**THE WAITING ROOM**
The final day of the year arrived not with fireworks, but with the ticking of a wall clock inside a private hospital in Hyderabad.
It was December 31st, 2022.
Outside the frosted glass doors of the maternity ward, the city was gearing up for the New Year. The streets were lit. Distant traffic hummed through the windows.
Inside the waiting room, the atmosphere was different.
Siddanth Deva sat on a grey sofa, his legs stretched out, resting his elbows on his knees. He wore a black t-shirt and faded jeans. He had returned few days ago from Bangladesh—where he had led India to a whitewash across both the ODI and Test series. He should have been sleeping for three days.
Sleep was the last thing on his mind.
He watched his best friend wear a trench into the hospital carpet.
Arjun Reddy, the CEO of the Nexus Corporation, the man who stared down hostile boardrooms and ran a global company, was losing his mind.
Arjun was pacing the length of the waiting room. He wasn't wearing a suit. He wore a wrinkled button-down, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His hair, usually styled, was a mess from him running his hands through it.
"She's been in there for hours, Sid," Arjun muttered, spinning on his heel and pacing back toward the window. "Hours. Is that normal? They said it was normal, but what if they are just saying that to keep me calm? I should be in there. Why did she tell me to stay out here? I should be holding her hand."
"Arjun, breathe," Deva said. "Anjali specifically kicked you out because your pacing was making her dizzy. She has the best doctors in the state. She is fine."
"She was squeezing my hand so hard I lost feeling in my fingers," Arjun babbled, staring at a potted plant in the corner. "What if the baby is too big? What if the monitors are wrong? I should have bought the hospital. If I owned the hospital, I could just go in the back and check the equipment myself."
Krithika, sitting on the sofa next to Deva, pressed her hand over her mouth to muffle a laugh. She reached out, catching Arjun by the sleeve as he paced past her.
"Arjun, stop walking for ten seconds," Krithika ordered, smiling. "You are making us dizzy now. Sit down. Have some water."
Sitting on the adjacent sofas were the grandparents-in-waiting. Arjun's parents were murmuring prayers, their hands clasped. Sitting beside them were Krithika's parents, Suma and Subba Rao. The two families had long since blended into one.
Vikram and Sesikala had remained at the Shamshabad farmhouse to watch Rishi and Aadhya, keeping the twins away from the dragging hours of the hospital waiting room.
"I can't sit, Krithika," Arjun groaned, rubbing his face with both hands. "I feel like I drank ten pots of coffee, but I haven't slept in two days. How did you do this, Sid? How did you sit in a room while the twins were born without having a heart attack?"
"I was terrified," Deva admitted, looking at Krithika. "I just hid it better than you."
"I am completely useless," Arjun sighed, leaning against the wall, dropping his head back.
"That's the hardest part of being a dad, brother," Deva said, standing up. He walked over to Arjun and placed a hand on his shoulder. "But Anjali is the strongest person you know. She's got this. You just have to be ready to catch whatever they hand you when the door opens."
Arjun let out a shaky breath, nodding, leaning into his friend's grip. "I'm ready. I think I'm ready."
Ten more minutes passed. The only sounds were the clock on the wall and the muffled beeps of hospital machinery down the hallway.
Then the white doors leading to the delivery wing clicked open.
A doctor in green scrubs, a surgical mask pulled down around her neck, walked out into the waiting room. Her eyes were crinkled at the corners.
Arjun froze. He pushed himself off the wall so fast he nearly tripped, rushing forward until he was standing inches from the doctor.
The doctor looked at the messy CEO and nodded.
"Congratulations, Mr. Reddy," the doctor said. "A healthy baby girl is born."
The waiting room erupted.
Suma let out a cry, hugging Arjun's mother, who had burst into tears. Krithika leaped off the sofa, throwing her hands over her mouth. Deva smiled, feeling a swell of happiness for his brother.
But Arjun didn't cheer. His face went pale, his eyes wide.
"Are the mother and baby okay?" Arjun asked, his voice cracking, bypassing the gender reveal. "Is Anjali safe? Is she breathing okay?"
"They are both doing wonderfully," the doctor reassured him, placing a hand on his arm. "Anjali is exhausted, of course, but she is healthy, and the baby has ten fingers and ten toes, and the loudest set of lungs on the entire floor. We have moved them to the recovery suite. You can go inside and see them now."
Arjun let out a sound that was half a laugh and half a sob. He scrubbed his hands over his wet eyes, nodding. "Thank you. Thank you so much."
"Go," Deva said, stepping up behind Arjun and giving him a push toward the doors. "We will wait right here. Go see your girls."
Arjun didn't need to be told twice. He sprinted through the white doors, his dress shoes slipping on the polished floor, abandoning his dignity as he ran down the hallway.
Deva walked back to Krithika, wrapping his arms around her waist as she leaned against him, wiping tears from her cheeks.
"A little girl," Krithika whispered, resting her head on his chest. "Anjali is going to spoil her so much."
"Arjun is going to be ten times worse," Deva chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "He's going to buy her a private island before she even learns how to walk."
They waited another twenty minutes, giving the new parents their privacy, before a nurse waved the rest of the family into the recovery suite.
The room was dim. The smell of fresh linen filled the air.
Anjali was lying back against a pile of pillows. She looked pale, her hair damp and sticking to her forehead, but her face was peaceful.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, hunched over, was Arjun.
Wrapped in a pink-and-white striped hospital blanket in his arms was a sleeping bundle.
Deva and Krithika walked into the room, followed by the grandparents.
"Oh, Anjali," Krithika whispered, rushing to the side of the bed and taking her sister's hand. "She is so beautiful. How are you feeling?"
"Like I got hit by a truck," Anjali laughed, her voice raspy, "but I have never been happier in my entire life."
Deva walked around to the other side of the bed, stopping next to Arjun.
Arjun looked up. His eyes were red and puffy, and a helpless smile was plastered across his face. He looked down at the wrinkled, sleeping face of his newborn daughter.
"Look at her, Sid," Arjun whispered. He shifted his arms carefully, letting Deva see the baby's cheeks and the small tuft of dark hair on her head. "She's so small. She fits right in my hands."
Deva reached out with a single finger, stroking the fabric of the baby's blanket.
"She's perfect, Arjun," Deva said. "You did good."
"I didn't do anything," Arjun murmured, looking at Anjali. "She did everything. I just panicked in the hallway."
The room filled with quiet chatter as the grandparents took turns fawning over the new arrival.
They stayed for an hour before the nurses suggested that Anjali needed rest.
After hugs, Deva and Krithika slipped out of the hospital, leaving Arjun and Anjali alone with their new world.
---
The automatic sliding doors of the hospital opened, and Deva and Krithika stepped out into the night.
The clock on Deva's phone read 7:15 PM. The sky in the distance was already starting to pop with early fireworks, painting the clouds gold and red as the city began its countdown to 2023.
They climbed into the back of their waiting Range Rover. Deva pulled the door shut, sealing out the traffic and the distant celebrations.
Krithika slid across the seat, curling up into Deva's side, resting her head on his shoulder with a sigh. Deva wrapped his arm around her, resting his cheek against the top of her hair.
The SUV merged onto the highway, heading toward Shamshabad.
"What a year," Krithika whispered, looking out the tinted window at the passing streetlights. "It feels like a lifetime ago that you were in Australia lifting the World Cup, and then suddenly you were in Bangladesh playing Test matches, and now... we end the year with a baby."
"It's been a very long road," Deva agreed.
"Arjun looked so happy," Krithika smiled, closing her eyes. "I've never seen him cry before."
"He's going to be a great dad," Deva said. "Though we are going to have to stop him from buying her a sports car for her first birthday."
"Oh, absolutely. He's going to spoil her rotten," Krithika laughed.
The drive passed in silence. When they turned off the main road and passed through the iron gates of their estate, the farmhouse was lit.
The SUV rolled to a stop at the front steps. Deva and Krithika stepped out, walking hand-in-hand up the stone steps and pushing open the wooden double doors.
The moment they stepped into the foyer, Vikram and Sesikala stood up from the living room sofas. They had been waiting up.
"Well?" Sesikala asked, her hands clasped. "Boy or girl?"
Deva smiled, unbuttoning his jacket. "It's a girl, Athamma."
"Oh, a beautiful baby girl!" Sesikala cheered, clapping her hands. "That is wonderful news! Anjali must be so happy. We must send sweets over tomorrow morning!"
"That is wonderful," Vikram agreed, clapping Deva on the shoulder. "Both mother and baby are healthy?"
"Perfectly healthy," Krithika confirmed, slipping her shoes off. "They are resting now. It was beautiful."
Before the adults could say another word, rapid footsteps echoed from down the hallway.
The doors of the ground-floor playroom burst open.
"AMMA! NANA!"
Rishi and Aadhya launched themselves into the hallway.
They were both wearing matching cartoon pajamas. They sprinted across the floor, ignoring the late hour.
Aadhya hit Deva's legs first, wrapping her arms around his knees, while Rishi hugged Krithika's waist.
Deva laughed, crouching down to scoop his daughter up, kissing her hair.
"We waiting for the baby!" Aadhya announced, wiggling in his grip and looking around the empty foyer, peering around Deva's legs. "Is the baby here? Did you bring the baby in your pocket?"
Deva chuckled, adjusting his grip on her. "No, monster. Babies don't fit in pockets. The baby isn't here."
Rishi looked up at Krithika, his brow furrowed. "Where is the baby, Amma? Did she stay at the hospital?"
"Yes, sweetie," Krithika said, kneeling down to be at eye level with her son, brushing his hair off his forehead. "Arjun Babai and Anjali Pinni have a beautiful new baby girl. But babies are very tiny when they are born, so they have to rest in a special, warm bed at the hospital with the doctors for a few days to make sure they are strong."
"Oh," Rishi nodded, accepting this. "So she is getting bigger."
"Exactly," Deva smiled, looking at his son. "And as soon as she is big and strong enough to go to Arjun Babai's house, we will all go visit her. And you two get to be the best big cousins in the world."
"I will give her my soft blanket," Aadhya declared. "And I will show her how to run fast."
"I think we should wait a little while before we teach her how to run, Aadhya," Krithika laughed, standing back up.
Aadhya didn't want to wait for anything. She wiggled out of Deva's arms, dropping to the floor. She grabbed his hand with both of hers, pulling toward the open doors of the playroom.
"Nana, come!" Aadhya demanded. "We have to build before the fireworks! We are going to build the tallest Lego tower!"
Deva looked at Krithika, raising an eyebrow.
"The tallest tower?" Deva asked, feigning shock. "Taller than the sofa?"
"Taller than YOU!" Aadhya shrieked, pulling harder on his hand.
"Alright, alright, lead the way," Deva laughed, letting himself be dragged down the hallway. "Let's go build a tower."
---
The playroom was a haven of foam mats, bean bags, and bins of toys. The center of the room was covered in a sea of red, blue, yellow, and green plastic blocks.
Rishi was sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by neat piles of blocks. He wasn't building yet. He was sorting the pieces by size and color.
Aadhya had no time for sorting. She was grabbing the biggest blocks she could find and slamming them together into a thick, messy base on the foam mat.
Deva took off his jacket, tossing it onto a nearby chair, and sat down cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the plastic mess.
"Okay, team," Deva announced, grabbing a large blue block and snapping it onto Aadhya's base. "If we are going to build the tallest tower, we need a strong bottom so it doesn't tip over. Rishi, bring me the big red ones."
"Here, Nana," Rishi said, handing over a stack of large red blocks. "We have to make the corners straight."
"Good plan, buddy. Straight corners."
They worked together. The sound of plastic snapping together filled the room. Krithika walked in, leaning against the doorframe, watching her husband sit on a foam mat, taking building instructions from a four-year-old.
The tower grew quickly. It passed Rishi's knees, and then it reached his waist. It was a mix of colors, lacking a specific pattern but growing steadily upward.
Soon, the tower was as tall as Aadhya.
Aadhya reached up with a green block, trying to push it onto the top, but she couldn't reach high enough to snap it into place. She huffed, dropping her hands to her hips, glaring at the plastic structure.
"I can't reach, Nana," Aadhya complained. "It's too high."
"Never give up, monster," Deva grinned. "We just need a boost. Come here."
Deva reached over, grabbed Aadhya by the waist, and hoisted her into the air.
"Up we go!" Deva cheered.
"Yay!" Aadhya shrieked, grabbing more blocks from Rishi, who was acting as the supply runner on the floor.
From her new vantage point, Aadhya snapped piece after piece onto the top of the tower. It grew past Deva's chest, then past his chin. It was getting shaky. The plastic leaned slightly to the left, groaning under its own weight.
"Careful, Nana! It's leaning!" Rishi warned, watching the tower sway. "Put a big block on the other side so it doesn't fall!"
"Good call, Rishi. Hand her a heavy yellow one," Deva instructed, keeping his body still so he wouldn't shake the tower.
Aadhya snapped the yellow block onto the right side, balancing the structure.
Soon the tower grew so tall that even sitting on Deva's shoulders, Aadhya had to stretch her arms as high as they could go just to reach the top. She let out a frustrated grunt, holding a single red square block in her hand.
"I still can't reach!" she whined, wiggling on his shoulders.
Deva looked up at the unstable plastic creation. He looked at Krithika, who was now holding her phone up, recording.
"Alright," Deva said, grinning. "We go all the way to the top. Stand up, monster."
"Sid, be careful!" Krithika laughed, moving closer with her phone.
"I've got her," Deva promised.
He gripped Aadhya's shins, holding her legs against his chest. Slowly, Aadhya shifted her weight. She pulled her knees up, placed her bare feet directly onto Deva's shoulders, and stood straight up. She grabbed the top of his head with one hand to balance herself, laughing.
"I am a giant!" Aadhya screamed, towering over the room.
"Okay, giant, put the last piece on," Deva encouraged.
But the tower was high now. Even standing on Deva's shoulders, it was just an inch out of her reach.
Deva took a slow breath, held his daughter's legs tight, and pushed himself up onto his tiptoes. He stretched his frame as high as he could, turning himself into a human ladder.
The tower was wobbling. It swayed back and forth, the plastic creaking.
"Hurry, Aadhya! It's shaking!" Rishi yelled from the floor, clapping his hands over his mouth, watching the tower lean.
Aadhya reached out. She held the red square block directly over the final pegs of the tower. She held her breath.
Click.
She pushed the final piece into place.
Deva slowly lowered himself off his tiptoes. Aadhya let go of the tower, holding both her arms out like an airplane to balance herself on his shoulders.
The tower swayed to the left. It swayed to the right.
Everyone in the room froze, waiting for the crash.
The tower slowly stopped swaying. It stood still. It didn't fall.
"IT STAYED UP!" Rishi cheered, jumping up and down on the foam mat, throwing his hands in the air.
"I did it!" Aadhya shrieked from her perch, throwing her arms around Deva's head, nearly knocking him over.
"You did it, baby!" Krithika cheered, stepping into the middle of the mess. She held her phone up, framing the wobbly plastic tower, Deva with Aadhya standing on his shoulders, and Rishi cheering on the floor.
"Smile!" Krithika called out.
Deva flashed a goofy smile. Aadhya threw up a peace sign. Rishi gave a thumbs-up.
Krithika snapped the family selfie.
Deva reached up, grabbing Aadhya by the waist, and swung her down onto the foam mat next to her brother.
They all stepped back, looking up at the fragile plastic monument they had just built. It was leaning slightly, looking like it could topple if someone sneezed too hard.
Deva looked down at the twins.
He reached into a nearby toy bin and pulled out three soft, plush balls. He handed one to Rishi and one to Aadhya, keeping the third for himself.
Deva crouched down, a smirk on his face.
"Okay, team," Deva whispered, leaning in close. "We built the tallest tower in the world. Who is ready to shoot it down?"
Aadhya's eyes went wide. "ME!"
Rishi grinned, gripping his plush ball, getting into a throwing stance. "I am ready, Nana."
"On three," Deva instructed, raising his plush ball.
Krithika stood back, laughing, recording the countdown. Outside, the pops of midnight fireworks began to echo through the windows, ringing in the new year.
"One," Deva chanted.
"Two!" the twins yelled together.
"THREE! FIRE!"
Deva, Aadhya, and Rishi threw their plush balls as hard as they could at the center of the wobbly plastic tower.
CRASH!
The tower snapped in the middle, and hundreds of plastic blocks went flying. They rained down on the foam mats with a clatter. Blocks bounced off Deva's head, scattered across Rishi's feet, and rolled across the floor.
Aadhya shrieked with laughter. Rishi dropped to his knees, laughing so hard he was holding his stomach, tossing handfuls of blocks into the air.
Deva fell backward onto the foam mat, pulling Krithika down with him into the mess of toys. He wrapped his arms around her, laughing, surrounded by his family.
The fireworks boomed outside, lighting up the sky, but inside the playroom, surrounded by broken plastic and his children's laughter, Siddanth Deva had everything he could want.
It was a happy end to a long year.