(6 months later )
Siya
My stomach was unexpectedly beginning to ache. I glanced at the clock, it’s only 5 in the morning and the pain was unbearable, I felt tears rolling down my cheeks.
“Karan,” Because of the pain my voice was not coming loud, “Karan!” I repeated, shaking his body to wake him up from sleep.
He woke up and looked at me as he switched on the light, “Siya?! Are you okay?” He asked.
I realized that my water has been broken, “We need to go to the hospital now!” I told him, grabbing my stomach. He nodded and immediately helped me to walk towards the door.
“Maa! Maa! Kaya! Sunny!” He called them for extra help, hearing his voice they stormed out of their rooms in our direction. I noticed that all the maids and butlers were there too.
“Maa, it’s time, ” He told Maa sa who was worried, seeing me in pain.
“Okay, I will go and get the car, ” Sunny said and rushed outside.
Karan and Kaya helped me to walk safely on the stairs as we came into the living room. “Don’t worry, Siya everything would be alright,” maa sa said, assuring me.
“Ahh,” A strong whine of pain left my lips.
“It looks so painful,” Kaya said, making a distasteful face, earning a slap on the arm from Maa sa.
“Keep your words to yourself, Kaya, she needs our support, don’t scare her, and being a mother is the most beautiful thing ever,” She told her.
“I am sorry, I didn’t mean it,” Kaya mumbled.
“Janna ma, please take care of Esha. In our absence, don’t make her feel scared if she doesn’t see us in the morning,” Karan told her. She was also with me with a troubled expression.
“Yes, Kunwar sa, don’t worry just take care of our Bahu sa,”
Karan gave her an assuring nod.
“Car is here,” Sunny said as we sat in the car with Maa and Kaya next to me and Sunny and Karan in the front seats. I was just crying and whimpering in pain along the way whereas everyone was trying to cheer me up.
We reached the hospital in 30 minutes I guess but those 30 minutes felt like 30 hours, I wasn’t able to handle the pain as my eyes were shutting down.
~~~~
Karan
I should be happy that in some time I’m gonna hold my child but instead, I was hella worried about Siya, it hurts to see her in so much pain. I just hope God doesn’t make me choose between the mother and child but if I am being frank, I want Siya only that too to be safe and healthy.
She was in the operating room now as I was standing outside the room with Maa, Kaya, and Sunny were seated on a bench whereas we informed dad about it too since he went to his friend’s son’s wedding. The tension was looming over the air making it hard to breathe without inhaling stress and anxiety.
“Mr. Karan, we want you inside to be with your wife to give her some strength,” A nurse told me, I wasted no time to sprinted in as the first thing I noticed was Siya, she was almost weak, she was in a hospital gown and a few pillows tucked behind her for support as she was going through the dead cramps.
I ran towards her as I held her hand when she was struggling in taking deep breaths, “Don’t worry, sweetheart, I am here now,” I told her.
“Karan, ” She whispers my name. I couldn’t bear seeing her like this, I just hoped this would be over soon.
“Yes, I am right here,” I said, caressing her hair
“The baby’s head is coming out,” The doctor mentioned, and a sob left her eyes as she whined badly, “Ahhh!!” The pain was growing stronger with every passing second.
“Shh, you are doing great, just a bit more and then we’ll hold our child,” I tried to praise her up but she was shutting her eyes, “Siya?” I stroke her head, “Stay with me, look at me, look at me, Sweety,”
She did as I said, I could clearly see her red eyes, I placed a kiss on her forehead, “I-I am tired.” She uttered, glancing at me.
“A little more, my love, don’t be panic, try to stay calm then everything would be alright,”
She managed to nod with a weak smile.
And after a few moments and the last scream of pain from her mouth, the baby finally arrived in this world, crying. “It’s a baby boy,” The doctor said, happily.
“Oh my…” She mumbled as she almost closed her eyes. I wanted to see my baby but for me, somehow Siya was more important at the moment. Maybe because I was assured that the baby is safe and somewhere she is not.
“Siya?!”
She flashed a weak smile, saying, “It’s a boy as Esha wanted,” and a small tear of happiness fell on her cheeks.
I couldn’t help but chuckle hard and pressed my lips on her softly, I am not in the state of thinking anything, and the first thought that came into her mind was Esha’s words.
We both moved to see the baby, he was already in a clean white cloth as a nurse walked in our direction, I helped Siya to sit properly as she passed the baby over to Siya’s arms.
He was so small as a melon, with cute little fingers, nose, lips, and of course, everything which was already making him adorable.
“Congrats, it’s a boy, You can meet them,” I heard the doctor saying to my family and within a moment they all were next to us.
“Aww, so cute,” “He looks like bhabhi sa,” “Whatever, he is so adorable,” They said in unison, happily.
“Can I hold him, dear?” Mom asked.
“Of course, Maa sa, you don’t have to ask,” she says, giving the baby to her.
They were busy admiring the baby as I moved my head to Siya, “How are you feeling now?”
“So tried that I will pass out anytime,” She replies in a joking tone.
I laughed along with her, “Rest then,” I said, pressing a kiss on her temple then cheeks. She nods, blinking. Some nurses told us to wait outside when they helped Siya to clean herself properly.
~~~
Siya
I opened my gazes, noticing Karan was sleeping near the bed on his hands while holding mine too. It was 9 in the morning.
I smiled, recalling the fear on his face when he was with me during the birth of our baby boy. He seems so worried yet tense that I never saw him like this before.
My body was still aching but I felt like someone gave me a new life as I am reborn. This is the best feeling ever.
“You woke up?” Karan questions, snapping his fingers in front of his mouth to cover his yawn.
“Yes, a few minutes before,” I told him, gleaming. He mirrored my expression, placing a soft long kiss on my lips.
“I still can’t believe, I am a dad again,” He said, breaking the kiss.
I giggled, glancing at him, nervously, “But the pain in my body is making me believe,”
He nodded in understanding, “I am so proud of you, Siya, you know, you showed me today that how my mom went through this pain to give birth to three,”
“She is strong.”
“You are no less.”
“Mommy! Daddy!” Esha’s sudden voice got our attention, she walked into the room with Sunny.
“Hey, Princess, ” Karan and I said together.
“Where is the baby?! I want to see him!!” She asked, super curious.
“He is in the cradle, ” I told her as she ran to see him.
“I went to the home with Kaya to grab some clothes of yours but she blackmailed me that she wants to meet her little brother right now.” Sunny explained.
“Where are Maa and Kaya?” I questioned.
“She went to the temple to thank the goddess for saving her daughter-in-law and grandchild safe and healthy, and Kaya had an exam today, so I dropped her in the college.” He clarified.
“So does anyone inform dad about this good news?” Karan asked.
He shook his head while pinning his eyes with his thumb and index finger, “Mom reminded me to tell him but completed the hospital’s process the entire night. It slipped out of my brain.”
“No worries, you better do it right away.”
He nodded and rushed to the corridor to call dad.
“Daddy?! This cradle is so above I can’t see his face.” Esha complains. He got up from his seat and wandered towards her.
“Let me help you then,” he said, lifting her in his arms so she can see him. Her eyes flickered when she finally looked at him.
Karan and I laughed hard at what Esha said in disbelief, “Why is he looking like an alien?”
“Princess, all newborn babies look like this only, your face is the same as he was when you were born,” I said. matter-of-factly.
“Really?”
“Yes,”
“What’s his name, by the way?” Esha asked.
“We haven’t thought yet but do you have a better name for him?” Karan questions.
“Umm, how about, Veer?”
Karan shared a look with me, “It’s perfect.” He told her, “But why this name only?”
“I heard it from dadi once and I found it super cool,” She specifies.
We giggled at her cuteness.
“I want to hold him.”
“Okay, just a bit more carefully.” He stated, giving sleeping Veer in Esha’s arms, for a moment she struggled to hold him properly because he was a bit weighted for her.
Karan supported her.
“Veer looks cute while sleeping.”
“Indeed.” He says.
Maa walks into the room with a few other maids who were carrying a hundred types of sweets in their hands as Sunny followed them behind. Karan, Sunny, and I were super confused.
“What is this about, Maa?” Karan questions.
“Are you planning to feed these sweets to the entire hospital?” Sunny asked, picking a Kaju katli sweet from the big plate.
“Not the entire hospital but the whole Jodhpur, my grandchild is born today everyone should know this, and later we’ll do a grand celebration in our palace.” She stated her plans, “Also, do you kids remember when we visited our Kuldevi’s temple where that Pandit was a bit shocked seeing you both?”
We nodded, puzzled.
“He later told me that big trouble is looming over your head so you both should be careful, I haven’t told you earlier because I didn’t want to scare you though see, You and child are safe.” She added.
I am sure that Pandit (Priest) was definitely meant by Rhea when he said trouble because except for her we never got any problem.
“Yummy, it’s tasty.” Sunny mumbles, eating every sweet which was on the plates one by one.
“I also want to eat,” Esha said, handing Veer back to Karan as she jumps on the bed, next to me.
“Sure.”
“Wait, Sunny!” Maa sa slaps on his hand when he was going to pick another one, “Feed your Brother and Bhabhi sa also because of them, we get this good news!”
“Fine!” He told Maa, “Here we go, ” He fed me a big piece of Chum Chum but I just took a small bite, and then he moved to Karan who almost refused.
“I don’t eat sweets, you know, so just a little one,” Karan said, taking the sweet from Sunny’s hand because he didn’t trust him, Sunny could actually put the entire sweet in Karan’s mouth especially when he had refused. Karan ate a bit and then gave the rest to Esha, who enjoyed it.