Sia felt choked up.

Slowly, she brought her daughter closer to her face to smell her sweet baby scent.

So innocent and pure.

She felt speechless and in awe. She was still unable to believe that her child who had been a part of her dreams for so long was now a tangible thing to hold and cherish.

She knew then, that her life would never be the same again. Staring at her daughter, she couldn’t stop herself from crying. Her whole body shook when she broke into uncontrollable sobs.

She felt so grateful. She felt so thankful.

My own child. All mine. My hope and my dreams.

“I’m your mommy,” she whispered. And I would do everything in my power to make you happy and safe. I will shelter you from any ugliness that exists in the world.

She felt Ajay move next to her. He held a tissue in his hands and wiped away the tears that blurred her vision. She was grateful for that because, she could continue staring at the wonder she held in her arms. The wonder that now became the very reason to exist.

“Is she real? Or am I still dreaming?” she whispered.

“She’s real and she is ours,” said Ajay. And then, looking towards her, “What do you want to name her?” he asked.

“Anika,” replied Sia. Somehow, she recalled that it was the name Ajay had picked for their daughter.

“Anika,” Ajay repeated softly.

Their daughter began to stir slightly. She felt small and fragile in her arms.

“Am I holding her correctly?” she asked, worried that she might be hurting their sleeping daughter.

“Yes.”

“Oh my god!” she exclaimed, remembering some of the things she had read during the pregnancy. She began to panic. “I haven’t washed my hands or... or... even showered for a while. I don’t think she should be around me—”

“She’s swaddled, and you are fine.”

She began to relax, listening to those words, but then, she remembered something else.

“You mentioned she has a cold. I have no idea what to do. Maybe I should have asked Jyotika before she left, or let’s call a doctor—”

“Baby, Anika will be fine. Don’t worry,” Ajay reassured again. “Just enjoy the moment.”

His words calmed her. Staring at the little face with tiny, delicate features, Sia sighed in content. “I still can’t believe she’s here with me. And that she’s safe and just so perfect...” Her voice trailed off when the baby opened her sleepy eyes.

Sia held her breath, half expecting her daughter to cry, seeing a stranger’s face. Although her mind rebelled at the thought that her own baby might consider her a stranger.

Their daughter looked at her quietly.

Sia had read somewhere that an infant’s vision wasn’t developed enough for a while. And that they couldn’t recognize faces or register much. But that still didn’t stop her from feeling overwhelmed with happiness as her eyes connected with her daughter’s.

It felt like the most profound moment in her life.

 

* * *

 

Sia spent the next few hours in daze and awe as Ajay showed her the basics of feeding, changing and other things that made their daughter comfortable.

The first time, she fed her daughter, and burped her; it scared her so much that she immediately called for the doctors to ensure her daughter was okay.

“Your daughter is fine, Mrs. Manthena,” one of the doctors said.

The doctor then asked Ajay to pick their daughter, before beginning to take Sia’s vitals. Sia reluctantly complied.

“We need to check if your recovery is going smoothly, Mrs. Manthena,” said the doctor. He also mentioned that Sia would have to stay at the hospital for a week to ensure that the recovery was permanent.

She sat quietly as her blood pressure and heartbeat were being checked. Her eyes were completely drawn towards the sight in front of her.

Ajay was holding their daughter on his shoulder, and gently swaying to put her to sleep.

Why can’t I remember everything?

A few hours ago, when she had woken up from what seemed to be a deep sleep, she was told by a doctor that she had been in coma for three weeks, and also that she had delivered a child.

Her memory was failing her and she couldn’t recall much. Everything had felt groggy. But she did have a vague memory of Ajay giving her an ultimatum to either marry him or that he would take away her child.

That made her go ballistic. Especially after the hospital staff informed her that her daughter was with the father.

But now... looking at Ajay and their daughter, she felt confused.

The kiss from a while ago made her recall bits and pieces of their married life.

She had gotten along with Ajay. They were both happy at some point but what had happened after that? Why did the feelings of distrust towards Ajay still linger inside her?

Maybe a call to Dr. Patel can help her remove the cobwebs still stuck inside her head. But the call would have to wait until later. Much later. Until after she was satisfied holding her daughter close, the way she had desperately wanted to right from the moment she heard about her pregnancy.

“All done, Mrs. Manthena. You are doing great, but you should still take as much rest as possible to make your recovery faster,” said the doctor.

After the doctor left, Ajay sat next to her on the bed and put their sleeping daughter on top of her chest. “She’ll be more comfortable like this. I’ll watch her as you nap,” he said.

Sia felt extremely grateful. But she didn’t have the energy to thank him properly. She simply held her daughter safely and slipped into a content sleep.

 

* * *

 

Much later that evening, she woke up and fed her daughter again. Ajay and she had a simple dinner together. She was about to put her daughter to sleep when she had her first visitor.

Ajay left the room to give her privacy. He had used the pretext of taking their daughter outside for fresh air while she slept. She felt quite grateful.

“How are you, Sia?” Varun asked, looking relieved as he saw her.

“The doctor’s said I’m doing fine. I feel fine as well,” she replied. “How are you Varun?” she asked. She felt reluctant to talk or deal with their mission. She wished she could purge everything apart from her daughter, from her mind.

If only it were that simple. “What has been happening since I was in... coma?” she asked.

“Nothing much, Sia. I wasn’t able to get in touch with the hacker either. I guess that teen needs a constant supply of money to be able to proceed.”

Sia nodded. “I’ll reach out to him soon. But what about the camera footages? Why are we still not able to catch anything significant on those?” she asked.

Varun looked unhappy. “He’s always surrounded by people these days.”

“I’m still monitoring them,” he said. “And I have already checked with the caretakers at the orphanages and also the hospitals. None of the children ever showed signs of abuse.”

“You think he stopped abusing children all of a sudden?” she asked.

“No. I think he’s being cautious. He’s getting more and more involved in politics and doesn’t want to risk it.”

“What about the people surrounding him?”

Varun frowned. “None of them seem the kind to offer much information. They seem to value him as some sort of demi-god.”

“Values can be bought for the right price, Varun. We need to hurry up on this or he’ll get even more cautious,” she stressed with a growing intensity. “I’m ready to splurge more money on anything or anyone that can be bought and could help our cause.”

“I know. Trust me when I tell you, I’m already on it.” He paused for a second. “By the way, I need to tell you something,” he said.

“About what?”

“Your husband,” he replied

Immediately, she clammed up, trying not to show anything on her face. “What about him?”

Varun looked uncomfortable. But with a determined look, he forged on.”I think there is something going on between him and... his ex-fiancée.”

“You mean Jyotika?” she asked, relaxing slightly. She felt guilty for not telling Varun about her growing relationship with Ajay. She didn’t know why, but she wasn’t ready to reveal that part to anyone, until she understood it completely herself.

“They’ve been friends since childhood, Varun. And Jyotika had been helping him take care of my daughter while I was in coma.”

Varun didn’t look convinced. “I don’t think it’s friendship I saw, Sia. I saw them being intimate. Physically. I caught them right in the act. And the worst part was that they were standing just a few feet away from you. They were hugging and even holding your daughter while they... touched each other intimately.”

Sia looked at Varun’s uncomfortable face, and felt both pity and guilty. She knew he would hate it if she let any of it show on her face.

At twenty one, Varun was relatively young. His life experience had made him lose his innocence in a brutal way. But he still remained relatively innocent about most things that made people human. He still couldn’t decipher why two people might want to hug, or simply touch each other for comfort, without being sexual.

She couldn’t blame him. It wasn’t like she had been wise and informed of such things until Ajay began to show her the softer side of human emotions and touches.

“Ajay must have been drawing comfort, Varun” she said gently. “But thank you for letting me know. I know you meant well.”

Varun looked embarrassed.

“I’m going to remain at the hospital for a week. You can continue to visit me or get in touch with me on my phone.”

“I think it’s better to remain in touch by phone. I don’t want Jagadish Naidu, your husband or anyone else to be suspicious about what we both are discussing.”

“Okay.”

“Take care, Sia.”

“You too, Varun. Be careful and don’t hesitate to reach out to me for anything.”

“I will.”

After Varun left, Sia called Anjali to ensure that everything at work was running smoothly during her absence. Once she was convinced that things were fine, she sat back and waited for Ajay to return.

Ajay returned with their sleeping daughter and gently placed her tiny body on the wide hospital bed. Sia shifted closer and held her infant daughter. Before she could drift into sleep, she felt Ajay sliding next to her on the bed, and wrapping his arm around her and their daughter.

Her mind and heart at peace, she drifted into another blissful sleep.