Where Shadows Reach

The Recovery

"Why didn't she tell us all this?"

"Really? How many times?"

"She did mention her nightmare but not in detail."

"Murtasim! You knew and did not inform us?"
"It's defnitely a jinn problem, we must do something about it."

Meerab heard the frantic voices around her, questions, answers but she was too exhausted to even open her eyes and see who was saying what.

In a hazy way she recognized the voices as her parents, Ma Begum and Murtasim.

Occasionally she heard Anwar Chacha and Mari as well but they said very little.

At some point she felt Mari's hand on her forehead, cool palm against her burning skin felt so soothing that she drifted off soon after.

She once woke up to her mother quietly crying beside her as she placed a wet clothe on her neck and palms. It soothed her heated skin.

Meerab felt the heat on her skin as if she was burning from the outside but her insides felt so cold as if she could not get warm enough. She felt shivers run down her body several times.
J

nhe felt her body being lifted and placed on a moving mattress and thought she heard soft sirens as well. Sounded like it was far away from her.

She even felt the prick of a needle in her arm.
"We will keep the IV going until she gains some strength. We are giving her medication for the fever too" some authoritative voice spoke.
"There is nothing medically serious happening with her except the fever, we are trying to control that after that we can do further tests..."

Meerab drifted off again.
Her sleep schedule was so off, she was not sure if she was finding it hard to go to sleep or if she was trying hard to wake up.

It was two days after the incident in the grove that Meerab slowly came fully awake.

She was in a pristine white room with a blue curtained window and an IV bag hanging beside her bed.
Sunlight filtered between the closed curtains into the room giving it a muted glow. As her eyes turned to her left she noticed the man dozing off in the armchair next to her bed.

His head was resting in an odd angle, as if he had slipped down in the chair but had fallen asleep sitting up.

His legs extended parallel to her bed and his right palm rested beside her left hand on the bed as if reaching out to her in his sleep.

"Mur tas imm" Meerab's voice whispered, husky and cracking in between the syllables.

"Murtasim! She tried a second time and he came awake with a jerk, sitting up quickly, his sleep filled, red rimmed eyes locking into hers, moisture immediately gathered in the corners of his eyes. "Meerab." He whispered "you are awake?"

His hands reached for her, held and tightened around her hand as if he had to make sure she was really there.

"Ow, Murtasim that hurts." She protested and he immediately let go. "Sorry yaar, you want some water?Juice? Food? Can I get you anything to eat? The doctor said when you wake up, you will need to slowly build your strength with liquids and bland foods."

He chattered on nervously, very unlike his usual stoic self.

"Murtasim!" Meerab stopped his monologue with "Water please."