Strings Of Love

Chapter 50

"Thank you so much! I really don't know how to thank you for what you've done." Ajay had hugged the doctor out of excitement, smiling widely with his eyes filled.

"Your wife wakes up after two days and the first thing she sees is, her husband hugging another woman. Nice." Sidharth patted Ajay's back.

"Oh, I'm so sorry doctor." Ajay hesitantly smiled and excused himself.

Preeti woke up after 48 hours of unconsciousness.  All of them thanked her doctor for saving her life like she promised, the doctor had worked really hard on Preeti's case and performed multiple surgeries to control the bleeding. Everyone took rounds to hug and see her, she had grown a little weak and pale but she was fine now. Out of danger after all these days of struggle.

"Bhagwan ka shukar hai, tu thik hai." Rita Ji smiled with her teary eyes, sitting across from her daughter. 

"Hi baby! How are you feeling?" He lightly enveloped an arm around his wife and hugged her.

"Where's my baby?!" Preeti asked straight away.

"NICU me hai. I'll ask the doctor when I will be able to get him." He replied.

"Let him be. Mai chalti hu na, mujhe abhi ke abhi milna hai mere bacche se." She requested, trying to get up when she couldn't.

"Leti raho wahi, tumhari surgery hui hai!" Everyone panicked.

"Toh wheelchair leke aao. I can't even move." She told him.

"Tu baith na. Hum tere bete ko leke ayenge." Sidharth assured her, walking out of her room to talk to the doctor about the baby.

The doctor had performed a Cesarean hysterectomy at the end to ensure the bleeding stops and to prevent infections below the abdominal area. It was the removal of the uterus post the cesarean delivery, a technically challenging procedure owing to the anatomic and physiologic changes of pregnancy, including a massive increase in blood flow to the uterus at term. The surgery’s dramatic nature stemmed from the fact that it was frequently performed in emergency and unplanned situations when Preeti's life was in danger, also it permanently ended future fertility. Preeti was a little upset about it but her complications had left the doctor no choice.

It took another two days to get the mother and the baby discharged from the hospital after all the routine tests and paperwork were done. When they reached home, the place was all cleaned and dolled up for celebrations. A huge poster in the living area read 'Welcome Home Baby!' and there were gift boxes almost everywhere.

"Wow! You guys did that?" Arvind asked, Shehnaaz nodded proudly.

"Gals*" Akriti corrected her father, giggling.

Rita Ji welcomed her daughter the traditional way with an Arti ki thali and then ward off the evil eyes, mumbling some chants and swivelling some salt and dried red chillies round the Preeti and her baby.

"Inka kya karengi Nani?" Akriti whispered to Sidharth.

"Jala dengi." He replied, he had seen her mother perform this ritual a couple of times.

"Kyu?" Akriti was confused.

"Usko jalane pe pata lagta ki nazar lagi thi ya nahi, yadi kala dhua utha matlab nazar lagi thi." Shehnaaz answered this time.

"What? Aisa sach me hota hai?" The girl was really surprised.

"Aisa nahi hai, it's just that burning all that takes away the negative energy." He contradicted and explained what he believed in. There were things senior citizens did, superstition was one of the most probable things but he didn't oppose it because his mother believed in it.