A/N: Hey everyone! I've played with this idea for a little while now and finally got the chance to put it down on pen to paper. And I'm sure that this type of story has been done in almost every way possible, but I thought I'd give it a go and experiment with mashing up one of my favorite Bollywood movies and one of my favorite tv shows. If you've seen the film, I managed to tweek a few things here and there, so you'll see what I mean ;) Anyways, this is my first multiple chapter fanfic, so I'm very excited about that! I will do my very, VERY best to update often since I know what it's like waiting for the next chapter of a great story. Just as a disclaimer, I do not own Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, all rights belong to Karan Johar and Dharma Productions. Hope you enjoy! :D
Chapter One: Things Can Change in a Split Second
The funeral had gone as expected; tears were shed, mourners paid their respects by attending as selected family members made their speeches. He knew firsthand that funerals were a burdensome; something that one must attend if they had been close to the person, no matter if they were family or not. But this…he didn't expect this…Damon tried with all his might to fight back the tears. The last funeral he had gone to was his father's when he was just a teenager. He remembered that day being somber and bleak. His mother was an emotional wreck, yet they knew for a while that Giuseppe's battle with cancer would be lost. However, Damon was prepared for it. He had long talks with his father on his last days, Giuseppe giving him every advice and wisdom to his only son before passing on. So, he knew the responsibility he would obtain once his father passed; that he'd become the man of the house and that his mother would lean to him for support. That he completely understood and fully embraced in the role. But this…this funeral service…he surely was not expecting.
It seemed strange that everyone came up to him after the services to give their condolences of his late wife, Katherine. Late wife…God! This wasn't supposed to happen, he bitterly thought, pursing his lips, trying with all his might to not break down in the middle of the church. He and Katherine were supposed to be home today, he solemnly thought, celebrating a happy occasion and living a long happy life together.
He thought back to all those happy times they shared: their wedding day, Katherine glowing and Damon beyond happy and in love; their honeymoon in the Bahamas of fun-filled days and endless nights; and soon after the news that they were expecting their first baby. Damon was beyond himself and Katherine was just as elated.
They decided to keep the gender of the baby a surprise, and did everything together to prep for the arrival of their baby boy or girl; picking out the crib, decorating the room, and getting all the other necessities. Every night Damon would talk to Katherine's belly, acting like he was having a conversation with the little person inside. It only made Katherine laugh as she playfully chastised him of being too overbearing.
Soon, the day finally arrived of their baby's birth. Hours of waiting in the hospital room, hearing Katherine scream out in bouts of pain while Damon stood by her. When it got too much, he'd pace the hospital corridors, just within earshot, to make sure he didn't miss anything. Until, finally, he heard the loud cry of a newborn baby. Within minutes, a beautiful baby girl was placed in his arms and he couldn't help but tear up. He noted that she looked so much like her mother: a bit of chocolate brown hair on her precious head and round eyes. Damon gingerly placed a kiss on his daughter's head while she comfortably drifted off.
Katherine was overjoyed while holding her precious baby girl in her arms. "She looks just like you," she whispered.
Damon chuckled, wanting to rebuttal but decided that there would be another time for that. Damon's mother, Lily, soon joined them and was just as happy and overjoyed at the new member of the family.
Until Dr. Meredith Fell came to them, wanting to speak to Damon privately.
Not thinking much of it, he followed Dr. Fell into her office and sat down, patiently waiting for her to say something.
"There's no easy way of saying this, Damon," she started. "But Katherine is in very critical condition right now,"
Stunned, he didn't understand. How was she in critical condition? She seemed just fine to him, of course she looked tired and drained. She just went through a long delivery.
"What do you mean?" he finally said. "That's not possible, Dr. Fell. She looks fine—"
"No, Damon," Dr. Fell sadly shook her head. "When we found out that she was pregnant, I soon discovered that there would be complications with the birth. I told her numerous times that it was a very risky pregnancy. But Katherine was stubborn. She knew how much you wanted this child. She wanted this child just as much, too." She softly added.
Damon's breathing soon became labored. He didn't understand. Katherine, not once, told him anything or made any complaints to him. Now that he thought about it, it all made sense: the sudden and, all too often, waves of exhaustion, the frequent back pains, even the delivery process was labored. All those times, when he brought it up, Katherine just waved it aside, telling him that it was nothing and all part of the pregnancy.
"She's suffering from internal bleeding," Dr. Fell says, coaxing him back to the present. "I've done everything I could…but there's no way of saving her," she softly says.
"How long?" Damon asks, his voice cracking.
"Some time tonight," she sadly replied.
Damon was in a daze as he walked back to Katherine's hospital room. How was he going to confront her? What was he going to say? He couldn't lose her, they just started their life together! They had celebrated their one year anniversary just a couple of months ago. He finally reached the door to her room and unintentionally eavesdrop the private exchange between Katherine and Lily.
"I want my daughter to know who I am," Katherine sniffs. "I want her to know who I was and what I was like, that I loved her and that I'll always be with her. I want her to know the answers to these questions."
Lily sniffed as she quietly cried with her daughter-in-law.
"I documented some videos of myself with Damon and some are just me, talking," she continued. "And I also wrote this letter to her to give on her eighth birthday. Please honor me by giving them to her, whatever questions that she has, hopefully they'll be answered through it. These are the memories my daughter will have of me."
He soon heard Katherine cry further. Unable to take it anymore, he opened the door only to find Katherine handing their precious daughter to Lily, signifying that this would be the last time she'll ever hold her.
Lily quietly left the room, carefully holding the baby and giving the privacy that Damon and Katherine needed at this time.
Damon sat on the edge of her bed, not wanting to face her. He was angry at her. In a fit of inner rage, all he wanted to do was throw something across the room, wanting to hear the delectable sounds of the objects smash and break against the wall. He wanted to shake Katherine and reprimand her for not telling him about her condition, for keeping this kind of secret from him.
Instead, he just sat there, not knowing what to say. He saw, in his periphery, Katherine helplessly wiping away her tears.
"You're very bad," he feebly said, attempting to scold her. "You're very bad…"
"Damon," she softly says.
He shook his head, not wanting to hear what she has to say. Knowing that these will be her last words to him. That he'll never see her again.
She gently pushes his arm, wanting him to face her. "Hey, Damon," she tenderly whispers, taking his hand into both of hers, cradling it against her chest. "Will you be my friend?"
He weakly chuckled, remembering that same line he used when they first met, figuring that if he was her friend, then it was a sure way to always be close to her. Instead, he shook his head no to her question.
Damon finally looks to their joint hands and looks up at her. Seeing her beautiful chocolate brown eyes pooled with tears. "Can you promise me you will never cry?" She suddenly requests.
"That's a promise I won't be able to keep," he chokes out, tears now running down his cheeks.
Katherine weakly smiles. "In any case, you look bad when you cry," she jokes.
"Don't joke," he says. "You have no idea what I'm going through, when I'm trying to understand."
She thoughtfully nods, comprehending that the Damon she knew would want answers now and would do anything he can to make sure she stayed with him. But Katherine knew there was nothing to be done. These would be her final moments with the man she loved.
"Can you promise me one more thing?" she says. "Please?" Her brows furrowed, praying that he'll at least abide by this.
Damon looked to her, not knowing what her last request would be. But he knew whatever it was, he'd amenably carry out that wish.
Mustering up all her courage, she finally says, "Will you name my daughter Elena?"
Damon was stunned. Of all the names, and of all the requests, this was the one she wanted to make. Naming their daughter Elena. Just the thought of calling her Elena would be a terrible reminder of his past and of Katherine. It was a sickly blow, something that he knew he couldn't do. It would be plain torture, to look at his daughter's face and see Katherine while calling her "Elena."
Katherine saw the small glimpse of him about to fight her on this, but stopped him before he could. "Promise me, Damon." She fervently said, squeezing his hand with all the strength she had left. She could feel herself slowly slipping away and fought to stay here, in the present. "Promise me!" she said, finally letting go and realizing that this was it. Her strength was wavering her, all of her courage was soon draining away. "I'm sorry, Damon!" she blubbered. "I'm really sorry."
Finally breaking down, her resolve weakened by this. There was so much more she wanted to say. She turned away, breaking down, finally realizing that she was about to die and pass on to the unknown.
Damon tilted her chin so that she could face him and not hide, not in these last few precious moments together. "Don't go!" he begged as he tightly embraced her. "Please don't go,"
They held each other, long into the night, whispering sweet nothings to each other. She couldn't give in to his request, she couldn't give him the false hope that he was craving for. And so, Katherine did go, later that evening, while she was in Damon's arms.
And now, Damon was all alone in the church, facing the casket that had Katherine's body inside. The mortician was patiently waiting for his signal to take the casket away and bury it. It was easy to give that signal, but to finally admit that the love of his life was no longer with him was the painful reminder of all that had transpired in the last couple of days.
What was he going to do now? He thought back to his daughter, bundled up in her crib, oblivious to all that had transpired. He sort of envied her, not fully knowing what had happened. But she will, one day, when she's older, she'll have a somewhat understanding of what happened on the day she was born.
Damon finally got up from his seat and gave a curt nod to the mortician to begin the burial proceedings. Instead of driving home that evening, he walked. It was a short distance from the church and needed the fresh air. Spring was finally here, and the nights were getting warmer. But he couldn't feel it. He was numb inside, unsure of what to do and where to go from here.
He finally reached home and found his mother in the living room carrying his daughter around, singing rhymes, smiling down to her. Damon reached to them, but made no move to take over and hold her.
"How is she?" he asked, gazing into the fireplace, avoiding his gaze on the baby.
"Like an angel," Lily replied with a smile, gazing lovingly at her granddaughter. "She's been asleep for a good hour." She looked to Damon and saw her only child doing everything he can to not pay attention to the baby. She knew that Damon needed to hold her, to connect with her. She already made the promise to Katherine and herself to not leave Damon by himself. Lily was going to stay and help in any way she can. Although she was the grandmother, this little darling girl needed her father much more.
"I need to go check on dinner," she says. But Damon made no move to come near her or the baby. His gaze was at the fireplace, still crackling and blazing, radiating heat in the grand living room.
"Damon," she sternly calls out.
"Hmm?" he turns to her, finally paying attention.
"I said I need to go check on dinner. Here," she deftly placed the baby in his arms, silently praying that this might work. "Hold her while I go to the kitchen. I shouldn't be long."
Damon was at a loss. This was the first time he was alone with the baby as his mother walked out of the living room. Of course, he held the baby at the hospital around the nurses, Katherine and Lily, but this was the first time he was officially alone with her and was timid. He slowly walked from the fireplace to the couch and sat down while gently balancing his baby in his arms.
She was so tiny, he figured. Her round face at peace while she slept, her nose flat as her little lips puckered from time to time. Damon gently took her tiny fist in his hand and started to count her little fingers, noting her knuckles slightly wrinkled. Then, he heard an innocuous groan and saw her little eyes open and stared straight up at him.
Damon gasped as he stared right back at her. For a moment, they assessed each other, staring into one another's eyes. From his bright crystal blue eyes to her round newborn blue eyes. He suddenly felt her little hand grasp his forefinger and squeeze with whatever strength she could muster. It was at this moment, he remembered the promise Katherine made him swear:
Can you promise me? Will you name my daughter Elena? Promise me.
"Elena," he suddenly whispered in reverence. "Elena…I'm your…" he gulped, trying all his might to get the words that he needed to say out. "I'm your Dad, Elena," he says, smiling, as tears clouded his vision. "And I love you very much."
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