Chapter 60 on page 70
I received a couple requests for an epilogue.. Thanks to FW for helping me with this :) 😳 😉
Epilogue
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Bani's eyes darted from left to right as she watched Jai move around in a panic. She herself seemed to be calmer this time around, but watching Jai in such a state- which would normally be amusing, was agitating her to no end. Bani took a deep breath, and heaved a long sigh as she caressed her swollen belly. It seemed strange to her that it was seven months ago that she had broken the news to Jai that she was pregnant with their second child, yet it felt like it was only a few short weeks back. And here she was, ready to leave for the hospital in the middle of the night, as their child decided to make an early appearance- and it seemed like Jai was taking months to get ready to leave.
Bani was broken out of her reverie by a familiar sharp pain that had returned once again. Clutching the sides of the chair that she had been sitting in and shutting her eyes tightly, she breathed steadily waiting for it to go away. Suddenly, she felt a hand on top of hers and her eyes flew open to see Jai kneeling next to her, his eyes filled with concern. He stayed with her till the pain subsided, then gently placed his hand on her tummy. "Bahut dard ho raha hai?"
"Nahi.. bilkul nahi … Aap kya jaane.. dard kya hota hai…yahan to baite baite aish aur araam kar rahi hoon…meri yeh halat sirf aapki vaje se hai…" She grumbled. "Ab chale? Ya yahi pe baccha paida karu…." She snapped sarcastically. Jai was taken aback by her for a moment, then it took him a moment to realize that she probably didn't mean to say so. She held out her arms so he could help her up, and he decided that it was better not to say anything, as she hardly ever got mad at him, let alone snap at him.
"Bas ek minute… phir chalte hai" Jai said quietly.
Bani began to pace the room back and forth with her hands supporting her back, as he returned to his frenzied state. Krishna walked through the door through and Jai saw her in the corner of his eye. The little girl never ceased to amaze him. It was nearly 2:30am, and here she was wide awake in her pajamas, clutching her precious purple teddy bear. She watched as her mother paced back and forth, back and forth.
"Ma…ma…lori…" Krishna said smiling at Bani. Bani stopped for a moment and saw the petite figure standing in the doorway. Giving her a weak smile she walked towards Krishna and patted her head gently. "Abhi nahi, beta… baad mein." Bani returned to pacing the room. Seeing a confused Krishna, Jai walked over to her and bent down at her level. "Krishna beta… tumhe yaad hai papa ne kaha ke tumhara chhota bhai ya bahen aane wala hai? Baby aanewala hai? Aur tum badi bahen banne wali ho?" Krishna gave a big nod as if she remembered. Jai smiled. "Haan, to ab mamma baby ko jan-... uh.. mamma aur papa baby ko… uh… lene jaa rahe hai…"
He glanced at Bani who was sitting back in the chair semi-amused by his explanation of why they were suddenly leaving in the middle of the night. "Iss liye tumhari mamma bahut chinta main hai… Tu Papa ki acchi bacchi hai, na?" Krishna nodded again. "Good. Ab tum badi-dadi ke paas jao. Wo tumhe lori sunai degi, teekh hai?" Krishna nodded, and Jai extended his hand towards her to lead her to the door.
However instead of taking his hand, she stopped at looked at Bani. Nervously, taking small steps Krishna walked towards her mother, who was sitting there with her eyes closed and her hand resting on her tummy. Her eyes remained closed and Jai just watched as the little girl approach her mother in a gingerly fashion. "Bani…" He said quietly to get her attention.
Bani's eyes opened to see Krishna standing in front of her. She sat up a bit in the chair and Krishna handed her the purple teddy bear. "Baby" Krishna said proudly.
Jai walked towards them, and kneeled in front of Bani. "Krishna.. yeh baby ke liye hai?" Krishna nodded happily. Bani was touched by her daughters kind gesture and gave her a big wet kiss on the cheek, and wiped the tears from her own eyes. Jai swept Krishna in his arms and kissed her too, and Krishna giggled. "Yeh hai meri acchi bacchi.. ok ab tum badi-dadi ke paas jao…" Krishna happily walked out of the room. Jai turned to Bani "OK tumhara bag pack ho gaya. " and swung the bag over his shoulder.
He helped her out of her chair, then walked her towards the staircase. Bani looked at the staircase nervously. Jai recognized her apprehensions and without a single word, he carried her in his arms downstairs. Masi was at the bottom of the staircase, and Jai carefully put Bani back down on her feet when they reached the end. Jai started to head for the door, when Bani stopped him. "Suniye? Aap pajama pehenkar hospital jayenge?"
Jai looked down to see that he was still wearing his kurta pajama. "uh nahin.. Main bas do minute mein aata hoon."
"Koi baat nahi… take your time…sirf hospital hi to jaana hai." Bani said miserably. Jai looked up at Bani, then at Masi pleadingly. Masi stifled her laughter, and assured Jai with a nod to just go with it- after all it was rare that her Bahu was so irritable.
"Munna, tu upar jaake change karle, aur main Bani gadi tak le jaati hoon…" She walked Bani out of the house and sat her in the car. Faster than expected, Jai was there seating himself in the car as Masi was giving the two of them her blessings.
"Masi, aap saath mein nahi aa rahe hai?"
"Nahin, main to Rano, Sahil aur baaki ghar ke log ke saath aaoongi. Saath mein Krishna saath ko le aayenge. Ok tum dono jao." Masi kissed Bani's forehead, and saw the tears forming in Bani's eyes. "Nahi beta.. Nahin rote…. Munna, tu meri bahu ka khayal rakhna…"
"Ji, Masi" Jai and Bani drove off to the hospital. Bani closed her eyes and rested her hand on her tummy, as they drove on. She knew that Jai kept glancing at her to make sure she was okay, but she figured now was the best time for her to get a couple minutes of rest until they reached the hospital. A few minutes into the drive, she felt Jai take her hand into his own and give it a gentle squeeze. Without opening her eyes, she squeezed his hand in return.
Jai drove fast and soon they had reached their destination. He helped her out of the car, and before she stepped further towards the hospital, he took her into his arms. She was surprised for a moment, but then wrapped her arms around him and sighed deeply. "Im sorry Bani… tumhe pareshaan kiya." He caressed her back to show his support for her, and seconds later he felt his shirt turn wet from her tears. Jai pulled her back and saw her eyes were red.
"Aap ghalat nahi the.. Im sorry maine aapko daanta." Her voice quivered.
"Nahin Bani.. tum jo karne jaa rahi ho, wo ek chamatkaar se kam nahin hain. Im proud of you, ke tum mein itni himmat hain. Itni himmat to shayad mujhmein bhi nahi hai. Main jaanta hoon ke tum darr rahi ho. Sabh kuch teekh ho jayega, aur kuch ghanto mein humara baccha humare saath hoga. And just remember, I am here Bani…"
She wrapped her arms around him once again. After a moment, he felt her grip on him tighten and her breathing change. The pain seemed to hit her stronger this time, but having Jai with her was comforting. Not knowing what to do, he rubbed her back and after a minute she let go of him. He weakly smiled at her, and wiped her tears from her cheeks with his thumb. Carefully, he walked her to the hospital.
Three hours and fourteen minutes later, Jai was pacing the waiting room and the rest of the Walia family was waiting tiredly, yet patiently. Rano was become dizzy just watching his him watch back and forth. So far, the nurses said Bani was progressing normally, but as the minutes passed his anxiety increased. He had gone into see her a couple times- it broke his heart to see how exhausted she looked. But she assured him that she was fine, and that made his heart feel a bit lighter. He feared that there would be complications like the previous time.
For a moment Jai stopped pacing and felt two tugs at his pant leg. "Pa…pa…Nee nee" A sleepy Krishna stood there with one arm up in the air and one rubbing her eyes. Giving her a smile, he picked her up into his arms, and she rested her head on his shoulder as he gently patted her back. After some time she had fallen asleep, and Jai saw the doctor finally walking towards him. He handed Krishna to Masi, and ran towards the doctor who had a smile on her face.
"Mrs. Walia is perfectly fine. Iss baar delivery mein koi complications nahi the. Aap chahe to aap apni wife aur beti se mil sakte hain." The doctor exclaimed happily.
Jai laughed heartily. "Beti?"
"Haan, beti. Congratulations, Mr. Walia. Mrs. Walia aapka intezaar kar rahi hai kamre mein."
The family cheered loudly, waking Krishna up from her slumber. Masi pacified her, as Jai left the family to see Bani and the newest addition to their family. He entered her room quietly only to be mesmerized by the most beautiful sight. Bani was lying in the hospital bed with a pink bundle in her arms. He felt his legs become heavy as he stopped walking and took in the sight of Bani holding their child so lovingly. Jai felt an unexpected tear fall down his face. Bani looked up to see him standing there and she smiled. Jai walked further into the room and could finally see his daughters precious face. She had the thickest black hair and rosy red cheeks. She was perfect.
Jai sat at the edge of the bed and put his arm around Bani. With his other hand, he turned her face towards him and gave her a tender kiss on her lips. "Thank you", he said quietly. "You're ok?" He asked her concerned.
"Just a little tired." She nodded in return, and turned slightly to hand their new daughter to him.
After a few moments, Bani looked at Jai. "Aapko bura to nahin laga ki humari beti hui hai…M-main jaanti thi ke aapko beta-.."
Jai cut her off immediately. "Nahin, Bani. Beti aur beta mein koi farak nahin hai. I just want a happy and healthy child. Aur waise bhi, ho sakta hai ki humara agla baccha ladka ho, hai na?"
"Agla baccha?!" She said shocked, as Jai chuckled softly. She was about to say something when the door opened slowly and the family entered the room. The family congratulated Jai and Bani, and the family members each took their turns to hold the newest member of the Walia family.
A curious Krishna watched as the family members passed around this bundle, and each time she tried to take a look standing on her tippy toes. Finally the baby was back in Bani's arms, and Jai lifted Krishna up so that she too could see her baby sister.
Krishna eyed her to see what the big deal was about. After a few moments, she broke into a smile and pointed "Baby!"
Jai laughed. "Haan beta, baby! Yeh tumhari chhoti bahen hai… ab tum badi bahen ban gayi ho…"
Krishna watched the baby, who was now asleep, then glanced at her mother who was looking tired too. "Ma..ma.. nee nee?"
Bani laughed and patted Krishna's cheek. "Haan beta… Mamma thak gayi hai…"
The family stayed for a little bit, but seeing that it was now early in the morning and none of them had slept they decided to leave. Krishna was sleeping in Jai's arms and the baby was asleep in Bani's. Bani too was in great need of some rest and relaxation. After much insistence, Jai convinced Masi that he would bring Krishna home himself, and that he wanted to keep her there for a little bit. The family wished the couple again, and then left for home.
Then it was the four of them remaining in the hospital room. Jai holding Krishna, Bani holding the baby. "Suniye… maine bacche ke liye ek naam socha hai… 'Meher' kaise rahega?"
"Meher…" Jai said softly. He thought for a moment, then smiled and looked at his daughter. "Its beautiful. Meher Walia."
Jai sat there for a few moments and watched Krishna and Meher both sleeping. From the corner of his eye he saw Bani looking at all three of them and smiling to herself. "Kya soch rahi ho?"
She smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. "Yahi.. ke I have the perfect family."
"Nahin Bani… 'WE' have the perfect family."
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Thanks to all who read and supported this ff.. your support,comments, feedback meant a lot to me! Would love to read your thoughts, feedback and suggestions for future!
Edited by Hkaurk22 - 18 years ago
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