Chapter 52
PRASHANT
I was returning from duty when I saw thirteen missed calls flashing on my phone's screen, every single one from Avni.
My heart skipped a beat. I had left the phone back in the office while conducting training for the new soldiers, but thirteen calls?
That could only mean something serious. My throat went dry as I quickly redialed her number.
The call connected on the first ring.
I let out a shaky breath. She picked up. "Avni, you scared me half to death..."
"She woke up!" Avni's voice was bursting with excitement, trembling with happiness. "Prashant, Ira woke up!"
For a moment, the world stopped. My ears rang, my chest tightened, and my grip on the phone nearly slipped.
"Wha...what?" My voice cracked. "Damn!" I sprinted toward the jeep parked outside and jumped into it. "Is she...? Can she talk? Tell me she's speaking, Avni."
"Yes," she replied quickly, and I could hear the rush of emotions in her tone. "She's weak, but she's awake, Prashant. She's asking for Iraaj. Please hurry."
"How long has she been..."
"Just a couple of hours," another voice interrupted, it was Aryan's. He sounded choked, trying to hold himself together. "Prashant, we'll call you later. We're heading into her room."
The line disconnected. I stared at the screen, a smile tugging at my lips. My heart thundered in my chest, my palms slick with sweat. A storm of emotions surged inside me, excitement, fear, joy, love all tangled together. It was a feeling I had never truly known before, and it shook me to my core.
It didn't take long to reach home and scoop Iraaj into my arms. He beamed when he saw me, giggling softly, unaware that he was about to meet the woman who had carried him, who had prayed for this very moment even while unconscious.
"Bhabhi woke up?" Pari's eyes widened as she hurried after me. Priya joined her, equally stunned, her voice trembling with hope.
"Yes," I said, trying to steady my voice though my chest felt too tight.
We piled into the jeep, and the fifteen-minute drive to the hospital stretched into an eternity. Iraaj was unusually calm that day, snuggled against me, thumb tucked into his mouth. His little heartbeat thudded against my chest, almost in rhythm with my own racing pulse.
At the hospital, the sterile corridors were buzzing with whispers. I spotted Kavya, Avni, and Aryan standing outside Ira's room. Avni was the first to see me, and without wasting a second, she took my arm and guided me in.
My steps faltered the moment my eyes found her.
There she was lying on the hospital bed, fragile but alive. Alive. Her lips moved as she whispered to her mother, her voice faint yet determined. Tears brimmed in Mrs. Solanki's eyes, her shoulders trembling, but she instantly wiped her face when she noticed me approaching.
She had never been fond of me, never truly accepted me as Ira's choice.
But she adored her grandson. She often came to my quarters to care for him, guiding me through countless sleepless nights, teaching me the little things I hadn't known about raising a child.
Despite her silence, I had come to respect her deeply.
She was a mother whose love for her daughter was unwavering.
My own mother, in contrast, had distanced herself once she realized I was finding my way back to Ira. She had met Iraaj a handful of times, but that was it. She couldn't bring herself to stand by me when I chose Ira again.
"Iraaj," Mrs. Solanki's voice softened as she reached for him in my arms.
At the sound of his name, Ira stirred, her frail hand lifting toward us. Her lips parted. "Iraaj..."
Her voice was so weak, but to me it was the most beautiful sound in the world.
She said it again, with a trembling urgency. "Iraaj..."
Mrs. Solanki gently transferred the boy into her arms. Iraaj squirmed, his lower lip jutting out as though he might cry, but Ira pressed a tender kiss to his cheek.
"Oh, my God," she whispered, her voice cracking with awe. "Look how big he's grown, Mom."
My chest tightened as I watched her cradle him like she had never let him go, as if she could make up for every missed day in an instant.
I stood rooted to the spot, waiting, hoping that she would look at me, acknowledge me, say my name. My body screamed to rush forward, to hold her, to bury my face in her hair and confess how much I had missed her every single day. But I stayed still, frozen, afraid of breaking the fragile moment.
"Can I... have a few moments with Ira?" I asked softly, turning to her mother.
Mrs. Solanki hesitated, glancing at her daughter for approval.
"You can talk in front of her, Prashant."
My breath caught when Ira finally looked at me. Her lips curved into the faintest smile, a smile that could have lit up the entire ward. "Thank you... for taking care of my son."
My son? Her words struck deep inside me.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, forcing my own smile even though my throat was tight.
"I'm weak," she admitted, never taking her gaze off Iraaj.
"But I believe I'll heal now. Just seeing his face.
.. it's enough." She stroked his tiny fingers, her eyes shimmering with tears.
"He has your eyes, Prashant. And..." her voice softened as Iraaj laughed when she nuzzled her nose against his cheek, ". ..he has dimples, too."
The sight before me was breathtaking. Mother and child, connected again, glowing with a love so pure it made my heart ache.
"I'm glad he resembles you," she whispered after a pause, finally flicking her gaze toward me. Her eyes held a softness I hadn't seen in so long. "I always wanted my children to be like you."
Her words gutted me.
How could I have doubted her? How could I have ever let her slip away, when all this time, she had been the one holding our world together with nothing but her love and determination?
I swallowed hard, blinking back the sting in my eyes. All I wanted, in that moment, was to fall on my knees before her, to apologize for every mistake, and to promise her that I would never leave her side again.
Ira cradled Iraaj against her chest as though she was afraid he might disappear if she let go. Her lips brushed his hair again and again, her eyes glistening with awe.
"I can't believe how much he's grown," she whispered, voice fragile but filled with wonder. "Mom, look at him... his cheeks, his little hands. I missed so much."
I stood by the bed, watching silently, my throat tightening. I had imagined this moment countless times, but nothing prepared me for the way she looked at our son as if every ache in her body was soothed just by holding him.
"He has your eyes, Ira," I finally said softly. "The same spark. And when he laughs..." I couldn't stop the smile tugging at my lips, "...he has your whole face."
Her gaze flickered to mine, and for the first time, she smiled at me properly. It was small, faint, but it reached her eyes. "No... he has your eyes. And those dimples... exactly like you." She tickled his chin gently, and Iraaj let out a bubbly giggle, burying his face into her shoulder.
The sound lit up her face. She kissed his temple, whispering as though speaking to herself, "I prayed he would carry a part of you. That way, even if I wasn't here, I'd still see you in him every day."
My chest clenched. She didn't know how many nights I had thought the same. "He does more than resemble us, Ira. He's... he's a piece of both of us. Sometimes he frowns like me, but the way he holds on to people, the way he refuses to let go that's all you."
Her eyes grew glassy, and she pressed her cheek to their son's soft hair. "Does he... does he know me?" Her voice trembled. "Have you shown him my pictures? Told him about me?"
I drew in a deep breath. "Every day. I showed him your photographs, your letters. I told him everything about you. I didn't let him forget, Ira. Not for a moment."
Her fingers stilled as she stroked Iraaj's back, and her tears slipped silently down her face. "Thank you," she whispered, kissing the boy's head. "Thank you for keeping me alive for him."
Iraaj lifted his tiny hand and patted her chin, as though sensing her sadness.
She laughed softly through her tears, hugging him tighter.
"He's so warm," she murmured, almost in disbelief.
"So real. I dreamt of this moment, Prashant.
.. of just holding him, hearing his laughter. I thought I'd never get it."
I moved closer, my voice hushed. "Now you have it. And he has you."
Her smile quivered, fragile but radiant. She looked at Iraaj again, her whole being pouring into the way she held him. "He's everything, isn't he?"
I nodded, my throat too tight to speak. "Everything."
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