CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sharon was perplexed. She couldn't understand the reason of Swayam's behavior but she knew one thing and that he was highly disturbed.
"Sharon, Is everything alright? Did you two fight again over the issue? You just said things were better?" Gautam quizzed his daughter seeing Swayam so disturbed and angry.
"No! No Dad! It's nothing like that. Why don't you go and take rest Dad? I should be with Swayam I think." Sharon said looking at the direction of his room already.
Gautam smiled to himself listening to Sharon's words.
"I don't want to live with him Dad!" She had said to him in the hospital after accident. He always knew she loved him and cannot stay without him even if the situation was blinding her to see anything else and now looking at his daughter's concern for her husband he knew he hasn't been more right ever.
****************
Sharon knocked on the door but there was no answer.
"Swayam, Open up. It's me." Sharon said knocking but all she got was silence in the reply.
"Swayam, it's just me. No one is around." Sharon said again softly and this time she heard the door unlocked.
She opened the door slowly and found Swayam standing at the window side. She locked the door behind her and covering the distance stood beside him. There was a long silence which she finally decided to break up.
"What's wrong Swayam? You look disturbed."
"Where are Dad and Stephie?"
"Dad is in the guestroom and I sent Stephie home."
"You had your dinner?"
"Swayam, that's not the answer to my question. What's wrong?"
"Everything. Nothing is right but I will make things right now." Swayam said, anger blaring in his eyes. Sharon for a moment shivered looking at the intensity of his anger.
"I don't understand. What happened? You went to meet Rey right? Then what happened?"
"I feel so stupid Sharon. So damn stupid. Such a fool I am. So many things just went so wrong because of my stupid beliefs. I almost lost you in that accident. . . I . . ." Swayam was blabbering and Sharon was scared seeing him so anxious and so troubled.
"Swayam. . . Swayam. . ." But he was just not listening. He kept talking like in a totally different world. Sharon just did not know how to calm him and when nothing came to her mind, in a fraction of second she hugged him holding him tightly, close to herself.
Swayam felt like a wave of relief washed over him taking all his worries in its stride. Her warm arms felt like a temple to him where all his stress just zeroed. After such a long time, such a long time that it felt like ages he felt himself so close to her with her will that every roar just silenced inside him. He clutched her tighter and stilled. Sharon without a word supported him till she felt his breathing even, till she felt him getting calm in her embrace.
"What happened Swayam?" She asked as she pulled herself back from the hug but she just got a negative nod in answer while he just looked down.
Sharon realized that he wasn't going to tell her anything and it hurt her a little.
"Why have you started to conceal everything from me Swayam?" She said softly even though she didn't want it come out, not now, but she just couldn't herself.
Swayam looked up at her and said nothing. His eyes bored into hers and he could see all the hurt, the expectation, the concern and the hope. He could see it all floating in them. She broke the eye contact as pearls started to form in her eyes.
"Take some rest. Sleep, you need it." She turned around to go but felt her wrist in Swayam's arms.
She glanced at their hands first and then at Swayam as his gaze dropped to their hands from her face and he moved his hands from her wrist to her palms to cover with his own. He held her hand in his and looked at her again.
"Sit!" He said gently and she sat beside him never breaking the eye lock. He tightened his grip on her hands and suddenly felt an urge to kiss them but taking advantage of their situation was the last thing on his mind.
"Do you really think I would want to hurt you ever?" Swayam asked looking at her searching her face for answer.
"I don't know Swayam. . . I don't know a thing about what is going on and you just refuse to talk about anything. Even if you don't want to it's the only thing that you are doing." Sharon replied looking into his eye and it stabbed his heart.
"Sharon. . ." Swayam wanted to say but Sharon cut him off.
"There is no point of talking Swayam. . . I know you are not going to tell me anything. Anyway take rest. Go to sleep." Sharon sighed and taking her hand out of his went to her room.
Swayam lied there and he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep today anyhow.
****************
Next morning, Sharon came out of the room to find her father sitting on the breakfast table and talking to Swayam on some serious topic. Swayam still looked angry. Guatam raised his head as he saw Sharon coming towards the table and smiled.
"Good Morning .How is my Princess doing?"
"Good Dad." Sharon replied hugging him and glanced at Swayam to find him smiling at them.
Looking at Sharon and her dad he felt why he wanted a girl to come into their lives. His phone started buzzing and Swayam got up to attend the call. In a minute he was shouting over the caller
"What do you mean you cannot Gaurav? Get me every detail by this evening or start searching for another job by tomorrow!" Sharon heard him shocked at his choice of words. Gaurav was a trusted employee of their company and Swayam wasn't among those bosses who scared their employees with firing letters every now and then. As Swayam came towards the table to pick his coat Sharon couldn't stop herself from asking
"What is happening Swayam? You don't do what you just did!"
"I don't, Sharon. But you know what now you would see me doing a lot of things that I don't do generally."
"Swayam. . ."
"Sharon I don't want to lie to you and I cannot tell you the truth so let's just stick to a way between these two. People here have crossed their lines and have played with my personal life and I am not going to tolerate that. If the world hasn't seen the worst Swayam till now I will give them a glimpse of him now." Swayam said determined as he went out of the home in anger.
************
Swayam was sitting in his cabin rolling the paperweight on the table as Pia sat in front of him sweating under the heaps of work Swayam has suddenly given to her. He had blasted at her two times in last two hours and she had no idea he was going to make her cry by the end of the day. But the destiny pretty much always comes in between the plan you make in your head and the thing you do. And so his cellphone rang. He picked up the phone to see Stephie's name flashing on it and his concern like a Tsunami wave touched the peak. It hadn't happened before that Stephie had called. The thought of Sharon worried him to death and he picked up the phone in a hurry.
"Hello Stephie! What is it? Is Sharon alright?" He started his enquiry without even letting Stephie talk.
"Talk about a overprotective husband!" came a cool reply from the other side in Stephie's voice and Swayam calmed down a bit hearing her tone.
"Sharon tells me you want a girl to come. If that happens, God save her from your protective shield." He blushed hearing her pleasantly surprised that Sharon talks about him too to her.
"We will discuss that when she comes. Will you tell me why did you call me right now?" Swayam asked smiling at the thought of his Princess.
"Actually I called because Sharon is due with an appointment today with the doctor and your driver is at leave. So what is your plan? She asked me to call you to take her to the doctor." Swayam heard Stephie saying and his eyes went big in response. He signaled Pia to leave and as she went out he resumed talking
"Did Sharon really said this to you?"
"What? You don't believe me? Jesus! Talk to Sharon then!" Stephie handed the phone over to Sharon and he heard her talking.
"Will it be difficult for you to come early and take me to Sarah?" Sharon asked softly.
"What? No! Absolutely not! I will be there, just on time no before time, Yeah?" he said breathing hard almost in a trance.
"Okay! Bye!" was all Sharon said and line cut off.
Swayam smiled to himself. He didn't know how to react. This was the first time in six months that Sharon had asked him to come with her to the doctor. He recalled when he had tried to go with her after the whole fiasco how blatantly she had refused.
"How many times do I have to say to make it clear to you that I and my baby do not need you!" Her words still echoed in his mind. He sighed as he stopped the car in front of the clinic. He looked at Sharon, she for some reason looked nervous. But he was just too happy to let anything negative enter his mind.
******************
"Finally you got the time to come with your wife." Sarah, Sharon's doctor mocked Swayam sternly. Sharon looked at both of them nervously.
"This is heights Swayam. You know which parent behaves like this? Young boys who abandon their girlfriends after getting them pregnant or the men who care to much about money to take care about their wives and child." Sarah fumed angrily at Swayam who looked confused and guilty.
"I expected better from you Swayam. Your wife is six months pregnant and I cannot recall the last time you came with her. Let's just appreciate the fact that you took time from your busy schedule to come over when I asked Sharon to bring you." Sarah said coldly and Swayam looked at Sharon shocked. Shocked at his own stupidity of thinking that Sharon wanted him to be with her.
Sharon looked at Swayam and knew everything was just heading the wrong and so she jumped to do some damage control.
"Sarah please don't say like that. Swayam takes good care of me."
"Yeah! That is why he has hired a caretaker for you to take care of you. So that he doesn't have to do anything." Sarah said angrily and Swayam never pulled his head up.
"Sarah. . ."
"I am sorry Doctor. It's my fault. I have been ignorant."
Swayam's apology seemed to calm Sarah down.
"Swayam, you may be trying your best but it's disheartening to see her walk inside alone everytime and make up an excuse for your absence. It's sad when you are not there to hold her hand when we check the progress of your child in her womb. This is irresponsible behavior."
**************
Swayam was driving back to home but he wasn't able to concentrate. His mind was just wandering off back to Sarah's chamber. He felt himself choked with emotions. A feeling that he didn't know exist inside him. A feeling that he had never experienced before. A sense about which he knew but hadn't felt till now, till few moments back. The sense of being a father.
Sarah had showed them their baby so much grown inside Sharon's womb. A whole new life. His baby. So small, so delicate.
"That's your child Swayam." Sarah's words had made him numb. He had felt his eyes glistening staring at the baby but he didn't know when the tears from his eyes came off. His heart was thudding inside his chest and he was shivering.
But it was after they had come out of the clinic that it hit him hard. He had missed all those months. He had missed everything. He had missed his child growing inside Sharon's womb. He has lost so much because of few had their selfish interests to fulfill. And most importantly Sharon never told him anything.
"You're so emotional seeing this Swayam. I can't imagine how you didn't come after I gave Sharon the pictures of your baby because that is what my original intention was to give her those photos." Sarah's words rang in his ears.
Truth was Sharon never gave those pictures to him.
"Swayam. . ." Sharon's voice broke his reverie. He looked at her for the first time after they had come out of the clinic and the longing in his eyes broke her heart.
"We left our home behind." She said telling him they were ahead of their home.
"Yeah we did." He said not really knowing at what he was pointing at.
******************
As they entered their home Swayam felt himself too lost in his thoughts to talk about anything else. He didn't even hear Sharon calling his name for the first time.
"Swayam" Sharon called again and this time he heard and turned back.
"Are you alright?"
For a moment he didn't know what to answer. He had seen and felt his baby for the first time thanks to a machine in doctor's chamber and that meant he has lost all those months with Sharon when he should have been with him and she didn't even feel his need.
"Hmmm!" That is all he could manage and started to go to his room when suddenly he turned back.
"Sharon!" He called out her name and found her standing already looking at him with her hands on her stomach. It made him cringe and yearn to touch her.
"Would you mind, I mean I think we should throw a party to celebrate the due arrival of our little one?"
Our little One! The words from Swayam's mouth, she didn't know she would feel so good. It made her feel like running in his arms and feel his warmth but his next words broke her heart in million pieces.
"Because I don't know how much time I have with you." He said, hurt reflecting in his voice and eyes as she watched him close the door of his room.
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Edited by ..MiStLeToE.. - 10 years ago
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