Page 105 of Mrs. Pandey
I glanced at the breakfast she set down and frowned gently. "See, you don’t have to do all this for me. I can hire a chef, Kavya. I mean, I don’t like you..."
Before I could finish, she cut me off with a laugh, squeezing my hand. "I like doing this, Ira. You helped me once, and now it’s my turn to help you. Let me return the favour."
I flushed, embarrassed by her devotion. "You can stay here as long as you want, Kavya. But don’t treat yourself like mycaretaker… really, it makes me feel awkward. I don’t want you to think you owe me something."
She tilted her head, her eyes glimmering with mischief. "You’re too proud to ask for help, aren’t you, Lieutenant Ira?" she teased gently, then her tone softened. "But listen… I genuinely want to look after you. You’re pregnant, your mother barely has time to sit with you, and you’ve been through too much alone. Let me be your caretaker for a few months. Please?"
Her words broke something inside me, something I didn’t realize I had been holding on to. I blinked rapidly, feeling tears prick my eyes, but I quickly smiled and looked away.
Maybe, for a while, I could allow someone else to carry me.
_______
I was eight months pregnant now, and honestly, I felt like a whale stranded on land. My bump was bigger than expected, stretching my body in ways I hadn’t imagined. Sleep was a battle, lying on one side hurt my back, lying on the other made me breathless. Eating felt like a chore because my stomach was squeezed tight, yet I was always hungry. Even the smallest tasks, walking to the kitchen, bending to pick up a fallen spoon left me exhausted.
The doctor had assured me earlier that everything seemed fine, but once I entered my eighth month, complications crept in like uninvited shadows. My feet were swollen like balloons, my hands stiff and puffy. Some days I looked in the mirror and barely recognized myself. I didn’t feel glowing, beautiful, or maternal like books described I just felt heavy, unattractive,and fragile. My body was stretched, but worse, my mind was cracking too.
I found myself longing for comfort I couldn’t seem to find. At night, when the house was quiet, my heart ached for Prashant. I missed him with a desperation that frightened me. Kavya helped whenever she could as she cooked, she checked in, she kept me distracted with her endless chatter but she was busy with work most of the time. And when she was gone, the silence swallowed me whole.
Then I heard the news. Prashant had returned. He had completed his threatening mission and had even been hailed as a national hero. His photo was in the papers, his bravery praised in the headlines. He looked proud, strong, victorious. They said he wasn’t traumatized this time, that he had learned to carry the weight of war differently.
And yet he hadn’t come to see me.
The thought dug into my chest like a knife. I should have been happy for him, relieved that he was safe but all I could think was, If only he would come here, if only he would look at me once. I wanted to tell him everything that I was pregnant, that I was carrying his child. Our child.
I wanted him to touch my face, smile that smile that once made me weak, and hold me the way he used to before everything broke. Even if he had cheated, even if he had abandoned me, I still wanted him. I hated myself for it, but I couldn’t deny it. My heart betrayed me every time.
I sighed heavily, trying to push those thoughts away. Negative feelings weren’t good for the baby. "No, Ira," I whispered tomyself, rubbing my belly. "Me and baby are enough. We’ll be fine."
That evening, I curled up on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn and switched on a movie. The flickering light danced across the walls, but I wasn’t really watching. My hand rested lazily on my stomach as I chewed slowly.
Then it happened.
A sudden, sharp stab shot through my abdomen. My breath caught, my heart skipping a beat. I stiffened, clutching my side as the pain surged again, stronger this time.
"Haaah…" I gasped, shifting uncomfortably, trying to adjust my position. "It’s okay, it’s just… a cramp." I muttered to myself, forcing a shaky smile. "Me and baby are going to be okay. Just okay."
I carefully set the popcorn bowl onto the table and leaned back against the cushions, trying to calm myself. But before I could catch a proper breath, another piercing pain ripped through me, sharper than before.
My smile faltered, tears stinging my eyes. "Oh God…" I whimpered, clutching my belly. "Not now… not yet."
And then I felt it. The unmistakable warmth of fluid running down my legs, soaking through the fabric.
My eyes widened in horror. "No… no, no…" I whispered, panic rising in my throat.
"Mom!" I screamed, my voice cracking in fear as another wave of pain seized me. "Mom! The baby...baby’s coming!"
Within seconds, I heard hurried footsteps rushing from the other room. My mother appeared in the doorway, her face turning pale as her eyes fell on me and the spreading water beneath my feet.
"Dear God," she gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Then she rushed to my side, grabbing my arm as I groaned in agony. "Hold on, Ira! Hold on, we need to get you to the hospital right now!"
"Mom!" I shouted, my voice breaking in panic as the warm fluid pooled beneath me. My heart started thudding in my chest as reality struck, I was going into labour. My mother hurried towards me, eyes wide in alarm.
"Ira, don't panic!" she tried to keep her voice steady though her hands were trembling. "We need to get you to the hospital immediately."
The pain surged again, sharp and merciless. I clutched my bump, gasping. "Oh God...it hurts!" Tears blurred my vision, and my chest tightened with fear.
Kavya burst in from the kitchen, her face pale when she saw the scene. "Oh my God, Ira! Your water..." she didn’t finish, rushing forward to hold me from the other side. "We have to move fast."
