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68
The next few days passed with Sanyukta hardly speaking a word to me, and I just left her alone. I didn't try to speak to her either, because annoying her or upsetting her was the last thing I wanted to do.
At night, while we'd sleep next to each other, our bodies would feel like they were miles away.
Then one day, a few days later, I heard Sanyukta sobbing softly in the middle of the night. My eyes opened instinctively and I turned around to touch her shoulder. Her back was faced to me.
She turned around and climbed on my chest, her tears soaking my skin.
"I don't want to fight anymore," she sobbed. "I just want to be with you."
Then she held on to me much more tightly as she cried some more. I stroked her hair.
"We won't fight anymore," I mumbled in response. "We'll only be together. That's all - nothing more, nothing less."
Her grip on me tightened - it was like she was a small child who was scared of her mother leaving her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry for yelling. I'm sorry for accusing you. Let's just forget it all and live happily... please... I don't know how much time there is."
I caressed her back as tears invaded my eyes.
"Don't talk like that," I said to her softly. "We will be happy together. You and our baby will be okay."
She looked up at me with hope.
"Promise?" she asked me.
"I promise," I whispered to her softly and kissed the top of her head.
Then she relaxed in my arms and fell asleep quickly, and I smiled, happy to have Sanyukta in my arms once more, after what felt like forever.
Now I only hoped, that we had forever to spend like this as well.
69
For the first few months, Sanyukta was fine. It was only after the fifth month of her pregnancy hit that her health began to weaken. I made sure to take her to the doctor twice a week, but they hadn't changed their words - they said that now it was too far into the pregnancy to do anything, and we would just have to see how it goes.
There were days Sanyukta would wake up with a high fever, and some other days, she wouldn't wake up at all until I woke her up - and that scared me a lot. Most of the time, she would rest her head on my lap and just lie there.
One day, during the last few days of her fifth month, she was lying down with her head on my lap.
"I just need to hold on for three more months," she mumbled. "Three more to save our child."
"Shh, you'll be able to hold on for longer," I told her softly as I stroked her hair.
She took a trembling hand and placed it on her belly.
"If you ever need your mommy, then remember that your daddy is your mommy, okay baby?" she whispered. "He is everything - mommy and daddy, and he'll take the best care of -"
"Sanyukta shh," I interrupted, as I felt tears fill my eyes. "Stop saying things like that."
"Randhir I can feel my life slipping away from my hands. What am I supposed to do?" she asked.
"You won't die. I'm telling you, you won't," I told her seriously.
"Randhir but I can feel it!" she argued. "I'm going to die - that's inevitable."
"Don't you have faith in me?" I asked her. "Why don't you believe me when I tell you you'll be fine."
"I just know Randhir," she snapped.
"You don't know," I told her seriously, "Just watch - in a few months when you're okay, you'll look back at this and I'll say I told you so."
She pressed her face further into my lap as I stroked her hair.
"You're stubborn," she mumbled.
"So are you," I responded.
"I love you," she said softly.
"I love you too," I replied with a small smile on my face.
I didn't know how true my words were - but I knew that I would light the world on fire before I let anything happen to Sanyukta, and the intensity of that thought was enough for me to know that nothing could happen to her.
At least, not before I was taken out of the picture.
70
Every passing breath was getting more and more painful. I was starting to get a strange feeling as the months passed and Sanyukta's condition got worse. She was dying, and I could see it in front of my very eyes.
On the eighth month of her pregnancy, I was sitting next to her at home, as she slept soundly, her hand in mine. I kissed her forehead softly.
"I love you more than I love my own life," I told her sincerely.
I was so confident that she would be okay, but her condition was deteriorating. Every day, she was getting worse.
I was not so confident anymore, and something in me was getting ready for separation. My eyes would fill with tears at the thought. I might be able to suffer any punishment. I would be willing to go through anything at all. Separation from my love though, was not something I thought I would be able to bear.
I kissed her on the cheek, and she stirred on the bed, but she was so deeply asleep, that it hadn't woken her up. Then I kissed her lips lovingly.
Who would have thought that this would be happening only one year into our marriage? Who would have known that all of this would happen after six years of separation? We were together for a brief period of time, only to be separated again.
Parth and Vidhushi were supposed to come over today, to look after her while I went to the store to get medicines for Sanyukta. I didn't want anyone else to get them for her... with Sanyukta, I wanted to take no risk. I also had to go into work and speak to my boss about my long absence. I wasn't sure whether I would still have a job after taking all of these months off, but I really didn't care.
At this point, I didn't know that today was the day that everything would fall apart, and maybe even fall together.
71
Once Parth and Vidhushi arrived and sat next to Sanyukta, I felt a bit relaxed and got up to leave.
I stroked Sanyukta's hair once and kissed the parting of her hair softly before I turned around. As I was about to walk away, her frail hand wrapped itself around my wrist and I stopped.
Turning around to face her, I saw that she was still breathing deeply, fast asleep. I placed my hand over hers and removed it softly, before bringing it up to my lips and kissing it. Then I placed it gently on the bed.
I softly caressed her belly, feeling the movement of our child inside of her.
"Parth, Vidhushi, take good care of her... and if you need anything at all, call me, okay?" I told them.
"Randhir, don't worry - you finish your work and then come back," Parth said softly.
Just then my phone started to ring and I saw that it was Anju, Sanyukta's mom. I answered the phone and she immediately started to freak out at the other end.
"Randhir something doesn't feel right. Stay with my Sanyu, okay? I'm in India, I'm coming there!" she said quickly.
"What? You're here?" I asked, surprised.
"I just got here. It was getting too unbearable for me. I need to see my Sanyu," Anju said. "What is your address?"
"Parth will come and pick you up," I said quickly. "You're at the airport?"
"Yes," she said.
I hung up and glanced at Parth.
"You have to pick up Sanyukta's mom from the airport," I told him seriously. "Vidhushi, you stay with Sanyukta and call me if there are any problems."
Then I looked at Sanyukta one final time. I took in her beautiful features. Her long black hair, her dark brown eyes, her pink lips. She might be pale and sick right now, but it didn't take away from her beauty even a little bit. I didn't know why I was looking at her, like it was the last time I would get a chance to look at her so closely, while tied to this body.
Then I left.
And when I left, I was filled with a strange sense of emptiness, like it was the last time I was leaving.
This wasn't the last time I was seeing her though. I would be seeing her again, not long from now, just in a different state of mind, just in a different environment, with a completely new perspective.
--
Two more chapters and then an epilogue left. =)
Two more chapters and then an epilogue left. =)
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
