Chapter 25: Chapter 25

"A baby fills a place in your heart that you never knew was empty."

"I'll die of delight, hold me, just hold me before I die, Shiyu," Ananya was screaming out in joy when Ayushi acquainted her and Veer about the news of her having triplets inside her womb. Veer aka Dhruv couldn't believe his ears, his wife was carrying triplets? Wow! Now he'd have three cute babies roaming inside his house, making baby sounds; how beautiful and adorable that scene would be, he just beamed broadly thinking about all the pictures that his subconscious was composing.

"Congratulations Mamma bear," Ananya hugged Ayushi who was relaxing on the cot peacefully. Ananya had named her "Mamma bear" because Ayushi had turned so fat but more beautiful and cute too. And along with her cuteness, she had turned more grumpy and moody too, it was all because of her pregnancy hormones, creating havoc inside her pregnant body.

"Don't call me Mamma bear, I feel fatter," Ayushi pouted with a cute little frown on her face and Veer just chuckled at her cuteness, his admiration for her was growing more day-by-day.

"Yeah, yeah. I should call you a mamma elephant then, isn't it?" Ananya teased her more but Ayushi took it too seriously, she started wailing out loudly which panicked Ananya as well as Veer. She hadn't behaved like this ever.

"Hey, Ayushi shh. Calm down please, I was just joking, seriously. You are not fat. You're too beautiful and cute. And you know what, these babies will be more beautiful and adorable than you. It's my guarantee," Ananya spoke out in a consoling manner, hugging Ayushi tightly in her arms. Ayushi quieted down and wiped her tears off her face. All the time Veer was staring at her, he knew that Ananya would handle it, so he didn't interfere between the friends' duo.

"Congratulations Aayuu," he congratulated Ayushi using her nickname which he had given to her. Ayushi smiled at him in response and asked him to sit beside her on her bed as he was standing a little far from her bed.

"You need to be more careful now Shiyu. So, don't you dare roam much and also, since my mother-in-law has been grumpy on me from the last few days, I'm leaving this house but for sure I'm gonna be here all day long. That old woman cannot dictate me," Ananya declared like a boss and started packing all the necessary kinds of stuff that she might need in her in-law's house.

"You and your love for your mother-in-law. By the way, don't worry much. I can take care of myself and even Veer is here with me, so don't worry. Even your mother-in-law is right, Anu, you've been married for the past three months but never have you lived there in your in-law's house. So, that's why she might have been angry on you as who would want their daughter-in-law to live somewhere else when they are living in the same city," Ayushi tried to explain Ananya but Ananya just rolled her eyes, she wasn't one of them who could understand all these philosophies, it was all just a boring lecture for her.

"Yeah, yeah my mother. Now, shall I leave? The driver is here, mom must have sent him," Ananya spoke out in a sad tone, looking outside the window where she saw a luxurious car parked from which a driver came out. Finally, it was time to bid adieu.

"Call me whenever you need me, don't you dare to hesitate otherwise I'll not hesitate to be angry on you," Ananya for the last time hugged Ayushi and went away towards the door of her room with tears flowing down her eyes, which she wanted to hide from Ayushi as she didn't want to make her cry too, she knew her best friend well.

"Ananya," Ayushi called her back in a crying voice.

"I'll miss you but you'll come here everyday, promise?" Ayushi was crying now, she was feeling like she was seeing Ananya for the last time, she didn't know why. Ananya ran towards her and they both hugged each other dearly as their lives were dependent on that. Veer just witnessed the undying and selfless love of his wife and his sister, how much they loved each other like they were sisters. Even his eyes got moist seeing the raw emotions that were flowing out from his wife's eyes.

"Okay, okay, now don't you make me cry again. Otherwise, this much crying will make me look like a zombie, and then my mother-in-law will kick me out of her and her son's life as well as she's already so angry at me. Veer Ji ( Big brother), please take care of her. I'm giving all her responsibility to you. I'll come here daily. Goodbye," for the last time, she hugged Veer and Ayushi and finally went away towards her in-laws' house, sitting inside the car after Veer had loaded her luggage inside the car.

Once Veer entered Ayushi's room, what he saw just shocked him. Ayushi was busy checking her out from all the angles in the full-length mirror and was crying too, looking so innocent and adorable. She had never checked herself out like that, perhaps her hormones were too high nowadays, she was doing things she had never done before.

"Do I look like an elephant?" her insecurities were making her feel bad about herself.

Veer just sighed at her innocent question and shook his head in no. She was far away from looking like an elephant, she was just looking so adorable, cute, and...sexy. Yes, that was what was running inside his mind when he observed her keenly, his wife had turned into a sexier woman now. Her once soft mounds were now in full size that he could suck inside his lips for so long, moulding them so softly inside his palm and what not. Before anything could happen, he controlled himself and closed his eyes for a few seconds, and finally, after taking a long breath, he looked at the perplexed Ayushi who was now looking at him in confusion and worry.

"You look beautiful Aayuu. Why are you taking so much tension? It's not good for your health," he tried to calm her down, making her sit on the bed and then kneeling near her on the wooden floor.

"But just look at me, I look so fat, so heavy, Ananya was right, I look like an elephant," Ayushi's hormones were making her more stressed and sad about her figure.

"Hey shh, don't cry, please. You're the mother of three beautiful babies, sweetheart so your tummy will be big, it is as clear as crystal. So, don't worry. Come in my arms," Veer hugged her softly in his arms, rubbing gently on her back and eventually she calmed down, but her eyes were still moist with the tears that were pouring down uncontrollably.

"What if I'm not a good mother to them, Veer? What if I cannot complete their wishes? I'm getting more and more scared nowadays, Veer fearing about how I would handle three small babies, even though my husband is not with me. How would I?" Ayushi's fear and insecurities were making her feel worse but she was right at her place thinking about all these.

"Hey, Aayuu. Please don't cry. We're always with you, you get that? Always. Me, Ananya, Keshav everyone is with you. So, don't worry. We'll take care of your babies like our own, trust me. And never forget that Waheguru is always with us, he'll protect us from every evil," he was still hugging Ayushi who had now closed her eyes, nodding her head against Veer's chest.

"Rest for some time, I'll prepare some food for you," Veer kissed her on her forehead and was going to head out of her room, when Ayushi stopped him from going further, holding his hands.

"I want to eat momos, can you please bring it?" she asked him so innocently that he had to control himself with so much difficulty not to kiss her right there on her pouting lips. She was becoming irresistible for him day by day.

"Wait, I'll ask Anita to bring it, I cannot leave you alone," he got downstairs and asked the caretaker to bring the momos from the nearby market. His wife had so many cravings for food! He just smiled widely and returned to her room again after locking the door safely.

"So, what do you wanna do? Movie?".

"A movie? I'm in," Ayushi chirped in a happy tone and finally they both settled down for watching a comedy movie. They enjoyed their time together, not knowing that a big storm was waiting for them.

****

Ayushi was presently one week away from her due date when a tornado came inside her life and almost destroyed her and her baby.

It was raining heavily that day, the clouds were thundering, making the night more wild and menacing.

And that's when Ayushi realized that her water broke. She was shivering in fear, contemplating what would happen. This was the first time when Chamba had received this kind of menacing rainfall which wasn't going to stop anytime soon. She immediately roused Ananya who was sleeping beside her and told her about her condition. Even Ananya too panicked but she immediately called Veer asking him to take out the car as soon as possible.

"Ayushi...shh. Calm down. Everything will be fine. Shh. Calm down. Take deep breaths," Ananya was rubbing Ayushi's back soothingly but Ayushi was crying profusely, she was getting a very bad feeling inside her, like something worse will happen but she didn't know what.

"Come, change into a pad. Veer had just gone to take out his car from the garage, he'd be coming soon. Come," Ananya helped Ayushi to wear a pad but Ayushi had lost every sense, she was just busy crying and crying.

"Ayushi. Calm down, please. Everything will be fine," Ananya tried to calm her down but Ayushi shrieked in pain. Her contractions had started and she wanted nothing but to just shout out loudly in pain and agony, it was paining so much.

Unfortunately, she was one of those women whose water broke before the labour pain, making her condition worse and critical.

"Aah Ananya. It's throbbing so much, I cannot be able to live, I'm crumbling," Ayushi was shouting out loudly in pain. Her contractions were intense, making her condition worse.

Meanwhile, Veer too arrived and when he saw how badly his wife was crying in pain and agony, even his eyes got moist but it was not the time to be emotional. He immediately rushed towards her side and with the help of Ananya and their caretaker, he took Ayushi inside the car, making her sit on the lap of Ananya.

"Aah. It's unbearable. I cannot tolerate it anymore. I'm dying," her shrieks were too painful for Veer to hear. Her every cry was piercing his heart.

"Damn this weather!" He cursed loudly because the weather was turning worse and worse, resulting in the slippery road which was compelling him to drive slow, as even a small mistake can be too fatal. Landslides too had started, making Ayushi's condition much worse. But Veer just maintained his calm, he drove through the big rock pieces which had fallen from the higher mountains. Luckily it was a small car, that's why it was possible to cross all these narrow roads which were now the victim of the menacing landslide.

At last, they reached the hospital, passing many hurdles and Ayushi was immediately rushed inside the operation theatre on a stretcher as Ananya had already informed Ayushi's gynaecologist about her condition. Her gynaecologist and a few midwives followed her inside the operation theatre, stopping Veer and Ananya outside the OT.

"I'm so tensed about her condition, Veer. I don't know what will happen. Her mother too had...Oh my God! What am I saying! No, no I shouldn't speak like this. She'll survive along with her triplets. She's a fighter. A true fighter," Ananya was rambling to herself and Veer immediately hugged her. He knew she was scared, so was he. He was scared of his wife and his babies. He didn't want to lose any one of them. Somehow he too wasn't feeling good. Like something so bad was waiting for him. Like something so shattering was ready to break him apart.

"Everything will be fine, Ananya. Don't worry," Veer whispered in a sad tone.

After one hour or so, finally, the doctor came out of the operation theatre with a sad and remorseful look on her face.

"Sorry, Mr Singh, we couldn't save one of your children. He was, unfortunately..." the doctor couldn't complete his sentence as Veer just fell on the floor with a broken look on his face like he lost everything like he had no reason left to live this life anymore.

Ananya just stood there with her hand on her mouth, crying profusely. She knew how much Ayushi loved her unborn babies, how much care she had always been, how much happy and cheerful she was for her triplets! She cried in agony.

The doctor had always seen Veer as her patient's husband, as every time he'd accompany Ayushi, whenever they came for a checkup. That's why she addressed him as Ayushi's husband.

"We're sorry for your loss sir but the other two babies are perfectly fit and fine. And, even Ayushi is fine too. Just unconscious. You've got two healthy babies, one girl, and one boy. You can meet them after some time," the doctor consoled Veer and eventually went away towards her cabin, leaving Veer grieving over the sacrifice of his angelic baby.

****

"She's carrying triplets, Dad. And it's very rare to have them. I just wish that they die the moment they come into this world. Those Rajputs should suffer a lot. I'm still not satisfied," Chandani smirked evilly.

"Even I want the same. They should die of despondency and suffering," her father muttered in an angry tone.

~**•**~

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