Once Upon a University Campus

Epilogue -Fledglings

"SOS SOS Dr Trivedi SOS" the loud cry for help followed a piercing cry.

Annika rushed to the adjacent room from where the cry had originated.

"Goodness.. Shivaay.' Her heart was racing and she was panting.. "What happened?"

"This lout you gave birth to, look what he did. " Shivaay pointed at the pale yellow wet stains on his otherwise brilliant white polo T-shirt. "he did this to me when I was changing his diaper." Shivaay stood in front of a desk. A work desk that had been temporarily converted to a diaper changing station. A boney baby who was determined to get away had replaced his laptop. Ansh briefly abandoned his mission of grabbing the table lamp wires and grinned at his mother triumphantly revealing his brand new tooth. His smile elicited a warm smile from his mother. Before he flipped over his belly to crawl around the table, Annika pinned him down gently.

"Oooooollllleeeee Anshu baba... whach did ya dooooo.." Annika cooed and pulled up his onesie. He had pooped as well.

"Eeewwww.." Shivaay remarked unconsciously. Annika ignored the inept parent in her husband and focused on her son.

"You chuchued on papa..nooo babu...no doing that bacha..." Annika kissed her precious son and he happily settled for her long hair instead of table lamp wire.

Annika pulled the box of diapers and wipes closer and quickly got into the clean up act.

"Shivaay. Get him a fresh pair of clothes please." Annika pointed out the suitcase that carried Ansh's clothes. " And Let me repeat. This is not an SOS situation." She calmly explained. "Do you hear me? SOS is when one of the kids is in real trouble. It does not apply for situations when you are in trouble. Now take a deep breath and follow me carefully." Annika grabbed a fresh diaper. "When you are changing Ansh, you use a fresh diaper as a kind of shield. You don't yank the old diaper without the new one in place.. Like so" Annika deftly demonstrated.

"Bugger... Khanna you never told me" Shivaay tried to blame Khanna who stood next to the wall adjacent to the desk with his hands crossed, trying hard to keep from laughing at Shivaay's predicament.

Khanna immediately straightened up. "How would I know? I have a daughter. She never did this."

Shivaay fumed and looked the other way, towards Maya.

"Don't even look at me. Anything to do with the male species, I would not know. Much less baby boys." Maya threw her hand in the air.

"That is right.." Shivaay begrudgingly acknowledged. Khanna mutely nodded his head in acquiescence.

"But dude.. You never knew it all these days. Have you never done it before?" Maaya asked him wide eyed.

"Of course I have done it before. A few times.. I don't get to do it many times.." Shivaay sounded apologetic.

"You are a f***** pig, dude. I would have expected you to be an involved parent." Maaya said nonchalantly.

"Hey, stop being judgemental. It is not like that.It is just that I am saving up my paternity break for the time when Annika is done with her maternity break. If you don't extend it, that time will be in a few weeks now."

"No extension. Been very clear about it." Maaya shook her head. "Not possible to spare Annika anymore. The team will go crazy if she does not get back. We have all been working our asses off so your wife can babysit your children."

"Oh come one. Be fair. Be generous to your people. Look at my policy, very generous. Ask Khanna, I had given him a long paternity break." Shivaay tried to haggle.