Chapter 22

"Manic Depressive Psychosis. That's what the problem is, Mr. Ranawat. The paradoxical combination of remorse and vengeance has caused this change in Ms. Khanna's behavior. I think it is her way of punishing everyone who pushed her into the life of surrogacy. As Mr. Khanna says she always wanted Prince Charming for herself, a lavish wedding and treasured pregnancy, but she got neither of them. The sequence ingrained into her, as a part of the culture, was disturbed by accepting the surrogacy and so did her mental stability," explained Nisha, the consulting psychologist of Arjun in regard to Jyotsna's case.

Varun looked perturbed and petrified by the clinician's explanation of his sister's condition. His greed had caused so much damage to the one he had vowed to protect and there was nothing he could do to undo it.

"Is there no way to cure this, Nisha? I am sure there would be some way," demanded Arjun desperately.

There was something so haunting about the hollowness in her eyes which sucked his very soul and the way her face had set into a stoic expression had managed to melt even the stone of his heart to engrave her name onto it. His realization of his love for her was his punishment as every second of their togetherness was blemished by her hatred towards the whole world in general.

"I can supplement her with some Lithium to see if it would work, Mr. Ranawat. But I guess nature should take its course. Don’t use this unless it is an emergency especially if she falls pregnant. She has undergone the Artificial Insemination treatment you say, and if all goes well, that might bring the woman you both earnestly love," assured Nisha, writing away a prescription, with a warning that she could react adversely to the medicines and hence they were to be used only if the treatment fails and she slips further into depression.

"Let's hope that all goes well then," prayed Arjun, forgetting his childhood vow of never bowing in front of the Almighty or rendering a prayer.

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Ranawat Mansion, "Dr. said that you can do the pregnancy test at home to avoid the traveling and asked you to meet her if the test turns positive," said Arjun, forwarding the pregnancy kit towards a nonchalant Jyotsna.

She just nodded at him formally as she took the kit and proceeded towards the washroom to conduct the test.

Arjun, at that point, was not really sure, although he had hoped that the test turns positive so that Jyotsna regains at least a part of her original self-back. At the back of his mind, fear was hovering over the hope - what if the second pregnancy too is a repetition of the first, and ends in a miscarriage? Will Jyotsna be able to tolerate another shock?

His heart reminded him of its existence and its ache when his first child was lost. He was sure that he would not be able to bear another incident as such once again, given the amount of trauma the last one has.

The clicking of the door opened broke his reverie and the sight which greeted him erased every worry of his. Jyotsna Khanna had finally smiled and gone was the hollowness in her eyes; her eyes were bright with hope and were gleaming with bliss.

He did not need her to word it out for him, he knew what the result was - positive - she was pregnant, once again.

"Look at this! Two lines! It means pregnant right?" she questioned eagerly, desperate to confirm that she was right in her assumption.

Her childlike innocence and her unadulterated happiness were like soothing balm to his troubled soul. He looked down at the test she was holding in her hands to reaffirm the reality to her, hoping that the curve of her lips only widens further and stays on forever.

"Yes, Jyotsna. It does mean that you are pregnant," he replied, a smile playing on his lips, mirroring hers without his knowledge.

Jyotsna flung her frail arms over his shoulders and pulled him into an embrace, which according to Arjun, was broken too fast. The embrace was magical enough to make his sleep deprivation vanish into thin air.

“Our child will return! Thank you so much, Arjun! You have no idea how I am feeling right now! This time, no matter what happens, I will bring this child into the world and my baby will love me just like Mumma loves him or her, which she never got," she chuckled, caressing her flat abdomen lovingly as tears filled in her eyes, reminiscing the dark night of the past.

"Who says you are not loved?" muttered Arjun involuntarily, making her look up to face him.

"You said something?" she questioned, unable to ascertain the content of his speech due to her blissful state.

"I said that it is amazing to see you smile once again. It felt horrible to see you sulk and not utter a single word. You have no idea how happy it makes me to finally see a glimpse of the old Jyotsna I have known, although only for a little while," he mused, lost in the time when Jyotsna used to share her ideas for her stories with him before her miscarriage happened.

--FLASHBACK--

"So, what is your story about?" questioned Arjun, sipping the bitter juice so that Jyotsna has some company while drinking the same.

"I have loved romance since I was a child, Mr. Ranawat, so I thought..."

"Wait, don't tell me that the tigress is actually a romantic at heart?" teased Arjun, surprised by her choice of the genre.

"Please, Mr. Ranawat. Anyways, I don't expect a workaholic like you to appreciate my story," joked Jyotsna, hoping that he does not take her joke seriously and ruin the little relationship they were building with each other.

"When a sarcastic young woman like you can enjoy romance, of course an entrepreneur can too, Ms. Khanna. Please go ahead with the plotline. I'll make sure to be a good listener and a good critic," assured Arjun, hoping that Jyotsna finishes her juice faster so that he can stop sipping more of the drink, but luck did not seem to side with him.

"I am sure of the good critic part, Mr. Ranawat, but good listener? Let's see about it and if you aren't, I will make sure to complain to the baby that Papa is very evil," said Jyotsna, pulling his leg, enjoying the only company she has which can respond to her unlike the baby who was too young for Jyotsna to even feel the movements.

"See Baby, Mumma is so evil, she is threatening Papa. Go ahead, Ms. Khanna, I'll give you no chance to complain," vowed Arjun as Jyotsna gave him a teasing smile and began with her story.

--FLASHBACK ENDS--

"I did not know that you would miss that side of me, Mr. Ranawat. Surely, it would not have affected you that much," she added, eying him with a hint of surprise.

"You certainly do not know a lot of things then, Jyotsna Khanna."