The Second Bloom • 18+ [Completed ✓]

40. The arrival of child (Malini's POV)

Four months later. 𓂃⋆.˚

“Ahhhhh,”

I shouted.

The pain was coming in waves, each one stronger than the last, crashing through my body like a relentless tide.

My breath hitched as I clutched the edge of the bed, trying to steady myself. Sweat dripped from my forehead, and my hands trembled, my legs shaking and my vagina..oh God.

“Varun, h-hum se …nahin hoga…ahhhh,” I whispered, my voice hoarse, barely audible over the sound of my heartbeat in my ears. He was right beside me, his hands wrapped tightly around my hand. I could feel his tension, his fear, but beneath that was his strength.

“Shhh. Shh. Aap itni mazboot hai. Aap kuch bhi kar sakti hain, Malini. Kuch bhi!”

Each contraction pulled me deeper into the sensation, the pressure building in my back and lower belly, making me want to curl in on myself. Fuck. It hurt so bad. I closed my eyes, feeling the intensity of it all, my mind swirling with pure exhaustion.

“Bahar jao, Varun beta,” Dai-Maa said to him as she stepped in with warm water in a big utensil.

“V-varun,” I whined.

His face was too sad. Too much. Tensed too. His eyes were almost teary. I held his hand tightly, shaking my head, “Varun….mat jaiye!”

“Jao, beta. Kuch der ki baat hai,” She said to him again. My heart ached. No.

“Nahin, Varun! Ahhh, dard ho raha hume. Nahi, mat jaiye na.”

Dai-Maa caressed my head, “Bhaavuk ho rahi hai, pehla bacha hai. Tum jao. Kuch der ki baat hai, bahurani. Bas kuch der.”

I cried. I sobbed. A lone drop of tear rolled down his eyes. He leaned in and placed a long kiss on my temple. “Aap humari jaan hai. Aap kar sakti hai, Malini. Hum bahar hi hai. Kahin door nahin Jaa rahe. Kabhi nahin jayenge. Jaise hi humara baccha iss duniya mein aayega, hum sab se pehle andar aayenge. Aap bas himmat rakhiye.”

“V-varun,” I broke down, and it hurt me even more. He is my strength.

More tears rolled down his eyes as he took his hand back and said to his mother, “Hum bahar hi hai, Maa.”

She nodded.  He looked at me one last time and walked outside.

I knew how much it hurts him too, to leave me alone. I had seen the worry in his eyes, the way his hands had trembled when he had tried to comfort me before being ushered out. I could hear his footsteps pacing back and forth on the verandah. My heart ached for him, for us, but there was nothing either of us could do. I hope he would have been allowed to stay inside. With me. Giving me much-needed strength.

This time the contractions came hard and fast, and fucking damn he'll, it hurt like a fist squeezing my insides.

I bit down on the cloth one of the women had handed me, trying not to scream, but a low groan escaped my lips despite my best efforts. I was helpless and so terrified. How I wished he could be here, holding my hand, whispering words of comfort like he always did !

“Bahurani, you— focus now. It's crowning,” Dai-maa said softly. She wiped my forehead with a damp cloth, her wrinkled hands steady. Then she lifted the sheet that was covering my naked body. She checked me down there then said, “The child is almost here, but you need to push.”

I did. Oh God. It hurt.

Push.

It sounded so simple, but the exhaustion, my God.  My body felt like it was breaking, piece by piece. I gripped the sheets beneath me. Another contraction took over, more violent than the last. My legs trembled uncontrollably, and the room seemed to blur around me.