Two Brothers, One Heart

Part 2: Chapter 65

"Do you want to kill yourself, Izzie? Can you believe you have high blood pressure now?" Taslim lambasted, frustrated and pacing up and down the room. She emphasized her words as she walked.

"I'm fine, it's not blood pressure," Islam managed to stand up from the bed and said, trying to alleviate Taslim's concerns. "The doctor clarified that it's not related to blood pressure. So no need to worry!"

Taslim let out a sigh of relief. "So the doctor is lying? You have high blood pressure at this age. Calm down, everything is going to be fine," she reassured Islam, her voice filled with genuine concern.

"Insha Allah," Islam said optimistically, placing her hand on her chest. She had faith that everything would work out for the best.

As they were talking, Usman entered the room, greeting them with a warm "Salamualaikum." He had just dropped off Yasin at school and had some news to share.

"Thanks for dropping Yasin off at school," Islam mentioned, feeling grateful for Usman's help.

"Good news!" Usman brightened up, a smile spreading across his face.

"What is it?" Taslim asked eagerly, curious about the exciting development.

"First, give me a smile," Usman teased, making Islam force a smile despite feeling tired from the recent events. "Your mother has regained consciousness," he announced, unable to contain his joy.

"Masha Allah," Islam exclaimed, her eyes welling up with tears of relief and gratitude. She immediately went into sujood-ul-shukur, expressing her thanks to Allah for this positive turn of events. "Where are they? I'm coming," she said, hugging Taslim tightly before grabbing her bag and phone, ready to rush to the hospital.

"Be careful," Taslim said, concern etched on her face as she watched Islam hurry downstairs, taking the stairs two at a time in her eagerness to reach the garage and join Usman.

Usman drove them to the hospital, which was quite far from their house. It was a large hospital with excellent facilities, providing them with a sense of reassurance during this challenging time.

As they made their way through the hospital corridors, Islam's mind was filled with a mix of emotions. She didn't mind greeting anyone on her way but walked quickly

"She's stable now," said the doctor with a cordial smile before walking out for their privacy.

"Mama," she said and rushed to hug her while she was lying on the bed. "I'm very happy you regained consciousness, I thought..."

"Where's your sister?" asked Zaynab worriedly while looking at the door. "Is she okay, where is she?"

"It doesn't matter where Firdausi is now, Mama. All that matters is that you're fine," said Islam, who was angry.

"Please forgive her, she's still naive," pleaded Zaynab with Islam.

"Mama, you should take some rest and stop worrying about Firdausi. She's fine. C'mon, go to sleep and later we can talk," said Islam while walking out of the room.

"So you know," called out Zaynab as she stopped. "You now know and you're mad at me."

She turned to her and said, "You kept hiding the truth from us. Why?"

"Because I don't want to bother you, and I know you'd force me to go for the treatment," said Zaynab while looking away.

"Why don't you want to go for the treatment? You have us, Mama. You have us by your side, and I can't bear losing you," she said while crying.