Kismat aur Hum

25.

- Malik -
I was almost there when I heard beep sounds from my dashboard. Confused, when I stopped at the red light, I opened the dashboard, I looked around when my hand came im contact with the small phone. It was a small burner phone abbu had given me on my first mission. After I had changed cars, I had randomly put my things away.

I looked at the small screen, *home*. I was surprised this thing still worked, and I answered it. I heard some panting and deep breaths. "Hello?" I heard her voice. "Haniya? Is everything okay?" "Malik, some thieves broke in. Mehr, and the ki- kids are s-safe. They're at a hou-ouse a few blocks down." She kept taking deep breaths while she spoke. "Haniya, where are you? Are you okay?" "Yea, I'm-m stu-ck in your office." She breathed out.

"Oh gosh, can't you get out?" "No, I smell something burning, and there's smoke everywhere." "Listen, I'm almost five minutes away, I need you to stay with me on the phone."
"I'll t-ry," she huffed. I kept trying to talk to her while I sped through the roads, I was only a few minutes away from the house. "Malik," she whispered, "I'm here, love, talk to me." But I didn't get any answers, she went quiet.

"Love? Are you there?" I was getting anxious by the second, I drove with stopping and barely got into numerous car crashes on the way, but I drove to the house. There were many people standing outside now, getting out of my car. I ran towards the front door when I was stopped by a few people. "Son, you can't go in. There's a fire towards the back of your house." "I CAN'T,  MY WIFE IS IN THERE!" Pushing past people, I ran inside, the fire was slowly spreading towards the front of the house, it was slowly reaching the living room. I ran towards the study.

I tried opening the door, but it was locked. I was too hasty to get in, banging the door a couple of times, and I managed to break the door open. I ran inside towards my table, where she limped on my desk. Carefully draping my jacket on her, I carefully carried her in a bridal style, quickly taking her outside the house. In time, an ambulance and fire trucks pulled up. The paramedics pulled up a stretcher, which I carefully laid Haniya on. Getting into the ambulance with the paramedics, we drove to the hospital.

At the hospital, her bed was rushed towards the ER after the paramedics had told the doctors about her condition. I was left standing outside the ER, waiting and praying until surgery was over. The surgery went on for a while, nurses running in and out, none of them telling me anything.

After hours of sitting and waiting, a doctor finally came out and looked at me. Running up, seeing the doctor's serious emotion, I didn't know what to expect. "How- How is my wife?" I managed to ask, standing in front of him. "I'm not going to give you false hope, Mr. Malik. She was shot, there was a lot of bleeding -" he paused, "but she's a very lucky woman, it looks like, ahe had moved after she got shot, the bullet came out, that did cause excessive bledding, but the bullet didn't go in further."

I looked at him hopefully, "what does this mean then, doctor?" "This means the operation was successful. It will be hard for her to move around for a few weeks, maybe months." "Thank you, doctor,  can i go see her?" "They are finishing up her surgery,  then moving her into the ICU for a bit. You can see her then, but she will be alseep until the anesthesia wears off." I nodded and thanked the doctor again as I ran to the hospital prayer room. Offering 2 raakats to thank Allah for the successful operation.

It was almost half 8 in the morning  the next day. She had been moved into a private ward. The children were currently staying at Umar's house right now, and no one knew except him.

Walking into the ward, I saw my precious wife, laying on the bed, attached to all these things. Pale, and weak, all because of me. All because of the grudge my enemies hold against me, the punishment is going to my wife. At the moment, I accused myself of the reason she was here because of me.

I sat beside her, moving her hair away from her face, stroking her cheeks. Even at that moment, when someone would be scared and would focus on saving themselves, she saved her siblings and my sister, saved dua.

I sat beside for most of the time while the nurses and doctors came in and out, checking her. The lat nurse told me she's recovering well and could wake up any moment. I still hadn't told her siblings or Mehr anything right now, and I was in no mood to talk to Umar, I needed to have a serious talk with him afterward.

I had fished praying Isha, and had sat down beside her bed and was reading some duas, holding her hand. When I felt a tug, I looked up to see her holding my hand tightly, yet her eyes were still closed. I sat up on the bed, stroking her head, moving any strands of hair off her face, when suddenly her eyes fluttered open, looking straight at me.

I was caught in the moment. She was awake. Her eyes teared up as she lunged, sitting up, hugging me, bringing me to my senses. "You're finally here." She cried into my chest, "I called you so many times. You said you were on your way. " She continued to cry. "Love, I'm sorry, I wish I got there a little earlier." I hugged her back. We sat in the position for a while when I heard her groaning. She was in pain. Of course, she would be. She was shot. "Love, sit back. You have stitches." I said back, as I tried to break the hug and lay her back. But she didn't listen, continuing to hug me. "Haniya love. Im not leaving you. I just need to lie back." I said again, to which she reluctantly broke the hug, looking at me. "Lay down, I promise, I'm not going anywhere." "Promise?" She asked, laying back on the bed. I nodded.

" I promise love, I would never leave you," I said, looking at her laying down. "Okay, but i really don't want to lay down." "Woman, you were shot, you lost so mucb blood, and you're daying you don't want to lay down." "Yea?" I signed shaking my head at her response.

An idea popped into my head, I wasn't sure if it'd do a lot since this was something I didn't like sharing. I asked one of my men to get me my bag from my car. After he came into the room with the bag. Haniya looked at it, confused. I took out the sketch pad and pencil. "Now love, I'm giving you a challege, no moving." She nodded. "Good." Taking our sharp pencil, i got to work.

Almost twenty minutes go by when Haniya asks, "Can i see it now?" She said, titling her head. "I'll only let you see it if you quietly lay down." She sighed but listened. I continued working, and it wanted that hard, I had worked on similar pieces before, but every time, these pieces gave different events each time, but I wasn't going to tell her that. Right now, I just needed to distract her so she could lay down. 

After an hour, Haniya finally spoke again. By this, I had finished too. "Malik, it's been an hour." "Yes, love, and I'm done." I said, looking at the piece one more time. She excitedly looked at the sketch pad as I turned it around. For a moment, she stays quiet, I look at her studying the piece. She reaches out for the page, which I give to her. She keeps looking at it, not saying anything, I get nervous. Thinking about what her expression could be. I wait and wait for anything she can say. Until she finally does. "Malik. This is magnificent. Not the drawing of me, but how you drew it. It looks beautiful." She whispered, still looking at the piece, before looking at me again. "You think so?" "Yes, from a person who can only draw clothes, this is the most beautiful thing I've seen." I thank her, pecking her forehead, but now the nurse had entered with a tray of food. I took away the page and helped her sit in a comfortable position. Helping her eat, she also ended up forcing me to eat with her.

"Malik, do you have any more drawings?" She asked. I wasn't up to answer that. This was something I knew of, except her now. I hesitated, answering her. "Let me get you some water." I said, getting up and turning to the jug of water. I felt her stares follow me. When I sat down, she went quiet, and we both continued to enjoy our food.