Only You

special chapter!

"Oh my god, I am going to smash this stupid phone on the ground and crush its plastic pieces until it's powder!" Huda yelled at the hard phone that was on the reception, she had been trying to listen to the voicemails but the phone kept shutting off.

"Hey, hey. It's okay, it's broken but the new one is on its way. It's okay," Zahra said distancing herself away from her but slowly pulling away from the hard phone from her reach.

"Huda, why don't you go drink some water in the break room?" Zahra added.

"We can't have you raging around the clinic, it's about to open." She said smiling.

"I know. I know. I am sorry," Huda said, standing up. Her nine-month pregnant stomach protruded out of her scrubs and lab coat, as she walked- no, wobbled to the breakroom. Everyone had insisted that she take off of work but she refused. She wanted to hold on to the last bits of normalcy before her life would change forever, and she would have to stay at home for a while taking care of her new kid. Not that she wasn't beyond excited to spend time with her baby, it was just that she was facing a new side of herself that she didn't know existed.

She was becoming hot-tempered, annoyed, anxious, and tired. She hadn't felt this way her whole pregnancy, just the last three months. She didn't like it, she would often yell at Humza for the pettiest things, so many times she had started to cry over insignificant things that Haniah would have to comfort her instead. She was hating this side of herself, she felt selfish. It was a blessing that her husband was Humza. Constantly understanding that Huda was bound to act different, and reassuring her. However, no matter how bad things got, Huda never acted differently with Haniah.

Haniah was Huda's safe space. As was Huda to Haniah.

Often the only thing that made Huda happy was after cleaning and eating, she would cuddle to sleep with Haniah.

Haniah was now four years old, and going to preschool daily. She didn't come home until Humza and Huda did at 4:30 so their schedules aligning was very helpful, and it was the biggest reason Huda was ready for their second child. Humza never mentioned having any more kids to her, ever, he didn't want to push Huda for anything she wasn't ready for. Instead, Huda had brought it up one night, to him. Asked what he thought about their future and kids.

"Whenever you are ready, I am too." He had said, with the most genuine smile- that had stolen Huda's heart from day one.

So here they were now, Humza was at a meeting Downtown discussing their clinic with possible investors. Huda was working her regular shift at the clinic and it was now 8 AM. The clinic was open. Huda sat on the table in the break room, sipping on her water bottle. The door chimed, and she could hear a kid and some mumbles. That was her 8'oclock appointment, she remained seated until the nurse came to get her.

The mother and the kid walked past the breakroom, to one of the patient rooms as the Nurse assisted with the kid's checkup and notated the symptoms. Soon enough, the Nurse peeked her head through the break room door and Huda got up.

She walked to the room and grabbed the clipboard that was on the door.

"Good morning," She said, sitting on the rolling chair and reviewing the report.

"Vomiting, fatigue, fever, and chills." She read, looking up to confirm with the mom, as the mom nodded.

"Temp is still 101," Huda said, getting up to grab a tongue depressor.

"Let me take a look," She said, heading to the kid who pushed himself into his mom and hid from Huda.

Typically, Huda was very calm and patient with all the kids and often found ways to make their appointments fun. However, this kid that floated in her sucked most of that energy so she had zero ideas for how to make it more fun for the kids. So all she could is be as nice as she can be.