Rohit was extremely excited. Tomorrow was MI vs RCB in Mumbai, and the RCB team was due to arrive in the city in the afternoon.

Yuzi and Virat still hadn't seen Samaira even once, since only a few months after she was born, IPL had begun.

"She'll say 'Dad' when I tell her to, won't she?" Rohit asked Ritika anxiously.

"Like how does that matter?" asked Ritika without raising her eyes from the newspaper she was reading.

"I told them she can say 'Dad'," said Rohit. "If she doesn't, they'll tease me to death--Yuzi and Virat and Hardik would, anyhow. Jassi wouldn't."

Ritika rolled her eyes. "Better make her practice a bit."

Rohit lifted Samaira today into his lap, and said coaxingly, "Sam, say 'Dad'..."

"Dad," said Sam promptly.

"Good girl," said Rohit, reassured. "Let's go to sleep now, darling. Ritsy, wake us up when they come."

Ritika sent a glance at Rohit, who was settling down to sleep again, cuddling Sam, and she did not comment.

______________

Rohit was woken up by a very familiar voice shouting, "She's so perfect!"

He felt Samaira being snatched out of his arms, and opened his eyes to see Virat and Yuzi, complete with suitcases, swooning over Sam. Ritika was laughing as she watched them.

Rohit jumped up quickly.

"Go and get changed quickly, you two. I've called Jass and Harry too," he said, shoving Virat and Yuzi out of the room.

They were protesting, but did go to freshen up, and put down their luggage in Rohit's house's spare rooms, which were always kept arranged for them.

_____________

Jassi arrived soon after, and found Virat, Yuzi and Rohit crowded around Samaira.

"Hi, Jassi!" cried Virat cheerfully. "Where's Hardik?"

"He says he has to go somewhere today," said Jassi, joining them.

"Hope it's not a new girl," sighed Virat.

Jassi and Yuzi laughed, but there was something like worry on Rohit's face which they did not notice.

Rohit couldn't help remembering another incident few days back.

*******

Hardik had placed himself firmly in Rohit's room for the evening and they were amiably squabbling over a cool jacket of Rohit's which Hardik wanted to borrow for the party that day, and Rohit wanted to wear himself.

"You can wear it anytime, Rohit, so can't you lend it to me when I'm with you?" whined Hardik.

"Flaw in your theory," said Rohit. "IPL or international, you're always with me."

Hardik could hardly deny that, so he took to emotional blackmail.

"I'm your little brother, aren't I, Ro? Don't you love me?"

"You don't even call me bhaiya," retorted Rohit. "So it's a bit difficult to consider you my little brother."

So Hardik was whining and Rohit was trying to defend himself, when Ritika, who had taken Sam for a walk in the garden, came in.

"I'll always call you bhaiya from now on, Rohit--I mean Rohit bhaiya..."

"What do you want now?" asked Ritika, amused.

Rohit saw the grin fading from Hardik's face, and was shocked to hear him say, "Rohit's jacket, actually, but--but you can have it, Rohit."

Hardik escaped from the room hurriedly after giving Ritika a small smile.

"What's up with him?" asked Ritika.

Rohit was wondering the same thing, and while they were leaving for the party, he stuffed the prized jacket into Hardik's arms, saying, "Gift for my little brother."

"Thank you, bhaiya!" said Hardik, seriously overdoing the gratefulness as he gave Rohit a hug.

He seemed perfectly normal again, and Rohit thought he might have imagined the discomfort in his face earlier.

*******

With the kind of bashing Hardik was still receiving due to the Koffee with Karan show, every instinct of Rohit forced him to put in a good word for his 'little brother' whenever possible.

Somehow, he ended up finding an excuse for praising Hardik in every post-match presentation of the IPL, which wasn't very difficult because Hardik contributed 3-way, and generally did do any one of batting, bowling or fielding well.

It had been the unconscious aim of their entire Indian team actually, to bring Hardik back to normal, and Rohit had been thinking that they had succeeded.

A few seemingly insignificant incidents though, were making him doubt his conviction.

Hardik always seemed to be avoiding him when he was with Ritika and Samaira, which was strange because he had been close to Ritika right from 2015.

So Rohit didn't enjoy his best friends' visit that day as much as he had expected; the entire day was tainted with worry.

_____________

Rohit returned to MI's hotel next morning and hunted down Hardik.

He was in the gym with Krunal and a few other players.

"Hardik, you got a minute?" asked Rohit.

"You're the captain," said Hardik. "So I would have had to come even if I didn't have a minute."

"Always answering back," muttered Rohit disapprovingly, as he led Hardik to his room.

"Why didn't you come yesterday?" asked Rohit once they had settled down.

"I...I was...I had to go to a friend's place," said Hardik uncertainly.

"You know you're a terrible liar, Hardik?" said Rohit drily.

Hardik went red.

"You can tell me the truth, Harry."

Hardik looked that he would rather do anything but tell the truth just then. But he was Hardik, and he couldn't hide anything from the people he loved--Rohit, Virat, Mahi bhai, Bhuvi--even if he knew it was going to end in trouble.

"I thought you'd not like me around Ritika bhabi and Sam," he blurted out.

So Rohit's gut feeling had been correct after all.

"And why would you think something like that?" he asked.

"You know why," mumbled Hardik.

"No, I don't," said Rohit.

"Even Bhajji paa said that he'd not like me around when he's with his wife and daughter."

"Bhajji paa is a--" Rohit stopped himself hastily.

Hardik was looking at Rohit, shocked at the venom in his voice.

"Well, it's his personal choice," said Rohit lamely. "Not necessarily it's my choice too."

"Rohit...I know he was right," said Hardik. "And I don't mind," he added quickly, seeing that Rohit was looking rather sad.

But he did mind. Of course he did.

"You can't know that he was right. Because he wasn't right as far as I--and Ritika and Sam--are concerned," said Rohit forcefully. "And nor for Mahi bhai and his family--or Jaddu--or Shikh..."

Hardik was quiet for once.

"Because you're part of our family too, so Sam and Ziva become your nieces, right?"

"Am I really part of your family, Rohit?" asked Hardik without thinking.

"You don't think you are? You've been my little brother right from 2015--you and Jassi. Haven't you, Harry?"

Hardik's face, like an open book as always, had begun to light up.

"Yes... Rohit bhaiya," said Hardik, the old mockery back in his voice.

"Good," said Rohit gravely. "Now you had better get to know Sam like you know Ziva... she's already 3 months old."

"When can we go to your home?" asked Hardik eagerly.

Rohit glanced at the clock; it was past noon.

"After today's match..." Rohit stared to say, but Hardik interrupted, shouting, "Let's go right now!"

"Er, Harry..."

"Come on, Rohit, please please please," Hardik started nagging, and just to stop his whines, Rohit gave in.

_____________

Ritika was surprised to see Rohit arriving at home 2 hours after he left.

"What's your problem?" she demanded.

"Harry has come to be with Sam a bit," said Rohit.

Ritika noticed Hardik standing uncertainly behind Rohit, and she could read his expression perfectly.

"We missed you yesterday, Hardik," she said warmly, giving him a hug. "Come on upstairs."

So, a few minutes later, the three of them were cuddling a delighted Samaira.

"Say 'Dad', Sam," said Rohit.

Sam, snuggled comfortably in Hardik's chest, did not oblige.

"Sam... Please say 'Dad'," begged Rohit.

Sam resolutely refused, clutching at Hardik's shoulder, who said, his eyes misted over, "Say 'Uncle', Sam!"

"Unc--cle--" tried Sam, and Hardik squeezed her in delight, and his grin at Rohit became too arrogant for Rohit to bear.

"Say 'Mom', Sammy," said Ritika, and Samaira obliged again.

And as Ritika and Hardik began laughing, Rohit grumbled, "That's enough."

But seeing Hardik sitting peacefully with Samaira in his arms, laughing with Ritika gave Rohit the reassurance that his Harry was back--the one he had loved from the day he joined the MI camp in 2015 and said with his cocky grin with the slightest bit of nervousness in his eyes, "I'm Hardik Pandya, captain. Your new teammate."

You're a lot more, Harry, thought Rohit. You're family.