The first week of March arrived with a mild, warm breeze in Hyderabad. Following the doctor's strict advice, Krithika was admitted to a premium private maternity hospital in Jubilee Hills. Because she was carrying twins, the medical team wanted her under constant observation during the final days of her third trimester to prevent any sudden complications.
Siddanth had booked the largest suite available on the VIP floor. The room did not feel like a clinical hospital ward. It had wooden floors, large windows, a comfortable seating area for guests, and a small attached kitchenette.
The family immediately established a rotation schedule, making sure Krithika was never left alone.
Suma, Sesikala, Anjali, and Siddanth took turns, with at least two of them always sitting with her—talking, bringing food, or simply keeping her company while she rested.
It was the morning of March 2nd. The room stayed quiet. Siddanth sat on a chair to the left of the hospital bed, peeling an apple with a small knife, while Anjali sat on a stool to the right, holding a glass of water.
Krithika sat up, supported by several thick pillows against the headboard. She looked tired but smiled.
Anjali set the glass of water down on the side table, then leaned forward. "Akka," she started, her tone turning very persuasive. "If one of them is a girl, you should name her Anjali."
Siddanth stopped peeling the apple and looked up, letting out a short, quiet breath as he rolled his eyes. "We already have one Anjali," he stated flatly, handing a slice of apple to Krithika. "We don't need another one in the house."
Anjali pouted immediately and turned her focus entirely to her sister. "Akka, please. It is a great name. It means offering. And I will be her favorite aunt. Please."
Krithika laughed softly while chewing the apple slice and shook her head. "No, Anju. It will get very confusing when I have to scold."
"Why?" Anjali asked, crossing her arms.
"Because I know exactly what will happen," Krithika explained. "You will spoil her completely. And when she makes a mistake and I yell 'Anjali' from the kitchen, both of you will run away. You will escape punishment by saying you thought I was yelling at the other Anjali."
Anjali froze and looked down at the floor. That was exactly what she had planned. She looked like someone caught trying to steal from a store.
The room filled with laughter. Siddanth shook his head and placed the knife down on a plate. "You actually planned that."
Anjali looked up, her expression turning serious. "Okay, jokes aside. Name her Anjali. It will be a lot of fun. I promise I will teach her good things."
Siddanth looked at his sister-in-law as a playful idea formed. "You know what. We will name her Anjali."
Anjali's face lit up instantly. "Yay!"
"But on one condition," Siddanth interrupted, raising a finger.
Anjali stopped celebrating. "What condition?"
"We will test it right now," Siddanth proposed. "If the baby kicks in the next thirty seconds, her name will be Anjali. If she does not kick, we drop the name completely."
Anjali thought about the terms. The babies were usually very active in the morning, so the odds were good. "Deal," she agreed quickly. "I accept the bet."
Siddanth stood up from his chair. Anjali stood up from her stool. They both walked closer to the bed. Siddanth placed his large right hand gently on the left side of Krithika's stomach while Anjali placed her hands carefully on the right side.
Siddanth looked at the round wall clock hanging above the door. The red second hand rested exactly on the twelve. "Starting now."
The room went completely silent. Krithika held her breath, trying to stay completely still so they could feel any movement.
Anjali stared intensely at Krithika's stomach and waited for the familiar thump against her palms.
Ten seconds passed. Nothing happened.
Fifteen seconds passed. The room stayed absolutely quiet, the only sound the faint hum of the air conditioning vent.
Twenty seconds passed. Anjali started looking nervous and tapped her fingers lightly against Krithika's shirt, trying to wake the babies up.
"No cheating, Anju," Siddanth warned, keeping his eyes on the clock.
Twenty-five seconds.
The red hand hit the twelve again. "Thirty seconds," Siddanth declared, taking his hand away.
Not a single movement had occurred. The babies remained asleep.
Anjali pouted heavily, dropped her hands, and slumped back onto her stool. "They are sleeping. That is unfair."
Siddanth laughed while walking back to his chair. "See? Even the baby knows her aunt is a menace and does not want to get caught in it."
Anjali pouted even more, crossing her arms. Krithika laughed out loud and rested her head back against the pillows.
"Okay, seriously," Anjali asked, changing the topic to hide her defeat. "What name have you thought for the kids? You must have thought of something."
"We are thinking," Siddanth replied, picking up the apple again. "We have looked at a few names, but we still have not fixed on anything yet."
Siddanth looked at Anjali. "What about you? Did you have any names you picked out?"
Anjali's eyes brightened and she uncrossed her arms. She had been waiting for them to ask. "If they are girls, I want Tejaswini and Sanvi."
Siddanth paused, thinking about the names. "Tejaswini. Sanvi."
"And if they are boys?" Krithika asked.
"If they are boys, I want Rudra and Rishi," Anjali answered without hesitation.
Siddanth nodded. "Rudra. Rishi. Those are nice names."
"Very nice names," Krithika agreed, smiling at her sister.
Anjali leaned forward eagerly. "Will you name the child that?"
Siddanth offered a warm, quiet smile. "We will see."
The day passed peacefully. The family rotated shifts. In the evening, Vikram Deva and Subba Rao came to visit, bringing home-cooked food from the farmhouse. They sat in the room, talking about the weather and the farm before returning home to sleep. Siddanth and Suma stayed the night in the suite.
The next day dawned—March 3rd, 2018. The morning routine stayed normal. Krithika ate her breakfast. The nurses came in to check her blood pressure and note down the details on their charts. Everything looked stable.
At 1:00 PM, Sesikala and Anjali arrived at the hospital, bringing lunch. They ate together in the seating area of the suite.
At around 3:00 PM, the atmosphere in the room suddenly changed. Siddanth sat near the window, replying to an email from Arjun on his phone, while Krithika rested in the bed.
Suddenly, Krithika let out a sharp, tight gasp.
Siddanth dropped his phone on the chair and crossed the room in two long steps, standing next to the bed. "Krithi?"
Krithika gripped the bedsheets with both hands, her knuckles turning white. She closed her eyes tightly, breathing in short, heavy bursts.
"Sid," Krithika gasped out, opening her eyes. "The pains. They are starting."
Siddanth did not panic and turned around immediately. "Amma," he said to his mother, who was packing the lunch boxes. "Call the nurses."
Sesikala dropped the boxes and rushed out into the hallway.
Within a minute, two nurses and the senior doctor entered the suite. The doctor walked up to the bed, asked Krithika a few quick questions, and checked the timing of the pain.
The doctor turned to Siddanth and the family. "It is time. We are shifting her to the delivery room now."
The nurses moved quickly and unlocked the wheels of the hospital bed. Siddanth held Krithika's hand as they rolled the bed out of the suite and down the wide, brightly lit hospital corridor.
They reached the heavy double doors of the delivery ward. Siddanth stopped. The rules did not allow the family inside.
"I will be right outside," Siddanth told her, squeezing her hand firmly.
Krithika nodded, her face pale, but offered a brave, reassuring smile. The nurses rolled the bed through the doors. The doors swung shut with a heavy click.
Siddanth turned around and walked toward the private waiting room designated for their family at the end of the hall.
His mother, Sesikala, and Anjali were already there. Anjali had her phone in her hand and was dialing her parents. "Nanna, come to the hospital quickly," she said into the phone, her voice shaking slightly. "They just took Akka inside."
An hour later, Vikram Deva and Subba Rao hurried into the waiting room. Suma arrived right behind them, looking incredibly anxious.
The waiting began. The hospital waiting room was comfortable, featuring leather sofas and a television on the wall. The television stayed turned off. Nobody wanted to watch anything.
Siddanth did not sit down. He stood near the window, looking out at the city traffic below with his hands in his pockets. His face remained a mask of absolute, unmoving calm.
Vikram Deva and Subba Rao sat together on a sofa. Subba Rao rubbed his knees nervously while Vikram Deva placed a solid, comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. They did not speak much—the silent support was enough.
Suma and Sesikala sat on another sofa, holding hands and quietly reciting prayers under their breath. Anjali sat next to her mother, staring at the blank screen of her phone.
The clock on the wall moved slowly.
4:00 PM.
5:00 PM.
6:00 PM.
The tension in the room grew heavy. The silence stayed thick. Every time a nurse walked past the glass door of the waiting room, everyone looked up, hoping for news.
At 6:35 PM, the heavy door of the waiting room opened.
The senior doctor walked in, wearing her blue scrubs. She pulled her face mask down and wore a wide, warm smile.
Siddanth turned away from the window immediately. Vikram, Subba Rao, Suma, Sesikala, and Anjali stood up from the sofas instantly.
The doctor looked at the family. "Congratulations. Krithika did wonderfully. You have a beautiful baby boy and a beautiful baby girl."
The entire room seemed to let out a breath they had been holding for three hours.
"Are they healthy?" Siddanth asked instantly, stepping forward. His voice stayed steady, but a crack of deep emotion lay behind it. "Is Krithika okay?"
"Both the babies are perfectly healthy," the doctor assured him. "Krithika is tired, but she is absolutely fine. The delivery went very smoothly."
The doctor looked at the chart in her hand. "The boy was born first, at exactly 6:14 PM. The girl was born a few minutes later, at exactly 6:22 PM."
The room erupted into quiet joy.
Vikram Deva stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Siddanth, pulling his son into a massive, proud hug. "Congratulations, Siddu," he said, patting his back heavily.
Subba Rao walked over next and hugged Siddanth tightly, tears of relief falling from his eyes. "Thank God. Both mother and children are safe."
On the other side of the room, Anjali threw her arms around her mother. Suma wept openly while hugging her younger daughter and thanking the gods for a safe delivery.
Siddanth stepped away from the fathers and walked over to his mother. Sesikala reached up and hugged him fiercely, kissing his cheek and wiping her own tears away.
"Can we see her?" Siddanth asked, turning back to the doctor.
"Give us about thirty minutes," the doctor replied kindly. "We are cleaning the babies and checking their vitals. We will shift Krithika back to her private suite so she can rest comfortably. Once she is settled in the room, you can all go inside."
The doctor nodded and left the waiting room.
The family sat back down on the sofas. The heavy tension was gone, replaced by a light, buoyant energy. They smiled at each other and talked quietly about the timings and the safe delivery.
Siddanth walked out of the waiting room and stood in the quiet hospital corridor. He pulled his phone from his pocket and initiated a group voice call.
The phone rang for a few seconds.
Sameer answered first. "Hello? Sid?"
Arjun joined a second later. "We are here. What happened?"
Feroz came on the line. "Did she deliver?"
Siddanth stood in the corridor and looked down the hall toward the delivery ward doors. A massive smile spread across his face. "I am a father."
Absolute silence hit the phone line for one second.
Then Sameer screamed. "YES!" he shouted at the absolute top of his lungs, the audio distorting from the sheer volume. "YES! THE PRINCE IS HERE!"
"Congratulations, Sid!" Arjun yelled, his usual calm demeanor completely gone. "Is Krithika okay? Are the babies healthy?"
"Everyone is fine," Siddanth said, his voice thick with quiet joy. "A boy and a girl."
"A boy and a girl! Both!" Feroz cheered loudly through the speaker. "That is incredible news, Sid! Congratulations to you and Krithika!"
"We are coming right now," Sameer announced rapidly. "I am leaving the office. I am getting my car. Do you need anything? Do we need to bring food? Should I bring toys?"
"Do not bring toys to the hospital, Sameer," Arjun ordered his friend through the call. "Sid, we are leaving now. We will be at the hospital in thirty minutes."
"Drive safe. There is no rush," Siddanth told them.
He disconnected the call, put his phone back in his pocket, and walked back into the waiting room to sit with his family.
Thirty minutes later, a nurse opened the door of the waiting room. "Sir," she said, looking at Siddanth. "Madam has been shifted to her room. She is asking for you."
Siddanth stood up immediately.
"You go first, Siddu," his father said softly. "We will come in after a few minutes."
Siddanth walked down the corridor and reached the heavy wooden door of the private suite. He took a deep breath, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
Krithika lay in the hospital bed. She looked incredibly exhausted, her hair messy and her face pale. But when she heard the door open, she turned her head. A beautiful, tired smile broke across her face.
Siddanth walked over to the side of the bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress, reaching out to take her hand gently.
"Hi," Krithika whispered, her voice rough.
"Hi," Siddanth replied softly. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, resting his head against hers for a long moment. "Thank you. You did great."
Krithika smiled and squeezed his hand weakly.
A soft, rustling sound came from the other side of the room.
Siddanth turned his head. A senior nurse walked toward the bed, pushing a specialized, transparent hospital crib.
Inside, separated by a soft divider, lay two tiny bundles wrapped tightly in clean, white blankets. They wore small, soft cotton caps on their heads to keep them warm.
The nurse stopped the crib next to the bed. "Would you like to hold them, sir?"
Siddanth stood up from the bed and walked over to the crib, looking down through the clear plastic sides. They were incredibly small. Their eyes stayed closed. Their tiny chests rose and fell with fast, shallow breaths.
Siddanth reached down. His broad, calloused hands—trained to hurl a cricket ball at terrifying speeds—moved with absolute, delicate precision. He slid his left hand gently under the neck and head of the first bundle and his right hand under the lower back, then lifted the baby boy slowly out of the crib.
The boy felt impossibly light in his arms. Siddanth brought the baby close to his chest, cradling him securely against his forearm, and looked down at the small, sleeping face. An overwhelming weight settled into his chest. He was holding his son.
He turned toward the bed. Krithika watched him, seeing the fierce, protective, and completely vulnerable look in his eyes. Her own eyes filled with tears of pure happiness.
The nurse stepped forward and carefully lifted the second bundle from the crib. "Here, sir."
Siddanth did not put the boy down. He shifted his left arm to create a secure hold against his chest and reached out with his right arm.
The nurse gently placed the baby girl into his right arm. Siddanth adjusted his stance and stood next to the hospital bed, holding one child securely in his left arm and the other in his right. He felt their tiny, warm bodies resting against him.
He looked at his son, then at his daughter, and finally at Krithika. Sitting down carefully on the chair next to the bed while still holding both babies close, he murmured, "They are so small."
Krithika reached out and gently stroked the soft cheek of the baby girl, then touched the tiny fingers of the baby boy. "They are perfect."
The heavy door of the suite slowly pushed open. Vikram Deva, Subba Rao, Sesikala, Suma, and Anjali walked into the room very quietly and stopped near the foot of the bed. They saw Siddanth sitting in the chair, holding both twins.
Suma covered her mouth, weeping silently at the beautiful sight. Vikram Deva smiled a wide, deeply proud smile. Anjali stood on her toes to get a better look at the babies.
The room filled with a quiet joy. The waiting was over. The journey of pregnancy was complete. The new chapter had officially begun. The house in Shamshabad was going to be very noisy from now on, and they were all entirely ready for it.