61. CHECK UP
AAROHI:
I wake up before the alarm today, not because I feel energetic, but because nervousness has already settled heavily inside my chest. Today is hospital day.
The first proper checkup. The first sonography.
The first time I might actually see something real instead of simply believing it exists.
For a few quiet seconds, I lie still on the bed staring at the ceiling while thoughts continue rushing endlessly through my mind.
What if something is wrong? What if everything is perfectly fine? What if I hear a heartbeat today?
Slowly, my hand moves toward my stomach again.
It still feels exactly the same as before.
Flat. Normal. But my mind knows things are no longer the same.
Beside me, Veer shifts slightly before opening his eyes lazily.
The moment he notices me awake already, his expression softens immediately.
"You are awake?" he asks quietly. "Yes." He studies my face for a second.
"Nervous?" I nod faintly. "A little." Instantly, he sits up properly beside me. "Do not be."
It sounds so simple when he says it, as if fear can disappear like flipping a switch.
Still, somehow, his calmness helps me breathe easier.
Downstairs, Maa is already waiting with a small plate of soaked almonds and a glass of milk prepared carefully.
The moment she sees me, she pushes the tray toward me firmly.
"Do not go on an empty stomach." I wrinkle my nose slightly.
"I am not hungry." Before Maa can respond, Veer calmly speaks instead. "The doctor will scold you again."
I glare at him immediately while he completely ignores me and hands me the glass himself.
Slowly, I drink the milk while Maa watches me with that strange mixture of excitement and worry mothers seem to carry naturally.
Suddenly, she says, "I will come with you both.
" Before I can answer, Veer responds calmly.
"I am going with her, Maa. You do not need to come.
" Maa looks at him for a second before turning toward me again. "Call me and tell me everything."
I nod softly. Somehow, that small sentence makes everything feel much more serious.
Hospitals always smell the same. Antiseptic.
Cold air. White walls everywhere. The moment we enter the maternity wing, my heartbeat increases automatically.
At the reception desk, a nurse smiles politely toward me.
"Mrs. Sarkar?" "Yes." She nods professionally.
"Ma'am is on a quick visit right now. Just five minutes.
" Veer and I sit outside the doctor's cabin while I nervously continue twisting the edge of my dupatta.
Of course, Veer notices immediately. Quietly, he places his hand over mine.
"Relax." I instantly stop moving my fingers.
"I am relaxed." He glances down at my hands.
"You are twisting the fabric." Embarrassed, I stop immediately while he almost smiles beside me.
A few minutes later, the nurse opens the cabin door and calls us inside.
The doctor looks up warmly the moment she sees me.
"Good morning, Aarohi." "Good morning." She studies me carefully. "How are you feeling?"
I hesitate slightly because I do not know how much I should tell her.
The nausea. The dizziness. The emotional waves that appear without warning.
Finally, I answer softly, "Alright." She gives me a knowing look instantly.
"You are feeling everything all at once, right?
" I blink in surprise before nodding slowly.
A soft chuckle leaves her. "That is completely normal.
" That one word feels strangely comforting.
Normal. She flips through my reports carefully while speaking calmly.
"Your blood levels look good. No immediate concerns. "
Quiet relief leaves my chest immediately.
Then she looks up at me again gently. "So.
This is the time for sonography." My heartbeat skips instantly.
Sonography. Real confirmation. Real proof.
She turns toward Veer afterward. "Mr. Sarkar, you can wait here while she comes with me for the checkups.
" Automatically, I look toward him for reassurance.
He meets my eyes calmly and nods slightly.
"It is okay." Slowly, I stand up and follow the nurse out of the cabin.
Suddenly, I feel strangely fragile while walking toward the next room.
The sonography room is dimmer and cooler than the rest of the hospital.
Machines stand beside a narrow bed while a monitor faces slightly away from me.
Nervously, I swallow. "Lie down," the nurse says gently.
Carefully, I settle onto the bed while she lifts my kurti slightly before applying cold gel across my stomach.
Instantly, I flinch. "Cold?" she asks softly. "Yes." She smiles faintly in amusement.
A moment later, the doctor enters the room.
"Ready?" she asks gently. I nod slowly while she places the probe against my stomach.
For the first few seconds, there is only static-like sound filling the room.
Then she adjusts the probe slightly and the screen flickers.
I try looking toward it, but I cannot understand anything.
Only grey and black shadows moving across the monitor.
My heartbeat pounds loudly inside my ears while I stare helplessly at the screen.
Then suddenly, a faint rhythmic sound fills the room.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. I freeze completely.
My lips part slightly while my eyes widen.
"What is that?" I whisper softly. The doctor smiles warmly without looking away from the monitor.
"That is the heartbeat." Everything inside me stops at once.
Heartbeat. It is real. Not just reports.
Not just symptoms. Not imagination. A sound.
Tiny. Fast. Alive. Instantly, tears blur my vision while emotion crashes into me unexpectedly.
"Is it normal?" I ask quietly, almost afraid of the answer.
The doctor nods gently. "Very healthy for this stage.
" Tears slide silently toward my ears while I continue staring upward at the ceiling.
I never expected hearing one tiny sound could feel this overwhelming.
But that little rhythm feels sacred somehow.
Carefully, the doctor turns the monitor slightly toward me.
"See this tiny flicker?" I squint toward the screen carefully.
"Yes." She smiles softly. "That is your baby. "
My baby. I stare at the screen like it might disappear if I blink even once.
It is so unbelievably small. Barely even a shape.
And yet somehow, it feels bigger than everything else in the world.
Quietly, the doctor takes measurements before printing a few blurry images from the machine.
Finally, she nods with satisfaction. "Everything looks good.
" Relief crashes over me so suddenly that I almost feel weak from it.
Afterward, she takes another small blood sample routinely.
I barely even feel the needle because my mind remains stuck on that tiny sound echoing endlessly inside me.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Slowly, the nurse cleans away the gel before helping me sit up carefully.
"Lie down for another half hour," the doctor says gently.
"Just rest." Then she adds, "I will talk to your husband meanwhile.
" I nod quietly while she leaves the room.
The nurse remains beside me with a file in her hand, asking questions softly while writing notes.
"Any vomiting?" "Sometimes." "Headaches?
" "Occasionally." "Sleeping pattern?" I sigh lightly.
"Too much." She smiles while continuing to write.
"Cravings?" I hesitate awkwardly before answering quietly.
"Pickles. Ice cream." A soft laugh escapes her.
"Classic." She writes everything down carefully before checking my blood pressure one final time.
"Everything looks good." Quietly, I lie back against the bed again and stare at the ceiling above me.
The room feels silent now, but inside me everything feels louder than before.
Because now I have heard it. A heartbeat that does not belong to me.
A tiny life depending entirely on me already.
Slowly, I close my eyes while trying desperately to memorize that sound and hold onto the feeling inside my chest. For the first time since all this started, nothing feels abstract anymore.
It feels real now. Tiny. Fragile. And unbelievably precious.
Somewhere outside this room, Veer is waiting anxiously.
Probably pretending he is not anxious at all.
A faint smile appears on my lips at the thought.
I cannot wait to tell him. He already acts overprotective now.
Wait until he hears that heartbeat himself.
His world is about to shift again, just like mine shifted completely on this dim hospital bed, with cold gel on my stomach and a tiny rhythm echoing softly through the dark room.