*coughs to grab your attention*
*greedily hopes you all remember me*
*hides to avoid any tamatars and chappals thrown*

Hey fam! Missed me? I'm so sorry for just disappearing.

If y'all haven't downloaded the app yet, waiting to binge read, I'd say- please download and read this chapter. I repeat, do not miss this chapter on the app (link in my bio).

This chapter decides the entire story ahead.

Happy Reading.

~•~

P.s- I do not belong to a medical background and am not sure if anything depicted in the second half of the full update can even exist or not. This is purely a work of fiction.

N A N D I N I

"Good Morning Mr. and Mrs. Malhotra!", the lady doctor politely smiled at both of us as we settled down in her clinic. Mrs. Malhotra, though I'm so used to hearing this now, it seems so nostalgic, it always reminds me of my difficult journey with this grumpy man. Tears, anger, hatred, love... everything together and everything just worth the pain.

"I must say Nandini, you look gorgeous today. I see you're all pepped to be a dotting mother!" She smiled getting up and I looked at the baby pink fitted dress that I had worn and that proudly showed off my baby bump. It was the dress Manik had gifted me last night.

I looked at him with a grateful smile on my face  to see him already smiling at me. He entwined his left hand with my red one as he blew me a silent kiss and I giggled with wide eyes.

"So, all ready to hear the little one's heartbeats?," she asked and I smiled excited, nodding. "Let's go then!", she smiled taking my hand and dragged me into a second room.

Impatiently, I changed into the hospital gown over my pink dress. I was so excited to hear my baby. I was going to hear my baby! My baby! My and Manik's baby.

Moving out of the room, Manik had also worn the hospital robe thing for sanitary purposes as he helped me lay on the bed. No words were even exchanged between us, we just smiled at each other silently, feeling excited for the new journey of our life.

Parenthood was indeed the best phase of my life. Or actually, every phase was the best phase of my life with Manik Malhotra.

"So?" The doctor smiled as she placed something like a tube over my belly after lifting the dress under the blanket and I closed my eyes.

I felt Manik's fingers slowly touch mine as he entwined our hands and I held tighter.

Just then, we heard a small beat, making my heart skip a beat and giggle in excitement as a lone tear left my closed eye.

Then a second beat.
Then third.
Fourth.
Fifth.
Sixth.

And so many more that followed.

Soon, the tube was lifted off me and I opened my eyes as Manik helped me to get up. There were so many emotions on my face as well as his.

I held my palms on my mouth to drink away the tears of happiness and excitement but that never happened. Manik patted my head and head as I wrapped my hands around his neck and hugged him, squeezing myself to him and he hugged me back equally.

"Our baby Nandini, ours!" He said and I could see so much happiness written on his face. Ever since I broke out the news to Manik that I was going to become a father, he has been so exited, as if I'm not giving birth to a baby, but to him instead!

"Our baby Manik!" I repeated holding his face in mine and kissed his cheek while he held me by my back, so close to him.

"I always believed that your heart beat is the best music in this world, but today I found something even better!," I giggled wiping away all the tears and he almost pouted.

"This little one didn't even come out yet, and you already love her more!", he bit his lower lip and  I wish I could explain but I couldn't. This was cute and adorable beyond words. Manik Malhotra jealous of his own kid!

"I will always love you first," I caressed his cheek before ruffling his hair and he kissed my temple. "...but not more than him," I laughed pointing at my belly and he nodded disbelievingly before giggling with me too.

"Her.," he corrected as he typed something into his phone. He had recorded the heart beats and was sending it into the common group of all of us. My proud husband!

"Him," I argued back.

"It's a princess!" He bickered.

"My champ!" I caressed my belly.

"My daughter!," he crossed his hands.

"My son," I pouted.

We could have continued forever if it was not the doctor who interrupted us by coming back into the room. We were so busy amongst ourselves that we didn't even notice the doctor moving out and giving us the space for our argument.

She looked at him and then to me and then back to him, squeezing her eyes with a frown on her face. "Can I see you both in my cabin please?," she said but something in her voice didn't sound right.

I looked at Manik and he just looked back at me with a worried expression as we stared at the doctor leaving the dark room.

I immediately kept my hand on my belly with worry as I stared down. Was everything okay? Were my babies fine?

Manik probably sensed the fear on my face as he held my cheek, smiling at me as he nodded negatively. He leaned ahead to kiss my forehead.

Nothings wrong of course. Everything's alright.

After removing the hospital gown and re arranging the beautiful dress on me, I and Manik walked into the doctors cabin hand in hand, just to see her already studying my files, which looked more like my sonography report of last month.

"Doctor, everything's okay na?," Manik barely whispered and though he tried to not show it, I could see he was more scared than me.

She looked up and stared at us in silence before nodding negatively. "Unfortunately, no!," she whispered back and my heart skipped a beat as my hand automatically left Manik's, and fell upon my belly.

"As you know, there's not even a month left for your due date and this shouldn't have happened now, we should have seen this earlier, but today it accidentally did. There's not just one baby that you're carrying Nandini, there's two. You have twins!" She broke the news and a smile broke out on my face slowly, making my heart beats faster as I looked at Manik who was smiling so big as if we had won some kind of lottery.

Did you hear that?

Did you hear that too?

It's not one.

They're two!

There are two monkeys who're coming to turn our entire world upside down.

"Manik," I whisper cried not finding the right words and he was in shock too as he took me into a side hug. It's two, not one!

"But doctor, we usually come to know this in the first few months only, right? Then why so late?", Manik voiced his concern and I held him tight as the doctor nodded.

"Exactly Mr. Malhotra. Nandini's case has always been a little complicated then usual, and that is why, instead of sharing equal places, they shared uneven places in the womb, due to which we could see only one of them while the other remained compressed," she explained and I let go of Manik as we separated our chairs and stared at her to go on.

"In the last sonography, I did spot another faint pair of feet but since the human body is so complicated, this is often termed as illusions. But my doubt got confirmed as we didn't hear one heart, but two hearts beating," she explained and we nodded in understanding.

But she didn't say congrats? She didn't sound happy? This was something good right? Was there something wrong with my babies?

"This is not really so nice as it seems," she sounded pale and my heart beat faster. "Since one of them is compressed behind, impartation, also known as the process of giving birth, becomes very complicated here. Her tubes have got a bit overlapped on the inside which isn't a good sign," she concluded.

What was she trying to say?

"I know this is going to be a very difficult decision for the both of you, but as a doctor, we have to be very honest. I think you have to abort the baby lying behind, because of which we will have to remove both of them. If we don't do this as immediately as possible, Nandini's life is in danger.," every word she spoke fell like a thunderstorm upon my ears. I was taking a few seconds to register everything she was speaking to make sure I wasn't understanding anything wrong.

What was she even trying to say?

"In lay man language, you both have to choose. You either keep your babies and lose Nandini, or save her and abort the babies. I know aborting a child after three-four months is considered illegal, but this is going to be an exception because we have strong medical reasons. But I repeat, the decision lies with you both. It's either the babies, or Nandini," she completed and I closed my eyes as tight as I could, clutching my belly.

This is not true. This couldn't be true. No, this wouldn't happen. This was a nightmare. Wake me up.

When I opened my eyes, I still found myself in the doctor's clinic. This was not dream, this was reality.

My eyes automatically reached Manik's vulnerable ones, as he stared into abyss. Slowly getting up from the chair, I walked out. I heard someone call me, but I didn't bother to turn.

Motherhood was supposed to be beautiful for me, isn't it?

Mother hood was supposed to be beautiful for everyone! But why was it turning into a nightmare?

I always fought! I always did. I fought for Manik's love, I fought for Manik's life, I fought for Manik, but am I capable to fight for his family too?

Can I fight for his babies- our babies too?

I had never asked anything from God. When he took away my parents, I stayed quiet. When he almost took away Manik from me, I stayed quiet. But can I ever stay quiet as he snatches away my babies from me?

"Nandini!" I think I heard someone tell beside me but I didn't bother as I took my face into my hands, covering it completely.

I was going to become a mother. A mother! And Manik? He's so happy! His smirk never ends by the thoughts that he's going to soon be a father! We were so happy, we were going o be parents!

Did god really have to snatch it all away from us?

Was I just a mother for eight and a half months to my child-.. now, children?

"Nandiniiii!" I heard a loud shout and I snapped back into reality as I found myself sitting on the bench outside the hospital and Manik looking at me.

"Manik," I whispered holding his collars as I pulled him to me, crashing into his chest into all the tears that I had been holding in.

"Ssh!," He whispered rubbing my hair and back. How could he be so strong? Wasn't he on the verge of losing his babies too?

"They're my babies Manik, I don't want to lose them before even seeing their face!" I cried in his arms, my nails digging into his back while he just hugged me tighter.

"Was I going to be such a bad mother Manik that god wants to already snatch them away from me?," I questioned sobbing as I felt him nod negatively above my head.

"Shh.. shhh.. no, no!," he whispered breaking away as he wiped my tears that wouldn't stop. "You were going to be the best mother in the world!," he coaxed pushing my hair behind my ear.

"But maybe... our baby doesn't want to come to us yet! It wants me to take care of you a little more, to pamper you a little more, for us to love each other a little more before it comes to us. Maybe our babies want their paapaa to be with their mamma for a little more time, maybe some more years before they take away all your attention, hmm?" He tried pouting with a smile which made me cry more.

"If this is an attempt to make me smile then I'm feeling worst!" I shouted pushing him away as I got up, walking towards the car and he ran behind me, calling me.

"Nandini!" He finally held me and forcefully took me into a hug. "I'm sorry Manik, I'm sorry!" I cried louder holding him.

"I couldn't even make sure you become a father!" I felt miserable as I cried.

"No! No!" He coaxed pulling away. "These eight months were the best months in my life. And we are lucky! God will give us another chance to live these exact months again, when you will be pregnant again. Right?" He tried smiling but I could look through and see the vulnerability in his eyes and I wished I could do something to take it all away, but I couldn't.

I was feeling just as broken and bad as he was, but the difference being, I could cry in his arms and he couldn't do the same. Maybe he knew he had to stay strong for me. But what about him? Whom will he cry to? For how long will he suppress it all in himself?

Wiping my tears, I looked into his eyes as I cleared my throat. "I told you last night that I can kill anyone for your happiness, didn't I?" I asked and he nodded confused, squeezing his eyebrows together.

"So I will do that!" I kept my hand on my belly and my heart, determined.

"I will kill myself. I will give birth to these babies, because they are your happiness. And all I want is, you to be happy. I will die, but I will make sure that they live. And this is my final decision.," I spoke and his eyes just turned colder with every word of mine and the moment I completed, his hand touched my cheek.

He slapped me.

I closed my eyes tighter, feeling him hit me for the first time ever since I know him. But I don't think that mattered anymore.

"I will kill myself to let our babies live. And not even god himself can make me change my mind," I gritted on his face before walking away and leaving him behind.

I didn't know where was I going.

I didn't know what I was doing.

But the only thing I knew was, my babies will live.

Even if it costs me my life.

~•~

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