38. Baby Is Here! #2
The woman he loved had survived.
And she had just confessed that she loved him.
How much happiness could one heart possibly hold?
A nurse walked over with a warm smile.
"Sir," she said softly, "we need to take the baby for her routine newborn assessment. It will only take a few minutes."
Rakshit's fingers instinctively tightened around his daughter.
His heart resisted.
He had held her for barely a few moments.
He wasn't ready to let go.
The nurse seemed to understand his hesitation.
"We'll bring her to the room very soon," she assured him gently.
Rakshit looked at Shivika.
She gave him the slightest nod despite her heavy eyelids.
Only then did he carefully hand over his daughter, supporting her until the very last second before the nurse securely received her in her arms.
His hands remained suspended in the air for a moment after she was gone.
They suddenly felt...
Empty.
His eyes followed his little girl until she disappeared behind the paediatric team.
The doctor removed her gloves before looking at him.
"Congratulations once again, Papa," she said with a warm smile. "Both mother and baby are doing well."
Rakshit folded his hands gratefully, unable to form proper words.
"We're just finishing the stitches now," the doctor continued. "We'll shift your wife to her room shortly, and your daughter will join her after the newborn examination."
She smiled reassuringly.
"You can wait outside now."
Rakshit looked at Shivika one last time.
She was already drifting into a peaceful sleep, the exhaustion finally claiming her after the longest battle of her life.
He gently brushed a few strands of hair away from her forehead.
"I love you, Ika," he whispered so softly that only she could have heard it if she were awake.
"And I'll keep proving it... every single day."
With one final glance at his sleeping wife, Rakshit turned and walked out of the labour room, his heart remaining behind with the two girls who owned his heart.
After changing into fresh clothes, Rakshit quietly stepped out.
Only then did he realize he had left his phone in the car during the chaos of rushing Shivika to the hospital.
He walked across the silent parking lot, his footsteps slow and absent-minded.
Unlocking the car, he picked up his phone from the holder.
He simply locked the car again and stood there.
The cool midnight breeze brushed against his face, carrying away the warmth of the hospital corridors.
Everything was silent.
He closed his eyes.
He needed this moment.
Not to escape reality...
But to let reality finally sink in.
The last few hours had changed him forever.
He had watched Shivika scream in unbearable pain, and had felt his own heart stop every time hers struggled.
Then, within a single moment...
He had heard the first cry of his daughter.
He had watched Shivika become a mother.
He had held the tiniest life he had ever seen.
He had heard the three words he had spent months convincing himself he would never hear.
"I love you."
His eyes stung once again.
There had once been a time when he had accepted that a family was never written in his destiny.
A man who had grown up believing he belonged nowhere.
He had buried the dream of hearing someone call him Papa long ago.
Yet tonight...
Life had returned every dream it had once taken away.
Not only had he become a husband in the truest sense...
He had become the father of a beautiful little girl.
His family.
His home.
His entire world.
A smile found its way onto his lips as he looked up at the star-filled sky.
After standing there for a few more moments, allowing his overflowing heart to settle, Rakshit finally took a deep breath and walked back inside the hospital.
As soon as he entered, a nurse approached him with a polite smile.
"Sir," she said gently, "your wife and baby will be shifted shortly. We just need to complete the room formalities. Would you like a private room or a deluxe suite?"
Rakshit nodded, finally pulling himself back into the present.
"I'd like the deluxe suite," Rakshit replied.
The nurse nodded with a smile. "Please come with me, sir. We'll complete the admission formalities."
Rakshit followed her, filled in all the required forms, signed the documents, and made the advance payment for the room.
Once he was free, he took out his phone and unlocked it. Opening Satyam's chat, he typed a short message.
It's a baby girl. Didn't want to disturb you by calling at midnight. Come in the morning to meet Shivika and the baby.
He read the message once before pressing send.
Rakshit had grown comfortable with Satyam and had accepted him as family, but texting wasn't something he was used to.
He had never been good at expressing himself through messages. Short, simple, and straight to the point-that was just how he was.
Though...
It was different when it came to Shivika.
She had become the only person with whom words came effortlessly, without him ever having to think about what to say.
Rakshit was about to lock his phone when one unread chat caught his attention.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Among all his business associates, Paulo was perhaps the only one with whom conversations weren't always about contracts, profits, or meetings. They had never called each other friends, yet anyone who saw them together could tell their bond went beyond a professional partnership.
Curious, Rakshit opened the chat.
Hello Rakshit. I'm coming to Mumbai tomorrow to launch my second business venture in India, and I want you to lead it with a 90% equity stake.
As you know, I'm already occupied with my businesses here, so I need someone I trust completely to build and manage this venture.
Meet me once after I arrive, and I'll explain everything.
My PA has already emailed you the proposal, but I think you've been quite busy since you haven't replied yet. Hoping to see you soon.
Rakshit read the message twice.
For a moment, he simply stared at the screen.
A ninety percent equity stake?
Was Paulo serious?
He knew Paulo's projects were never ordinary. If Paulo was investing in another Indian venture, its valuation would easily run into hundreds of crores. Entrusting almost the entire operational ownership to someone else wasn't just a business decision, it was an enormous sign of trust.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Rakshit quickly typed a reply.
Hello, Paulo. I'm truly happy to hear that your second venture in India is finally ready.
I honestly don't know what I've done to deserve the trust you're placing in me, but I'm grateful for it.
I definitely don't want to miss this opportunity.
Right now, though, I'm a little occupied...
and I have a lot to tell you as well. An hour ago, I was blessed with a baby girl.
And yes... I got married too. I'm sure that comes as a surprise.
Call me once you land in India. I'll tell you everything then. Safe travels.
After reading it once, Rakshit pressed Send.
He smiled to himself.
Paulo had stood by him during some of the most difficult phases of his professional and personal life.
It only felt right that he should also know about the happiest chapter of Rakshit's life.
Next, Rakshit opened Rahul's chat and informed him about the birth of his daughter. He also mentioned Paulo's arrival in Mumbai and the upcoming meeting regarding the new venture.
Just then, a nurse walked towards him.
"Sir," she said with a smile, "your wife and daughter have both been shifted to Room 501. You can go there now and get some rest."
Rakshit nodded immediately.
"Thank you."
Without wasting another second, he walked towards the elevator.
As the lift doors opened on the fifth floor, his heartbeat unknowingly quickened.
Within moments, he reached Room 501.
He quietly pushed the door open.
The room was peaceful.
Shivika was fast asleep, completely exhausted after the longest battle of her life.
A nurse was gently arranging the medicines and monitoring equipment beside her bed.
And just a few steps away...
In the small transparent hospital bassinet placed beside Shivika's bed...
Their tiny daughter slept peacefully, wrapped snugly in a soft hospital blanket, completely unaware that she had already become the centre of two people's entire universe.
Rakshit quietly walked towards Shivika's bedside.
She was sleeping peacefully, her face finally free from the pain that had consumed her for hours. A few loose strands of hair rested across her forehead.
He gently brushed them aside before softly caressing her forehead with the back of his fingers.
The nurse finished arranging the medicines, gave him a small smile, and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.
Silence settled over the room.
Rakshit leaned down and placed the gentlest kiss on Shivika's forehead, lingering there for a brief moment.
"Mera baccha..." he whispered affectionately, his voice barely audible.
(My baby)
A faint smile appeared on his lips as he slowly pulled back.
She is still his baccha.
(His baby.)
Rakshit quietly pulled the stool closer and sat beside her bed, his eyes never leaving her peaceful face.
Rakshit didn't say anything.
He simply sat there, silently admiring the two most precious people in his life.
His eyes shifted between Shivika's peaceful sleeping face and the tiny bundle resting in the bassinet beside her bed.
A smile never left his lips.
He didn't even realize when exhaustion finally caught up to him.
Still sitting on the stool, he rested his head on the edge of Shivika's bed and slowly drifted off to sleep.
About an hour later...
A tiny cry pulled him out of his sleep.
His eyes flew open.
For a second he looked around in confusion before the cries reached his ears again.
The baby.
He immediately stood up and rushed to the bassinet.
"Hey... hey, baby... Papa is here." His voice came out soft and hurried at the same time. "See... Papa is here."