Devakshi FF:The Memory of Us Epilogue Updated on Pg 70 - Page 53

Originally posted by: vinovember

Oh sorry might have missed the authors note!! Would love to read more of your works 😃

Originally posted by: jabilli

Good story

Originally posted by: Malvika07

Hey rasika! Glad to see you back. I missed you on IF. So sorry, I haven't gotten the time to post an epilogue. Haven't been keeping well since 1-2 days so couldn't do it over the weekend. Will try to post one in this week itself😳

Thank you so much!

Hi guys, I finally got around to writing the epilogue. I'm really sorry for the delay. Hope you like it. Let's start..

One year Later..

He was prepared for screaming. For getting cursed out. For crying and pleading and begging for it to stop.

He was not prepared for her to be completely calm.

The morning of her due date he woke up to a kiss on the cheek and a quiet excited whisper in his ear.

Today's the day.

She was standing next to their bed, dressed in sweats and smiling nervously as he blinked up at her and tried to wrap his head around what she was trying to tell him.

"Sonakshi.."

"I know," Sonakshi cut in before he could finish his thought, "due dates are completely arbitrary and shouldn't be taken literally, because babies never arrive on their due dates, but I think our baby has inherited my timeliness, because," she inhaled sharply, digging the heels of her hands into her lower back, "Ow."

And then he was jumping out of bed, wrapping his arms protectively around her while she rode out her contraction with a shaky sigh. It lasted about a minute, then he felt her relax in his arms and pull away to look at him.

"They're about," she glanced at her watch, "Four and a half minutes apart now. So I was thinking we might want to head to the hospital soon. Do you want me to make you some breakfast while you get ready?"

She looked up at him so earnestly he didn't know what to say. Two minutes ago he was sleeping and now... He shook his head, frowning.

"Four and a half minutes, Sonakshi we need to get to the hospital now. Why didn't you wake me up? Let me just get dressed and then-"

"Dev," she said, putting a hand on his chest, stopping him from rushing past her to his dresser, "We have time. When I woke up at one o'clock this morning my contractions were eight minutes apart, and that was six hours ago. We have time. I'm going to go make you some cereal and toast."

Before he could protest she rose up on her toes and planted a kiss on his lips, then turned and went off to the kitchen, leaving him standing in shock.

He dressed like a zombie, still unable to wrap his head around it. He had a million questions - why hadn't she woken him up? How is she so calm when they're hours away from bringing a tiny human into the world? When did they buy cereal? - and somehow as he tried to work out the answers he managed to put on a pair of jeans and a shirt. Still on autopilot he stuffed his wallet into his pocket, and then picked up his phone and frowned. He had a text message from Nikki timestamped at 3AM.

Flight's about to take off, should be there around 9. Mamaji will pick us up from the airport. See you soon bhai - xoxo.

Nikki and Ishwari were attending a relative's wedding in Mumbai. The doctor had assured them the baby was still a week away and Sonakshi had convinced Ishwari to attend the wedding.

"Did you call Maa?" Dev asked as he climbed down the stairs making his way to the kitchen. Sonakshi didn't answer, and as he turned the corner into the kitchen he could see that she'd gotten a white knuckled grip on the countertop.

"Sorry," she squeaked out, "Give me a minute."

He hurried to her side, rubbing her back with one hand as she grabbed the other in her own, squeezing tight till the contraction passed.

"You okay?"

She nodded, releasing his hand and turning to face him, "I'm fine. And yes, I called Maa when the contractions started so she'd have plenty of time to get here. I think she and Nikki are getting in around - "

"Nine, yeah." He finished as she wandered off to get the butter from the refrigerator, oblivious to the hurt look on his face, "Sonakshi, why didn't you wake me up?"

Sonakshi sighed, but didn't look up from where she'd started to butter his toast, "It wasn't a big deal. I woke up, I timed a couple of contractions, called my mother, called your mother, and went back to sleep."

"You still should have woken me up."

"So you could have panicked and kept us both up all night?" She finally turned back to him, handing him his coffee and toast. He set them on the counter, distracted.

"I wouldn't have.." Dev trailed off, finally managing a smile as she raised her eyebrows, "Okay, maybe I would have, but can you blame me? We're having a baby today."

"Which is exactly why we needed the sleep."

"Sonakshi - "

"I know you're nervous," Sonakshi interrupted, taking his hands in her own, "but we're ready for this. We've been planning this day for months. We went to the birthing classes and the parenting classes, we painted the nursery and set up the crib - "

"I'm pretty sure I painted the nursery and set up the crib."

"Okay, fine you painted the nursery and set up the crib, but I packed the hospital bags, and called our parents, and have been tracking my contractions, and now the last step is getting to the hospital. That's the easy part."

He laughed, leaning down to kiss her before pulling her tightly to him. She rested her head against his chest, bending at a sort of odd angle to accommodate her enormous belly.

"I think you're forgetting what happens once we get to the hospital."

"I'm choosing to ignore that for now," she grumbled, swatting playfully at his arm. He smirked, stroking her hair as she settled in against his chest with a contented sigh. For a few moments, he forgot his own anxiety, letting himself get lost in the feeling of holding her in his arms. Then, too soon, she let out an involuntary whimper and balled his shirt tightly in her fists. His hands moved to her lower back, kneading tense muscles until Sonakshi pulled out of his arms, frowning.

"That was only..." she checked her watch, "three minutes and forty five seconds. We should get going."

He felt like his heart was going to stop. Sonakshi was slipping on her shoes, mouthing words to herself as she went over some mental checklist, and before he knew what he was doing he was putting on his shoes too, grabbing the hospital bags, helping Sonakshi into her coat because she was struggling. Then they were out the door and he was backing out the driveway by the time she cried out again, doubling over in her seat.

"Sonakshi," he started, trying to stay calm because she was already fighting back tears, "That wasn't-"

"I know. Drive."

By the time they reached the hospital her contractions were only three minutes apart, and with each one she withdrew deep into herself, going into an almost trance like state. His heart was hammering against his chest, his hands sweaty on the steering wheel, and yet she was totally composed. When he ran inside for a wheelchair she almost stopped him, insisting that she was fine, but then another contraction washed over her like a wave of pain, and he managed to get her to sit down. Just as he was wheeling her into the lobby her grip on the arms of the chair released and she sighed, looking worriedly at the sky.

"Does it look like it's going to rain to you?"

He couldn't help but chuckle at that, because yes there were rain clouds starting to gather in the sky, but the weather was the least of his worries at the moment. But when he didn't answer right away Sonakshi craned her neck to look back at him and he forced a reassuring smile onto his face,

"No, I'm sure it'll clear up soon," he said, pushing her towards the elevators, "Let's get you checked in upstairs, then I'll look up the forecast and - "

"Mr and Mrs Dixit"

Dr Sinha's voice stopped him dead in his tracks as he hurried up to catch up with them, and then suddenly Dr Sinha was grinning and Sonakshi's grinning and he felt like he was going to throw up if he doesn't get her up to Labor and Delivery now because there was no way his child was going to be born in the hospital lobby.

"So, today's the day?" Dr Sinha asked, as if Sonakshi in the wheelchair and the diaper bag slung across his shoulder weren't telling enough.

"Today's the day!" Sonakshi replied happily, rubbing a hand over her swollen belly.

"I'm so happy for you Sonakshi and you too, Mr Dixit" said Dr Sinha, sincerely.

"Thank you, Dr Sinha" Dev said, trying his best to keep a straight face "We really have get going now"

"Oh yes, Good luck, both of you. Mr Dixit, you look like you're going to pass out when she hasn't even started pushing yet. Anyway, I'll see the three of you later!" he said, rushing in the opposite direction and Dev let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. His legs were starting to feel weak, but he ignored Sonakshi's concerned look as he wheeled her onto a mercifully waiting elevator.

"Dev?" she turned as much as she could in the seat and he reached down, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. He hoped she didn't notice the slight quiver of his hand.

"Yeah babe?"

"Calm down."

He was lucky that at that moment she got distracted by the elevator doors opening on their floor, because there was no way she'd believe his lie that he was calm, really, his hands were just shaking because he needs his coffee. He grabbed the opportunity to push her straight to the nurses' station, where they were met with a warm smile from a nurse whose name tag identified her as "Pooja"

"Well hello there, are we here to have a baby today?"

It took everything in his power to not snap back that no, they're just here for a tour, and Sonakshi sensed his discomfort and she spoke up,

"Yes, Dr Mehta is my OB, I called her on the way over. My contractions are - "

Sonakshi stopped, grabbed her stomach, let out a low hiss of pain, and Pooja looked at Dev expectantly.

Uh, her contractions are about three minutes apart, and they last about a minute each."

Pooja nodded calmly, apparently waiting for Sonakshi's contractions to pass, and even though rationally Dev knew it was much more painful for Sonakshi than it was for him the moment seemed excruciating. He didn't bother trying to hide his relief when she relaxed into the chair and Pooja started speaking again,

"Alright, so Shilpa," she waved her hand and another nurse hurried over, "is going to get you settled in a room, and I'm going to keep your husband here for just a minute to fill out some paperwork. Sound good?"

It didn't sound good to him. The thought that he didn't want to leave her side even for a second flashed through his mind, but Shilpa was already stepping into his place, making small talk with Sonakshi as she wheeled her down the hallway and Pooja shoved a pile of paperwork at him. He filled out the forms in record speed, his already unclear handwriting becoming completely illegible, all the while reminding himself that bossing around over here was of no use, the rules applied to both trustees and normal people the same way. Once he was done he practically sprinted to Sonakshi's room. She was lying on her side, curled in on herself as another contraction passed.

"Hey," he breathed, taking a seat next to the bed and prying her hand off the bed to hold it in his own, "Sorry about that. Stupid forms, I could have filled them out in here."

"It's fine, you didn't miss anything. I didn't have the baby without you."

She laughed at her own joke, her eyes still shut so she couldn't see the hurt expression on his face.

"How are you so calm about this?" He asked finally. Her eyes fluttered open at that, and she squeezed his hand.

"Dev, I'm ready for this. I've been miserable these past few weeks, and yes I'm in a lot of pain right now, but we're having a baby today. A baby. Our baby."

He had to chuckle at that, nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, it's pretty amazing."

"It is."

"This just feels like.. like the calm before the storm."

"Oh," Sonakshi gasped, "The storm! You said you'd check the forecast."

"Right," he reached into his pocket for his phone, but at that moment Dr Mehta entered the room with the same calm smile that everyone on the floor seemed to wear. It drove him crazy.

"Hello Sonakshi, Dev, I hear we're having a baby today?"

"That's the plan," Sonakshi answered with a smile, rolling onto her back and propping herself up in a sitting position with some difficulty.

"Alright, let's take a look and see how things are progressing."

Sonakshi put her feet in the stirrups, and for the first time all day Dev noticed a flash of anxiety on her features as she rubbed her thumb across his knuckles.

"So your contractions are still three minutes apart?"

"Yes," Sonakshi managed as another one hit. Her eyes brimmed with tears and Dev moved to sit on the edge of the bed, letting her head fall against his chest as Dr Mehta suddenly looked very serious.

"And are you feeling a lot of pressure with your contractions?"

She couldn't speak, but she nodded, and Dr Mehta seemed unsurprised. She waited for the contraction to pass, and it was just long enough for Dev to start imagining worst case scenarios. But he was not expecting the words that actually came out of her mouth,

"Okay Sonakshi, you're almost fully dilated so what I want to do now is get you in a delivery room. Once we're there I'll rupture the amniotic sac and you should be ready to push."

If he looked shocked it was nothing compared to the confused and terrified look on Sonakshi's face, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, letting her brace her body against his chest.

"That's impossible," she choked out, "I haven't been in active labor that long, check again."

"Sonakshi I can feel your baby's head trying to crown, I'm honestly surprised you're not in more pain right now, but the fact of that matter is that some women's labor just progresses faster than others'. Now I need to get you in the delivery room. Do you understand?"

"No," her voice shaking as she squeezed the life out of his hand, "No we have to wait for my mom. For his mom. Her flight should have landed ten minutes ago, can't we just wait for them? My parents will be here any minute."

"I'm sorry, but they've been diverting flights all morning due to the storm that's expected. I doubt Mrs Dixit's flight landed in Delhi."

And finally the calm before the metaphorical storm ended. In an instant Sonakshi began to hyperventilate, letting go of his hand to wrap both arms around her stomach. Her feet dropped out of the stirrups and she pulled her knees together and shook her head with determination.

He felt like he'd been punched in the gut, slapped across the face and kicked in the balls simultaneously. Dr Mehta was trying to reason with Sonakshi in a low, soothing voice, but she'd completely shut herself down to hearing it. And he realized in that moment that he needed to put his own shit aside, because it was not about him. It wasn't about how afraid he was to be a father, how unprepared he felt, how scared to death he was of losing another chance of becoming a father, it was about supporting and taking care of the beautiful woman who had gone through nine months of unpleasant pregnancy symptoms to bring their child into the world.

"Hey," he said softly, trying to find his voice, "Hey."

His hands moved instinctively to tuck her hair out of her face, and the familiar gesture actually calmed her for a second as she turned to him with tearful eyes.

"Dev I can't do this," she whimpered, "I can't do this. I tried to stay calm all morning because I thought if I acted calm, I would feel calm and if I'm calm nothing will go wrong, but I am not calm right now. Nothing can go wrong this time Dev. Nothing."

Suddenly it all made sense, how she had appeared so calm that morning. Every time she reassured him she was really trying to reassure herself. And now it was his turn to do it for her. He started with a gentle kiss pressed to her lips.

"Shhh. Nothing is wrong, Sona. It's okay," he said when he pulled away, "I've got you. I know you wanted Maa here, your Maa-Baba as well, but we can do it, me and you, okay?"

Her eyes searched his and he smiled earnestly at her, earning a small smile in return through her tears.

"Okay."

Their daughter came into the world less than an hour later in the instant between a flash of lightning and the thunder that followed. Her first shriek rang louder than the grumbling of the sky, and for the first time all day Dev was able to relax. They may not have gotten the calm, but she was their perfect storm, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

The End?

Author's note: So that's it guys. I didn't add Dev-Sona convo post baby coz the chapter was stretching too long. I hope you liked it. I wanted to focus more on Dev-Sonakshi's interactions and their worry about not losing another baby.

I'm sorry if it wasn't up to the mark. I have not been very happy with our show lately, and I hope that doesn't show in my writing. Would love to know what you think. Thank you for reading :)

Love,

Malvika

Originally posted by: Suvika.

Thank you for posting the epilogue. Loved the modern day delivery version - in contrast to the usual husband pacing in the corridor while wife delivered version. 😆

All their fears laid to rest as they hold their bundle of love in their arms. Living breathing proof of their love. 👏

wonderful FF. Congratulations on completing it successfully Malvika. A big hug from me to you. 🤗

Originally posted by: Malvika07

Thank you soo much my dear Suvi🤗

I couldn't have done it without your support and superb inputs ❤️

Thank you for sticking around for this :)

Originally posted by: Suvika.

It was a pleasure reading the story. A nice getaway for me from time to time. 😳

Superb inputs!! When did I give them?? 🤔

Once again, beautifully written!!

OMG that was brilliantly written.. May i ask you something... Are you a doctor?? Are you a mother??? How can you write so realistically???? All that anxiety fear during the contractions period... The doctors and the nurses reacting and reporting...dev and Sonakshi reacting...You have written so amazingly... When i was reading it felt so real..i could feel everything even though i have never experienced any such thing... You are one amazing writer...