36. Its Time #2
Rakshit nodded.
"Good. Take care of her. And whatever happens tomorrow, Satyam will keep you updated. You don't need to come to the hospital. Stay with Ishani. She's already emotionally overwhelmed."
Rahul smiled.
"Okay, sir."
After ending the call, Rakshit stood alone in the balcony for a long moment.
His eyes unknowingly shifted towards the small temple visible inside the house.
Joining his hands, he closed his eyes.
"Shivika's Krishna Ji... please... keep my wife... and our baby safe."
It wasn't a demand.
It was a husband's silent prayer.
Taking a deep breath, Rakshit wiped the moisture from his eyes and quietly walked back to the bedroom.
Shivika finally woke up around 8 p.m.
The moment she opened her eyes, Rakshit was beside her.
He helped her freshen up before bringing her dinner.
Just like every day, he patiently fed her one bite at a time, making sure she ate properly despite her reduced appetite.
After dinner, he slowly helped her walk around the room for a while.
Neither of them spoke.
Shivika wasn't in the mood for a conversation.
She simply wanted Rakshit to walk silently beside her, his presence enough to make her feel safe.
And Rakshit had no intention of arguing over such a small wish.
If silent companionship was what she needed, then silent companionship was exactly what he would give her.
After a few minutes, they returned to the bedroom.
Shivika settled comfortably against the headboard and picked up a novel from the bedside table.
She wasn't reading because she was interested in the story.
She was reading to distract herself from the dull ache that had settled in her lower abdomen since evening.
Rakshit lay down on the bed beside her, resting his head on one hand, his elbow supporting him against the mattress.
He wasn't doing anything.
He was simply looking at her.
Feeling his constant gaze, Shivika smiled without lifting her eyes from the book.
"Aksh..." she called.
"Hmm?"
"Do something and stop staring at me."
Rakshit smiled.
"I'm not staring, Ika."
She finally looked at him.
"Oh?"
"Creeps stare. I admire."
A small laugh escaped Shivika's lips as she closed the book and placed it beside her.
"What do you want?" she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
"I want you to lie down."
She frowned.
"Why?"
"Because you're in pain. You should rest. You can finish the book later."
Shivika shook her head.
"Aksh... it isn't hurting that much. And I'm not sleepy anymore. I've already slept the entire evening."
She gently brushed his hair away from his forehead.
"You, on the other hand, have been working the whole day without even taking a nap. You should sleep."
Saying that, she adjusted herself a little.
Without another word, Rakshit rested his head in her lap.
His eyes immediately searched her face.
"You're comfortable, right?"
His only worry was whether she was feeling any discomfort because of his weight.
Shivika smiled softly and nodded.
"Hmm."
She slowly ran her fingers through his hair.
The gentle movement relaxed him instantly.
After a few quiet moments, Rakshit turned his face slightly towards her baby bump.
A smile spread across his lips.
He carefully placed his palm over it and lovingly caressed it.
"Hello, baby," he whispered.
"By this time tomorrow...you'll probably be in our arms."
He chuckled softly.
"Are you excited?"
As if answering him, the baby gave a tiny kick.
Both of them felt it.
Shivika couldn't help but laugh.
Rakshit's eyes lit up like a little child.
"We're waiting to meet you too, baby," Rakshit whispered, gently caressing Shivika's bump as the little one continued kicking beneath his palm.
A warm smile spread across his face.
He looked up at Shivika, who was already smiling at the adorable sight before her.
"Ika..." he said softly, his eyes returning to her bump. "Sometimes it all feels so unbelievable."
She looked at him silently.
"I still can't imagine the moment I'll finally hold our baby in my arms."
His voice carried excitement, nervousness, and disbelief all at once.
Shivika's heart melted.
She knew exactly what he was feeling.
"Aksh..." she called gently.
He looked at her.
"Everything will be fine."
She cupped his cheek lovingly.
"And I know... the moment you hold our baby, you'll be the happiest man in the world."
Rakshit smiled before resting his head back in her lap.
He turned towards the baby bump again.
"Baby..." he spoke softly.
"For a few more hours, cooperate with the doctors...and with your mamma, okay?"
His fingers continued drawing small circles over her bump.
As if responding to his request, the baby kicked once again.
Rakshit's eyes sparkled.
He bent down and placed a gentle kiss where the tiny kick had landed.
"I love you so much already baby."
Shivika watched him with tear-filled eyes.
She had never imagined someone could love a child even before seeing their face.
And yet...
Rakshit had been in love with their baby from the very first heartbeat.
"And what about the baby's mother?" Shivika asked teasingly.
Shivika's eyes welled up instantly.
She smiled through her tears before leaning forward and hugging him tightly.
Rakshit wrapped his arms around both her and their baby.
Without saying a word, she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek.
Rakshit blinked in surprise before a shy smile slowly spread across his face.
"For what was that?" he asked, his ears turning slightly pink.
Shivika smiled, her fingers gently tracing his jaw.
"For making me feel like the luckiest woman in the world."
Rakshit let out a soft chuckle.
"I should be thanking you."
She frowned adorably.
"For what?"
"For choosing to stay."
He took her hand and kissed the back of it.
"You gave an orphan a family...a husband the love he never thought he deserved...and tomorrow..."
His eyes drifted to her baby bump.
"...you're going to make me a father."
His voice grew softer.
"So if anyone is lucky here..."
He looked back into her eyes.
"...it's me."
"You know..." Shivika whispered, still wrapped in his embrace, "deciding to come with you to Mumbai was the best decision I've ever made in my life."
Rakshit's lips curved into a smile.
"And deciding to help you was the best decision I've ever made," he replied softly.
His words brought an instant smile to her face.
Shivika slowly pulled back from the hug but didn't move away. Instead, she rested her head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
"You know..." she began after a moment of silence, "back then... I was completely lost."
"I couldn't tell what was right and what was wrong. I had no idea where to go or what to do."
She looked up at him.
"I felt... this man won't let anything happen to me."
A tear escaped her eye.
"I thought Krishna Ji had sent you to show me the right path..."
She smiled lovingly.
"but instead of showing me a path you became my destination. Our destinies became so beautifully intertwined that today, I don't wish for anything more."
Rakshit's eyes softened.
He gently kissed the top of her head.
"I know how difficult it must've been for you to trust a complete stranger."
He paused before continuing.
"But believe me, Ika... That night, I only wanted one thing."
"You and your- "
He stopped and corrected himself and said, "our baby to be safe."
She smiled liking the way he not used 'your baby' even in the conversation of their past.
His voice grew quieter.
"After hearing your story I couldn't leave you there."
He looked away for a second.
"It felt as if someone had thrown me back into those first five years of my life. The years when I had no one."
"No home."
"No family."
"Nothing."
His jaw tightened slightly.
"Seeing you standing there with nowhere to go...it felt like I was looking at my younger self. I couldn't bear it."
Shivika's eyes widened.
"Aksh..."
He gave her a small smile.
"Yes, Ika. I could've simply given you the address of an orphanage...or a women's shelter or an old-age home where someone would've guided you. I had plenty of options."
He chuckled softly.
"But just like I told you before I am a selfish man."
She looked at him in confusion.
"I got a chance to have someone whose presence would make that empty flat feel alive. And..."
He smiled sheepishly.
"I wasn't ready to let you disappear from my sight. So I asked you to come home with me. I didn't think about society. I didn't think about what people would say. I just thought...'She'll be safe with me.'"
Shivika's eyes brimmed with tears once again.
"But you know..." she said, trying to lighten the mood, "when you asked me to come with you...I was terrified."
Rakshit laughed.
"Oh, I know. The way you confidently claimed you were a black belt in karate."
Shivika immediately looked at him.
"You knew I was lying?"
"Of course."
"Your face was exposing you every second."
He couldn't stop laughing.
"You looked less like a karate champion...and more like a frightened kitten trying to scare away a lion."
Shivika gasped dramatically.
"Aksh!"
"What?"
"I acted so well!"
"You did?"
He raised an eyebrow innocently.
"I was actually wondering whether you'd start crying before finishing your warning."
Shivika narrowed her eyes.
"So you were making fun of me that day?"
Rakshit wrapped his arms around her waist before she could move away.
"Never."
"I was trying very hard not to laugh."
She pouted and lightly smacked his chest.
"You're impossible."
"And yet..."
Rakshit smiled, pulling her even closer.
"...you still chose this impossible man."
Shivika couldn't hold back her smile anymore.
"Maybe because..."
She looked into his eyes.
"...this impossible man turned out to be my safest place."
Rakshit smiled, his heart fuller than ever.
"And this stubborn woman..."
He kissed her forehead.
"...turned my house into a home."
After a while, he looked at Shivika again.
"Ika."
"Hmm?"
"Now lie down."