An anxious Madhu was waiting outside Doctor Rajeev’s clinic. She fiddled with her mobile phone, constantly looking at the screen if anyone was calling her up. She finally smiled when she saw Doctor Rajeev arriving at the clinic with an equally anxious couple.
The Doctor led all of them inside his clinic and once they were seated he spoke “Mrs. Madhu, as I mentioned to you, the Guptas are delighted that you are ready to be a surrogate mother to their child. They have also said that they will bear all the expenses including any personal wishes or cravings that you have during the pregnancy.” The couple flashed a warm smile at Madhu but she was too nervous and continued fiddling with her phone.   

As they came out of the clinic, Madhu quickly picked up her mobile phone and dialled fervently. Keeping one hand on her ear, she strained herself to hear the voice on the other end of the phone. “I am coming Vinod, just another 15 minutes”, she said briskly as she cut the phone and got into an auto. Back home, she and her husband Vinod sat down accounting the money that they would get from the surrogate pregnancy. Vinod said “It should suffice for our son Abhishek’s treatment. In fact, we should have excess money”. Madhu did not reply. “What happened Madhu? All ok? asked Vinod, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“It just seems very strange doing all this, I mean carrying someone else’s baby in my womb…” said Madhu, resting her head on his chest. “I know Madhu, even I have been thinking about it. I know it’s difficult but we don’t have a choice. There is no other way to raise funds for Abhishek’s treatment. Vinod was going to continue the conversation when he was hit by a ball. “Papa, come on let’s play” shrieked an excited 3 year old Abhishek. His cheerfulness was infectious and his spirits instantly changed the mood of his parents.
Vinod followed Abhishek outside the house, while Madhu busied herself in the kitchen.   

Days passed quickly and after Madhu’s pregnancy was confirmed, the Guptas insisted on visiting Madhu at her home. Initially Madhu and Vinod were embarrassed to receive them in their one room apartment but the simplicity and warmth of the Guptas erased all barriers. When the Guptas prodded Vinod and Madhu as to why they agreed to surrogate the child, the couple hesitantly informed them of their son’s heart condition. “We have been postponing his surgery for very long now due to lack of funds. If we delay it any further, we may….” Vinod left the sentence incomplete but Mr. Gupta held his hand gently. “Don’t worry, all will be fine soon. We will pray for Abhishek’ he said glancing at the child’s photograph displayed on the wall.  

Madhu and Vinod had a tough time battling Abhishek’s illness and her pregnancy.
Abhishek was growing weaker and was therefore cranky and difficult to manage. As much as Vinod tried to help at home between his work, it was no less than a struggle for Madhu to juggle all of this. The Guptas were very understanding and offered all the help they could. Mrs. Gupta called more than 5 times in a day on Madhu’s phone to ask her how she was feeling and if she needed anything. She had also made it a habit to accompany Madhu during her check ups with Doctor Rajeev.   

Time passed and Madhu’s pregnancy was progressing well. All the tests and sonography were normal and she was taking the best care of herself. But there was bad news as far as Abhishek was concerned.  The Doctors examining him felt that there was an urgent need for surgery. But Madhu was only 7 months pregnant and the Guptas would pay them the money only after the baby was born. Vinod and Madhu discussed this problem among themselves and then decided to ask the Guptas for some advance money. Mr. Gupta did not even hesitate before he signed the cheque and gave it to them. The couple felt eternally grateful to the Guptas.  

Abhishek’s operation was successful and it brought much relief and happiness to Vinod and Madhu. Since Madhu was in the advanced stage of pregnancy and could not do much,
Mrs. Gupta often spent time with Abhishek at the hospital. Abhishek was recovering slowly but steadily. Both his parents and the Guptas were happy about his improvement. Meanwhile as Madhu drew closer to delivering the baby, Mrs. Gupta busied herself in shopping for the baby. She was very excited and her enthusiasm and excitement was a pleasure to watch. Even Madhu started knitting a tiny sweater for the little one. Soon, the D-day arrived and Madhu was in the labour room. Many hours of labour passed but there was no sign of the baby. Both Guptas and Vinod were tensed and worried but couldn’t get any information about what was happening inside. Finally, after a long wait, Dr. Rajeev emerged from the room looking devastated. In a controlled voice, he said “I am sorry, we have lost the baby!” 

Mrs. Gupta almost fainted on hearing the news. Mr. Gupta tried to control his wife and himself. Vinod burst into tears instantly and looked at the Doctor for an explanation.

Doctor Rajeev spoke in a very low tone “Everything was normal right from the beginning, we really don’t know what went wrong” he said.  “What about Madhu Doctor?” asked Vinod. “She’s fine” he said “But still unconscious”.  

When Madhu gained consciousness, she couldn’t believe what the nurses told her. She had grown much attached to the baby as well as the Guptas who were wonderful people. She was speechless for a very long time and then decided to speak with Vinod. When she looked at him, tears gushed out. They couldn’t face the Guptas now. And how would they return such a large sum of money to them? More than that, they could never replace the loss of the baby. They both knew that the pain and grief on the loss of the baby was genuine. It was almost like they could read each other’s minds. Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door. They looked up to see Mr. Gupta standing at the door. Vinod held him by the hand and brought him inside. Vinod started to say something but Mr. Gupta signalled him not to speak.   

“As you both know, my wife and I are very upset. Right now, we are unable to come to terms with this grief. So I’ve decided to go out of the city for a couple of weeks. We will talk about everything when we get back. You take care and give our love to Abhishek.” And when
Mr. Gupta turned to leave, Madhu and Vinod looked at each other and realised that they actually had nothing to say.   

Days passed real quick and Vinod and Madhu continued talking to Dr. Rajeev because they really wanted to know why the baby died. But surprisingly, even he didn’t understand the cause; it was a completely normal pregnancy and he just explained it as a one off case.
He listed out a few possibilities, but couldn’t say what exactly prompted the demise of the baby.   

Madhu and Vinod continued living with their guilt mounting with each passing day. Madhu was inconsolable for a very long time. Not only had she grown attached to the life inside her but she had also started labelling herself an unlucky mother. She often told Vinod that there was something wrong with her. Her first child was terminally ill; her second child never saw the light of the day! She questioned her fate and cursed her luck. Vinod was equally devastated but he had to keep his head on his shoulders. But whenever he was alone, he would have an emotional outburst too. There was no news from the Guptas. Also, there was no way to return the huge sum of money they had borrowed for Abhishek’s surgery. But they were always looking for a way to express their gratitude for their help and support with Abhishek.   

One morning, Madhu was looking at the sunrise with hope, suddenly; her eyes met a familiar face. It was Mrs. Gupta. She came closer to Madhu and hugged her warmly. Madhu wept uncontrollably. The two hadn’t met after the baby’s demise. Mrs. Gupta’s eyes welled up too. Holding her in her arms, she spoke softly to Madhu. “Can I ask you for something Madhu?” Madhu looked her in the eye, trying to say that she could ask for just about anything, she deserved it. But without saying anything, she nodded hurriedly. “We want to have another baby”. There was a silence. Vinod walked in at that moment but he watched on without interrupting the conversation. Mrs. Gupta continued. “We both know that we have had some very trying times. But my husband and I deciphered it as a special message from God”. Vinod and Madhu looked at each other puzzled. Mrs. Gupta said softly “we have decided on another way to bring happiness into all our lives” she said. “We are going to adopt a baby girl from Mathrushree orphanage near our house. I want both of you to be with us when we bring her home”. She said. Both Vinod and Madhu nodded eagerly in agreement. “Also” she continued, I want you to be the first one to know her name”, she looked at Madhu with a smile that touched her heart, “we want to name our daughter Madhu” she said. Madhu was overwhelmed with emotion. Vinod smiled and heaved a sigh of relief from where he stood. Madhu and Mrs. Gupta hugged each other in sheer joy.