Being Your Mom - One Shot [Updated]

Being Your Mom

"Dad... Dad, look at Mom. Its 8 and she is still sleeping."

Shivaay looked up, hearing his seven-year old son, Ansh's voice. He did not even have to glance at Anika. He had known her for enough long to know that.

"You are right Mr. Ansh Singh Oberoi but don't you know your Mom?" Shivaay signalled him to come near him.

"Daadd, Ansh cribbed. "It is Sunday today. Weren't we supposed to go for a picnic?" His complaint in kiddish tone made Shivaay remember about why he was being cranky today. Ansh Singh Oberoi, was a Xerox copy of his mother with his innocence and of his father, in discipline. He had become used to his mother's habits too and hence, his today's sudden annoyance had made Shivaay wonder about the same.

Damn! How did I forget? Shivaay muttered under his breath.

"You both forgot, didn't you?" Ansh asked, in a knowingly accusing tone.

"Um no, not at all. How can we, Ansh?" Shivaay tried covering up but his son was smarter for his age.

"Ah leave it Dad." Ansh averted his gaze, turning around and climbed on the bed, near Anika.

A sudden sadness hit Shivaay, when he glimpsed at his kid's fallen face. Lately, he hadn't been able to give Ansh much time, owing to his office commitments, meetings and new deals. Ansh, being a mature kid, as he was... never complained for anything ever. He had asked for one thing a picnic and that too because he knew, it was holiday and his both parents were going to be free.

"I am sorry Ansh," Shivaay said apologetically.

"Dad."

A certain fright in Ansh's voice alerted Shivaay and he rushed towards him, immediately.

"Dad, Mom has fever," he blurted panicking, when his palm touched Anika's skin. "Mom... Mom," he called out repeatedly, patting on Anika's cheeks lightly.

A call, was already made to the Doctor, by Shivaay and the next moment after he finished talking to Doctor, he was beside her, on the opposite side of Ansh. Shivaay placed his hand on Anika's forehead and regretted mistaking her illness as her sleeping pattern. She was burning in fever.

Ansh had got down the bed, to get the thermometer which he handed to Shivaay. Always... Shivaay always had been proud of his son's maturity. While Shivaay was checking Anika's temperature, Ansh ran out surprising Shivaay, but when he came back, Shivaay's eyes shone in admiration for his kid. Ansh brought a bowl of cold water and a piece of cloth.

"Dad, temperature?"

"101," Shivaay answered, dejected. "Give it to me," Shivaay asked, pointing the water and cloth in Ansh's hand, which he forwarded quickly.

*

"It's probably due to stress Mr. Oberoi. Has she been exerting herself a lot these days?" Doctor asked, after examining Anika.

Shivaay thought for a while. "May be yes, I guess." Anika had resumed her event planning business again. She had been visiting the orphanage once, in a while, too. She had been handling home and her job. No matter how many times he had denied her to let the servants do the home stuff, but she always insisted on doing the much she could. After Ansh's birth, Anika had invested her most of the time in learning cooking. She wanted her child to say, that his Mom was world's best cook and she even succeeded in that, and why wouldn't she? After all, it was a mother, who was doing it for her baby. Ansh's arrival had brought many changes in Anika as a person. She had become more sensible. Now she did not enjoy being childish. She enjoyed her son's childishness. She had turned out more responsible. She had been caring, always but with Ansh, it was a little more.

She never let anybody else to cook. No matter, if she had been tired, unwell or anything, she had always made sure to do everything for Ansh, she needed to do as his mother.

"Alright. Nothing to worry about. Make her eat something, and give these medicines to her and let her rest. She would be better by tomorrow morning," Doctor assured, before he left.

"Ansh, I am going to get some fruits for Anika. You stay here and call me if anything..."

"Yes Dad," Ansh said quickly, and secured his place closer to Anika who still lay with her eyes closed.

Shivaay smiled faintly and went to kitchen. He had to make her eat and then medicines.

On the other side, Ansh started changing and keeping the wet cloth on Anika's forehead, constantly checking if there was any reduction in her fever.

"Ansh,"

He heard Anika mumbling his name. "Yes Mom, I am here," he replied within a second. A wave of happiness rushed within him thinking Anika had woken up but when he saw her eyes still closed, disappointment greeted him. She was mumbling in her semi-conscious state.

"Ansh... picnic,"

He heard her again. His Mom was great undoubtedly. Even in such state, all that she remembered and cared for was picnic.

Sadness engulfed his soul, when he realized he had misunderstood his mother for forgetting about the picnic, when it was the only thing, she remembered in her fever too.

"Ansh... Ansh,"

Her words rang in his ears again. He snapped himself out of his guilt. "Mom, you will be okay. You will be fine."

*

"Anika... Anika," Shivaay called, in order to wake her up.

She tried to blink several times before she opened her eyes, with a great difficulty. Things went a little blurry for her and her head, extremely heavy. Shivaay made her sit comfortably, and forwarded a piece of apple towards her, which she refused to eat first. She did not feel like anything, courtesy to the fever of course but when she glanced at Ansh, who stood in front of the bed now, she took it from Shivaay instantly followed by the medicines.

"You sleep for some time, now," Shivaay said, getting up with the plate.

"Yes I will but before that," she started. "Ansh, come here. She signalled Ansh, tapping on the bed.

He quietly did what she asked for.

"What's wrong Ansh?" Anika asked, bringing him nearer, caressing his face seeing the layers of grief on it.

"Nothing Mom," he spoke, looking down.

"You are angry with Mom, as we couldn't go to picnic? We can still go. I am feeling much better now," she told him softly, cuddling him.

"No."

He almost yelled but realized quickly, what had he done. "I am sorry Mom. I am not angry at you but I am upset with myself. You are sick because of me."

Anika stared at him, her eyes sharpening. "What? Who said that to you?"

"No one did, Mom. I know. I know you have been stressing out a lot these days. I remember you were doing something for so many hours last night and now I think, it was related to today's picnic, wasn't it? Tell me honestly."

"Hmm," Anika couldn't lie. "Its just some random stuff." She changed her words.

She was reluctant to tell him but he insisted and she knew, Ansh went on his Dad when it came to being stubborn. "Go to your room and look in the lowest drawer there."

Ansh nodded obediently, heading towards his room.

Anika lowered her eyelashes for a while when she caught, her husband's questioning gaze upon her.

"Let him come back. You will know what it is," she spoke answering the unvoiced question. Shivaay did not say anything, waiting for the matter to reveal.

Ansh, on another hand, reached his room. He was never a messy kid but today, he pushed the door of his room with a strong push, and ran inside. He was in an altogether different zone. Following Anika's words, he knelt down on the floor and when he opened the drawer, his small figure stilled, his eyes held few tears and at the same time, his lips broke into a smile.

He picked up, whatever was inside the drawer and walked back to Anika. Despite of Shivaay's several attempts, Anika had denied, to even lie down.

"I love you, Mom."

Anika's head tilted towards the door, where her son stood. Weakly smiling, Anika opened her arms and Ansh, rushed in her embrace. Little Ansh's sobs pierced through Anika's heart. Since the time, Ansh had started understanding things, Anika had hardly seen him crying so today, it just overwhelmed her.

"Mom loves Ansh too." She whispered, rubbing his back.

"Will somebody tell me what is going on here?" Shivaay, who adored the mother-son duo, stepped in.

Ansh pulled a little away and showed Shivaay, what was in his hands. Shivaay took it, glancing at the piece of work. It was a handmade collage, of Ansh's pictures from his birth to so far, along with a message below every picture. Reading Anika's words of how Ansh had changed her life, how much Ansh mattered to her, how she felt when she got to know about her pregnancy, how overjoyed she was when she held him for the first time, in her hands... what she felt being his Mom... everything was just heartfelt, which left Ansh and now Shivaay both in tears.

"I wanted to give you this, on picnic today."

"You already were overloaded yesterday at work and then you did this at night. You fell, sick because of this, right?" Ansh asked, feebly, which almost made him sound guilty with his cracking voice.

"No Ansh," Anika replied quickly, horrified with the realization that Ansh was blaming himself for her condition.

"Firstly, its just fever. Secondly its not because I did this. May be its because there has been a lot of work past days." Anika reasoned, hoping Ansh to believe her.

"Still," Ansh said, with a tinge of sadness.

"Stop considering yourself, responsible Ansh," Anika's stern voice surprised Shivaay because he had never heard her talking in this tone with Ansh but then, it was needed this time, he felt.

"On one condition." Ansh looked at her, hopefully. She signalled him to proceed.

"You'll take a week off from your work."

"Ansh I..." Anika began but her words died in air when she glimpsed at her son. She sighed. "Okay, fine."

"Thank you Mom," Ansh hugged Anika, expressing his joy. Anika wrapped her hands around her little bundle, snuggling to him.

"Even I am taking a week off and Ansh you are doing that too. I'll talk to your school authorities. We will do fun," exclaimed Shivaay, joining the duo in hug.

*

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-Harshada