Part 13 Cont'd
The
surgeons worked fast to get the baby out and stabilize Priya's bleeding. It was a boy.
The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck a couple of times and
they slowly untangled it. There was no
cry, no sound, no pulse, and a very weak heartbeat. It stopped.
They intubated him and started CPR.
They managed to revive him and get a heartbeat. They immediately shifted him to the Neonatal
ICU to be put in an incubator and closely monitored. His lungs were fully developed but because of
his premature age, only 8 months, they weren't fully functional yet. He wasn't ready to be brought into the world
yet. He was on a ventilator, which would
be breathing for him, for the time being.
Beeepp'
Ram felt a stab in his heart. He put his hand on it to feel his
heartbeat. His heart was racing, almost
as if his heartbeat had doubled.
Nurse:
She's coding!
Priya
flatlined again, as the surgeons raced against the clock to stop her out of
control bleeding.
Ram lifted his head off Krishuji's lap
and turned himself, still sitting on the ground, but leaning his back on the
chair. He folded his hands and closed
his eyes.
Ram: Bhagwan, ek baar phir main aap se
haath jod kar meri aur Priya ki zindagi maangta hu. 20 saal pehle aap ne ek bete se apni Maa
cheen li thi. Uss waqt shayad main hi
galat tha jo apni Maa ki baat pe vishwaas nahi kiya. Lekin aaj, iss maasum bacche ki kya galti
hai? Please usse apni Maa mat
cheeniye. Aur mujhe bhi itni badi saza
mat dijiye. Main yeh sab akele nahi kar
paunga. Main Priya ke beger nahi jee
paunga. Please Bhagwan, Priya aur hamare
bacche ko bacha lijiye.
Beep,
Beep, Beep, Beep
The pain suddenly stopped. He put his hand back on his heart to feel
that his heartbeat was normal again.
Nurse:
And we're clear'
She
came back. They managed to revive
her. They took the ultimate decision of
closing up, hoping that the bleeding would stop in the next few hours. If it didn't, there was no way she would
survive. She would be closely monitored.
The doctor came out and Ram
immediately stood up. She had a blank
look on her face and Ram could not figure out what was happening.
Doctor: Mr. Kapoor, your wife has
given birth to a baby boy. But due to
many complications, he is unable to breathe on his own. We have shifted him to the NICU. He is in an incubator and we are keeping him
under close observations. Hopefully in
the next few days, we will be able to take him off the ventilator and in a
couple of weeks, you can take him home.
Ram felt like his whole world came
crashing down on him. He didn't know
what to feel. Happy that he's a father?
Upset and angry that his son may not make it? Or upset and angry that Priya is
still in there fighting for all 3 of their lives? Yes, all 3 of their lives because without
Priya, Ram doesn't exist, and without Ram and Priya, their son doesn't
exist.
Ram: How's my wife? And can I see him?
Doctor: Your wife is still in the
OR. She flatlined a couple of times but
we managed to bring her back. The
bleeding is still out of control. We're doing our best to try and stop it. And yes, I can direct you to the NICU.
Ram wiped his tears and followed
her. She led him into the area and
showed him where he was. Ram's eyes
filled with tears. Prem was in an
incubator. He was so tiny, covered with
tubes. His little chest was moving up
and down at a steady rhythm and his eyes were closed. There was a tube down his throat and a bunch
of stickers all over his tiny body. Ram bent
down and stuck his hand in and gently touched Prem's palm with his index
finger. Prem's tiny hand curled tightly as
far around Ram's finger as it could.
Ram, with tears falling down his face: Hey Prem.
Champ, main aapka Papa hoon. I'm
sorry beta, aap ko itna dard sehna pad raha hai. Lekin aap fikr mat karo bahut jald hum aapko
ghar le jaayenge.
He tries to retract his hand but Prem wouldn't
let go. Ram caressed his tiny knuckles
with his thumb, when a nurse brought him a chair. He sat down, and stayed there. A few minutes later, the doctor came back and
told Ram that Priya was out of the OR and would be transferred to the ICU until
she was stable. Ram looked at Prem, who
instantly loosened his grip on Ram's finger.
Ram took out his hand and came closer.
Ram, tears forming again: Aap fikar
mat karo, aap ki Mama ko kuch nahi hoga.
Woh aapse bahut zyada pyaar karti hai.
Aur Papa hai na? Woh Mama ko kuch nahi hone denge.
He stood up and walked out, and to the
other area, where Priya was. Priya was
lying on the bed. She still hadn't woken
up from the anesthesia. He sat down on
the bed next to her and took her hand in both his, kissed it and held it up to
her lips. The doctor came in.
Doctor: The bleeding still hasn't
stopped. There wasn't anything else we
could do. We are just going to have to
wait and hope that it stops within the next few hours, or she won't make
it.
Ram just nods, with tears overflowing
from his eyes. At least she was still
alive. He puts his head down on her
chest, trying to feel her heartbeat. His
tears went through her gown. Priya
stirred a bit. Her stitches were hurting
and she felt Ram's tears. She opened her
eyes. Everything was blurry. She blinked a few times and cleared her
vision. Her one hand was in Ram's and she
could feel something heavy on her chest.
She looked down to see Ram, with his head resting on her chest. She took her other hand and and ran her
fingers through his hair.
Priya, whispering because her throat
hurt: Ram'
At her first touch, Ram immediately
lifted his head and looked at her. He
could hear her scratchy voice. He gave
her a few sips of water.
Ram: Priya, ab kaisa lag raha hai?
Priya smiled and slightly nodded. She wasn't feeling well at all but she didn't
tell him this. She put her hand on her
stomach and looked at it. Then she
looked back at Ram.
Priya: Ram, aap hamare bete se
mile? Kaisa hai woh?
Ram didn't know what to say. How could he tell her that Prem was in the
ICU, covered in tubes and machines, on a ventilator, unable to breathe on his
own. He took her hand in his and kissed
it again. He looked into her eyes and
smiled.
Ram: Woh bilkul tumhare jaisa hai
Priya. Fighting fit (and he laughs a
little, but a shaky, nervous laugh).
Priya: Ram, aap ko jhoot bolna nahi
aata. Aap fikar mat kijiye Ram, usse
kuch nahi hoga.
She could feel the pain Prem was going
through. As a mother, she could feel
every ounce of it. She didn't want to
tell Ram. She needed him to stay
strong. And if she told him, he would
completely break down. But she knew he
had seen him in that state.
Ram, with tears falling now: Aur tumhe
bhi kuch nahi hoga Priya. Main tumhe
kuch nahi hone doonga.
Priya smiles at him and slightly nods
her head. She reaches over and wipes his
tears. She starts closing her eyes,
still drowsy from the pain medication.
Ram: Priya, Priya, utho Priya..
Her eyes flew open to see a scared
Ram, with tears streaming down his cheeks.
She caressed his cheek with her hand.
Priya: Main theek hoon Ram. Bas thak gayi hoon. Aap mujhe thodi der sone denge?
Ram shakes his head. He didn't want her to close her eyes. What if she didn't wake up?
Priya smiles. She takes his hand and places it on her heart
and puts her own on top of it. He could
feel her strong and steady heartbeat. Then
she looks back at him.
Priya: Ab mujhe sone denge?
Ram
nods and puts his head down on the bed too.
Priya caresses his hair with her other hand and closes her eyes, falling
asleep, while caressing his hair. When Ram feels that she is asleep, he gets up
and climbs onto the bed with her. Her
face is turned to one side. He lays on
his side, facing her and brings his face really close to hers, their noses
almost touching. His hand is still on
her heart and her hand is still on top of his.
But now he can feel her warm breath on his face too. His other hand is on her head, caressing her
hair gently. He falls asleep in that
position.
A few hours later, Apeksha and
Krishuji come into the room. They find
the two of them sleeping. Ram wakes up
with the sound. He looks at them.
Ram, whispering: Maa, aap log ghar
jao. Main yahin rukta hoon. Agar aap ki zarurat padi, toh main phone
kardunga.
Krishuji: Ram, Prem?
Ram shuts his eyes tight. He had been so caught up with everything that
he had forgotten to tell them. Krishuji
comes close to him and caresses his cheek.
She kisses him on the forehead.
Krishuji: Hum jaante hai Ram. Tumhara aur Priya ka beta hua hai. Prem hai na?
(she smiles). Tum chinta mat
karo, Priya aur Prem ko kuch nahi hoga. Tum jo ho in dono ke paas.
Apeksha: Ram, badhai ho, tum Papa
bangaye.
Ram smiles faintly: Aur tum bua.
Ab mere bete ko zyada tang mat karna haan, uss ka Papa hai na uss ke
paas. Aur Maa, aap usse zyada bigadengi
nahi, warna Priya gusse ho'
And he stops without completing his
sentence. Everyone becomes silent. A tear falls from his eye. Priya moans a little in her sleep, snapping
them all out of their thoughts.
Apeksha: Maa chalo. In dono ko sone do. (she smiles and winks at Ram, trying to
lighten his mood a little).
Apeksha and Krishuji leave. Ram turns to look at Priya, who was still
sleeping. He kisses her gently on the
cheek and returns to his original position.
Instead of sleeping, he keeps looking at her, admiring her beauty, even
in that state. More tears fall from his
eyes.
Ram, whispers to himself: I'm sorry
Priya. Kaash mein tumhara har dard tumse leja sakta. Kaash tumhare vajai main yeh sab bardaasht
kar sakta.
He is lost in his own thoughts when
the doctor comes back in.
Doctor: Mr. Kapoor? (Ram snaps out of
his thoughts and looks at her. She has a
huge smile on her face.) I just came to
tell you that your wife's internal bleeding has stopped. She will be absolutely fine. We're going to have to keep her here for a
few more days and then you can take her home.
Ram smiled excitedly and nodded at
her: Thank you Doctor.
She nodded back and left the
room. Ram closed his eyes and silently
thanked God for saving his life. He
turns his face towards Priya, who was still in a deep sleep. He returns to his original position. He kisses her on the tip of her nose and then
falls asleep with a smile on his face.
Another
couple of hours later, Priya opens her eyes to find Ram's face really close to
hers. He was fast asleep. He was smiling and his nose was a few
millimeters away from hers. His hand was
still on her heart and she could feel his breath on her face. She moved his hand down to her waist and
slowly turned her body to face him, flinching from the pain. She slid down a little bit. Then she gently pressed her body against his,
wrapping one arm around his back and buried her face in his broad chest, trying
to hide herself and inhale his scent. She
just wanted to be in his arms. She
wanted him to protect her from everything and just hold her tight. And he did.
Ram immediately woke up when he felt
her on his chest. He wrapped his arms
around her tightly, holding her close.
He kissed her on the forehead.
She moved back and looked up at him.
He smiled down at her. Everything
was ok now. She was going to be
fine. Their son was still in the ICU but
he was going to be fine too because his mother was fine. Priya had fought and won back all 3 of their
lives.
Ram: Priya, hamare bete se milne
chalogi?
Priya's eyes filled with tears. She could still feel his pain. She was a mother after all. But at the same time she was happy. Happy that he was here, and that they would
be together. She nodded. Ram helped her sit up. He got up to get a wheelchair but Priya held
his hand. He came back and sat down next
to her on the edge of the bed. She threw
herself on his chest and held him tight.
She closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat. She had been craving to hear it. He wrapped his arms around her again. He knew what she was feeling. Even though she didn't want him to know, he
knew. He rubbed her back and caressed her hair.
Priya: Aap bahut darr gaye the na
Ram? Agar mujhe kuch ho jata toh? Mujhe bhi bahut darr lag raha tha.
Ram: Jaanta hu Priya. Main jaanta hu tum dar gayi thi. Main bhi bahut darr gaya tha Priya. Lekin main hoon na tumhare saath. Main tumhe kuch nahi hone deta. Kabhi nahi.
Maine tumse kaha than a ke koi tumhe mujhse alag nahi karsakta. Aur ab Bhagwan bhi yeh baat samajh chuke
hai. Isiliye uss ne tumhe mere paas
wapas bhej diya.
He kisses her head and holds her
tight. She calms down and loosens her
grip on him. She looks up at him with
teary eyes. He looks down at her and
wipes her tears and shakes his head.
Ram: Ab bas Priya. Ab sab kuch theek ho jayega. Ab yeh aansu band karo.
Priya nods, fresh tears still falling
from her eyes. Ram leans his forehead
onto hers.
Ram: Chalein Priya?
Priya nods again. He stands up and helps her stand up. He goes and gets a wheelchair and helps her
sit down in it. He pushes her down the hall
to where Prem was. He parks the
wheelchair right in front of the incubator.
Prem's little chest was moving up and down at a constant rhythm. He was
still on the ventilator and still had stickers and tubes around his body. His eyes were closed.
Priya's eyes started overflowing with
tears. She could feel a physical pain in
her heart. Like someone was repeatedly
stabbing her in the same spot, injuring her deeper and deeper each time. She turned her face, unable to look at him
anymore. It was too painful to see her
baby in this state. Ram was observing her. He had been skeptical about bringing
her here but he wanted her to see their baby.
He stood next to her wheelchair and held her head to him. She buried her face in him and clutched his
shirt tightly. She let out a sob.
Ram: Shhh Priya.
He kneeled down to her level and wiped
her tears.
Ram: Woh bilkul theek ho jayega
Priya. Tum jaanti ho mujhe yeh kaise
pata hai?
Priya shakes her head: Kaise?
Ram: Kyun ki tum bilkul theek ho gayi
ho. Aur tum hum sab ki zindagi ke liye
ladne gayi thi. Aur ab jab tum wapas aa
gayi ho. Toh ab sab kuch theek ho
jayega.
She reaches over and flings her arms
around his neck. She buries her face in
his neck, her tears sliding down on his skin.
He holds her tight, putting one hand on the back of her head, caressing
her hair gently.
Ram: Shhh Priya. Dekho, tum usse kehna chahti thi na ke tum
usse kitna pyaar karti ho? Toh ab bata
do. Woh tumhari har baat sunta hai
Priya.
He lifted her head and wiped her
tears. He placed a gentle kiss on her
forehead and then turned her around. He
brought her closer and opened the little door to the incubator. He took her hand and put it in. She gently touched the palm of Prem's hand
and he instantly wrapped his hand around her finger and gripped it tightly. Ram looked at Priya and she smiled a teary
smile, her eyes fixed on Prem.
Ram: Hey Champ. Dekho main kis ko leke aaya hoon. Maine kaha tha na ke aapki Mama ko kuch nahi
hoga.
Priya, with tears falling from her eyes: Prem, mera baccha. Mama's sorry beta. Aapko itna dard, itni takleef sehni pad rahi
hai. Lekin aap chinta mat karo. Mama aap se bahut zyada pyar karti hai. Aap ko kuch nahi hone degi. Aur bahut jald, hum dono aap ko ghar le
jayenge. Aur Dadi aur Bua bhi aap ka be
sabri se intezaar kar rahi hai.
Priya looks at Ram, who looks back at
her. He wipes her tears again and leans
his forehead against hers.
Ram, whispering: Dekha Priya. Tumari wish poori hogayi.
Priya, whispering back: Meri nahi,
hamari Ram. Hamari wish poori ho
gayi. Hamara sapna poora ho gaya.
She closes her eyes as Ram brings his
lips close to hers and gently touches them with his. At that exact moment, Prem squeezes Priya's
finger tightly. She turns to look at
him. Prem slowly opens his eyes and
turns his head slightly towards his parents. They both look at him, with smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes.
Ram moves all Priya's hair to one side. He gently kisses the nape of her neck, and then puts the necklace around her neck. It was the same necklace with the 3-heart pendant he had given to her yesterday. The nurses had given it to Krishuji, along with other stuff when they had taken Priya into the emergency area. Priya looks down and touches the necklace with her other hand. Then she turns to Ram and smiles a teary smile at him.
Priya and Ram, then both look at Prem, who was still holding Priya's finger tightly, and smile
with tears in their eyes. Tears of
happiness. They had won another battle
together. And now, their family was
complete.
Edited by azk92 - 11 years ago
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