It had been one week since they met the doctor. Naina had been feeling absolutely fine and energetic... maybe the medicines that doctor had prescribed or the extra concern that both Sameer and Ramdhari had been showing or perhaps the tender and loving care of her husband for every step that she took was making sure that she felt no discomfort.

But this morning was different. She was woken up by a sudden uneasiness in her chest. A few deep breaths and she knew she had to reach the washroom. She came out a little later, breathing heavily. Doctor had mentioned that morning sickness is a very common occurrence. But it left her feeling weak and shaky... and with a bad taste in mouth, in spite of brushing.

Since it was quite early, she went back to bed. She wasn't sleepy anymore. Resting against the headboard, she looked at Sameer... and a smile spread on her face. Sleeping on his stomach, with his arms spread around, he himself looked like a baby. He was indeed one. A short laugh spurted out of her when she recalled how he had reacted to the big teddy bear when she had put it on the bed.

"Yeh yahan rahega toh main kahan jaunga?" He was flabbergasted.

"Preeti ne kaha hai isse beech mein rakhne ko, jisse tumhe aadat ho jaye ki koi aane wala hai jiski jagah yahan hogi... hum dono ke beech mein." She had answered nonchalantly.

He snatched the teddy, taking it back to the couch before jumping on the bed and pulling her in his arms.

"Meri jaan, hum dono ke beech mein koi aa hi nahi sakta. Apni beti ko hum yahin rakhenge par woh hamare saath hogi, hamare beech mein nahi. Aur tumse pyar karne se mujhe na Preeti rok sakti hai na uska yeh bhalu." He had nuzzled his face in her hair, making her giggle as his fingers tickled her waist.

He had not let her put the stuffed toy on bed again.

"Do do bachhon ko sambhalna padega mujhe." She mumbled, ruffling his hair.

Her mere touch made him smile. He opened one eye lazily. Seeing her sitting, he shifted quickly to place his head in her lap while his arms circled her waist.

"Ahh Sameer nahi." She stiffened, feeling the nausea build up again.

His eyes shot open, "Kya hua, Naina?"

Pushing at his shoulder, she rushed to the bathroom, with Sameer at her heels.

It was another round. But this time, he held her from one shoulder, rubbing her back as she doubled over the basin. Once done, she rinsed her mouth and straightened. Feeling extremely weak, she leaned on his chest. He quickly took the hand towel and put it under the tap. Squeezing out excess water with one hand, he wiped the sweat from her face and neck. The cold compress made her feel a little better and she tried to move but his arm held her close. Putting back the towel, he gently lifted her in his arms and carried her back.

She smiled as he placed her on the bed, treating her like a fragile doll.

"Ab kaisa lag raha hai?" He asked, sitting in front of her.

She dipped her head to the side.

"Tumhare liye thodi chai aur biscuit leke aata hun. Doctor ne kaha tha aisa lage toh kuch kha lena chahiye." He patted her cheek.

"Chai nahi, mujhe coffee chahiye." She felt a sudden craving for the aroma of coffee.

He leaned to plant a kiss on her forehead before rushing out. Precisely in five minutes, he was back with coffee and two biscuits. She inhaled deeply from the cup. Only after she had eaten one biscuit and had half of the coffee did she realise that it was too early for Ramdhari to have arrived.

"Yeh tumne banayi?" She questioned.

He nodded.

He had been sitting next to her legs, with his palms resting on both sides of her waist, watching her with concern as she sipped the coffee. Her pale face had worried him sick but the book he had been reading was a great help. Now he knew that this was not alarming. Seeing his apprehensions about everything, Naina has asked him to stop in the market few days back while they were returning from office. She took him to a book store and purchased a book on pregnancy. He was reluctant in the beginning but as he started going through it, it appeared the book was written only for him... answering all his questions, even the ones which had not formed in his mind yet. It was a comprehensive guide for parents to be.

Naina leaned a little, placing a peck on the tip of his nose, "Thank you."

He flicked a finger on her nose, happy to see her smile, "Tumhare liye nahi, iske liye banayi hai."

He pointed at her tummy.

"Hawww... matlab mere liye kuch nahi?" Her brows joined as she frowned.

He shifted ahead, tilting his head as he kissed the side of her neck, whispering against her ear, "Tumhare liye toh bohot kuch hai."

His words and the brush of his lips on the sensitive skin of her neck made her shudder.

"Hato." She turned her head to the side, blushing.

He shifted back, giving her space, "Lo hat gaya."

She looked back sharply at him, surprised at his reaction, "Ek baar kehne se hat gaye tum? Yeh toh shayad pehli baar hua hai."

"Woh isliye ki abhi kisi aur kaam ka time hai... toh mujhe uthna hi padega." He made a sad face.

"Abhi kya kaam hai tumhe? Abhi toh bohot subah hai." She glanced at the bedside clock.

He stood up, locking his fingers in front of his chest, "Ab tumhe itni kamzori lag rahi hai toh tum khud kuch mat karo, bas aaram karo... baaki sab main kar dunga."

She narrowed her eyes, trying to decipher the meaning of glint in his eyes.

She didn't have to wait for long.

Picking her up in his arms, he gave a lopsided grin, "Pehle toh tumhe nahana hoga na... chalo, main help kar deta hun... uske baad tumhe ready kar dunga, uske baad tumhare..."

"Ji nahi, main khud kar sakti hun. Utaro mujhe, main apne aap naha lungi, aur ready bhi ho jaungi." She huffed, hitting lightly on his shoulder.

"Lekin tumhe kamzori..." He kept moving.

She again cut him short, "Mujhe ab bilkul theek lag raha hai. Main kar lungi."

He halted just a step away from the bathroom door, raising his brows, "Pakka? Bilkul theek lag raha hai?"

She nodded, ready to be put down.

"Toh fir tum mujhe nehla do. Aaj mujhe bohot weakness lag rahi hai." He walked in, shutting the door with his foot.

Her meek protests drowned in the sound of shower.

Ramdhari was surprised to see them up and ready when he came at his usual time.

"Aap logon ko jaldi office jaana tha toh humein bata dete, hum jaldi aa jaate. Aapne kyon naashta banaya, Naina bhabhi?" He was clearly upset to see the cheese sandwich and banana shake on the table.

"Maine nahi, Sameer ne banaya hai, Ramdhari bhaiya." Naina gave him a proud smile.

Sameer had referred the book which also had recipes that were healthy and filling for an expectant mother. He did not let Naina enter the kitchen, doing everything himself.

"Oh! Agar hum puchne se pehle kitchen mein aa gaye hote toh khud hi pata chal jaata. Yahan Sameer bhaiya ka asar saaf nazar aa raha hai." Ramdhari looked around in horror as he entered.

Both counters were full of all sizes of vessels. Vegetable peels, some chopped pieces of tomatoes and capsicum, and slices of bread in seperate containers were kept along with the milk vessel, open canister of sugar, banana peels, mixer jar... even a patch of some spilled milk on the counter. Ice tray with half melted ice was kept near the sink, a nice pool of water around it, which was now dripping on the floor.

"Ab kaam karte hain toh thoda bohot ganda ho hi jaata hai." Sameer shrugged as Naina gave him a questioning look.

"Thoda toh pata tha, Sameer bhaiya, aaj bohot bhi dekh liya." Poor boy sighed as he moved inside the kitchen, cleaning the mess.

Though Naina was feeling absolutely fine, Sameer did not let her come to office with him. He insisted that she rests at home, promising that he would be back by lunchtime. Now that the new orders had been streamlined, workload was lesser. New machines had helped them to cope up with the increased demand. And Naina was able to manage quite a few things from computer, sitting at home. He wanted her to take as much rest as possible. Once he left, she spent the time writing the story she was working on. It had become much easier to write now, on a computer.

"Maine shayad tumhe rest karne ko kaha tha." She jumped at his voice close to her ear.

"Tum... tum kab aaye?" She looked back at him.

"Jab tum khoyi hui thi." He crossed his arms, giving her an accusing look.

"Sameer, yeh aakhiri story hai. Maine socha hai ab aur offer nahi lungi. Bas yeh poori kar ke de dun toh mera kaam khatam ho jayega." She offered explanation in her defence, fully aware that he didn't like her working non stop like this.

"Jaan, dheere dheere kar ke bhi toh likh sakti ho na. Itni der tak baithna kya theek hai? Subah bhi tumhari tabiyat kharab ho gayi thi." He smiled at her clarification, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

"Jab kahani ka ek sira haath mein aata hai aur usse aage ki kahani ka koi idea milta hai toh dil karta hai bas likhte hi jao... baaki kuch yaad hi nahi rehta. Bas kho jaati hun apne kirdaaron mein aur unke saath chal padti hun. Main unhe aage nahi le jaati, Sameer, woh khud mujhe leke jaate hain. Main toh bas ek zariya ban jaati hun... unki zindagi duniya ko dikhane ka... zindagi unhi ki hoti hai. Tab woh meri kahani ka hissa nahi rehte, balki main unki kahani ka hissa ban jaati hun... hissa toh nahi, par main unki kahani ko mehsoos karne wala ek saaya ban jaati hun, jo unke saamne nahi hai par unse door bhi nahi hai, unse judda hua nahi hai par unse alag bhi nahi hai, unka apna nahi lekin fir bhi paraya nahi hai. Main unke saath jeeti hun... unke dard, unki khushi, har aansu, muskurahat jaise meri apni hoti hai. Unhe chod paana mushkil ho jaata hai. Sameer, yeh kahaniyan bhi ajeeb hoti hain. Koi inse apni zindagi ka khalipan bharne ki koshish karta hai toh koi apni tez raftaar se bhagti duniya mein kuch pal theher ke inmein sukoon dhoondta hai. Ek kahani kitne logon ko kitni tarah se khushi deti hai."

He watched in awe as she weaved the magical world of stories in front of him. He himself used to write poetry, and find a great sense of satisfaction in it... but hearing her talk about the world of words, he was lost, along with her.

After a few silent minutes, she realised she had drifted away again. Quickly saving her draft, she closed the file and stood up. The moment she stepped away, a wave of dizziness gripped her. She held the back of chair with one hand, pressing her forehead with the other. Instantly, his strong arms came around her, holding her firmly. She leaned on his chest, her eyes closed.

When she did not open her eyes for a few minutes, he lifted her and took her to the bed. The glass of juice that he had carried in when he had arrived still waited on the side table.

"Naina, yeh juice pi lo. Tumhe achha lagega." He helped her lift herself, taking the glass to her lips.

After a few gulps, she felt better.

"Kya hua? Chakkar aaya?" He asked gently when she opened her eyes.

A guilty look crossed her face.

"Naina, tumhe apna zyada khyal rakhna padega. Kaam karne ko manaa nahi kar raha par tumhe beech beech mein kuch khana bohot zaroori hai. Doctor ne bhi kaha tha aur uss book mein likha hai ki har do ghante mein thoda sa kha lena chahiye. Aur itni der tak chair pe baithe rehna bhi theek nahi hai. Tum kaho toh kal main ek table yahan bed ke side mein lagwa deta hun. Computer ussi pe set karwa lenge." He suggested.

"Uski zaroorat nahi hai, Sameer. Maanti hun meri galti hai... maine hi waqt ka dhyan nahi rakha. Shayad isliye aisa hua. Lekin tum chinta mat karo. Fir se aisa nahi hoga. Woh abhi..." She lowered her eyes, "Abhi aadat nahi padi na... yaad nahi rahaa."

A mischievous grin lit up his face, "Mujhe toh achhe se pad gayi. Yeh jo roz tum din mein itni baar meri baahon mein sair karne ke bahane dhoondti ho na, lagta hai ki main practice kar raha hun."

Her eyes widened, "Main bahane dhoondti hun? Tum hi jab dekho tab utha ke chal padte ho."

"Toh aur kya karun... tumme himmat hi kahan thi abhi khud chal ke aane ki." He led her.

"Abhi ka nahi keh rahi. Kal shaam kaun leke aaya tha bahar se? Aur woh parson car se andar kyon leke aaye the? Aur aaj subah bathroom..." She fell quiet, recalling their morning together.

He flicked up his brows, watching her cheeks flare up as their thoughts matched.

"Tum bohot kharab ho." She covered her face with her palms, unable to look at him.

"Aur tum bohot sundar." He gathered her in his arms, whispering lovingly.

Next updates tomorrow evening