It was Mishaye's birth certificate, along with a photograph, taken right after the delivery.
A red faced, crying Sonakshi, Rohit, and their gift of love, their Mishaye.

'PUSH, SONA! PUSH!'

'Shut up, Rohit Sippy! I'm not deaf, I'm in labor!'

'Okay, okay! Sorry! Relax! I mean, no..don't relax right now, I meant...Just push!!'

'Ow, ow! My hand, Sona! My hand will break! Sona, my hand! She's breaking my hand!'

'It's all because of you, that I'm here! It's your fault! I hate you, Rohit Sippy! I just hate you!'

'I'm going to kill you for this!'

'Yes! I'm fine! I've got a baby stuck in my cervix, I feel like I'm going to die..so yes! I'm fine!'

'She's beautiful..'
'Just like her Mama..'

'I can't believe she's here..our daughter..our baby Sippy!'

Images flashed, as if she was right there in the operation theatre, with Rohit holding her hand.
She suddenly remembered how the most beautiful moment of their life, had almost been ruined by her misplaced belief in Rohit's infidelity.
Regret and tears filled her heart and eyes, as she clutched at the photograph with one hand, and the corner of the desk with the other.
She was about to put the birth certificate back, when she noticed a paper had gotten stuck to the back. She separated it, and lifted it to see.
Her gasp of amazement was loud in the quiet room.
For it was no ordinary paper, it was a drawing..a hand drawn sketch..of their family, hers and Rohit's.
It was a cosy scene from when the kids were younger, before her coma.

Credits:  @mayabinee102

Thankyou, Maya for making this..loved it😘

Sonakshi ran her fingers over Rohit's face in the picture, as he played with Mishaye on his chest, his head on Sonakshi's lap. Arihaan was also all over Rohit.
The love was evident with which it had obviously been made, and she smiled through her tears, wondering who had made it.
She was, therefore, stunned, when she saw the signature at the bottom of the paper.

RS.

'Oh my God!'

She turned the paper by instinct, and saw what she had been expecting..poetry.
Tears blurring her vision, she read on.

Khushiyon ke pal guzaare jo saath
Thaam ke hum ne ek doosre ka haath
Kho gayi hain ja ke kahin
Naraaz hui kyun zindagi
Woh pal jo thay kitne haseen
Tere hi dam se thay rangeen
Gum hogaye woh rang kahin
Tum nahin to kuch bhi nahin
Ajao wapas humare paas
Ke har lamha rakhe hue hai aas
Laut aaogi to bhar jayenge rang
Milke rahenge hum sang sang...

Sonakshi was weeping like anything, imagining what it must have been like for Rohit.
The children had been too young to understand everything, but they had also suffered..the absence of their mother.

Just then, Rohit entered the room, whistling a tune, and swinging his car keys around his finger.
He stopped on seeing Sonakshi, who was holding something in her hand, and crying like anything, looking at it.
'Sona!'
He threw the keys on the sideboard, and rushed towards her.
'Hey!'
He opened his arms, as she ran into them, clutching at his t-shirt, at him.
'Kya hua? Tum theek ho?'
He looked down at her, trying to see her face, which she had buried in his chest.
'Tabyat kharab hai kya..phir?'
As Sonakshi quickly shook her head.
'Batao na..mera dil bohot zor zor se dharak raha hai..Sonaaaa...'
Rohit held her arms, and pulled her away from his chest, to look at her sobbing face.
'Yar, batao to..aise ro kyun rahi ho..'
He noticed the papers she still had in her hand, and took them from her.
He was surprised to see the sketch he had randomly drawn once, in one of his lowest times, in her absence. It wasn't even a good one, according to him.
There was also Mishaye's birth certificate and the photo he had put away with it.
He looked back at the pain and regret in her eyes, and he quickly put the papers aside, and began to wipe her tears with his hands.
'No..no..please! Aise to mat karo, Sona..'

'Rohit! Tum..tumne kitna kuch jhela hai..sab akele..tum..'
She hiccuped from all the sobbing.
'Kaise..akele..I'm sorry..'

'Aray! Kya bolay ja rahi ho? Pehle tum idhar aao..'
He took her over to the couch, and sat down, pulling her onto his lap, and putting his arms around her.
'Betho..and please, itna ro to mat..mujhse nahin dekha ja raha..beemar parr jaogi..'

'I can't help it! The tears just won't stop..'
She cried more.
'Tum ne..mein to..kaise..'

'Relax, Sona!'
Rohit stroked her arms, up and down, trying to calm her. He put his chin on her shoulder, in the crook of her neck.
'Tum itna upset kyun ho? Yeh mera bekaar sa sketch dekh ke na? Itna bura tha ke tum aise ronay lagi?'
He chuckled, trying to make light of the situation.

'Shut uppp!'
Sonakshi whacked him on his hands, pausing her crying.
'Don't you dare call it bekaar vekaar..it's beautiful, wonderful, amazing..'

'Yeah, yeah..I get the idea..'
He rolled his eyes, as he lifted his head from her shoulder, but secretly, he was glad her sobbing had stopped.

'I didn't even know you could draw..or woh bhi itna acha..'

'Hell, neither did I..'
He grinned.

'You mean this was the first?'
Her eyebrows shot up.

'Well..I have done some doodling in the past..but nothing that included people or anything..just rough sketches of objects..landscapes..what? Aise kya dekh rahi ho?'
As Sonakshi stared at him in awe.

'I'm just looking at my super talented husband..'
Rohit shook his head, grinning more.
'Or kya kya talents hain jo chupa rakhe hain mujh se?'

'Aray, kuch bhi to nahin hai aisa..'

'Don't lie..kabhi khud se kuch nahin bataya..hamesha maine khud discover kiya hai..be it your romantic nature, your shayari, or your drawing..kuch bhi nahin bataya..'

Rohit's eyebrows lifted at that.
'Baqi sab to theek hai..it wasn't something I thought was worth showing to anyone..but yeh kya bola tumne? Romantic nature? Woh kab chupaya maine? I've always been romantic..where you are concerned.'

'Well..I always took it for flirting..'

'Oh, yes! You and your obsession with my being a flirt.'
He made a face.

'But you are..'

'Are? Matlab? Ab kahan karta hun..'

'Aray nahin nahin..tum kahan..ladki dekhi nahin or uss mode mein automatically ajaate ho..itna ke khud ko pata bhi nahin chalta..'

Rohit pulled her closer to his chest, so that her back was firmly against it.
'Madam..those days were over, the minute I fell in love with a smart, beautiful, headstrong woman..'
He smiled covertly, as Sonakshi preened on hearing that.
'Who tried her utmost to push me away, with her taunts..kya?'
As Sonakshi gasped.

'Taunts? Maine kab taunt kiya..han, uss waqt I just wasn't in that space, jahan mujhe kisi ka interest samajh aata..'
Sonakshi leaned the back of  her head on his shoulder.
'I just categorised all males as being interested in one thing, and one thing only.'

'I didn't even know I was affected, till you blew on to my set, to knock my socks off with your offer. Matlab, I've heard of people pretending to be girlfriend, boyfriend..but tum..directly shadi..woh bhi for a year..matlab who does that..'
Rohit kissed her hair, still remembering it all, as if it was a recent occurrence.

'Yeah! It was so crazy!'
Sonakshi held on to his arms which were around her, feeling the safest in the world.
'Rohit..can you imagine, agar maine aisa nahin kiya hota, to aaj shayad hum yun saath bhi nahin hotay..'

'No ways!'
Rohit was suddenly all huffy.

'Aray! I just wasn't the type jo aisa karay..pata nahin kaise maine ek aadmi ko hire kar liya..'

'Maine kaha na, aisa nahin hota ke uss ke bagher bhi  hum saath na hotay..'

'Acha? Or aisa kya hota phir?'
She turned her head to look at him.
'I didn't even like you..just thought you were a flirt, and irritating like Hell..'
Sonakshi chuckled at his affronted expression.

'But I liked you from the word go!'
Rohit pouted.
'Han, ek mystery thi..and that intrigued me more and more. Chand mulaqaton mein hi I knew I wanted you in my life..agar tum offer na karti to mein khud hi kar deta..'

'Yeah, right! Or jaise uss waqt mein accept kar leti! Bilkul bhi nahin..'
Sonakshi rolled her eyes.

'Aray! You wanna bet?'
He lifted an eyebrow.
'Tumne moqa hi kahan diya! Ke mein apna style dikhata..tumhe manata..tum to khud hi agayin hero ko hire karne!'

Sonakshi shifted on his lap, so that she was almost facing him.
'You know, I had no option! Ma mere peechay lag gayi thi..'

'Or tum to choti bachi thi ke Ma se darr ke aisa qadam utha liya! Maan lo, ke you were interested in me..'
Rohit had, what looked like a smirk on his face.

'In your dreams, mister!'
Sonakshi made to move off of his lap, but Rohit tightened his hold on her.

'Oh, let's not talk about my dreams back then..if you had known, you would never have made the offer..seedha doosri direction mein bhaagti..'

'Oh, God!'
Sonakshi rolled her eyes again.
'Kon sa mein waise bhi tumhari direction mein bhagi thi..I was bent on keeping you away..'

'Magar dil hi dil mein to mazay arahe thay..ke itna handsome larka, who was famous to boot, woh tumhe itni attention de raha hai..'

'Oh, hello! Hero sahab! Tum khud ko samajhte kya ho? Mein tumhe bata rahi hun..tum..mein..'

She saw the sudden look of mirth on Rohit's face, as she began to defend her actions, and suddenly the whole conversation seemed extremely funny. Sonakshi began to giggle, but as Rohit joined in, it turned into full throated laughter, and they both laughed, as they clung to each other.

'Kya baaten le ke beth gaye hum dono..so pointless..'
Rohit said, as the laughter died, and he hugged her close.
'It was destiny..hamara milna..yun contract mein bandhna..or phir dheere dheere pyaar hona..because we were meant to be..you and I..Rohit and Sonakshi..'

'Ronakshi..'
Smiled Sonakshi, leaning up to peck him on the cheek.
But when she moved back to look at him, tears were again pooling in her eyes.
'Rohit! I love you so much!'

'Aray! Ab iss mein ronay jaisa kya hai? Yeh to achi baat hai na..nahin?'
He frowned, as she shook her head.

'No! Because I know now..that your love surpasses mine any day.'
Sonakshi looked sad, and Rohit knew what this was about.
'Tumne jis tarha se mera intezar kiya..haar nahin maani..pata nahin mein aisa kar paati ke nahin..'

'Tum to mujhse bhi zyada karti..'

'No! No! Tum..tum bohot achay ho, Rohit. Bachon ko akele sambhaalna, umeed na chorrna..doosri shadi karne se mana karna..mere liye..'

'Woah, woah! Hold on there! Doosri shadi? I never..I don't remember telling you this..atleast not after you coming back..'
Rohit thought back of the time that had elapsed, after she had come back.

'You didn't?'
Sonakshi looked puzzled.
'But I'm sure you did..you told me Papa asked you to consider it..what? Aise shocked kyun lag rahe ho?'
For Rohit did look stunned.

'Sona! Maine suna to tha ke coma wale patients baaten sun sakte hain..but..I told you this..or..or uss ke doosre din hi you woke up!'
There was an incredulity in his tone.
'Maybe..maybe this is what triggered your coming out of it..'
There were now tears in his eyes, too.

'Maybe! Who knows! But I know..it was you who brought me back to life..you, your love..'
Sonakshi put her palm over his cheek, and touched her forehead to his.
'Thankyou!'

'Shut up!'

'Nahin! Mein or jeena chahti thi..tumhare saath..apne bachon ke saath..or mujhe woh moqa mil gaya..a second chance..'

'Tumhe apne paas rakhne ke liye, mein kuch bhi kar sakta hun..I love you more than life itself!'

Rohit took her face in his hands, and kissed her forehead, before pulling her back in a tight hug.
As they sat there, holding each other, reminiscing, not wanting to let the other go..they felt so lucky to have each other..a sense of peace within them..that was undescribeable.

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

'Ab kya dhoond rahi ho?'

Sonakshi was startled, as Rohit caught her in the act, her hand in his desk drawer.
'Rohit! Aise kon daraata hai?'
Sonakshi put her hand to her throat.

'To tum kaam bhi to aisa kar rahi ho! Mujhse maang lo..mein khud hi de dunga..'

Feeling that she might have offended him, Sonakshi looked sheepish.
'I'm sorry, Rohit! I didn't mean to pry..mein to bas..'

'Aray, Sona! Mein khuli kitaab hun tumhare aagay..mujhe kya chupaana hoga tumse? Jo chahe dekh lo..I was just teasing..'
Rohit came forward and opened the drawer fully.
'Kya chahiye? Bolo?'

'Woh, uss din Mishaye ka birth certificate dekha tha na..to mujhe khayal aaya ke uss ki birthday arahi hai..I just wanted to confirm the date..mujhe yaad hi nahin arahi thi..'
Sonakshi looked peeved at that.

'Aray! Don't look sad..'
Rohit knew, she still had some memory lapses, occasionally.
'Mein bhi bata deta..'

'Woh tum thay nahin..shoot mein busy thay...mein khaali bethi thi..to bas..khayal aaya..'
Sonakshi shrugged her shoulders.

'Aray! Tumhare liye thori busy hota hun..waise, forget that!'
He took hold of her shoulders and turned her towards him.
'Han, Mishaye ki birthday arahi hai..'

'Woh..mere saamne uss ki pehli birthday hai..to I wanted to celebrate..'
Sonakshi seemed a bit hesitant.

Rohit heard the regret in her voice, and knew she was upset.
He hugged her to him.
'Ofcourse! Bara sa celebration karenge! Tum nahin thi, to bas ghar mein sab ke saath cake kaat lete thay..'

'I wish I had been here.. I missed her first birthday..jad always dreamt of making it special.'
Sonakshi straightened her shoulders.
'Ab ki baar aisa nahin hoga..I want her to remember her birthday..'

Rohit saw a determination, and excitement in her eyes, that had been missing.
He smiled at her.
'She would certainly love that! Waise hi kitna attached hogayi hai tumse itne dino mein..she will certainly be on top of this world.'

'Really? To bas theek hai!'
Sonakshi's eyes lit up in elation.
'Uss ke saamne kuch mat kehna..let's make it a surprise for her!'
Sonakshi clapped her hands in glee, looking as excited as Mishaye would.

Rohit laughed.
'Lag raha hai Mishaye ki Mama, Mishaye se zyada excited hain!'

'Oh, yes! Definitely! Are you with me?'
Sonakshi held out a palm towards him.

Laughing, Rohit covered it with his, and entwined their fingers.
'Okay, then! Let the good times roll!'

To be continued...

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

Author's Note:

Hello all! It is with a happy, but heavy, heart that I tell you all this..the next chapter shall mark the end of this journey of actor Rohit Sippy, and Dr. Sonakshi Rastogi..followed by an epilogue..
Thankyou all for all the love you have showered upon this story..highly obliged, and overwhelmed..much love ❤

Nida