An Echoing Race.

Chapter Forty Seven

#Chapter Forty Seven#

I put every ounce of energy I had left within my body to try and open my eyes.

Why was this so difficult?

After a full minute of failure I was very ready to give up but finally, I felt some rays of light shining against my eyelids. With renewed determination, I blinked a few times and forced them to snap open.

However, I quickly had to close them again as the bright white of the ceiling stung me painfully.

"Slowly, darling, slowly..." I heard someone speak from next to me and I struggled to figure out who it was. "You've been asleep for over twenty four hours, so your eyes need some time to adjust to the light."

Twenty four hours?

The voice, which seemed to belong to a young lady, did not seem familiar at all. When I felt her begin to touch at my wrist, I instantly jerked away from her touch.

"What is going on?!" I questioned in extreme confusion.

"Sameena darling...you're in the hospital," she responded patiently, in a soft voice.

It wasn't until I had fully opened my eyes and absorbed my surroundings that I believed her words. I was in a spacious room, blinding white room that only had one window which opened up to the outside world. Two chairs sat by the window and machines of all sorts were attached to my bed. Wires and tubes were all over me and overall, I was beginning to feel overwhelmed.

But then I looked down at my chest, at what was causing the strong pressure there and everything came back to me.

The election gala. Faysal's phone call. Salem gone missing. Going to the toilet.

Mr Radwan grabbing me...

I gasped and suddenly began to cough as I felt all the air leave my body. The lady, who I assumed was my nurse, immediately rushed to my aid and patted my back.

"Sameena darling it's OK, you're OK...you're going to be perfectly fine."

"My...m-my family," I managed to choke out.

"They're fine too...just calm down and take a deep breath for me." After five minutes of breathing in and out, and a lot of convincing that my family was fine, I finally began to relax. "That's it, there we go." She handed me a cup of water and I nodded in gratitude, not realising until now how dry and scratched my throat was.

When I returned the cup to her, I got a good look at her face.

"Do I know you?" I asked, scrunching my eyebrows.

She had a kind smile. "I was the same nurse who wrapped up your arm when you broke it all those months ago."

A small smile made its way to my lips. "Nuha right?"

For a second she looked slightly stunned that I actually remembered her name but then she quickly regained her composure. "Yes, that's me." Her smile faltered a little. "I would say it's nice to see you again but considering the circumstances..." she trailed off.

I bit my lip and looked down into my lap. Even as I sat here in a hospital gown, with a large bandage across my chest, I still couldn't comprehend everything that had transpired at that dinner. Everything had just happened so fast; one second I was emerging from the bathroom and the next I was laying in my own pool of blood, wondering when death would take me.

I shivered at the memory and involuntary tears made their way to my eyes.

Nuha must've noticed my distress because she changed the topic. "Do you want me to inform your family that you're awake now? They've all been eagerly awaiting since they heard the surgery was successful."