38. Baby Is Here! #3
The little girl's tiny face had scrunched up, turning red as she cried harder.
Rakshit looked around helplessly.
He didn't know what to do.
After a moment's hesitation, he decided to pick her up.
Remembering exactly how the doctor had shown him earlier, he carefully slid one hand beneath her neck and the other under her tiny body before lifting her into his arms.
"Princess..." he whispered nervously. "Shhh... Papa is here... hey... shhh..."
He gently rocked her, not really knowing how to comfort a newborn.
Yet...
The moment she felt his warmth, her cries slowly began to lessen.
Rakshit let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"That's my good girl..."
He slowly walked around the room, continuing to sway her gently.
Within moments, she stopped crying completely.
Her tiny eyelids fluttered.
She slowly opened her eyes...
Closed them again...
Then opened them once more, blinking two... three... four times as if trying to understand the world around her.
Rakshit smiled at her adorable little expressions.
Then...
His smile froze.
His breathing stopped for a second.
"Deep blue eyes..."
The words escaped his lips in a whisper.
He stared at her in complete disbelief.
Her eyes...
They were deep blue.
Almost exactly like his.
Only a tiny shade lighter.
His mind instantly began searching for an explanation.
How is this even possible?
The first thought that crossed his mind was Kritaarth.
Did Kritaarth have blue eyes?
He closed his eyes for a brief second, trying to remember the time he had seen him.
Then the answer came.
No.
He definitely didn't.
Rakshit's gaze returned to the little girl in his arms.
Then... How?
Could someone from Shivika's family have blue eyes?
Or perhaps someone from Kritaarth's family?
A family he had never known.
The thought lingered only for a moment.
Then it disappeared just as quickly.
None of it mattered.
No matter what the reason was...
No one needed to question that.
Feeling Rakshit stop walking, the baby's tiny lips trembled once again.
Before another cry could escape, Rakshit immediately resumed rocking her.
"Aww... aww... no, no... don't cry."
His voice instantly softened.
"Papa's here."
The baby settled once again.
Rakshit looked down at her with eyes full of love.
"My princess," he whispered before placing a gentle kiss on her tiny forehead.
To his surprise...
The little girl smiled.
Rakshit's eyes widened.
"Aww..."
A breathless laugh escaped him.
Unable to stop himself, he kissed her forehead once again.
She smiled again.
His heart melted.
He kissed her a third time.
Once again...
That tiny little smile appeared.
Rakshit laughed softly, completely enchanted.
"I can do this all day."
He leaned forward, wanting to kiss her again.
But then he stopped himself.
"What if your tiny mouth starts hurting from smiling so much, hmm?"
He chuckled to himself.
"You are still so little."
She was barely the length of both his forearms together.
So tiny.
So delicate.
So unbelievably perfect.
He gently brushed his thumb against her soft cheek.
"My baby has the same eye colour as her Papa..." he whispered proudly.
"My baby..."
Still smiling to himself, Rakshit continued walking slowly around the room, gently swaying his little princess in his arms while she looked up at him with those beautiful deep blue eyes.
Just as Rakshit thought their little princess had settled, her tiny lips trembled once again.
Within seconds...
She burst into loud cries.
Rakshit immediately resumed walking around the room, gently rocking her in his arms.
"Shhh... Princess... Papa is here."
He softly patted her back exactly the way the nurse had shown him.
"It's okay... it's okay..."
But this time...
Nothing worked.
Instead, her cries grew louder.
Her tiny face turned red as she cried with all the strength her little lungs could manage.
Rakshit's heart began to race.
"No... no... don't cry, baby."
He checked whether she was wrapped properly.
He adjusted the blanket.
He rocked her a little more.
Still...
She wouldn't stop.
The continuous cries pulled Shivika out of her sleep.
Her heavy eyelids fluttered open, and the very first thing she heard was her daughter's desperate crying.
Her heart lurched.
"Aksh..." she called weakly.
Rakshit immediately looked at her.
Seeing the worry on her face only made him more anxious.
"What happened?" Shivika asked, panic evident in her voice. "Why is she crying so much?"
Rakshit helplessly shook his head.
"I don't know," he admitted honestly. "I tried everything I could think of. I already pressed the call button. The doctor or nurse should be here any moment."
He continued pacing the room with the baby in his arms, whispering softly to her.
"It's okay, Princess... Papa's here..."
Shivika instinctively tried to sit up.
The sharp pull from the stitches made her wince.
She gasped quietly and fell back against the pillows, unable to lift herself without support.
The sound of the door opening made both of them look up.
A doctor and a nurse entered the room.
The doctor gently took the baby from Rakshit's arms, quickly checking her before smiling reassuringly.
"Don't worry," she said calmly. "She's perfectly fine."
Both of them released the breath they had been holding.
"She's hungry."
The doctor carefully carried the baby to Shivika and gently settled her beside her mother.
"It's time for her first feed," she explained kindly.
The realization dawned on both Shivika and Rakshit at the same time.
The doctor turned towards Rakshit with a polite smile.
"Sir, if you could just give us a little privacy for a few minutes..."
Rakshit nodded immediately.
"Of course."
Without the slightest hesitation, he turned to leave.
"Aksh..."
Shivika's soft voice stopped him.
He looked back.
She met his eyes and gave him a small, reassuring smile.
"I'm okay... you can stay."
The doctor glanced between the two of them before smiling warmly.