Celebrity Castaway | COMPLETE | MaNan Fiction

59| Bonus 2: The Arrival

A/N: Hello Readers, I'm presenting to you, a small piece of my heart, in this Bonus chapter. This is all, you guys have requested me for, ever since the Fake Baby Plot of this story was introduced! I have put my heart and soul into it and I hope you will feel all the feelings MaNan has gone through, until the Arrival!

Few Caveats to call out:

1. This chapter WILL NOT seem compact, because I had written a lot of small snippets and while framing the story, was initially supposed to edit some of it out, but somehow I couldn't put my heart to do that. All these snippets are REAL and have been faced by real expecting parents (within my circle of friends and family and including me as well.) and that's what makes it more heartwarming, honest and I somehow wanted all you readers to go through everything I have written on MaNan.

2. All the medical issues represented in this story pertaining to pregnancy are REAL. They are collected across various women and can be referred to in true case of pregnancies. 

3. The chapter is HUGE (10K + Words) and the promise is that while reading this story, you folks will have walked through the entire pregnancy journey of MaNan and so by the end, I suppose you folks will be as eagerly expect for the arrival as MaNan :D

4. Last call out, in case you have forgotten, italics is flashback and normal font is current. I request you to read cautiously because sometimes in this narrative, even flashbacks have flashbacks! :D

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Sitting by the Emergency Unit, Manik exhaled shakily. The hospital smelled of antiseptic and inevitability. His surroundings tried to pull him to darker territories; of a time not so far away, when he was waiting for Nandini, just like this. That time she had had an accident, and for the greater part of the next three months, he had believed she was dead. A cold shudder passed through his spine. No, he wasn't going to think about the bygones. His present was happy, warm and beautiful. Agreed, maybe Nandini had to be brought in over a month before her due date, and chances are, they had hit another speedbump on their journey to parenthood, but Nandini would fight against all odds like she always did. She had to. She will. What if she couldn't this time? Manik scolded himself for letting in stupid thoughts. Happy thoughts only. His Nandini would be fine. They would be fine. Right?

It had been an hour almost, the doctors were still running tests on her. He hadn't heard back from them yet. Damn it, can't they give him an update that she is fine? Manik sat in the waiting lounge, elbows on knees, fingers laced so tightly, that they'd gone pale. The fluorescent lights above him, buzzed faintly, like a warning, extending his sense of time, making every second feel stretched. Around him, the others waited, all his well wishers and over time, all his extended family. Cabir was pacing in slow, anxious loops; Ranbir staring at the floor as if it might offer answers; Nyonica whispering prayers under her breath; Aryamann & Zubin locked in quiet conversation; Alia clutching a thermos she hadn't sipped from, in hours. And Navya, held Mukti's hand tightly and kept uttering numerous mantras, praying to her Matarani for the well being of Nandini and her children.

Yes, children.

Manik's face graced with a momentary small, longing smile thinking of them, as he remembered the moments that had catapulted his life to an all time high until now.

"Manik.." Nandini whispered, her voice was soft and unsure. Manik banged on their washroom door helplessly once more. He had told her to not lock the damn door! What was this sudden shyness she was feeling before him? What had he not seen of her? Uff..

"Nandu, baby, open the door please" he whispered, gulping down his frustration. The doctor had suggested that they regulated their emotions around her, till the implantation process was complete since she would perpetually be on an unreasonable, emotional edge, with all the hormones injected.