Javed naam hai mera phir se

Chapter 33

A little over a year later

The wait was excruciating and Javed was slowly going mad. He'd already paved a path in the old floor mat that was laying in the waiting room with all his walking around - Javed simply couldn't sit down. And not that his "support group" was doing any actual supporting - Arnav was plain rude at times! Or at least insensitive...

Speaking of Arnav... He yawned, stretched in his very uncomfortable seat and spoke to nobody in particular:

- You'd think that they could've afford better chairs with all the money we gave to this hospital's charity! My back has been killing me for the past six hours! How much longer, huh?

Javed hissed through clenched teeth and Akash hurried to calm the situation. He touched Javed's elbow and whispered:

- Jev, it usually takes time... it may be even longer in your case.

Akash smiled implying that Javed's "case" was somehow a happy occasion - but Javed just shied away from him. Yes, their "case"... What if anything goes wrong BECAUSE of their "case"? He'd never be able to live with that!

...

Allah, it's been so long! She'd been there, behind closed doors, for twelve hours now... and the only way he knew anything is because of the mercy of occasional nurse passing by... it was a nightmare for him!

But it also was some sort of fun for his best friend... or former best friend - Javed haven't decided yet... but Arnav was definitely trying his luck with all the comments and complaints. Arnav was about to say some other unwanted remark but Javed cancelled him:

- Bhai, shut up... or it won't be your back that would kill you!

Lean man in crumpled designer suit smirked:

- Sheesh! Touchy much?

Javed turned around and retorted:

- Meet me here in two months and we'll see how smart you really are!

To that Arnav couldn't master any witty respond as his throat suddenly went dry - indeed, he was to go through the very same room, very same wait, very same agony his friend for going through right now. Because in two months was Khushi's due date. And today was Anjali's. His sister and his best friend were about to become parents.

...

But it was taking so very long. Their minds knew that Anjali was given the best help Indian medicine could offer - best doctors, best technics, best equipment, best everything! But their hearts... knew differently. They knew the time... twelve hours and counting... They knew the screams that reached the waiting room ever so often... making Javed's knees buckle as he heard his wife's struggle to bring their babies to life.

Yes, babies. Two...

...

They had to go for IVF - Anjali could not have conceived in a usual way. When doctor checked the results of the procedure it turned out that two embryos attached to the placenta. Doctor cautiously offered to eliminate one of them because Anjali has had few conditions that may have caused her a great deal of hardship through pregnancy and delivery in case of multiple fetuses.

But Anjali was adamant that God has given them these two precious babies for a reason and she loved them both already so much. And seeing Anjali's happy face Javed could not master a will to insist on medical reasoning...

...

And now he wished so much that he would! What if... if...

...

Arnav stood up and stopped Javed's nervous pacing with steady hand. His humor was no more, because Javed needed a friend more than anything right now.

- Jev, I know that everything will be right. Di will come through and no matter how long it takes - it will be over eventually! And you will have two perfect kids, and my sister will be fine! I promise you!

Javed looked surprised - and a bit distracted:

- How would you know? Do you have any better insights into this than me? Of all of us only Akash went through this already... and as I remember he was as much of a wreck as I am now!

Javed almost growled and Akash shrugged with memories... It's been seven month since his daughter Asha was born - yet he still remembered that nigh so vividly. All fifteen hours of it!

Arnav was unfazed by Javed's protective hostility - he knew him better than that:

- Jev, I just know! Also... Khushi said so. She's praying for you now, you know that, right?

Javed nodded and smiled a little - his bhabhi was great. Messy, unpredictable, loud, a bit overly theatrical - but great! And the power of her belief was never underestimated in their family.

Akash added:

- The whole Shantivan is praying for you now, Javed. Payal would come soon, once she'd put Asha to bed... and I think Nani-ji was also going to come...

Javed waved his head:

- No, tell them to stay home, we don't know how much longer it takes. Doctor said it could be twice as much time... - Javed shivered at this thought, - I don't want to inconvenience anybody. As a matter of fact...

He looked at his brothers and was going to offer them to go home for some help - but Arnav interrupted him mid-sentence:

- Don't even think about it, bhai! We'll stay as long as it takes! And don't worry about our ladies - they know this deal first-hand, they'll be much cooler than we are!

- Thank you, guys, really... I don't know what I would do without...

Arnav shushed him:

- It's Ok, Javed, you never have to find out. We'll always be there for you.

...

Five more hours later the wait was getting unbearable. Nani-ji and Payal was doing their best trying to convince him that first delivery was supposed to be long, that Anjali had an easy pregnancy and all her results very normal...

But the screams... through all the distracting chatter in the room... through noises from the busy hospital registry down the hall... Javed could still hear her screams. Sometimes pained, sometimes angry, sometimes desperate... always exhausted. She was so tired, his Anjali. And he did nothing to help her!

Javed stood up and marched to the entrance to the delivery department. Nani-ji tried stopping him:

- Javed, beta... it's not customary... in India... for a father to be present during delivery.

Javed didn't even flinch at this comment:

- Today consider me French!

As he was about to go through hinged doors, a little woman in nurse uniform flew out and almost bumped into Javed's broad chest. She recognized him immediately and smiled calmingly:

- Here you are! There are some people who'd like to see you now... Let's go get you changed...

And just like that... Javed found out he had a family!