Aryan

"For the last time, no you can't leave Mrs.Harding, you just suffered a heart attack and I need to monitor you for another day before I can discharge you."

"No fuck you all. I am leaving."Mrs. Harding tried to rip out her IV drips from her hand and one of the nurses stopped her.

"Call the security and tell them to wait outside her room until she is discharged tomorrow and has anyone informed her family members that she is here?" I questioned Nurse Emma while looking at the lady in her 50's yelling at the younger nurse.

"Yes her son is on the way, he just got caught in traffic."

"Okay good, keep an eye on her and page me if anything happens."

"Yes, Doctor Aryan." Nurse Emma assured me.

I walked out of the ICU and sighed. Another day, another chaotic patient to deal with. I checked my watch and saw the time, it was 4.p.m. Another 5 more hours and I could go home and cuddle with Mia. The thought of Mia brought a smile to my face. What has that girl done to me?

I am head over heels in love with her. I planned to tell her that real soon but I was just finding the right time to say it and I hope she wont run away or get disgusted with me.

I was busy daydreaming about her and walking down the hallways headed to the ED when I saw Shana walking in the opposite direction. I turned around to avoid her but I heard her calling out my name. I haven't seen Shana ever since that club incident. She should thank her lucky stars for that because Lord knows I wanted to give her hell for what she did. I was a pretty patient man and I was raised to never ever hit a woman, at least not intentionally but with Shana I really contemplated on letting my morality go and punch her if I could.

"Aryan, long time no see. How are you?" She grinned at me. God she is so hideous.

I stayed silent and just stared at her and her smile dropped.

"L-listen about the other day.... I know I was out of line. I shouldn't have...."

"Cut the crap Shana. I know you are not sorry about anything you did because if you were, you would have found me sooner and apologised. So from now on, I suggest you keep your distance with me and Mia and if I ever catch you insulting or speaking ill about her, know that I will find you and ruin you, your career and everything you genuinely ever cared about in your life." I threatened her and I could see take a few steps back.

"Yes... I understand." She gulped and staggered back.

"Good. Now get out of my sight," I walked away with so much anger burning inside of me, I practically felt like I was on fire. I walked to the nearby water dispenser and fetched myself a cup of water and downed it.

'Calm down Aryan, you can't meet patients like this'. I mentally advised myself.

I took some deep breaths and headed towards the ED department because I got paged.

I made it to the ED and the nurse gave me the details of the patient as I walked towards the room.

"Dr. Aryan, we have an 8-year-old girl in room 4 with chest pains. Her vitals are stable, but she's very frightened. Her parents are with her." Nurse Clara informs me.

"Okay thank you Clara." I opened the doors and a small girl with tears, sitting on the bed came into my view. Her mother and father were standing at the side with a worried look etched onto their faces.

"Hello love, what is your name?" I smiled at her.

"Lily." The little girl whispered.

"Okay Lilly, can you show me where it hurts?"

"All over here." Lily points to her chest area.

"Okay, Lily. I'm going to listen to your heart and check a few things. I promise to be gentle. Is that alright with you?"

Lily nodded and I pulled out my stethoscope and listened to her heartbeat attentively

"Breathe in and out slowly for me Lily. Just like that. Good job."

"Her heartbeat sounds regular, but I'd like to run a few tests to be thorough. We'll start with an electrocardiogram (ECG) to check the electrical activity of her heart and possibly an echocardiogram to get a detailed look at the heart's structure and function."

"Is she going to be okay doctor?" Her mom sounded worried.

"Chest pain in children can have many causes, and not all of them are serious. We need these tests to get a clear picture. The good news is her vitals are stable."

"Let's get an ECG and an echocardiogram scheduled for Lily right away and page Doctor Ciara," I informed Nurse Clara.

I made my way to the ECG room to ensure everything was prepared for Lily. A few minutes later the nurse rolled Lily in on a wheelchair.

"Lily. We're going to do a couple of tests now. This first one, the ECG, will just look at your heart's electrical activity. It won't hurt at all."I gave Lily an assuring pat on her shoulder so that she could relax a bit.

"Okay doctor."

The technician attaches the electrodes to Lily's chest, and she watches with wide eyes but remains calm

A few moments later were done with the test and the technicians helped her to remove the electrodes off her.

"The ECG results will help us understand what's happening with Lily's heart. We're also going to do an echocardiogram, which is like an ultrasound, to get a detailed picture of her heart." I explained to her parents and they just silently nodded.

Next we moved to the echocardiogram room and just as we stepped in Doctor Ciara arrived.

"Hello, I am Doctor Ciara, Doctor Aryan asked me to come take a look at Lily as well." Doctor Ciara introduced herself to Lily and her parents.

"Thanks for coming, Dr. Ciara. I want to ensure we cover all bases here."

"Absolutely Doctor Aryan. Hi Lily, I'm Doctor Ciara, I'm just going to check on you while Dr. Aryan does his tests, okay?" Lily nodded at her.

The technician and I begin the echocardiogram, the soft whirring of the machine filling the room. As they work, Dr. Patel gently talks to Lily, distracting her from the procedure.

"Let's get a good look at the valves and chambers."I told the technician.

The screen displays detailed images of Lily's heart, and I carefully examine them, making mental notes of anything unusual. Dr. Ciara observes as well, ready to provide her expertise from a paediatric perspective.

"Okay good job Lily, we are done with the tests now."

"What did the test say, doctor?" Lily's father asked me anxiously.

"We need to analyse the results thoroughly, but from what I can see, there are no immediate red flags. Dr. Ciara and I will review everything and discuss the next steps."

The nurse and I entered the consultation room to analyse the test results.

"No significant arrhythmias... Echocardiogram shows normal valve function and no structural abnormalities. That's good news." I made mental notes to myself as I reviewed the ECG and echo results. I came back to Lily's room again.

"I've reviewed the test results, and I didn't find any immediate concerns with her heart's electrical activity or structure. That's a very positive sign."

Lily's parents were relieved when I gave them the positive feedback.

"But then why is complaining that her chest hurts?" Lily's mom questioned.

"Sometimes, chest pain in children can be related to other issues like muscle strain, respiratory problems, or even anxiety. Given that her heart appears normal, we should consider these other possibilities."Doctor Ciara explained to her carefully and her mother grew worried again.

"I agree with Doctor Ciara, we'll conduct a few more tests to rule out any non-cardiac causes. A chest X-ray can help us check for respiratory issues, and we'll do a blood test to rule out any infections or other abnormalities."

"Let's get a chest X-ray and draw some blood for testing. We'll also keep her here for observation for a bit longer to monitor her symptoms and page Doctor Ram."

"I will arrange that right away and I will page Doctor Ram." Nurse Clara walked out of the room.

2 hours later, we got her X-ray and blood test results. I made my way to Lily's room this time and Doctor Ram, the respiratory specialist, followed me as well to meet Lily. He explained to Lily's parents that her X-ray came and blood test came back normal and there are no signs of an infection or any respiratory issue. We came to a conclusion that Lily might have had a muscle strain because her mother mentioned she has been training really hard for an upcoming soccer game. So we sent her home with some pain relief and recommended rest and relaxation.

By the time I was done with that one case alone, it was already 7p.m. Another two more hours to go. I was on my way to the ICU ward again when I heard my name being called on the intercom.

"Will Doctor Aryan please make his way to the admin area on the 2nd floor. Thank you. Damn what could that be about. I made my way to the second floor and the nurse behind the desk passed me a note that read 'Call Nina immediately'.

Why did I need to call Nina? Was something wrong?

I took out my phone from my pocket and saw many missed calls from Ragnar, Raymond, Albert and Nina. Why were they all calling me? I always kept my phone on silent and DND mode to avoid any distractions while I was in the middle of work. I was confused and then like a wave it dawned upon me. Mia. Fuck was she okay?.

I immediately called Nina and she picked up on the second ring

"Doctor Aryan finally answered your call.... It's Mia, she collapsed." Nina sounded all worried on the other end of the line.

The only words I heard were Mia and collapsed. The whole room started spinning, I had to grab onto the table to steady myself. I placed the hand on my forehead and I could feel the cold sweat forming on my forehead.

"How.... when...... where is she?" I choked up.

"We brought her to IHA. She is stable now but please hurry up and come here.

"I'm on my way Nina." I ended the call and spoke to the lady behind the desk

"Nurse Almira, can you please ask if Doctor Ryan can come in early today for his night shift. There is an emergency and I need to take care of it. I have to go to IHA immediately."

"Sure Doctor Aryan, I can call him up right now."

A few moments passed and Nurse Almira ended her call with Doctor Ryan.

"He said he can cover for you."

"Thank you Almira." I owed Ryan a big one. I immediately dashed out of there and back to the locker room, grabbed my things and ran outside to where Ragnar usually waited for me. There was a sign of relief in his face when he saw me.

"IHA now... Fuck I am so sorry I couldnt answer you call Ragnar... I was dealing with a patient and it took up most of my time."

"No need to explain, Doctor, I will bring the car around.''The black MercedesBenz pulled up on the driveway shortly and I got in. The entire ride to IHA felt agonisingly slow even though Ragnar was driving really fast.

"Fuck Mia, what happaned to you fiore?" Thoughts of her in pain and being hurt caused my eyes to swell up. I would die if anything happened to her. She was my everything, my love and my light. A world without Mia would be a dark cold place without any happiness and laughter. I would spiral downwards into a void and I would never come out of it. Fuck I wished I answered my phone. I should have been there with her.

"Please be okay fiore." I repeated those words in my head over and over again until we reached the hospital. When we reached the lobby, I got out and ran to the concierge.

"Mia....Mia Young, which floor is she admitted to?" I asked the lady behind the desk.

"Third floor, walk all the way straight, first room on the right."

"Thank you." I made my way to the elevator and went to the third floor and when the doors opened I ran till I reached her room. I noticed her father and Raymond were talking to some people in suits.

"Aryan, he is here." Raymond pointed at me and Darian looked up.

"What is going on?" I asked them.

"Mia, is inside why don't you go and see her first, she has been asking for you."

My heart constricted when Darian said that. She was looking for me and I wasn't there for her. I fucking hated myself at that moment.

I stood in front of her room, closed my eyes, took in a deep breath and entered. It was a posh looking room with cream coloured walls and a bed in the middle and monitors were placed on either side. My eyes instantly landed on a pair of dark brown eyes that looked me dead in the face. Mia had a tired look etched on her face. Her hair looked wild and she was wearing a white buttoned up sleeveless dress. She had an IV drip attached to her left hand. Even when she was sick she still looked gorgeous.

"Mia..... I...." I was so lost of words. Seeing her like that caused my heart to twist in pain.

"Finally he is here." She rolled her eyes at me.

"Aryan, you finally made it." Ravina spoke up.

Woah everybody was here and I didnt notice at all. Her mom, her two brothers and Ravina were all sitting on the couch on the opposite side of the bed.

"I..hello everyone." I greeted them. Hopefully they didn't mind me barging into the room like that.

"We will wait outside." Her mother smiled at me and they all walked out leaving me alone with Mia.

"You look like shit." Mia insulted me.

"Fiore, I am so sorry I didn't answer anybody's call. I was dealing with a case and it took so much time and I didnt know you collapsed baby. I am so sorry my love."

"Are you done?"

"Yes."

"Now come here." She gestured her hands asking me to come to her.

I walked towards her bed and sat down next to her and we both embraced each other tightly. I inhaled her scent and caressed her body to make sure she was actually sitting in front of me and she was okay.

"I'm fine baby, I just collapsed, that's all." Mia tried calming me down.

"What happened, why did you collapse?"

"Today something happened. Raymond and I were being chased on our way home. The thrill of the car chase was too much for me to handle and I collapsed when we arrived back."She shrugged it off like it was nothing.

"Car chase, who the fuck was chasing you?" I can feel myself growing angry at what she said.

" I have no idea. That is why my dad is speaking to the cops outside."

"Yeah I saw two people outside". I recalled seeing two people in suits outside talking to Darian and Raymond.

"We are trying to find out who that person might be".

"Fiore is someone trying to hurt you?" I placed my hands on her cheeks and it felt warm.

"I'm not sure. I mean being in this industry, you will definitely make some big enemies along the way. It could be anyone." She was busy trying to think of all the people who would potentially try to hurt her.

The thought of someone trying to hurt Mia drove me crazy. It infuriated me. I fisted my palm, my jaw clenched and was in deep in my thoughts about who was trying to hurt her until Mia cupped my cheeks

"Calm down, I'm fine." She gave me a weak smile.

"I should have been there with you fiore or at least picked up my damn phone". I grew angrier by the second.

"You are a doctor, you have plenty of patients to take care of and I understand you couldn't answer the call immediately."

"You are my patient too." I leaned into her touch and kissed her palm.

"I mean real patients, not the patient my dad bribed you to take care of." I almost lost it when she said that. Only Mia could make sarcastic comments right after facing a health scare

"I'm glad he did bribe me."

"And why is that?"

"Because I get to be with a pretty girl like you." I brushed my knuckles softly on her cheeks.

"Doctor Aryan, are you flirting with me?" Mia smirked.

"I believe I am." I moved closer to her and kissed her. We moved our lips in sync, never breaking away from each other. I cupped her cheeks and felt tears streaming down her face

"Fiore why are you crying, are you in pain?"I started panicking again.

"No I just missed you, you dumbass. I'm not always in pain."She pulled my collar and crushed my lips to her again. She tried climbing on me and I had to stop her.

"Fiore no, you have an IV drip on your hand and your parents might catch us."

"So what nobody cares, they probably already know that we are already dating."

"Baby no, you can't strain your heart."

"And annoying Aryan is back." She huffed and laid back down on her bed.

"I'm always going to be annoying when it comes to your health."

A few moments later, Doctor Chadha walked in with a younger looking nurse.

"Mia, how are you feeling now?." Doctor Chadha asked her with a warm smile.

"I'm good, doctor."

"Doctor Chadha is nice to see you again."I stood up and shook his hand. "How is Mia doing?"

"She is alright. We ran some tests on her and everything seems to be normal. She just had a muscle strain. With the car chase and the fact that she hit her head hard on the window placed her under massive stress. Due to that she just collapsed."

"You hit your head on the car window and didn't tell me?" I snapped my head back at her angrily and she just shrugged.

"She is alright though but we will monitor her for the night."

"Thank you Doctor Chadha." I gave him a crypt smile.

After Doctor Chadha left I sat next to her again and glared at her.

"Why didn't you tell me you hit your head?"

"Because you would freak out."

"So... you just thought you could hide that fact from me?"

"I hoped I could but Doctor Chadha already revealed it to you." She sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Are you born to drive me insane all my life?" I was almost yelling at this point.

"Maybe." Mia crossed her arms and gave me an annoyed look.

I closed my eyes, removed my glasses and cursed under my breath.

"Calm down, it's not that serious." She tried to pacify me.

"Not that serious? Mia, someone is trying to hurt you physically and on top of that your health isn't at its best and to make things worse you are hiding things for me."

"I only hid that one thing from you, don't be dramatic."

The nerve of this girl to call me dramatic after almost giving me a heart attack.

"You know what, I need some air." I put my hands up in defeat and walked out of the room. I needed some coffee. She is driving me nuts and I require some energy to keep up with her.

"Aryan, how is she now?" Darian walked up to me.

"She is fine now sir."

"I need to ask you something, since you have been already staying with her the past 6 months have you noticed anything strange? Did she receive any potential threats from anyone?

"No sir, she never once mentioned anything and I didn't notice anything strange at home either, in terms of her behaviour or the people she was often surrounded with."

"Hmm... okay thank you for letting me know."

"Is everything alright sir?.... Is there any way I can help?"

"You can... just take care of her."He gave me a small smile, tapped on my shoulder and then  walked away.

Darian's answer was very vague and I wanted more answers. I walked to the cafe area and saw Albert, Nina and Raymond sitting there. I walked over and joined them and Nina instantly started crying again and Albert had to calm her down.

"Raymond, can you please explain to me what happened?"

"Well, long story short, we were being chased by this black car and I had to avoid it like crazy and by the time we reached home Ms.Young was very shaken up and we brought her inside and gave a glass of water, she only took a few sips then she collapsed. Rushed her here to the hospital. We tried calling you but you were busy."

"Do you know who was chasing the two of you?" I questioned Raymond.

"I'm not sure but I remember the number plates and we already gave that information to the cops, they are trying to track down the car."

"Keep me informed as well. I want to know who is trying to hurt Mia." I clenched my fist hard and gritted my teeth. I swear when I find that guy, I'm going to make him pay for trying to hurt my girl.

"Will do, Aryan." Raymond gave me a nod and took out his phone and started typing something.

The 4 of us just continued discussing some things about Mia's health and the next steps we needed to take to ensure her safety and wellbeing. While I was busy with the discussion, my phone pinged with a message. When I opened the text I saw a picture of me, Mia and Karan all standing outside Annie's room and there was a message below that picture that read

"You are next!"