From Pain to Paradise

CHAPTER 19

Hours ticked by, but the surgery showed no signs of ending. Faris sat on the bench outside the surgery room, his head hung low in despair. Hannah approached him, concern etched on her face, and sat beside him. She wrapped her hands around his arm, offering what little comfort she could.

"Faris, are you okay?" she asked softly.

Faris shook his head, his voice barely above a whisper. "How can I be okay, Hannah? He's fighting for his life in there, and I'm stuck out here, unable to do anything."

Tears welled up in his eyes as he continued, his voice cracking with emotion. "I failed to protect him, Hannah. I should be in there with him, but I failed. I'm supposed to be the strong one, but I feel so helpless."

Hannah turned his face towards her, cupping his cheeks in her hands. She wiped away his tears, her touch gentle and soothing.

"This is not your fault, Faris," she said firmly. "It was already written in fate. But trust in Allah, he will be fine, just like before. And we will find out soon enough who was behind this. You have to be strong for Sarim and your parents."

Faris nodded, feeling a surge of determination. He knew Hannah was right. He had to be strong, for everyone's sake.

Hannah hugged him tightly, her voice filled with emotion. "I'm with you, Faris. Please be strong. It hurts me to see you in pain."

Faris hugged her back, tears streaming down his face as he cried over her shoulder. He felt a sense of gratitude towards Hannah, who had been his rock in this difficult time.

The doctor emerged from the surgery room, his expression somber. "The surgery is done, but I have to be honest with you, he's still in critical condition. He's not conscious, and we're worried that if he doesn't wake up in the next 24 hours, we might lose him."

Faris's mother collapsed to the floor, overcome with grief. Hannah rushed to her side, trying to comfort her. Faris's father stared blankly into space, tears streaming down his face.

Faris looked at his family, feeling a sense of helplessness. Suddenly, his phone rang. He answered it, his voice shaking.

"Hello?"

"Faris, Can you come to the police station?"

Faris nodded, even though Moiz couldn't see him. "Okay."

He hung up the phone and stood up, his eyes fixed on his family. But he didn't say anything to them. He just turned and walked away, leaving Hannah to wonder where he was going.

Hannah watched him go, concern etched on her face. She wanted to ask him what was wrong, but he was already gone. She turned back to Faris's family, trying to comfort them in their time of need.

As Faris walked out of the hospital, he felt a sense of numbness. He didn't know what was going to happen to his brother, or what Moiz wanted at the police station. All he knew was that he had to keep moving forward, no matter what.

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Moiz led Faris to the investigation room, his expression grim. "We've made a breakthrough in the case, Faris. We found the CCTV footage and traced the car. My team is investigating the man who shot Sarim. I thought you should be here for this."

As they entered the room, Faris saw the man tied to a chair, a police officer interrogating him. The man's eyes darted towards Faris, a flicker of fear crossing his face.

"Tell me, who ordered you to shoot Sarim?" the officer demanded, his voice firm but controlled.

The man shook his head, "I can't tell you."