The pain was excruciating. Never had Khushi ever experienced such a gut wrenching, agonizing pain. It seared through her muscles and suddenly it was over. It was time. The wait was over.
Khushi reached her sweaty fingers to the phone that lay on the table beside her bed. Grasping it tightly, she dialed.
"Monisha! I-I can't! We have to go! To a hospital! NOW!" The last word tore out of her throat as a piercing cry before she felt her back hit the mattress. Khushi laid there for two seconds before her neighbor, Monisha, burst through the door. Beside Monisha was the bulky and muscular shape of Rohan, Monisha's husband, who started to lift Khushi out of the bed and into his arms.
Khushi kept a protective arm around her swollen belly as she gripped Rohan's shoulder with another. Within two minutes, they were on the highway, heading straight to the hospital. Monisha held Khushi in the backseat while reminding her how to breathe.
Monisha couldn't contain her excitement. "I'm so happy right now, Khushi! I mean - I'm sorry, but oh my god its finally time!"
"Monisha, save it for after our little buddy's kicking it on earth." Rohan admonished from the driver's seat. Khushi showed a weak smile encouraging Monisha to continue despite Rohan's scolding.
"I mean he- or she- is eager to get out. Our little guy- or girl- is two weeks early!" Monisha continued.
However, before Monisha could finish, Khushi felt another collapsing pain rip through her belly, and she let out another scream. Soon, they were in the labor room with Khushi holding onto Monisha's hand in an iron grip as the voices of nurses encouraging her to push floated to her brain.
Push Khushi! A voice in her head commanded! But Arnav... Another voice complained, desperately hopeful. He's not coming Khushi! You already knew that! Your the reason he's not here right now! Just push. There's someone else who needs you right now. You need to welcome that person into this world. Focus, Khushi, focus! The voices in Khushi's head continued.
Khushi felt another heart breaking pain shake her body as she screamed and pushed. The voices in her head still continued.
"We should get her on Epidural." A voice of someone in the background suddenly broke through all her thoughts.
"No!" Khushi gasped and clinged on to Monisha.
"Khushi, listen to me. It's going to make it easy, sweety! Just a little help, that's all." Monisha reasoned.
"No! I want to do this-," Khushi gasped for more air as sweat rolled down her head and back. "I want to do this without help. I can do this without help." She had gone through 9 months without help. If she didn't have it when she most needed it, she didn't need it now.
After hours of pushing and screaming, Khushi heard the cry of the object that suddenly, without hesitation, became the center-point of her life. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she opened them as Monisha spoke to her.
"Khushi? Baby, open your eyes. Look." Khushi slowly opened her eyes and peered into a set of hazel eyes that were an exact, mirror image like replication of her own.
"It's a baby boy, Khushi. It's a bouncing baby boy."
Khushi looked to see a tear streaked Monisha holding her son. Her son! Khushi let a slow but growing smile to move through her cheeks as she opened her arms to hold the newborn.
"Shiv." She whispered before her fatigue took over and the weight of her eyes suddenly became known to her. Before completely losing herself to the medicines that were now moving through her veins, she heard Monisha.
"Welcome to the world, Shiv Singh Raizada!" Monisha whispered.
Khushi slowly opened her eyes to find herself in the guest bedroom of the Raizada mansion. She shook her head and smiled, overcome with nostalgia. She had dozed of the seat next the bed where Shiv laid. Her dream had taken her down memory lane.
Khushi walked over to the bed and watched her son, sound asleep in the middle of a barricade of pillows. A gentle smile crept upon her face as she analyzed the features of her son's face. The features almost shockingly resembled his father's. She sat down and stroked the hair away from Shiv's face.
"Your my Raizada. The only one that I can ever undoubtedly claim a right over." Khushi whispered to her slumbering son, as tears filled her hazel eyes.
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