Two Months Later
Dr Batra's Clinic
24 December 2015

Ishita finished her examination of her little patient and gave the little girl a playful pat on the head.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it Zoya?" she asked brightly, walking up to the sink in the corner to wash her hands. That done, she walked back to her desk, and then stopped, as a wave of dizziness swayed her feet. She clutched at her chair, as her young patients mother glanced at her quizzically.

"Are you all right Doctor Ishita?' Zoya's mother asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"Yes" Ishita responded shakily, sinking with relief into her chair. " I'm sorry Mrs Khan, I don't know what happened. I have been feeling somewhat dizzy and queasy the last couple of days, and for a moment there, I thought I was going to faint. But not to worry, its only momentary, it will pass. Now, Zoya's teeth are fine, the pain must have been from a pinched nerve, but call me if it happens again. In the meantime, keep up with the regular brushing, and no chocolates or slushees, okay Zoya ?" She turned a bright smile to her 7 year old patient.

"Are you going to be like my ammi ?"

The unexpected response from her little patient amused Ishita, and she brushed her concerns about her health to the back of her mind.

" Like your ammi? I am a woman like your ammi, yes Zoya" she responded, matching the little girls seriousness.

" No, I mean will you get fat like her?" Zoya was insistent, nodding at her 7 months hugely pregnant mother.

"Fat? Oh, you mean... " Ishita's voice tapered off as she realized what little Zoya meant. " No, no, nothing like that Zoya." She wasn't able to keep the wistfulness out of her voice, and she noticed Mrs Khan looking at her intently.

" My ammi got dizzy just like you Doctor Ishita" Zoya announced proudly. "And she looked green like you too. Then she got fat. And abbu says I'm going to get a baby brother or sister soon."

Mrs Khan grabbed Zoya and pulled her towards the door, even as Ishita stared at the little girl with an unconsciously wistful look on her face.

"I'm so sorry, Doctor Ishita" Mrs Khan called out. "Zoya has babies on her mind, she just can't wait to be a big sister. But she is right, I did get dizzy a lot this time around. Maybe you are expecting?"

"No, Mrs Khan" Ishita smiled sadly as she got up slowly, waving goodbye to Zoya. "That's just not a possibility for me."

She closed the door behind the mother and daughter, and then looked pensively at the photo on her desk of her husband and children.

Raman. Ruhi. Adi. Her loves. Her life.

Ruhi would make such a wonderful big sister too, she mused. Just like Zoya. And Adi. He would be so gentle, just like he was with Ruhi. But no point in crying over the impossible, Ishita, she chided herself, pressing the bell for her assistant, determined to see her next patient before the sadness of her infertility and her failed IVF attempts overwhelmed her.

She had made determined attempts to move away from that sadness since she and Raman had agreed to stop the fertility treatments, or rather, since Raman had agreed to support her decision to stop treatment. But there were still moments when the embers of her failure flared up into unhappiness which threatened to engulf her.

Raman had been so loving, so caring, so understanding, but even as she assured him she was content, even as she lost herself in the sanctuary of his arms, there was still a small part of her that mourned the child she would never bear.

So she kept herself busy - with Raman, with Ruhi and Adi - organizing their lives and routines, managing the house, caring for her parents in law, visiting her own parents and making sure they did not feel neglected, and with work.

Keeping busy was important, especially when Raman was away from Delhi, as he was now. Then there was no one to chide her as she would throw herself feverishly into her dentistry, bringing smiles to little faces, even as her own smile wavered.

Raman. She loved him so much. He understood everything - the pain she could not talk about, the anxieties which beset her without warning. He understood and he tried so hard to distract her, to heal her. Raman.

Her thoughts were cut short as another bout of light headedness hit her, leaving her swaying.

She clutched at her desk again, as the door opened and Sarika glanced in. The ceiling appeared to be spinning , and a wave of nausea hit her suddenly.

She could vaguely hear her assistants concerned voice over the ringing in her ears, as the carpet beneath her feet started to wobble wildly.

She reached out, but it was into a vacuum....

"Ma'am, are you alright. Doctor Ishita, ma'am " Sarika's worried voice mixed with the ringing as Ishita crumpled heavily onto the floor.

Raman Bhalla's car - somewhere in Singapore
30 minutes later

Raman stared straight ahead in shock, as the voice on the telephone went on, soothingly. Beads of perspiration appeared on his forehead, and his heart started to race. Ishita. Ishita. The panic was evident in his voice as he cut across Dr Batra's words.

" What do you mean, she collapsed Dr Batra? I mean... how? How is she? I need to talk to her now, please.. I..."

"Mr Bhalla, Raman, calm down please. Ishita would be furious if she knew I even called you. She told me you were at a very important meeting in Singapore, some new client, and we were not to disturb you at all. But she won't let us call anyone at home either and so I thought you should know. She is at Dr Sharma's clinic now. It's just next door, you know. She is conscious now, just blacked out for a while. Dr Sharma is doing some tests and then I have told Ishita she needs to go home and rest after the checkup. Tomorrow is Christmas anyways, and the clinic will close early today. She shouldn't have come in at all when she was feeling unwell. You and I both need to be more strict with her Raman."

"Yes" Raman said grimly, his panic beginning to subside. He leaned forward and signaled the chauffeur to turn the car back to his office. "Thank you for letting me know, Dr Batra. My meeting is over, and I am coming back to Delhi straightaway. And when I get there, I will deal with this wife of mine. Enough of this. I need her to look after herself for a change."

Raman switched off the call, and debated whether to call his madrassan. No, he decided. Let it be for now. He would wrap up things at the office and get back to India tonight, instead of spending Christmas with his client as had been arranged. Mr Lee had tendered this invitation as a sign of his acceptance of Raman as a valued associate, and Raman had been honored to accept. However, Mr Lee would understand. Nothing was more important to Raman than his family, than his wife. He needed to see his Ishita, needed to find out what was wrong.

He knew she worked herself ragged whenever he wasn't around, and he knew the reason why. He cursed once again the realities of his career that led to his having to spend time away from India, away from his wife and family. She had been so supportive of his going international, so supportive of him entering the big leagues in marketing, but he knew that she missed him terribly when he was away.

Ever since their marriage, they had truly become one, one unit, a team - and they had guarded their privacy and their marriage jealously. There were certain things about which she could confide only in him, and without him she was lost. As he was without her. So when he was away, she worked herself ragged to stop herself from missing him, and to stop herself from feeling the pain that always lay just below the surface.

But for it to get to this extent terrified him. Just the thought of his wife collapsing made his blood run cold - he would never be able to bear it if anything happened to her. It was his fault, his fault for leaving her alone. He looked lovingly at her face on his phone screen saver, and his eyes welled up with remorseful tears.

"I'm coming sweetheart " he whispered. "And I won't let anything happen to you."

Dr Sharma's clinic
An hour later

Ishita stared at the pleasant middle aged woman in total stupefication.

"No" she whispered. "No, it's not possible"

"I've done all the tests Dr Ishita" Dr Sharma's voice was reassuring, as she patted Ishita on her hand. "Scans too. You saw it yourself. There can't be any doubt."

"But, but we went through IVF a few months back, and it wasn't successful" Ishita cried out, tears welling as the enormity of what she was being told began to sink in. "Then how, how...?"

"I realize Dr Ishita." Dr Sharma continued in her calm reassuring voice, handing a box of tissues to Ishita. "I'm no specialist, just a GP, but I have been practicing for over 30 years, and I have seen many cases like this. Sometimes, when women accept that they won't and can't get pregnant, when the pressure of trying to conceive goes off them, then the body naturally heals itself and they are able to conceive. You can call it a miracle of life if you like, or just nature's reaction to the lack of stress, to the removal of the burden of expectations. Whatever you call it, the end result is the same. You are pregnant Dr Ishita. It's early stages yet, and you need to go and see your obstetrician straight away, but congratulations my dear, you are going to have a baby."

The tears fell unchecked now, as Ishita finally heard the words she had thought would never be in her destiny. She was going to have a baby. She was going to be a mother again. And Raman, Raman was going to be a father again.

"Do you want me to call your husband?" Dr Sharma asked, as a small smile peeked through Ishita's tears.

"No, no, he isn't in India. He is due back in three days. I don't want to tell him on the phone. He needs to hear this from me." The smile broadened as the news became real to Ishita. "Raman will be ... he will... " she broke off, as another bout of tears spilled out of her eyes, chasing each other down her cheeks, moistening her smile.

"It's okay Dr Ishita" Dr Sharma smiled at the young woman, patting her reassuringly on her head. " I know this is a huge shock, a happy shock, but a shock nevertheless. Now, I can't let you go home alone, so if not your husband, who can I call. Your mum?"

"No" Ishita wiped away her tears, and sat up straight. "Amma will be delighted, of course, but Raman needs to know first. I'll just rest here for a while if that's okay Dr Sharma, then I can get the Batra clinic car to drop me home."

"All right, let me know when you are ready to leave, and I can call your assistant to come and get you." And Dr Sharma walked out of the room, leaving Ishita alone.

Ishita sat perfectly straight for a few moments, as the enormity of what she had just been told began to sink in. Happy tears welled and spilled, and she buried her face in her hands, her gushing tears the utter relief of happiness. Raman. Raman would be so happy. She pulled out her phone and through her tears, looked lovingly at the photo of her husband and children that acted as her screen saver.

The miracle she had stopped hoping for was going to happen after all. Her family was going to be complete. She was going to have a baby. She looked down at her stomach, and then cradled it gently. Her baby was inside here. Raman and her baby. The symbol of their love, the result of their desire, their blessing.

She remembered back to all the taunts that she had suffered through - baanjh they had called her, infertile. A curse. Ruhi had made her a mother. Adi had added another dimension to that role. And now, the one thing that had been missing, that too would be complete. She wiped away her tears, smiling as she cradled her tummy again. We need to tell your papa she told her baby. Raman, oh Raman, I can't wait to tell you. Please, please come home soon.

Zindagi ki yahi reet hai
Haar ke baad hi jeet hai
Thodi aansu hai thodi hasee
Aaj gam hai toh kal hai khushi
Zindagi ki yahi reet hai
Haar ke baad hi jeet hai

Zindagi hai raat aur savera bhi hai zindagi
Zindagi hai safar aur basera bhi hai zindagi
Ek pal dard ka daanv hai
Doosra sukh bhari chahoon hai
Har naye pal naya geet hai
Zindagi ki yahi reet hai

Ghum ka baadal jo chahe toh hum muskuraate rahe
Apne ankhon mein ashayien ke deep jalate rahe
Aaj bigde toh kal phir bane
Aaj roothe toh kal phir mane
Waqt bhi jaise ek meet hai
Zindagi ki yahi reet hai