His Land Called

4] It hurts

4] It hurts

Falak

"Faaris, it hurts!" I said, shaking Faaris.

"Huh?" he said, waking up from his deep slumber.

"My back. It's hurting so much!" I told him, putting a hand on my back.

"It'll be alright, Jaan. Let me give you a massage. Sit up and turn around."

It was my fifth month of pregnancy and it was really tough. My case was a little more complex than usual and I was having more difficulties than most women.

It was the middle of the night, but I couldn't endure the pain any longer. I had lain awake for an hour after I had woken up from the pain, but now it was getting too much. I woke up Faaris and told him.

"It doesn't work!" I silently started to cry.

"It's worth a try, Falak. Now don't cry. What will you do when I leave forever?" Faaris reasoned, trying to lighten up my mood.

I slapped him on the back.

"Are you crazy?! Who says that?" I exclaimed angrily.

"Sorry, sorry. Now turn around." He said and I obliged.

"Now I get why we never mess with pregnant ladies." I heard him mutter as he start to massage.

"I heard that!"

"Sorry, Falak." He said.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, mister." I couldn't see him, but I knew because of his tone.

"You're creepy." Faaris commented, making me laugh.

We sat silently as Faaris massaged my back.

"It's okay, Faaroo." I said, finally stopping him,

"I feel guilty for waking you up this late. You have to get up early tomorrow."

"It's okay, Jaan. Are you feeling better?"

"A little. I think I'll try to sleep now. You should too."

"Yeah. Come on." He said and pulled the duvet over us. He put his arm around me and within moments, he fell asleep.

I stayed awake for some time, but then dozed off too.

The next time I woke up, Faaris was tying his shoes. He was donned in the Pakistan Army uniform, camouflage pants, a dark green undershirt and a camouflage shirt. Ranks decorated his uniform and he had long black boots with laces. He looked really smart. 'Sanaullah' was written in bold letters on the right side of his chest. His first name was Faaris, but he preferred his last name on his uniform. He said it looked tougher, and I agreed.

"Assalam o Alykum." I greeted.

"Walykum Assalam, dear. How are you feeling?" He replied, as he stood up.

"I'm good. Sorry for waking you up last night." I answered.

"I told you it's fine. That baby is mine too, you know."

I just smiled, silently thanking Allah for making Faaris the way he was. He smiled back.

"I'm gonna leave now. Call me if you feel sick, okay?" He said and I nodded. He kissed the top of my head and picked up his bag. Soon he left, leaving me alone.

As I was feeling quite well, I decided to sleep for sometime as that became impossible when I would start to feel sick.

I woke up a couple of hours later, when I felt that someone was continuously hitting my stomach really hard. I groaned.