To The End And Beyond ***ON HOLD***

~ Chapter #6 ~

RECAP
Zain and Aqsa looked at each other in confusion.

"What do you mean Doctor? Whose name could have caused him such terrible stress?" Queried Zain.

Doctor Ahmed furrowed his brow, rubbed his chin and after what seemed like ages, finally said,

"Salman."

Aqsa woke up with a start. She had fallen asleep on the hard couch without realising it. Upon checking her watch, she saw that she had slept for 2 hours! Her body must have been really tired, for it wasn't usual for her to be able to sleep anywhere comfortably for that long. Considering the events of the past few hours, she actually was not surprised.

Zain had been really angry to hear Salman's name mentioned by the Doctor. Aqsa's lame excuse that it could be some other Salman, angered him even more. He thought she was trying to protect Salman, but in fact, she didn't want Zain to get all worked up. Not while they could use their energy to worry and pray for Ahaan.

She stretched, yawned and straightened her hijab. Rising to get a glass of water while rubbing her eyes, she almost walked into what felt like a whirlwind. She stumbled back and looked with growing unease at the doctors and nurses rushing past her to get into the ICU. They were totally oblivious to her as they murmured in low voices.

"Seems to be slipping..."

"Heart is not responding..."

"Doesn't look like he'll make it..."

Aqsa felt a grip of fear. With trembling feet, she went after them to try and see what the commotion was about. Continuously praying in a low voice, she tried to assure herself that there were other patients in the ICU, the staff wasn't necessarily talking about Ahaan. She wished Zain or her father were with her, but they had gone to the hotel to freshen up on her insistence. They would be back soon.

She saw Dr. Ahmed walking past, clipboard in one hand, wiping off the beads of sweat on his forehead with the other.

"Excuse me Doctor. Assalamualaikum. Is everything ok? Is Ahaan ok?" Aqsa's eyes shone with tears.

"Walaikumsalaam. I was given a call to come in for an emergency. I'll only be able to answer you once I go in and see what's happening," he answered with a weary smile.

"Oh..I won't keep you then."

"Thanks. I'll see you in a bit In Shaa Allah."

Aqsa watched him disappear into the ICU.

The doors closed shut.

—————————————————————
A WEEK LATER
The sky welcomed the sun in shades of pink and orange. The birds chirped cheerfully, the dew glistened on the grass, the mist rose slowly as a new day dawned.

Aqsa looked at the beauty of Allah's creation with admiration. She had just finished her Fajr (dawn) prayers. Her forehead leaned on the cool window pane. The past week was a part of her life, however much she longed to forget, she couldn't. All the details were etched in her memory. Her eyes were numb from crying, her movements mechanical. The only time when she felt at peace was when she was praying her Salah (prayers) or the Qur'an (Holy Book). Being close to Allah made her feel like nothing else mattered.

But it did.

Ahaan had left a deep, empty void. Not only in their lives, but in their hearts too. His lopsided smile, his happy go lucky nature, the mischief in his twinkling eyes, his habit of popping out and shouting 'Boo!' to scare them...everything all around reminded them of him, his dreams, his ambitions left unfulfilled.

She missed him so much.

A tear trickled down her cheek. She had tried really hard not to show her emotions in front of anyone, especially her father, who was totally shattered. But it was difficult. She knew time healed wounds, but it's the time that the time would take, which would make it seem harder.

She heard footsteps on the stairs. Glancing at the clock, she realised she had been camping in her thoughts for an hour.

She showered and dressed quickly. Taking a deep breath, she hurried downstairs.

A delightful aroma wafted from the kitchen. The clanging of pans clearly showed someone very busy at work.

"Assalamualaikum," greeted Aqsa, as she entered the kitchen.

"Walaikumsalaam," replied Aisha with a welcoming smile. "You're up early. As usual. Pancakes or eggs?"

Aqsa helped herself to pancakes, intending to eat and then help out Aisha with the cooking.

Zain walked in at that moment, hair tousled and eyes still sleepy. He gave his mother a warm hug.

Aqsa looked away. She still missed the affection only a mother could give her child. Though she had accepted Aisha as family now, she knew it would be quite a while before she hugged or displayed any such similar action. It had been a relief to have Aisha and her kids during Ahaan's demise. She and Amir found shoulders to cry on, and people of their own to come back to.

Zain greeted her and she replied. He had been a rock throughout their ordeal. He had not only stood firm by them, but also taken over all funeral and burial arrangements, and sorted all issues out. She would never be able to thank him enough.

He sat across from her on the table, his plate ladened with pancakes. They ate in companionable silence, each engrossed in their own thoughts.

After polishing off his third pancake, Zain cleared his throat and looked at Aqsa.

"Are you ready to talk?"

A simple question, Aqsa thought, with so much depth. She knew what Zain wanted to talk about. And even though she knew that she could at least hold a conversation about Ahaan without breaking down anymore, she still felt like she would never be ready.

But she knew they had to eventually face the topic. The topic she had been dreading. The topic which caused Zain to lose his temper. The topic which was unknown to either Aisha or Amir. The topic which would probably change their lives. The topic which had left her baffled from the start.

Salman.

AUTHOR'S NOTE
I know I'm late...but it's never too late!

Is Salman a good guy or a bad guy or a bit of both?

Will Aqsa and Zain work together as a team to find the truth?

Still crying for Ahaan 🥺