Irreversible

⚜♚68. Without Him ♚⚜

©️ All copyrights belong to StarsAndMoon1447 on Wattpad

*

Thinkin' of the day, when you went away, 
What a life to take, what a bond to break, 
I'll be missing you.

*

Yamna

I shakily answered Arsal Bhai's phone call. "H-Hello?" 

"Yamna." His voice sounded too grim.

Panicking, I hung up and threw my phone on the bed beside me. I didn't want to hear what he had to say.

He called again, and I stared down at my phone as if it was some hazardous substance that shouldn't be touched. Sighing, I finally picked it up. "Hello?"

"Yamna, the doctor has advised us all to come home from the night. There's no update so far, unfortunately, so we're on our way back. Papa and Mama will be coming with us. No visitors can stay overnight, but Aariz Bhai will be at the hospital. I'll come back here in the morning."

"You're all going to leave him alone? He would never leave one of his loved one alone like that!" I didn't mean to be nasty, but the words just came out of my mouth. I was being a hypocrite, being here at home myself.

"Yamna, he's in the ICU. We're not allowed there." He paused. "I understand, we all do. We practically had to drag Mama out to the car, as she was refusing to leave. But we can't break hospital rules. Already, a few extra visitors were briefly allowed inside, thanks to Aariz Bhai."

"They were allowed inside?!" My heart almost stopped.

"Not to the ICU, just in the general waiting area. Nobody has seen Rohaan yet."

That hurt...a lot. The man who always stood up for family, who always supported his family, was now lying in a hospital alone, while the rest of us would be home. "This is wrong. I want to be with him."

"I'm so sorry, Yum-Yum, but that's not even possible."

I ended the call, bursting into tears. Maybe I was feeling extra vulnerable, but I couldn't help thinking how Rohaan made all attempts to make things possible for his loved ones, and nobody was willing to do the same for him. I knew that we couldn't visit him in the ICU, but at least I could go and wait in the waiting room.

*

Arsalan

I kept worriedly glancing at Mama in the rear-view mirror as I drove home. She was leaning against Papa, who had his arm around her. She wouldn't stop crying.

"I wish I could swap places with him." She was repeatedly whispering. "My Rohaan..."

I blinked back tears myself. The fear of losing my brother was killing me on the inside. I also wished that I could swap places with him. I couldn't imagine this world without Rohaan. I couldn't imagine living out the rest of my life without having him around.

Papa, who was normally quick in giving reassurances and calming people down, was too quiet himself today. He held onto Mama, letting her cry against him, but he wasn't saying much.

I cannot even imagine what they're going through, as parents.

I pulled up into the driveway of our home, and got out. Papa helped Mama out of the car.

She stared up at the house. "Why am I here? I shouldn't be here! Rohaan should be here! He should be up there with his wife and unborn baby right now!" Her voice rose. "It's all my fault! What kind of a mother puts her own son's life at risk?! I'm the reason he..."