The next morning, the two of us sat passively, staring at our son. It was hell, and I had to endure it. I had no choice. We occasionally caught each other glancing at the other and we immediately looked away. At least, I did. I didn't know about him. I expected something to happen just like in the movies with my son, his nose twitching, his fingers moving, his lips parting. I alternated between several possibilities, constantly looking at him, his entirety. None of these happened. Nothing was happening. I was getting frustrated, but Christian sat with infinite patience.

I had deliberately placed myself a mile away from him so that nothing remotely endearing could take place again. He appeared to be slightly peeved by that fact. I didn't care. Because the last thing I ever wanted in this lifetime was more confusion and more complication. Simplicity was my mantra henceforth. "Any change?" Came a voice from behind us, making s both jump. I turned to see Dominic leaning against the door, his arms folded across his chest. I shook my head, trying to stand up. Christian rushed from his spot to gently shove me back down to the chair. "Sit back," Dominic said, striding in. He turned his head towards Christian and said politely, "May we have a minute, please?" I saw a flicker of something in Christian's eyes, as he silently left the room.

Dominic walked towards me and knelt in front of me. He placed both his hands on my knees, staring at them for a couple of seconds. Then his eyes bore into mine. "I… I came to say goodbye." He said, sadness, flooding his eyes. "I'm sorry, for any confusion or trouble either me or that woman has caused to you. I know and understand that sorry doesn't cut it. Nevertheless, it becomes my responsibility to apologise."

I opened my mouth to speak but he cut me off.

"No, don't say anything. It is speech time for me." He said, with a half-smile. "I did some thinking for long hours and I came to the sorry conclusion that I am in no mental state for a romantic relationship. I need to get in terms with certain things in my life and get my shit sorted. I need to put things in order. I can't continue to live haphazardly. So, while we never actually went out in the first place, I… I want to tell you that we cannot be together anymore."

There was silence as we stared at each other. Neither of us said a word as we heard the clock on the wall tick. I broke this tension with a smile. "I get it. I get what you are saying, and I feel the same way. But you are a good friend, Dom, and I really like you for that. I hope we can remain friends and be in touch."

"That was never in dispute!" Dominic said. "Of course we will remain friends! You are one of the finest women I have ever known and it would be my pleasure and honour to be considered as a dear friend." We both smiled. He stood up. "I will keep visiting to see if the kid's doing better. Keep me posted." He said. He leant forward and kissed me on my right cheek. "See you around, Ana." He said and walked out. A couple of minutes later, Christian walked back in.

My feelings were neither tumultuous nor aggrieved. I felt ambivalent. I did not feel anything specific. I just felt calm, knowing that one complication was at least handled. He was a good friend and an equally good hook-up, but I had always known that it could not be anything more. And that was the end of that chapter. Thinking so, I stared at the door, out of which he had just walked out of.

Suddenly, I heard erratic beeps. Those clichéd erratic beeps. I knew what they meant. Either good or terrible news. I inadvertently stood up, cursing violently afterwards. I limped to his side, clutching my abdomen. Christian rushed to call the doctors who arrived almost instantaneously. They did a thorough check up and then stepped back. I looked at them in horror.

"What's going on? Why aren't you doing anything?" I shouted.

"Because," One of them said. "He seems to be waking up." My heart thudded and stuttered. I collapsed back in my chair. Sweat broke out of my forehead as the tension seemed to dissipate from my body.

"Thank god, thank god, thank god, thank god…" I muttered continuously. I looked at Christian and he looked wide-eyed. He looked equally relieved. We watched our son with breathless anticipation as the beeping settled down.

His eyes opened. Just a little bit. But they opened.

A single tear trickled down my cheek. Christian stood with his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. His classic worried look. I looked back at our son. His small lips parted. He licked his lower lip and his fingers finally twitched. They shook and trembled as he managed to raise his hand. He looked at me and extended his arm. "Mom." He said hoarsely. I stood and walked towards him, wiping my cheek steadily. I cupped his cheek with my palm. I leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"Hey, baby boy. How are you feeling?" I whispered, struggling to keep my tears at bay, and succeeding. His lips moved and an inaudible whisper escaped his lips. I intuitively realised he needed water. I motioned to Christian and he gave me the water bottled. I unscrewed the cap and slowly dipped it to his mouth. I made him drink it sip by sip until he pursed his lips, signalling that he had had enough.

I put my hand on his hand and stroked his soft hair. It felt wiry. I smiled at him, and he attempted to smile back. My chest ached at this but I maintained a strong façade. It would not do if I lost my cool at critical moments like this. "Hurts." He managed to whisper again.

"I know, baby. I know. But you have to be strong." I told him, my heart aching at the sight of him suffering. The doctors then took over, doing the cursory check-up, to test how conscious he was and how aware. His senses seemed to be working fine, but his head seemed to be aching. Which was a part of the healing process, the docs informed us.

"We will have him hospitalised for the next one week, to facilitate the treatment and observation. You can take him home then. He needs scrutinised care after that, but he's going to be just fine, if all goes well."

Those last few words echoed through my mind. He's going to be just fine… he's going to be just fine.

He was going to be just fine.