Fixation (Fatal Attraction #3)

Chapter 5

5

“ Y ou fuckers. Stop looking at me like I’m dead,” Vedant said aloud in Russian, his voice rough. He’d opened his eyes this morning to the best surprise ever. His brothers were here.

However, seeing Armaan and Mihir standing at the door, looking miserable as they observed him lying wounded and injured on a fucking care bed, was upsetting him more than he’d imagined. His chest constricted as he saw them surreptitiously try and wipe tears from their eyes. Armaan and Mihir were his world. He’d let them both down when he’d taken the risk by going out alone that night, knowing that Ivan was targeting them.

Since it was early morning, Stefan had been attending to him as usual. With a nod at Armaan, he left the room, leaving Vedant alone with his brothers.

Armaan rushed to him, Mihir following right behind.

“How are you?” Mihir asked him. “Do you feel better?”

“No better than when we spoke last,” Vedant replied. “When was that? Yesterday? Today? I’ve lost track of time. I’ve been sleeping a lot.”

“That’s good,” Armaan said.

Vedant took a moment to study both his brothers. While Mihir looked fit and fine, Armaan looked weaker than before, and he had a few fading bruises on his face.

“Why do you look like shit?” Vedant assessed Armaan again. His eyes widened in understanding. Now, it all made sense. Armaan sounding unlike himself on the phone. Armaan not rushing to check on Vedant after his attack. It was all because he had been attacked as well. He jolted upright. Pain shot down his chest. He flinched, shutting his eyes, waiting for the pain to subside.

Armaan helped him down. “No, don’t get up.”

“Do you want something?” Mihir asked. “Should I call your doctor?”

“Please, she’s the last thing I need,” Vedant grumbled. “She’ll just increase the dosage of my painkillers and sedate me again. I hate not being in control, and these medications make me feel woozy in the head.”

The last couple of times he’d been up, she’d not been around. Most of the time, it had been that other female doctor. That one always looked at him like she was in awe of him. He didn’t quite know what to make of her. But the one whose attention he foolishly sought was hardly ever around.

He’d noticed that all the others in his care team were alone when they attended to him, but she was always with someone. Which meant she was deliberately ensuring she had limited contact with him, and was avoiding being alone with him. After he’d caught her staring at his abs, he’d wanted to meet her alone to see if this newfound intrigue he’d developed about her was real or just a one-off thing. But she was never alone with him to test out that theory. Why that thought bothered him made no sense. He only knew that it did. A lot. For some insane reason, he was becoming fixated with his testy doctor. And that made zero sense.

“Do you want some water?” Armaan asked him.

Mihir pressed a button on a remote, and the bed reclined at an angle. Once he was comfortable, Armaan handed him the glass. He took a few sips and studied Armaan again.

“They got to you as well, right?” Vedant asked Armaan.

“Yeah. It was on the same night and the same modus operandi as you. I was in a nightclub, and four men attacked me in a basement parking.”

Armaan told him what he remembered, with Mihir filling in the blank spots of his memory.

“Do you know he was in that damn basement because he was fighting with Navya Mehra?” Mihir added. “He followed her to that damn night club where he overheard her say something nasty about him, and now he’s refusing to talk to her despite her repeatedly saying that she’d cleared the air with him before he was hit on the back of his head. He’s had a concussion, and he’s forgotten that bit. But he does remember that she fought alongside him, for him. Such an idiot.”

Vedant had known for a while now that Armaan was madly in love with Navya Mehra. And to think that she had fought bravely beside his brother multiplied his respect for her.

Vedant studied Armaan. “How are you doing, brother?”

“I’m better. I just wish I could get back that missing piece of my memory. I feel like I’ve forgotten something important.”

“You have,” Mihir said. “You forgot an entire conversation with Navya.”

Armaan made a face. Vedant knew that his brother had been obsessed with Navya for years. What he found more amusing was that Mihir was actually encouraging Armaan to make up with Navya even though she was related to Ananya Mehra, the one woman Mihir had never gotten over. It just showed that Mihir would always put them first, over everything, including his own emotions.

“I agree with Mihir,” Vedant said. “You should talk to her.”

“Not discussing that right now. My love life is not important at all; you are. You were almost killed.”

“And so were you,” Vedant stressed. “We got a second chance at life. Why don’t you live it fully with the woman you love by your side? You know we have the money and means to protect her.”

“None of that protected us,” Armaan gritted out.

“Because neither of you followed the fucking protocol of taking your security guards along with you.” Mihir crossed his arms over his chest, looking incensed. “Just because I’ve been worried sick about the two of you doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten how blatantly irresponsible the two of you behaved.”

Mihir’s pitch increased with every word coming from his mouth. His eyes locked on Vedant. “I told you to cancel that bloody meeting, but did you listen? No. You went ahead without Tyrion. Ivan’s men were waiting for that one opportunity to attack you, and you gave it to them on a fucking platter.”

Mihir faced Armaan, looking even madder. “And you? You assured me that you wouldn’t go out that night. But you did, and that too by yourself. Who do you think you are? Fucking Superman? Do you both think that? In one single night, Ivan got to both of you, the two most important people in my life. How do you think I would have survived if I had lost either of you? We’ve already lost Karina. I cannot and will not lose either one of you. You hear me?”

Armaan shared a concerned look with Vedant. Neither of them had ever seen Mihir so enraged. And Karina… fuck his chest hurt thinking about her.

“I’m so sorry, Mihir…” Vedant rasped out. “It was absolutely stupid and reckless to do what I did. What we both did. You’d been warning us for weeks to be careful, and one break in protocol was all that was needed for them to get to us.”

“I’m sorry too,” Armaan said.

“I don’t fucking want either of your apologies,” Mihir fumed. “I want you both alive, which means no more risks till we find Ivan.”

“Agreed.” Vedant held a hand out. “Can we please stop with all the depressing talk? I’ve been to hell’s gate and back. The last few days have been so hard, but you both are here now, and I already feel so much better.”

The tension between them immediately evaporated. Armaan put his arms around Vedant, holding him close. Mihir followed. Vedant put his arms around his eldest brother, feeling at home. Mihir was their north star. He was their home after a cold, dark day. He always had all the answers. He always put them first. He was the one because of whom three orphans from a nondescript orphanage in Rishikesh, India, had become some of the wealthiest men on the planet—all because when fate had granted Mihir an opportunity to move forward in life, he’d refused to take it without them.

Mihir was the quiet one. But beneath his silence was a wealth of strength, knowledge, and courage. He was the boldest and bravest one in their trio. Armaan, on the other hand, was naughty and witty. Armaan spread his happiness wherever he went. But now, Armaan looked sad and miserable. Just like Mihir. Heartsick.

Vedant hated how both his brothers were dealing with heartache because of two of the Mehra sisters. Oh, how he wished he could make things better for them. Because just by being here, they made him feel better. He felt stronger than he had in days now that they were with him. His heart was at ease. They had so much to discuss and so much to process together, especially concerning Ivan and Karina. They would get to it. Right now, though, they were together, and that was what counted.

“It’s always been us against the world,” Mihir resonated Vedant’s thoughts. “We have no one but each other, and I never want to see either of you hurt ever again.”

Vedant nodded, as did Armaan.

Mihir addressed Armaan, “What I was trying to say before I got all emotional is that if you decide to be with Navya, then we can keep her safe.”

Armaan pinched his forehead. “Still not discussing this.”

“Asshole,” Vedant swore. Armaan was bloody stubborn when he’d decided on something. For now, though, Vedant decided he’d let him be.

“Tell me about Karina. Have we got any news of her whereabouts?” Vedant asked.

“Look,” Mihir began. “We both think it’s for the best that, right now, you only focus on getting better. Leave everything to us.”

“But…”

“No buts,” Armaan interrupted him. “You’ve barely recovered, and you want to jump into things. Get better first. And shave. I don’t recognise you like this.”

“Stop deflecting, Armaan. Tell me about Karina.”

“Do you need me to shave you?” Mihir asked in all seriousness.

Irritation rose inside him. “I’m fine. I don’t need either of you babysitting me. That’s why I need to talk about?—”

A knock on the door made him pause. He watched as Dr. Singh entered, followed by the nurse carrying a tray.

“Can’t you see we’re busy?” Vedant growled, his irritation with her jumping to the forefront of his mind. “Come later.”

“Sorry to interrupt,” she addressed his brothers, not sounding sorry in the least. “But it’s time for his medication.”

Mihir’s phone rang. He went outside to answer it while Reina came toward him. They’d barely interacted the last few times he’d been up. All their conversations had been formal and stilted. None of that laughter or shared smile had happened again. In fact, if he remembered correctly, he’d been waking up right about the time her shift with him was ending.

Tyrion couldn’t stop raving about her though and seemed very familiar with her. That also annoyed Vedant. He huffed out a breath; he definitely had hit his head when he’d been injured. He was behaving stupid and ridiculous. Why the hell was he so curious about this doctor?

Reina began checking him with her stethoscope. Something twitched in his chest. He put it down to the pain that had become his constant companion, niggling all the time, sometimes bearable, other times not.

Vedant scowled at her. She shook her head, looking exasperated with him, and checked his vitals on the screen. She captured his wrist in her cool hand, and like always, his skin jolted, and his heart stuttered under her touch. It happened every single time she did it.

Fuck. What was wrong with him?

Once again, he felt the loss of her touch the second she released him. Oh, he hated feeling vulnerable like he did around her. And that was the crux of the problem he was trying to decipher, if only he could get her alone to do so. He wanted to understand why only she affected him so and why, like a fool, he was so fixated on her. It made no sense at all.

She detached the empty IV bag connected to his hand and administered some injections to him through the IV cannula.

“That fucking hurt.” Actually, it didn’t hurt all that much, but he was annoyed at himself and his body’s reaction to her, and that made him lash out. “I hate needles.”

Reina didn’t respond. She lifted the second injection and went to work with that.

“You’re such a baby,” Armaan snorted, sounding all too amused.

“Shut up,” Vedant retorted, his eyes on his doctor, who was yet to speak a word to him.

“How many times a day are you going to keep injecting me?” he questioned instead. Since she wouldn’t talk to him of her own will, he’d definitely make her.

“As long as is needed,” she replied.

“Can you not shift me on pills? And I want to get out of the room,” Vedant said. “I don’t like being stuck here.”

Ignoring him, she attached the new IV bag to the stand, connected the pipe to the cannula on his hand and turned to leave.

“Wait,” Vedant said.

She spoke a few words to the nurse who headed out. Once alone with them, she faced Vedant. “Yes?”

“I asked you a question, doctor,” he said. “When can I step out of this fucking room? I need you to do your job and get me on my feet. Oh, and enough of the damn needles.”

“Vedant,” Armaan gently warned. “Take it easy.”

She lifted her jaw. “Mr. Oshnov?—”

He cut her off. “Call me Vedant. How many more times do I need to tell you that?”

She glared at him, then exhaled, her expression clearing.

“Mr. Oshnov,” she began again. “Like I’ve been telling you daily , you need to rest and sleep as much as you can. You went through two very delicate surgeries, and you need to give your body time to recover. And for that, your medication has to continue as is for now.”

“I’ve been stuck here for days,” Vedant complained. “You refuse to give me access to my laptop or my phone. You don’t let me out of this damn room. I have someone who comes and bathes me here on the fucking bed. I am sick of it all.”

While his brothers had taken over his work in the business, Vedant knew they were bound to be overworked. Their plates had already been too full, and his disability must surely be adding to his brothers’ woes. His doctor gave him a death glare.

She walked to him and pressed a finger into his shoulder, just above his chest. A shout escaped his mouth.

“What the fuck?” Vedant growled. Shit, that bloody hurt.

“I will give you your laptop or phone when that stops paining,” she said.

Taking his right leg in her hand, she lifted it slightly. Vedant gritted his teeth. Even the slightest of movements was doubling his pain. Fuck.

“I will let you move when this,” she said, putting his leg down gently, “stops paining. And while you are unable to move this leg and have a cast on it, pray tell me how will you reach the bathroom to take a bath?”

She faced Vedant. “Mr. Oshnov, I’ve been locked inside your house like a bloody hostage for more than a week, but you don’t see me complaining. I am doing my job, aren’t I? But if you are doubting my capability, I am happy to leave, and you can find someone else to take my place.”

“It’s fine, doctor,” Armaan cut in. “Vedant doesn’t like being sick. He is being a grouch because of that.”

She finally turned to look at Armaan, who was studying her carefully.

Mihir entered. Sensing the tension in the room, he asked, “What have I missed?”

With a slight nod at Mihir, she walked out, leaving them alone.

“Vedant’s behaving difficult with the doctor,” Armaan explained.

Mihir went to Vedant. “That woman saved your life, you know. It won’t hurt to be nice to her.”

“Yeah, whatever…” Vedant grumbled. “She just rubs me the wrong way. There’s something about her that I can’t put a finger on…”

Actually, he could put a finger on it. There was something about her that affected him. He just didn’t know what it was yet.

“So, Vedant,” Armaan intoned naughtily, “Who is this Anita Svensson who has been calling you continuously? Tyrion told us that she’s been calling your cell regularly to ask about you.”

Mihir chuckled. “He only tells her that you’re unavailable, because we haven’t revealed the news of your attack to anyone outside of our immediate team. Even the office staff thinks you’re on some sort of sabbatical.”

He winced. His being indisposed had definitely put a huge burden on his brothers. Despite that, he knew they’d never complain.

“So, are you going to tell us who she is?” Mihir asked.

“Who?” Vedant asked.

“Anita Svensson!” Armaan tsked.

“Oh, her—she works for the bank I was closing the oil well deal with. I went out with her a couple of times before my attack.”

“A couple of times?” Armaan looked bewildered. “Since when do you take a woman out more than once? Is this serious? Why don’t we know of this? And wait again; since you’re out of action, Mihir and I closed the deal with the director of the bank. She was nowhere in the picture.”

“That’s because she was the financial analyst assigned to the deal. Her part in the deal ended a while back.” Vedant gave Armaan a hard stare. “I met her often because of that oil deal. It was nothing but a perfect mix of business with pleasure. She knows we aren’t… weren’t serious. You need to stop blowing things out of proportion.”

Armaan shrugged. “Can’t blame me for being curious!”

Vedant scratched his jaw. This was the first time in years he had kept the facial hair on his face for longer than a day. He addressed Mihir, “When she calls next, tell her I’ll call her when I get access to my phone. God only knows when my doctor will approve it.”

His mind went back to his testy doctor. She was the only woman he was constantly thinking of these days. He wondered why that was the case. Why did her touch ignite him like it did? Why did her presence calm him like it did? Why did all his aches and pains ebb when she was around?

He had so many questions and hardly any answers. Perhaps, once his brothers left, he’d be able to decipher the mystery that Dr. Reina Singh was.