BONUS 6
My legs were bouncing. My palms were sweating. My heart was in my throat.
I was pacing outside the labor room like a man possessed, whispering mentalcalculations just to stop myself from losing it completely.
5 centimeters means early labor... right? But they said she's close... that's advanced... Waitβhow many centimeters does it take to get a baby out?! Ten? WHY TEN?!
I turned sharply when the door creaked.
"Sir, please sit. You'll wear down the floor," the nurse said gently.
I nodded and sat. For exactly fiv seconds.
Then I stood up again.
Another contraction scream came from inside the labor room and my soul left my body.
Was that Maya?
Was that my wife?
Was she in pain?
What if something happened?
What ifβ?
"If she survives this, she's going to murder you," Veer had said back at home.
He wasn't wrong.
My fingers were tangled in my hair, my mind racing with every possibility. I could build a whole formula on chaos, but I couldn't solve this
Then suddenly...
A baby's cry.
My breath caught.
A cry so loud, so tiny, so powerful it stopped the world. The nurse came out seconds later, beaming.
"Congratulations, Professor Singhania. You've got a healthy baby girl."
I didn't know what hit me first joy, shock, or the complete, bone-deep relief.
"A...girl?" I repeated dumbly.
"Yes," she smiled. "A princess." My legs almost gave out
They finally let me in after what felt like an eternity.
And there she was.
Maya, exhausted, eyes half-closed, hair messy, face pale.
And yet, still the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
She looked up at me with a lazy smile. "Hey, Mr. Khadoos..."
"Hey, Mrs. Khadoos," I whispered, walking to her side and kissing her forehead.
And then I saw her.
Wrapped in a pink blanket. Tiny fists. Wrinkled face. A tuft of black hair.
Our daughter
My knees hit the floor beside the bed.
"She's... she's so small," I breathed.
"She also looks pissed," Maya muttered. "Wonder who she got that from."
I laughed, watery and shaky. "She's perfect."
I reached out and touched her tiny hand, and she gripped my finger.
Tightly.
My chest ached. Something warm broke open inside me.
"She knows you," Maya whispered.
"She owns me," I said.
I kissed our daughter's forehead getly and leaned in closer to Maya.
"You were incredible," I murmured to her. "You did this. You brought her into this world."
"She's got your nose," Maya replied softly, eyes drooping.
"She's got your stubbornness already," I smiled, brushing a tear from her cheek.
Our daughter squirmed and let out a tiny whimper. Maya adjusted her, holding her close, while I watched them both.
And for the first time in my life... I didn't want to be anywhere else.
This was it.
My chaos. My calm
My family.
The Singhania mansion had never been this lively.
It had always echoed with intellect, books, and the occasional Veer-induced dramaβbut now? It buzzed with baby giggles, lullabies, and the sweet scent of milk bottles and baby powder.
And in the center of it all was her.
The tiniest Singhania.
Wrapped in a pastel yellow blanket, lying like royalty in a specially designed cradle that Veer insisted was "aesthetic and scientifically ergonomic" the baby blinked up at her overenthusiastic fmily.
Maya sat on the couch, still glowing with that "new mom" exhaustion, her hair tied in a messy bun, while Rudra paced with the baby name list like it was a thesis paper.
"We can't name her anything cheesy," he muttered. "She's my daughter. She'll inherit my sharpness and your chaos. We need something strong, meaningful, maybe Sanskrit-basedβ"
"Rudra," Maya interrupted with a smile, sipping her juice, "you do realize she's not applying for a PhD at 2 months old,
right?"
Rudra ignored her, pointing to the list. "What about Anvitha? It means 'understanding, intuitive' sounds elegant."
Maya wrinkled her nose. "Hmm. Pretty, but she already gives 'menace in disguise' vibes. Too calm for her."
Veer popped in dramatically from the hallway. "Name her Stormy. Fits perfectly."
"You watch too many K-dramas," Maya said, laughing.
Raj, who was on a video call with Maya's Bua, chimed in from the corner. "Your Bua said the astrologer gave the letter S. Stick to that."
Rudra paused. "S..."
"Saanvi?" Diya suggested, cooing at the baby. "It's cute!"
"No offense, but it's a little too...school project group leader type," Maya said with a teasing smirk.
The baby suddenly let out a soft cry.
Maya instinctively reached out, holding her. "Shh... it's okay, shona."
Rudra stepped closer and leaned in.
"What about... Saisha?" he said quietly. "It means 'meaningful life.'"
Maya looked down at the baby in her arms calming instantly in her embrace and then up at Rudra.
"Saisha," she whispered, testing the name. "Our Saisha."
The name settled in the air like a final puzzle piece. It fit her this little firecracker who turned their world upside down in the best way.
Veer faked wiping a tear. "Saisha Singhania. Sounds like a name that'll break hearts and school rankings."
Rudra wrapped an arm around Maya and bent slightly to kiss their daughter's head.
"Our Saisha," he repeated softly.
And just like that the name was sealed.
A new chapter had begun.
*Target vote 70