II
A surge of pain shot through Bani as another intense contraction made its way through her body. Clenching her teeth, she willed herself not to cry out loud. The pain was almost unbearable. Knitting her brows together in concentration, she forced herself to think about something other than the pain. She thought about her parents, about the school children she hadn't seen in months, about the child she's would shortly give birth to, and then about Jai, finally feeling a sense of relief. Eerily, that very instant, a large hand reached out to stroke the top of her head.
"Tum theek ho?" he asked, his deep drawl restoring some sense of comfort in Bani. Nodding timidly, she looked up to meet his concerned gaze. Those eyes would haunt her forever, arresting and comforting as ever. "Hmmmn." She was barely able to voice her thoughts. No, she was not okay, and unfortunately, the physical pain had nothing to do with it. As if reading her thoughts, Jai reached down and held her hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. Relishing in his affectionate gesture, she relaxed.
When his phone buzzed, reality sank in and she removed her hand from his. What was she doing? Hadn't she promised to fix things? Hadn't she vowed not to let her emotions stop her from doing the right thing? Taking a deep breath, she focused on a painting in the otherwise empty room. The contractions were closer together now, and she was nearing the end of the most beautiful yet difficult journey she'd ever taken.
She could hear Jai's quiet but distressed voice, and could easily guess who was on the other side. "Pia?" she asked him, apprehensively as he finished the call. He merely nodded. "Where is she? Is she coming?" already knowing the answer.
"She's….she'll be here" he murmured, though both of them knew better. Focusing back on the painting, she smiled sadly.
Pia had been beyond ecstatic when the procedure had been successful. Tears freely running down the face at the clinic, she drew both Jai and Bani into a hug. "Thank you..thank you..thank youuu" she'd gushed. Bani couldn't help but smile at her joy, though she was yet to come to terms with the fact that she was actually carrying her brother-in-law's baby. Not Pia and Jai's. Her and Jai's.
Initially, Bani had mulled over it for months before agreeing to the surrogacy. It was unanimously agreed upon that while Bani would carry the child, it would be Pia and Jai's biological offspring. However, when the gestational surrogacy wasn't successful, Pia's specialist recommended the next best option: Let the surrogate be the biological mother of the child. Pia, in all her frenzied obsession, had agreed and practically begged her husband and sister to agree, both of whom were vehemently against it. Finally, when Pia's health took a turn for the worse, it was Bani's mother who pleaded with Bani and Jai to agree with her. After seeing Pia's anguish, both had given in, and within months, Bani was carrying Jai Walia's baby through artificial insemination.
As Pia wanted to live through Bani's pregnancy as though it were her own, she insisted that Bani move in with them. Though apprehensive, Bani decided it was best for the sake of their privacy. Little did she know that this very decision would be the cause for trouble in her sister's marriage.
Cricket
Anupamaa
