Insatiable Desires

Chapter 26

Kripya vote aur comment zaroor kare 😅 Varna iss kahani ka bohot jald ant ho jayega ☠️

"Mubarak ho. Aapke beta hua hai," the old woman, who was a midwife, informed Manik with a smile as soon as she stepped out of the room. Manik felt his heart filling with happiness at the news while his sisters hugged and congratulated him. He looked at his mother as she stepped out of the room along with some other ladies, all of them congratulating him, but his eyes were stuck on the small baby, wrapped in a cotton cloth, in her arms.

When his mother forwarded her arms towards Manik to take the baby, he carefully grabbed him, placing his hand beneath his head and back for support. Manik's heart was thudding in his chest as he took in their child, sleeping. His mother, meaning, rotated a wad of cash over their head before handing it over to a servant.

At last, when the rest of the family members gathered around him, wanting to get a glimpse, his mother looked at him as he asked, "Nandini theek hai?"

"Haan. Thodi kamzori hai magar ek doh hafte aaram karegi toh theek ho jayegi," his mother said and Manik nodded. A few minutes later, as his family carried his son after taking necessary precautions, he moved inside the room.

He sat at the edge of the bed, where Nandini was sleeping. Pushing away the hair falling over her sweaty forehead, he pecked it lightly, grateful for the son she gave him. As he continued sitting beside her in silence, a few minutes later, her eyes slowly fluttered open.

Her mind was in a daze, looking around the room until her eyes noticed her husband. She frowned, lost, until slowly she recalled the memories of past few hours. The dizziness and the traumatizing labour pain as she tried to push out the baby, surrounded by unknown village woman, until by the end she lost her consciousness as she lost a lot of blood, not remembering anything.

Nandini felt her heart thudding in fear of losing her child again and weakly placed her hand on Manik's hand to pull his attention towards her. Feeling her feather like touch on him, his eyes snapped towards her, noticing the sheen of tears in her eyes and the first thing she whispered was, "Mera bacha?"

"Bilkul theek hai," Manik reassured her immediately, "Sab usse bahar mil rahe hai."

"Beta?" Nandini mumbled hoarsely and Manik hummed, wiping away the tear that managed to escape her eyelids in happiness and relief. Manik signed as she further enquired with concern, "Mahir?"

"Woh soh raha hai. Tujhe dard main dekh ke bohot darr gaya tha aur roh raha tha. Bohot mushkil se soya tha abhi thodi der pehle. Uthega toh mil lena," Manik informed her, making her nod.

"Main lau usse andar?" Manik asked and Nandini immediately nodded her head. He got up and stepped out of the room. A few minutes later, her throat closed up as Manik walked towards her with their baby. She carefully wrapped her arms around the small boy, staring at his small hands fisted at his sides as he slept, his eyes opening and peeking at her as she pressed him against her like a gentle hug, the first time and the last time relieved to hear her son's cries.

Not long were his cries echoing in the room, that his grandmother entered in the room. She walked to Nandini, blessing her and said, "Isko bhukh lagi hogi. Dudh pilana hoga na. Main sikhati hu tujhe."

Nandini nodded, while her mother in law turned towards Manik and said, "Chal. Thodi der bahar jaa ab."

Manik opened his mouth to protest, but being his mother and her husband's son, she knew what he was about to speak and before he could utter anything, she pulled him towards the door while saying, "Haan pata hai mujhe teri biwi aur tujh main kuch nahi chipa. Lekin abhi ke liye bahar jaa. Mujhe uss se vaise bhi baat karni hai."