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Lost in her thoughts, Sana didn't realise she was already standing inside the salon with her two friends leaving Little Khushi at the departmental store. She only returned to reality when the beautician brutally plucked her eyebrow.

"Aanya.. I.. I need to go..", Sana rubbed her stinging eyebrow and said after a little yelp that escaped her mouth due to the painful plucking.

"Sana, we requested to squeeze you in her busy schedule for the eyebrows. It's just a matter of ten minutes. Don't be a spoil sport.", Aanya whispered.

"Ten minutes?", Sana bit her lips and drifted back into her thoughts of Khushi.

Ten minutes won't be too long, right? Besides, Khushi was sleeping cozily in the pram. After the eyebrows, she would rush back to her. That's what her sub conscious mind advised her.

However, in contrast her heart was continuously making her think of grave consequences that could arise due to her decision.

While the argument between her mind and heart took place, she didn't even realise when the lady finished shaping her one eyebrow. It was as if she was immune to the pain of plucking it. Aanya shook her out of the thought and Sana looked at her as if she had just woken up from a coma.

"You didn't even wince. You did well even if it was your first time.", Aanya praised while the beautician prepared to work on the other eyebrow.

"I.. I need to go.. my parents will get mad..", Sana excused. Her face looked extremely terrified as if she had seen a ghost.

"But, you've got just one eyebrow done.. ", her friend muttered looking at her pale face. She sure fears her parents the most was her friend's thought unknown that Sana was actually worried about her baby who she had left at the departmental store.

"Not now, my mom will be very annoyed. Sorry, I need to go now..", Sana pushed the now shocked beautician's hand away from her face and darted towards the exit hurriedly searching for the way to reach the store. She was so lost and absent-minded earlier that she hadn't noted the direction when her friends dragged her to the parlour.

"E..e..excuse me.. could you please tell me where the Woolies is?", she asked a passerby.

"Lower ground floor. Just take the escalator and you would find it to your right.", said the person pointing at the escalator.

"Thanks..", she said while she was already on her feet towards the escalator. She ran down the escalator causing her to trip and fall just when she had stepped off the escalator. Without caring for her hurting palms and bleeding knees or looking around for onlookers reaction, she swiftly got up and ran inside the store.

When she reached the said baby section aisle, neither did she find Khushi nor her pram.

"Oh God! Khushi.. My baby.. my Khushi..", she was in tears as she ran scanning through the other aisles literally bumping into every other shopper in the stores. She had no sense of surroundings due to her panic.

"I am worse than my parents who wanted to abandon my baby at birth.. I lost her..", she cursed herself mentally while she broke into  tears at the last aisle. As a painful sob escaped her mouth, she heard a noise of a crying baby. Without wasting any time she ran into the direction her ears instructed.

She got a glimpse of the pram's handle from far and instantly recognised that it was hers but she couldn't get the glimpse of Khushi because someone was kneeling in front of the pram blocking her view.

"Ohh.. nooo.. noo... baby.. what's the matter.. please don't cry bub..", the person sitting in front of the baby was baby-talking to calm her down using a toy when Sana literally pushed the person to the ground to get the view of the baby in the pram.

"Khushi.. Khushi.. I am here.. I got you..", Sana unbuckled the pram's seatbelt and picked up Khushi in her embrace and rocked her to calm her down.

"Excuse me?", came the voice from behind her.

Sana turned around to come face to face with a young caucasian boy almost about her age. His blue orbs stared at her face suspiciously, who looked disheveled and a little odd with her one eyebrow out of shape while the other looked like a perfect bow. He was the same guy whom Sana had pushed earlier in a hurry to pick Khushi. The guy now stood up and brushed himself before speaking to her. Khushi hadn't stopped crying even after Sana embraced her because she was scared, hungry and exhausted.

"Do you know her?", the young man inquired Sana.

"Yes, she is my baby.", Sana answered rocking the crying baby.

The young man grew suspicious looking at her young face. It isn't so common to find an adolescent parent even though it wasn't impossible. Could she possibly be lying? He couldn't compromise on the safety of the infant and thus had to make sure that the baby was with her right guardian.

"I am sorry to ask, but how can you confirm that the baby is really yours?", the young lad asked taking pity on the crying baby. He had been trying hard to calm her down for so long while the other store member made an announcement to search for her rightful parent.

"What do you mean? Why would I call someone else's baby as mine? She is really my baby.", Sana replied a little annoyed.

"Look young lady, you may be right but I just want to make sure you are the right person. I found her crying for the last 20 minutes alone. Where were you all this time, if it is really your baby? And why is she still crying in your embrace? I can't let you take her without making sure she is genuinely your baby.", the person spoke a little firmly to put across his point.

"Look, her name is Khushi Kapoor and I am her mother, Sana Kapoor. I don't have any proof right now to show that I am her mother. I don't freaking carry her birth certificates everywhere I go. She is crying probably because she is hungry. So if you allow me to go, I can feed her. I have her feeding bottle as well.", Sana replied irritated by his interrogation and tried searching for the feeding bottle only to realise that she had forgotten it at home. The young lad raised his eyebrow in further suspicion.

"Any problem mate?", asked another store member to the young boy.

"Greg, she says she is the mother of that bub. I was just wanting to make sure that the bub is really hers. What if her real parents turn up while we hand her to this young lady here?", the young man spoke.

"You're right mate. Lady, I was about to ring up the police reporting her missing parents. Do you have anything on you to say that she is your child?", asked Greg. Sana was a little scared now hearing about the police. What if they took her Khushi away from her?

"How many times should I say I don't have anything with me right now? I am really her mother. I stay nearby, if you are willing to come with me then I can show you her birth certificate and my identity documents to confirm my relationship with her.", Sana suggested as she was almost about to tear up.

The two men looked at each other feeling a bit awkward to see her in tears but could they take the chance?

"Alright lady, we are just being a little cautious here. His name is David. If you don't mind then he will tag along with you just to check the documents. Else, we can call the police and instead of David they can come and check the documents. What would you prefer?", Greg asked.

"Calling police would take longer. I need to feed her as well. He can come along.", Sana said after a little pondering.

David nodded and tagged along with Sana. After the eventful day, Sana was totally broken emotionally. Her conscience was blaming her for leaving her child alone unattended and the way David was suspecting her to be a kidnapper of her own child wasn't helping either. Tears kept flowing down her cheeks as she walked the path to her apartment.

David was feeling guilty to find her crying now. He somewhere started to feel as if he should just stop the interrogation and return back to his work. But Khushi's cries on the other hand made him continue against his will. After walking for 15 minutes, they arrived at her apartment. David waited outside the door until Sana brought out the said documents and handed it to David. While he looked at it, Sana shoved the feeding bottle into Khushi's mouth which she happily accepted. After inspecting, David felt satisfied but he also felt extremely guilty hearing her soft sobs.

"Hey Sana, I am sorry for being rude to you earlier. Please don't cry. I was just trying to be cautious. Just imagine if someone else had come to me saying that Khushi was his/her daughter. You would have blamed us for handing her to some stranger without confirmation, right?", David explained.

Sana shuddered at the thought while her eyes widened upon realisation. David wasn't wrong in his place either.

"I.. I understand.. I am sorry David.", Sana apologised

"She is very adorable.", David smiled watching the baby fondly and Sana nodded in acknowledgement with a proud smile.

"Please don't leave the kid unattended next time.", David requested. He was finally relieved to find her smiling.

"I won't. I promise.", She nodded like a kid while pinching her neck to promise (in an Indian way). Her action made him chuckle that in turn made her blush.

"Alright mate. Got to go now! Duty calls.. will see you around. Have a good night.", he smiled and left. Sana observed him go down the stairs and kissed Khushi with a promise to never leave her unattended again before going inside.

..
..
..

Sana woke up early as usual to get started for her school. She finished all her morning chores and came out of the bathroom fully dressed in her uniform. However, she found Sidharth still sleeping curled up in the quilt on the floor which hadn't happened before today. Even though he arrives at midnight from his work, he would be up early and prepare her lunch box by the time she finished her other chores.

"Sidharth..", she called him once but no response.

"Sidhaaarth..", she called again a little loudly yet no response from him but on the contrary it woke up Khushi who started to cry. Her loud cries startled Sidharth. He looked up and saw Sana already dressed in her school uniform which made him realise that he had overslept today.

"I.. I am sorry Sana.. I overslept.. your lunchbox?", he muttered to Sana who was now rocking Khushi to console her.

"It's okay. I will eat something outside.", she said.

"I will take care of her..", Sidharth said forwarding his hand. While passing the baby, their hands brushed accidentally. Sana's eye widened and she immediately touched his forehead with her palm then his neck with the back of her palm. Though they were friends earlier, they avoided any deliberate touches now. Hence, he shuddered at her sudden touch.

"You have a fever.", She said.

"Umm.. hmm", he didn't know what to reply. It now made sense why he overslept.

"I am taking off from school.", she declared.

"What? No.. I am fine.. you don't have to stay home for me..", Sidharth spoke.

Sana narrowed her brows. Wasn't he the same boy who would dramatically whimper and sulk craving her attention while he fell sick in the past? Whenever he felt sick, she took off from her school as well since his parents were away and his elder brother just didn't care. He would take advantage of his even slight fevers and literally make her do every single work. He would often be flabbergasted because she never complained or denied to do any of his tasks. She would even clean if he threw up and chastised him to take bitter medicines.

And now, he is telling her to go to school. How could she go to school when he was unwell? Who would take care of him? But would she accept him to be the reason for missing the class now? No. She cared but wouldn't want him to show that she cared.

"Who said I am taking off for you? You can't look after Khushi. She might fall sick as well hence I am taking off for her.", Sana reasoned snatching Khushi from his hand and Sidharth nodded his head silently while biting his lower lips. He agreed without any complaints or doubts.

"I need space to walk. You sleeping on the floor would be anything but hindrance so sleep on the bed.", she uttered as a complaint. He nodded his head and shifted on the bed. Sana laid Khushi in her pram by converting into the bassinet so that she could sleep comfortably before proceeding to change her uniform into her pajamas.

He fluttered his eyes and a slight whimper escaped his mouth when he felt a wet rag come in contact with his forehead. A glance at her face after a long time and he observed her uneven eyebrow. Before he could speak, she spoke.

"Sleep. I don't want Khushi to catch your fever.", she spoke firmly without letting him show any emotions even though she was worried about his high temperature. He nodded subtly before closing his eyes.

She cooked some porridge and made him slurp it before she gave him paracetamol medicine for fever.  She continuously monitored and kept his temperature in check the whole day. She sighed when she saw his temperature was lower.

______

To be continued.. ❤️❤️

I am unwell and recovering from surgery yet I am updating for y'all. Please appreciate the effort by voting for the story at least.