Making You Mine

thirty seven - deals of reconciliation

"Good afternoon Mr. Birla and Mrs. Birla." The nurse welcomed them.

"Actually, it's Ms. Goenka. We're not married." Akshara corrected.

"Yet. But very soon." Abhimanyu added quickly, not at all happy by Akshara's correction of the last name.

The nurse looked between them before nodding her head. "I see you are 20 weeks pregnant now, approximately 5 months. How do you feel?"

"Fat and bloated." Akshara joked, earning a glare from Abhimanyu who hated it when she called herself fat.

"Sorry." She whispered to Abhimanyu, squeezing his hand.

"Oh, well that is quite normal. Any morning sickness?"

"Nope. All good on that end." Akshara answered.

"Good. So now, I would like you to lay down and lift your legs up in stirrups. And then we will get to seeing how to baby is doing, okay?"

"Okay." Akshara did as she was told and laid down on the bed as she squeezed Abhimanyu's hand for support.

The nurse squirted a jelly a wand before inserting it inside Akshara. As the wand roamed inside of Akshara, moving grainy images popped up on the screen.

Abhimanyu and Akshara watched in aww as their baby was brought up on the screen. Their little bean, growing big with each passing day.

"And do you hear that? That's the baby's heartbeat. Strong and steady." The nurse informed them.

Abhimanyu felt his entire body shake in aww as he heard their baby's heartbeat. Their baby. Was alive and kicking. He felt his entire body tremble at the acknowledgement. It was real. All of it. It was real.

"Our baby." Akshara whispered, looking at Abhimanyu with tears in her eyes.

"Our baby." He whispered back, his throat threatening to clog up on him.

"So now, would you like to know whether you are having a girl or a boy?"

Abhimanyu and Akshara looked at each other before Abhimanyu answered for the both of them. "No, I think we would like for it to remain a surprise."

"Okay then." The nurse pressed a few more buttons before she removed the wand from Akshara's vagina. "And here you go, your pictures of the baby."

Abhimanyu helped Akshara clean up and adjust her dress before he had a chance to glance over at the ultrasound pictures of their little bean.

"That's our baby." Tears threatened to ruin him, but he didn't care. Not anymore. That was their baby, that he had just seen move. Their baby, whose heartbeat he had just heard.

"Our baby." Akshara confirmed, taking a look at the pictures of their little bean as they made their way out of the doctor's office.

~*~

As they walked out of the hospital, Abhimanyu noticed Akshara's eyes grow moist and her body went rigid looking at the scene unfolding in front of them.

A new mother was carrying her newborn baby in her arms sitting in a wheelchair rolled by what appeared to be her husband, surrounded by various members of her family. From grandparents to aunts, uncles to friends and siblings, everyone was hustling and bustling around the mother and child, carrying balloons, flowers, toys amongst other things.

"Akshara?" Abhimanyu called out her name.

Akshara shook her head, "Sorry. Let's go." She gave him a soft smile, and tried her best to appear fine, but deep inside, Abhimanyu knew she craved the love of her family during this stage of her pregnancy.