Originally posted by: Sweet_sonaithank u!!🤣
The metal door with a small glass window did not let the mother see her child properly. Jodha could only see Salim lying on the white bed with a navy blue sheet covering his entire self, leaving only his face and hands for the viewers to see. A number of IV's penetrated the delicate skin of the little boy and a transparent tube was drived in through his nose.
Sensing Jalal standing behind her she dried her wet cheeks with the back of her hand and controlled herself. She had to be strong, both for herself and her brave son fighting inside the closed glass door.
Seeing the doctor coming from the opposite direction she made up her mind to go inside and feel her son's presence. She had to do it... she didn't know why, but she knew that she had to do it. She had to sense Salim's presence beside her. It was very much needed to sooth her nerves now after the long, tiring day.
When she had woken up in the morning, Jodha had never thought that the day was going to be like this. She was afraid at first on the thought of facing her past once again but had overcome it in a short while thinking of seeing her son after ten long years. The mere thought of meeting her son was enough to lit up her mood, but what she hadn't ever thought was meeting her son in this condition. Yes, her wish of meeting Salim had come true but the cost which she's paying now, She never had wanted it.
"Doctor", Jodha stopped the doctor from entering the room, "Please doctor.. Can I meet my son once? I promise, I won't cry, I won't do anything which will disturb him.. But please let me be with him.. Please.."
"Why don't you understand Mrs. Muhammad, we can't let you go inside now. This child's condition is very bad and we can't take any risk with his life now", the doctor said mistaking Jodha to be Jalal's wife.
The word Mrs. Muhammad caught the attention of both Jodha and Jalal. While Jodha was going to clarify his mistake, Jalal quickly stopped his wife. Looking straight at the doctor he said, "Please doctor, let her go in. I promise she won't disturb him. Why don't you understand? She's a mother. Please let her go to her son".
Jodha had never expected Jalal to take her side and looked away as she felt herself again admiring the man.
"Okay.. When you are insisting so much then I'm giving her the permission, but Mrs. Muhammad please don't touch him at all. Just look at him", the doctor let out a defeated sigh.
"Thank you so much doctor, and please from next time call me Jodha. I'm more comfortable in that", Jodha took a sideway glance at Jalal and then followed the doctor inside the ICU.
Salim was lying on the hospital bed. Not a single movement could be sensed from him. His immobile form gave Jodha's heart so much pain that she could never describe. When Jalal had left her ten years ago, she hadn't felt this pain, not even when Ruquaiya had snatched her son from her. But today seeing her son lying on the bed, with so many medicinal instruments keeping him alive, she just couldn't hold back her tears. The big drops fell from her hazel orbs and she looked away for a moment as if to hide her tears from her son. And then the thought struck her like a thunderbolt... Will he accept her as his mother? What will be his reaction knowing that she is his real mother. Will he also leave her alone just like his father did?
Just the thought of having to leave her son again, brought back the hot stream of tears. It seemed the tears had their own accord.. The more she tried to stop them, the more they fell. Slumping down on the metal chair placed at a distance from the bed, she remembered the last time she was in the hospital with him.. the day he was born.
FLASHBACK...
The pain had been there from the time she had woken up after her short afternoon nap. Jalal had been home the whole day. It seemed to be a blessing for her when he used to stay for the whole day with her. Being the struggling new singer in the industry, his work always wanted the most of his time. But the loving hubby that he was, Jalal used to dedicate the rest of the day to her.
"Arghh..", she felt the cramps again in her lower abdomen. It was becoming unbearable as the time went on.
"Jalal..", she moaned as the cramps hit her again.
"Kya hua Jo? Should I call ammijaan? Are you feeling too much pain?", the dutiful husband was confused about the pain as she was only eight months pregnant. There were some more days to go before her delivery.
"Haa.. Call her. I can't withstand it any more now", Jodha said as tears graced her beautiful eyes.
She didn't have track of the time anymore as the pain grew more. It was so much that even after clutching her big swollen tummy with her both palms, she felt as if it was going to burst. Tears coursing from her closed eyes made the pillow wet and it seemed that her screams were heard by the whole Mumbai now.
"jalal.. Let's quickly take her to the hospital. Ab der mat karo aur jao. Go and hire a cab. She's having labor pain", Hamida who had come up from the kitchen as soon as she heard about Jodha's pain, instructed Jher son.
"Malkin hum bhi chalte hai aap logon ke saath", Maham, Jalal's foster mother and also a long time worker of the Muhammad household said.
"It's okay Maham. Ghar pe bhi kisike rehna zaruri hai, tum ghar par raho. Hum tumhe inform karte rahenge", hamida said while pacifying her screaming daughter in law.
"Jee thik hain", she had clearly perceived the message that her mistress had given her. She wanted her to take care of the house in their absence.
"Ammijaan, cab is ready", a breathless Jalal had entered as a storm and in a swift stroke, he took up Jodha in his arms and made his way to the staircase.
"Sambhalke Jalal",shouted hamida banu as she saw her son whisking away his screaming wife in his arms and running down the stairs.
The journey from house to the hospital was a never ending one as Jodha's screams seemed unbearable now. All the tries to provide her was proven to be futile while she kept screaming her lungs out, out of pain.
"bhaiya thoda jaldi chalaiye na", instructing the driver to drive fast, Jalal went on to massage his wife's feet as a try to lessen her pain.
*****
He had made her lie on the stretcher and she was immediately attended by her doctor and two nurses as the stretcher was wheeled in towards the operation theatre.
The red light dimmed and ultimately went off as the doctor came out while removing his green mask.
"Congratulations! Mr. Muhammad, it's a boy", the doctor smiled broadly seeing the new father standing proud.
Pure joy coursed through his veins as the doctor's word registered in his brain. He finally let out a laugh as his mother hugged him from side, unable to control her happiness.
"Can we see them?", the over elated father asked.
"Not now. She's being shifted to the general ward now. You can see her after sometime", the doctor said before going away leaving the joyful mother son duo together.
*****
The pain in the lower abdomen was a bit less now after she had taken the painkiller. Jodha knew that she has just given birth to a baby boy. The nurse had shown her, her little joy just after he came to this world. Full of blood, crying with his eyes closed, she would never forget the scene of her first look at her son, her first child.
Jalal and ammijaan's talk was falling on deaf ears as she looked towards the door for any sign of him. Her step-parents had also come to visit her after getting the news of her in labor.
The door opened with the nurse entering with her little son. He was safely wound in a pure white cloth and his tiny palms were visible only.
"Take him", the nurse said handing over her little bundle of joy to her. She slowly took her son in her arms and looked at him. A fair, little face was for full display in front of her. He was sleeping so peacefully in her arms. She looked up at Jalal only to find him grinning from ear to ear. Looking again at her new born son, she attempted to hug him and that was the moment his sound sleep broke and he started crying. Soothing her little joy, waving him in her arms, she made a mental promise to herself. Let whatever happen, she was never going to leave him. Holding her son close to herself, she promised to give him a secured life and always to protect him.
FLASHBACK ENDS...
Jodha grazed her left cheek with her hand to prevent herself from crying remembering those happy days. That was the happiest day of her life. She had given birth to her son that day.
*****
Jalal saw Jodha wipe out a tear that freed itself from her eyes. She was crying. He wished to take away all her pains but couldn't do so. He had closed that road himself.
Her silence was killing him from inside. Even after he told her so many things about what he had discovered the previous night, she didn't say one word to him and neither did she try to take away the helpless feeling that he faced. He cursed himself for the umpteenth time since the previous night. He had been the reason of her silence. The moment the hated truth seeped in, he started to hate himself more for causing her so much pain.
Jalal wanted to shout out to the world, how much he missed his wife, his Jodha. He wanted her to understand what he had faced for every single day after their divorce. He was breathing surely, but was not living. He lived with Ruquaiya only for Hamida Banu as she wanted a mother for Salim. He had given Salim a mother but had never given himself another life partner. Though in the world's eye, he was living with Ruquaiya, but he knew how much a loner he was for the last ten years.
It's not the complete truth, that he had not tried to forget Jodha just like he thought she has done, but alas! Could he ever leave without his breathing. Jodha had become his breathing, his addiction, his true partner and he could never give her place to anyone else, not even to her childhood best friend. At all the times that he closed his eyes, the only face, that had always come in front of his closed eyes were of Jodha and he knew, how much he tried, he could never ever forget her.
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This much for today...
Thank you all for all the love and support you all have given me...
I'm updating this chapter from Baba's laptop.. Please pray that he always lets me use it...😉
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Love,
Barnali aka Sonai...🤗
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