Chapter 28 Baby
Three weeks later
life felt almost dangerously peaceful.
Too peaceful for people like Ekansh Rathore and Aarohi Mehra.
The kind of peace that made Ekansh wake in the middle of the night sometimes just to make sure she was still beside him.
Still breathing.
Still real.
But every time
Aarohi would sleep curled against his chest, one hand unconsciously clutching his shirt like even in sleep she searched for him.
And every single time, the fear inside him quieted again.
That particular morning began differently.
Very differently.
Ekansh woke abruptly to violent retching sounds from the washroom.
Instant panic.
"Aarohi?!"
He was out of bed in seconds.
The sight instantly terrified him.
Aarohi knelt near the sink throwing up badly, her body trembling weakly while strands of hair stuck against her face.
Ekansh's chest tightened violently.
He immediately sat beside her, holding her hair back gently while rubbing circles against her back.
"Baby-"
Another wave hit her.
"Aarohi, look at me."
She shook her head weakly.
"Feel horrible."
Fear surged instantly inside him.
Fever?
Infection?
Complication?
His trauma-filled mind jumped to worst-case scenarios immediately.
"Hospital."
Aarohi groaned tiredly.
"Ekansh..."
"We're going now."
"No," she whispered weakly after rinsing her mouth finally. "Maybe stomach upset."
"You vomited like your body was rejecting existence."
Despite feeling miserable, a tiny laugh escaped her.
God.
Even sick she affected him unbearably.
Ekansh carefully lifted her into his arms immediately.
"I'm calling Rishabh."
"No."
"You're pale."
"I just need rest."
He carried her back toward bed while still looking deeply panicked.
Aarohi gently touched his face.
"Breathe."
The irony of her calming him while nauseous wasn't lost on either of them.
Eventually after freshening up and resting for a while, Aarohi sat wrapped in his hoodie while Ekansh stared at her like a medically unstable science experiment.
"You're still watching me."
"You almost died once. I learned nothing from that apparently."
Aarohi smiled softly.
Then suddenly remembered
"Oh no."
"What?"
"We promised Maa breakfast today."
Ekansh instantly looked offended at the idea of movement.
"We can cancel."
"She'll worry."
"You literally vomited your soul out."
"I'm okay now."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
Aarohi narrowed her eyes.
"Ekansh."
Silence.
Then finally-
"...Fine."
But only after checking her temperature twice and forcing juice into her hands.
The drive to the Mehra house became chaos anyway.
Because despite feeling weak earlier, Aarohi slowly returned to normal energy.
Which meant teasing her husband relentlessly.
Ekansh drove with one hand while Aarohi leaned against the seat beside him smiling lazily.
"You know," she murmured, "you looked like you were about to declare national emergency today."
"You scared me."
"You looked ready to fight the sink."
"It hurt you."
Aarohi laughed softly.
"Psychotic devotion."
"Married devotion."
"Same thing."
At a red light, Ekansh suddenly leaned closer and kissed her forehead.
Then her cheek.
Then near her lips.
Aarohi blinked.
"We're literally in traffic."
"I'm affectionate."
"You're a psycho."
"Still married to me."
Fair point.
By the time they reached the Mehra house, Aarohi looked much better.
At least externally.
Inside, the family atmosphere immediately turned lively.
Savita hugged Aarohi warmly.
"My child looks thinner."
"Maa, it's been three days."
"Still thinner."
Meanwhile Rajeev and Rishabh greeted Ekansh warmly now too.
Something unimaginable months ago.
Breakfast preparations filled the dining area quickly.
Aarohi insisted on helping despite Ekansh following her around like security personnel.
"You're hovering."
"You fainted in the morning."
"I vomited."
"Violently."
Aarohi rolled her eyes while placing plates on the table.
Then suddenly
the room tilted.
Her fingers loosened around the bowl instantly.
Everything blurred.
"Aarohi?"
Ekansh noticed first.
Always first.
Before she could even collapse fully, his arms caught her instantly.
The bowl crashed loudly against the floor.
"AAROHI!"
Panic exploded across the room.
Ekansh held her against his chest desperately while tapping her cheek gently.
"Baby, open your eyes."
No response.
His fear became visible immediately.
"Aarohi."
Rishabh stepped forward quickly into doctor mode.
"Take her upstairs. Now."
Ekansh didn't even wait for further instructions.
He carried her upstairs instantly while his heartbeat thundered violently.
Not again.
Please not again.
Inside her old bedroom, Ekansh refused to let go of her hand while Rishabh called a doctor urgently.
Within thirty minutes, a senior female doctor arrived.
After checking Aarohi briefly, she looked toward everyone calmly.
"I need some privacy."
Ekansh immediately shook his head.
"No."
The doctor blinked.
"I need to examine her."
"I'll stay."
"I'm not leaving her."
Rishabh pinched his forehead tiredly.
"Brother-in-law, unless you became a doctor overnight, OUT."
Reluctantly
very reluctantly
Ekansh finally stepped outside.
Then immediately began pacing like a caged predator.
The doctor hadn't even exited yet before he bombarded her with questions mentally.
Vivaan arrived midway and instantly understood disaster energy.
"What happened?"
"She fainted."
"Oh."
"Morning vomiting too."
Vivaan paused.
Then slowly blinked.
Inside the room, the examination continued calmly.
Outside, Ekansh looked seconds away from breaking the door personally.
The moment the doctor finally opened the bedroom door
Ekansh reached her immediately.
"What happened? Is she okay? Why did she faint? Does she need admission? Is she bleeding internally? Why did she vomit? Why is she pale? Why isn't anyone explaining anything properly?"
The doctor stared at him for one long second.
Then finally smiled slightly.
"Mr. Rathore."
Silence.
"Your wife is pregnant."
Everything stopped.
Completely.
Ekansh blinked once.
Then again.
"...What?"
The doctor smiled properly now.
"Congratulations."
The world physically blurred around him.
Pregnant.
Aarohi.
Their baby.
His child.
For one terrifying second, emotion hit him so hard he genuinely forgot how to breathe.
Vivaan gasped dramatically nearby.
"I KNEW IT."
Nobody cared.
Because Ekansh looked completely shattered emotionally in the best way possible.
"You mean..." his voice suddenly became quieter, "she's carrying my baby?"
The doctor looked amused.
"Yes. Usually how pregnancy works."
But Ekansh was already gone mentally.
A strange broken laugh escaped him.
Then suddenly he rushed inside the room immediately.
Aarohi sat against the pillows looking slightly nervous.
The moment she saw his face
she burst out laughing softly.
Because he looked utterly stunned.
Like someone handed him the universe personally.
Ekansh reached her in seconds.
Then immediately pulled her into his arms carefully.
"You're okay?"
Aarohi blinked.
"That's your first reaction?"
"You fainted!"
Then slowly reality hit him again.
Pregnant.
Baby.
His wife carrying their child.
Emotion flooded his face so openly Aarohi's own eyes softened instantly.
Ekansh cupped her face gently.
"You're pregnant."
A laugh escaped her.
"Yes."
"We're having a baby."
"Yes."
"I'll be mother."
"You'll be father."
Silence.
Aarohi laughed instantly.
"Oh God."
"I've gone mad."
Aarohi laughed harder kissed his forehead and muttered, "You're realizing this NOW?"
He shook his head quickly.
"No, I... I..am...going to be a father."
The vulnerability in his voice hit deeply.
Because Ekansh never truly had one himself.
Aarohi gently touched his cheek.
"And you'll be amazing."
His eyes instantly became emotional again.
Then softly
"I'll love our baby the way nobody loved me."
And that sentence nearly made her cry.
The first three months were absolute chaos.
Pure emotional disaster.
Because Aarohi's mood swings arrived like natural calamities.
And Ekansh handled every single one like sacred duty.
One night at 2 AM
"Aarohi?"
Silence.
"Aarohi, why are you crying?"
"I don't know."
Immediate panic.
"Should I call doctor?"
"No!"
"Are you hurting?"
"No!"
"Then why are you crying?!"
Aarohi looked genuinely heartbroken.
"I wanted mango ice cream."
"...Okay."
"In winter."
Silence.
Then Ekansh stood instantly.
"Done."
Vivaan received seventeen threatening calls that night because every ice cream shop in Jaipur was apparently closed.
At 3 AM, Ekansh finally returned triumphantly carrying mango ice cream like he had conquered nations.
Aarohi took one bite.
Then suddenly frowned.
"I don't want it anymore."
Vivaan almost collapsed spiritually.
Meanwhile Ekansh calmly fed her water instead.
"No problem."
Because somehow
nothing she did ever irritated him anymore.
Another morning Aarohi suddenly burst into tears because her toast "looked lonely."
Ekansh immediately made another toast.
Problem solved.
Then came food cravings.
Terrifying food cravings.
One evening Aarohi calmly announced-
"I want pani puri."
"Okay."
"With chocolate milkshake."
Ekansh froze.
"Together?"
"Yes."
"...That sounds criminal."
"Baby wants it."
That sentence defeated him instantly every single time.
Second Trimester
By the fourth month, Aarohi's small baby bump became visible.
And Ekansh lost whatever sanity remained.
He touched her stomach constantly.
Like he still couldn't believe their baby existed.
One night Aarohi woke up feeling movement for the first time.
"Ekansh."
Instant alertness.
"What happened?"
She grabbed his hand quickly and placed it against her stomach.
Silence.
Then
tiny movement.
Ekansh froze completely.
Again.
His child.
His baby.
Moving beneath Aarohi's skin.
Emotion overwhelmed him so suddenly he actually looked away briefly.
Aarohi immediately noticed.
"Hey."
His voice came out rougher.
"Our baby kicked."
Tears filled his eyes silently.
And Aarohi's heart shattered softly.
Because this man who survived torture, violence, bloodshed
looked completely undone by something so small and beautiful.
That night he kissed her stomach gently for the first time.
And whispered softly
"I'll protect you both forever."
Ekansh became even calmer during this phase.
Not because anger disappeared.
But because now every decision passed through one thought first:
Would this affect Aarohi or the baby?
If yes
nothing else mattered.
His men noticed too.
The mafia lord stopped unnecessary violence completely.
Started delegating dangerous tasks.
Came home earlier.
Smiled more.
Laughed occasionally.
Vivaan nearly fainted the first time he heard Ekansh baby-talking to Aarohi's stomach.
"Boss," he whispered emotionally from the doorway, "you used to terrify governments."
"Leave."
"You're discussing dinosaurs with an unborn child."
"Leave faster."
Third Trimester
The final three months transformed Ekansh into full-time devoted husband mode.
Aarohi could barely walk without him hovering nearby.
"Slowly."
"I AM walking slowly."
"You almost tripped."
He massaged her swollen feet every night without complaint.
Fed her fruits while attending business calls.
Learned breathing exercises from maternity books aggressively.
One evening Aarohi caught him reading How To Hold A Newborn Safely with terrifying concentration.
"You're studying parenting."
"I need preparation."
"You run criminal empires."
"Babies are scarier."
Fair.
Actually fair.
At night, they often lay together quietly while Ekansh rested beside her stomach listening to baby kicks.
And every single time
peace settled over him completely.
One particular night, rain tapped softly against the windows while Aarohi lay half-asleep against pillows.
Ekansh carefully kissed her stomach again.
Then her forehead.
Then whispered softly against her skin
"Thank you."
Aarohi looked down sleepily.
"For what?"
His gaze softened impossibly.
"For giving me a family."
Silence filled the room warmly afterward.
Then Aarohi gently pulled him closer beside her.
"You gave me one too."
And as she rested safely in his arms while their unborn child moved quietly between them
Ekansh realized something life-changing.
For years he believed he was too damaged to deserve love.
Too violent.
Too broken.
Too dangerous.
But somehow
love found him anyway.
In the form of a woman who calmed monsters.
And a tiny heartbeat growing between them.