Kabhi Toh Nazar Milao Part 3

Treat

The routine visit to the doctor at the end of the month was always the same. Dr Shaila would ask a few questions about Naina's diet and general health and if she had any discomfort, take her inside for a check up and write a prescription for the same vitamins and iron tablets which she had been taking regularly.

This time, however, things took a different turn.

"Naina, aaj hum aapko apne baby se milwayenge." She announced.

Sameer gaped at her with open mouth as Naina beamed, "Sonography?"

Doctor nodded.

Naina had never accompanied Pooja didi to the doctor but she had seen the sonography reports where a blurred image appeared which looked like a baby. She had been waiting for this time but had not mentioned it to Sameer. Had he known, he would have pestered the doctor since long.

"Haan, sonography. Aap ready ho?" Doctor asked her.

Before Naina could answer, Sameer asked eagerly, "Sonography kya hota hai?"

Doctor explained the process to him, telling the importance of this procedure and that it would be repeated a few more times before the baby was born.

"Naina ko dard hoga kya?" He took her hand in his, pressing it more to assure himself than her.

"Nahi. Ismein koi pain nahi hota. Feel bhi nahi hoga. Bas ek image nazar aayegi monitor pe. Zyada clear nahi hogi kyonki abhi baby bohot chota hai. Lekin hamare liye zaroori hai iss samay pe ek sonography karke yeh dekhna ki baby ki growth achhe se ho rahi hai ya nahi." Dr Shaila elaborated.

He was about to question her about her last sentence when Naina tugged at his hand. He looked at her with a frown settled on his face.

"Normal hai, Sameer. Pooja didi ne bhi karwaya tha." She asserted, blinking with a nod.

He pursed his lips, giving her a small smile.

"Main bhi mil sakta hun kya... baby se?" Turning back to the doctor, he asked earnestly.

Dr Shaila smiled, "Bilkul mil sakte ho."

His heart jumped to his mouth. He would be seeing his baby for the first time. When she went away to instruct the nurse about preparing for the procedure, he looked at Naina. She was excited as well, but not as shaky as him. Probably because she was aware of this type of test, and was prepared for it.

He stood nervously next to her, holding her hand when she was made to lie down in front of what looked like a computer monitor. The silence in the room made the sound of his pounding heart reverberate so loud, he felt everyone could hear it. When the doctor started to move a small, wired object over her belly, he gulped, pressing her shoulder to know if she was okay.

"Screen pe dekho, Sameer. Naina ko isse koi takleef nahi hogi." Doctor assured him again, seeing his concern.

They both glued their eyes to the screen where grainy picture started to form. They tried hard to focus on something which looked like a baby but couldn't see any such image.

"Yeh dekho, yeh jo dikh raha hai, yeh aapka baby hai. Dhyan se dekho. Abhi bohot bada nahi hai lekin aapko samajh aa jayega." Doctor Shaila pointed at the screen, outlining the image with her fingers.

And they saw it together.

They forgot to breathe. A large head and a tiny, hazy outline below was all that they could make out but it flooded their hearts with an enormous wave of affection and warmth. Tears flowed down the side of Naina's eyes as she watched the image. She wasn't sure her eyes were playing the trick or the baby was actually moving.