectly fine."

Vikky looked away to hide his tears. Vedant tried to get up but Vikky pushed him back gently, "Kya kar rahe ho, pops. Lete raho aap. Please." A stary tear escaped his eyes. Vedant wiped it away gently.

"Rotey nehi bachha. Tu to mera sher hai na? My brave, bacha?"

"Itna brave bhi nehi banna mughe, pops. You cannot scare me like this. You are supposed to be strong. You are supposed to......"

"Vikky, Vikky calm down beta...."

"I do not want to calm down pops. You are 58, for god's sake you need to slow down. How much do you want to earn? Don't we have enough?"

Vedant sighed, "We have enough Vikky, but we need funds for the business. Your buddy has only one dream, beta. I want him to have that." His eyes filled with sadness, "I want to see him happy."

"Buddy is happy, pops. If you keep working yourself into the grave, he will not appreciate it. We already have a thriving restaurant. Pops got the loan for the resorts, why do you insist on running around? Ever heard of retirement old man?"

"Abey buddha hoga tera baap....."

"Right, if my dad is old, that makes you ancient." Vedhat whacked him gently. Vikky grabbed his hand and placed a warm kiss on his palm. He looked so fragile. Where was the Mighty Malhotra that ruled their home? He wanted his old pops back.

"Slow down, pops. Please. If you cannot do it for yourself, do it for us, you know that we cannot live without you right?"

Vedanth sighed, "I know bacha, I will slow down. Stop sounding so upset. I hate seeing you upset."

"Then why did you make him upset?" Vivek's voice startled them.

"Aa gaye, hitler" Vikky whispered, "You are in for a good scolding. Be prepared old man" 

Vedant could not hold back the smile. Vivek saw the smile and got annoyed, "What is so funny dad? Do you realize you are in the hospital?"

Vikky and Vedant shared an amused look.

"Can you two stop doing that?" Vivek glared at them.

"Aaab kya kar deya hum dono ne, buddy. Kyun chilla rahe ho yaar?" Vikky stood up, "Pops bemar hai na? Bemar admi ko koi daatta hai? pyar se baat karo aap. Okay?"

Vivek whacked him hard, Vikky winced, "Yaar this is not fare, buddy. Hospital me bhi aapko hitlergiri dekhane hai. So not done yaar, Pops dekho dad maar rahe hai. Aapko pata hai in char dino me kitna mara inhone mughe. Mughe TV bhi dekhne nehi deya. He is such a meanie I tell you. I you sure he is your son??? Pakka garbage bin se uthaya hoaga na aapne inhe.....ouch" He winced as Vivek grabbed hold of his ear, "Lag rahe hai, buddy, kya kar rahe ho yaar. lag rahe hai apke bache ko."

"Aab bol kya bol raha tha. Bol na...."

"Kuch nehi mere baap...."

"Exactly, baap hoon main tera. Buddy kehdene se kuch nehi badalta. Stop cribbing and go get some coffee. I need to talk to dad."

"Meaning, you need to scold him?"

Vivek glared at him.

"Yaar problem kya hai aapke buddy? Kese ko date bena nehi reh saktey kya? Khana nehi hazam hotaa aapka? I mean...."

"VIKRAM"

Vikky shut up immediately. That was a warning bell. If he said another word he would not like the consequences. 

"Chup ho gaya main" He dared to whisper when  Vivek continued to glare.

"Go get the coffee."

Vikky huffed and left the room. One day he would learn to be brave, he told himself as he walked out. That day he would would not let his buddy bully him!

"Aww Big-b. The brat is dumb, I tell you" Vish laughed. Vikky glared at his younger brother annoyed. The brat word was rubbing at him the wrong way.

"Why is the brat.... I mean kid dumb?" 

"Come on, big-b. Aisa bhi kabhi hua hai ke koi beta apna dad se jeet paya ho? I mean did it ever happen in history? Really curious. Did the brat ever get to bully his buddy back?"

"Come on dumbo, dads are very cool." Vibha shook her head, "Humare dad ko he le lo. He is so cool. He lets us do anything we want. He is such a sweetheart."

"Correction Vibha, he lets you do anything you want" Vish huffed. Life was so unfair. Vibha was free to do anything she wanted, where as he had to watch his every move. He conveniently forgot that, he was the one who actively chased trouble.

"That is because you are a brat."

'So is the kid in the story" Vish sighed, "No doubt he gets whacked so often. Hai na big-b?"

Put like that Vikky knew he was right. As much as he would like to deny it, he had been a brat. He was still a brat!

"Phir kya hua?" Vibha nudged him gently.

"Phir woh gaya coffee lena. Hospital coffee sucks, have I told you this before?"

"A thousand times big-b. Now can we focus on the story please?"

Vikky sighed. He had once cribbed that he was being bullied by his buddy, god took offense and sent him three more bullies. He was doomed to be bullied for the rest of his life, but surprisingly he wanted just that.

"So he went to get the coffee, what happened then?" Vishal nudged him again.

"Then he met her again."

"The princess?"

Vivek nodded his head. He would remember the meeting for the rest of their life. He ordered the coffee and sat down at the table. He remembered the sadness that engulfed him. He had been putting a brave face for his pop, but he was scared inside. He knew his buddy did not like seeing his tears, but he needed to cry. He needed to let go of the fear. His pops was fine. He would come back home with them same. He told himself again and again, but the tears refused to subside. A sob threated to escape, but he bit it down.

When he could not control the tears anymore, he put his head on the table and cried silently. He did not want anyone seeing his tears so he shielded his face with his arms. He did not know how long he sat there crying.  When he was done with tears, he forced himself to lift his head. he was surprised to see Sadhna sitting there, opposite to him.

He was embarrassed that she caught him crying. Sadahna handed him a tissue silently.

"Feeling better?" She spoke gently. Vikky looked away embarrassed.

"It is okay to cry, Vikram. You do not have to embarrassed about your tears. They speak about your love for your grandfather. Love should always be celebrated."

Vikky looked back at her. She sounded so kind that his embarrassment faded away. She helped his grandfather, he had been too overwhelmed to thank her before. 

"Thank you, Miss. Roy. Aapne pops ke bohot madat ke....."

"I did what anyone in my place would have done, Vikram. You do not have to thank me. Here have this." She placed a warm coffee in his hands. He had not realized that she was holding the coffee cup.

"It does not taste great, but it will help you feel better. Your pops is absolutely fine. How can he not be fine, when he has such a loving grand child?"

Vikky gave her a sad smile. "I wish he gets well soon."

"He will Vikram. He loves you a lot. The only thing he was talking about on the flight was you and his son. He adores you two. You are really lucky to have someone care so much."

Vikky nodded his head. He indeed was very lucky. 

"Drink" She coaxed gently.

He took a sip and winced. She said it did not taste good, truth was it sucked. She gave him a sweet smile.

"I know, but you need the drink. Make do with it."

Vikky sighed but finished his coffee. Like she said it made him feel better. He knew his buddy would be worried too. So he got up to order a new coffee. He was sure the old one would have gone cold. Sadhana got up with him.

"Aap ghar nehi gaye abhi tak?" He could not stop himself from asking.

Sadhna shook her head, "There is a storm outside, I am not getting cabs. I am stuck here till the storm subsides."

"Oh, where do you stay?"

"Amaya hills"

Vikky knew the place very well. It was twenty minutes away from the hospital. "Don't bother with the taxi, Miss Roy, Buddy aapko drop kar denge."

"Are nehi, I don't want to trouble anyone...."

"You helped us so much, Miss Roy" Vikky cut her off gently, "The least we can do is make sure you get back home safe. Please I insist."

Sadhna looked at taken aback.

"Kya hua? Aap aise kyun dekh rahe ho?"

"You were raised very well, Vikram. Your parents did a good job with you."

Vikky smiled at the compliment. He got it very often. Though he was always in and out of trouble, people found him charming for some reason. He was definitely not complaining. He placed the order for the coffee. Sadhana's phone buzzed. She excused herself and moved away to take the call. The waiter placed the coffee on the counter, he picked it up. The waiter had filled the coffee to the brim. He needed to be careful.

He was so focused on not spilling the coffee that he did not see the person standing behind him and collided with him. The scalding hot coffee spilt all over him.

"I am so sorry...." He looked up with guilt in his eyes, but the moment he saw Rajveer the guilt faded. He was not mean, but he did feel an odd satisfaction. No one insulted his buddy and got away scott free. God did work in mysterious ways.

"Dekhai nehi deta kya?" A sharp feminine voice startled him. A young lady stepped into his line of vision, shooting daggers at him. For a second something flickered in her hazel eyes, but then her eyes blazed, changing a dark green, in anger. "Did no one teach you to look around? Look what you did" She chastised as she reached for Rajveer's hand. 

"It was not his fault " Rajveer pulled his hand back, "The kid was not watching Aashi...."

"Exactly. He is blind" the lady referred to as Aashi hissed.

"Watch it, lady" Vikky could not hold back his tongue. He was taught to respect people, but he was also taught to take a stand for himself. He was at fault and he would apologize, she had no right calling him names.

"I was not seeing, I apologize, it was a mistake. You do not have to be so harsh"

The lady looked at him. Her eyes sizzling, changing color yet again. He was sure it was the light playing tricks. Eyes never changed colors. His science teacher insisted on it.

"Ek to galti karte ho aur upar se zubaan chaltey ho? Tameez nehi sekhya maa baap ne?" Her tone was so cold that it could cut though glass. Vikky rolled his eyes. The tone suited the 'ice-queen' image she portrayed. Dressed in an elegant black dress, that was completely off place in a hospital, she looked like a haughty princess. The pears she was wearing around her dainty little neck, screamed 'rich'. He was sure she was the Lamborghini type girl. The one who never had to lift a finger in her life. The sharp six inch Louboutin heals she was wearing, which was completely impractical in a place like theirs, was proof enough. 

"Nehi sekhaya, mumma, aap he sekha do yaar." He drawled. The lady gasped and took a step back as if he had struck her. Rajveer gently drapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. The protective stance was not lost on him. So she was his girl? That did not surprise him either. They looked made for each other. Ice-Man weds the Ice-Queen, he could even visualize the headlines.

"Battamez" The ice-queen composed herself and took a step forward, "Abhi sekhatey hoon tumhe, tameez" She raised her hand to strike him. He was too shocked to react. Before the the hand could make impact, someone held her hand. They all looked up as buddy gently pushed me behind his back. 

"Did he punch her back?" Vibha's eyes blazed with anger. How dare the lady try to hurt the kid. If she was in the man's place, she would have definitely decked the ice-queen.

"She was a lady, princess." Vikky ruffled her curly hair. She was a lioness in making. He could see the spark in her soft eyes.

"So what? He should have decked her. Dad would if someone tried to touch one of us." Vish was filled with indignation, "what kind of a monster hits a child?"  

"First thing Vikky, the boy was not a child, like you so charmingly put it, he was indeed a brat." Vish huffed. He still was unconvinced. 

"Second thing, there are no monsters. Situations influence a person's behavior. You only one side of the story, like the boy in the tale did. My experience taught me that there are always two sides to a story. One should not judge before knowing the entire truth."

"But I want to judge her big-b" Vibha insisted, "the boy did nothing wrong. I hate her already. Is she the bad guy?"

"Hate is a strong emotion, Princess. Don't use the word lightly. And you are being biased"

"What if I am biased. I want to be biased." She insisted, "She is a villain, and villains never get happy ending. I hope she....."

"When you are biased Vibha you start becoming unfair to the person. Being biased is not something you should ever feel proud about. Biased people can never analyze the situation, they only focus on the negativity and loose the bigger picture. Our parents taught us to be fair, right?"

"Ok fine" Vibha huffed, "Tell me the whole story, and then I will decide."

Vikky pressed a warm kiss on her forehead, "That like my little princess. I am so pound"

"Phir kya hua?" Vish asked.

Vikky closed his eyes. His buddy had always been protective about him, and the lady had dared to raise her hand. When he saw his buddy, he was very sure that the lady was in for it, but he was taken aback when his buddy stood there in absolute silence.

The lady took one look at his buddy and took a step back.

"Tum?"

"Aashi...."

"Khushi" The ladies eyes blazed, "Khushi Birla, Mr. Malhotra. Mughe Aashi bulane ke aukaad nehi hai tumhare."

Vikky took offence immediately, her voice the way she said it, everything was insulting.

"Watch it woman, how dare you......"

"Vikram, bas" His buddy's sharp tone startled him.

"Buddy?? She just insulted you, she tried to hit me, why are you taking it? And the how the hell do you know her?"

"What happened?" His buddy did not answer his question.

"That is not the point buddy..."

"WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"I spilt coffee on that dude....."

"Did you apologize?"

"Are aap samajh nehi rahe ho, buddy...."

"DID YOU APOLOGIZE VIKRAM?"

Vikky flinched. His buddy never used that tone on him, and definitely not Infront of strangers. His eyes filled, he lowered his head so no one could see the sheen of tears in his eyes, and shook his head.

"Say sorry, and leave."

Vikky did not want to.

"Did you not hear, what I said, Vikram? Apologize, now."

"I am sorry, dude....."

"Mr. Mittal, I am sorry Mr. Mittal" Vivek corrected.

"I am sorry, Mr. Mittal. I should have been careful."

Rajveer sighed, "Its okay Vikram, it was not your fault. I was not looking either."

"Suna aapne buddy" Vikky looked up, "Aap....."

Vikky saw the warning in his buddy's eyes and fell silent.

"Go to your pops, Vikky. We will discuss this later."

Vikky gulped. He hated discussions. He would rather take a punch to his face that one of Vivek Malhotra's discussions. At that moment he hated the ice-queen more. He hoped she would freeze soon!