NURA

Chapter 28

Nura

Nov. 2014, Nate's House

Nura was sitting at the window seal filled with mismatched cushions of various shapes and sizes, her mind completely blank as she stared through the window.

The sun was just beginning to come out, its rays peeking through the woods surrounding the house, and she was sure that she would have enjoyed it, maybe coupled with a good book and a cup of coffee, if it was any other day, but it wasn't.

No matter how hard she tried or how many prayers she sent to Allah to heal her, Zaria remained unconscious and unmoving in the only bed in the room.

She looked so small and frail, hidden under soft, white sheets, her body full of IVs and wires connected to the machines beside her.

The only comfort Nura had was the constant beep of Zaria's heartbeat, steady and unchanging; the sound almost lulling her into sleep, which she valiantly resisted. The last thing she wanted was to fall asleep and have Zaria wake up alone. She would never be alone again if Nura had something to do with it.

They were currently in one of Nate's homes. Nura wasn't sure where exactly, but she was sure it was not in New York.

Nik had somehow managed to slow the bleeding back in her apartment, and then Nate had sent an ambulance that took Zaria to his hospital.

When they arrived, Zaria was taken into surgery, and Nura was finally able to think again after coming back from her little breakdown and called Ben to tell him about everything that's happened.

Ben had stormed in with a dozen agents hot on his heels, taking statements and securing the area so that no one could get to the two of them without an actual army.

Nura would have laughed at the man's actions if she wasn't feeling so scared. Somehow, she figured, that not even a lunatic like Bear would have dared to come after Zaria or her in such a public place. But she kept her mouth shut and told Ben everything she knew, which was essentially nothing.

She didn't know how Zaria found her since Nura wasn't even aware of where the girl had been living for the past few years or that she was even alive until Nik opened the door.

So, to Nura's great relief, they gave up with the questioning rather quickly once they realized that she wouldn't be very helpful.

After almost four hours, Nate finally emerged from the operating room, the bloody scrubs still covering his big frame, as he informed them that Zaria was out of the surgery and stable but that he was not sure when she would wake up due to the amount of blood she had lost. That was a week ago, and Zaria was still in a coma.

Ben advised them to move her out of the spotlight to not reveal that she had survived in case someone decided to finish the job, and that was the story of how they ended up in Nate's house.

Nura felt the exhaustion catching up with her, her eyes slowly starting to close, so she leaped from her seat and shook her limbs to wake up before she walked to bed.

"You need to wake up, Zaria, please. I miss you," she whispered, but the brunette remained still as she did every other time Nura had tried. She sighed sadly, rubbing her temples as another wave of exhaustion washed over her.

Maybe a cup of coffee wouldn't hurt, she thought and reluctantly started to leave the room, feeling uncomfortable with leaving her friend alone, when a hand grabbed hers.

She whirled around, her eyes widening in shock when they connected with the chocolate-colored ones, staring unblinkingly at her before a tired smile spread over Zaria's face.