Hey guys, here is the next chapter! Thanks a MILLION for your comments and "likes." Mwahhh. <333
Previous Chapters -- Part One: prologue + ch 1 / ch 2 + 3 / ch 4 + 5 / ch 6 + 7 / ch 8 + 9 /
ch 10 + 11 /
ch 12 + 13 /
ch 14 + 15
Part Two
Note: Future chapters, including the one below, will be set in the present.
Chapter SixteenMaan froze. Half a beat later, the lights flashed back on. A sobbing Geet, who was quaking violently, now stood before him in clear view.
Although Maan opened his mouth to speak, words seemed to be lodged in his throat.
"You're Riya's mother?" he finally choked out. The room was starting to tilt, and Maan placed one hand on the desk to steady himself. "But how did you find us? The surrogate process was anonymous."
It took a few moments for Geet to straighten herself. "I called Dr. Mehta last month," she explained, her voice strained. "He sent me a file with your background information and photo."
Maan raised his hand to his temple as the room continued to swirl. Why would Dr. Mehta have sent her that information? Maan tried to think back to the surrogacy contract he had signed at the clinic, but the shock waves ricocheting through him prevented him from focusing.
"Why are you here?" Maan asked. He suddenly felt very warm, as if Geet's revelation had been a volcanic eruption and he were drowning in lava.
Geet wrapped her arms around herself. "When Dr. Mehta sent me your file, it had the address of your old flat. I was trying to find out where you had moved, but that was unnecessary once I actually saw you in the library --"
"You can't take Riya from me." Maan, struck by this unbearable thought, grabbed Geet's elbow. His dazed expression had hardened, although his eyes flickered with sparks of fear.
"I'm not trying to take her from you, Professor," Geet said softly. "I knew from the very beginning that you wanted nothing to do with me, which is one reason why I didn't tell you who I was."
"Then why are you here?" Maan repeated icily.
Geet's eyes shifted to the floor. "When I signed up to be a surrogate, earning a lot of money fast was important at the time. But I vowed that I would pay it back. . . . And last month was when enough money had been saved."
Despite her tiny flat and otherwise modest lifestyle, it had taken Geet six years to save. Maan had paid a generous amount for her to be a surrogate.
The room was starting to spin again. Maan dropped Geet's elbow, and he fleetingly wondered why Geet had been so desperate for cash when she became a surrogate. "I don't want your money."
"That's what I was scared of," said Geet. "That's another reason why I didn't tell you who I was, and why I wanted to transfer the money to you anonymously. Paying you back is something that *I* need to do. For myself."
"Why?" Maan asked sharply.
"What if someone had paid *you* to have Riya, Professor?"
Thick silence blanketed the room like smog.
"I can't believe this is happening," said Maan. "You pretend to be a potential babysitter, break into my study, and now tell me you're Riya's mother." He shook his head. "Unbelievable."
Geet let out a hollow laugh. "This hasn't been easy." She almost thought to tell him how, before initially coming to his house, she had tried to mentally prepare herself and practice keeping a straight face for when she saw Riya for the first time.
Her methods had barely worked. Geet flashed back to how she had needed a few moments to compose herself when she saw Riya for the first time. Geet's palm still bore marks from when she had dug her nails into them that afternoon, when she had seen Riya again in Maan's arms.
Maan's face softened slightly. "I suppose it must have been difficult for you to see Riya," he admitted uneasily. "But I went through a surrogate for a reason. As Riya's father, I want to raise her alone."
Grief clawed at Geet's insides. But she knew Maan was right, and never intended to challenge him. She couldn't just flounce into Riya's life after six years, especially when Maan had always been committed to raising the child by himself.
And Geet had spent time with Riya, after all. She had even rocked the little girl in her arms in the tent last night. Geet would survive on those memories. Somehow.
Geet found her voice. "I'll slip out as I quickly as I came, Professor. And I will transfer you the money tomorrow. And don't worry. I won't tell Riya that I'm her mother --"
A creak on the floorboard caused Maan and Geet to whip their heads toward the door of the study. Riya, in a light pink nightgown, was standing in the doorway.
The adults sucked in their breath. How much had she heard?
Riya walked slowly into the room until she stood in front of Geet. She motioned with her hand for Geet to kneel down.
As Geet did so, her chest tightened as she gazed at her daughter. If only Riya knew how many candles Geet had lit at the chapel. Praying that her baby was happy and healthy. Requesting strength that she could face the rest of her days without her daughter. Wishing that she would be able to find and pay back the "recipient" quickly. And, when Geet knew that she would see Riya for the first time -- hoping that she wouldn't collapse at the sight of her child.
Riya stared at Geet shyly. "You finally came to see me, Mama," she said softly.
Maan watched Geet's face crumple as she gathered Riya into her arms. She buried her head in Riya's neck, unleashing a torrent of tears against the collar of the little girl's nightgown.
Growing dizzy at the emotional sight, Maan suddenly wondered how he would have felt had *his* mother come back for him.
After a few minutes, Geet gently let go of her daughter while drawing ragged breaths.
Riya placed her small hands on Geet's cheeks. "You won't leave again, right, Mama? You will stay here with me and Daddy, right?"
Geet sniffled, and glided her hands over the sleeves of Riya's nightgown.
At Geet's silence, Riya looked over at her father. "Daddy, look, Mama has come! Tell her she has to stay with us, forever and ever and ever."
Maan and Geet slid their eyes to one another, as Riya waited expectantly for her father to respond.
---
Thanks sooo much for reading! Two other quick things:
- As you may have noticed, I plan for future chapters to be set in the present. A lot of the past has now been explained (not everything, of course, lol), so I don't think the past/present format from Part One is really necessary. Basically, I want Part Two to focus more on the present relationship among Maan/Geet/Riya. Hope you guys are okay with that. :)
- I'm not sure how much Internet access I will have over the next few days, so if I'm not on the Board, that is why. :) Thank you guys again for following along with the story!
Edited by kumari3 - 13 years ago
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