Apollo Hospital Maternity Unit - Surgical waiting room 2
One hour later.

Mihir burst in through the door of the waiting room, shrugging off the CSO, conscious only that his bhai was alone, and needed him. Joseph had called him as soon as he had dropped off Raman at the hospital.

Mihir, traveling to work, had immediately turned his car toward the hospital.

"Bhai" he called out now, to the man pacing nervously by the windows.

Raman turned around, surprise momentarily diluting the anxiety on his face, and the stark fear in his eyes.

"Mihir, how did you get here?"

Mihir strode over to Raman, grasping his shoulders.

"Joseph called me, bhai. Bhai, are you ok? Is bhabhi allright? Joseph said it was an emergency. What about the baby?"

"Mihir, I don't know"  Raman's voice was guttural, the words wrenched out from deep within, and reflected the full extent of the rising pit of fear inside him. " They had to perform an emergency caesarean. They said the doctor would call me here. But it's been almost an hour Mihir. I haven't heard anything. Mein... mein... pagal ho raha hoon. Mein Ishita ke bina nahi jee sakta yaar. Usko kuch ho gaya toh..."
(I'm going crazy Mihir. I can't live without Ishita. If anything happens to her..)

Tears filled his eyes, and he wiped them away furiously.

"Bhai, bhai, calm down, bhabhi ko kuch nahi hoga." Mihir grabbed Raman by the shoulders again, forcing his bhai to look at him. "You have to be strong bhai. Aap hi toh bhabhi ki taaqat ho."
(Bhai, bhai, calm down, nothing will happen to bhabhi. You have to be strong bhai, after all, you are bhabhi's strength)

"Nahi Mihir."  Raman stepped out of his friends attempted embrace and sat down heavily on the nearby sofa. "Woh meri taaqat hai. And this is my fault Mihir. Woh khush thi. Adi aur Ruhi ke saath. Mein ne hi kaha ek aur bache ke liye try karte hai. I put pressure on her. It's all my fault."
(No Mihir. She is my strength. And this is my fault Mihir. She was happy with Adi and Ruhi. I said we should try for a baby. I put pressure on her. It's all my fault)

"Bhai, you can't blame yourself. Bhabhi wants this baby as much as you do.. and you told me how sad it made her, having missed the baby phase of Ruhi and Adi. Bhai, don't blame yourself please."

"Mihir if anything happens to Ishita or our babies, I'll never forgive myself."

"Babies?" Mihir stared at Raman quizicaly.

"Yes, babies"  Raman admitted with a wry smile. "We are having twins, I didn't want to tell anyone, didn't want to raise expectations, and maybe I was right, ab dekho yeh kya..." (Now look at what...)

He stopped in mid sentence as the door to the Waiting Room opened, and Dr Asha stepped in.

************************************************
"Doc, Ishita..."

Raman rushed to the door, Mihir right behind him. He stopped in front of Doctor Asha, his heart hammering, his breathing laboured and his legs turned to lead, grateful for the support of Mihirs arm firmly around his shoulder.

"Doc, please... He repeated "Ishita... how is she? Our babies..."

"Raman, Raman, calm down, please. I don't need another patient right now. It's all good. We had a difficult time - Ishita's bp was very high and as you know, one of the babies heart rate was dropping, so it was a race between stabilizing her, yet acting fast to save the babies, but it's all good now Raman. Your babies are under observation just as a precaution, but their weight is good, they are breathing very well on their own and they seem absolutely fine. Congratulations Raman - you have a son and a daughter."

Tears filled Raman's eyes and Mihir also found his own vision blurring, as his happiness for his bhai threatened to spill out of his eyes.

"Thank you Doctor" Raman whispered. "But Ishita..."

"Ishita is still unconscious Raman. We had to fully sedate her because of the complications, and I need to get her out of sedation slowly. She has been through a lot."

"But everything will be fine? " Raman's heart was in his mouth.

"Yes, everything should be absolutely fine. We are constantly monitoring her - we will wake her up in a few hours. All her vitals are good, her blood pressure has stabilized and I don't think there is any further risk. She is in ICU for monitoring, but we will move her back into her room in an hour or two."

"Does she know about the babies?" he asked, his tears now unabashedly flowing.

"No Raman, not yet. We will move the babies to her room when we wake her up. You can introduce her to her children then."

"Can I see her?" He whispered.

Doctor Asha looked with sympathy and a certain envy at the young man standing in front of her. He did not know it, but his wife's last words before slipping into unconsciousness had been his name, and here he was, happy about his babies, but his first concern for his wife. Love like this was hard to find - she had seen so many cases where the so called elite, the rich and powerful, treated their wives like baby machines to propogate their dynasties. But these two - he had stayed by Ishita's side throughout her journey, had held her hand at every step, had soothed her fears even when he himself was terrified, and his ultimate concern was always for her - Ishita was a lucky woman indeed.

She hesitated now - she understood his need to see his wife, but she knew Ishita would not want her husband to be traumatized by the sight of her in ICU, with catheters and ivs stuck into her. And she also knew Ishita would want her husband to be with their babies. It's what she had told her, as she had slipped into unconsciousness "If anything happens, please save my children, Doctor. And please make sure Raman is with them. They will need him and Raman... Raman will need them. Raman..."

She snapped out of her recollections and addressed Raman again, as he waited nervously for her reply.

"Raman, you can see her as soon as we take her out of ICU. That should be an hour, 2 hours maximum. You can stay with her then, but right now, there are two little babies waiting to meet you too. Newborns need their parents Raman - they need their mothers touch, to bond with her - until Ishita wakes up, you need to do that for your children."

"It doesn't seem fair".  He turned his agonized eyes to Mihir, then looked at Doctor Asha again. "She went through so much for them, she...she... It doesn't seem fair that I get to see them before her. "

"I know that this is what Ishita wants too Raman " Doctor Asha replied. "You need to step in and parent your babies until she can. There is nothing you can do for Ishita right now, but your babies need you. Now, are you ready to come with me?"

"Yes" he nodded his head, realizing the deep ache he had to see these two little souls, the embodiment of his and his madrassan s love.

"Mihir." He turned to the younger man again and found himself enfolded in his arms.

"Congratulations bhai" Mihir said through his tears. "Mein ghar par call karta hoon, sab ko batata hoon." (I'll call home and let everyone know)

"Mihir, wait" Raman said hesitatingly. "If you call home now, they will all be here in ten minutes and Mihir, I want Ishita to know first. I want her to know she has a son and a daughter. I want her to see them first."

"Lekin bhai, yeh news mein kaise chupa sakta hoon. Mihika ko pata chala , toh woh meri jaan le legi. Aur Toshi aunty toh mera kheema banadegi. Aur periamma, woh toh ...periamma toh... " (But bhai, how can I hide this news? When Mihika finds out, she will kill me. And Toshi aunty will make mincemeat out of me. And periamma, periamma will...)

Mihir shuddered as he considered the various ways his fiances aunt would take her revenge, and the certainty he would be the one to be blamed for his bhai's decision.

"Mihir please, it's just a matter of 5-6 hours. Unko toh pata hai ki hum office gaye hue hai. Woh kyun tumhe dhund kar sawal karenge?"
(Mihir please, it's just a matter of 5-6 hours. They all think we are in the office. Why will they look for you and ask you questions?)

"Aur kisi ne bhabhi ko yahan call kiya toh, aur kisi ne bata diya toh?"
(And if someone calls here to speak to bhabhi and they get the news then?)

Dr Asha decided it was time to intervene.

"It's okay, Mihir, I will let the CSO's know that they are to tell any callers that Mrs Bhalla is sleeping and not to be disturbed. She said with a smile. "I understand what Raman wants, and I agree. I don't want Ishita overwhelmed with visitors before she even wakes up properly. Let her wake up and meet her children. Give these four a moment together. I know the family will be extremely excited, but there is plenty of time for all that."

Mihir nodded at Dr Asha and then turned to Raman.

"Theek hai bhai" he said resignedly. "Aap jao mere Chunnu Munnu ke paas. I will wait for you here."
(Okay bhai. You go and see your twinnies. I will wait for you here)

And he watched bemusedly, with a happy heart, and a stupid grin, as his brother followed Doctor Asha out of the room.

******************************************************************************************
Neonatal Unit

"Pick him up Raman, it's perfectly allright."

Dr Asha had escorted Raman into the neo natal unit, and there were only 2 cribs occupied there. But thankfully, they were cribs, and not incubators. Dr Asha had explained on the way that the babies were almost full term, his son, born first, weighing 1.8 kg and his daughter, arriving a minute later at 1.7 kg, their lower birth weight normal for twins, and that they did not require any assistance with breathing.

She had led Raman to the first crib, and he had stared down in wonder at the red and wrinkly face of his second son. There was an oxygen tube taped below his nose, just a precaution that Dr Asha had warned him about, and he was swaddled in a snowy white throw. The nurse sitting between the 2 cribs smiled up at Raman. "Congratulations Sir" she said quietly.

"Pick him up Raman" Dr Asha repeated. "Hold him against your chest, let him feel you, it's good for him."

"Nurse"  she added. " just loosen his swaddling - let him get some skin contact with his father."

The nurse bent over and removed the little baby from his coverings and then noticing Raman's hesitation, picked up the child and carefully handed him over to his father. Tears threatened again as Raman gingerly took the precious bundle from the nurse. He held the quiet baby against his chest, nuzzling his downy black hair, feeling his soft tiny body relaxing into his chest. The threatening tears fell as he held his son a few inches away, noting as he did the shape of his brows, the curve of his lips - he was his mothers son, he could only see his Ishita in his sons face.

"Hey little man" he whispered. " Mein aap ka papa hoon. Welcome to our family beta."
(Hey little man. I'm your father. Welcome to our family son)

His son did not stir as he kissed his tiny face, his eyes closed and his face scrunched. Then the nurse was reaching for the baby and he relinquished his little bundle, watching as she re-swaddled him, placing him back in his crib.

He turned towards Dr Asha, who was standing by the second crib, holding another little bundle. He wiped his tears furiously as he took the few steps between them, and then he was gazing into the face of his little girl.

His daughter let out a cry as Dr Asha placed her into her fathers arms, wriggling her little body, as her fingers grasped at his. Tears fell unheeded again as he held his daughter close, the instant all encompassing love he felt for her twin and her threatening to overwhelm him. He had only just met them, yet he felt he had loved them forever. Just as with Ruhi and Adi, these two had instantly stolen his heart.

He nuzzled his daughters downy head as he had her brothers, and kissed the wrinkled puckering face. This one was a little fighter, he decided, a Jhansi ki Rani like her mother, even though the set of her face reminded him suspiciously of his own.

"Meri choti madrassan" he whispered. "Lad mat mujh se beta. Papa hoon tera. Kabhi nahi choodonga tumhe."
(My little madrassan. Don't fight with me baby. I'm your father. I'll never leave you)

"Come, sit here with her Raman" Dr Asha was beckoning towards a comfortable chair. "Just rock her slightly, that's right, just like that."

" She's so tiny, Doc" he whispered, as his daughters whimpers lessened and her body grew quieter in his embrace. "They both are."

"They are not much smaller than your Ruhi was, Raman. And look at Ruhi now. These two will be the same - they will pick up weight before you realize it, so don't worry. Now sit here with them for a while, hmm. Hold them in turns, I don't think you can handle both together. Someone will come to call you once Ishita is moved to her room. I need to go and check on her now."

She walked up to the door, and then paused. "Raman, I hope you don't mind, but I took photos of you holding them both for the first time. I thought Ishita would like to see the moment."

"Thanks Doc" he replied, grateful for her thoughtfulness. "I don't know how to thank you enough, what you've done for Ishita, for us."

"I'm just thankful that they are all safe Raman" Dr Asha replied softly. "Now I'm going to go and check on their mother. And don't worry, I will call you to her soon."

And as she left, she peeked back in to see her patients husband patting his daughter softly, as he stared adoringly at his son a few feet away. Now it was time to work on adding the missing piece to this tableau.

**************************************
Waiting Room
Two hours later

Mihir stared in guilt at the ringing phone. He had already ignored 2 calls from Mihika - if he didn't answer this one, he was going to be in deep trouble.

He took a deep breath and swiped to accept the call.

"Hi baby."

"Don't baby me Mihir. Kahan ho tum? Mere calls kyun nahi le rahe theh?"
(Dont baby me Mihir. Where are you? Why weren't you taking my calls?)

"Mein meeting mei busy tha sweetheart."
(I was busy in a meeting sweetheart'

"Kahan par? Office mein?"
(Where? In your office?)

"Haan of course office mei Mihika."
(Yes of course in my office Mihika)

"Well, that's very surprising Mihir, because I am standing in your cabin aur mujhe toh tum dikhayi nahi de rahe you you Mr India ki aulad."
(Well, that's very surprising Mihir, because I am standing in your cabin and I can't see you anywhere you son of Mr Invisible)

"Dekho Mihika, baap par mat jao."
(Listen Mihika, don't go up to my dad)

"Where are you Mihir?"

"I can't tell you Mihika. I have a very good explanation but I can't tell you right now."

"Mihir, what do you mean? First of all, it's been almost three years and you can't find a free week for our wedding. Now you're hiding from me. Are you seeing someone else? Tell me Mihir."

"Aisa kuch nahi hai baby. Shaadi next week kar loonga, lekin tumhari amma ki pandit ko toh meri travel schedule match nahi hota. Chodh na kundali ko, marry me next week Miku."
(It's nothing like that baby. We can get married next week, but your ammas pandit can't match your birth charts to my travel schedule. Leave all these horoscopes aside, marry me next week Miku'

"Don't change the subject Mihir. Where are you?"

"I can't tell you yaar. I'm sorry."

And with that he switched off the call and then turned off his phone. He would listen to all of Mihika's gaalis later, but right now, he needed to be here for his bhai.

He remembered again the happiness on Raman's face when he had come out of the neo natal unit, the way he had held him and cried , tears of happiness and relief. He had cried himself at the love in his bhai's face when he showed him the photos of his 2 babies - a sweet peaceful little boy who looked just like his bhabhi, and an equally sweet but furious looking little girl who was the incarnation of his bhai. They were both wrinkly and tiny but the resemblance was remarkable and he had cried with his bhai as they had gazed at the photos.

His bhai had now gone to bhabhi's room, where both she and the babies were being moved to. They needed their time together, and if he had to lie to the world and even his Mihika, to give them that time, he would do it.

"Lekin bahut laat padne wale hai Mihir my boy" (But you're going to get badly beaten up Mihir my boy) he told himself, as he settled down to wait again.

***************************************

Pitaah se hai naam tera
Pitaah pehchaan teri
Jiye jis sarahe pe tu
Pitah se woh saans mili
Hai pitah, rab tera

Ho Ishwar Allah, jitne bhi rab hai
Noor tera tujh mein hi sab hai

Rab hai hai
Tu hi sab hai hai
Rab hai hai
Tu hi sab hai hai

Pitah ka mol hai kya
Paas reh ke jaana nahi
Pyar pitah se karein
Yeh keh na payein kabhi
Hai pitah sab tera

Ho Ishwar Allah, jitne bhi rab hai
Noor tera tujh mein hi sab hai

Pitah ke ashirwaad se tunne sabkuch paaya hai
Kya lekar tu aaya jag mein
Aur kya tunne kamaya hai

Pitah ka rutba sab se ooncha
Rab ke roop saman hai
Pitah ke ungli tham ke chal toh
Raasta bhi aasan hai
Pitah ka saaya sar pe ho toh
Kadmon mein Aakash hai
Pitah hai poonji, kho jaaye toh
Phir kya tere paas hai

Pitah bana na hasti teri
Naa koi tera thikaana hai
Pitah ke naam se aaya jag mein
Pitah ke naam se jaana hai

Ishwar Allah, jitne bhi rab hai
Noor tera tujh mein hi sab hai