It wasn't just happiness. Overwhelming emotion and boundless gratitude flooded Rania and Arya's hearts as they welcomed the birth of two adorable little angels—a boy and a girl.
Ardi and Diana arrived at the hospital after the tiny babies were born, and they were swept up in the happiness too, crying tears of emotion as they looked at the long-awaited nieces and nephews.
It was now four in the morning, yet not one of them felt sleepy after the exhausting labor Rania had endured and the emotional turmoil it had put Arya, Ardi, and Diana through. The only exception was little Arunika, who understood nothing of what was happening and was now fast asleep in the small foam bed Rania had prepared at home and brought with her.
Arya had made the right decision by getting a VIP room for his wife's delivery. Everyone felt comfortable now because they didn't have to worry about disturbing another family's peace, and they had more room to talk.
Now that his finances had begun to improve, Arya had no intention of wasting the opportunity to give his family the best.
Especially not when it came to welcoming the new family members they had long yearned for and awaited. He had received two blessings at once, without holding anything back.
Diana was chatting with Rania. Though they were both exhausted, neither could extinguish their excitement to share stories and catch up after being apart for so long.
“Aren't you tired? Get some rest for now. I can watch Arunika and the twins later,” Diana had suggested a few minutes earlier. “I'll make sure everything stays safe and under control.”
“I'm not sleepy yet, Sis. I still want to share stories with you,” Rania replied gently with a smile. “But... if you want to rest now, that's fine too. You must be tired after traveling so far, and now you're sitting here talking with me.”
“I got some rest on the way, so I'm not sleepy now. You're the one who just fought for your life. You should be resting.”
“I'm fine, Sis,” Rania replied, smiling again.
“I'm fine too. What does a trip mean compared with what you went through?”
“All right, Sis. Fine... let's just talk,” Rania finally conceded.
They could only laugh at how nearly identical their stubbornness was. Neither wanted to give in, but that was exactly where their affection and love for each other grew even stronger.
In the end, it was clear that neither of them would be closing her eyes. Instead, stories about all sorts of things began to flow between them. More precisely, Rania asked Diana to tell her about her experiences giving birth three times and how she raised her children.
Meanwhile, their husbands had been “thrown out” of the room by their wives several minutes earlier and had ended up in the hospital cafeteria, where they chose to drink coffee.
“Congratulations, Arya. Alhamdulillah, your long wait was answered with two tiny babies at once,” Ardi said with a sincere smile to his younger brother, who was overjoyed by his new status.
“Yeah, Bro. Alhamdulillah. I never expected to have a boy and a girl at the same time,” Arya replied brightly. “And thanks for going to all the trouble of coming here with Diana. How are the kids, Bro?”
“They're at their grandparents' house,” Ardi replied before taking a sip of his bitter coffee.
“Isn't that too much trouble for them?” Arya asked worriedly.
“Don't worry. Their uncle and aunt are there too. You know how much Deni and Fira love the kids.”
“Thank goodness. I'm relieved to hear that,” Arya said after taking a sip of his coffee. “Are Deni and Fira on vacation or taking leave, Bro? Don't they work in the capital?”
“They both quit their jobs.” Arya merely nodded, unsure how to respond to the information he had just received.
He didn't want to pry too much into other people's problems. He only knew Deni and his wife in passing, as they were his older brother's in-laws.
The only thing many people knew about them was their work, which was no secret. Especially since Fira wasn't from their city. So that information wasn't unfamiliar to anyone. That was all.
Deni was Diana's second-oldest brother. He had married later than his youngest sibling, the only daughter in their family.
He had married late because he chose to finish his doctoral degree first. He had married only two years ago, and they were still waiting for a child after his wife had previously suffered a miscarriage.
Their situation was almost the same as Rania's. The difference was that Fira was a career woman who worked as a secretary at a prestigious company in the capital, while Deni had once been a manager at another company. Their jobs meant they rarely saw each other, and Fira's demanding schedule left her exhausted, causing her to lose the fetus when she was only two weeks along.
In the end, they both chose to resign from their jobs. They used the money they had saved from working to plan a new life in Deni's hometown. For the time being, they lived at Deni's parents' house, who were also Diana's parents, making it easy for Ardi and Diana to leave their three sons there. Fira and Deni had asked them to do so themselves because they both loved children.
Their conversation continued across all kinds of topics. Arya chose to bring up something else, including one of their shared interests: soccer. It helped ease the longing between the two brothers, who were separated by such a great distance for the first time.
The night, which had started out quite cold, grew warmer with hot coffee and the many stories flowing between them.
In another city, happiness was also filling Mahira and Alex's hearts. In the womb of the woman who now wore a hijab, a fetus had begun to grow and had reached its fourth week.
They weren't the only ones overwhelmed with happiness at the news. Hardi and Tari were too. In fact, Mahira's parents had decided to stay temporarily at their daughter's house.
“Dad, Mom, you don't need to worry. Mahira's fine.”
“I'm worried about you, sweetheart. I'm afraid something might happen. Let your father and me stay here, okay... at least until you've made it through your second trimester.”
“All right, Mom, but just focus on taking care of Mahira, okay? Ina and Sumi are already handling the housework.”
“Yes, don't worry. But if you start craving something I usually cook, tell me, okay? I'll be happy to make it for you.”
“Okay, Mom,” Mahira replied. “Hmm... Mom, can I ask you something?” she asked hesitantly.
“Of course. What do you want to ask, sweetheart?”
“About... Rania.”