Chapter 6: The Birth of Two Lives
The morning of the surgery arrived with a hush. Meera barely slept the night before — not out of fear, but anticipation. The nurse entered at 6 AM, gently tapping her shoulder.
“It’s time, Mrs. Sharma.”
Aarav was already in the waiting area, pacing nervously. His eyes met Meera’s as she was wheeled out of the room. He gave her a shaky thumbs-up.
Inside the operation theatre, the lights were too bright and the air too cold. The doctors moved with quiet precision. Meera felt a pressure — not pain, but a deep pull, as though her soul was shifting.
Then — a cry.
Loud. Strong. Alive.
Her heart stopped for a second. Then raced with joy.
“It’s a girl,” the nurse announced, holding up a wriggling baby with a full head of hair and determined lungs.
Tears streamed down Meera’s face. Her arms ached to hold the child, but they waited until she was cleaned, wrapped, and placed against her chest.
The baby blinked up at her — a stranger, yet someone she had known all her life.
“Hello,” Meera whispered. “We did it.”
Outside, Aarav cried for the first time in years.
They named her Anaya, meaning 'caring' — because she had already taught them so much about strength, pain, and love.
The next few days blurred into sleepless nights, learning to breastfeed, figuring out diapers, and healing from the surgery. But despite the exhaustion, Meera smiled more than she had in months.
Anaya slept in her arms, a tiny fist curled near her chest, and Meera realized: childbirth wasn’t just the birth of a baby. It was the rebirth of a woman — stronger, softer, whole.
