Five Minutes Later
Ishita's Suite

Ishita opened her eyes slowly, blinking into the afternoon sun, her head leaden and heavy, her mouth dry. She was conscious of a nagging ache centered on her abdomen, and a hand holding one of hers tight.

She wanted to close her eyes again and drift back into the easy oblivion she had been in, but an insistent voice was calling her name.

"Ishita" It was a woman's voice. "How are you feeling? Ishita?"

The voice came to her as if at a great distance, but insistent, demanding.

"Ishita. Can you hear me? Ishita?"

For a moment she was disoriented wondering where she was, who this was calling her. But then she felt the fugue clearing as Dr Asha's voice penetrated through the drug induced haze she had been sent into.

The surgery. The babies. Her babies.

She opened her eyes wider, blinking groggily, again aware of a dull ache that seemed to encompass her. She tried to move, and felt a pull, noticing the intravenous line she was attached to, the bed she was lying on.

She tried to open her mouth, but no sound came out. She shifted again, and the hand holding hers tightened, pressing her hand reassuringly.

"Ishita, take it easy" said the insistent voice again.

Ishita looked up and saw Dr Asha bending over her, speaking to her. Raman was next to her, and he was holding tightly onto her left hand. She looked at her husband hopefully, noticing the sheen of tears in his eyes, eyes that were darkened with emotion.

Why was he crying? Why?

She opened her mouth again, willing herself to speak. "Ra....Raman" her voice was a hoarse whisper. "Mere .. mere bache?" (My babies?)

Raman nodded his head, a smile fighting through his tears, but he was unable to speak. Instead it was Dr Asha who answered, observing how emotional Raman had become.

"Ishita, your babies are fine" she said reassuringly, expertly checking the readings on the machine connected to Ishita. "You can see them in a minute, just talk to me first. You feel okay? Is the pain manageable?"

Ishita nodded, her eyes searching her husband's. "Haan" she whispered. " Thodi .. thodi pani pee sakti hoon?"
(Yes. Can I have some water please?)

"Of course". Dr Asha adjusted the controls to bring the bed up to a reclining position, motioning to Raman to hold a glass to his wife's lips.

Raman wiped his tears and picked up a glass from the bedside table. He looked at Dr Asha anxiously and then sat on the bed next to his wife, putting a hand gently behind her head and holding the glass to her lips. She took a few sips, then shook her head. Raman put the glass back and then gently helped her to lie back.

Ishita winced a little as the minute stitches in her abdomen reminded her of the major surgery she had just been through. And of the reason for the surgery.

"Any numbness?" Dr Asha persisted with her questioning, but Ishita was not listening to her. Instead, she stared beseechingly at her husband. "Raman" she whispered hoarsely again.

Raman took both her hands in his, and cleared his throat, finding his voice as tears threatened him again. He understood the entreaty on his wife's face, and he knew he had to reassure her.

"They are beautiful, jaan" he said brokenly, but with a smile, his relief to see her awake and alert finally settling the fears in his heart. "And they are just perfect, ten fingers, ten toes, perfect like their mumma."

"Beta ya beti, batao na" (Boys or girls, tell me please) she whispered, her eyes filling with tears, as Dr Asha stepped back from her examination, not wanting to intrude on their moment.

"Ek beta " he chuckled, wiping away her tears with a trembling hand. "Bilkul shaant, meri tarha. Aur ek Jhansi ki Rani, bilkul tumhari tarha." (One boy, totally calm like me. And one warrior queen just like you)

"I want to see them Raman" she cried, leaning into her husband, her head against his shoulder as the threatening tears overcame her. He instantly gathered her into his arms, gently, careful not to hurt her, wanting only to reassure.

"Oh thank God, thank you God" he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her, relieved beyond measure that everything had gone well. "Jaan, meri jaan, they are so beautiful, just like you"

"Please Raman" the tears were flowing down her face unchecked, and he tried unsuccessfully to stem them. "Where are they?"

"They are just next door jaan. Abhi laate hain un dono ko mumma ke paas. " (We will bring them to their mumma straight away) He looked up beseechingly at Dr Asha. "Doc, please."

Doctor Asha smiled and beckoned to one of the nurses standing by. "Bring in the babies sister" she said with a smile. " I think Dr Ishita needs them more than my check up right now."

**************************************  
Thirty minutes later

Ishita cradled her son tenderly, tracing her fingers softly over his face, occasional tears of joy and love still escaping her eyes and glistening on her cheeks.

"Itna bhi rona theek nahi hai madrassan, bheeg jayega bacha" Raman's words were teasing, but his humor could not disguise the unabashed joy he was feeling, at the sight of his wife finally holding their child.
(Don't cry so much madrassan, the baby will get wet)

"Kuch bhi" (Whatever) Ishita retorted, looking at her husband sitting beside her, holding their daughter tenderly in his arms. She reached over and traced her daughters face as gently as she had her sons, only to be rewarded by an angry cry from her.

She had broken down in unstoppable tears when two nurses had walked into the room with the babies, her arms trembling as she had held them open to receive these two little pieces of her heart. They had both been placed in her arms, Raman supporting her as she had smothered their faces in kisses, not understanding how she could love them so much, just knowing that she did.

She had been holding her babies individually in turn since, not able to get enough of them, of feeling their softness, inhaling their scent. She had unwrapped their little bodies, counted their tiny fingers and toes, kissed them all over, tears fighting with smiles as she had held them close.

The instant love she had felt for them was primordial, and all her maternal instincts had come alive, the pain of her incision fading, the fatigue of her anesthesia no longer important.

"I told you jaan, tum par gayi hai" Raman whispered at his wife, as he gently rocked his whimpering daughter. "Aur woh mast ram mujh par. Dekho kitna shaant hai."
(I told you my love, she's taken after you. And that relaxed fellow has taken after me. See how quiet and cool he is)

"Kuch bhi." (Whatever) Ishita smiled at him again. "Thank you" she added, marveling at her husband as their daughter quietened down in his arms.

"Thank you kis liye?" (Thank you for what?)

"In dono ke liye." (For these two)

He shook his head wryly, placing a finger over his wife's lips, shushing her.

"You risked your life to have them Ishita. Zindagi bhar mein tumhe thank you bolon toh bhi bas nahi hai. Thank you keh kar mujhe sharminda mat karo."
(You risked your life to have them Ishita. I can keep on thanking you for the rest of my life and it still won't be enough. Don't embarrass me by thanking me)

"Aap samajh nahi rahe." She replied tremulously, kissing the hand he had placed over her mouth.
(You don't understand)

"Mein sab samajhta hoon. Mein apni zindagi ko nahi samajhta kya?"
(I understand everything? Do you think I dont understand my own life?)

"Raman, I love you."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead softly, taking care not to jostle the two precious bundles between them.

"I love you too jaan."

She smiled through her tears at him. "Raman, we haven't arranged anything. We have to get clothes for them, diapers, aur kitne saare cheez hai." (..diapers, and so many other things)

"Haan toh Mihir baitha hai na bahar. Usko greenlight deta hoon, toh saare Bhalla aur Iyer ladies yahan aa jayenge Chunnu Munnu ki shopping karne ke liye."
(So Mihir is sitting outside. I'll give him the green light, and he will get the Bhalla and Iyer ladies army here to shop for Chunnu Munnu)

"Yeh kya naam se bula rahe ho mere bache ko. Aur Mihir yahan hai?"
(What are you calling my children? And Mihir is here?)

"Haan, subah se baitha hai mere saath. Lekin kisi ko kuch nahi kahega jab tak hum ijazat na de."
(Yes, he has been here since the morning with me. But he won't tell anyone until we give him permission)

Ishita looked at her husband and her two newborns, and then shook her head slowly. She didn't want to share her babies just yet. Not with anyone, except their father. The emotions were too raw, the feelings too intense. "Maybe in an hour Raman. Mein in ke saath kuch der..." (I want to spend some time with them alone...)

He nodded and kissed her forehead again.

'"They are perfect aren't they my darling?"

"Yes" she whispered. "Oh Raman, I never imagined... I can't explain, I'm just...."

Tears started again and he bent his head, kissing both her eyes tenderly. His daughter cried out as he moved and he smiled, kissing her as tenderly as he just had her mother. " Enough tears Ishita, my love. Chotti is getting jealous."

Ishita nodded tearily, smiling at her husband and daughter, then glancing tenderly at the son fast asleep in her arms.

"Listen" Raman continued. "I know nurse has been trying to get me out of here for a while so she can show you how to feed them. These two are happy with their formula, and you can't breastfeed until the anesthesia is out of your system, but they need to start bonding with you, hmm. I have to go and sign some forms for their birth registration. Will you be okay jaan?"

"Yes" she said softly. "Lekin Raman, aap registration papers fill kaise karoge, hum ne inka naam toh socha hi nahi..."
(Yes, but Raman, what names will you fill out on the registration papers? We haven't thought of names for them )

Raman smiled at her.

"We can confirm names later jaan, aur ma ki zaroor koi Punjabi naming tradition hogi, aur amma kisi Tamil pundit ko consult karna chahegi, lekin sach bataon, chotu ko dekhte hi mujhe uska naam maloom hogaya tha."
(We can confirm names later my love. Mum will definitely have some Punjabi naming tradition and your mother will want to consult a Tamil pundit, but can I tell you something. The moment I saw our little prince, I knew his name)

"Kya?" (What?)

"He looks exactly like you madrassan. Can we call him Ishaan? Ishita aur Raman ka Ishaan?" (Raman and Ishita's Ishaan)

Tears filled her eyes again as she tenderly caressed her sons head. "Ishaan. I love it. But are you sure?"

"Yes" he replied. "I'm very sure. Baata do usko uska naam. Mummy aur amma ko sambhaal loonga"
(Yes, I'm very sure. Tell him his name. I'll handle our mothers)

"I love you Ishaan Raman Bhalla" she smiled through her tears, whispering the words into her sleeping sons ears.

"Aur choti ka?" He looked down at his newborn daughter. "Yeh roti rehti hai toh kuch soch nahi paaya. Lekin chotu ko naam de diya aur choti ko nahi, that doesn't seem fair, right choti?"
(And what about our little princess? She keeps on crying so I couldn't think of anything, It doesn't seem fair that our prince has a name but our princess doesn't)

"Give her to me please" Ishita said softly, beckoning to the waiting nurse to take her sleeping son from her. She watched anxiously as the nurse placed him in his crib, then turned to her husband, who held their squirming little daughter close to his heart.

Raman placed the little girl into her mothers eager arms, and Ishita marveled once again at her resemblance to her father, and her big sister Ruhi. "Bilkul aap par gayi hai Raman. Can we call her Raashi? Raman aur Ishita ki Raashi."
(She looks just like you Raman, can we call her Raashi? Raman and Ishita's Raashi)

"Raashi" he repeated with a smile, caressing his wife's cheeks, then looking down at the child she held. "It suits her sweetheart. Pehle se socha tha kya?" (Had you thought of the name before?)

"No" she smiled at her daughter tenderly. "Is ko dekh kar bas laga, meri Raashi hai yeh."
(No, I saw her and it just felt like she is my Raashi)

"Then tell her" his eyes prickled with happy tears at the love and contentment in her voice, and the look she gave their daughter.

"Raashi" she whispered into a tiny ear, kissing her daughter tenderly on her forehead. "I love you Raashi Raman Bhalla."

And then she looked up and smiled happily at her tearful husband. Their babies were finally here. Their family was complete - now they just had some introductions to make.

Apni bahon mein Mujhko sametein hue
Apni bahon mein Mujhko sametein hue
Tann se anchaal ki surat lapetein hue
Geele bistar pe sardi mein lete hue
Geele bistaar pe sardi mein lete hue
Subah hone pe kuch der soti hai ma
Aisi hoti hai ma

Aisi hoti hai ma
Aisi hoti hai ma
Aisi hoti hai ma
Aisi hoti hai maa

Aasmanon se pariya bulati hai woh
Thapkiya deke lori sunati hai woh
Chanda mama ka chehra dekhati hai woh
Phool mamta ke yun bhi piroti hai maa
Aisi hoti hai ma

Aisi hoti hai ma
Aisi hoti hai ma
Aisi hoti hai ma
Aisi hoti hai maa

Gum ka ehsaas bhi tujko hone na doon
Tujh ko ashkon ki mala pirone na doon
Dukh ke mausam mein bhi tujh ko rone na doon
Tera har asoon sacha moti hai ma
Aisi hoti hai ma

Aisi hoti hai ma
Aisi hoti hai ma
Aisi hoti hai ma
Aisi hoti hai ma
Aisi hoti hai ma
Aisi hoti hai ma
Aisi hoti hai maa