Chapter 9

Amaya

I am going crazy now, why is this not working? My code is correct, I tried to debug it but it's not showing anything there. Work is hard these days, I come in at 7:30 and leave around 5. It's a week from Christmas so most people are on vacation even Sarah and Rick.

Rick comes in alternate days so I'm the only developer working. I have been getting an error and I couldn't figure out how to fix this. I just needed some fresh eyes to look at this.

So, I texted my friend Avinash from the University and I have been waiting for his reply ever since. My phone started buzzing, thank God he is calling otherwise I could be struck here the whole day. To my bad luck it was not Avinash but my stupid cousin Arjun on a video call.

"I'm not talking to you Arjun and stop showing off." I told him because he is in India with my grand parents and my grand mother was feeding him dinner.

"I missed you Ammu, I just wanted see your face." he told me with a mischievous smile on his face.

My aunt's family went to India as my uncle's father was sick and had some major surgery scheduled. Arjun and Dhruv are with my aunt's parents who are my grandparents. And I'm staying alone at my aunt's house. Living alone is so boring, I don't know why I wanted to do it. It's been like 3 days since they have been gone but it feels so long.

"Stop annoying her Arjun, my baby is already staying alone, I don't know if she is eating or not." my grandma said to Arjun giving him a noogie. My grandparents' home is like 200 years old. He didn't wanna change the rooms where his ancestors lived so we made extension to that house with new rooms.

"You don't have to worry about her eating grandma, she eats like a pig, feed me the yummy Rice and Pickle you made." Arjun said

"Ignore him Ammu. He did the same thing with Anu (Niya). She told him that she will break his bones the next time she sees him, so tell me how everything is going on? Are you eating food? Stop doing work out for 2 hours a day." my grandma started asking, She is like every other typical grandma lovely and warm. She feeds us when we go home. Me, Niya and my aunt always fight on who gets the first morsel and now Arjun joined our never-ending battle.

"Don't worry, I'm fine and I am eating, and everything is good. Where is Dhruv I can't see him anywhere." I told her because she gets worries easily and I don't want to trouble her.

"He is sleeping, he played all afternoon along with the other kids in the sun." she told me pointing the camera to my aunt's room.

"I called to annoy you, not for you guys to chit-chat." saying that Arjun grabbed the phone from grandma and ended the call.

Arjun has such a temper. I wish I could go to India, it's been a year since I went to my home. My grandparents came here like 6 months back. I know I have seen them, but I think I miss the place more than the people. The feeling of cold air on a hot sunny day is so much better than the freezing cold here. I looked at my phone and I got some texts from Avinash and Lindsay.

Lindsay was asking me if we could meet up during lunch at Starbucks and said that it's an emergency. It's 9:30 now and if Avinash helps I could figure this thing out and meet her for lunch, so I said yes.

I spoke with Avinash and asked him about the code we both slowly figured it out. The error was small typo and it couldn't connect with the database because of that. Avinash was the brains of the group and he has a girlfriend in India I met her when I went to India the last time in Hyderabad. We talked for some time and then I informed Mary that I will be going out for lunch and drove to the Starbucks. Lindsay was already waiting for me by the time I reached.

"Hi, how are you and how is the darling inside you?" I asked her giving a hug.

"I'm fine and the baby is healthy too." she said rubbing her stomach she looks so fit during her pregnancy too. The last time I saw her she didn't have a bump and now it's like she has a cantaloupe inside her shirt.

"Let's go grab some food, I'm famished." she exclaimed and started walking towards the counter and joined the queue.

"I need a favor from you." she asked while I was munching on my sandwich.

"Yeah sure! what do you need? Anything for you." I told her after chewing my food.

"It's for my friend in Lamaze class wait for few minutes she will be here, I wanted you to know before you meet her." she told me eating her food.

"Her husband has gone missing from the past 2 days. She told me that he was acting weird and he went for a hospital checkup and got admitted there. When she went to meet after a day they told her that there was no patient with that name." she told me in a sad tone.

"Oh God, did she talk to the cops may they can do something." I asked her, I could see that Lindsay was waving her hand at someone. I turned my head and there was an Indian woman in her 30's may be in her 5th month and a small boy with her. She looks like she didn't sleep for days.

"Amaya this is Meera and the little man is Rohan." Lindsay introduced us, I asked her to sit and pulled up a chair. The boy was looking so cute, he might be 3 or 4.

"Hi Amaya!" Meera said looking at me with sadness in her eyes and the boy was clutching her shirt sitting on her lap.

"Hi, Lindsay told me everything and I would glad to help you with anything." I told her as I didn't want her to relive the whole thing.

"Thank you so much, the hospital management is not responding to me and the cops are looking for him too." she said with tears in her eyes.

"Will you please help us." she asked me, I don't know what I can do to help her, but I would gladly do anything to help her. It's hard living in a different country, being pregnant and having 3-year old boy is the peak of hard things.

"Can you talk to someone on the hospital management board maybe they might help me?" she asked me, how do I get hold of a person managing a hospital. I should ask my uncle he might know someone.

"I don't know anyone at that hospital, I'll ask my uncle. Can you give me the hospital name?" I asked her and they looked baffled.

"It's Global Care Hospitals. The reason I'm asking you is because I saw you with the board member of the hospital at the Green Valley Grill." she said. Does she mean Andrew and Mr. Browne? They own a hospital? I remember that because that was the last time, I went to dinner with people other than my family. I could ask Andrew for help, he is an approachable guy unlike Mr. Browne. We talked a lot during all the meetings.

"Sure, I can ask them to help you. Let me talk with them and I'll tell Lindsay if they want to meet you. Send me all the details about you husband." I asked as my lunch time was almost over and I had to leave. I hugged them both and left having 2 big tasks to do. One is to get Andrew's no from Aarav and the other is to talk to Andrew about Meera's husband.

I went to the office and texted Aarav to give Andrew's no. I explained the reason why and texted Andrew to call me when he is free. And he replied saying he is free right now and I could call him.

"Hi Andrew, I need a small favor from you." I asked him to which he replied

"I will gladly be at your services madam." he said in a British accent. He started acting like that after he knew that my uncle owns the biggest IT firm in this state.

"It's not funny Andrew. I heard that you own this hospital and a friend of mine needs to talk to you guys. Her husband's gone missing from your hospital and the management is ignoring her." I told him hoping that he would help.

"I would be glad to help but I don't own Global Care, It's Jameson's family who owns it. You should ask him he would be glad to help you." he said.

Do I have to talk to him? From the day I knew that I liked Jameson Browne I started avoiding him. I will get my heart broken reason being 1. Why would he like a small-town brown girl? When he can have anyone in the world. The other reason my grandfather is going to kill me if I say that I love someone as my family is super conservative. Even Niya had an arranged marriage.

"Why don't you ask him and let me know, it would be more effective if you asked him as you guys are partners." I said to him so that I don't have to talk to Mr. Browne

"Nah uh!! Where is the fun in that? You can talk to James and ask him. If you want his help. Don't try to punch or bite him this time." he said, and I could feel him smirking.

"Please help me Andrew I don't wanna ask him that's the reason I called you instead of him." I told him hoping he would understand

"He is busy with meetings all day, come around 7 in the evening to his office. We will talk to him together." he said, I agreed to it and I did my workout and came here in hurry only to find out that Andrew is out of town. I will kill him once he gets back. Mr. Browne's secretary told me that he is not back from the meeting yet. She asked me to wait inside his cabin as she was leaving for the day.