Dr. Wadhwa's Homeopathic Clinic was a small two-storied building in the village square. The old doctor lived on the top floor and used the ground floor to run his humble practice. He had come to Palampur twenty years ago in the hope the fresh mountain air would cure his ailing wife. He had continued to live here after her death, setting up this clinic in this building donated by Balwant Rai Sharma. He liked his quiet life, but Aditi knew he sometimes wished he had a child to carry on his legacy. In the absence of his own though, he had virtually adopted her as his heir apparent.

Aditi was happy to help, but it was not easy. He practiced a medicine she didn't really believe in. And the one she believed in was hard to practice here in the absence of proper facilities.

She sighed as she examined the lady. She was eight months gone yet hadn't had a single scan or blood test.

"Why didn't you bring her earlier? Since when is the bleeding going on?" She asked the lady's husband who had accompanied her for the visit. The poor man looked worried; he must have taken the afternoon off to get here, which meant a loss of pay.

"It's been three days, Di. I couldn't leave work. She took some herbs, but it didn't help."

Aditi shook her head. "She needs a proper gynecologist. You have to take her to Rajpur before it's too late. They have a good hospital there and you'll receive good care. I'll give them a call."

"But it would be too expensive, Di. And I can't leave work."

"You work at the racecourse, right?"

"Yes, Di."

"Then don't worry about it. I'll have a word with them. And don't worry about money. Do you have somewhere to stay there for a few months?"

"We have some relatives there, Aditi Di. But not sure how long this would take..."

"I'll see what I can do. But make sure you are ready tomorrow. I'll arrange a vehicle for you."

Pulling her mobile out, she sent a text to Zorawar, then turned to her laptop to make notes for the hospital. Vehicle, money, accommodation, she had promised a lot. She needed to get going to get everything ready by tomorrow.

*****

Sitting on a rickety desk in the waiting room of Dr. Wadhwa's Homeopathic Clinic, Darsh listened with an amused expression as the doctor prescribed the lady a package holiday. Tatty cloth curtains hung on the door of her room for privacy, he could hear every word clearly.

He'd rushed here the moment his contact informed him Aditi would be here today. He'd just wanted to see her once, the call with Sam had left him feeling strangely raw. Now after hearing her he felt a little better. She sounded much like herself, she clearly enjoyed her work.

Soon the pregnant lady left with her husband looking quite relieved. The next was a little boy of ten, whimpering with toothache accompanied by his irritated mother.

The next ten minutes were chaos as the boy cried loudly, the mother complained louder and Aditi tried to calm them both to get some work done. It was a test of patience, Darsh had to agree.

"I'll give you a ride on Aron if you promise to brush your teeth twice a day." He heard her say and snorted.

The boy considered this offer. "Only one ride?" he asked shrewdly.

"One ride every weekend." the doctor sweetened the offer.

"Every weekend? Promise?"

"Yes, every weekend, on Sunday mornings. But only if you brush your teeth twice a day. And do your homework and promise not to eat too many sweets."

Darsh grimaced. Nothing was worth that price. He knew the boy would start wailing again. But to his surprise, the boy prevailed.

"Then I want a long ride. A verrry lonnnggg one." He put his condition forth. Darsh nearly choked.

"Done." The doctor sealed the deal and the boy whooped with joy. After ten more minutes the boy left bouncing happily with his mother. Straightening his expression, Darsh got up and walked in.

The room was small, with a washbasin in a corner and an examination bed alongside a wall. Aditi sat at a small table tapping furiously at her laptop. A small window opened behind her towards the street outside. Boxes of medicines filled the shelves to the brim yet everything was squeaky clean.

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"At this rate, you'll be a pauper in no time." He mocked, unconsciously employing his usual defensive mechanism. "Free holidays, free riding lessons, is that how you treat your patients?" And free entertainment for himself, he added in his head. He was getting it abundantly in Palampur, mostly at the expense of Ms. Sharma.

Her eyes snapped to him. A look of surprise was quickly replaced by a frown. "You again! What are you doing here?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that how you talk to a patient, Ms. Sharma? I thought you had better standards seeing how you treated others before me."

She looked daggers. "You deserve special treatment for babbling in front of my brother this morning."

He chuckled. "Why, did it get you in trouble with your brother and your fiancé?"

"Vivaan is not my fiancé." She snapped in irritation. "And yes, it caused me a lot of trouble. Have you any idea how stupid it was? Mohit is angry with me and Vivaan went mad. I don't know what he'd do next, and it's all because of you!"

"If he's not your fiancé, you need not bother about him." He answered looking relieved. "And your brother would come round eventually."

"It's easy for you to say. You don't know Vivaan. He might actually hurt someone. He did the same last time..." She suddenly stopped, realizing she was revealing too much. That too in front of a stranger like him. Darsh shook his head.

"Anyway...how can I help?" She crossed her arms assuming her professional mode.

"Why, I am here for painkillers. You asked me to get them when I was in town." He reminded her sweetly.

She bunched her brows. "But you don't look in pain. I don't think you need them."

He sighed. "I can assure you I am in a lot of pain. Just because I am not wailing like a little kid, doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. And while you are at it, please also bandage my bruise. As you can see, the one you gave this morning has already fallen off."

She didn't say anything though her flaring nostrils gave him a fair idea of her thoughts. Grabbing her medical kit she marched at him menacingly.

"Sit!" She ordered. He quickly took a chair.

The next five minutes went in silence as she cleaned his bruise and bandaged it. He kept his gaze studiously away but was uncomfortably aware of the goosebumps on his skin.

"There." She finished and went back to her chair, then pulled a notepad to write him a prescription.

"Umm...there's one more thing." He started hesitantly.

"Yes, what is it?"

"As you know, I have a rash." Darsh started with a saccharine smile. "A few days ago it was only on my arms. Now it's spread to the torso and back. An amateur doctor gave me a cream. I think I am allergic to it."

She scowled. "If you don't trust me, then go to Dr. Wadhwa. He is in the next room."

He shrugged. "Unfortunately I don't believe in homeopathy, Ms. Sharma. And I think it's only fair if you fix it considering it was your cream that worsened it in the first place."

Ignoring his jab she came closer and looked at his arms. Then pinching a sleeve of his t-shirt she pushed it up.

"I can take my shirt off. It's worse on the torso..."

"That's not necessary." She said curtly. "Just pull it up so I can see."

Rolling his eyes he pulled his shirt up. It was indeed...bad. It was a result of his recent wanderings at Lover's Point looking for clues. Something had flared it up. It wasn't her cream, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

"How many times did you use the cream?" She looked puzzled.

"Only a couple of times, luckily." He replied sweetly. "As I was busy otherwise."

She shot him a suspicious look. "It's not a reaction to the cream. I think you haven't been careful during your sightseeing. You have to stay away from Poison Ivys. It looks like you are particularly sensitive to it."

He didn't know what to say.

"I can give you another cream, and more antihistamines. Stay away from dust, wear loose clothes, keep cool. That should work."

"And if it doesn't? What if it gets worse?"

"Then we can try something else. There's another cream but I have to see if we have it in stock. I'll get it tomorrow anyhow in case you need it later."

She went back to the sink and washed her hands, then sat back at her desk to write a prescription. Her hand stilled for a moment as she raised her eyes to him.

"My name is Darsh Rathore." He kept his face carefully neutral.

She gave no reaction and wrote it on the top.

"Take this to the assistant outside, he'll give you the medicines."

He took it and folded the paper. She waited for him to go but he showed no intention of leaving.

"Is there anything else?"

His eyes stilled on her for a moment, taking her in. Peach skin, peach dress, a white lab coat with a stethoscope hung loosely around her neck, she looked quite herself. Yet something was missing. His hand went to his pocket, fingers closing around the heart. Yet he couldn't take it out. How was he to justify the possession of that locket? People didn't come across such heirlooms wandering about in the mountains. The locket was proof he knew more than he let on. That he knew about the campsite, about that night. She might put two and two together and connect him to Vicki. It was dangerous. He was in her territory. She was still every bit the princess and he was yet to know who sent those goons. His heart told him it wasn't her, but his brain told him to wait and watch. Besides, he wasn't one to rush things. Patience had its own sweet rewards, he'd learned early on in life.

"Yes, what is it?" She asked again, looking curious.

"Nothing." He shook his head. "Thanks for your help." He was about to leave when he heard her again.

"So...is your holiday over?"

He gave her a careful look. This time she seemed...different.

"I don't know. It might be unless there's something more to see."

"There are many more places here," she said eagerly. "An old fort in the eastern hills, waterfalls, and some other scenic places. Palampur is a beautiful place."

Darsh smiled. "Thanks. I'll surely be interested in visiting them."

Turning his back he left with a smile. She sat there slightly confused at her own eagerness, then called for the next patient. The queue was building up. There was still a lot to do before she left for home.

***** *****