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Part 31: The Eight Weeks
After Kripa had finished packing, the ladies went to Riddhima's house and helped her pack. Dilip came home soon after the women had gotten home.
"Hello Kripa...and Riddhima...what a pleasant surprise." Dilip said with a small smile. Naina had always noticed that Dilip was in a better mood every time Khushi, Kripa, Riddhima, or any one of them was around. She knew the reason behind it but she didn't say anything. She never did.
Apart from the fact that Kripa was carrying her grandchild, Naina had another reason to support Kripa. Naina knew what it felt like to have your choices taken away from you. Naina knew what it was like having two choices...out of which one was the ridiculously obvious one. So obvious that you technically didn't have two choices after all. Life had put Naina through something similar. Something that caused her husband to get distanced. He didn't understand her then just like Angad didn't understand Kripa. Like father like son, Naina thought.
For the time being, they didn't tell Dilip about Kripa's pregnancy. Khushi had suggested that they do something special for that announcement. Simply telling him might make him angry. As of now, Dilip just thought that the girls were just over for a few weeks.
Naina had also made it a point to not let Angad know of the recent changes. He would find out when he came back. Until then, there was no need to make things tenser for Angad and Kripa.
Week 1:
Arnav and Armaan called their respective girls often in the day whenever they could find time. Kripa had stopped expecting Angad to call. And He didn't call.
One day, surprisingly, Arnav called Kripa. "What's up?" Kripa questioned.
"Nothing. Just checking to see how you're doing. How have you been?" Arnav said simply.
Kripa frowned in confusion. "I'm fine...been busy with the placement and the studying. After this exam is done, I'll be a much happier woman."
"That's good. Are you taking your vitamins regularly? Are you keeping up with your doctor's appointments?" he questioned further.
Kripa sighed. "Arnav...I know Khushi tells you all of this. She updates you on everything. And I also know that the phone's on speaker right now and Angad's around. He's listening."
Quiet on the other end. "Angad I'm fine. Or I was...twenty seconds ago. Since when do you need to make others call me to talk to me? I thought we were better than that."
Kripa hung up without a goodbye. She never blamed him or became angry at him for the fact that he didn't want to keep the baby. But it hurt her to know that he had started treating her like a stranger. She put the phone on silent and went back to her studying. After reading a page or so, Kripa was overwhelmed by a sickening feeling. She covered her mouth and ran into the bathroom.
After emptying the content of her stomach and brushing her teeth, she stepped out into the living room again. Khushi walked up to her with Naina and Riddhima. Khushi held up a plate full of jalebis. Kripa was so glad at the sight of them, she was famished!
But then the scent hit her like a brick wall, re-inducing the nausea. She covered her mouth again and ran back towards the washroom. Khushi sniffed her jalebis.
"They don't smell bad!" she said offended.
Naina hit her lightly on the head. "You're crazy! That's morning sickness...it's a pregnant lady thing...not a sanka Devi thing."
Week 2:
After a week of debating, Khushi came up with a plan to break it to Dilip. On Friday night, when he returned from work, Khushi came up to him and tied a blue balloon and a pink balloon to his wrist. She was able to get away with something like that because Dilip loved having her around. He was always in a better mood when she was around. These days, he was the happiest Naina had seen him in the last few years.
Once Khushi left, Riddhima skipped to him, handed him two pairs of cute little booties, one in pink and one in blue. Naina walked up to him as well, slightly nervous about his reaction. She placed a t-shirt in his hands and left as quickly as she could.
"Grandpa in the Making" Dilip read the t-shirt, confused.
"Uncle!" Khushi chimed, gaining his attention.
Now he realized that the three ladies were wearing the same kind of t-shirt he was holding except Khushi's t-shirt read "Bua Ji in the Making", Riddhima's read "Maasi in the making", and Naina's read "Grandma in the Making".
He was just starting to get the hint of where this was headed when the three ladies moved and revealed Kripa who stood there wearing a similar shirt. Hers had an arrow that pointed up at her face and under it, the shirt read "Ms. Mommy" and under that, there was a diamond shape which resembled a traffic sign but it read "Baby on Board" right over her tummy.
Dilip stared at all four of them for a few seconds as his brain took its time to soak in the news. Everyone relaxed when he beamed a smile and looked at the booties. He walked to Kripa, touched her cheek gently and kissed her forehead.
"Thank you so much for this day..." He said, his voice choking with emotions. Kripa looked one, surprised to the core, when Dilip gathered her in a hug. Naina and Khushi sighed in relief.
Dilip pulled apart and looked at Naina. "How far along is she?"
"This is her fourteenth week..." Naina said cautiously.
"Does Angad know or are you planning on surprising him?" Dilip asked, still smiling. Within seconds however, everyone else's smiles faded.
Kripa steadied herself. "He knows."
"Uh Dilip...can I talk to you for a minute?" Naina asked seriously, for once not fearing her husband's reaction.
Dilip followed Naina into a room. Kripa bit her lip and started pacing around nervously. Khushi and Riddhima held each other's hands waiting for the outcome. A few minutes later, an angry Dilip walked out and stood in front of a scared Kripa.
"Do you want me to talk to him, Kripa?"
"No!" Kripa exclaimed right away. "Please don't. I've told everyone not to and I'm requesting the same from you...don't force this on him..."
Dilip considered it for a moment. "Fine. I won't talk to him now but as his father, I will give him some advice once he gets back."
"Don't pressure him...please..." Kripa requested again.
Dilip and Naina exchanged a look and Dilip nodded.
Week 3:
Kripa was shifting side to side in front of the mirror when Riddhima walked in with their study material. Riddhima looked at Kripa weirdly.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"It shows, doesn't it?" Kripa said putting a hand on her tummy.
"Does it?" Riddhima said taking a closer look at Kripa's stomach.
"It must...I can't button any of my jeans anymore." Kripa turned again. Riddhima moved closer and placed a hand on Kripa's exposed stomach.
"I don't feel anything!" she complained.
Naina walked in giggling. "There's still time for that...are you two checking for baby's movements?"
"No...It's just...I think I finally look pregnant! My pants won't fit me anymore..." Kripa looked worriedly at Naina.
"Don't worry Kripa. It's normal...you're 15 weeks into this...and you're so tiny...I knew you would start showing quicker..." Naina smiled affectionately. "You know what this means? We need to go shopping!"
The four spent a big chunk of the day out shopping for Kripa's maternity clothing. Dilip came to pick them up at the end of their shopping spree and he started a conversation with Kripa. He asked her how the appointments with the doctor were going, how her studying was going, and whether she needed anything from him.
Naina listened, getting quite sentimental herself. Dilip was being a fatherly figure in Kripa's life right now and more importantly...he had found a daughter in Kripa. Naina thought of Angad and frowned to herself. She was angry with him for the decision he had made. He was going to hear from her when they got back.
Dilip and Kripa's bond had been growing at an accelerated pace. They spent hours together just chatting about random things. Dilip would quiz Kripa and Riddhima on their study material. A couple of times, he had even helped Khushi during one of her insane jalebi making episodes. Naina was glad to see him smiling and relaxing after so many years. The distance between them, however, remained.
Week 4:
Kripa and Riddhima were literally immersed in their studying to make up for all the lost time as their exam neared. Every day they went to the hospital for their clinical placement and came back tired. While Kripa took a nap, Riddhima gave Khushi some company. Naina had instructed them to finish their mushy and romantic calls with their respective significant others while Kripa slept so that she wouldn't be reminded of Angad.
Kripa and Naina, whenever they found time, worked on Kripa's birthing plan. They roamed around choosing the best clinic in the city, getting in touch with the best gynecologist, getting the best everything. They also worked together on the photograph flip-book Kripa had started where she took a sideway profile picture of herself at the end of each week and pasted it in a book. It was to map the growth of her baby bump throughout this pregnancy.
Angad still called her once or twice a week and they talked like friends would. He never, Kripa realized, said anything related to her pregnancy or the baby. She was dying to tell him how she her tummy was getting bigger and how the ultrasounds looked and how the baby's heartbeat sounded and how her stomach felt all fluttery whenever the baby moved. But she didn't. He never mentioned the baby to her and respecting his wishes, she never brought the pregnancy up either.
Week 5 & 6:
These two weeks were difficult for Kripa and Khushi but even more difficult for Riddhima. Kripa's mood swings knew no bounds. They were so sudden that she could be studying one minute and the next minute, she'd be bawling like no tomorrow.
And then there were the cravings. Her outrageous cravings. Khushi had to deal with all of this as well but poor Riddhima also has to study along with it. But she never complained. She stood by Kripa through each mood swing. She went out on a hunt for whatever Kripa craved. She smiled through it all genuinely, no pretenses, no phoniness, just pure friendship.
When Riddhima had gone to bed early, Kripa sat out in the living room studying. She was just about to leave when Dilip walked in.
"Did you just get home from the office?" Kripa asked to which Dilip just nodded. Kripa smiled at him and walked into the kitchen. She returned with a glass of water for him.
"You should really just rest and not do so much work." Dilip said taking the glass.
Kripa rolled her eyes. "I'm pregnant...not sick! All of you will spoil me...it will be bad for me once I leave, you know." She placed her hands on her hips.
"You're not leaving. You're like my daughter and you're wrong if you think I'll let you leave." Dilip said in a tone which closed the topic.
"We'll see...but for now...I want to see something..." she paused to get Dilip's reaction. "Can I see Angad's baby pictures? I really want to see them...I was putting up pictures of him in my room and I realized I don't really know what he looked like as a baby!"
"You were putting pictures of him in your room?" Dilip raised his eyebrows.
"Yes. Of course my pictures are there too! But if the baby's a boy, I want him to take after Angad..." Kripa smiled. When Dilip frowned, Kripa went on quickly. "Nice try at changing the topic but I want to see...pretty please?"
Dilip smiled at her, got up, and walked upstairs into his bedroom without a word. Kripa pouted to herself and started piling up her books. Dilip, however, returned with an album in his hands.
"Come. Sit." He called Kripa over. She excitedly skipped to him and sat down next to him on the couch as he started flipping through the album.
He recited short versions of stories behind some pictures and Kripa could see how happy he was recalling those days. The joy also reflected in the photographs. They looked like a happy family. In almost all of the pictures of him and Naina, he was either hugging her or holding her hand. There were a few pictures with his arm draped around her shoulders or waist. There was one picture that particularly caught Kripa's attention. A young Angad and Dilip on either side of Naina, both were kissing her cheeks while she smiled like she had won a lottery.
Kripa put her hand on the picture to prevent him from flipping past it. He fell silent and looked at the picture with a sad expression.
"Can I ask you something?" Kripa looked at him. "It's probably none of my business but you did say that I was like your daughter...so I'll take a chance here...you and aunty look so happy in these pictures...then why the distances now?"
Dilip looked at the picture without saying a word. After a few seconds, Kripa took her hand back and started to stand up when Dilip spoke.
"We were happy. Very happy." He smiled slowly. "We had an almost perfect family. Me, Naina...Angad...all that was missing was a daughter...a younger sister for Angad...I've always wanted a daughter...I told Naina about my wish and she told me that...that she'd...she'd had a complete hysterectomy done...and I didn't even know about it until then...there I was...desperately wanting a daughter with a woman who couldn't bear children any longer...I was furious with her. The anger eventually led to the distances. The fact that she tried to defend herself made me even more furious. When she couldn't take it anymore, she told me why she'd had it done and she said it was cancer...that made me even more angry...there are other treatments for cancer...it made me furious that she chose the worst available option...and then after that..Every time I saw Angad...I was reminded of how I was missing a daughter in my life...eventually...the anger distanced me from both Naina and Angad..."
He looked over at Kripa and saw that her eyes were filled with tears. Something else in her eyes took him by surprise. There was anger in her eyes. She was angry with him.
"It was cancer, uncle! How could you be mad at her about going through that surgery when she had cancer?" Kripa felt worse for Naina. Being a student in Radiation therapy, she had enough knowledge of various cancers and she knew that sometimes...surgery was the best option.
"Kripa you're a radiation therapist...you treat people who have cancer without removing their body parts."
"We don't guarantee cure uncle! It's not magic! Believe it or not, more often than not, we try to make the cancer stop from getting worse...and sometimes we have patients who will die in two weeks time...yet...we treat them so that death comes easier...less painfully!" Kripa argued, not bothering to cover the hostility.
Dilip looked away. "I refuse to believe there was no other option."
"And what about Angad? He loves you, you know...and you're punishing him for something that's not even his fault! Does he even know that aunty had cancer at one point in life?" Kripa countered. Dilip didn't answer and Kripa stood up. "you consider me your daughter...a daughter that you've always wanted and today that daughter is telling you that you've wronged your son...he didn't deserve it. I'm sorry...I should be more respectful but...I don't stand by what's not right...pardon my rudeness."
With that, she walked towards the staircase to find Khushi standing there, tears streaming down her face. Kripa grabbed Khushi's arm and pulled her along to her bedroom. Within the confinement of Kripa's room, Khushi hugged her and cried.
"He has never shared that with anyone! No one knows maasi had cancer! No one knows why he's been so upset with her...but because of you...we know...I have to tell Angad!" Khushi pulled apart but Kripa stopped her.
"Don't tell him anything yet...I have a plan." Kripa smiled at Khushi.
The next morning, Kripa had gone to Dilip and asked him if he had the information about Naina's cancer. He had given her the file without questions. Kripa spent the day studying for her exam and at the end of the day; she went through Naina's file.
When Dilip came back home from work that day, Kripa was pacing back and forth in the middle of the living room, holding the file in her hand, a frown on her face, and one hand placed over her baby bump.
"Kripa? Why are you still up?"
Kripa turned to face him and tried to soften her expressions but failed. She slammed the file on the coffee table in front of her. "She did have options! There were two options. Either treat the disease and become sterile for the rest of her life...or die. Those were her options."
Dilip was taken aback. "W'what?"
"Yeah. The type of cancer she had...by the time the doctors had found it...it was already at a very late stage. A few months' delay and she could have died from it! Trust me...I'm a radiation therapist...for her disease...the only real treatment option was surgery. You should be thankful for that. Some people don't even have that option. You're upset with her because she couldn't bear you a daughter...would you have been happy if she had died? Angad would have been left without a mother at such a young age. I'm a mother myself...I left the man I love for the sake of my child...Aunty fought the disease and the surgery all on her own...and for what? To get your wrath in return?" Kripa turned away from him.
"You know...it's funny that you're mad at Angad for not wanting to accept the baby...but you weren't by aunty's side when she needed you the most. You couldn't get a daughter, yes...but she knew that she won't be able to conceive again after the surgery...and you can't imagine the hurt and the sadness that knowledge brings...I'm very disappointed uncle...I saw a father figure in you...I can't believe a man equivalent to my father would do such a thing!" Kripa sniffed and wiped her cheeks and stomped back into her bedroom.
Week 7 & 8:
"I miss you too Armaan..."
Armaan groaned on the other line. "Riddhima...it's been seven weeks...one more week and I'll be there...at least say it now."
"Say what?" Riddhima bit her lower lip. She knew exactly what he meant but she was going to play dumb.
"Riddhima!"
"Armaan!"
"You're mean. Go away. I don't want to talk to you."
"Alright. Suit yourself. I'll see you in a week." Riddhima held back her laughter.
"Riddhima!! I'll get you back for all of this. You're in so much trouble Mrs. Mallik."
"Pfft. We'll see when you get back. Anyway, listen...did you guys try talking to Angad?"
"Yeah we did. He's still adamant. I think Kripa is right...if he is so sure that he's not ready for the baby, he's not ready for the baby."
"Hmm." Riddhima was silent for a couple of seconds. "Armaan...are you ready for a baby?"
She heard him gasp and then heard some ruffling sound. She guessed that he'd dropped the phone. "Are you pregnant?!" He asked, sounding ecstatic.
"No...I...just...don't want to end up in the same situation as Kripa..."
"Riddhima...we talked about this remember? And sweetie, our situation is different...we're married."
"That doesn't matter Armaan...if anything...in a similar situation, there's more pressure on you to accept the baby because we're married. A situation like that would be more difficult for us."
"No it won't be Riddhima...because we'll never have this situation...trust me when I say that. Besides, this is not a conversation I want to have over the phone. I'd rather do it in person."
Riddhima sighed. "I'm sorry...I think Kripa's mood swings are rubbing off on me."
"It's nearly 3 am Riddhima...go to bed. We'll talk in a few hours."
"Okay...I might not pick up the phone right away. Kripa and I have our last cramming sessions...the exam is in two days!"
"You'll be fine Riddhima. Just take care of yourself and Kripa...This week will be over in a blink."
"It better..." Riddhima frowned to herself. "Good night Armaan. I miss you."
"I miss you too, sweetheart. Sweet dreams."
Riddhima hung up and went to bed, only to dream about Armaan. The next two days were spent studying like no tomorrow.
The day of their exam, Kripa and Riddhima walked into the house looking happy along with Khushi.
"I take it your exams went well, girls." Naina spoke, standing up from the seat.
"It was great! All that studying definitely paid off!" Riddhima slumped onto the couch and helped Kripa sit down. She was halfway through the pregnancy and for someone who was only 20 weeks pregnant, Kripa's tummy was pretty big. Anyone could look at her and guess the pregnancy. After having a much relaxed day with the girls, Naina retired to bed before Dilip came. As usual.
When Dilip walked in, Kripa smiled at him. The morning after Kripa's outburst at him, he had gone to see her. He had apologized and admitted that he hadn't bothered to do any research before blaming Naina for everything. He wanted to fix things. Kripa was more than glad to help. Their plan was going into action today.
Khushi and Riddhima went upstairs to Naina's room and pulled her downstairs.
"Sit and watch a movie with us, Naina." Dilip said with a small smile on his face.
To say that the shock was visible on Naina's face would be an understatement. She sat down next to him anyway. Her eyes widened when Dilip put an arm around her shoulders. She sat there as stiff as a rod, barely paying attention to the movie. His hand felt like it was made of lead. So heavy and so noticeable. Kripa, Riddhima, and Khushi suppressed their giggles and stole glances at the couple.
The next few days, Dilip's small gestures made big impacts on Naina. She didn't know what had happened to him suddenly but she wasn't about to complain. She was finally seeing glimpses of her husband and she would do anything to keep him here. What she didn't know was that it was Kripa who had brought Dilip back in the first place.
Preview: The Return of The Boys! How will Angad react to an obviously pregnant Kripa in his house? Will Riddhima finally confess her feelings for Armaan?
...Stay tuned to find out! ;)
Next part: Page 131
Hey guys! I know I know. I'm late. But its the same old story. School + Online courses + Work + House Chores + Summer Time + Two FanFictions = Chaos! My evaluations were going on at school and right after my mom underwent a surgery. So Katie was running the entire house (plus doing all of the above) by herself and then she got sick. PLUS...I hit a road block with this part...even now that I've completed the part, I feel like I've done a crappy job with it. I'm feeling better today so decided to give you guys a part! I'm hoping to update sooner for a couple of weeks because then the exams return again!!
Sorry this part was so crappy. The boys come back in the next part so you can expect a lively part!😃
That is all for today! Love you all
- Katie <3
Edited by love_iqbal_khan - 13 years ago
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
Anupamaa
CID
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
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