37. Labour Pain
Shivika's fingers dug into the leather seat so hard that her knuckles had turned white.
Her eyes were squeezed shut, tears continuously slipping down her cheeks as another unbearable wave of pain crashed through her body.
Every muscle tensed involuntarily, and her breathing became uneven as she struggled to endure the contraction.
Beside her, Rakshit gripped the steering wheel with trembling hands.
His palms had gone cold.
His heartbeat pounded so loudly that it almost drowned out the sound of Shivika's painful cries.
He had faced boardrooms full of ruthless businessmen, handled crises worth crores without breaking a sweat, yet today... he felt completely helpless.
Watching the woman he loved suffer while being unable to take even a fraction of her pain was slowly breaking something inside him.
"Ika..." His voice came out unusually soft. "Hold my arm instead of the seat, bacche. You're scratching it so hard... your nails will get hurt."
Shivika barely heard him.
Another contraction seized her body.
"Ak...sh..." she cried, her voice cracking into a scream. "It's... paining... so much... Ahhh!"
Instinctively, her trembling hand left the seat and grabbed his forearm.
Her nails dug painfully into his skin.
Rakshit didn't even flinch.
Instead, he silently moved his arm closer so she could grip him tighter if it gave her even the slightest relief.
"It's okay..." he whispered despite his own throat tightening. "Hold me as much as you want."
Shivika bent forward slightly as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
"I can't... I can't do this..."
"You can."
His answer came instantly.
"You already are."
He glanced at her for a second before looking back at the road, his foot pressing harder on the accelerator while still driving as carefully as possible.
"Just a little more, bacche. We're almost there."
Another contraction arrived before the previous pain had completely faded.
This one was stronger.
Much stronger.
"Aahhh... Aksh!" Shivika screamed, clutching his arm so tightly that crescent-shaped nail marks appeared on his skin.
Rakshit swallowed the painful lump forming in his throat.
He wished...
He wished he could take her place.
He wished he could carry this pain instead of her.
He wished there were something-anything-he could do except watch her suffer.
But all he could offer was his hand... and the silent promise that she wasn't alone.
"Look at me, Ika."
She somehow forced her tear-filled eyes open.
"Deep breaths."
She tried.
Her breathing immediately broke into sobs.
"I know it hurts," he whispered, his own voice shaking despite trying to stay composed. "I know... but our little one is coming to meet us."
A small cry escaped her lips.
"I don't think... I can..."
"You can."
His words were firm this time.
"Because you're our baby's mumma."
A fresh wave of tears rolled down her cheeks.
"And I know my Ika is the bravest woman in this world."
The hospital building finally appeared ahead.
For the first time since the contractions had started, Rakshit felt a tiny flicker of relief.
"We're here."
His voice almost broke.
"We reached, bacche."
The moment he stopped the car outside the emergency entrance, he threw the gear into park without caring whether it was perfectly aligned.
He rushed out before the engine had even fully settled.
Running to Shivika's side, he opened the passenger door.
"Ika..."
She tried to step out.
The moment her feet touched the ground, another contraction struck with full force.
Her knees gave way instantly.
"I can't..." she sobbed, clutching his shirt tightly. "Aksh... it hurts... so much... I can't..."
Before she could collapse, Rakshit caught her securely in his arms.
He held her against his chest, supporting almost all of her weight.
"You can."
He kissed her forehead despite his own eyes turning red.
His voice remained gentle.
But inside, panic was consuming him.
He looked towards the entrance and shouted at the top of his lungs,
"Somebody! She's in labour! Bring a stretcher! Fast!"
The watchman immediately understood the urgency and ran inside.
Within seconds, the emergency doors burst open.
A doctor, two nurses and ward boys hurried outside while pushing a stretcher.
"How long has she been having contractions?" the doctor asked while examining Shivika.
"They've become very close... she's in severe pain," Rakshit answered quickly, his words almost stumbling over each other.
"Get her onto the stretcher immediately."
With extraordinary care, Rakshit helped lift Shivika onto it, making sure not to cause her any additional discomfort.
The moment she was laid down, her fingers instinctively searched for him.
Without a second's delay, Rakshit intertwined his fingers with hers.
"I'm here."
She tightened her grip desperately.
"Don't leave me..."
Those four words pierced straight through his heart.
His eyes glistened.
"I won't."
Not even for a second.
The nurses immediately began rushing the stretcher towards the labour ward.
Even while it moved rapidly through the hospital corridors, Rakshit refused to let go of her hand.
He walked beside her as fast as he could, matching every turn of the stretcher.
"It's okay, bacche," he whispered repeatedly, gently caressing the back of her hand with his thumb.
"Just keep breathing. I'm right here. You don't have to do this alone."
Every painful cry that escaped Shivika's lips felt like someone was tearing his own heart apart.
But no matter how frightened he was...
No matter how badly he wanted to break down...
He forced himself to remain strong.
Because at that moment...
Shivika didn't need a frightened husband.
She needed the man who could become her strength while she fought the hardest battle of her life.
The stretcher came to an abrupt halt outside the labour room doors.
The bright white lights of the hospital corridor, the hurried footsteps of doctors and nurses, the distant beeping of monitors-everything around them had become a blur. The only thing that existed for both of them was each other.
A nurse quickly checked Shivika's pulse before looking at Rakshit.
"Sir," she said in a calm but urgent tone, "if you're accompanying your wife inside the labour room, you'll have to get changed first. Please go and take a quick surgical bath and wear the sterile OT scrubs. Then you can come inside."
For a moment, Rakshit simply stared at her.
The words reached his ears, but his mind refused to process them.
Leave Shivika?
Even for a few minutes?
His eyes immediately shifted towards his wife.
She was lying on the stretcher, her face pale, her hair damp with sweat, her breathing uneven. Her hands trembled uncontrollably as another contraction slowly began building inside her body.
Before he could answer, another question escaped his lips.
"Her doctor..." His voice was hoarse. "Dr. Mehra... has she reached?"
(Sorry I couldn't remember doctor's name or surname)
The nurse nodded while adjusting the IV line.
"She's on her way, sir. We've informed her. She'll be here any moment. Please don't worry."
Don't worry.
The words almost sounded impossible.
How could he not worry when the woman he loved was moments away from enduring the most painful experience of her life?
"You should go now, sir," the nurse urged gently. "We'll prepare her till then. Please come back quickly."
Rakshit nodded absent-mindedly.
His feet, however, refused to move.
His hand remained wrapped around Shivika's.
Almost as if letting go meant abandoning her.
Shivika slowly opened her tear-filled eyes.
She looked at him.
The fear in her eyes was something he had never witnessed before.
This fear was different.
It was raw.
It was vulnerable.
It was the fear of stepping into unbearable pain.
Another contraction gripped her abdomen.
"Aahhh..." A broken cry escaped her lips as she squeezed his hand with whatever strength she had left.
Her breathing became erratic.
Fresh tears rolled down her face.
Rakshit's heart shattered all over again.
He immediately leaned closer, brushing away the damp strands of hair sticking to her forehead.
"I'm here, bacche..."
His own voice trembled despite trying to stay steady.
Shivika looked at him as if trying to memorize his face.
"Come... fast..." she whispered between painful breaths.
Her lips quivered.
"I... I can't do this alone..."
Those words completely broke whatever little composure Rakshit had been holding onto.
His eyes instantly filled.
He lowered himself until their foreheads rested against each other.
"You won't be alone."
His voice cracked.
"Never."
She blinked, and another tear escaped the corner of her eye.
"What if..."
She couldn't even finish the sentence before another contraction ripped through her body.
"Ahhhh...!"
Her back arched slightly on the stretcher as she cried out in agony.
Rakshit instinctively tightened his hold on her hand.
"I know..." he whispered helplessly, his own eyes overflowing now. "I know it's hurting..."
If only he could divide that pain between them.
If only love alone could lessen labour.
The nurse gently interrupted.
"Sir... please. We don't have much time."
Rakshit nodded.
But before leaving, he cupped Shivika's face with both his hands.
His thumbs carefully wiped away every tear from her cheeks.
"You remember what we promised?" he asked softly.
She nodded weakly.
"Together..."
"Always together," he completed.
"No matter what."
A faint, trembling smile appeared on Shivika's lips before disappearing beneath another wave of pain.
Rakshit bent down and kissed her forehead once.
Then again.
And again.
As if every kiss carried a prayer.
A prayer for her strength.
A prayer for their baby.
A prayer that both of them would come back to him safe.
"I'll be back in five minutes."
He looked directly into her eyes.
"Not six. Not seven. Just five. I promise."
Shivika slowly nodded, though tears continued falling silently.