Unedited..
_______
The 23 minutes ride to hospital felt longer than 23 days long journey Sidharth had covered in the metal container. Her painful cries throughout the journey literally ran sharp daggers on his heart. He blamed himself for every tear she shed and every shriek she cried.
"We are here Sid.", The words had just flown driver's mouth and Sidharth sprang up from his seat and ran towards her side of the door to open it for her.
"Sidhaaarth..", she stopped in her trail.
"Hmm..", he hummed unable to speak, while looking at her feet.
She stood silently which made him lift his eyes and look at her face. Her fair and youthful appearance was red and sweating with pain and agony written all over it.
"I don't want to go back to my parents house. You promised me to take the responsibility.", She said in a painful voice.
"Huh?", His eyes widened in shock.
"Did you understand?", She asked.
"Hmmm..", he nodded his head affirmatively.
Clenching her stomach, she covered the distance to the entrance.
"She is in pain. Please help.", He pleaded.
The receptionist looked at Sana who now sat on the chair holding her bump.
"Oh! Can I grab her name quickly and her patient reference number.", The lady asked.
He looked inside the bag and fished out her file before passing it to the lady. The lady looked at it and immediately called up a nurse to help her.
"Sana Kapoor..", the nurse called and Sidharth ran to her and pointed his finger into Sana's direction. Sana was taken on the wheelchair to the labour ward by the nurse. All the way she shrieked while he walked along with her bag.
Arriving at the entrance of the labour ward, his steps paused which made the nurse look at him.
"Aren't you coming in young man? You are?", The lady asked.
Sidharth looked at Sana for her approval.
"Partner.. and he is coming inside..", Sana replied and he nodded his head before walking in.
The nurse arranged the little bed while Sidharth stood beside whimpering Sana. The nurse spread a spill proof sheet exactly half way down on the bed and laid a few pads over it. Sidharth observed everything while Sana breaked her knuckles in nervousness.
"Come darling, let me help you out of the wheelchair.", The nurse said.
Sana tried getting up from the wheelchair but it wasn't so easy to get up with that big bump. She left out a painful groan when he held his hand in front of her. Sana held his hand and he along with the nurse supported her to stand on her feet.
"I am going to check your vitals now.", The nurse said to Sana who was now sitted on the bed. Her hand was still in his hand as she experienced yet another painful contraction which made Sana unknowingly crush his hand and groan. The nurse waited until Sana sighed in relief as the contractions stopped.
The nurse then quickly checked her blood pressure, temperature and heartbeats before noting it down.
"Now sweetheart, I am going to check on the midwife and the doctor who is going to help you. Meanwhile, I will have to ask your partner to help you get dressed into this hospital gown and then you have to lie down on this. Okay?", said the nurse passing him the gown.
Sidharth nervously hummed to her instructions.
"Ohh!! Tie the gown at the back. And just the hospital gown nothing else. No inners, I have arranged those pads, so you have to position your bottom on it. Okay?", The nurse gave some more instructions before leaving them inside the ward and closing the door behind.
Sana and Sidharth who were looking at the door until she left, now looked at each other. He put his head down and pressed his lips thin not knowing what to do.
"I can wear it myself.", Sana said.
"Hmm..", Sidharth hummed passing the gown.
"Turn your back.", She said as he contemplated to give her the privacy. He immediately turned his back to her. As she started to undress, another round of contraction appeared. She shrieked painfully.
"S..S..Sana?", He stuttered panicking moving agitated in his place.
"D..d.. don't turn..", she managed to scream in between the torture.
"Are you alright?", He asked.
"No I am not..", she yelled. It got onto her nerves because the pain she went through was because of him. It was all the time, her. Only her, she thought.
"I hate you", she cried remembering that this pain followed only to prove that her word was true when she said 'you know I love you' to him months back. Her words adding to his already misery and guilt. Nevertheless, he accepted all her curses wholeheartedly.
A few seconds until the contractions subsided. She took off the bra but felt uncomfortable to take off her undies. So she quickly wore the gown over it. However the real challenge was awaiting, she couldn't tie the strings at the back.
"Sidhaaarth..", she called him.
"Yes Sana..", he answered.
"I can't tie this gown at the back..", she said.
"Huh?", He stared at the floor not knowing what he was supposed to do.
"Help me..", she said
"C.. can I turn?", He asked.
"How else would you help?", She asked irritated as her hormones got out the best.
He turned around, she was facing him, her back was open. He took steps closer to her. They both stood in silence for a few seconds not making eye contact as his eyes were glued to the floor.
She helplessly turned around. A glance of her bare back with her little floral undie and he quickly lifted his gaze to tie the first pair of strings with shivering hands, then the second and the final one which was just below the place where her undergarment ended.
The entire time he was tying the knots, she was reminded of how helpless she was. Her eyes closed while the stream of tears kept flowing. It wasn't the first time he saw her skin but it did reminded her of the first time which brought pain to her already pained soul.
"Done.", He took a step back and she turned around only to find him kneeling on the floor with his hands folded.
"Sorry Sana..", he pleaded. It was then she understood that even he was reminded of the day. The day which was the reason they were here. How different it could have been today if that day didn't exist in their lives. If she had chosen to attend Biology class than trying to prove her one uttered sentence to him. 'You know I love you..'
"I hate you", she yelled and cried bitterly while moving to sit on the bed.
"Aaaahhhhh..", she shrieked as her next round of contractions kicked in. Sidharth quickly stood up to stand beside her. The already angered Sana hit him on his torso in agony.
The doctor knocked before entering and saw her shrieking. She waited until Sana overcome before introducing herself to both the young adolescents. When she asked her permission to check on how much Sana has dialated, Sana went nervous but it was the need. Nodding her head, Sana slowly proceeded to take off her underwear, Sidharth diverted his sight to the wall on his left.
The doctor looked at her file and asked Sana for her date of birth for confirmation. It was a public hospital which meant she didn't get the same doctor or mid wife every time she visited for checkups. Luckily, Sana was eligible for free facilities as she had acquired permanent residency as a dependent child of their parent else she could have never got the free facilities. Medical costs could be too high in private facilities and would cost an arm and leg to birth a child.
The doctor was a bit stunned to learn her age. She was just 16. Going by the due date, she could be just 15 when she conceived the baby, she thought.
"You are almost the same age as my daughter in fact a year younger", the doctor spoke in a sweet tone to Sana. The doctor's motherly instincts made her tremble when she imagined what all this young lady had to go through at such young age. Parenting was a huge responsibility.
"Are you her partner?", The doctor inquired Sidharth.
Sidharth nodded his head in yes. If it was earlier, then he would have been speechless for the answer but Sana herself had agreed to it when the nurse had asked her so there wasn't much of hesitation.
The doctor stared at him for a while trying to decipher his age. Sex with a minor under the age of 16 was an offence.
"May I know your date of birth?", The doctor asked Sidharth.
Sidharth gave out his date of birth which made the doctor sigh. Sex with a minor under the age of 16 was an offence unless both are under 16. However, both could be charged for such offence. The doctor didn't know what to say further, she didn't want to add to their already existing miseries.
Sana was now lying on her back, the midwife gave her the blanket to cover her lower waist and asked her to pull her gown up to monitor the baby's heartbeat along with tracking hers. The nervousness kicked into the young girl who was already in pain and feared what would happen to her. She grabbed Sidharth's hand and held his palm firmly. Her hands were cold as ice. He remembered how her hands would go cold whenever she went inside the exam hall due to fear and nervousness even though she got straight A's in all her subjects. He used to mock her and tease then but now his heart ached for her. He held her hand firmly to build her strength even though he was scared himself. To remind her of the breathing exercise, he started taking a deep breath himself and exhaled through mouth. Sana followed him eventually bringing a tiny smile on the doctor's face.
Sana squirmed uncomfortably when the doctor examined her private part for dialation but the contractions didn't give her much time to maintain the feeling. It would make her forget everything.
"Mummmaaaaa.... Mummmmaaa...."
With time her shrieks and cries increased and so was his fear and guilt. The doctor was long gone leaving the midwife to track and call when it's time. The midwife kept track of the dialation. Sana crushed Sidharth's palm everytime the pain tortured her but he didn't utter a single complain. The midwife went on to call the doctor finally.
"Sana, whenever you get an urge to push, just push. Okay darling?", The doctor said.
Sana looked at the doctor a bit puzzled.
"If you get the feel like you want to go to toilet, then don't hold it. Just push.. when you are not pushing, keep doing breathing exercise", the doctor explained.
Sana nodded her head in yes. Her legs shivered automatically due to the excruciating pain. She indeed started feeling like passing stool after few minutes. Her legs shook involuntarily as she cried bitterly while trying to push. It felt like her private part was set on fire when she did so. She shook Sidharth by his collar vigorously.
"Sana.. deep breaths..", Sidharth reminded as soon as she took breaks.
"I can't..", Sana yelled.
"Try Sana.. you will feel better..", he said yet again.
"I hate you.. I hate you..", she screamed.
"I know.. but please just take deep breaths..", he repeated calmly.
"Mummmaaaa....", Sana shrieked again.
"Common sweetheart.. Push now", the doctor said to Sana.
Sana pushed with all her might. Her legs shook as if her mind had lost its connection and command over it while her face was fully drenched in tear, sweat and saliva.
"Push Sana..", Sidharth's voice faded as darkness took over her eyes and she passed out due to strain and exhaustion. The doctor looked up when Sana's leg stopped jiggling and just fell loose. She ran to her side and checked her pulse and looked at the monitor to check if she was breathing.
"Doctor? What happened? Sana.. Sanaa..", Sidharth shook her with fear and shock.
"She fell unconscious. Try to wake her up Sidharth, we can see her crowning. She needs to push.", The doctor yelled standing near Sana's leg.
"Sana... Sanaaa... Sanaaa..", Sidharth cried slapping her face to wake her up unsuccessfully.
"Stop crying young man and take the responsibility. You got her into this for pleasure. You haven't experienced the pain yet. Come here.", The doctor said losing her patience.
Sidharth rushed to her side and the view shook his soul to the core. From where he was sitting all the time, he couldn't see what was going on on the other side. But now he looked at sight infront of the doctor, he shivered. Streams of blood flew from her private part and she was lying in a pool of blood.
"Hold her legs, we have to pull the baby out using forceps.", The doctor commanded to him bringing him out of his fearfilled thoughts. He nodded his head and held the legs in place while his eyes went wide to find a black patch which peeked out between her legs. After a few minutes of juggling and effort by the doctor and midwives, he saw a delicate and fragile little angel plopping out with the use of a device. Being born at 37 weeks, she was very tiny compared to normal babies. A small smile automatically appeared on Sidharth's lips as he instantly fell in love with the little angel.
"She is not crying..", the midwife said causing another round of panic. Sidharth shuddered in shock. His mind was torn into two thoughts. Thoughts of unconscious Sana on one hand and the little baby who took his heart in first glance on the other.
________
To be continued.. ❤️❤️