Married To The Gateman

28: Nightmare

She didn't wake up until it was late in the evening and Nana had already left when Ummah called her after she had brought the groundnut to him. He was in the living room when he heard her weak voice, "Nana, are you there?" She called out, and even though he didn't want anything to do with her, he stood up and walked to the room.

He met her still laying on the bed with her eyes closed, she didn't even have the energy to put her glass back. She heard his footsteps and thought it was Nana, "Nana will you please help me sit up?" Mujaheed sighed internally and walked up to the bed. The moment his strong arms wrapped themselves delicately around her back, Fareeda knew it wasn't Nana but she didn't have the energy to get herself out of his hold.

He had her seated on the bed with her back resting on a pillow and she spoke weakly. "Will you please help me with my glass?" She asked reluctantly knowing it was him. But she wasn't strong enough to say she was afraid to ask him for it. He took the glass and put it on her face, she squeezed her eyes before she got accustomed to the light in the room.

With a hard expression and a cold look on his face, Mujaheed sat beside her on the bed and he could swear he had seen the way her heart throbbed against her chest. "How are you feeling now?" He asked and she brought up her shaky and pale hands before she palmed her face and nodded at him.

"I'm fine." She looked up at the IV that had already been diffused into her body with nothing left and she noticed that it had already been taken off. "Please is Nana still here?" She could remember having a weak vision of Nana when she was unconscious before Dr Haris come, and even if she was only dreaming, she knew Nana must've heard about her illness and she came.

"She has left, Hajia called her. You need to take your bathe to have some strength in your body, pray both Zuhr and Asr before you eat something." He stood up and she followed his him with her gaze unshakable. She hated this silent and cold treatment he was giving her, she wanted him to yell at her, say all the things she knew he had buried in his heart about her, all the terrible things she were. Without warning herself of the implication of what she would do, she held his wrist and he immediately turned to look at her.

"Can I please talk to you?" She slurred and took a few minutes to steady her breathe, she was afraid of what his response would be. She knew it would be so bad that she might end up being even more sick than she was right now.

He peeled her hand off his wrist and shook his head, "I told you to have your bathe, pray and I'll make the gruel Nana said you take while sick." He walked out of the room and Fareeda had to stop herself from breaking into tears because she knew it would only worsen her situation. Her head was screaming to split as she sat here.

It took her whole energy to walk to the bathroom and she had to take her bathe while being seated. She trudged out of the bathroom and slipped into a cotton night dress even though she knew it was still evening but she wished it was possible for her not to wear anything, she would've stayed the way she were. She prayed while being seated and after she was done, Fareeda felt she had no more energy to meet him in the living room, she had exhausted the whole of it. She laid there on the prayer mat and closed her eyes.

Not because she wanted to sleep, no. But because if she let her eyes open, it would be more chaotic for her brittle heart. She thought about everything, but all that mattered to her now was how she was going to have Mujaheed talk to her. He hated her, she could see that from the way he looked at her with his disgust for her dripping from the mahogany color of his yes. She was still laying there when she heard his footsteps and she refused to open her eyes. It would be better for her not to see him than see the way he looked at her with so much hatred.

He placed the cup on the bed side drawer and sat above her on the bed. "I'm sure you aren't asleep yet, come and take the gruel." He said coldly and she wanted to vanish from here.