Aradhana: His only worship

XXXII

VOTE!

Tum toh darasal khwab ki baat ho

Chalti mere khayalon mein

Tum sath sath ho

Milti hai jo achanak woh saugat ho

✨

----------------------------

Author's POV

Aradhana rushed through the hospital doors, her eyes immediately locking on Shubham. He sat on the bench outside the labor room, his face pale and strained, fingers nervously running through his hair. 

The sterile scent of the hospital filled her lungs as she approached him, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Where is she?" Aradhana asked, breathless, her voice trembling.

Shubham looked up, his eyes red and weary. "She's been inside for half an hour," he replied, his voice cracking slightly. "The doctors said her health is weak. I—I don't know how she's holding up."

Aradhana nodded, barely able to speak past the lump in her throat. She moved toward the small glass window of the labor room, her gaze searching frantically.

Inside, she could make out doctors rushing around, but Supriya—her best friend, her pillar—was obscured from view. As her eyes locked onto the room, memories came flooding back.

Nine months ago, the day Supriya had shared the news that changed everything.

"Massi banne ke liye tayar hai?"The text message had lit up aradhana's phone, and without a second thought, she had rushed to Supriya's home. She still remembered the joy on Supriya's face, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

After years of trying, after so many tears shed, and countless prayers, Supriya was finally pregnant. And not just with one baby, but two. Aradhana had embraced her tightly, tears of joy streaming down both their faces.

But before this miracle, Supriya had suffered deeply. The taunts and judgment from society and her mother-in-law had weighed on her, as the struggle to conceive dragged on for years. Each failed attempt had been like a dagger to her heart.

The whispers, the pitying looks, and the harsh words from people who didn't understand how much it hurt—it had all left scars on her soul.

There had been nights when Supriya would call Aradhana in tears, asking why it wasn't happening for her, why her body refused to give her the one thing she longed for the most.

But now, Supriya had finally been blessed with not one but two children, and her joy had been infectious. The months that followed had been filled with moments of laughter, support, and love.

Supriya had leaned on Aradhana through it all—her mood swings, her cravings, and the excitement of becoming a mother. But now, standing outside that labor room, fear gnawed at Aradhana. 

She shivered as a sudden, agonizing scream pierced through the doors. Her heart clenched, panic surging through her as she gripped the window ledge, eyes wide with dread.

"She's in pain," Aradhana whispered, more to herself than anyone else. Shubham rose from the bench and stood beside her, his face twisted in helplessness.

"They told me it would be dangerous... carrying twins with her health like this. But she was determined. She wouldn't listen. And now..." His voice broke, and he swallowed hard, unable to finish the sentence.