Tej glanced at his son sleeping fitfully in his arms and sighed sadly. He adjusted Shivaay's position carefully and held him close to his chest.
He had seen a lot in life. His father's untimely death had resulted in him joining the business at the tender age of twenty-one. Anyone else in his position would have felt scared but not Tej. He had taken over the business like he was born to do so. Even when the business dwindled under his young guidance, he had not gotten scared. He somehow managed to keep his head above the water and sailed through. Tej had paid for his own higher education and left for Oxford with a booming business in the hands of his younger brother. It had been a tough decision to take but he knew that one needed to take risks to grow. He was the only Indian student at the college and yet had felt no fear. He strived and survived. After coming back, he met Jhanvi at a business conference. Both of them had gradually fallen in love with each other. Tej had proposed to her without worrying about the consequences. He had visited Jhanvi's family to ask for her hand in marriage without an ounce of fear much to her father's dismay.
But there was nothing that could scare Tej Singh Oberoi. Or so he thought.
Because two years ago, when he saw Shivaay pass out cold after running around just a little, he felt fear for the first time in his life. Cold, brutal, paralyzing fear. His legs had buckled up and his hands had shivered uncontrollably as he had held the unresponsive and pale body of his son close to him. The doctors had diagnosed Shivaay with Pulmonary stenosis. His child had a weak heart. That information had hit him like a truck on the highway. Tej was ready to lose anything in his life but not his son.
Right from the time Shivaay was born, he had Tej mesmerized. From the moment Tej had laid his eyes on Shivaay, he had his father wrapped around his little finger. Who knew that the one to finally tame Tej would be his infant son?
A small tear slid down his cheek that he wiped away hastily. Jhanvi rubbed his arm. She whispered, "We all will make it. Don't worry. Shivaay will be fine."
"I hope so..." Tej whispered back and Jhanvi bit back a sob. She hated being this helpless. What was the use of being so well-off and influential if they couldn't help their son?
Suddenly, a small red ball landed in her lap, frightening the daylights out of her. A small scream escaped her lips involuntarily and Shivaay stirred in Tej's embrace.
"Anika!" a man shouted. "I told you not to play here. Look you are disturbing everyone."
A cherubic girl giggled and ran away from him. She happily sprinted towards Jhanvi and flashed a toothy grin. "I am sorry aunty."
"It's fine..." Jhanvi smiled looking at her and patted her head lightly. Handing the little girl her ball back, she said, "Here you go."
"Thank you!" the girl cooed and took the ball. She glanced at Shivaay curiously. She remained around them pretending to play with the ball and stealing small, timid glances at Shivaay.
"Mom..." Shivaay whined and rubbed his eyes. He had a tendency to get very cranky after a nap. Tej propped him up so that he was sitting on his lap.
"Do you want to sleep some more?" asked Jhanvi, gently stroking his forehead and straightening out the frowns.
"I wanna go home..." Shivaay mumbled irritatedly. Throwing his hands around Tej's waist, he snuggled in the warmth of his father's embrace.
"In a bit. Okay?" Tej assured him, rocking him slightly. "I promise that this won't take much time. We will just meet the doctor, say hi and then go home. Right, Jhanvi?"
"Yes!" Jhanvi grinned. She then whispered excitedly, "And guess what have I made today?"
"What?" Shivaay asked, his eyes still dull from sleep.
