FF: Temporary Insanity - Part 16

Read all previous parts of this series over here.

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Part 16

‘Khushi, you’re not going anywhere and that’s final!’

Khushi pouted and bit her carrot stick shooting Arnav a scathing look. ‘It’s not fair! It’s Suhana’s mehndi! I want to go!’

‘This is why I wanted them to postpone the wedding, but you wouldn’t let them. So really all this is your own fault Khushi.’

‘Arnav! How could we ask them to change the date of their wedding because of us? They shouldn’t be punished because I’m pregnant and you won’t let me move!’

Arnav sighed and put on his jacket, ‘Have you forgotten that this time last week we were in the hospital because you were, and I quote ‘dying and in agony’?’

‘That was Braxton Hicks! And it hurt! What would you know? You’re a man!’

Arnav sat down on the bed next to her and leant forward to kiss her cheek, ‘and that is why I think it’s best for you to stay home today. There’s only three more weeks until your due date. Please? For me? The sangeet was tiring for you so I can only imagine what the wedding will be like. Promise you’ll stay home today or I won’t let you go to the wedding.’

‘Arnav!’

‘Promise me Khushi.’

‘I promise,’ Khushi sulked.

Arnav kissed her lightly on the lips and left and Khushi threw a carrot at the closed door once he’d left.

---

Khushi had continued to sulk while she watched Payal, Anjali, Mamiji and Naniji get ready. They were all going to leave for the mehndi late afternoon while she and Dhruv stayed home and then Arnav, Akash and Mamaji would meet them in the evening after work.

Just before they left she’d felt a sharp twinge in her stomach, but masked the pain quickly because she knew it would get everyone worked up and decided to go and have a nap for a while, hoping the pain would go away.

‘Khushi! You can’t go to sleep! I’ll be so bored. It’s not fair, why can’t I go to the mehndi? She’s my fiancee’

Khushi shook her head, explained that she was tired and went to bed with her hand pressed against her stomach trying t quell the pain. It was probably another false alarm since the Doctor had said last week that there was still time.

---

‘Dhruv?’

Dhruv cursed as his concentration lapsed and he fell behind on his game. He’d almost beaten the impossibly high score that Arnav had set on his phone. ‘Yeah Khushi?’

She was standing at the foot of the stairs looking pale and shaken and Dhruv jumped up quickly, his phone falling to the floor. ‘Khushi! Khushi what’s wrong? Is it the baby?’

Khushi nodded shakily. ‘I think my water broke.’

‘WHAT?! WHAT?! OH MY GOD! OP! JP! SOMEBODY! QUICK!’ He led Khushi over to the couch and sat her down, his pulse racing and feet flying as he paced in front of her, ‘Oh God! Are you in pain? Does it hurt? Shit! Dhruv why are you being so stupid? She’s in labour! Of course it hurts!’

When OP and JP came rushing into the room he pounced on them! ‘Quick! Get me some hot water and some towels! QUICKLY!’

They both ran back to the kitchen confused and Dhruv turned back to Khushi to see her looking at him as if he’d grown as extra head. He knelt in front of her quickly, ‘what is it? What’s wrong?’

‘Dhruv! What the HELL are you doing?’

‘I’m helping you! Are you in pain? Here, you can hold my hand!’ He offered his hand up magnanimously only to have Khushi hold onto it and pull him towards her until she had her red puffy face right in front of his.

‘Hot water and towels?’

‘Yes! Hot water and towels! That’s what they always do on TV!’

‘DHRUV! I NEED TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL!’

Dhruv smacked his forehead with one hand, ‘of course! The hospital! Sorry! Sorry! OP! JP! FORGET THE WATER! GET THE CAR READY!’

Jai Prakash came running first towels in hand followed by Om Prakash. ‘The car? But all of the cars are gone sir. Arnav Bhai and Akash Bhai took one to work and Mamaji took the other and the Driver’s taken all the ladies to the mehndi.’

‘Oh crap! I need to take Khushi to the hospital! How am I going to... I can’t even carry her she’s so huge!’

Khushi glared at Dhruv and began to say something before she felt another stab of pain.

Om Prakash who had been biting his nails suddenly jumped up, ‘Bhaiyya! I have my bicycle with me!’

‘Of course!’ Dhruv rushed over and hugged Om Prakash, ‘we can take your bicycle!’ He then ran back to Khushi and held her arm to begin helping her up.

Khushi again pulled him towards her, her eyes blazing, ‘call a TAXI! You IDIOTS!’

‘Of course! Oh god! JP call a taxi! OP go outside, see if there’s any passing! Quickly!’

Khushi released Dhruv and sank back down on the couch muttering ‘take me on a bicycle, stupid idiots. No brains, the lot of them. Just think with their penises and then we’re the ones that have to suffer!’

---

‘Have you called Arnav?’

Dhruv stopped his tirade at the Taxi Driver who was going too slow in his opinion and looked at Khushi guiltily. ‘I’ll call him right now!’ He reached into his pocket and found it empty, his eyes widening in horror as he patted himself down and realised he didn’t have his phone on him at all.

Khushi watched impatiently before shaking him, ‘WHAT? Why aren’t you calling him?’

‘Er... I don’t have my phone on me. Sorry! Do you have yours?’

‘Of course! In between the contractions, my water breaking and the AGONISING pain, I remembered to pick up my PHONE!’

‘Sorry, sorry! You don’t have to shout!’  He turned meekly towards the front of the car and the taxi driver whose driving skills he had spent the last 20 minutes insulting. ‘Excuse me Bhaisab? Could I maybe use your phone?’

The driver turned and gave him a scathing look before handing over his phone reluctantly. Dhruv looked at the phone for a second before the horrifying truth hit him.

‘Now what is it?!’

‘I don’t know Bhai’s number. Do you?’

‘What? Of course I do! It’s.... 90... erm... 901... oh god! He’s speed dial 1 on my phone, I never have to remember the number!’

‘Khushi!’

‘Dhruv!’

They both looked at each other exasperated as they tried to remember if they knew anyone’s number off by heart!

‘I’ve got it! I’ll call the house and get OP or JP to call Bhai!’

Khushi breathed a sigh of relief and went back to praying to Devi Maiyya to make the birth painless and as fast as possible.

‘Hello? OP? Listen carefully! I dropped my phone on the floor next to the couch, pick it up.’ Dhruv tapped his fingers on his thigh impatiently as he heard some rustling on the phone before Om Prakash came back on the line. ‘You’ve got it? Okay press the little circle button on the bottom then slide the part that says ‘slide to unlock’ The password’s 7662.’

Om Prakash looked down at the phone bewildered. He tried again to slide his finger along the phone but no numbers seemed to appear. ‘Bhai it’s not working!’

‘Oh God! Try again! We need to call Bhai!’

‘Oh is that all? Okay Bhai, we’ll call him from my phone.’ Om Prakash put the phone down and took out his blackberry from his pocket. Blackberries were so much simpler to use than iPhones.

---

‘I’m not calling him! You call him!’ Om Prakash threw the phone at Jai Prakash and backed away.

‘No Om! You answered the phone! You do it!’

‘No!’ Om grumbled as he caught the phone and began to dial, chewing on his fingernails as he waited for it to be picked up.

‘Hello?’

‘Arnav Bhai?’

‘What is it? Is it Khushi? Where is she? What happened?’

‘Bhai she... er... Khushi Bhabi’s gone into labour.’

‘WHAT?! WHEN?! WHERE IS SHE?’

‘Dhruv Bhai’s taking her to the hospital. They left about 30 minutes ago but they don’t have any phones with them, so you can’t call them!’

’30 MINUTES? My wife went into labour 30 minutes ago and you’re calling me NOW? YOU’RE FIRED! YOU’RE ALL FIRED!’

Om Prakash looked down at the phone and grimaced. ‘I think that went well.’