Wild winds ravaged the ramp of my balcony at Inderprasth. I could hear them also when I was screaming. Period.
Draupadi's forbearance to pain hasn't been tested before, in a way likely to that of the present. Kunti sat with her eyes open like a hawk, pretending to care for her daughter-in-law, but in reality, her bones were cold to the core with the screams, Drauapadi's throat emitted.
Bheem's child was to arrive. And it took Draupadi to scream more than the thunderstorm going out, every ten seconds.
'8 hours.' Bheem crushed the mahogany table kept aside him. It has been a gut-wrenching wait, with his wife screaming like maniacs.
Yudhisthir sat defeated and was in no mood of giving condolences and Nakul and Sahdev followed suite.
They were all scared.
Kunti opened the door and stood rooted to her place. She gawked at each of her sons in an unknown insanity.
'Mahadev!' She cried with unknown fears looming over her whole body.
'Draupadi is unconscious.' Was her last word before she dissolved into more tears.
Bheem was staring at the crumpled figure of his ever so competent mother. 'I am going. Nobody will follow.' He commanded, oblivious to any relation.
He was just a husband, to his wife.
Nothing more, Nothing less.
Draupadi's throat was parched and ill. She felt blisters inside her whole gut, her lips dry and cracking. 'Enough! Please child' She cried, tears falling in a weird fashion. Her tongue was ready to come out, with wails and cries asking for relief in any form, if not her hands had felt something rigid holding them.
'Sorry!' Bheem couldn't speak anything more. He just wanted to apologize. His eyes were all tears.
'Maharani couldn't deliver. We are still waiting.' Ayurvati's face was crushed in disappointment.
'5 minutes.' Bheem spoke before giving inn for a fresh pack of tears.
Dismiss everybody
Draupadi could barely open her eyes, her face filled with sweat, salt and water. She looked as if out of a bath without the notice of any drying.
'Pardon me, dear!' Bheem hovered over his wife, kissing her face, and drenching her sweat. He tried giving her some water.
Panchali looked at Bheem, her eyes all red and puffy and still she managed to shake her head in a no.
'Arya' her voice was passed in a mumble that anybody, at more than a hand's distance, won't make her voice, but for Bheem it was the loudest he could bear.
Say it.
'Tell your child to not trouble me more.' She pleaded to her husband. Miraculously she experienced no more contractions for the past 3 minutes. She looked at her condition, pain reverberating through every nook and corner.
'If I am Vayu's son, then I will take all your pain, just like a tornado uproots the smallest of the minuscule of the parasite from earth, and finally renders it free from any other adversity.' Bheem could feel his hand ache a little- that much was Panchali's desperation.
She nodded in her slightest remark.
There was a sudden return of a contraction.
And this time, Bheem could feel his hand turn Blue.
'Perfect' he regarded as he kissed her hand in a rapid fashion.
---------
Ayurvati hurried to her absence in the chamber, to stand in absolute astonishment.
Bheem held his son, in his hands. He laughed as he looked at the wonder of flesh and blood put together.
Sutsom.
He was much larger than normal kids, accounting for the toil of the Queen.
And then came his father- all blue of pain marks, sitting beside his mother- all red and scarlet in happiness.
