AsYa FF:|And the past comes to Visit| Banner+Very Imp. Note pg-120 - Page 60

Dr. Sharma was taken aback by the sudden rain of questions. Typical worried husband... she thought to herself but she had to tell him what she had found in order to know how it happened... She answered "Calm down Mr. Khan. Shaant ho jayiye. Aapki biwi aur bachha dono safe hain... kuchh nahi hua hai unhe, par..."

Chapter 10

Asad froze. Now what? "Par kya doctor?"

"Dekhiye, maine Zoya par kuchh tests kiye hain aur unmein se mujhe kuchh pat chala hai jiske baare mein mujhe aapse information chahiye. Ghabraiye mat Mr. Khan, please stop freaking out, your face is turning pale" Dr. Sharma said. In her twenty- five years of experience as a gynaecologist, she was yet to meet a husband who would get visibly hyper with just a "par"... and today she did.

Am I getting that obvious now? Asad thought as he followed the doctor into her cabin, leaving a worried Dilshad, Najma and Ayaan behind.

Inside the Doctor's cabin:

"Kya hua hai doctor? Please mujhe bataiye! Zoya theek toh hai na?" Asad asked, feeling frantic.

"Mr. Khan please calm down first. I need you to pay full attention to what I am about to ask you now."

"Okay..." Asad took a deep breath and steadied himself.

"Good. Dekhiye jaisa maine kaha, maine Zoya ke upar kuchh tests conduct kiye hain... aur unmein se mujhe pata chala hai ki unke abdominal area mein kaafi gehre injuries hain. Aap iske baare mein kuchh bata sakte hain?"

Asad closed his eyes and rewinded to the ghastly sight that had greeted him that day a year ago in the jungles of Ajmer... Zoya lying on the ground, in a pool of blood. Lifeless. He still got nightmares from that incident... but used to wake up to find Zoya sleeping peacefully beside him.

"Ye-yes doctor. Yeh e-ek saal pehle ki baat hai. Zoya... Zoya was st-stabbed... in the stomach" Asad said, his voice trembling, barely above a whisper.

Stabbed! No wonder he gets so hyper even with the smallest of things concerning his wife. Samajh mein nahi aata ki itni pyaari si bachhi ke saath koi aisa kuch kyun karega... itni dushmani? Itni nafrat? Dr. Sharma thought. Sensing that Asad was about to breakdown, she spoke in a soft voice "Mr. Khan I can understand that it must have been terrible for you..."

"It-its okay doctor... Aap mujhe bataiye ki iska Zoya ke pregnancy ke saath kya relation hai?" Asad said, removing all thoughts of that terrible incident from his mind.

"Mr. Khan as pregnancy progresses, intra-abdominal organs change positions... lekin Zoya ke injuries, which are no doubt healed, will prove a hindrance to that. Unke organs injury ke wajah se kaafi weak hain, isiliye unke pregnancy mein kaafi complications aa sakte hain. Aap samajh rahe hain na main kya keh rahi hoon?"

Asad didn't know what to say. Wasn't it enough that that manic woman had tried to take his life away from him?! Hadn't she wrecked enough destruction in their life already, that the consequences of her crimes would be suffered by their little one as well?! He finally managed to speak, "Main samajh raha hoon doctor... Zoya theek toh hogi na? Aur humara baby?"

"Yehi baat aapse kehne ke liye maine aapko andar bulaya tha Mr. Khan. You see... aise cases mein bachhe se zyaada ma ko taqleef ho sakti hai. Abhi toh unka first trimester khatam hone ko hai... unhe aise pains hote rahenge. Aap hi sochiye, unke andar baby grow karega, toh unke abdominal organs ko accommodate karne ke liye upar ke taraf shift karna hoga. Aur unke organs doosron ki tarah healthy nahi hain... yeh aap bhi jaante hain aur main bhi. Main aap se jhoot nahi bolungi, Zoya ko khatra hai."

Asad could feel the ground beneath his feet shaking. Why? Why Zoya? What was her fault that she had to suffer so much? What had she done to anybody? She only loved him, why was she suffering because of that?! Why was he being punished this way? If... if something really happened to Zoya then? He would die... he would simply die. He could feel tears stinging his eyes... threatening to fall any moment.

"Zo-Zoya ko ku-kuchh nahi hoga na? Please doctor... Agar Zoya ya humare baby ko kucch ho gaya toh main jee nahi paunga... please..." Asad said, his voice shaking.

"Mr Khan please royiega mat... Zoya ko kuchh nahi hoga, apki biwi ko kuchh nahi hoga. Agar unke upar hamla pregnancy ke dauraan kiya gaya hota toh fir khatra bohot zyaada hota lekin iss case mein khatra comparatively kam hain. Unhe kuchh nahi hoga, believe me." Dr. Sharma said, trying to console him.

"A-are you su-sure?" Asad asked, relief finally showing in his features.

"Yes Mr. Khan I'm sure. Maine aise cases pehle bhi handle kiye hain, isiliye fikr mat kijiye. Your wife is in safe hands. Bas aapko unka poora poora khayal rakhna hoga, aur agar unhe aise pains dobaara huye toh main kuch dawai likh ke de rahi hoon, woh de dijiyega ya phir mujhe phone kar lijiyega. Aur har mahine aapko unhe check- up ke liye laana hai, theek hai?"

"Jee", Asad said and let out a sigh of relief. Zoya will be okay... Zoya will be okay... he chanted like a mantra in his head as he came out of the cabin, followed by the doctor.

"Kya hua Asad? Zoya theek toh hai na?" asked a worried Dilshad as soon as she saw Asad stepping out.

"Ji ammi. Zoya bilkul theek hai. Kucchh complications hain, unke baare mein main aapko ghar jaake bataunga, theek hai ammi?"

"Kuchh serious toh nahi hai naa Asad?"

"Nahi. Mr. Khan aap mere saath ultrasound room mein chaliye. Zoya ke ultrasound ka waqt ho chuka hai, bechari bohot deir se intezar kar rahi hai." Dr. Sharma said, before Asad could reply.

Ab inhe bhi Zoya "bechaari" lag rahi hai? Asad thought dejectedly.

Dilshad got an idea, "Woh doctor, kya main kuchh pooch sakti hoon?"

"Ji kahiye?"

"Woh main soch rahi thi ki... hum sab yahan hain toh, kya hum bhi Zoya ka ultrasound dekh sakte hain? I mean..."

"Waise ye normally ma- baap ke liye bohot hi special moment hota hai... lekin maine dekha hai ki aap sab Zoya se kitna pyaar karte hain. Toh fir... theek hai. Aap sab aa sakte hain." Dr. Sharma said, and smiled.

Asad turned sideways to see the biggest thousand watt smiles on his ammi's and siblings' faces. He mouthed a small "Thank you" to the doctor. He knew very well that more than three people were not allowed to be present at a time in the ultrasound room.

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Zoya was lying on the large table in the examination room, wearing those dull blue hospital clothes. She felt okay after the doctor gave her an injection... that horrible pain was gone. But was an hour ago... and here she was, lying on a hard table, surrounded by all sorts of machines. Her back was hurting like hell, and no one had come to meet her. Moreover the nurse had made her drink water until her stomach was about to burst, and she desperately needed to pee! Wasn't Asad here by now? What about ammi and Najma and Ayaan? No one cares about me! Nobody loves me! Everyone left me lie down here, alone! Zoya thought, and started sobbing loudly. She heard a click in the door, someone was finally here! She started sobbing even more loudly... why, she didn't know. She just felt like it.

Asad saw Zoya crying and rushed up to her. Now what has happened to her?!

"Zoya! Kya hua tumhe, ro kyun rahi ho?"

"Wo-woh pata nahi... Aap kaha the itni deir? Mujhse milne koi nai aaya... is-isliye ma-mai ro rahi thi... pa-paata nai kyu..." Zoya said, between sobs and hiccups.

Asad pressed the bridge of his nose and then smiled. Zoya was, in one word, impossible.

"Mujhe rona aa raha haai aur aap has rahe ho? Meanie!!" Zoya whined and pouted.

Asad laughed and bent down to press a small kiss on Zoya's cheeks. "You are too cute you know that?"

"Asad! Aap bhi na..." Zoya said, and started giggling.

"Bas bas, ab miya- biwi ki romance khatam ho gayi ho toh hum andar aa jayien? Kasam se bhaijaan, aap dono hospital mein bhi baaz nahi aaye na!" Ayaan said as he entered, followed by Dilshad and Najma.

Asad sprang up and blushed and Zoya giggled even more. "Arre Rabert, ammi, Tamatar aap sab ko yahan aana allow kar diya doctor ne?" she asked, surprised.

"Karna pada, kaise nahi karte? Hum sab aapse itna pyaar jo karte hain!" Najma said, smiling.

"Woh toh hai!" Dr. Sharma said as she entered too. "Chaliye aap sab thoda peeche jayiye, mujhe apne patient ke upar kuchh kaam karna hai."

Everyone moved back and the doctor lifted up Zoya's shirt to rub some gel like lubricant on her belly. And she started giggling, again. "Gudgudi ho rahi hai!" she said, amidst giggles.

"Chaliye ho gaya, ab nahi hogi" the doctor said as she attached the thick pen- like probe to the machines and switched them on. The monitor screen attached came to life and she started moving the probe on Zoya's belly.

The Khan family watched the screen with rapt attention as blurred images started appearing on it. Asad moved forward and held Zoya's hand. He knew she would want that... how... he didn't know. He gave her a reassuring smile and turned to look at the screen too. He couldn't make out anything of it and looked at the doctor questioningly.

She took a pointer and motioned it towards the screen, while moving the probe across Zoya. Asad noticed it then... a tiny figure. No, not yet like a baby but he could make it out now. He or she was two inches in size at the most... so very small. But it was his... his and Zoya's. The sign of their love. Instant attachment... that's what he felt towards the tiny baby. He felt like he was falling in love again... this time though with a part of him, his child. His eyes were watering up again, but these were tears of happiness, and he didn't mind showing these tears to everyone around. There was no need to hide them...

Zoya didn't know how to describe what she was feeling. How do you describe the feeling when your heart is swelling to the size of an inflated balloon, ready to burst? She was gushing with so much happiness and love, all for someone who was barely the size of a small peach. Except for the fact that the peach sized "someone" was a part of her, inside her. Her child. Her and Asad's child. She was seeing her little baby for the first time... She had been waiting for this day ever since she found out that she was pregnant. A never felt before warmth was spreading through her veins. So... so is this how my ammi felt when she saw me for the first time? she thought.

Asad looked down at Zoya at the same time she looked up. Both their eyes mirrored what was there in their hearts... and they both knew they were feeling the same thing. There was no need to say anything. Zoya gave a brilliant, dimpled smile... she seemed to be glowing with happiness, and Asad too smiled through his tears. They tightened their hold on each others' hand, oblivious to the fact that they were being watched and blessed by their ammi.

All Dilshad had ever wanted was for her son to be truly happy, and this was happening right in front of her eyes. Her son was happy, more than ever, and it was all because of Zoya. She had lost count of how many times she had thanked Allah for sending Zoya into their lives, and now she would be giving birth to her own bundle of happiness...

Ayaan and Najma had never seen such a sight before in their entire lifetimes... the baby was so tiny! If they were feeling so excited and happy... they couldn't fathom how happy the new mummy and daddy were.

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They were all excited and happy as they left the hospital. Asad had mentally decided that he wasn't going to let Zoya walk... at all. No chance. First, she was the biggest klutz around, second, she was pregnant and third, the complication. He couldn't let her strain at all... so no walking, no movement. And what are you going to do janab when she needs to go to the toilet? a little voice asked in his head, which he happily decided to ignore.

Hence, he was carrying Zoya in his arms, bridal style. Not that she minded now... but who knew what the future held?