39. The New Member
Rakshit stirred from his sleep when his phone began ringing.
He immediately silenced it, careful not to wake either Shivika or the baby, who were both sleeping peacefully. He slipped out of the room and quietly stepped into the hallway before answering the call.
"Rakshittt!"
The loud, excited voice on the other end instantly made him smile.
"Hello, Paulo."
He already knew what was coming next.
"You are seriously a dad now?? When did you even get married, man? And why the fuck wasn't I informed?" Paulo exclaimed, sounding both shocked and ridiculously excited.
Rakshit chuckled.
"Relax, man. I would've told you everything. Did you land in Mumbai?"
"Yeah, I'm just outside the airport. Where are you?"
"I'm at the hospital. The baby and my wife will be discharged after two days."
As he spoke, Rakshit glanced back through the slightly open door.
His two girls were sleeping peacefully.
His heart softened at the sight.
"Which hospital? I'll come there directly," Paulo said without hesitation.
Rakshit chuckled.
"I know you will. But first, let me ask Shivika. I don't know if she'll be comfortable meeting you here at the hospital."
"Fair enough," Paulo agreed like the gentleman he was and nodded, even though Rakshit couldn't see him nodding.
Then, with a teasing tone, he added, "So... my sister-in-law's name is Shivika?"
Rakshit rolled his eyes with a smile.
"Yes, Paulo. Shivika."
"Okay, okay. You ask her first. In the meantime, I'll go to the hotel and freshen up. I'm excited to meet the baby and, of course, my sister-in-law."
Rakshit shook his head, amused by his excitement.
"Fine. I'll call you later."
"Bye, brother."
"Bye."
The call ended.
For a moment, Rakshit simply stared at his phone.
He had never seen Paulo behave like this.
He was usually the kind of man who kept his emotions firmly under control. But today, his excitement had been impossible to miss.
Rakshit smiled to himself before slipping his phone into his pocket.
He quietly returned to the room.
His eyes immediately found Shivika.
She was still asleep, exhaustion evident on her face after everything she had gone through the previous day.
Rakshit walked closer to her bed and gently caressed her hair, his fingers moving softly through the strands.
Then he leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to her forehead.
He had planned to wake her and ask about Paulo.
But looking at her now, he changed his mind.
She needed rest.
Paulo could wait.
Rakshit then moved towards his little princess.
She was sleeping so peacefully, her tiny chest rising and falling with every breath. He leaned down and softly pressed his lips against her forehead, careful not to wake her.
"It feels like I could just keep watching you," he whispered, a smile spreading across his face.
"How are you so cute?"
His fingers twitched with the urge to touch her tiny cheeks, but he stopped himself.
He didn't want to disturb her sleep.
He smiled at the thought.
Rakshit had always found Shivika cute and adorable, almost like a baby herself.
And now, seeing their daughter-a tiny little piece of her-made him even more curious about what Shivika must have looked like as a child.
He wanted to see her childhood pictures.
For now, he needed to get the hospital bag from the car.
After one last glance at his sleeping girls, Rakshit quietly left the room and went downstairs. He returned a few minutes later with the bag in his hand.
He was just about to enter the room when his phone rang.
Stopping near the door, he glanced at the screen.
Satyam.
A smile immediately appeared on his face as he answered.
"Hello."
"Hello, bhaiya. Congratulations!" Satyam said excitedly.
"Thank you. You guys are coming to meet Shivika and the baby, right?" Rakshit asked, making sure.
"Yes, yes, bhaiya! How can we not? We were just waiting for this moment. Jhanvi is getting ready. We'll be there in an hour."
Rakshit hummed softly.
"Okay. Drive carefully."
"Of course, bhaiya."
The call ended.
Rakshit opened the door and stepped inside.
But the moment he entered, he stopped.
The doctor was standing beside Shivika, and both mother and baby were wide awake.
Shivika was feeding their little princess, while a shawl carefully covered her upper body.
The moment she heard the door, Shivika looked up.
"Aksh... where did you go?"
There was something in her expression that immediately caught Rakshit's attention.
Panic.
He frowned slightly and quickly walked towards her.
"I just went to get the hospital bag from the car."
He lifted the bag slightly to show her.
His eyes then moved towards the doctor.
"They both are fine, right?"
"Yes, they are perfectly fine. Don't worry," the doctor assured him.
"I just came for a visit as I was leaving for home, sir. And as you requested, only selected staff will be looking after her and the baby, so no one gets to know about anything."
"Thank you, doctor," Rakshit replied genuinely.
The doctor nodded before leaving the room.
Rakshit placed the hospital bag on the couch and walked towards Shivika. His eyes immediately went to their daughter, who was sleeping peacefully again.
"She slept again?" he asked softly.
Shivika chuckled.
"It will be her routine for the next few months."
She looked at their daughter for a moment before continuing.
"Aksh, keep her in the bassinet."
Rakshit nodded and carefully picked up their little princess in his arms.
He gently placed her in the bassinet, adjusted the blanket around her, and pressed a soft kiss on her forehead.
Then he simply stood there.
Watching her.
For a few moments, he forgot everything else.
"If you are done staring at your daughter, please come to your wife too," Shivika teased.
But Rakshit didn't smile.
Instead, he turned towards her and silently opened his arms.
Shivika's eyes immediately brimmed with tears.
She didn't need another invitation.
She leaned forward and buried her face against his stomach, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
"I am here," Rakshit whispered, gently caressing her head.
"I just got scared when I woke up and couldn't find you in the room," Shivika admitted emotionally.
"I know."
He bent down and pressed a soft kiss on the top of her head.
Rakshit then sat on the bed, carefully adjusting himself in the little space left beside her, and let her hug him properly.
Shivika wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.
Rakshit kissed her head again.
After a moment, she slowly pulled away enough to look at him.
She cupped his face in both hands and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.
Rakshit closed his eyes.
For the first time since yesterday, he finally felt some of the heaviness inside him disappear.
"I love you so much," Shivika whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
Rakshit opened his eyes.
His own were glistening.
"I love you too, Ika."
He rested his forehead against hers.
"Congratulations, Mumma."
"Congratulations, Papa."
They said it together.
And then both chuckled softly.
"You cried a lot, right?"
Shivika gently touched the skin beneath his eyes with her fingertips.
Rakshit hummed, moving a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
"How did you fall so deeply in love with me?" she asked.
She leaned back against her pillow, resting comfortably as Rakshit sat sideways beside her, his arm wrapped around her shoulders.
He chuckled.
"I honestly don't have an answer to that question."
He looked into her eyes.
Shivika simply stared at him, trying to absorb the depth behind his words.
For a while, silence settled between them.
Neither of them said anything.
Then Shivika slowly reached for his hand, which was resting on his thigh.
Her fingers gently traced the faint nail marks she had left on his skin the previous night.
She looked up at him.
His eyes were already on her.
"Sorry," she whispered.
Rakshit gave a small, almost painful chuckle.
"You're saying sorry for these mere nail marks?"
He glanced at his hand.
"They don't even hurt."
His eyes returned to hers.
"What about the pain I felt watching you in that much pain?"
His voice cracked.
And that was enough.
Tears escaped his eyes.
Rakshit immediately buried his face in the crook of her neck, as if trying to hide them.
His arms wrapped tightly around her waist.
Shivika understood.
It had never been about the nail marks.
It had always been about the helplessness he had felt while watching her suffer.
He had prepared himself for this moment for months. He had read books, watched videos, learned everything he possibly could.
But nothing had prepared him for actually seeing his wife in that much pain.
"Shh..."
Shivika gently caressed his hair.
"I am fine. Completely fine."
She smiled through her own tears.
"And I am so happy looking at her that I have already forgotten all my pain."
His tears fell against her neck, making her sigh softly.
After a moment, Rakshit pulled back and looked at her.
"I am happy too."
His eyes moved towards their daughter.
"But I saw you in that pain."
His voice became heavy again.
"And I just know that I can't... I can't. I don't want to see you in that kind of pain ever again."
He pulled her into another hug.
Shivika gently rubbed his back.
He held her tightly, almost as if reassuring himself that she was really there.
Then he pulled back just enough to look at her.
And suddenly, he started covering her face with kisses.
One on her forehead.
One on each cheek.
Her nose.
Her temple.
Everywhere he could reach.
Shivika giggled, trying to push him away.
"Aksh!"
"You are never leaving me," he whispered between the kisses.
"Never," she promised, smiling.
She cupped his cheek and pressed a soft kiss there.
"How can I ever leave my Aksh?"
He smiled against her cheek.
But before he could answer, a loud cry interrupted them.
Both of them froze.
Their eyes immediately went towards the bassinet.