Jonah & Joziah
In the waiting area outside the operating room, Yasmin and Santi remained silent. However, prayers continued to resonate in their hearts for Fahira’s safety and the well-being of her two sons. Not far from them, Gavin hurriedly approached. He had learned about Fahira undergoing a cesarean section from his assistant. After completing his visiting duties for inpatients at the hospital, Gavin immediately went to the operating room.
“How is Aunt Fahira?” Gavin asked, trying to catch his breath. Hearing Gavin’s voice, the middle-aged woman stood up and embraced him tightly. “We’re still waiting!” Yasmin replied, still held in Gavin’s embrace.
“Don’t worry, Aunt, Fahira and her two sons will be safe and healthy. The surgery will be over soon.” Gavin released the embrace and gestured for Yasmin to sit back down.
Suddenly, anxiety overwhelmed Gavin’s heart as he imagined Farah being in that operating room. The thought of being by his wife’s side during a cesarean section made his hands tremble. Although Farah had not shown any signs of pregnancy until now, it was understandable given their unhealthy relationship since the first day of their marriage until seven months ago. It had been only a month since Gavin fulfilled his marital obligations to Farah, the woman who now filled his days, shifting Fahira’s position in his heart with patience and genuine love.
Gavin sat with Yasmin still in his embrace. His gaze fixed on the blinking red light, indicating that the operation was in progress. After a while, the blinking light gradually dimmed. Not long after, the loud cries of a baby were heard from inside the operating room, followed by another baby’s louder cries.
“Thanks to God, ” they all said simultaneously.
In the operating room, Darian and Fahira couldn’t hold back their emotions as the cries of their two babies echoed. Tears flowed from their eyes as two nurses presented the two red-faced babies before them. “Thank you, my love!” Darian whispered, kissing Fahira’s face as tears streamed down. It was the most emotional and thrilling experience Darian had ever had, making him even more grateful for the blessings Allah had bestowed upon him.
“Our sons, love!” Fahira said with a trembling voice as a nurse placed one of the babies on her chest for early breastfeeding. The tiny little lips of the baby moved gently.
Shortly after, the two babies were taken by the nurses to be cleaned and wrapped in warm blankets. Darian received a call to perform the Azan for his two sons. He kissed Fahira’s forehead before following the nurse to a room with frosted glass in the corner of the operating room. Meanwhile, the doctor and medical team were tending to Fahira’s body after the surgery.
***
After three days of being hospitalized, Fahira was finally allowed to go home. The fear she felt before undergoing the surgery had disappeared, replaced by an indescribable happiness that filled her heart.
Yasmin, who was experiencing being a grandmother for the first time, couldn’t help but shed tears repeatedly. She imagined what it would be like if her husband, Rusdi, was here with her, enjoying the company of their grandchildren together – something they had always dreamed of.
“Fahira, let her rest, Darian!” Yasmin said while carrying one of her grandchildren, while the other baby was in the arms of Bi Aminah.
“Yes, Mom!” Darian replied, assisting Fahira to get back onto the bed. He placed a pillow behind Fahira’s back so she could lean against it comfortably.
“Still in pain?” Darian whispered as he noticed Fahira’s body moving with stiffness. The woman hissed a few times when trying to adjust her position. Then, Darian offered her some food or drink that she might want.
“It’s okay, honey, it’s bearable!” Fahira replied, not paying attention to Darian. Instead, she gazed at her two beloved babies with sparkling eyes. Fahira still felt like she was dreaming, having these two cute and adorable babies at the same time.
Jonah Mahesa Putra was born weighing 2. 05 kg and measuring 47 cm in length. As the younger brother, Joziah Mahesa Putra was born slightly bigger, weighing 2. 54 kg and measuring 50 cm, making the little baby look chubbier compared to his older sibling. Even at just three days old, Joziah seemed more active and fussy, unlike his calm and composed older brother. Since birth, Jonah had shown signs of being considerate and understanding towards his little brother. He would easily fall asleep after nursing on Fahira’s breast milk, unlike Joziah, who always fussed if he wasn’t in Fahira’s embrace.
“Your baby is so clever, Daddy!” praised Darian while waiting for Joziah to finish nursing with enthusiasm. Darian’s index finger gently caressed Joziah’s rosy cheek as the baby fell asleep. Meanwhile, Jonah remained calm in his crib. Since their time at the hospital, Jonah had never been fussy. He would only cry loudly when he was hungry.
Darian carefully lifted Joziah from Fahira’s lap after making sure the little one was full. Then, he adjusted Fahira’s pillow to ensure she could rest comfortably.
“Where are you going?” Darian asked as Fahira put her feet on the floor.
“I need to change my pad, honey. It seems full,” Fahira explained while wincing in pain from her soreness.
“I’ll take you there!” Darian replied promptly and helped Fahira to the bathroom.
To Darian’s surprise, the bathroom had been tidied up by Mama. All of Fahira’s necessities were neatly arranged inside the mini walk-in closet. Darian assisted Fahira to sit on the toilet seat.
“You can wait outside. I can do it myself!” Fahira retorted, intending to change the pad, which was full of postpartum blood. She felt embarrassed and worried that Darian might feel disgusted seeing her dirty blood.
“Why? Are you embarrassed?” Darian asked, raising an eyebrow. “Yesterday at the hospital, I was the one who changed your pad, right? Now I can do it again!” Darian continued, kneeling in front of Fahira.
“Well, at that time, I was still in pain, but now I can do it myself!” Fahira replied, still keeping an eye on Darian as he pulled her dress up to clean her intimate area.
“This has become Darian’s duty, my dear!” Darian diligently cleaned Fahira’s body and washed the pad full of blood until it was clean. Fahira, who was observing Darian’s movements while he was putting on the new pad, could only remain silent. She was truly surprised that someone like Darian could handle such a disgusting task without feeling disgusted.
After making sure everything was clean, Darian helped Fahira out of the bathroom. Fahira walked slowly towards the baby cribs, a smile spreading across her face as she saw her two healthy babies. Her hand reached out to caress Jonah’s cheek, and then she switched to gently touch Joziah in the crib.
“Mommy said that Joziah looks exactly like you when you were a baby,” Darian mumbled proudly, following Fahira’s gaze.
“Seems like it!” Fahira chuckled and lifted her face to meet Darian’s warm brown eyes. Cup… Darian gave her a quick kiss on the lips and hugged her tightly.
Darian glanced at the clock on the wall, which showed it was already 10 PM, and suggested they should rest as they needed to wake up every two hours to breastfeed the twins. Yasmin had prepared a special room for the twins, but Fahira and Darian declined. They wanted to be in the same room with the twins. So, without their knowledge, Yasmin had accommodated their wish and organized the room to be spacious and comfortable.
Before dawn, Yasmin and Ariel were already in Fahira and Darian’s room. The alternating cries of the twins had awakened everyone in the house. The soundproofing that was previously installed in the room had been removed. Yasmin was concerned that the new parents might feel overwhelmed at night. And indeed, when she saw Fahira’s disheveled state and Darian looking lost trying to soothe Joziah.
“I told you, the twins need to be given formula milk as well. Relying solely on Fahira’s breast milk would be overwhelming. Besides, Fahira’s breast milk hasn’t fully come in yet,” Yasmin said, and then instructed Ariel to fetch formula milk from the kitchen. Ariel hurriedly followed Yasmin’s command.
Ariel returned with a large box containing formula milk, a thermos, and several bottles, as instructed by Yasmin. Seeing Ariel’s haul, Fahira and Darian’s eyes widened. They never expected Yasmin to have prepared everything for the twins as well.
“Mommy already prepared everything before you came home from the hospital!” Yasmin said while gently rocking Joziah, who was still sucking on his fingers due to thirst.
Ariel quickly prepared the formula milk as per Yasmin’s guidance and gave it to Joziah.
“See, look!” Baby Joziah instantly fell silent as he sucked on the formula milk given by Yasmin. He was so hungry that the sound of him gulping down the milk was audible to everyone. Meanwhile, baby Jonah continued to suckle on Fahira’s breast strongly.
The atmosphere became calm again as both babies fell back asleep. Sleepiness immediately overcame Fahira and Darian. However, Yasmin prevented Darian from climbing onto the bed.
“Darian, you should pray Fajr first before going back to sleep. Oh, and Fahira, why don’t you make some milk or tea for yourself? Poor thing, you’ve been breastfeeding the twins all night. I’m sure you must be hungry now,” Yasmin said as she carefully placed baby Jonah back into the crib.
“Yes, Mom,” Darian replied shortly.
“Go pray first, Darian. I’ll make some milk for Sister Fahira!” Ariel chimed in before Darian left the room.
“Thank you, dear!” Fahira answered this time. Her stomach had indeed been empty since last night.
Ariel and Yasmin left the room while Darian performed ablution to pray. True to their words, after Fahira quickly finished her milk, she immediately fell asleep again with Darian by her side.
At 7 AM, Fahira woke up, slightly surprised to see the two cribs empty. She was sure that her babies were now with their grandmother and uncle. However, Fahira felt bad for making her mother-in-law busy, while she and Darian had fallen into a deep sleep.
“Darian, wake up! Our babies are not in the cribs!” Fahira murmured, successfully waking Darian up. In a semi-conscious state, he leaped off the bed.
“Where are our babies!” Darian said, getting into a ready position.
“Hahaha, you’re funny, honey. They must be with Mommy now,” Fahira chuckled as she sat up and tied her hair hastily, leaving Darian in confusion.
“Darian, you can go downstairs! I’ll take a shower first!” Fahira continued amidst her laughter. She stretched her legs to the floor and walked towards the bathroom.
“Do you want me to help you shower?” Darian offered, trying to wake himself up.
“No need, I can manage on my own. You go downstairs and check on the babies. Besides, the bathroom is well-equipped, right?” Fahira continued, entering the bathroom and closing the door.Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
“Seems like that’s how it should be, my dear. I might faint if I stay in there!” Darian laughed while still looking at the bathroom door. He tidied his hair and clothes, then went downstairs while imagining what Fahira might be doing inside the bathroom. “Fasting, Darian. Fasting!”