Qurban

•28• Pain / درد

  محبت کا المیہ یے ہے کہ ان لوگوں سے ہوجاتی ہے جو
  آپکے لیے نہیں بنے ہوتے۔۔۔۔۔۔۔۔

Irtiza was getting discharged after being in the hospital for a whole two weeks. Of course, a stay at home nurse was going to be with him to take care of him. His condition was still the same. There had been absolute zero change or improvement in his condition.  The doctors were encouraging them to not lose hope and wish for the better, but it was hard.

Zainab sat beside her father, holding his frail hand in hers tightly with her eyes rooted to the floor. He looked like he was asleep, but Zainab knew he wasn't. He was lost. He had gone to someplace unknown. Where she couldn't find him.

He was lost and she didn't know where to look.

The door opened and hushed footsteps sounded in the room. Zainab didn't have to look to guess who had come.

Jaweria sat beside her on the chair and held her shoulders.

"You should sleep. You need rest."

Zainab's cold eyes darted to the woman beside her, taking in her resigned state and sagged shoulders.

"He needs me here. What if he wakes up and ask of me?"

Jaweria felt her eyes water, but she controlled herself

"He'll be fine, Zainab. I'll stay with him, okay?"

Jaweria cooed knowing well that Zainab needed rest. She'd been getting weaker day by day. That's not healthy.

"You should see your doctor too. She'll help you with stress management."

Jaweria softly suggested kissing Zainab's hair. But Zainab didn't acknowledge her suggestion and instead gave her a small smile.

"I'll go to my room."

Nodding at her, Jaweria scooted closer to Irtiza while Zainab quietly left the two in privacy Jaweria desperately needed because she immediately broke into quiet sobs as soon as Zainab closed the door. Walking over to her room, she slipped inside the uncomfortable bed. As she curled into herself, she realized how terribly lonely she was. She felt like crying, bursting into tears, but she was so so alone, so empty inside and no one was here to just.....be with her. She was alone in her battle. She didn't even have Hammad's jacket with her to keep her some sort of semblance of company.

Curling into a fetal position, she put her fist on her lips to silence her cries. She wept quietly, feeling the four white halls consuming her, trapping her in her own sadness like a witch putting a spell on her victims.

Her cries rang lowly in the air as she cried her heart out in the emptiness of the world.
****************

"Are we ready?"

Zainab softly asked from the door as Jaweria packed the last bits of Irtiza's stuff in the hospital room.

"Hmm, almost."

Jaweria replied softly while grabbing a small duffel bag in her hands. Zainab took the bag from her to which the woman smiled and patted her head motherly.

"Subhan called. There's a driver waiting for us at the back entrance. The front one is crowded by media. We better be careful."

Zainab knew the outcome would be deadly. The media were vultures and Irtiza Aqeel getting shot and almost killed was big news. She could only imagine their excitement as they waited for them to come out the door.

Sighing wearily, both of them walked out of the room. Meeting Irtiza's doctor, he gave them a file regarding his meals and medicine plan before they were allowed to take him home. He was already shifted inside the ambulance to take him home. Jaweria and Zainab both walked toward the back entrance and just as expected it was empty. However, there was no sign of the driver. Frowning, Jaweria muttered under her breath