Unedited

Author's POV:

All the girls left their room, giving the couple some privacy. Avi went to freshen up while Maya sat on the bed, waiting for him. Soon, after getting ready, he came out of the closet and saw Maya sleeping in the sitting position. He chuckled, looking at her, and went towards her.
 
He shook her slowly while she opened her eyes and yawned cutely. She stood up and hugged him, snuggling more into him.
 
"What took you so long, just to wear a shirt and pants?" asked Maya.
 
Avi looked at her amusedly, as she never complained about such things. He understood one thing: his bunny and his little man would give him a tough time. Well, he feels that it's going to be a baby boy this time, his little man.
 
"Umm, nothing. I need to match my wife's beauty, right? So, I took some time to groom myself to match your standards," said Avi.
 

"Whatever!" Maya said, twisting her mouth with annoyance.
 
He shook his head at her and kissed her forehead. She pulled more towards him by his shirt collar and placed her lips on his, taking them into a passionate kiss. He wrapped his arm around her waist and caressed it. With one hand, she was ruffling his hair, and she moved her other hand inside his shirt. She started to trace his abs slowly and seductively, making him hard.

He broke the kiss when he felt she couldn't take more and whispered in her ears, "Stop seducing me, Bunny. You are making it hard for me. You are already sore and tired. So, let your body relax a little, hmm."
 
He took a step back and looked at her from top to bottom. She is looking beautiful in her royal blue saree that has a golden embroidered border. She paired the saree with a heavy embroidered cut-sleeve blouse.
 
He was mesmerised looking at her and said, "By the way, you are looking beautiful, my love. I just want to undrape it off your body and make hard love to you. Only I know how badly I'm controlling myself."

(Avi and Maya's attires)

Maya lowered her head with shyness, bit her lips, and tucked her tresses behind her ear, making him chuckle.

"Shall we go down?" Avi asked, extending his hand.
 
Maya nodded her head and held his hand. With that, both of them moved down, holding each other's hands. They saw everyone waiting for them. The smile was not leaving their faces. They took blessings from the elders.

"Ammu and Kittu, come here," said Revathi.

Maya and Avi went towards her.

"Take care when you go outside, especially when you go to the hospital. I don't want anyone to know that she is pregnant until her first trimester is completed. And don't post anything related to her pregnancy on social media either. I don't want any evil to be cast on her or the baby. I know you guys don't believe in such things these days, but we do. I told the same thing to Arpita when she was pregnant. And I want you to do the same. I hope you both understand what I'm trying to say," said Revathi.

Maya and Avi nodded their heads in understanding.

"And, Ammu, no jumping and running from now on," Radha warned her.

"Yes, and you have to drink milk at least once a day without throwing a tantrum. You have to eat healthy food, and outside food is strictly banned from now on. If you want anything, ask us, and we will prepare it," said Anjali.

With that, they went on giving them instructions and dos and don'ts. Soon everyone got in their cars, and the security followed them.

*************************

All of them reached "Happy Home," which was an orphanage started by Madhav and Shiva Prasad in the memory of their wives fifteen years ago. The whole orphanage consists of five blocks, and each block is a six-storey building. It is a huge family of five hundred people. You can see people of all ages here-those who were left behind by their families.

They also run a trust, which was handled by Gayathri, Revathi, and Radha, that is associated with many NGOs. They provide scholarships to many students who cannot afford their studies. Children can complete their schooling in the school associated with the orphanage itself. And the orphanage funds their entire studies.

And the best part is that the handcrafted products made in the orphanage are quite popular and are sold online and in some local markets.

They saw the head of the orphanage waiting for them at the entrance, along with some staff. Everyone smiled at them and asked the workers to bring the things they had brought along with them.

They moved inside and saw kids wearing birthday caps and holding balloons in their hands. A smile formed on everyone's face when they looked at their innocent smiles.

As soon as they saw Avi and Maya, they shouted "Happy Birthday" together, making everyone chuckle. One of the helpers brought a cake and placed it on a table. They asked Avi and Maya to cut the cake. They happily cut the cake and fed them.

(Cake made by kids)

"How is the cake, Akka? We baked it for you both with the assistance of cook aunty," asked one of the little girls.

Avi and Maya's hearts swelled with happiness, listening to her. Maya bent down and sat on her knees. She caressed her cheeks and pecked her head.

"It's yummy, Kanna," said Maya.

The kids' faces lit up as they listened to her. Maya got up and hugged Avi, getting emotional. Avi pecked her head, understanding her turmoil. He asked the helpers to distribute the cakes and chocolates that they had brought along with them.

They played with the kids and told them stories. They took blessings from the elders in the orphanage and spent some time with them. The ladies cooked dinner for everyone along with the cooks over there, and they had dinner together with them in the dining hall. They went back to their homes around midnight after promising everyone that they would visit them again soon.

This is how they celebrate everyone's birthday, especially the youngsters, as they hate parties. The whole day, everyone has a content smile on their faces.

**************************

The next morning, everyone went back to their respective offices. Maya has an appointment at 11 a.m. Avi went to the office for a meeting. Avi asked all the elders to come back from their work early, saying that he had to say something important.

Maya and Aashi were driving to the apartment with the security following them when they got a call from Sravya. They immediately drove to that location. They got out of their car and saw Surya waiting for them. Three of them entered a room and saw Sravya holding a newborn baby. They looked at her, shocked.

"Whose baby is that, Chinnu?" asked Maya.

But Sravya didn't even speak a word. Aashi looked at Surya and asked him, but he also didn't say a word. Aashi and Maya waited for them to speak, but they got annoyed when none of them said a word.

"Will you guys say something? Or do you want to stay silent for the whole day?" shouted Maya.

"She is Dharani Akka's baby," said Surya.

"Isn't she Taara Akka's step-sister?" asked Aashi.

"Yes!" said Surya.

"Then where is she?" Asked Maya.

"She is no more," said Sravya.

"What??" shouted Aashi and Maya together.

"Surya, will you please tell us what exactly has happened?" Aashi asked, composing.

"Dharani Akka ran away from the house two years ago with her love, Aakash as Mr. Manohar fixed her marriage with a businessman. They got married in a temple and moved to Delhi. They were living happily in their little bubble, and their happiness got doubled when she got pregnant. We met Dharani Akka a month ago, she is in the temple and in her last months. We admitted her in the hospital and asked her about her husband. She told us that he was killed and even her life was at risk. She died after giving birth to the baby a few days ago. She doesn't want anyone to know about her baby", Surya gulped and continued, "She want me and Sravya to adopt the baby."

Though Maya and Aashi understood there was something more to the story, they remained silent for the time being. They looked at the baby in Sravya's arms, who was sleeping peacefully. Aashi slowly picked up the baby in her arms, but the baby started to cry. She tried to calm him down, but he started to cry more. Sravya immediately took him back in her arms and cooed at him. He stopped crying and held her pinky finger tightly in his small fist. Maya and Aashi looked at them amused, while Surya had a small smile playing on his lips.

"What do you both want to do now?" asked Maya.

"I want to adopt the baby legally," said Sravya.

"Umm, Chinnu, are you sure about this? I mean, don't you want to discuss with Attayya and Mavayya?" asked Maya.

"Yes," said Sravya.

Maya kneeled down in front of her and told her, "It's a big responsibility, Chinnu. You just started your career. Remember, you have big dreams about your career. You have always wanted to start your own brand of cosmetics and organic skin care products. You are working on it and about to launch it. Now, adopting a child means it's going to bring a huge change in your life. And you are not married. I know there are a lot of single mothers out there, and you don't care about society. But what about Attayya and Mavayya? They have dreamt of so many things about you. Just talk with them once before you make a decision. I am not opposing your decision; in fact, it's a good decision. You are going to give a new life to this baby. But just think about this once again. Whatever decision you make, remember that we are here to support you."

Maya looked at Surya and told him to leave them alone for a moment.

After making sure that Surya left the room, Maya asked Sravya, "Did you tell him about your feelings, Chinnu?"

Sravya nodded her head positively.

"What did he say?" asked Maya.

"He wanted me to move on from him," Sravya said, caressing the baby's head.

"Wait, a minute. Sravya do you love Surya?" Asked Aashi.

"Yes, but he loves someone else," said Sravya.

"And that girl got married already," said Maya.

"And that's you, Mayu," Sravya thought in her mind.

Aashi got lost in her thoughts. After some time, Sravya and Surya took the baby for a check-up, while Maya called Avi and told him to come to the hospital. Aashi and Maya went to meet Anitha in the meantime. After talking with Anitha, Avi called Maya, asking about her whereabouts. She told him to come to the children's ward, making him confused.

**************************

Avi saw Maya and Aashi sitting in the waiting area and talking with each other and moved towards them. Maya and Aashi got up seeing Avi.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Avi.

"You will know yourself in a few minutes," said Maya.

After some time, they saw Surya and Sravya coming towards with the baby and Diya following them. Avi looked at them confused.

"We will talk about this later, Anna, but first let's go for a check-up," said Diya. She then looked at Surya and said, "Surya, you take Aashi to her doctor; Sravya, you come with us."

Surya and Aashi left to meet Aashi's doctor, while Avi, Maya, Diya, Sravya, and the baby left for Diya's cabin.

"So are you ready to see your baby, guys?" asked Diya.

Avi and Maya nodded their heads with excitement and nervousness. Maya lied down on the small bed and lifted her top a little. Diya applied gel to her tummy.

"So, look at the screen, guys. This is your baby. Maya, you are in your 8th week of pregnancy. See, it is in the size of kidney bean. You can hear its heartbeat. Your baby has started moving around, though you won't feel movement yet," said Diya.

Avi caressed the screen with tears.

"Can I get that image?" Asked Avi.

"Sure," said Diya.

Maya got up and fixed her dress properly.

"Your baby is healthy, Maya. You will experience morning sickness, or sometimes you might feel nauseous all day. Your food cravings will increase. You will experience heat burns and indigestion. You will be worn out or just more sleepy than usual. Stay hydrated; it will help with constipation. Avoid spicy and fried foods for a while and eat healthy food," said Diya. She turned towards and said, "And Anna this for you. She will go through a lot of changes, both mentally and physically, from now on, so be her support. Her body is experiencing a surge of hormones, so her moods will fluctuate a lot. Make sure that she eats healthy food."

Diya composed herself and said, "Okay, the most important thing is that your uterus is a little weak, Maya. It may result in a miscarriage or a premature birth. And this first trimester is more crucial, as miscarriage happens mostly at this stage. So, come to the hospital regularly so that we can monitor yours and the baby's health. I'm giving you a diet chart; follow that and do yoga regularly, Maya. It will really help you a lot, and you should also go for a walk."

"Everything will be fine, right?" Maya asked with fear.

Avi held her hand and caressed her knuckles to calm her.

"Everything will be fine, Ammu. Eat healthy food and take medicines regularly. You need to eat folic acid, calcium and iron rich foods as well as the food with essential nutrients. Take proper rest and don't toil yourself much, okay?" said Diya.

She gave some more instructions and prescribed medicines. With that, they moved out of the hospital and sat in the car. By that time, even Aashi and Surya came back after Aashi's regular check-up. All of them got inside his car, and he told the security to bring the remaining two cars. He drove to Aashi's apartment, as he had to talk with Sravya.

**************************

All of them sat in the living room of the apartment. Aashi went to prepare an order with the help of the worker. They decided to appoint some helpers asap, as Maya was suggested to take bed rest.

Maya dozed off by leaning her head on Avi's shoulder. He picked her up in his arms and made her lie on the bed. While Surya placed baby beside her and placed pillows around him, so that he doesn't fall.

Surya and Sravya told him about the baby, while Avi listened to them keenly.

"Why didn't you tell us about Dharani yesterday in the study room, Surya? And what about Aakash's parents?" asked Avi.

"He is an orphan. She told us that they were classmates, and that's how they fell in love with each other. I was tensed about the baby, as he was premature. They kept him under observation all this time. They have informed us today that we can take the baby with us. She took a promise from us that no one should know that she is the mother of that baby. And she wanted us to take care of the baby," said Surya.
 

"And what do you guys have decided?" asked Avi.
 
"We want to adopt the baby legally," said Surya.
 
"We, in the sense?" Avi asked, raising his eyebrows at him.
 
"Me and Sravya," said Surya.
 
"And how? Don't you know only you or Sravya can adopt that boy individually? If you want to adopt him together, then you have to get married, don't you know that?" asked Avi.

"I know!" Surya said meekly.
 
"Then? Will you marry Sravya?" Avi asked straightly without beating around the bush.

Sravya gasped, listening to him. Yes, it's her dream to get married to her love, but not in this way. Not when he didn't have any feelings for her and due to the demands of the situation.

"Answer me, Surya: Will you marry her when you are in love with someone else? When you didn't move on from that girl even after her marriage. You guys are taking on a huge responsibility. Do you know the process of adoption? They will question you: When there is no love between the parents, how will you shower your love on the baby and grow him in a positive environment?" asked Avi.
 
He then looked at his sister and said, "Tell me, Chinnu. Will you marry him? Do you have confidence that one day you will be able to make a place in his heart? I'm not saying that your decision is wrong, but I'm telling you about the reality. Adopting a baby is not easy, guys. Yes, you might adopt him legally by getting married now. But what if some differences occur between you in the future and you blame the baby? Because you would get married in the first place just for him, right? Who knows what will happen in the future? So, think about this properly and take a proper decision. Just remember that our families will be with us."

With that, he left the room and went to check on Maya and the baby, leaving Surya and Sravya in their thoughts. He saw them sleeping peacefully and went to help Aashi. He called his PA and told him to appoint some good bakers after doing a proper background check.