“Will it be okay if I just stay here overnight?” Naina said. “We’re the only family he has and he’ll be scared if no one is here when he wakes up.” Her nose was red from the tears she’d been holding back.

Vansh was gutted by guilt. The sight of Hari collapsing kept playing in an endless loop inside his head.

He reached out and took Naina’s hand, terrified that she was too angry with him to let him. But she did, and his own eyes prickled with the tears he’d been holding back.

Dr. Warsi slid a glance at their joined hands. Her suddenly shrewd gaze seemed to zero in on exactly how much comfort they were taking in the contact. The doctor went from physician to auntie in one second flat.

Naina tried to disengage their hands, but Vansh was in hell with how guilty he was feeling and he couldn’t let go. For a second, recklessness flashed in her eyes, as though she couldn’t have cared less what anyone thought either. In the end she gave her hand another tug, and Vansh followed her eyes to Farah Auntie and let go.

“Well, it was wonderful to see you both again. One hasn’t seen you stateside for a while, Vansh,” Dr. Farah Warsi said over the awkwardness that settled around them.

“It’s nice to be back. It’s been over six months,” he said. The longest he’d been home at a stretch since the age of sixteen. His gaze slid to Naina.

Farah Auntie let out a shaky laugh. “Mina must be so happy that you’ve decided to stay.” She threw another baffled glance between Naina and him.

They thanked her again, because he had no idea how else to respond. When he’d first come home, Ma had been busy with helping Yash settle into the transition. Then Vansh had gotten so lost in his work with Naina, so lost in Naina, that he’d barely seen his family.

With another reassurance that Hari was going to be fine, Dr. Warsi hurried away looking very worried.

Naina and he made their way to the waiting room. If Naina had looked distraught before, now she looked exhausted beyond words.

Vansh had the urge to scream, but they were in a hospital. And he never screamed. Never lost it. Then again, he’d never caused someone to break down either.