Careful What You Wish For by Mahtab Narsimhan

Author:Mahtab Narsimhan [Narsimhan, Mahtab]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Published: 2022-07-06T20:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Her dad was in the intensive care unit. Her mom was sitting in the waiting room. She held her head in her hands.

“Eshana,” she said, hugging her tight and sobbing. “Your father collapsed at work, and the supervisor called me. The doctors say we made it here just in time. We can only pray that the medicines and care work. I don’t know what I would do if—”

“Stop crying,” said Eshana, pulling away. “You’re acting like some heroine in a Hindi movie.”

Her mother froze. Eshana clamped her hands to her mouth. Mom was suffering, and instead of comforting her, she’d made her feel worse. She was a monster!

Her mom hurried away to the nearest washroom. Dina Aunty looked at her with disgust. “I don’t know what has gotten into you, Eshana. First you are rude to the principal. And now to your mother. Just when she needs you the most! I realize this is a huge shock, so I’ll let it go. But you will apologize to your mother when she gets back. If I ever hear you talk like that to her again, you will have me to deal with.”

Eshana nodded. She kept her lips clamped shut. No way was she uttering a single word. She would only hurt the people she loved.

A doctor came into the waiting room, a tablet in his hand. “Mr. Suneesh Mehra is awake. Are you his family?”

When Eshana only nodded, Dina Aunty replied. “This is Suneesh’s daughter, Eshana Mehra.”

“You can go in for a minute,” said the doctor. “But do not say anything to excite or upset him. He is very weak.”

Eshana ran past the doctor. Please let Dad be okay, she repeated in her head. And please don’t let me say anything that will upset him.

Her dad looked gray and exhausted. Wires from his arm connected him to various machines, which beeped and hummed. He tried to smile, but the effort was too much. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. After a few minutes, his eyes flickered open.

Eshana wanted to tell him he would be okay, that she loved him. But she was afraid of the words that might spill out. Instead she laid her head on his chest gently. His heart was still beating. Tears slid down her face.

“Listen to me, Eshana,” her dad said softly. “If I don’t make it…” He paused to catch his breath. “There are papers. In my home office, in the bottom drawer. You and Ma will be very comfortable. Look after her, okay?”

Eshana sat upright, her heart pounding. Oh no. He meant life insurance. So this was how her family was going to be rich. She had made this happen. All because of a lousy ski trip. If her father died, it would be all her fault.

She kissed her father’s forehead and slipped out of the room. She still didn’t dare speak. But what if this was the last time she saw him? She would regret not telling him she loved him.

I wish I had never found I-WISH.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.