SIDHARTH'S POV

It was a beautiful sunday evening, I woke up after taking a good cuddly nap when I Preeti complained of a terrible ache down there, she was on her labor!

I rushed down grabbing the car keys, Mom and Shehnaaz made her sit inside, while Ajay sat besides me. Calling her doctor to inform about her situation. It was a day ahead of her actual scheduled delivery date, we were told to be ready and we were. Cutting through the traffic, taking the shortest way to the hospital I drove with speed.

"Drive faster.. You fucking tortoise..! Mai mar rahi hu dard me..!" she shouted at me.

"Car hai.. Rocket nahi.." I replied. She has been unreasonably rude & weird through out her period.

"Sidharth!" Mom snapped. Fine.

"Aaaah! Mommmm..!" she cried.

"Just a few minutes more beta.. We're almost there.." mom consoled. The stretcher was ready for her as we reached the maternity ward. Ajay held her hand, accompanying her in but soon he came out with the nurse. She handed him a couple of papers clipped on a cardboard with a pen. He took a deep breath and kept staring at the form.

"Kya hua?" I asked, we got worried for he looked lost somewhere.

"It says the hospital does not take any responsibility of the complications and in case of any casualty.. How.. What do they mean!?" he asked.

"Beta.. It's just for formality.. Preeti ke case me koi complication nahi hai.. You've been with her on every appointment nah.. " Mom replied. He signed those papers with fumbling fingers.

"Sab sahi hoga.. You're just nervous.." I pat his back, he nods in understanding, but he still looked sceptical. We waited for the while, doctors prepared Preeti for it, they said it's still time for the child to arrive.

"Jaa andar.. She needs you.." his mother said. He nods, looking in the direction of her ward.

"...it's going to be fine.." she added, he nodded again, rubbing his palms but didn't move.

"Jeez!" Shehnaaz shook him.

"Ha?" he turned to her.

"Jao.. Champ ko leke anaa..!" cheered him with her sweetest smile.

"Champ.." he whispered and finally made his way in, we chuckled at his condition.

For the next half an hour, we only heard Preeti screaming her guts out. Believe me, Shehnaaz was terrified with it.

"Bohot pain hota hai?" she asked Mom. And then got answer in the affirmative, it only made her swallow a fearful lump. I raised my brows at her, I kind of knew what was going inside her head, of how much pain she would go through if she takes Preeti's place.

"Kitna pain ho raha hoga unko.." she sadly sighs, thinking about the same for sometime. I wanted to kiss her petrified face, my little brainy baby.

"It's...it's a boy! They're cleaning him.." Ajay came out to inform, we welcomed the new Dad with lots of warm  hugs. He shuddered embracing his mothers.

"He looks like her.. Big eyes..nose.. He's almost like her.." he told. 

"Mr Singh.." the sister came with a small baby in her hand, wrapped in a baby blue napkin.

"Oh! He's so tiny and pink and beautiful and pyaaruuu.." Shehnaaz whispered clutching my arms. Her eyes filled with love. She wiped her tears in my shirt and moved forward to look at his closely. Everybody took rounds to carry him, the new member, my second nephew.

"Champ.. My champ!" Ajay smiles.

"Dekho Mom Dad.. We gave you a grandchild.. Abb Preeti aur mujhe pareshaan mat karna aap log..!" he stated, we could not help but laugh. Soon, we all barged in to see Preeti, her faded face, containing a tired smile. With glistening eyes she opened her arms to hold her baby. Ajay held her back, sitting her up properly and side hugged her.

"They look perfect..no?" Shehnaaz asked.

"Han they do" I replied, she wraps a hand around mine, whispered something to herself.

"Sorry?" It wasn't audible to me.

"Worth it.." she said without retrieving her eyes from Preeti and Ajay.

"....that pain.. Those nine months of mood swings, wailing, back ache and discomfort.. It's worth for this happiness.. Haina?" she asks.

"It is!" I agree. The pain is deadly, you're carrying a life inside for months, you feed it and then bring it to the world and it is the most beautiful thing, women indeed are the best creation of God. Because they're creator themselves.

"Agastya" Ajay announced his son's name, they had decided it long back, I guess.

.........

"Agastuu.. Mela kuchu..gugu.. Nonu baby.." Shehnaaz picked him up,

"You're so beautiful.." she kept on kissing his cheeks and nose. He let out a shrilled cry.

"Aww.. Kya hua baby..? Mami ne rula diya.. Bad mami!" I took him from her lap. He was two months old now, he was such an active kid, he used to eat and play all day, he didn't like it when his mother used to pet him to sleep.

Eat and play was his cycle, neither sleeping nor letting people sleep, his habit. Preeti and Ajay were off to an office party, leaving him to us. She made faces, got up making her way to kitchen.

I followed her with Champ in my arms, "Agastya doesn't like mami..?" I teased. She ignored pulling out a saucepan from the cabinet.

"Baby.. Why don't you like mami? Is she fat?" I carry on. She glared me once before pouring milk into and switching on the gas burner to medium flame.

"But she's warming up milk for you.. She's a good mami.." She didn't pay heed, transferring the slightly heated  content into a small nippled bottle, gave it to me.

"Pila de Agastya ko.." and walked out of the kitchen.

"Shehnaaz..! Champ is more used to manly hands.. Ajay ke sath sara din rehta hai.. Isme bura kyu maan rahi hai baby..?" I ran after her. There was a fine watery line in her eyes I noticed.

"To jabhi Mom usko godi leti hai.. Tab kyu nahi rota..?" she pouts.

"Because she's a mother! She knows what kind of moods infants have.. And how they want to be held... " I said, she only pouted more.

"Here.. Take him!" I placed Agastya on her lap and handed her the bottle, she very delicately tilted him back, inclining the bottle in his mouth to an angle from where he could suck  milk comfortably. He was busy having his meal and she patted him lightly, all this time, it was only her touch Agastya had not recognized. He agained sniffed loudly as his indication to his upcoming burst.

"Dekha.. He hates me.." she mumbled forwarding him back to me.

"Mera bhanja mujhe pasand nahi karta.. Mere bache kya karenge.." 

"Darling please yaar..!" I called her. A lone tear trickled down her full cheeks, wiping them away she went to the washroom.

I looked down at this lil babyboy, "What's with you and her..buddy? She's the sweetest mami you'll ever get! When you'll realize it.. You're gonna love her!" I said, he obviously didn't get even a word, but he stared me quite seriously.

"Mom!" I walked down to her room with him.

"Ha.. Ajaa.."

"Do me favour nah.. Shehnaaz se baat karoge.." I said.

"Kya hua? Fir jhagda kiya tum dono ne?" she asks.

"Nahi yaar!" I sat on the end of the bed with champ, sighing.

"She was playing with Agastya.. Ye firse rone laga.." I chuckled.

"She's so upset.. Usko lagta hai he does not like her.. Voh bache nahi sambhal payegi.. Samjhao usko.." I said. She smiled, nodding.

SHEHNAAZ'S POV

"Sana?" Mom knocked at the door.

"Aaiye Mom.. Aap soye nahi?" I asked, we've had dinner an hour ago, after Preeti and Ajay picked up Agastya. Shutting down my laptop, I made space for her on the couch.

She shook her head.  "Heard you were upset with Agastya.." she mentions.

"Wha.. No. Nahi Mom.." I brushed off, this Sidharth must have told her.

"Just that.. Mai.. Shayd mujhe godi lena nahi ataa.. Nothing else.." I reasoned, she smiled, taking my hand in between hers.

"He's a lil delicate and fussy.. There's nothing wrong in you bache... Tu ro rahi thi na? Sach bol?" she asked me. And I nodded.

"Tell you what.. It's not your fault.. Ye Agastya ke blood me hai yeh.." she said.

"Kya?" what does she mean?

"Sidharth aur Preeti bhi aise hi the.. Mere aur apne papa ke alava kisi ki godi me nahi jaate the.. Petulant and whiny! Sara time mummy chahiye.. Especially Sidharth.." she chuckled, her expressions while she recited how her kids were in the childhood were amusing.

"Goodness gracious Mom! Kitna pareshaan kiya inlogo ne aapko!" I laughed.

"Sach me bohot.. Only Neetu was my good child.. My first born.. Very obedient and jovial.. But the later two were more of spoilt brats.. " she added. I smiled has she kept on reminiscing those days.

"Lekin jaise hi dono bade hue.. Some good months old.. Samajhne lage.. It's not that Agastya doesn't like you.. It's just.. That he has met so many people already.. His grandparents.. Chacha-chachi.. Bua and the entire paternal side.. Aur abhi mummy ki family ke sath catchup kar raha hai... Give him sometime.. He'll surely love you.. Itni si baat pe dil chota mat kar meri bachi..!" she pressed her lips onto my forehead lovingly.

"And from no where this defines what sort of a mother you would be.. Mother and child have a different understanding altogether.. He's inside her for freaking nine months.. She connects to him since he's a bean size.. Bache ko sambhalna comes within.. You'll be a super amazing mother..! Samjhi?" she said. I felt so relieved, so happy that I wanted to cry, for I had felt so low of me sometime ago.

"Hanji!" I answered squeezing her into a hug.  Just then, from my peripheral vision I saw Sidharth leaning against the door, watching us.

"Sidharth kaisa tha bachpan me Mom?Troublesome?" I asked winking at her sneakily. She got me instantly,

"Woh toh.. Such a whiny kid! Fussy! Bhagwaan.. Itna pareshaan karta tha vo.. And too lazy!" she said.

"Moomm! That's not true okay!" he hurriedly jumped into the convo. I sniggered loudly, Mom too joined me.

"Humesha khush raho!" she smiled gathering both of us in her arms.

[One year later]

"Yeah.. So this is how the final layout is going to be.. Doors west facing and kitchen in the east.. Just as you wished.." I presented the ppt.

"It's great Shehnaaz... we will go with it!" Mrs Trivedi, my another client signed the contract.

Oh, let me tell you, I've been promoted! I meet and take appointments of client directly. Do the meetings myself, at times with Jay.

Vikas is busy arranging things for his another branch of Ajanta, he wishes to establish in Bangalore. So here we are, running the office ourselves. I tightly shut squeeze my eyes before reading the mail on my screen, I've been feeling my head spinning slightly at times. I should take a break, doing back to back meeting has stressed me alot lately. Maybe

Sidharth was right of me over doing myself with work, also then I have lost my appetite. Carrying so much stress has delayed my cycle, that I missed my periods last month. Wrapping up soon, I made my way to Meeti's place. 

"Hii mera Aadiii.. How are you baby?" I embrace him warmly, peppering kisses.

"Massii.. Pehle my chocolate fir kissie.." he said.

"Bachu! You're so mean! Yeh le..!" handed him a chocolate, I always bring with me on my visits.

"Bigaad diya hai tune mere bete ko.." Meeti said, we settled on the coffee table with a mug ourselves, getting into daily stuff conversation, how's life. It had been only few sips of coffee and felt bile rising upto my throat and terribly wanted to throw up. I dashed into her washroom and emptied myself, she came running after me.

"Sanu? What happened suddenly..?" she rubbed my back. I breathed looking myself into the mirror, a little faded in the colour.

"You okay?" she asks.

"Fine now."

"How do you feel? Go see a doctor.." she again asked.

"No need.. I'm just tired ya.. Actually stressed.." I sigh, I must go back home now.

"You look pale.. I wish you were pregnant.." she chuckles.

I chuckled too, "Kuch bhi mat bol.. Fuck no.. Meetu.. I did miss my periods..!" I exclaimed. She jumped in excitement.

"Meriii babyyy.. What are you waiting for.. Go get a pregnancy kit!" she held my shoulders.

"Ha! Abhi jaa rhi mai.." I jumped in happiness too. God, I recalled that Sidharth and me had stopped using contraceptives since last few months, for the first time we had actually forgot to use it in the hurry.. But  then we didn't care to use it. 

Chanting Waheguru's name mentally, I bought some kit on my way back to home, and with pretty shivering hands I placed it underneath me after undressing my lowers and bending down to test it. Because I had read on it's cover, there were 97% chances the result could not be true, I bought like half a dozen of pregnancy kit of several brands to be fucking sure about it.

I stared at the strip I used just a minute ago, the instructions said three pinks line confirmed the news. But this stupid strip was stuck at it's 1st line.

Just then my phone buzzed. Meeti it is, "Oye.. Kya hua? Tell me you are expecting!" she asks desperately.

"Rukjaa meri maa.. This is not working I guess...lines hi nahi aa rahi.. And if it confirms.. I'll let Sidharth know first.. Tu wait kariyo meri call ka.." I hung up.

Just as I tore another packet, my eyes landed on the strip I had almost discarded. It had 2 pink lines! Oh my

God, it had hitched my breath, as quickly as possible, I tested myself on all the strips. The result had blown me away, every fucking kit attested me positively.

Sitting on toilet seat with a thud, for I felt my legs losing their balance. I cried, blubbering against the washroom walls, tears of sheer contentment gushing down. Collected all the six kits, I used right now &placed them on the wash basin orderly and then called Sidharth.