Life Under the Hijab | ✔

{6} Darkness, My Old Friend

Zakir Khan

Those words hit me like a stab to my chest. She couldn't be dead. No, this couldn't be happening. She's not dead. She's not dead. My vision started to blur. Right then I heard a scream.

I turned around to see Zaynub's mother on the floor sobbing really loud. My mother was right besides her, trying to calm her down. The surgeon coughed to grab our attention.

"We are going to stop the surgery before she is gone for good. We will put her on life support right now and see if she improves. But the chances are very slim that she will survive," he said.

"W-What are the chances that she will survive?" asked Amir shakily as if he were afraid of the answer.

"Very slim. The accident damaged her more than we could have expected. We will continue the surgery when her heart is stable. It would take a miracle for her heart to be stable again," he replied.

We were all shocked out of our minds. The guy who crashed into Zaynub ran away after the accident. If I ever find out who he is I will make him regret ever hurting Zaynub. She didn't deserve to be almost dead. She didn't deserve to suffer like this.

Amir had his head in his hands. Noorah was trying to calm him down. My parents and sisters were trying to help Zaynub's mom. Hajar started sobbing silently while hugging her mother. Zaynub's mother was sobbing so much. It hurt to see such an amazing woman become so... broken.

"C-Can we see h-her?" asked Noorah.

"Of course, she is in room 405. Follow me," he offered a small smile.

We all nodded and followed the surgeon to her room. To say I was scared was an understatement. What if she doesn't survive? What if... no. I couldn't be thinking like this. I had to have faith in Allah.

We followed the surgeon into Zaynub's room. The air around us was tense. Everyone was worried about what they would see. As soon as we reached her room the surgeon stopped us.

"Only four at a time please," he said.

It was pretty obvious which four got to go first. I stepped aside to let Amir, Noorah, Hajar, and Zaynub's mother go in first. As soon as they walked in I heard a few gasps. Oh no. Her condition must be really bad.

"My poor baby," Zaynub's mother cried.

Yeah, her condition was really bad. My heart was racing. Oh Allah, please let her be alright. I closed my eyes and leaned against the wall. I kept hearing sobs. After what seemed like hours Amir and Noorah stepped out. As soon as I heard footsteps my eyes bolted wide. Amir nodded at me to go in along with my mother.

I walked into her room. What I saw made my heart stop. My chest had this heavy feeling to it. There was Zaynub. Her arms and face were filled with cuts. Her lips were busted and bleeding. Her face was pale. There was an oxygen mask on her face. The heart monitor thing gave little beeps. Her breathing was shallower. She looked almost dead. Key word: almost.

I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I was frozen. My hands were trembling. How could this happen? All I could hear were sobs, heart-wrenching cries from everyone who cared about her. I walked up to her bed. I looked down on her face. So beautiful, I thought. 

"Please wake up," I whispered.

She just stayed still.

"Zaynub, I am begging you to wake up. Please. People need you. I need you. Please don't die on me, please," I said, my voice breaking.

I needed her to live. I needed to tell her how sorry I am for making her feel useless. I wanted to tell her about how I cared a lot for her, and I wanted to protect her. I had this feeling deep in my heart that I needed to protect her.