Finding Muna: A Palestinian Novel

Chapter Twenty Two

Mahmud rushed into the hospital hall alarmed, yelling at the people on the way to move while he shoved whoever he could, all in desperation of getting to his wife as soon as he could.

He heard some people shouting at him to stop running but he didn't listen, he flew the staircase and ran through the hall, and then he stopped abruptly when he arrived at his wife's ward and kicked the door open, but to his disappointment, his wife wasn't there.

He turned around to meet face to face with a security guard and a nurse who were staring at him rather angrily.

"Sir this is a hospital, you cannot jump in like that and start pushing everyone –"

"Where's my wife, nurse?" Mahmud interjected and she pursed her lips.

"I don't know, but that is not a good reason for your behaviour!"

"I need to see the doctor that was here, I heard my wife was brought here a few minutes ago," Mahmud said and the expression nurse's face quickly changed to one of realization.

"I have to see my wife! You cannot tell me you don't know who I am or who my wife is, where is she?" Mahmud continued restlessly.

"Calm down sir, we're going to find her. You said she was brought here a few minutes ago right? Maybe she wasn't brought to this ward and was taken to a better one instead, I'm sure she's fine," she said soothingly in attempt to calm Mahmud down. Mahmud nodded and huffed in relief, letting the possibility of what she said sink into his mind, he ran his hand over his face as he paced the ward slowly in anxiousness. Even though he knew the possibility of her words was in the negative, he allowed himself to believe it just for the sake of his peace of mind.

"For confirmation, give me the name of your wife and the doctor in charge of her," the nurse said with a smile as she dismissed the security guard she came with.

"Amina, her name's Amina Saleh. It's our family doctor that's usually in charge, Dr. McGee," he said. She nodded slowly as she noted the names and offered him a tight-lipped smile.

"I – I will be right back," she said and immediately left the ward leaving Mahmud to once again drown in misery and gloom, he intertwined his fingers and placed them at the back of his head, biting the insides of his mouth as he internally prayed she was alright.

He was still in the middle of deep thought when he heard footsteps approaching; he instantly walked to the door to meet face to face with Dr. McGee. He sighed in relief and neared the doctor with hope and fear evident in his orbs; he looked at the doctor expectantly without uttering a word, praying desperately that Dr. McGee wouldn't say what he wasn't ready to hear.

"Mr. Mahmud..." the doctor trailed with a tight-lipped smile and Mahmud felt his body failing, his knees were getting weaker and he was sweating abnormally even under the air conditioner which was blowing aggressively.

The doctor noticed Mahmud's instability and offered him a pitiful smile, "Let's talk in my office Mr. Mahmud," he said and Mahmud was quick to shake his head as he glanced at the nurse behind the doctor who kept her gaze to the floor.

"Tell me here, please, don't tell me something has happened to Amina," he pleaded and the doctor shook his head sympathetically.

"I'm sorry..."

"About what?" Mahmud asked as he felt his body heat up in anger.

"I'm really sorry Mr. Mahmud."

"What happened to her?"

"She's in the morgue."

"Doing what?" he asked with a chuckle while the doctor watched him silently for a while, pitifully as Mahmud shook his head in disbelief.