*****

"Mrs Hassan we will be discharging you from the hospital within a week. Your injuries and the wound on the head are healing quite well. The orthopedic specialist has asked that the starting phase of the physiotherapy be initiated in the hospital. So we're going to start working on that fractured leg from today. As soon as you get the hang of it, you can head back home."

Mayra nodded her head.

A young physiotherapist stepped forward. "Mrs Hassan, I will be guiding you throughout your physiotherapy course. Its important that you complete this course in order to regain complete use of all your muscles. It will be difficult in the beginning because your muscles will be stiff from lack of use. We have to slowly make them supple again. It might be painful but you have to persevere."

Mayra's eyes widened at the mention of pain. Aamir wanted to kick the physiotherapist out for saying things that were causing Mayra to be afraid, but the man was right. They had to persevere. For Mayra's sake he had to be strong. It was going to be hard for them both.

"Shall we start?" The physiotherapist asked.

Mayra and Aamir both nodded in affirmation. Aamir watched as the man made her move and exercise all the joints in Mayra's hands. Her right wrist had been sprained. When Mayra tried to move it, she screamed out in pain. Aamir's heart tore out of his chest at the sound of her anguish. He wanted to take the pain for her. It was only fair that he suffer for all the mistakes of his past. Mayra's tears were impossible for him to watch. With each tear that fell out of her eye, a piece of his heart died, his conscience screamed at him for being an utterly useless man who, despite his presence, was unable to keep his woman from hurting.

With a few more of hand exercises, they proceeded to exercise Mayra's legs. Before the young physiotherapist could touch her knee, Aamir stepped forward to take his place. The red-blooded male in him wouldn't allow a man to touch his wife beyond necessary, not when he could avoid it.

Mayra stared at Aamir. She didn't want to be touched by the physiotherapist, but Aamir's help was unfamiliar too. She had never been touched by any man which made Aamir's hands on her knee and the back of her leg unbearable as he tried to slowly flex her knee as per the physiotherapist's instructions.

Between the pain and discomfort of Aamir's touch, Mayra couldn't quite decide what to feel, and to what she should've reacted. She bit her lip and tried to move her leg, she squeezed her eyes shut as tears escaped when her cry of anguish couldn't. Aamir immediately sensed that she was in pain and tried to stop but the physiotherapist urged him to continue.

"It's okay, baby," he encouraged her. "Just a little more, and it will be over soon."

Mayra tried over and over till the physiotherapist was convinced that they had made a good start. "Finally, Mr Hassan, we need to get her to stand and move a little. You can support her while she walks."

Mayra looked absolutely terrified to be standing on her feet. She knew exactly how bad it was going to hurt. The physiotherapist sensed her fear and said, "not much, Mrs Hassan, just a few steps. Like around the bed itself. And Mr Hassan will be holding you, I'm sure he won't let you fall," the physiotherapist tried to joke.

Aamir noticed how Mayra's expressive face betrayed her fear of being dropped by Aamir a second before she hid it. But that split second was enough for Aamir to catch that raw vulnerability in her eyes. As much as he hated to admit it, he was the one solely responsible for having forced that fear in her in the first place.

Mayra looked at him simply. Neither did she want to anger him by asking him to hold her, nor did she want him to get frustrated with her lack of enthusiasm for being able to stand on her own two feet. She didn't want to be over or under-enthusiastic. She looked at him till he asked her if she wanted to do this.

Aamir saw her eyes scream no, while she nodded her head in a yes. She was deathly afraid of being dropped. He realised that probably this was his one chance at making her feel secure in his presence. May be after today she would realise that while he was around her, she could rest assured that he would protect her.

Resolving firmly in his mind that he had to rebuild the feeling of security in her heart, Aamir bent down and slowly lifted her torso in his arms to help her sit up. As gently as though he were handling sheer glass, he helped her rise from her seated position.

"That's right, Mrs Hassan. Now, put all your weight on Mr Hassan and try to move forward. Be very careful to not put any weight on that fractured ankle."

Mayra was leaning her side on the bed, fearful of a fall she kept herself as close to the bed as she could. She clutched Aamir's arms tightly, reflexively, and Aamir was forced to lean a little on the bed too.

Like a baby learning to take its first steps, Mayra gently lifted her foot. Before she could place it forward she lost her balance and instantly her reflexes took over. Her hands left Aamir's arms and clutched his shirt in a desperate grip. She had let go of the bed completely and leaning her weight entirely on Aamir's chest she shut her eyes, waiting for the inevitable fall.

Aamir's mind was racing uncontrollably as within seconds the whole exercise had put them both in such a dangerous position. He leaned his hip on the bed, and with one hand flat on the bed behind his back, he supported Mayra's and his own weight. With the other hand around her waist, he was keeping her from falling. He looked at her face to see if she was in pain but all he could see was the face of the woman he was holding, clutching at him desperately, eyes shut, breathing heavily and silently begging him not to let go.

In that split second Aamir realised that her body was pressed tightly to his own. She was leaning into him, she was almost on top of him. So close was she to him that he could feel her breath on his neck, he could feel the heaving of her chest against his own, the fluttering of her heart against his ribs.

Barely noticing the nurse who dragged the physiotherapist out with her, Aamir removed his hand from the bed and steadying himself a little, wound his other hand around her tiny waist. She was merely holding her support that was keeping her from falling while he was holding the love of his life in his embrace, determined never to let go. Finally.

He pulled her even closer and pressed his jaw to her temple and pecked a light kiss there. Dragging his mouth to her ear he whispered, "I promise you darling, I will never let you fall."

The huskiness of his voice and the sudden realisation of the closeness of their bodies dawned on Mayra as she slowly opened her eyes. He pulled back a little to look into her eyes.

For the first time in her life, she was in such a position with a man, almost hugging him. For the first time a man was holding her as such. For the first time she felt something in her heart, a desire, a longing, to be held as such for some more time, to be held as though she was very dear to the person holding her. As though she were precious.

Aamir saw in her eyes that which her tongue could not utter. The spark of desire, the flash of love and the glaze of longing had turned her eyes into melting cups of dark chocolate. Unable to bear the raging desire of his own body he leaned forward for a taste of the exquisite beauty that was his wife who, he remembered with a thrill and a sense of sheer male pride, was untouched by another.

He touched his lips to her cheek and pressed a little. He heard the satisfying hitch in her breath that urged him to drag his mouth from her cheek to her ear. He kissed her there. Her hands that were clutching at his shirt tightened their grip to a manic hold that would probably tear his shirt, but in that moment he couldn't possibly care less. He kissed below her ear and started to pepper kisses down the side of her throat till he reached the junction where her throat met her shoulder.

Gently pressing a kiss on her pulse point he pulled back. What he saw made his restraint almost break instantaneously. Her head was tilted to the side, she was breathing heavily and for the first time in weeks, he saw her cheeks flushed with a rosy colour. To top it all she was still pressed to him.

He kissed back up her throat, slowly a kiss at a time as though wanting to savour each moment, as though savouring her intoxicating scent, her incredible sweetness. Finally, he kissed her eyelids and her forehead and breathing in the scent of her, he groaned, "Mayra, baby, I love you so damned much!"

That declaration doused Mayra's passion drugged mind with a splash of ice cold water and sanity returned to her as swiftly as did guilt and shame. She saw where she was, how she was, and what had just transpired between her and this man.

The same man who called her a slut when she had first confessed her love to him.

Tears pooled in her eyes as she whispered, "please put me down."

Aamir knew straightaway that the passionate, romantic moment was over. He felt immensely guilty of trying to force himself on her, especially when she was in no position to refuse his advances. She was depending on him, literally, and here he was, taking advantage of her vulnerable state.

"Of course," he said and scooped her up in his arms and lay her gently on the bed. Not wanting her to feel exposed to him, he pulled the covers over her body and tucked her in. "Try getting some rest, sweetheart. I'll be right here if you need anything."

Within minutes Mayra's nurse returned with a plate of food. For the first time Aamir left her alone with the nurse as Mayra ate her meal. He felt too ashamed. But even more, he felt confused. Mayra's guards were up almost all the time, but when lowered, a passionate and loving woman emerged. How was he to deal with such a conflicting image? What could he do to make Mayra healthy again, without hurting her in the process?

What had happened between them felt like a slice of heaven handed out to him on a silver platter. Never had he thought that keeping himself from kissing a woman was going to be so damned difficult. Mayra awoke in him feelings that he never thought he was capable of. Romance. Passion. Desire.

Love.

Utter and absolute confusion! He couldn't decide what to so next. How to face her. What must she be thinking of him? Did she hate him even more? Did she want him as badly as he wanted her? Needed her?

Thinking of the only person who could help him he pulled out his phone and called the man he once thought was crazy. Now he was convinced that he was a genius.

"Gaurav, I need to talk to you."

"Good afternoon to you too, Mr Hassan!" Gaurav answered, his voice laced with sarcasm over Aamir's abrupt tone. "Yes, I'm doing quite well, thank you. Now, how may I help you?"

Aamir rolled his eyes. "I'm really confused right now. Mayra was doing physiotherapy and I was helping her, and she nearly fell before I caught her. She was so close to me," Aamir found it difficult to describe something so personal. "I.. I couldn't help myself! I kissed her and held her to me. And then she asked to be out down. I don't know what to do!"

Gaurav was silent for a moment before he asked, "Aamir you kissed your wife. Surely she knows what it's like."

Shamed to the core, Aamir replied. "No. We've never.. uhm.. we've never done this before."

"Oh," he replied simply, finally understanding the problem. "Ok, first things first. You probably shouldn't have done it because most likely Mayra wasn't ready for anything of that kind. But now that you have, I think you should try to see where this goes."

Aamir frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Listen Aamir, if she didn't stop you, even by means of a simple gesture that suggested that she disliked what you were doing, it must mean that she liked what you were doing. She's only human Aamir, she's going to want affection too."

"It wasn't affection! We've never done something so.. so sexual before!"

Gaurav chuckled at Aamir's use of the word. "A kiss is hardly sexual Aamir, but if it happened for the first time then it is a big deal. What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't treat it as if it was something evil that you did. If you wish to be a normal couple then both of you need to come to grips with the fact that physical attraction will exist between the two of you. Until now you might've ignored it, but now that the whole base of your relationship has spun of its axis, these things are bound to come up."

"So what I do?"

"Stop pretending that it was bad," Gaurav explained patiently. "Don't try to hide it from Mayra that you want her. She should feel a sense of pride that she can affect you so much."

"Okay."

"And Aamir?" Gaurav continued.

"Yeah?"

"Listen, I'm not trying to interfere but, if this was the first time you've kissed her then its a bloody big deal. For someone like Mayra who's never been kissed before. See, no woman ever forgets the first time she was kissed or the first time she ever slept with someone. No matter if she is extremely modest or a promiscuous flirt. For a woman, the first time means a lot. Even if Mayra is not in a position to convey it to you, you must understand this. She is definitely confused about feeling such things over a man who has hurt her so badly in the past. To top it all, if you treat it as something shameful, she will forever remember these precious moments as shameful, wanton behaviour on her part. You have to get her to feel pride in these moments Aamir. What course your marriage will take will depend on such situations. It will depend in how you react."

Understanding dawned on Aamir as he thanked the man. Before hanging he whispered, "I'm coming day after tomorrow, please keep a slot for me."

"Sure," Gaurav smiled and hung up.

Aamir walked back into the room to see Mayra finished with her meal. She was avoiding looking at him. She never felt so shameful in her life. How could she! He kissed her and she let him. He held her body flushed to his and a sick part of her mind actually liked it! Aamir was right all along. She was a shameless slut.

The nurse left quietly as Aanir sat next to Mayra on her bed and gently tipped her chin up to look at him.

"Do you have any idea darling," he said, his voice a soft caress, "of how badly I want you. I'm never going to force myself on you, but trust me baby, those few moments that you were in my arms, were the most precious moments of my life and I will cherish them forever."

Mayra looked at him in disbelief as he continued, "If only you had an idea of what you do to me, love!" He wrapped his arms around her, gently pressing her face into his chest. "If only you knew how damned much I want you!"

Unable to believe what he was saying she remained in his arms thinking of what to make of these new feelings he aroused within her.

Also, she realised, he hadn't let her fall.

******