Paayal - His Scarred Butterfly ✅

47 - A HAPPY FAMILY

கண்ணீருண்டு சோகமில்லை
மழையுண்டு மேகமில்லை.
(Tears are there, but no sadness.
There is rain, but no clouds.)

Nine months passed.

In the embrace of the dim light of their room, Paayal slept peacefully, her hands instinctively wrapped around her baby bump. Diya was sleeping between her and Krishna, her little figure buried under the embrace of his chest. The silence, the peacefulness prevailed, undisturbed like air.

As the clock struck midnight, a subtle shift in Paayal's abdomen disturbed her peaceful slumber. A pang of pain rippled through her abdomen, awakening her from her sleep. She gracefully held her baby bump, and sat up slowly, biting her lips in pain.

Her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the room, one of her hands reaching Krishna's shoulder. "Krishna..." She tapped his shoulder.

But Krishna and Diya were sleeping soundly. They couldn't hear Paayal's soft and low voice.

Krishna flinched, and sat up immediately. Before Paayal could articulate her discomfort, "Is it paining?" He inquired restlessly, as he very well knew that the delivery date was approaching.

She replied with a mix of reassurance and pain, "Yes.. I feel like period cramps. I am able to manage. But, it's painful. My back is also in pain." She leaned back, holding her baby bump.

"Hmm," He hummed, getting down from the bed. His heart ached to know her pains. But, At the same time he was happily expecting the baby's arrival too. With the mix of both extreme emotions, he moved to her side and touched her baby bump. "Do you feel any movements?" He asked while his hands could clearly feel the baby's wriggling inside.

"Yes. He is swimming vigorously inside. Even great swimmers of the world would fail in front of his speed. I guess he is thinking of my stomach as a swimming pool. Moving here and there, Krishna," She laughed with pain.

He found it cute. "Achoo! You are cuter than our babies," He kissed her forehead, admiring her laugh with pain.

She snivelled, "Enough of admiring me. It is paining. Shall we move to the hospital?"

"Hmm, Wait. Let me check whether it is delivery pain or normal cramps," He said, lifting Diya in his arms, and walked out of their room. He made her lay down on the sofa in the hall and ran back to their room in a hurry.

He switched on the lights. Then, He opened the cupboard and pulled out a pair of gloves. Paayal looked at him puzzled. Standing in front of her, he wore his gloves while saying, "Lie down. Let me check whether the cervix is dilating. If yes, then let's move to the hospital."

She made a face. "How are you going to check?"

He smiled, "Just lie down. Don't be afraid. I will just insert my fingers into the vagina to check. It will not hurt that much. It will just feel like an ant bite."

She nodded and lied down hesitantly. Krishna lifted her nighty and inserted two fingers into her vagina. A pain cut through her. But it was not that much painful in front of the pain she had in her lower abdomen. She just squeezed her eyes shut.

Krishna pulled out his fingers and passed an affectionate smile at her. "Paayal, the cervix has started dilating. You will deliver soon. The pain you have is because of delivery contractions. Our Prince will arrive soon." He leaned down and caressed her head, his tone changing even more soft, "When time passes, the contractions will increase to maximum. You may feel like someone is crushing you into pieces. But, You should not be afraid of that pain. You should be strong enough. Nothing will happen to you or our baby. It will be a normal delivery for you. I will be with you throughout your delivery. Let me take you to the hospital now. Okay?"