CHAPTER TWENTY
"Aaahhh! "Sharon screamed in pain beside Swayam in the car making him panic.
They were on their way towards the hospital and with every scream of Sharon, Swayam was losing control on himself. He drove as fast as one could maintaining the safety of a nine month pregnant lady.
"We are almost there Sharon!" He tried to reassure her as sweat dropped from his forehead.
"It's Crazy. I can't take it! Aaahhh!" Sharon cried as Swayam stopped the car outside the hospital doors.
"We are here. Don't worry. Just hang in there!" He took Sharon in his arms and moved inside.
"Swayammm!" Sharon cried as tears came out of her eyes and the doctors took her inside the operation theatre. He felt she wanted to say something but there was no time.
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"Swayam, how is she?" Gautam came running towards him after a few minutes and he looked at him to see a father's worried face.
"Well they took her inside. It's been ten minutes now." He replied looking at the door of operation theatre already.
"She was screaming in pain Dad! She will be fine right?" Swayam looked at him worried like hell.
His innocent concern even after whatever transpired between him and Sharon in the home a few minutes ago melted Gautam's heart. He without thinking anything else hugged him tightly patting his back.
"Don't worry! Your Sharon and your child both will be as fine as you would want to see them!"
Child. His child! He was so messed up in the happenings that his mind was only covered with Sharon, it was like it finally dawned on him that he didn't bring Sharon here just like that. She was inside delivering their baby. She was bringing his child to life. The feeling overwhelmed his heart as it started thudding with a noise which he thought could be heard by the entire hospital without the stethoscope.
He suddenly wished to see Sharon. He wanted to be beside her as her screams from the car filled his ears. His eyes welled up as he thought about the pain Sharon would have been going through. Gautam kept his hand on Swayam's shoulders and Swayam smiled lightly at him.
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It was around after two hours that the door of the operation theatre opened. Swayam was heaving in panic and fear and excitement. There were so many emotions rushing through himy that he thought he would choke up. He rushed towards the doctor as he came up to him.
"How's Sharon, doctor???"
"Well, Congratulations. You have a daughter now." The doctor smiled as Swayam's eyes poured tears not able to keep the emotions in check.
"Daughter? My daughter?" Swayam repeated the words smiling to let the feeling sink in as he realized he was a father now.
"And doctor Sharon???? She is fine right???" He asked suddenly as concern grabbed him again.
"Yes Swayam, Sharon is fine too. The nurses are just cleaning the baby. You can see both of them in a few minutes."Yeah?"The doctor informed and Swayam just nodded his head vigorously not able to keep his excitement hidden anymore.
With that the doctor went away and Swayam turned to face Gautam whose face was reflecting happiness and pride of being a grandfather. Swayam hugged him tightly and cried silently in joy. This feeling was beautiful. So beautiful. He had imagined this moment a lot of time in past months but this actually felt etheral. Like the world can stop here and he wouldn't care.
It was then when suddenly Sharon's words came back to him like a storm.
"...I am leaving you right here right now. I don't even want your shadow to be around me or my child and if you loved me truly even in one moment you will not come after us from now on."
Swayam loosened his grip around Gautam's arms and slowly came out of the hug. His face was suddenly devoid of emotions but his eyes held helplessness and pain.
"I shouldn't be here Dad. She didn't want me to be here." He said and Gautam looked at her confused.
"Swayam, what are you saying? She wants you, she needs you, your daughter wants you." Gautam said desperately.
"Didn't you hear her at home? She doesnt want me around her or our baby."
"Swayam, that was before she knew about Amaira." Gautam tried to make him understand as Swayam's eyes welled up.
"Excuse me, Mr.Swayam Shekhawat?" a voice called his name as he turned around to see the nurse looking for him.
"Yes, Yes I am Swayam. Whats wrong?" Swayam asked concerned.
"Nothing. Your wife is calling you inside." The nurse smiled.
Swayam looked at her in surprise and turned to smile at Gautam to see him already smiling at him.
"Let's go Dad. Let's see my princess." Swayam said wiping his tears when the nurse interrupted him.
"I am sorry but she just wants to see you right now. She has asked for this." The nurse told him a bit uncomfortably.
An unnamed pain covered Gautam's face as he nodded at Swayam reassuring him that he was fine and he should go ahead.
The face of fear had never unraveled himself in this way.
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Swayam entered the room to find Sharon lying on the hospital bed looking in his direction. She looked worn out and yet his face radiated a kind of glow he hadn't seen before ever. He was scared of Sharon's reaction but he couldn't stop himself from looking for his daughter. There was a cot beside her and he knew his princess was sleeping there most probably.
"Swayam!" Sharon's soft voice brought him out of his thoughts and he rushed towards her at once.
"Hey! How are you?" He sat on the tool in front of her and held her hand in his.
"I am fine." Sharon said smiling tightening her grip on his hand as he kissed the knuckles of her hand.
"Don't you wanna see your princess?" She asked with a hint of happiness in her voice.
Swayam nodded his head in positive impatiently and Sharon asked him to go with her eyes. Swayam ran over to the cot and saw the little life lying in it. For a moment he forgot to breathe looking at her. All he knew that he had really really waited to see this sight. He had gone through so much to keep this life safe from all the hazards but now when she was actually in front of him, he realized everything seemed trivial before this moment.
"What? Pick her up." Sharon said looking at Swayam's statue state.
"I am scared. She is so small. I may hurt her." Swayam said innocently.
A surprised pleasant feeling washed over her heart. He was so simple, so nave at heart.
"She is your daughter Swayam. You wouldn't let any harm touch her. Would you?"
"Never!" Swayam said immediately
"She will always be safest in your arms."
"You think so?"
"I know so." Sharon smiled at him as he smiled back and very slowly picked her up in his arms for the first time. His eyes were rolling tears in joy because he had never felt a feeling as happy as this one. As fulfilling as this. He was holding his princess in his arms, he was the father of this little delicate flower and absolutely nothing could take that feeling away from him. It wasn't even an hour that she had come to this world but she had given him the gift that is always going to remain unmatched.
"Thank You Sharon." It was all he could say to her. Nothing more came in his mind. He sat beside Sharon as they both looked at the creation of their love and he kissed their foreheads.
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It was after half an hour that he laid their daughter back in the cot where she slept soundly as an awkward silence prevailed because Swayam failed to make a judgement to talk about Gautam or not.
"You want to say something?"
"Actually Sharon, everyone is outside. I mean Dad, Rey."
"Call them when I am asleep. I don't want to think anything right now Swayam please."
"Okay. Okay. No worries. You rest alright? I am going to tell them to go home for now, yeah?"
"I am sorry." Sharon said as her eyes filled with tears.
"Sharon. . ."
"No, I behaved so rudely. Said so many things which were so wrong. Now that I think of it all these months I caused you so much hurt. You were never wrong and yet you took every assault of mine. . . I am so sorry Swayam. I am so sorry." Sharon cried and hugged him tightly.
"Sharon. . . It's okay. It's not your fault. I kept so many things from you. If things were difficult for me it was difficult for you too. I should have told you about Amaira long before but I just didn't know how to talk to you about this. Sharon forget whatever happened. Let's just think the coming days will be as good as we imagine them to be. With you me and our little princess, yeah?" Swayam said wiping her tears off her face and she nodded hiding herself in his chest.
"By the way I told you it will be a princess. So now your boxes of blue paint can wait for a few more years." Swayam said and Sharon chuckled as her cheeks grew red. It was after very long that Swayam had seen her like this and he thanked god for ending a part of his torture on a good note.
"We have a lot to talk right?" Sharon asked.
"We do. We all do. But right now you need to sleep."
"You want me to sleep so that you can take our baby and show her to Dad, right?"
"Will that be too bad?"
"Swayam. . ."
"Sharon, I don't know what he deserves from you but it's definitely not your hatred." Swayam said earnestly and Sharon watched him as a tear escaped her eye and she closed them to sleep.
It was finally time for the little angel to give an old man his share of happiness.
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