•||Ch27: Finale ~ His Everything||•
Both of them held their breath as they stared at the monitor in anticipation with the mix of fear, nervousness and excitement. This felt so surreal to them, just like a dream.
How long it took for them to witness this day?
2 years.
24 months
104 weeks.
730 days.
Mehrun held Saim's hand tightly, feeling him more worried than her. In their last ultrasound just when they were happily looking at their unborn yet to be formed baby, the doctor showed them another similar fetus.
Now they both were excited to see the development of their twin babies. But the doctor's prolonged silence was making them restless.
"Everything's good, doctor? Nothing bad happened. Right?" Saim asked the doctor with a little fear in his voice.
When the doctor didn't answer him but kept looking at the monitor, Mehrun looked at Saim with tears brimming in her eyes. She didn't want to lose the babies that took 2 years of trying to conceive.
"I'm sorry."
Listening to the doctor's apology with a sigh, Mehrun closed her eyes tightly and sobbed loudly.
"Mrs. Ali, you...," The doctor stared at her speechlessly then looked at Saim who was consoling his Begum in his arms.
"What happened to our babies?" He asked the doctor with a little difficulty, rubbing his Begum's back.
"Huh! Nothing happened. They are good. I'm sorry. I was just a little shocked with the new discovery," The doctor apologized quickly and explained them a little before pointing to the screen.
"You see here. Your baby A and B. Both are healthy. And here is what surprised me, a healthy baby C."
Both the couple were stunned with their eyes glued to the monitor in disbelief, shock and surprise. They weren't expecting this, to get another surprise baby.
"And here.. A very small shape.. baby D. It's very weak compared to the remaining siblings."
On the way to their love nest, Amore Vita, they both held hands with thousands of emotions overwhelming them enough where they couldn't find words to express anything. Doctor's words were roaming their minds of how they had to say goodbye to their baby D if it couldn't grow up healthy like other siblings.
"We should inform our families now, about more than one baby. I want my mom here, with me, next to me other than you," Mehrun whispered, with her voice trembling a little, thinking about how she would raise four babies in her stomach where one was at risk.
As they approached their home, the sky outside was filled with the rare scene of the sun painting the sky with a golden glow, providing warmth to everyone. Saim squeezed her hand silently and stared out of the window thinking of making calls to every doctor or consultant for his Begum's health.
For him what was more important was his Begum and her health then their kids. If he found this pregnancy threatening to his Begum, he wouldn't mind trading their kids for her health.
Once they reached inside the mansion, Saim guided his Begum to a comfortable couch where she allowed herself to sink into plush cushions. He bent down to her eye level and watched her a little dazed.
"What do you want to eat?" He asked her softly, putting his hand on her baby bump affectionately.
Hearing his question, she felt her stomach making noises and their four babies being hungry.
"Anything is fine."
He nodded his head and went to the kitchen where the chef had already made a nutritious meal for her.
"Why not call everyone here then give them this surprising news?" She asked him as he fed her with his hands.
"Ok."
He had no problem with whatever she wanted to do in this condition as long as it didn't affect her mood. And from the learning experience of his friend Mohsin, he knew not to anger or go against a pregnant wife.
• • •
"Here eat this too. It's good for you and baby," Mehrun's mother Sania told her, putting more meat in her plate.
Mehrun bit her lower lip with her head down, looking at the plate and thinking how the whole family would react to the news of more than one baby. Both Saim and her hadn't informed their family members about having twins before, and were planning to break this news during the second trimester which was now with their four grandchildren.
Just yesterday both their parents arrived in London with tons of gifts for them and today everyone was sitting together on the table having lunch. Mehrun had worn a loose black sweater which successfully hid her baby bump that looked like 6 months.
After the lunch Sania and Mirha both sat on each side of Mehrun in the lounge, sharing their experience with her. Across the room her eyes caught Saim's, who smiled at her before clearing his throat to gain everyone's attention.
"Mehrun and I have prepared something for you all," He told everyone before getting up to get four boxes he hid.
He handed them each a box then stood behind his Begum, putting his hands on her shoulders and watching everyone opening the box.
"What is it?" Mirha mumbled after unboxing the gift excitedly.
She took out a white shirt which had a small card attached on it, in it was written,
"Hello, dado jaan! :)"
Everyone also took out their shirt and unfolded it, staring in confusion at the chibi pictures of four babies on it. Sania's eyes grew wide in realization as she moved her eyes to her daughter while Mirha opened the card and looked at the ultrasound picture in disbelief.
"Baby A, Baby B, Baby C and Baby D...," Mirha whispered in disbelief then looked at her daughter in law beside her.
"I don't get it," Arash and Zain said at the same time and looked at the remaining four smiling members of their family, especially at their wife who had tears in their eyes.
"Oh my Allah! Mashaa Allah! Mashaa Allah!"
Both mothers gushed over Mehrun then moved their eyes to her stomach.
"Wait! ... It's four then you must have to be very careful with everything. What did the doctor say?" Saina asked her in concern.
"Baby D is at risk and very weak," She told them in a small voice that couldn't cover her sadness.
"You guys..," Zain squinted his eyes at the shirt then at the card and tried to interpret the words of his family's ladies while Mehrun explained what the doctor said.
"It's quadral," Saim confirmed his father in-law's guess with a smile.
"Don't worry about anything. We are here. And with God's willing, you all will be fine and healthier," Sania whisper to her daughter, with Mirha agreeing and patting Mehrun's hand with a smile.
• • •
Mehrun sighed for the uncountable time as she stared at her face in the mirror. She hated the side effects that came with her pregnancy and one of them was acne and pimples.
"What's wrong?" Saim asked her, coming from the washroom, and stood behind her.
"My face...," She whispered with the corners of her lips pulled down and gloominess in her eyes, "I've turned so ugly."
"Who said?" He asked her with his eyes narrow, thinking of who he had to straighten.
"No one."
"Then?"
"I just know," She answered him, dispiritedly.
"Then you should also know that you're beautiful in every shape," He told her softly.
But instead of warming her heart, it did the opposite to her. She glared at him in anger and got up with thumping her hands on the vanity table.
"Be careful, Begum. Your hands.. give them to me. How can you be so careless to hurt your hand?" He held her hands preciously and rubbed them gently.
"You will sweet talk because it's not you whose face has turned ugly with pimples and stomach like a balloon... Why are you still so handsome? You are also babies' father but I am the only one who's so ugly now," She cried, pulling her numb hands from his grasp and wobbling past him to the bedroom angrily.
Saim sighed helplessly then followed her to the bedroom, making sure she didn't bump into anything.
"Why not I draw fake pimples on my face?" Saim asked her, stopping in front of her as she sat on the bed with a huff, puffing her chubby cheeks.
"You are making fun of me! Get lost! I don't want to see your face," She accused him angrily with a glare then turned her face from his annoyingly handsome, flawless face.
"I will if you give me a smile," He tried to do what she accused him before, sweet talk.
She remained at her spot giving him the side view of her angry face. At the moment she was also angry at herself for getting angry at him without any proper cause.
"Ok.. I was thinking since our mothers have locked your library and confiscated your novels to not influence badly on our kids... I should give you a small relief by gifting you a new novel-"
Mehrun narrowed her eyes and turned to look at him, only to have her lips captured by him. She stared at his eyes with wide eyes that were so close to her as their lips were locked.
She felt her cheeks and body turned hot, along with her breath getting heavy and slow, and her heart fast.
With a last peck, he pulled away with a smug smile and patted her baby bump.
"The novel's in my study, on the table," He whispered, moving the strand of hair away from her dazed eyes.
He gave her another kiss, this time on the forehead and left her in the room to catch the breath. A bashful smile etched on her face after the heat lightened on her cheeks.
She rubbed her cheeks softly then went out to eat with her mother and phupho-slash-mother in law, on the dining table. She spent her morning with the ladies while Saim went to his company and their fathers were out for a walk to a nearby park.
After morning exercise according to the doctor's instructions and lunch, she excused herself for sleeping and went towards her room but halfway turned to Saim's study. She locked the door behind and sat comfortably on his comfy chair with her novel in hand.
"Finally," She mumbled happily with a grin and opened the first page of white novel cover.
For the sake of good education from the beginning, her fictional novels were taken away.
• • •
"Why are you crying? Did something bad happen? Are the babies making you uncomfortable again?" Saim asked her with nervousness and looked fearful as her tears fell and sobbed.
Their babies had become so naughty that they would behave mischievously at night and sometimes during day too, to make his Begum's life hell. He had countless nights of being awake to soothe her pain and scolding the unborn babies for letting his life suffer.
And the funniest thing was in their last ultrasound, they discovered not only their baby D was growing healthy but still weak compared to other siblings, it was also the most active sibling and always fighting with others, even in ultrasound too.
"He left!" She sobbed, hugging the white cover book to her chest and looking at him with tearful red eyes.
"Who?" He asked her with concern and worry, trying to wipe her unstoppable tears.
Hearing her cries, both Saina and Mirha rushed towards her with their hearts hanging halfway.
"What happened?" Mirha kneeled beside her and rubbed her back gently.
"He left Lahore because it broke his heart and said he'll never return," She cried, raising the novel to show them.
While she cried and sobbed loudly, everyone around was dumbed.
"This is why we stopped you from these activities," Sania scolded her in anger, taking the novel from her hands.
"And don't tell me it's you, Saim, who gave her this novel," Meanwhile Mirha scolded Saim.
"Now get up. Wash your face and go for a walk. You have 500 steps left for today," Sania told her, walking away from her to the kitchen with that novel in her hand.
Saim cleared his throat and took Mehrun out for a walk to complete the remaining steps.
"They took my novel," Mehrun complained to him while walking with a pout and holding her stomach, which was like a huge balloon according to her.
"Don't worry. Just few more days then they'll return your library and books back to you. I have arranged for wet nurses and two caretakers. I have screened their previous records and everything before hiring them. So just wait for some weeks then you'll have no worries or restrictions," Saim kissed her temple while walking beside her slowly, matching her pace.
Just as Saim said, she was rushed into the labor room a week after her last novel was taken.
"Was this how you felt when mom was giving birth to me?" Saim asked his father Arash, as his eyes remained at the labor room where his Begum was delivering their babies with his heart hanging in the air.
"Yes," Arash whispered, patting his shoulder and giving psychological support to him.
Since Mehrun had a c-section, it didn't take longer than 2 hours for the operation to be done and all four babies to come to see the real world.
"Congratulations. It's three sons and a little daughter."
A nurse came out and congratulated them before moving the babies and Mehrun to the room.
While everyone was gathering around the babies, Saim sat beside his sleeping Begum. He looked at her fondly with affection and couldn't take his eyes away from her.
His wife, his Begum, his life, his everything.
She might look so weak but for him, she was one of the bravest. She was so brave enough that she opted to have all four kids when one was at risk.
"Saim?" She whispered his name in her sleep.
"Thank you for choosing to bless me with our babies, Begum," He whispered, leaning near her ear and kissing her forehead.
[The End]
. . . . . . . . . .
Finally after more than two years, their journey comes to an end.
This wasn't possible without every single one of you here who's comments, votes, and presence which encouraged me to continue writing this book.
I remember I have said once, I'll give a chapter on Shaizum too. Maybe I'll post a chapter on him too.
Love you all for your support.