Chapter 65

 

Readers, I am so sorry for going AWOL for a while; life just got so hectic, and then I had a very special family member come to visit after being abroad for a couple of years.  Thanks in advance for those who hung around patiently waiting for the next update, I hope you enjoy it.

 

Naomi brought up the playlist on her computer and selected the song. She closed her eyes and inevitably, felt her cheeks warm as soon as the music began and she remembered. Everything: how he had enthralled her with his kisses; how small and dainty, how cherished she had felt in his arms; the way they had sensuously moved together to the music...and how even more perfect their rhythm had been after the music had stopped.  She swallowed and began fanning her heated face.

 

"Naomi, are you ready?"

 

She startled at the sound of Rachna's voice, and fumbled to turn off the music. Busying herself with packing up the items surrounding her, she avoided facing her friend.

"Um, you're ready to leave now, Ra?" she hedged.

"Ji, KT has returned from dropping Sanjay to school, so we should get on our way.  We have a busy day ahead of us."

Realizing the triviality of her dilemma in the face of her friend's, Naomi braved possible condemnation should Rachna realize what she had done, and met the other woman's gaze.

"I'm so proud of you Rachna; I know it isn't easy for you, but you are doing the right thing."

"And if he's not..."

Naomi interrupted her, "Then you are giving us the time to discover the truth, and saving a little boy from a perilous situation. I just wish we knew what the holdup was with those results."

"You and I both, Naomi," Rachna sighed. She looked at the wedding related items her friend was gathering up. "How are things coming together? I feel as is I've left you alone in your planning..."

"Are you crazy Ra? You and KT had the largest of responsibilities; making me the most beautiful bride for Rajeev...twice over no less!"

Rachna laughed at Naomi's craziness.

"I think as long as you show up, he'll be happy." She smirked at her friend. "I suspect that same holds true for you too, Naomi. I'm not certain why I feel this way, but I would hazard a guess that your thoughts were wholly on a certain hockey coach when I came in here," she teased.

The tell-tale blush came back. "Come on or we will be late," Naomi answered, evading Rachna's comment, gathering her handbag amidst her best friend's laughter.

 

The sound of the door closing came over the man's earpiece, and then there was complete silence, signifying that the two women had left the room.  He reached over to buzz for his assistant.

"Are you ready to leave?" he asked brusquely when she entered his cabin.

Wide eyed, the young woman nodded. "Ji Sir, but I still don't understand..."

"You are going to get a checkup, discuss your womanly issues, order birth control...whatever it is you woman get done at a woman's clinic!"

"Bir..birth control, but Sir I couldn't, if my family were to..."

"Fine; whatever, just think of something because we are leaving now, and you are my reasoning for being there, you got that?"

The young woman nodded, understanding completely that she would be risking her position if she didn't participate in this charade. She took the opportunity to steal a glance at him when he turned away from her, fiddling with the ever present earpiece. It seemed that he had been out of sorts for a number of weeks now, but in the last couple of days had gone completely off kilter. And then had come this bizarre request to locate a particular doctor and to book an appointment with her practice for today and only today.

What on earth could be going on?

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"Are you certain you don't wish to come; you are more than welcome to?"

Naomi shook her head, watching as KT approached where they stood at the clinic entrance, having parked the car.

"No Rachna, I told you this is time the two of you should share together; no third wheels allowed." She smiled. "Right KT?"

Looking from the speaker to his wife, the designer's expression showed how confused he was. "Right," he agreed, figuring that was expected answer.

"Exactly," Naomi replied as they entered the medical facility. "Being early will just give me the time to finalize a few more things." She hugged her friends before they headed in separate directions. "I hope everything is fine, and I can't wait to see our peanut's first photos."

"Naomi, call me if you need me," Rachna whispered in her ear when the other woman had hugged her.

"Chill Ra, everything is fine, and anyway Vihaan will be meeting me after my appointment so we can hang out together before he heads back to the UK tomorrow anyway. Take care what you need to, and we will talk later, okay?"

 

Rachna started and laughed in surprise when the first bit of gel was put on her abdomen. She turned to KT who sat next to her.

"I had totally forgotten this sensation."

She was rewarded with her husband's smile, as he nodded to her other side where the monitor was located.

"Aacha," the technician began, "Let's see who is there for us to see." She moved the instrument over Rachna's belly and began her narration for the happy couple.

"Okay, here we have our little guest...and his..."

"His?" Rachna excitedly interjected.

"...Or her heartbeat." The technician continued.

Rachna pouted playfully and allowed the examination to continue. Truthfully she didn't care either way, but she would be over the moon if they were to have a son of their own.

 

Kabir, awaited his wife outside of the lavatory, again.  He opened the file and studied the scan they had received and pondered the good news that all was well with their unborn child. The expected adjustment of Rachna's due date was of little significance.  He ran his fingers over the image, marveling in the miracle they had been granted once again.

"Uff KT the necessity of having a full bladder for an ultrasound is the absolute worst."

Kabir raised his head.

"But this," Rachna continued as she reached his side and peered over her husband's arm. "This makes it so worth it." She leaned her head on his arm. "And I'm so happy that you agree with me that this little one is a boy."

"Aacha? I was just grateful that the technician confirmed that there was only one heartbeat. She has  a certain theatrical flair to her job that can be a little scary, doesn't she?"

Rachna nodded in agreement. "I suspect it adds to the excitement for the couple." She looked at her watch. "I guess we should leave now so that we can make our next appointment?"

"Ha Rachna."

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Naomi's fingers had flown over her mobile's keyboard.

 

Back to square one; Hamdard a definite no-go as our first dance...all I do is remember...and blush

 

The reply text was not long in coming:

 

Oh No, I'm not willing to give up our song, Sweetheart...First or Last Dance your choice... But it stays.

 

So shameless; what would your students think of their Sir if only they knew...Sigh...definitely  the last dance then.

 

Naomi had stood at the reception desk smiling, and then retreated to the waiting room to be called. Her smile froze as she observed the couple already there and then dropped altogether when the man raised his head from the newspaper he was reading. Her eyes had darted to the female beside him, as she took her seat.

 

That was about twenty minutes ago; twenty minutes of complete torture being in Abhi's presence, as it seemed he and his wife, she supposed, had also arrived early for their appointment. Naomi looked at her watch wishing for her doctor to hurry up with whomever she was with so she could make her escape.

 

 He watched her.   You little deceitful bitch, Abhi thought; the guilt was written all over her face. Naomi had to be aware that he knew exactly what she had been up to two nights ago with that bas***d she had gotten engaged to; just as she had to know that as her true life-partner that he had all the right to punish her wanton behavior.  

 

The nurse entered the room and called for the next patient. Thankful, Naomi got up and followed her out of the room and away from Abhi's prying eyes. Soon afterwards, Abhi watched as his assistant exited the room. Purposively, he folded the newspaper and turned his attention to the nurse who remained stationed to greet arriving patients.

"Namaste again, I hate to pry, but the other young woman who was in the waiting room; she looked awfully familiar," he began charmingly to the chirpy young woman at the reception desk.

"You must mean Naomi. You probably remember seeing her in the newspaper; she models for the designer, Kabir Tripathi. Oh and she's engaged to that gorgeous hockey coach from SVC; that bit of information was in the paper as well. She should be very thankful that she is engaged right now, that's for certain," the talkative woman continued.

"Aacha, why do you say that," Abhi asked.

The young woman paused, realizing that she had unintentionally misspoken. "Ah; nothing. Excuse me please. I really must get back to my work."

 

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 "I must give you fair warning it will be messy, and most likely will leak into the public domain."

Kabir shook his head, "That is of no concern; all that matters is that we are granted custody."

Paying no heed to him, the lawyer turned his attention instead to Mrs. Tripathi who he knew, held more sway over the decision to be made.

"As a mother yourself, Mrs. Tripathi, you understand that in all likelihood she will stop at nothing to prevent this action."

Rachna nodded.

"And this will mean the probable exposure of your family to intense scrutiny; not to mention your own mothering capabilities..."

"Sonal wouldn't dare, "Kabir angrily exclaimed.

 The lawyer continued directing his speech to Rachna. "...Whether you will be able to balance your professional and home life as the mother of three children; if in fact you are truly willing to become mother to your husband's child borne to another woman."

"I understand completely." Rachna tersely responded.

"But do you agree; are you willing to assume the responsibility and everything it will entail?"

"Of course she does."

"I'm afraid, Kabir, that this is something that I will need to hear from Rachna herself." He reached across his desk and summoned his secretary over the intercom. "Perhaps it will be best if you step out so that your wife and I can speak alone."

 

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Naomi sat there listening; struggling to understand what was going on.

"Naomi, this is just not done; the reason we sent the prescriptions home was so that you could start the prenatal medications immediately. This is a very critical stage and it is paramount that..."

"I promise doctor, I'm truly not trying to be obtuse here, but I never received any such thing. I have no idea what you are talking ... I'm sorry did you say prenatal medicines?" Naomi chuckled. "Well it's a good thing that I didn't get that message as it clearly a mistake. I am so far away from needing anything like that. I think you need to recheck my file."

Sitting across the table from the younger woman, the doctor looked down at the file and then back at her patient.  She extracted the report. "Perhaps this will assure you that no mistake has been made. Naomi you are pregnant."

"That's not possible."

"Unfortunately, Naomi, nothing is infallible; every contraceptive comes with a failure rate and despite you taking every responsible action, this has been one of those instances." In obvious denial  the young woman began shaking her head.  The doctor continued. "Perhaps the error was mine in assuming that while shocking, this wouldn't necessarily be unwelcome news for you and your fiance. I am more than happy to discuss the alternatives with you today instead if that is what you wish."

"But...but I'm on my period. It finally started yesterday." Naomi continued shaking her head. "I can't have my period and be pregnant, can I?"

"Yesterday, Naomi?" the doctor queried.  When her patient nodded, she continued with her line of questioning. "Is it different from usual; have you been experiencing any cramping or back pain?"

"It seems somewhat lighter and there has been no pain, but..." She faltered, and felt totally overwhelmed when her doctor placed a call to the Sonography department to schedule an emergency scan.

"Naomi I would like to give you an examination, and then run a few tests. I know this is all very alarming for you, but we have to determine what is happening right away."  She noticed that her patient had begun trembling . "Did someone accompany you today, Naomi?"

"No, but Vihaan is coming to collect me."

"Thik hai, we will have him join us when he arrives, but let's move to the examination room and begin."

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Kabir reentered his lawyer's office. Rachna looked up from where she still sat. Her expression was unreadable, so instead he gave his attention to their attorney who was busy making notations. Finally the man ceased his work and looked up to acknowledge his return.

"Mr. Tripathi, please be seated."  He waited for his client to do so before continuing. "Despite the fact that you did not seek medical attention from a physician at the time, because Sonal's own nurse was present in the home at the time of the incident and actually intervened, you have a very credible witness on your side." Pushing a file across the table to his client, he invited him to review it. "This however, may tip the scale in your favor should you decide to report the incident to the authorities. Apparently Miss Naomi had the foresight to photograph the worst of your son's injuries that night. This along with the nurse's statement will provide sufficient evidence to press charges against your son's mother for child abuse. As I explained previously, although every effort will be made to avoid this being a press item, both your and your wife's standing in the community will make this report newsworthy. It is a long shot, but on the basis that she stands a very good chance of being prosecuted, I would suggest that we appeal to Sonal directly to act reasonable..."

"I know her and that will not work," Kabir interrupted, incensed by the evidence before him. "I believe we should initiate the FIR immediately."

"KT please, can we not give the direct appeal a chance?"

Rachna's words were spoken softly, but still had the desired impact; her gentle tone bringing to mind that it was not only Sanjay's wellbeing that he needed to consider . His sent a solemn smile to his wife and nodded his head.

"Thik hai, we will attempt appealing to her sense of logic, with the understanding that we are more than willing to proceed with FIR."

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 "Naomi, you will have to understand that your entire pregnancy is an intimate process, so there is no need to feel wary or embarrassed by any questions I may ask. The more information we are able to gather, the quicker we can eliminate other factors and diagnose what is happening, thik hai?"

Naomi nodded in comprehension.

"Yes, two nights ago" she finally answered, unable to prevent her blushing cheeks. "It just happened, it definitely wasn't planned..."

The doctor held up her hand. "I am not your parent Naomi, no explanation is necessary. So for clarity, the bleeding began the day after you were intimate with your fiance?"

"Yes."

 She noted this down and then looked back at Naomi. " Thik hai, I'll just have the nurse escort you to have your scan and then bring you back here. She will be right in with a wheelchair... just as a precaution."

 

 Back in the waiting room Abhi remained optimistic. His assistant was clearly doing her part in prolonging her appointment; a good thing since Naomi had yet to return. His attention was taken by the sound of a male voice at the receptionist desk. He looked up momentarily when another man entered the waiting room, having been directed there by a second staff member, who had replaced the younger woman he had spoken to earlier. More time passed when, unexpectedly, the younger nurse returned and entered the waiting area.

"Mr. Vihaan Agarwal?"

Abhi attempted to tune in as the other man was pulled aside and spoken to in hushed tones. He observed as the man's features took on an air of deep concern, before he followed the young woman in the direction of the doctor's offices.  Mere seconds later his assistant returned and Abhi clenched his jaw at the inconvenient timing, but then something made him glance at the receptionist desk and at the look of disgust that the senior Nurse cast in the direction of the man who had to be some relative of Rajeev's. He approached and his voice full of affection, asked his assistant if all was well. Noting how the nurse's countenance showed her approval at this, he continued to play the doting partner. Whereas the younger woman had been no help; here could be the source of information he needed.

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She had left her workroom ajar for the sole purpose of hearing Naomi when she returned. Aside from the last bit of work they had to do, Rachna felt in dire need for some alone time with her friend. Hopefully she would reach home before kindergarten was over for the day and they got pulled in different directions. She looked at her watch. Kabir had left to attend a meeting with a potential client and would be collecting Sanjay immediately after, so she estimated they had a window of an hour or two  to meet.  She had even stopped for a few sweets for the two of them to share, just because. Now she just waited on her friend.

 

"Come Bhabhi, let's get you inside and off your feet."

Naomi nodded. She hadn't said much at all, and Vihaan was a little worried over it. In fact other than insisting that he take her back home as opposed to what he had thought a good suggestion, of going home to his parents, an idea she had adamantly rejected, she hadn't said much at all.  

"I can't do that, not before speaking to Rajeev, Vihaan. Promise me you won't breathe a word to your parents," she had begged tearfully.

He agreed.  Somehow confused that he was Naomi's fiance, Vihaan had been shocked to be advised by her doctor that she was having an emergency procedure to determine the viability of her pregnancy. His telling their parents was absolutely out of the question. This was definitely news that they needed to hear from Bhaiyaa himself.  The fact that they weren't married would be an issue at first, but Vihaan was certain that Ma would eventually be overjoyed at the news, not that he had been able to convince Bhabhi of this.  Now guiding Naomi to the door with one hand, he balanced the items he carried in his other and rang the doorbell to the Tripathi residence.

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"You can't be serious Rachna. What could we possibly be celebrating under the circumstances," Naomi asked, refusing to take the sweet her friend held out. "My life is a total mess."

"Isn't the fact that it's just a minor complication and that your baby is safe and healthy not enough Naomi? Surely you don't have a preference for something else; do you?"

She watched as her friend placed her hand over her abdomen, and knew exactly how and what she would be feeling at this moment.

Naomi looked up at Rachna who sat beside her. As if she could read her mind, Rachna spoke again.

"Rajeev will be shocked, perhaps very shocked, but then he will realize that he is the luckiest man in the world because the woman that he loves more than anything in the world is carrying his child. He will be terrified of this scare you've had. He is going to worry excessively and he is sure to become totally unbearable, but you will love him all the more for it. You on the other hand will run the gamut of emotions; you will be happy and then sad; worried and confident, but then things will settle down, and God willing you will have a safe pregnancy and delivery of the most beautiful baby you will have ever seen in your life."

"You shouldn't say that out loud Ra, what will Ariya think?" Naomi laughed.

"Trust me, you will understand." Rachna smiled. "Now have the sweet and let's compare our scans. You can check out my son, and I can get my first look at my potential daughter-in-law."

Naomi spluttered on the sweet. "So that's the way of it; you are thinking to betroth your son to my daughter already?"

"Aacha, I know that she will the only worthy choice for the new Tripathi heir."

 

"Anybody else would just pass it off as a honeymoon surprise; it would be the easiest thing to do Daadi."

"Ji Vihaan beta, but easy isn't always the best, and neither Naomi nor Rajeev would even consider that option; it isn't in their nature to intentionally mislead their elders."

"Still Daadi, I'm glad that their shaadi is coming up soon. I wouldn't want Bhahbi to experience any fallout from any of this. Banaras can be an unforgiving society at times."

She began walking the young man to the door. "Don't worry beta, we will take good care of her, but like you, I too am very glad that they will be marrying soon."

 

The doorbell rang, just as Vihaan pulled the door to exit. An employee from a courier service stood there. Vihaan stepped aside so Daadi could collect the envelope and sign for it. As soon as the messenger left, Vihaan bent to take her blessings, and promised to stop by tomorrow before he left for his flight back to London. Closing the door behind her, Daadi thought of taking the envelope stamped Private & Confidential directly to Rachna, but when she reached Naomi's bedroom door, she heard the laughter coming from within and pushed that thought aside not wishing to interrupt  the two friends just yet. Instead she took the envelope and placed it in Kabir and Rachna's bedroom, propping it up on the dresser where she would see it as soon as she entered the room.

[NOCOPY]

crtkelly2016-05-26 20:37:55