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Arnav placed his hearing aid on the dining table and went to his farmhouse. He felt an intense anger over Khushi for being this stubborn. When he saw the face of their baby in the scan, all he remembered was the experiences he went through.

'Why can she understand why I don't want this baby? I'm not being cruel, but just practical. My baby will be happy in another world where she or he won't face any discrimination just because of their look. How can she think that everything will be fine in their baby's life? This society won't accept anybody who is not perfect according to its parameters. Why she is so stubborn? Why she wants to see their baby suffering in front of them?' A lone tear rolled down from his eyes thinking about his child and wife.

Meanwhile, in his house, Khushi laid down on the bed wrapping her arms around her stomach.

"Amma loves you a lot baby, your papa too loves you. He is just afraid for you." She consoled herself and the baby as she silently sobbed onto the pillow. She can feel slight movement inside her tummy which intensified her sorrow. She has a life inside her, a life which can move and sense it's surrounding. She can't bring herself to think about killing the life they have created with their love.

Khushi heard a knock on her door and find her mother in law standing there.
"Maa, do you need something?" Khushi asked wiping her tears.

"I came to give you some food bitiya," Ratna said placing some evening snacks for her.

"I know it's between husband and wife, but what happened Khushi bitiya, why did Chote storm out like that?" She sat beside her pregnant daughter in law.

"He doesn't want this baby Maa." She leans onto Ratna's shoulder and wept.

"What happened in the hospital?"

"We had a 3D scan and saw all the abnormalities our baby is having. Arnav got terrified by that and now he wants me to terminate this pregnancy. I can't do this Maa, I want to give a chance to my baby." She said touching her stomach.

"I can understand both of your feelings bitiya. Arnav is terrified because he knows what all the baby have to face in this society. Bitiya, do you know what all you have to face if you give this baby a chance. Will be able to see your baby in pain with all those wires and tubes attached to the little body? It's hard to see all that bitiya. Arnav had his first operation when he was just 6 weeks, my chote used to cry in pain and we couldn't do anything to put him out of misery. When all parents point down their child's milestones, we used to pray to keep him alive." Tears started to roll down from Ratna's eyes as she remembered the initial life of Arnav.

"I used to curse myself for being responsible for his condition. Along with society taunts, you get for having a child like that. Chote know everything, he has seen and felt the pain. My chote won't be able to see his child going through that path. Bitiya, can you withstand all these? Can you see your child going through all those pain? You have to take a decision considering all that. Take your time, for now, have this and take rest." Ratna said wiping her tears and placing the plate in front of her.

"Chote must have gone to his farm, call him after having this food," Ratna said making her eat the light snacks he brought for her.

"Maa, papa is calling you for something. You should go and check what he needs, I will have this." Khushi said hearing Arvind calling Ratna.

"Have the food bitiya. I will be back soon." Saying this Ratna walked out. Khushi took her phone and called Arnav while having the fruit salad. Tears started to fill in her eyes when he didn't pick up her call. She sends messages for him and didn't get any reply. She placed the plate on the table and lie down on the bed sobbing. Khushi slipped into sleep in between her sob.

Khushi woke up hearing a loud thunder. She realised that she felt for almost 3 hours and it's dark outside. Khushi gets up from the bed and went to the washroom. She is walking towards the bed when she felt vertigo. Before she can reach the bed, she fainted on the floor after hitting her forehead onto the bedpost.

Ratna decided to check on Khushi as the rain started to pour heavily. Arvind already informed her that Khushi is sleeping and they didn't disturb her. Ratna wiped her hand with the towel and walked towards the room to check out Khushi. As soon as she opened the door, she saw her lying on the floor with a wound on her forehead. Arvind and Ratna with the help of their neighbours took Khushi to the hospital. Ratna tried to call Arnav and it kept ringing and ringing. Ratna sends Jaideep to the farmhouse to call Arnav.

Jaideep reached the farmhouse and knocked on the door. It's raining heavily and he kept knocking hard. Arnav has fallen asleep on the bed. Jaideep opened the window and saw the room filled with darkness. He took his torch and tried to find out Arnav. He saw him sleeping on the bed. He tried to sprinkle water on him and it didn't work out. He took a stick and nudged Arnav.

Arnav felt a touch on him and opened his eyes. It was dark everywhere and he took his spec placed next to him. He switches on the light and looked at the window. He found Jaideep and opened the door.

"What happened? Is everything okay at home?" Arnav asked sensing something bad. He looked at Jaideep to speak up.

"Khushi bhabi is in hospital." Arnav read his lips and got shocked.

"What happened to her?? Is she okay?" Arnav asked.

"Don't know that bhaiyya, I'm here to take you to the hospital." Armav took his phone and went with Jaideep in the truck. He checked out the messages sent by his mother and wife. He could feel how miserable she was after he left home. He read the angry texts sent by his mother. On reaching the hospital, he rushed to where she is being admitted. He saw his mother and father sitting beside her.

Seeing him, Ratna dragged him out of the room.
"Why are you here now Chote? Your wife is pregnant and you left like that. Do you know how was she when you went away like that? Why didn't you take our calls?" She asked in anger while he read her lips.

"I didn't take my hearing aid with me." He said to his mother.

"How are Khushi and the baby?" He asked with a lot of concern.

"Both of them are okay. Her BP went low and she fainted. Her forehead got hit when she fell on the floor. They are giving her an IV drip now." Ratna signed him.

"Does she have to stay here for tonight?"

"No, we can leave once she gets up." Arnav nodded his head and is about to open the door when Ratna held his hand.

"Don't stress her Chote. She is already in stress." Arnav nodded and entered the room. Arvind patted his son's shoulder and went outside.

Arnav looked at Khushi who is lying on the bed with a stitch on the side of her forehead. He placed a kiss on her forehead and sat beside her, holding her hand. He looked at her stomach and placed his hand over her hand which is on her tummy.

"Papa loves you baby and I don't want you to go through the same fate as mine. You will be fine in a better place than this nasty society which only know how to hurt people. Don't hate me baby." He whispered and sat there holding her hand.

After a few hours, Khushi woke from the sedation and looked around. She felt a hand holding her hand and looked down to see him sleeping beside her. She tried to take her hand out of his hold which leads him to wake up.

"Are you okay Khushi?"

"Yes, how is my baby?" She asked holding her stomach. Arnav noticed how she referred their baby as her baby. He decided not to talk anything now.

"Our baby is totally fine. You fainted because of low pressure and you hit your forehead while falling down. We can go back home now. Let me call the doctor." He calmly told her. She laid back on the bed totally ignoring him. After checking her, the doctor discharged them.

Arvind drives the car with Ratna sitting beside him. Arnav sat next to Khushi who kept staring outside while her arms wrapped around her stomach. She ignored him as he kept looking at her.

"Maa, I will take her to our room." He annouced as they exited from the car. Khushi didn't give him a chance and walked towards her room leaving him behind.

"Give her time Chote." Ratna told her son. Arvind patted his shoulder assuring him.

Arnav entered the room after plugin his hearing aid and didn't find her in the room. He heard sounds from washroom and waited for her. Khushi changed into night wear and came out of the washroom. Like earlier, she ignored him and moved towards the drawer to take her medicines.

"Khushi, let me bring you something to have." He told her.

"I don't want anything."

"You shouldn't take medicines on empty stomach."

"It doesn't matter to you if something happens to my baby or not, so it's okay to have medicine like this." She retorted angrily.

"You are going to have some food before having this medicines." Saying this he snatched her medicines and walked out.

Arnav know that his mother is tired from the hospital trip and went to the kitchen to prepare something for her. He didn't find anything and decided to make some toast for her. He took the bread and eggs. He boiled some milk for her as he whisked the egg for the toast. He placed the bread dipped in the egg batter on the pan and roasted it. Khushi saw this and tears started to flow from her eyes. She don't know if she should be angry on him or not. She is angry on him for leaving her like that. She return back to their room and laid down on the bed.

Arnav entered the room with the plates. He placed it on the table and called her.

"I don't want anything Arnav. You can leave like what you did earlier." She taunts him.

"Khushi, I'm sorry for leaving like that. I know that you are upset with me, but..."

"Upset? Do you think that I'm upset, no I'm damn angry on you for doing that to me. Do you know how many times I called you? How can you leave your pregnant wife like that?" Tears started to roll down from her eyes.

"We can talk about this later, have this food for now."

"No, I'm going to starve, so that my baby will go away from me. You want that, don't you?" She yelled at him.

"How can you ask me to abort my baby? This baby is created out of love, not out of any other reason. I won't harm my baby, I want to give him a chance. If he is meant to be with us, then he will survive everything. I have trust on my devimaiyya." She slumped on the bed with her one hand wrapped around her stomach.

Arnav know that the person sitting in front of him is not his wife, but a mother who is ready to fight for her baby. He kneel down besides her and made her look at him.

"Khushi, I'm not here to argue about anything. I'm sorry that I left like that. I was frustrated with everything. All those past memories didn't let me be in peace.
I wanted to clear my mind and I went to the farmhouse. I didn't mean to ignore you, I left my hearing aid here in anger and I regret that now. You need to take rest Khushi. So have this food for our baby and sleep." He said wiping her tears.

"I can't abort our baby Arnav, I can never." She whispered to him. Arnav know that he have to deal this carefully and just nodded his head.

"Here, have this food." He placed the plate on her lap and poured the milk in a glass.

"Did you had dinner?" She asked him.

"You have it Khushi." Khushi understood that he didn't have anything from the hospital.

"We can share this." Saying this she made him sit beside her.

"Khushi, I don't..."

"Arnav, I'm not in a mood to argue. I want to sleep." She let him know and he started to have it along with her.

Khushi laid down on the bed on her left side. She felt him placing his hand on her stomach.

"Don't think about anything. Just sleep now." He placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Please don't leave me like that." She said wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I won't, sleep now Khushi." He assured her. Khushi sleep peacefully while he is awake all the time. He is torn between his love for his wife and the fear for their baby's condition. After thinking for a long time he decided something and slept hugging his wife.

Next day, Arnav didn't let her go for work. He along with his family take care of her and made her take adequate rest.

It's almost three in the evening when Arnav entered the room to talk with Khushi.

"Khushi, I want to take you somewhere."

"Where are we going?" Khushi asked hesitantly.

"To the hospital."

"Why?"

"Surely not to abort our baby. If you have that trust on me, come with me." He said knowing what is going in her mind. Khushi nodded her head and went to get ready. He called the driver and they left to the hospital.

"Arnav, why are you taking me to the hospital?" She asked placing her hand over his hand.

"I will tell you everything once we reach there." He said squeezing her hand. Arnav took her to the pediatrics ward and NICU.

"Why are we here?" She asked looking at the babies and children lying on the bed with a lot of wires attached to their small fragile body.

"This will be the state of our baby for the first few years. I wanted you to understand what you are signing for. Will you be able to see our baby lying like this?" He asked pointing at the babies. He saw her eyes getting welled up. He silently stood beside her as she looked at each and every babies through the glass window. She watched babies getting rolled in and out of the operation theatre. It was hard to see all that. They observed everything silently.

"Arnav, take me to somewhere else." She said after an hour. Arnav called a cab and they went to a park. They sat next to each other looking at the sceneries and children in front of them.

"Khushi, what you saw in the hospital is the reality we have to face if you go with this pregnancy. I don't know if I have the strength to see our child going through all that pain." He break the silence between them.

"Arnav, I can understand what you are saying. Do you know what I saw there?" She asked looking at his eyes.

"I saw little fighters who will fill their parents life with happiness. I know that the path in front of us is going to be hard, but nothing is impossible. I want to bring our baby into this world." She said with determination as she placed her hand over her stomach.

"Every human have to go through some rough path Arnav. We can't have a life full of happiness. You had a terrible childhood and you emerged as a good man.  I too had my share of sorrows. Didn't I tell you about the time I spend with my grandparents while my parents were away from me. I was happy with my grandparents, but when they visited me bhaiyya used to say all the things he did with my parents. For a five year old girl it was too much. Now devimaiyya have challenged me with this pregnancy and I know that it's worth for a fight." She lean on to his shoulder holding his hand.

"We have to prepare for our baby. We have to be strong for our baby.  Do you know what the most rarest emotion in this world? It's kindness. If we have to choose between right and kind, let's choose to be kind. Let's give our baby a chance to live. We will be their for our baby and will help him to achieve everything he wants. Will you be with me in this?" She asked looking up to him with hopeful eyes. Arnav took a deep breath and took hold of her hand.

"I don't know if it's the right decision or not, but I know that you won't let our baby crumble down. I trust you Khushi, but I don't know if I have the strength to go through all that again." He confessed her.

"You can Arnav. We will do this for our baby." Saying this she snuggled into his embrace.

"Khushi everyone is watching us." He said watching every couples looking at them.

"Let them watch. I'm hugging my husband. If their spouses are not hugging them like this, it's not my fault." She said placing her head on his chest. Arnav shook his head knowing his wife.

"Are you waiting for the invitation? Hug me back like a good husband." She scolded him and he wrapped his arms around her with a smile.

"Hmm, we have to save money for our baby." Arnav told her and she moved back from the little hug.

"We can manage the hospital expenses. Let's save each and every penny for our baby from now." She know that they have to spend a lot of money for the upcoming surgeries if their baby have to lead a normal life.

"We are going to have a happy life with our baby." She assured him again.

"Just don't hope too much Khushi." He advised her and she nodded her head knowing the truth. After spending time with them, they left home.

For the next 4 weeks, Khushi can feel the baby doing somersault in her womb. She loved the feeling of the baby inside her. Each and every time the baby moved, she described it to him. She asked him to wait till the baby kicks.

"Arnav, do you ever feel like divorcing me? At least for a moment." The 24 weeks old pregnant Khushi asked her husband who is busy taking care of the garden in their house. He looked at her with a bewildered look.

"Did you become crazier than you already are?" He asked her and went back to his work.

"Arnav, answer me." She compelled sitting on the chair massaging her visible bump.

"Why are you asking this now? After five years of marriage" He asked taking her glance.

"You know it's hard to live with me. I'm stubborn and eccentric. I talk back at elders and fight a lot. I get angry easily and gives you a hard time. Sometimes I wonder how can you be this patient with me. How do you do that?" She asked him.

"It may be because I loved you knowing everything about you." He said walking towards her and kneeling down to her level.

"Aww you are the best husband. Mommy and baby loves papa a lot." She said pulling his cheek.

"This is for my wife and baby." Saying this he gave her a pink rose. Khushi touched the rose and smelled it.

"Ouch." That's when she felt a kick in her belly.

"Are you okay Khushi?" He asked out of concern.

"Arnav the baby kicked." She took his hand and placed it on her belly. After a few minutes, the baby kicked again. His eyes misted when he felt the kick.

"Our baby just kicked Arnav." She kept telling this to him.

"He is going to be like his father. Already find of flowers." She said with a smile.

"Yes, he is." Arnav nodded his head.

"Let me call maa and papa." Khushi called Ratna and Arvind. They too felt the kick and congratulated them.

At night, Khushi is standing in front of the mirror, looking at her bump and talking to the baby.

"Khushi do you think that our baby can hear us?" He asked standing beside her.

"Yes, our baby can hear us. He can feel us and knew that we loves him so much. Don't think about any other things Arnav.  Hm, do you also want a baby boy?" Khushi asked him.

"Yes, I don't know how will a girl cope up with this condition. Everyone expect girl to be beautiful and elegant. I hope that our baby turn out to be a boy." He confessed his feeling.

"Arnav, do you know why I want a boy?" She asked him and he kept staring at her.

"I want a boy because our society need men like you. I want a boy who will be like his father, someone with a good heart and soul which is very hard to find in today's world. Anyway, if our baby turn out to be a girl, then we will make sure that she is strong enough to fight against all those societal norms and concepts."

"Our baby is lucky to have you as their mother." He said entwining their hands.

"Just like the way they are lucky to have such an awesome father." She replied with a smile making him smile too. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing his palms over her baby bump.

"You look so beautiful." He said after placing a kiss on her collarbone.

"With all these extra fat on my body?" She questioned him.

"Yup, you are even more beautiful now. I just love my wife irrespective of her figure and shape." Khushi turned around with a naughty smile.

"So you love you wife, then show me how much you love your wife. Make me feel your love." She said stroking his cheek.

"Is it safe? You are 6 month pregnant and...."

"Shh... We are safe till 7 months. You already know what to do. Now love your wife, hubby." She said trying to take away his t-shirt.

"Then let me handle everything." Saying this he took her to the bed and made sweet gentle love to her.

After a few hours, Khushi is lying on the bed with her arms wrapped around his waist.

"Khushi, today maa was telling di about the baby shower. What do you want?" He asked as he strokes her hair.

"I don't want a traditional baby shower where I have to sit on the chair for the whole day. Can we have a modern baby shower with our close friends and relatives?" She asked him.

"Everything will go according to the wish of mother to be."

"Don't you have any opinion?" She asked him.

"You are the one who is carrying our baby, so it's your call."

"Arnav, don't spend too much on the baby shower."

"You don't need to worry about all that, I will take care of it."

"I want to go to the mandir on that day."

"Okay, we can go with everyone."

"Will maa and papa agree to this baby shower?" She asked him.

"They will, don't worry about them. Now sleep Khushi, you have college tomorrow." He said patting her shoulder lightly. He placed a kiss on her forehead and placed his hand over her bump. She smiled at him and slept peacefully holding on to him.

As he said to her, Ratna and Arvind liked the idea of having an intimate baby shower. Arvind continued to drop and pick up Khushi from work even though she was against the idea. Anjali visited her with Anuj and spend time with her. At weekends, Arnav used to take her for evening walks where they talked about their baby and future.

He helped her with her research paper. He typed the thesis for her when she get tired from typing. He stayed up with her whenever she worked on her paper. She wanted to finish her thesis roughly before her delivery.

Khushi applied for one and a half year leave from work starting from her 8th month. Her college authorities understood her situation and sanctioned the extra leaves. She is in her 28th week, when they went for baby shower shopping. She found him looking at someone keenly and nudged him.

"Who's that?" She asked looking at the man her husband is watching.

"One of my former bully. We were in the same class from for two years." He let her know.

"I already feel like smacking his cheeks." She confessed hearing his words.

"Khushi, we were children, I don't hold any grudge at him."

"Yeah, you don't even know how to hold a grudge at anyone at all." She taunted him.

"Khushi, we are here for shopping, so let's do that now. After that I want to pamper my wife and baby with a surprise." He said pulling her chubby cheek.

"So what the surprise?" She asked completely forgetting about the other person.

"Have some patience Khushi. Now come, let's finish the shopping." He said pulling her closer.

After a few minutes,
"Khushi, you have been on legs for a long time. You should sit somewhere, come."  Saying this he took her to the front area and made her sit there.

"I will be back after picking up the remaining things." Saying this he went from there.

After a few minutes, Khushi heard someone calling her.
"Aren't you Khushi Gupta who studied in XYZ school in Lucknow?" A girl asked her.

"Yes, I'm...hmm, sorry I can't recall you."

"I'm Chitrangada who studied with you till 4th standard."

"Ohh, I remember now. You got transferred in the middle and went to Chennai. It's really a surprise to see you here." Khushi told remembering their school days.

"My husband's cousin lives here, we came to visit them. You got married?"

"Yup, five years of marriage and now expecting our first child." Khushi said with extreme happiness.

"That's great, it's been four months since I got married. So is your husband from here?" Chitra asked her.

"Yup, he is into plantation business and I work as an assistant professor in an engineering college." Khushi said rubbing her tummy as the baby did somersault in her belly.

"Kalesh don't want me to work. He and his family is into business." Khushi could hear her sadness and decided to divert the topic.

"Tell me about your life in Chennai." Khushi asked her. That's when a good looking man walked towards them with Arnav.

"Chitra, I was searching for you." The man held her hand and looked at Khushi who is sitting in front of his wife.

"Chitra, this is the guy I was talking about. Meet Arnav Singh Raizada. Arnav, this is my wife Chitrangada" Kalesh, the former bully introduced Arnav to Chitra.

"Nice to meet you Mr.Raizada." She greeted Arnav and then turned towards Khushi.

"Kalesh, this is my schoolmate Khushi Gupta."

"Hello Mrs. Gupta, nice to meet you." Kalesh greeted Khushi.

"I'm not Mrs. Gupta, I'm Mrs. Raizada and this is my husband Arnav Singh Raizada." She told him, making both of them stunned. Kalesh looked at Arnav and Khushi, then at her baby bump.

"Yes, he is the man behind this baby bump." Khushi said casually and get up with his help.

"That's such a surprise. Sorry for my reaction. I'm happy for you Arnav. I know I have bullied you a lot when we were in school. I want to ask sorry for that." Kalesh confessed his feeling.

"That's okay, we were children and did some mistakes. I don't hold any grudge with you. I'm content and happy with my life." Arnav said giving her a glance while talking to Kalesh.

"So are you working?" Kalesh asked Khushi.

"Yes, I'm working as an assistant professor in an engineering college." Khushi replied leaning onto Arnav.

"So how far have you been?" Chitra asked pointing at her bump.

"I'm in my 7th month." They chatted for sometime and parted away. Arshi stood there as they watched them going out of the shop.

"I thought you will invite them for the baby shower." Arnav told her.

"Why will I invite them? They are not our close friends. I know that my good goody man wants to invite them."

"Well, he seems to be a nice guy now. His wife is also your friend."

"She was just a classmate, nothing more. I want the baby shower to be with our friends and relatives who stood with us through thick and thin."

"That's true. Now come with me, let's go and pay the bill. After that I have a surprise for you." After paying the bill he took her to the place she have been missing a lot.

"You are going to let me have pizzas?" She asked looking at the pizza store.

"Yup, last night you were craving that and I thought its been long since you had it."

"You are the best hubby." She said as they sit in a corner. Khushi ordered a few flavours of pizzas. They had to wait for sometime to get it which pissed her off.

"Why can't you bring the order sooner? Do you think it's good to make a pregnant lady wait for her food?" Khushi scolded the waitress while Arnav tried to rectify the situation.

"Khushi, it's okay. They usually take this much time to prepare it." He told  her and turned to the waitress.

"I'm sorry on behalf of my wife." He apologized and she started to have the pizza. Khushi felt someone watching them and turned to look at the other side, only to see a girl looking at them.

"Your pizza and boyfriend is beside you. Why are you eyeing my pizza and my husband?" She asked her rudely and the girl turned her heads away. She is pissed with the attention they get.

"Khushi, you shouldn't have done that. We always get looks like that." He told her.

"If she look again, I'm going to throw this sauce bottle on her face." Khushi replied biting on her pizza.

Arnav know that her pregnancy hormones have gone crazy and decided to cool her down. For that he done something he have never done before. He kissed her on the cheek in a public place. He eyes gone wide as she realised what had happened just now.

"Papa and baby want mommy to be happy and pleasent." He said squeezing her hand.

"We are happy and together, so calm down and enjoy this time." He said wiping the sauce from the corner of her lips. Khushi gave him a smile and felt a kick in her stomach.

"The baby also agree with you Arnav." She said placing his hand on her stomach.

"I'm sorry for acting like a b***h." She said leaning on to his shoulder.

"That's okay, now let's finish off this pizzas." Saying this they started to have it while talking about the upcoming baby shower.

******************************************************

Arnav along with his friends arranged everything for the baby shower. They decorated the yard near to his plantation beautifully. They only invited a few people for the baby shower. It isn't a lavish and luxurious set up, but it is beautiful in it own way.

On the day of her baby shower, their entire family went to temple and conducted Pooja for them. Around 3 in the afternoon, Khushi got ready for her baby shower. She stood in front of the mirror in a white long gown. She paired it up with a pearl earrings and bracelet while leaving her neck bare. Arnav got out of the washroom with a grumpy face.

"Why are you making that face?" Khushi asked seeing him in the tshirt she have chosen for him.

"You want me to wear this and go out?" He pointed at the tshirt which says that 'The man behind the bump'.

"Aren't you the man behind my bump? Geez...Raizada are you questioning the paternity of our child?" She retorted back.

"Why do I have to wear this? Everyone know that I'm the one behind your bump."

"Yeah, everyone know that and I don't see a problem with this t-shirt too."

"Khushi our relatives will be there...what about maa and papa?" He asked her.

"Arnav, I didn't get pregnant by being a virgin. They do know the process behind it, so chill and wear that wonderful tshirt. May be you can wear a jacket over it." She suggested him.

"You are shameless Khushi."

"...And you are a wholesale dealer of shame, yet you managed to get me pregnant." She teased him. He took the jacket and worn it over his t-shirt. Khushi turned towards him and looked at him.

"You look handsome hubby." She said rubbing her bump.

"You look beautiful but lacks something." Saying this he placed a 'mother to be' written tiara on her head.

"Now mommy looks perfect." He said placing a kiss on her forehead. She turned towards the mirror and looked at herself. She loved the tiara and touched it. She opened the drawer and took out the badges she brought for them.

"Here is the father to be badge for you." She showed him the badge.

"Why do I need the badge when you got this t-shirt for me?"

"Well half of the writing will get covered by this jacket, so you have to pin it onto the jacket." She pinned the badge on his jacket.

"So mommy and papa are ready, lets go then. I can't wait to see what all you did in your plantation" She said looked at their reflection in the mirror.

"Yup, I hope you like that and the surprise I have planned for you." They all left to their destination.

Khushi is in awe when she saw the elegant and beautiful decorations they have done for the baby shower. In the entrance they have made a wooden sign board which says that Khushi's Baby Shower.

All the delicious food items are neatly arranged on the table.

Above that the letters A& K is decorated with flowers.

There were yellow ballons hanging over the small dining area. The gifts for the guests were arranged near to the food corner. Gift hampers contained a succulent plant, sanitizer, a mason jar filled with vanilla flavoured tea powder along with a small packet of popcorn saying 'ready to pop'.

A chair is decorated with flowers and ribbons for her to sit. A mom to be tag is hanged on the back of the chair.

She saw all their close friends and relatives waiting for them. They all congratulated them and played a little game with everyone. Some of their relatives and their close friends along with their spouses were present there. She was taking photo with them when she saw them walking towards her. She looked at Arnav who smiled at her. He moved towards her and squeezed her hand.

"You told me that one day they will realise our love and this is that day." He told her. Her eyes get welled up seeing her parents and brother there.

Guptas stood in front of both of them.
"Khushi bitiya, I know that we have hurt you a lot by our actions. We realised our mistakes and want to rectify that. We are sorry for everything you have gone through because of us." Shashi told her.

"Papa if you are genuinely sorry then you should apologize to Arnav, because it's him who have heard and suffered a lot by marrying me. I can't forgive you unless you all apologize to my husband for saying all those things on that day." Khushi told him with determination while he face palmed mentally.

"No sir, it's okay. I could understand your situation and I don't blame you for what you said. Please don't take it to your heart." Arnav told Shashi.

"Arnav beta, Khushi is right. We have accused you for something you don't have any part. We know our daughter and her nature. We shouldn't have insulted you for something which isn't in your control. We are extremely sorry for hurting you with our action and words." Garima said to him.

"We have seen you taking care of our daughter like a gentle man and we are happy for both of you." Shashi supported his wife.

"I'm happy that you are here for us." Khushi said to them and looked at her brother who haven't said a word. Akash step forward and hugged Arnav taking him by surprise.

"You are the best husband my sister can ever have. We are proud that she has chosen the right man for her. I'm sorry for everything." Disentangling from the hug he said to Arnav.

He turned towards her and side hugged her.
"Won't you forgive your big brother pagli?" Khushi nodded her head with a smile and teary eyes. Shashi and Garima apologized to Ratna and Arvind. Arnav introduced Akash to his friends.

They all had the food and everyone gave their blessings to the couple. Arshi gifted them the hamper. Before they wrap up everything Khushi stood up from her chair and seeks everyone attention.

"We are glad that you all come here to share our happiness. Everyone present here means a lot to us. Thanks a lot for being a part of our journey. Before we all go from here I want to share something with you." Khushi looked at Arnav and squeezed his hand.

"One year back I expressed my wish to have a baby. Hearing that Arnav made arrangements for a genetic counselling and we find out that our baby will have 50-50 chance of having the syndrome if we conceive naturally. So to avoid that we opted for IVF treatment. A month before our IVF treatment, I found out that I'm pregnant with this baby. As a girl, I was when I got to know about it. When I told Arnav about it, his reaction wasn't the one I was expecting. He got totally freaked out knowing that the baby have 50-50 chances of inheriting his condition. He doesn't want our baby to go through all the hardship just because of his or her would be different." He eyes got welled up a little.

"I'm proud to be his wife. I like being Mrs Arnav Singh Raizada. I believe that I have married one of the purest soul in this world. I know that he have gone through a lot in his life just because of his appearance. He had been subjected to bullying and out-casted from the society because of that. Because of all these things he doesn't want us to have this child fearing that it would inherited his condition. It took me a great effort to make him agree to let me carry on with this pregnancy." Khushi sat on the chair and looked at everyone.

"When I was in my 19th week, we got the test result to know if our baby have TCS or not. As per the report, our baby does have TCS and Arnav don't want our baby to go through all the hardship he had been suffering all these years. It took me a lot of time to convince him to let me go on with this pregnancy. Now we want to give a chance to our baby. I know that the road ahead of us will be difficult. I want all your prayers for our baby. I hope you all of you  absorb the news. Once for thanks for attending this party and making it beautiful." Saying this Khushi looked at the people in front of her for a moment. She looked at her parents and then at Arnav.

They heard a clap from Shyam which is followed by most of the people present there. She hopefully looked at her parents who sat there in shock. Arnav saw this and lightly squeezed her hand.

Once the claps got over, Shashi walked towards her.
"I know we did a mistake by not accepting your Arnav. We are not going to do the same mistake again. I know that my daughter is strong and capable of facing anything with courage. Our prayers are with grandchild." Khushi smiled at her father and looked at her mother and brother who smiled at her.

They wrapped up the party and left home. Raizada invited Guptas to their house. They all had a small chat and Guptas invited whole Raizadas for dinner and to Arshi a stay at Gupta house for a few days. They all agreed and bid adieu.

At night, Arnav is massaging her swollen leg.
"Arnav, thanks for giving me the best baby shower. I'm lucky to have you in my life." She said getting little bit emotional.

Arnav wiped his hand and sat next to her.
"Don't get emotional and spoil our baby's mood."

"Blame it on the hormones." She smiled at him.

"We will be going to your home after two days, is that okay for you?" Arnav asked squeezing her hand.

"I'm totally okay with it. Are you okay with the arrangement?" Khushi asked her socially awkward hubby.

"No, it's fine. This time everything will be fine. Don't worry about me." He said kissing her forehead.

Two days after, Raizadas went for dinner and Arshi stayed back with Guptas. Garima pampered her pregnant daughter with all her favourite dishes. They all were cordially with Arnav too. They got to see how he take care of her and manages her mood swings.

One day, it is only Khushi and her parents were in the house.

Shashi and Garima sat down next to her for a casual chat.

"We are proud of you bitiya. You have achieved everything you wanted and followed your dream." Shashi told her.

"It's all because of Arnav, Papa. He didn't inform me anything about my higher studies plan. I got to know about it only at the end." Khushi let him know.

"We know what all he did for you. We are happy that you got a supportive and understanding husband." Garima told her with pride.

"Amma, you always tried to teach me what all should follow in my in laws house. When you used to do that, I got really worried for getting married. You know most of the girls miss their parents when they go to their in laws house. They get worried thinking that what if they mess up everything. In my case, Ratna maa and Arvind papa never made me miss you guys. They treated me as their daughter than daughter in law. Then coming to Arnav, he is the best husband a girl can ask for. He did everything he can do for me. He supported my studies and career. He tolerated my stubborn behaviour and understands me very well. Each day I'm falling in love with him again and again." Khushi confessed to her parents. She looked at her parents who have learnt their lesson in their life.

"Inspite of all these, I did missed you all. On ever occasion, Anjali Di used to visit her home with her family. Ratna maa and papa treat Aman Jiju as their son. I used to wish if you guys were there in our life to treat my Arnav like that and too have his share of an extended family." Khushi told her parents.

"We are sorry bitiya. Now we know what you said to us, Arnav is a beautiful soul." Shashi told making her proud.

"Amma, how is bhaiyya doing after Preeti?" Khushi asked the nagging question.

"He is trying to cope up bitiya. He loved her and she betrayed her trust. We are also culprit in it. In the quest for status and money, we never checked anything about her. We thought she is the perfect one for Akash, but she was all into money. Last month, she got married to his boss and he resigned from job. Right now, he is trying to establish a business along with his friends." Garima informed about Akash.

"He isn't the old Akash bitiya. He..." Shashi couldn't complete his sentence as he hear the sound of Akash's car.

"Amma, I'm hungry." Akash said entering the hall. He didn't find his mother in the kitchen and went to Khushi's room. He found three of them there.

"Amma, I'm hungry. Can you please take out something while I get fresh up?" Akash asked Garima and the couple moved from there.

"I have brought you some snacks." Akash said placing a packet of sweets on her table.

"Bhaiyya, I want to talk to you. Can you come here after having the food?" Khushi asked her brother.

"Sure, take rest Khushi." Saying this Akash went to his room.

After having the food, Akash entered her room and found her engrossed in a book.

"Are you free?" Asked Akash who sat opposite to her.

"Totally free. Come and sit beside me bhai." Khushi patted the seat next to her.
Akash sat next to her and looked at her.

"You have changed a lot Khushi. Look at you, you are going to be a mom." Akash said admiring his little sister.

"And you are going to be a uncle (mama)"
Khushi giggled pulling her brother's cheeks.

"Stop pulling my cheek and behave like grown up woman." Akash teased her.

"My dear bhaiyya, I'm going to be your little sister forever and you have to tolerate everything." She said taking his hand. Akash smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

"I missed you bhai... I'm glad that you are in my life now." She confessed.

"Sorry for putting you through all that. You are right, your Arnav is the best." Akash said realising his mistake.

"Yeah, he is. You know bhai, you were right when you said that Arnav can never be NK, but he much more than that. He can't take me abroad for vacation, but he made sure that he spend time with me and used to take me for small vacations every year. He can't offer every luxurious things, but he made sure that I'm comfortable and safe. He doesn't spend money lavishly, but saves each and every penny for his family. I have never seen him being rude to anyone, he only know how to love everyone irrespective of the way they treat them. The more I got to know about him, the more I fell for him." Khushi couldn't control herself from speaking about Arnav.

"Was it hard?" Akash asked looking at her pregnant belly. Khushi understood what he is asking about.

"No, it wasn't. The moment I came to knew that I'm pregnant, I started to love this baby. From day one, I wanted this baby and here we are. In case of Arnav, it's quite opposite, but he is keeping his trust on me."

"You emerged as a strong woman Khushi. We are proud of you. Nothing is going to happen to this little one and you are going to be a super mommy to my niece or nephew." Akash lightly squeezed her hand while she smiled at him. Her phone rang at that time and she attended the call. It is Arnav who called to check up on her and is on his way to Guptas.

"Arnav will be here soon." Khushi said with a wide smile on her face.

"You are glowing Khushi." Akash teased her which earned him a slight jab on his chest.

"Bhai, can I say something?" Khushi asked him.

"What is it Khushi?"

"We don't want you to spoil your life on that good for nothing Preeti. She don't deserve any ounce of feeling or emotions from you. I know it's hard to forgot someone whom you loved, but it's not good to inflict pain on yourself for someone who isn't worthy of it." Khushi told her brother.

"Don't worry about it, I'm okay Khushi." Akash lied not wanting to burden his heavily pregnant sister.

"Bhai, we used to be best friend and nothing can change that. You can talk to me, your sister isn't a porcelain doll." Akash smiled knowing her nature.

"It's hard to forget everything, but I'm trying. I really want to move on with my life because I know that it is hard for Amma and Papa to see me like this. I wasn't aware about the value of true relationships until all these happened in my life. Now I know the value of every relationship in my life. I had a huge circle of friends and now I understood that it wasn't genuine. I'm picking up myself Khushi, hopefully I will be soon back to the same Akash you all know." He said to her.

"You deserve someone good bhai. Like me, you will also find your happiness one day." Khushi said leaning on to his shoulder. She heard the calling bell and is about to get up.

"Khushi, Arnav will come to you. You sit here for now." Akash told her when he saw her trying to get up. As soon as Khushi saw Arnav, he got panicked seeing the injuries on his forehead and arms.

"Arnav, what happened to you?" She asked trying to get up from the bed.

"I'm totally fine Khushi, please sit down and don't panic." He said making her sit on the bed. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at him.

"How did it happened? Are you hurt anyone? We should go to a hospital." She started to get panicked.

"It was a smal accident and nothing serious. Calm down Khushi." Arnav tried to calm her down.

"No, let's go to the hospital." Khushi said getting up from the bed while the two men held her.

"Khushi, Arnav is okay. Don't panic. I will take him to the hospital. You rest here." Akash offered.

"I will also come with you too." Khushi insisted.

"Khushi, I will go with Akash. You stay here with amma and papa. It's just a scratch, there is nothing to worry." Arnav consoled her as Akash went to his room to get ready. Garima and Shashi stood there seeing their daughter who is in too much in love. As much as strong she is, she is sensitive too that level when it's about her loved ones.

"How did this happened?" Khushi asked him.

"It's just I collided with a man. Calm down Khushi, it's not good for our baby. See I'm totally fine." He said wrapping his arms around her shoulder and placing her head on his chest.

"Damn that man, may he rot in hell for colliding with you. I really wish that he...." Khushi started her usual cursing behaviour.

"....shh...you are not going to curse anyone, especially now." He said placing his hand over her belly.

"Well, I can't help but curse him for his careless behaviour. I don't want anyone harming you or hurting you." Khushi said looking up at his face.

"Nothing is going to happen me. Don't stress over anything. Why don't you use this time to brainstorm some names for our baby?" He asked her.

"Don't you have any suggestions?" Khushi asked him.

"Yeah I do have a few. Let's see what we pick up when I will be back." He tried to divert her mind.

Akash got ready and both of them left to hospital.

In the car,
"How did this happened?" Akash asked after an awkward silence.

"Hmm, I was walking towards home when this man lost control of his bike and fell over me. Fortunately it wasn't the bike. I think he was drunk."

"You should have called the police Arnav."

"Before I could do something, he pushed me away and get away from there." Arnav told him.

"Did you notice the number plate?" Akash enquired.

"Yup, I did."

"That's good, he can give a police complain. We shouldn't encourage drank and drive." Akash said concentrating his eyes on the road.

"Yeah that's true, I do agree that." Arnav paused for a moment and continued.
"Hmm Akash, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"What's it?"

"Does she used to tell the people about our achievement? You know deliberately letting them know about it."

"Arnav you can put that into one word and that's boasting." Akash said the word.

"Well, yeah you can say that." Arnav said chuckling at him.

"Khushi do boast about her loved ones, but only in front of mean people. For her it's like bullying the bullies. She is quite different from me and my parents. You must have known that she stayed with my grandparents till she is 10 years old and that influenced her a lot. My grandfather was the village head and grandma was a strong lady. Both of them have made her who she is now. She will go against anyone and to any extend to prove her point. On other hand, she is damn sensitive about her loved ones too.  Even a small scratch on them can terrify her. Isn't it hard to deal with her stubbornness?" Akash asked him.

"Sometimes, you just need to make her understand about the issue. It wasn't that hard to deal with her stubbornness." Arnav told her.

"Well, we used to struggle a lot with that." Akash remembered all the incident from their childhood.

"We have reached the hospital, Arnav." Akash informed him. They just cleaned his wound and applied medicine to heal. It was just scratch marks and nothing serious. They return back to Gupta house and Akash stopped Arnav before entering the house.

"Arnav, thanks for being everything I wanted for my sister. I hope we can start fresh as brothers in law." He said forwarding his hand at Arnav.

"Sure Akash and I don't hold any grudge against you. Hmm, you can always count on me."

"Ye..." Akash couldn't complete his sentence as Khushi called Arnav from the door step.

"Let's go and calm your sister now." Saying this Arnav walked towards the doorstep where Khushi is waiting for him. Akash looked at both of them and smiled.

'Khushi is right, he is a gem.' Akash said in his mind.

At night, Arshi were sitting on the bed trying to finalise the name.

"I liked all these names." Khushi gave him a whole list of names. Arnav too told her the names he liked.

"Okay let's do one thing. We will select a few names from both categories, then we can choose from the lot." Khushi proposed the idea and he agreed. They selected 8 male names and 6 female names. Among them they choose one each from the category using a lot.

"I love both the names." Khushi said looking at the boy and girl name they have zeroed.

"Yeah, I too loved it." Accidentally she touched him on the scratch area and he hissed.

"Ohh, I'm sorry Arnav. Is it paining a lot? Should I call Amma and Papa?" She asked getting panicked.

"Khushi, it's nothing. I told you that it's some minor scratches. Stop panicking over this, it's not good for the baby." He tried to make her understand.

"You are irritated, aren't you? I know that you will get irritated. Why would you tolerate a fat whale like woman now? You don't love me because I'm this huge and double the size than you." Khushi shouted as tears started to trail down from her eyes. She turned away from his and lie down on the bed holding her stomach.

'Mood swings.' Arnav mentally rolled his eyes.

Arnav wrapped his arms around her stomach and placed his chin on her shoulder.

"Yes you are fat now, but do you know what that makes you?" Arnav asked her.

"A big whale?" Khushi asked.

"No, that makes you the most beautiful woman in this world. You are fat, because you are carrying our precious baby inside you." He said feathering kisses on her shoulder. Khushi smiled lightly and sat on the bed.

"Am I really beautiful?" She asked him.

"Yup, both in and out." His reply brought a smile on her face. Arnav pulled her to his lap and made her sit in between his legs.

"I want to say something to you." He said holding her hand.

"What is it Arnav?"

"Do you remember what I told you the day after our marriage when we went to our farmhouse?"

"Yeah, you told me a lot of things."

"Hmm I don't know where should I start this, but when we got married I was afraid that you would regret your decision. As days passed, you made me speechless by the way you love me. I never knew that someone can love me like the way you do. Slowly all my fears got disappeared without my knowledge. I may sound selfish if I say that I want you in my life. I want you to stay with me. I want to grow old with you and I want to be your husband." Arnav said making her exhilarated. She had been waiting for the past five years to hear him say it.
She placed her forehead on his forehead and smiled.

"It's good to be selfish and you just made me the happiest woman in this world. You don't know how long I have been waiting to hear these words. I just want to be yours, no one else." Tears rolled down from their eyes as they looked at each other.

"So Mr. Raizada, kiss Mrs Raizada and seal the deal." She asked him playfully.

"Forever." Saying this his kissed her tenderly. Today's incident mad him realise that life is unpredictable and you have to live in the moment.

"Never leave me Khushi."

"Not even in my next life." She replied wrapping her arms around his neck. Khushi felt a kick on her belly and looked down.

"Even our baby agrees too." She said placing his hand over her belly as they waited for another kick.

"I don't know why, but my intuition says that we are going to live a happy life with our baby." She said to him.

"I too hope so. We love you baby." Arnav said leaning closer to her belly.

"Baby want kisses from mommy and Papa." Khushi told him and he placed two kisses on her pregnant belly.

"Aww...baby is happy now."

"Come on mommy, let's sleep now." Arnav said making her lie on the bed. He covered themselves with blanket and slept peacefully.

After staying over for a week, Arshi went back to Shantivan. Guptas occasionally visited Arshi as they live in the same neighborhood. Arnav tried his best to wrap up his work in the plantation and delegated the works to some trustworthy works. The last week scan came out good and a week later her water got broken.

As soon as they reached the hospital, the doctor made arrangements in the NICU too. Finally through a c-section, Khushi gave birth to their daughter who is taken to the NICU even before they can get a glimpse of her.

Khushi slept due to the medicine and Arnav moved to the NICU to see his baby. Through the glass windowpane, he saw his fragile daughter lying there with wires attached to her little body. As soon as he saw his daughter, he know that he will do anything to protect her from this cruel world.

Little Navika Singh Raizada lied on the little bed, not knowing what all is stored for her in the future.

********

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