Heart Broken (Unedited)

Forty-Eight

Sorry for not updating yesterday and instead of two short chapters, I merged them to make one.
Enjoy!

It's been three months since the birth of our daughter. She's so beautiful. Our bundle of joy. Thinking back to the day i gave birth to her, i smiled. I never thought i would make it out of the labor room alive. But all praise be to Allah, i survived delivery and the dreaded PPH. The doctor said i lost a lot of blood. I had to be transfused two pints of blood courtesy my life saver, my husband. I was out for some hours but when i finally regained consciousness, he had my hands firmly held in his and he had his head buried on the bed beside me. I remember the look of relief and happiness he had on his face when i whispered his name. It was a sight to behold even though i could tell he had cried 'cause his eyes were red and blotchy and he was a bit disoriented. My husband truly loves me. So much. And i know. Only when i had fully recuperated did he have time for the baby. And that was when she was two days old.

He gently took her in his arms like she was the most delicate thing he's ever held. I bet she was. He held her close to his chest. And looked at her with such love like i've never seen him express before. All the while smiling like a goon. He made me smile too. Right then, i praised Allah knowing my world is complete. They are my world. When she stirred in his cradling arms, his smile widened. He looked up at me and mouthed a thank you. Then he came and sat next to me with her still in his arms. He asked if i had a change of mind on the decided baby name and i nodded a no. He smiled and did the tahnik. After he was done, he kissed her forehead and whispered audibly,

"May Allah bless you and uphold you in His deen. May you be a source of joy to the entire ummah just as you've brought happiness to us. May you grow up to portray the qualities of the person you've been named after. Fatimah Zahrah!".

My heart almost exploded with joy. Right then, i couldn't thank Allah enough. I couldn't wish for anything better. I was grinning from ear to ear. The way i felt was out of this world.

Back at home, the whole family were around to welcome baby Zahrah. Almost everyone i know came for the naming walimah. Baby Zahrah got guests all the way from Havana, Cuba. The Sa'ads! Even my mum who has only been in our house once when i was bride of six months came to see her grand daughter. Hamidah's mum came with her sister for the first time. Hamidah and her husband too. Trust Adda Asma and Ya Ibrahim's wife to be in KT a day after Zahrah was born. Adda Yusrah the godmother. Some relatives came for the naming too. Ya Ahmad's friends and colleagues. My classmates and other friends from school. Neighbors and others neither Ya Ahmad nor myself or anybody from either of the families knew. It was a grand celebration. Hajiya and Ya Ahmad the masterminds, pulled off by some event planners Hajiya hired from Kaduna. She hired a professional make-up artist from Abuja. A professional photographer too. She got three custom made outfits tailored to perfection for me by some Nigerian designer.

They changed baby Zahrah into eight outfits which i lost count during the occasion and only got to confirm when the professional photos came through. For the first time after six years of marriage, we took a professional photo as a couple. Ya Ahmad looked dapper as always. He grinned all day long. He surprised me by not showing the slightest discomfort with all the people streaming in and out. Even though he's not much of a crowds' person. Even when Kulthum accidentally spilled her drink on his white Kaftan, he smiled and showed no irritation like i thought he would. He just went and had a change of clothes. Hajiya kept shooing him away from the midst of women where Zahrah was. He bribed Aisha to bring baby Zahrah to him. And Hajiya had to look for her when she wanted to show her off to some guests. She ended up scolding him. "Newest dad in town won't allow us some breathing space" said Aisha.