Chapter 31 #2
"Mumma... Where ale we going?", Siya asked curiously after seeing Akansha pack some basic necessities along with a few clothes.
"Somewhere we were supposed to go in the evening", Akansha answered vaguely because she knew her daughter would immediately start throwing tantrums if she mentioned vaccination.
"Whele(where), Mumma?", Siya asked impatiently again.
Akansha obviously couldn't tell her they were going to her father's house.
"Siya bear... Help Mama bear na, please", Akansha requested softly.
That was the only effective way to distract her from asking further questions.
Immediately, Siya started helping her mother with her tiny little hands, handing over clothes and other things while Akansha packed them.
Soon, both mother and daughter got into the car Suraj had parked inside a secluded alley.
The moment Siya saw Suraj and the driver, she immediately understood where they were heading.
"Mumma... Are we going to Dadda?", Siya asked angrily.
Hearing the little girl call Shaurya "Dadda", Suraj instinctively turned back to look at her.
Only then did he realize that Siya already knew about her father.
A smile instantly threatened to appear on his face hearing how adorably the little girl addressed his boss as "Dadda".
"Yes...", Akansha replied calmly with a nod.
"Mumma, no... I am angly(angry) with him...", Siya complained stubbornly while folding her tiny arms exactly like her mother did whenever she was upset.
"Siya... Papa has been calling you continuously for the last four days. You didn't talk to him even once. Papa wants to say sorry, baby... You should at least listen to him once", Akansha tried reasoning patiently.
"No... Dadda bad", Siya declared adamantly.
"So stubborn... exactly like your Dadda", Akansha muttered under her breath.
Then after a moment, she tried again.
"Acha okay... We'll go there, finish the work, and then we'll come back if you don't want to stay there. You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to... But be a good girl, okay? Don't misbehave with Papa in front of his staff. My baby is a good girl, right?", Akansha asked gently.
Siya slowly nodded. Truthfully, Siya was excited to meet Shaurya. But at the same time, she was still angry with him.
For the last few days, she had continuously heard him talk to her through Akansha's phone, which Akansha deliberately kept on speaker mode even though Siya refused to respond.
Sometimes, Siya's stubbornness genuinely shocked Akansha. And during those moments, she could clearly see Shaurya's genes dominating hers completely. Soon, they reached Shaurya's residence. Akansha walked inside while carrying Siya in her arms.
Inside, she noticed a woman around her age, maybe a few years older, along with two attendants standing beside her while discussing something with Shaurya.
They were probably explaining the procedure, necessity, and possible side effects of the vaccine.
The moment Shaurya saw Akansha and Siya, he immediately walked toward them.
Without hesitation, he carefully took Siya into his arms before walking back toward the doctor and her attendants while Akansha followed behind them.
For the first time ever, Siya remained completely silent in Shaurya's arms.
Usually, the moment she saw him, she would jump on him excitedly and shower him with kisses. But today, she quietly stayed in his arms without saying a word. Still, Shaurya only smiled softly at his daughter's stubbornness before kissing her hair lovingly.
"This is Dr. Rathi, one of the best pediatricians in the country", Shaurya introduced politely.
Then he looked proudly at the little girl in his arms.
"Rathi... this is Akansha and this... is my little unicorn, my daughter Siyakriti."
The moment Shaurya introduced her proudly, Siya instantly grinned widely. Her expression perfectly mirrored his own.
Seeing the identical stupidly adorable grins on both father and daughter's faces, Akansha badly wanted to click a picture of them. They genuinely looked like the cutest father-daughter duo in the world, grinning as if they conquered the world.
Shaurya had already informed Dr. Rathi that Akansha was his wife because he couldn't introduce her as his wife in front of Akansha. She would have his head otherwise.
At the same time, he could never allow anyone to misunderstand the purity of his relationship with his wife. She deserved complete respect and dignity.
Earlier, he couldn't openly give her that because he was terrified for her safety.
Back then, the monsters threatening her life were far more dangerous than anything else.
But now things were different.
Now he had enough power to protect her. He no longer had to fear someone harming her if he introduced her as his wife openly.
'Don't think about it, Shaurya... not right now', he mentally warned himself immediately.
Because every time he remembered those incidents, a darker side of him surfaced... a side he never wanted his wife and daughter to witness.
The women greeted each other with polite smiles.
Before proceeding further, Dr. Rathi asked a few basic questions about Siya to understand her medical history better while carefully going through all her reports.
"Everything looks fine... Just one thing, I would also suggest another vaccine for Siya... Varicella", Dr. Rathi said professionally.
The moment Siya heard the word "vaccine", she immediately clutched Shaurya's arms tightly and buried herself deeper into his neck. Shaurya instantly ruffled her hair softly while protectively hiding her inside his embrace, his arms shielding her completely and making the little girl feel safer.
"Oh yeah... I got her first dose already, but I skipped the booster shot", Akansha replied thoughtfully.
"I would advise you to complete that as well", Rathi suggested politely.
Akansha nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Shaurya looked completely confused while staring at both women. Now what exactly was Varicella?
How many vaccines did his little girl need to take? Why was nobody thinking about her pain? Couldn't there be a single injection for all vaccines combined together? Why did his little daughter have to suffer through injections repeatedly?
"What? Didn't your research tell you what Varicella is?", Dr. Rathi teased lightly.
"Not funny, Rathi", Shaurya glared at her immediately.
"It's the vaccine for chickenpox, Shaurya. I thought all the reading and research you did this morning about vaccines would've given you at least some useful information", Rathi teased him again.
"Now whose fault is that? You didn't recommend good books or websites", Shaurya blamed her shamelessly.
Rathi simply shook her head at him with an amused smirk.
"Yeah, clearly it's my fault", she accepted dramatically.
Akansha looked genuinely surprised hearing that Shaurya had been researching vaccines since morning. How much cuter could this man possibly become? The man standing before her right now reminded her painfully of the Shaurya she once loved.
The man she had imagined as a father someday.
But no...
Reality was far more complicated than that. And Akansha refused to let herself forget it. She wasn't lowering her guards around this man again.
Not ever.
"Okay, let's get started", Dr. Rathi announced while signaling her assistants.
Immediately, Siya tightened her hold around Shaurya.
"No... Dadda... Pwease no vachine(please no vaccine)", Siya pleaded tearfully.
"Siya... It's for your own good, baby. We need to scare away the monsters, right?", Shaurya tried consoling softly while settling down on the sofa with Siya sitting in his lap.
"No... No... No", Siya cried fearfully.
And instantly, Shaurya's heart filled with unbearable anguish.
"O-Okay... Some other day then. Rathi... we'll do it some other day", Shaurya suddenly said, shocking both Akansha and Dr. Rathi.
This wasn't the Shaurya they knew. Normally, he valued everyone's effort and time immensely. And here, Dr. Rathi had cancelled multiple appointments just to come there personally for Siya.
"Shaurya... Stop it. You've become a child along with your daughter instead of making her understand", Akansha reprimanded him firmly.
"Mama bear... Bad...", Siya complained immediately.
But Akansha wasn't entertaining any of it.
"Please continue with your work", Akansha politely instructed the assistants.
They slowly moved toward Shaurya, who honestly looked even more scared and anxious than his daughter. Though somehow, he still tried hiding it.
"Dadda... Dadda no... No...", Siya cried fearfully after seeing the injection.
"Okay", Shaurya said instantly while glaring sharply at the assistant about to vaccinate Siya.
The poor assistant immediately got intimidated by his expression and stepped back nervously. Akansha stared at Shaurya with her mouth slightly open.
Was he seriously doing this right now?
"Shaurya, let him do his job", Akansha warned firmly.
"No... My baby is scared. Can't you see that? She won't get the injection if she doesn't want it", Shaurya declared stubbornly while hugging Siya protectively.
For the first time in his life, even he had become scared looking at a needle. The mere thought of it piercing his daughter's baby skin terrified him.
"Dadda... Dadda...", Siya mumbled emotionally before kissing his cheek repeatedly.
Wrapped in her father's arms, she genuinely felt safe. His warmth comforted her instantly. Akansha completely understood his emotions and fear. But she couldn't let both father and daughter behave like this.
Dr. Rathi and her entire team had come there specially for Siya. She couldn't let their time go to waste. More importantly, Siya genuinely needed this vaccination today because it was already delayed.
"Shaurya...", Akansha called softly.
"No... No vaccine for my baby", he repeated stubbornly.
"Shaurya Singh Shekhawat", Akansha called sternly while folding her arms.
One sharp glare from his wife was enough to change Shaurya's entire stance immediately.