The Wake.

22

Azfar and the doctor left the room without any further comment. Rehaan sat down on the bed next to his sister who at once hugged him and started crying. "I don't want to stay here."

"It's okay, I'm here now. What happened to my sister?" He placed his hand on top of head.

"I just—I don't want to—"

"Okay, okay." It was not possible for him to see her like that. His sister, in a miserable state.

"Will you take me with you? Aap apnay saath rakh lengay na mujhe?" She pulled back and blinked her tears away.

(Will you keep me with you?)

"Iraj." He wiped her face with his hands and hugged her again.

"Don't tell baba. Please." She pulled back again and begged. Their mother was completely out of the question.

"No one will. You don't have to think about anything." He wasn't asking her anything as her unstable condition had already shaken him.

"Don't you worry about a thing." She knew if her brother had said something it would happen, she wouldn't need to worry now.

He kissed her head and got up, "I'll get the discharge finalized. We'll leave right away." He went out of the room to meet his brother in law and the find the reason for all the pain he had seen in his sister's eyes.

"Azfar, she's going with me, now tell me why my sister is here, how did she end up in a hospital when you were supposed to take care of her?" Disappointment was a small word he had in his voice.

"Rehaan, she's, I don't know what to say. She's been diagnosed with Parkinson's." Rehaan stood in a shock as the words left Azfar's mouth.

"We- I didn't know and she um, Rehaan, I mistreated her. I won't even defend myself, I feel shitty about myself and couldn't bring myself to even-"

"Get your houseworker to pack her things." Rehaan walked away from him and went to see the doctor not wanting to hear anything more about how his little sister had been suffering on her own and he had forgotten to even check up on her. It was his mistake. No one else's.

After talking to the doctor he went back to Iraj inside the room. Azfar had not said anything to her. He wasn't going to object to anything happening. It was his own doing. He could not even look at himself in the mirror.

"Change your clothes, we're leaving." Rehaan swiftly moved his hand over head and placed her clothes on the bed.

Going out he stopped for the last time in front of Azfar, "Not a word to my father."

"I would never, I know she wouldn't ever want them to know." He had a devastated smile.

"I wish you knew her enough to have not let this happen Azfar. I wish I myself did too, she's my only sister and I've failed as a brother." Rehaan walked away towards the door as Iraj came out after changing her clothes.

"Come, do you want to eat something before we board the plane?" Rehaan placed his arm around her shoulder and they walked past Azfar now not even acknowledging him standing there. Iraj felt his eyes on her but she didn't want to even react to it.

"No, I am fine." She shook her head.

Rehaan took out a candy from his pocket and gave it to his sister, "They didn't have the orange or strawberry one, so I got the apricot one." She took it in her hands and passed a smile at him.

She felt tired, and wanted to escape. Her body wanted to rest properly after the mental exhaustion she had experienced.

Azfar's heart was burning watching her leave as they moved towards the end of the corridor. He was helpless. She was leaving him. He didn't know what to do. He didn't have the rights to stop her. He had to let her go. It was killing him inside. What's love? He had failed in even knowing the answer to it. He would now get to experience the same emptiness of his house and life the same way she did when he used to go away for work.

They were inside the car now, "I feel like I can never be the same again." She finally confessed it to her brother.

"There's nothing wrong with you. You are even better now, look at me, I'm the one who's not the same. I should've called my sister, I should've paid attention to her even if I was not here. I am so sorry bacha. I'm so sorry." He shook his head with an exhale.

"It's not your fault. It isn't. I was never useful anyway and now I'm-"

"Where did these thoughts come from? How can Iraj Kazmi even think that? Do you know you're the person who can rule over the entire planet? You're my fierce sister. I won't have you ever thinking otherwise. We will go to better doctors in France. We will go wherever I can find a better place for treatment. You'll get physical therapy and get better. You'll always be the same. And this treatment is only because I want you to remember how strong you are." He held her hand in his firmly.

"I will annoy you a lot." She pursed her lips.

"I came prepared." She smiled finally and he let her hand go pulling her cheeks lightly that made her grunt.

"Stop. I'm not a kid alright."

"Sure you aren't." He chuckled.

How many people are happy that she left him?