Strangers- Complete FF - Pages 136 to 139 - Page 38

nice part opti, ali's wife had me in fits lol congo to them for having the much awaited daughter :D looks like this has already got milsi thinking of the pain prachi will have to go through. the whole baby kicking part was cute, im glad they were able to share a special moment together :D

Originally posted by: may268

Awwww PaPa is soo sweet

At last Ali got a girl..PHEW

Anyways the baby was kicking!!!!woohoo

Lashman Rekha is gone...OMG I can't believe it

Wonderful Update

It WAS worth waiting for!!

Update soon!!

Originally posted by: ..kashish..

hey di welcome back!

hope ur feeling better...

wow loved this part..so they love each toher but are not sayin anything...wonder what will happen...

aww the baby kicked...and dey got ridof the lakshman rekha...

so cool...

cant wait till th enext apr tto see what iwll happen.!!!

Originally posted by: rosie111

thanks for the nice update the dilvery scene in the hospital written beautifuuly so they got a baby girl nice milind and prachi feeling babys first kick was something i am happy for prachi finnally she will get somebody who just loves her the way she is thanks

Originally posted by: $weet Ema

Opti..nice part. Rehana's curses was the highlight..😆!!

Part 9

Note: This section will deal in detail about child birth. Those who cannot handle it can skip it.

"Godh Bharai?" asked back Baba distractedly as he was trying to read the morning newspaper while answering the phone.

"Yes, Godh Bharai, the ceremony performed for pregnant women on completion of seven months. Prachi must be atleast seven and a half months now, wouldn't she?"

Baba turned his full attention to his sister's call and cursed himself under his breath. How can he forget it? Maybe because there was no woman in the house to remind him of these rituals. How he wished his wife was around to conduct this for her daughter-in-law but alas she left him and his son for heavenly abode more than twenty years ago. Putting aside the newspaper he asked her,

"It is a ladies function and there are no ladies here save Prachi. So will you come and conduct it for us?"

She agreed to come and the function date was fixed two days later. Mishraji then asked Milind to invite the married lady staff members and the wives of his male staff members to attend the function.

Prachi's Godh Bharai went off well. Milind presented her a beautiful crimson silk saree. Baba presented her with his wife's ruby set, unmindful of Prachi's protests that she cannot accept it. He said that her mother-in-law's jewellery belonged to her. Prachi couldn't say anything further without wounding him. So she quietly accepted it. Decked in all her finery, she was made to sit in the centre of the hall. The women came and blessed her and laid various gifts on her lap. Pratibha gave her a gold strapped wrist watch. Prachi felt more and more guilty that she would end up hurting so many people if she leaves. She hoped that she may never have to leave and break the hearts of the people she had grown to love. She turned around and looked at Milind who stood at the head of the stairs. He couldn't take his eyes off his beautiful wife. For the first time she noticed the desire in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on her. Was she imagining it or was Milind really attracted to her? She tried to confirm it but got distracted by the women who wanted to feed her ghee rice and sweets as per the custom. In the meantime Milind got a call from his office and had to excuse himself mid-way through the ceremony.

That night when Milind came home late from work, Prachi was already asleep, having been made to turn in early by Baba and Bua. He lovingly gazed at the sleeping face of his wife for a long time before sleep took over.

Bua stayed back with them under the insistence of Baba who said that her presence in the otherwise male dominated household would be useful, especially now that Prachi was in her third trimester. Mrs.Pratibha was widowed three years back and lived alone in her flat in Mumbai, as she had no children. Her husband, a retired civil servant had left behind three flats for his wife. The pension money and the rent from two of the flats took care of her needs. The woman was fiercely independent and refused to accept any help from anybody, including her own brother, preferring to live on her own. Now that the first grandchild of the family was on the way, she agreed to be of assistance.

The next six weeks flew by even as Milind's and Prachi's unspoken love for each other strengthened. Even though they had not vocalised their feelings for each other, they subconsciously seemed to know that their spouses too reciprocated them. Prachi kept herself busy right up to the very end, knitting sweaters and booties for her baby and doing all the household work including sweeping and swabbing the house. Milind tried to stop her from doing physically strenuous activities but Bua assured him that it would lend greater flexibility to her body which, in turn, would help in making her delivery easier when the time comes. He wasn't satisfied with her explanations and checked with Prachi's doctor during their next visit. The doctor too assured him that activities which required bending and squatting were good for pregnant women as long as long they did not have any complications in their pregnancies. As Prachi's pregnancy was fairly smooth sailing there was no reason why she should not do these activities. It is only then did he let Prachi continue them.

It was two weeks before the due date for the arrival of Prachi's baby. Bua and Baba had wanted to go to the temple to offer prayers for Prachi's safe delivery. Milind volunteered to stay with Prachi till they return in an hour's time as she was too close to the delivery date to be left alone. He had informed his office he would be coming in a little late. He sat next to Prachi on the sofa and watched her knit. As she was concentrating on the knitting she did not notice her husband's admiring and unwavering gaze on her. A few tendrils of her shampooed freely flowing hair blew across her face in the gentle morning breeze. Milind instinctively pushed the straying strands of hair behind her ears, prompting a startled Prachi to break her concentration on knitting and turn her attention to him. Embarrassed that he was caught in the act of staring, Milind quickly turned on the T.V. and was shocked to hear the breaking news. Some miscreants had desecrated the statue of Dr.Ambedkar, the father of Indian Constitution. This had led to caste clashes, violence and rioting. Shops were vandalised, buses were burnt and private vehicles were stone pelted. The police swiftly acted and a curfew was immediately clamped to prevent the precipitation of the crisis. Prachi feared for the safety of Baba and Bua who were still out and throwing aside her knitting needles, she clutched Milind's arm tightly and asked him to check on them. Just then he heard the phone ring. It was his father who informed him that at present they were safe in his friend Vijay's house. He then told him how they ended up there. As they were coming out of the temple along with the rest of the devotees, the police had landed there in large numbers. They were told to take shelter in the nearby houses as the curfew was being imposed and no vehicle was being allowed to pass. As Vijay lives next to the temple, they went to his place. They assured him that they will return home as soon as the curfew gets lifted. Milind heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Prachi.

Milind called back the doctor to inform her that Prachi was experiencing contractions every fifteen minutes. The doctor was alarmed to hear this and asked him if there was anybody else with him. On hearing there was no one she asked him to get prepared to deliver the baby himself. Milind just froze for a minute and turned to see his wife. She had her eyes squeezed shut, her face twisted in pain as she was hit by another powerful wave of pain. He recovered to ask the doctor what he needs to do. She asked him to first of all remain calm. He took a deep breath to calm his frayed nerves and made a quick mental note of all that she was saying. He tucked the cell between his chin and shoulder and rushed to the kitchen where he boiled some water in a bowl. He dropped a pair of scissors in it and brought it to the bedroom. He then walked to the bathroom where he washed his hands with soap and dettol and wipe them clean. When the doctor asked him to place a plastic sheet under the mother, he looked around the bathroom and noticed the plastic shower curtain. He ripped it off and returning back to Prachi, he lifted her backside and placed it under her. He then brought a mug of water, soap and towel from the bathroom. Kneeling down at the foot of the bed, he asked her to raise and spread her knees, repeating what the doctor was instructing him over the phone. Prachi was initially hesitant to reveal herself in this manner but hearing him bark at her in impatience, she did as she was told. Sliding off her under garments, he washed and cleaned the area from where the baby was to arrive. He then brought a plastic tub and placed it below the foot of the bed.

By now Prachi's contractions quickened to every five minutes. Her membranes ruptured and there was a gush of fluid. Prachi's embarrassment at having to go through all this in front of her husband whom she was still not intimately familiar with was soon submerged in the intense pain which overtook her. She clutched and twisted the pillows in her agony. Trying hard to mask his own apprehension, Milind asked her to take deep breaths as she started bearing down. She had fully dilated and the baby started descending. Milind's head was tilted to one side as he continued to hold the cell between his chin and shoulders and repeated the instructions he was receiving from the doctor. As he saw the crowning of the head, he asked Prachi to pant and blow. He then gently applied counter pressure to the head to keep it from popping out suddenly. He let the head emerge gradually. As instructed by the doctor he gently stroked the sides of the baby's nose downward, the neck and the under chin upward, to help expel mucus and amniotic fluid from the nose and mouth. He then held the head in both his hands and pressed it very slightly downward, asking Prachi to push at the same time to deliver the front shoulder. As the upper arm appeared, he lifted the head carefully, holding the back of the neck and waited for the rear shoulder to appear. Once he freed the shoulders, the rest of the baby slid out easily. He looked at the baby and shouted out that they had a beautiful baby daughter to a profusely sweating, exhausted but extremely relieved Prachi. He then took the scissors from the bowl of hot water and snipped at the umbilical chord an inch and a half from the baby's navel after tying it with a piece of twine. Once the baby was free he quickly wrapped her in the clean towels and brought her to Prachi who took her in her waiting arms. He thanked the doctor profusely who in turn congratulated him on a job well done before hanging up.

After a few minutes the baby started whimpering in hunger. As Prachi started unbuttoning her dress, Milind turned his head away to allow the mother some privacy with her baby. The baby initially struggled to latch on and Prachi gently assisted her. Soon she got the hang of things and started feeding hungrily. Prachi pulled a thin blanket over her shoulder to cover herself and the baby and assured Milind that he can turn around as she was presentable. Milind smiled and gently wrapped his arm around Prachi's shoulder, brimming in happiness to be with his wife and their baby.

After the baby finished her feeding, Milind picked her up to burp her. Prachi warned him to hold the back of the neck. Gingerly he held the tiny creature in his large arms and placed her tiny head on his shoulder, holding the back of her neck for support with one hand and patting her back with the other. Soon the baby let out a burp, bringing out a little milk in doing so. He then lifted her forward to look at her. He wiped her mouth clean with his palm. The baby let out a wide yawn, opening her pink lips to reveal her gums and tiny tongue, bringing an indulgent smile to his face. He returned her to his shoulder and patted her till she fell asleep. He then placed her in the cradle and rocked her. Prachi watched all this and was amazed to see the tenderness of this gentle giant who was her husband. She silently prayed in her heart that their happy little family will never break up.