After 48 long hours, Anika finally saw the babies. Her heart broke seeing them inside the incubator breathing faintly. The recovery was rapid and the doctors advised to keep them under observation for another twenty four hours to make sure they had recovered.

She looked at Shivaay with a smile to which he reciprocated a tired one. It had been exactly three days since he slept or ate properly and that was to be seen on his face. If he closed his eyes out of tiredness, he would wake up in shock and rush to check on the babies if they were fine. That was his routine since last three days.

“Which is girl?” She asked looking at him and he pointed at the left incubator.

“How do you know correctly? Both look same” She asked and he smiled.

“There's a birthmark on his chest near neck just like I have” He pointed at the baby boy's chest and she looked at him surprised.

“That's a small spot. How did you notice?”

“Just like that” Little did she know that if asked, he might even say the number of hairs on the babies' head. He had spent three sleepless nights, one out of the ICU and the other two inside, near the incubator after almost everyone had slept. Seeing them breathing gave him peace that he didn't get anywhere in the cold rooms of that hospital.

“I feel like taking them in my arms” She told sadly.

“Just a few more hours. There's a few tests to do and then they're all ours” He told and she smiled.

“Let's go?” He asked and she shook her head.

“You shouldn't stand or sit like this for a long time Anika. Listen to me” He told and she sighed before walking with him back to the room.

Om, Rudra and Priyanka were there by that time as they had come soon after knowing about Anika's delivery.

“I will hold the babies first” Rudra told frowning as they were deciding who would hold the babies first after bringing them out of the incubator.

“I'm the elder one. I will hold” Om told.

“Excuse me! I'm the youngest one. I will hold” Priyanka told frowning at both of them and both Shivaay and Anika looked at each other.

“Guys!”

“Bhaiyya look at Om bhaiyya and Rudy bhaiyya! Tell them that I'll hold the babies first” Priyanka went to Shivaay with a cry baby face. That always worked well with Shivaay.

“There are two babies. Whoever want can hold. Now move out of the bed” He told tiredly looking at Rudra and Om and they quickly moved out.

He carried Anika and placed her properly on the bed while she kept looking at him.

“Om, do me a favor” Anika told looking at Om and Shivaay looked at her confused.

“Tell me Bhabhi”

“Take your brother somewhere and make him sleep properly. He haven't slept properly since days” She told and Shivaay chuckled.

“I will sleep. You don't worry about that. Now have this tablet” He told giving her the tablet and she had it without any other word. She would have shown tantrums if he was in a normal state but he was too tired for anything.

“Shivaay come with me” Om told and Shivaay knew that instant he had no escape m

“Anika——”

“Rudy and Prinku are here. We need to talk” Om told while dragging him out of the room.

“What's wrong with you? Bhabhi is safe and both the babies are safe too. Now what's troubling you?” Om asked and Shivaay sighed as he leaned his back on the wall.

“I feel scared to sleep. What if something happens to my babies when I sleep? What if something happens to Anika? Nobody except the five of us know what we went through the day of Anika's delivery. Nobody knows what I went through. I almost lost my daughter if not for——” His voice choked and Om held his shoulder.

“What happened Shivaay?”

He told everything that happened that day one by one without missing a single instant and finally felt the heaviness of his heart reducing a little. Om looked at him shocked out of his wits after hearing everything. Nobody told them anything except that Anika had a premature delivery because of Shivaay's accident.

Om didn't know what else to do than hug Shivaay tightly. They were like that since childhood. Words weren't needed for them both to understand each other.

They parted from the hug and Shivaay wiped the tears that rolled down his eyes with the back of his palm before smiling faintly at Om.

“I missed you” Shivaay told and Om felt tears rolling down his eyes.

“Don't make me emotional idiot!” Om told and Shivaay chuckled looking at him.

“This should stay between us” Shivaay told and Om nodded in understanding.

*

Her heart thumped fast when the nurse gave the babies to her. She kissed their faces innumerable times until she felt satisfied before holding them close to her chest with tears rolling down her eyes.

She raised her head to see Shivaay looking at her with a teary eyed smile.

“Sit here” She told gesturing to the space beside her and he sat there while holding her shoulder.

“You don't want to hold them or are you still scared?” She asked with a smile and he smiled hearing that.

“Shower all your love first. I'll take after that” He told while sitting on the chair.

“Hold. My hand is paining” She told and he quickly took one of the babies in his arms so as to not hurt her more.

He looked at the little face and unknowingly tears filled up in his eyes. It didn't take him a second glance to say it was the baby girl. Holding her properly in his arms, he kissed her face as he unknowingly remembered the first time he held her lifeless body in his arm.

“Shivaay” She called and he raised his head to look at her.

“What happened?” She asked softly seeing the tears that lined his eyes and he shook his head smiling.

“It's tears of happiness” He told and she smiled.

“You're really not scared right?”

“I dropped Prinku because I didn't know what being a father meant. I know I won't drop her, never, ever. She's my lifeline” He told while looking at her little face.

“That's partiality ok” She told jokingly and he looked at her confused.

“What about him?” She told and he took the baby boy in his other arm.

“Happy?” He asked while kissing the baby's face who was looking at him curiously.

She held her fingers in the pose of holding a camera with a wide smile.

“Smile” She told and he raised his head before giving her a cheeky smile.

She chuckled and clicked the fingers together with the sound of camera.

“Picture perfect” She told and he smiled.

“Their eyes have a rare combination. It's pure hazel” He told looking at the babies and she smiled.

“I wanted both of them to have your eyes. Both of them didn't get it” She told sadly.

“What's the fun having my eyes? Simple blue——”

“Come-on Shivaay! We both know it's not simple blue but a mixture of blue, green and gray. Your eyes are so damn special” She told and he chuckled.

“Hazel is a mixture of blue, green and brown. A part of you and me” He told and she smiled.

“That's right” She told smiling while looking at him who was looking at the babies with all love in the world. She doubted if he ever looked at her with the same love she saw in his eyes that moment.

All she felt that moment was contentment. Her heart holding her heartbeats would be the correct expression for what she saw in front of her. She silently prayed to her Shivji to always show her this moment and this happiness on his face.

Om, Rudra and Priyanka rushed to the rooms and Shivaay held the babies close to him hearing the sudden shout.

“Bhaiyya first me. I told first” Rudra told with puppy eyes.

“No bhaiyya I told first. I was the one who was waiting for this day since bhabhi was pregnant” Priyanka told pouting.

“Come-on Prinku! Everyone were waiting” Rudra snapped back.

“Guys guys! Just mentioning, I'm their chote Papa which means I have the right soon after Shivaay” Om told and Anika controlled her chuckle looking at the trio.

The babies started crying and everyone turned silent while Shivaay glared at them.

“Happy?” He asked while rocking the babies slightly. Anika took one of them in her arms to help him.

“Let Om take first. Then Rudy and then Prinku”

“Bhab——”

“The one who takes last gets longer time. Don't you know that?” Anika asked and both Rudra and Om looked at Anika with wide eyes.

“Bhabhi this is not fair”

“How can that be possible when we're here?” The elders said and Anika smiled looking at them.

“No dad. We booked the places already. You're getting them after we take” Priyanka told frowning.

In between all the arguments, nobody noticed what Shivaay was doing.

It was only later on that they saw Shivaay who was silently holding the babies' hands out of the towel and playing with them while the babies were looking curiously at whatever he was doing. Sensing the silence in the room, he raised his head and looked at everyone. They chuckled looking at his embarrassed face while Anika smiled ear to ear seeing that. He was the cutest Papa!

••|To Be Continued|••