thursday. 9:00 pm.
the truce was fragile. wednesday had passed in a blur of silence. like spun sugar, ready to break.
gambhir was cooking. (badly). reshma was resting on the sofa. shubham was on a call with the american client. "yes, yes, database migration is proceeding. no, i don't sleep. sleep is for the weak."
gambhir stirred the dal. aggressive stirring.
he was angry.
angry at the cancer. angry at the baby. angry at shubham for being a martyr. angry at himself for being complicit.
he walked into the living room. spoon in hand.
"we need a plan," he announced. interrupting shubham's call.
shubham waved him away. "one minute—"
"no minute. now." gambhir pointed the spoon. "bhabhi is pale again. she needs a specialist. not just oncologist. high-risk OB-GYN. i have a senior. dr. shalini. she's scary but brilliance. we go to her."
reshma looked up. "we have a doctor."
"you have a cancer doctor. you need a baby doctor who knows about cancer. different things."
shubham muted the call. "gambhir, we can't afford another specialist."
"i'll pay."
"you're a student. you're broke."
"i have... savings. granddad's fund."
"no." shubham shook his head. "that's your tuition."
"and this is your wife's life!" gambhir shouted. spoon dripping dal on the carpet. "manage your ego, bhai! take the help!"
silence.
the american client was probably confused by the hindi shouting.
"gambhir," reshma said softy. "sit down."
gambhir sat. fuming.
"we appreciate it. really. but we are managing. doctor mehta knows. he is coordinating."
"he's an oncologist. he cares about the host. not the parasite."
shubham flinched. "don't call it that."
"that's what it is! medically! a resource drain!" gambhir was shaking. "i can't watch this. i can't watch you guys play house while the house is burning down."
he pulled out his phone.
"i'm calling dr. shalini. favor. pro bono. whatever. doing it."
"gambhir don't—"
"doing it."
gambhir tapped his phone. furious swiping.
he opened whatsapp to find the contact. Dr. Shalini.
"give me the phone!" shubham lunged across the table. desperate.
"no!" gambhir shouted, twisting away. "i am saving you from yourself!"
"gambhir, stop!"
"i'm sending it! right now!"
gambhir's thumb hovered over the forward button on the report image. adrenaline was spiking. his hand was shaking violently.
shubham grabbed his arm. "don't you dare—"
"caught you!" gambhir yanked his arm back. "too late, bhai!"
he stabbed the screen blindly. his thumb mashing multiple contacts in the frenzy.
Forward. Send.
"done!" gambhir panted, holding the phone away like a grenade he had just thrown. "it's done. she'll call. she'll yell. but she'll help."
shubham froze. he wasn't looking at gambhir. he was looking at the screen.
"gambhir," he whispered. horror in his voice.
"what? scared of a doctor?"
"look at the chats. plural."
gambhir looked down.
"it wasn't only Dr. Shalini," shubham said. voice hollow.
gambhir's eyes focused.
there were two chats at the top of the list.
1. Dr. Shalini Photo sent.
2. The Extended Family (No Politics) Photo sent.
gambhir froze.
he stared at the screen.
double tick.
blue tick. (ma was online).
"oh no," gambhir whispered.
"what?" shubham asked. wary.
gambhir looked up. face white. clown mask gone. doctor mask gone. just a terrified boy.
"bhai."
"what did you do?"
"i sent it."
"sent what?"
"the report."
"to who?"
gambhir turned the screen. showed the chat.
The Extended Family (No Politics). Photo sent. Ma is typing... Priya is typing... Mama (Rakesh) is typing...
the phone started buzzing.
incoming video call: MA.
the ringtone filled the room. loud. screaming.
reshma stopped breathing. shubham dropped his own phone. the american client forgotton.
they stared at gambhir's phone. vibrating on the table.
the bomb had gone off.
the invisible third was visible. the cancer was visible. the lie was dead.
gambhir looked at shubham.
"run?" he suggested. weak. terrified.
shubham didn't run. he picked up the phone.
looked at ma's name.
looked at reshma.
and pressed Accept.
(Speaker: chaos agent mission accomplished. success rate: 100%. survival rate: 0%. total destruction. well... he said he'd shake things up. mission failed successfully?)