UnFading LOVE(Completed)

25 - Shock 😳

🙋🏻‍♀️ -  Areena's POV
🗓️ - Date - October 31, 2022

---

Two hours passed in agonizing anticipation. The doctor conducted tests on Uncle, and now we awaited the results. He remained unconscious.

I informed Abid's secretary about Uncle's condition and called his house. Afiya arrived half an hour later, her face etched with distress. I reassured her, placing my faith in Allah. He wouldn't wrong a good soul; there must be a reason behind this. All we could do was trust and practice patience.

"Shhh... Afiya, don't speak ill. Let's pray and be patient. Uncle will recover," I whispered.

"I am, Appi. Ya Allah, please make my father healthy," she prayed, resting her head on my shoulder.

My parents arrived shortly after. My mother comforted Afiya while my father paced the waiting room anxiously.

I approached him. "Papa, please sit. Don't dwell on negative thoughts. Uncle will be fine, Inshallah," I urged, and he nodded in agreement.

"She's right, Mr. Khan. He's stable now," Dr. Khan, our family physician, assured us. He was well acquainted with Papa's health condition.

"What happened to him?" I inquired, bracing myself for the answer.

Dr. Khan's response left us reeling. "He's been drugged."

"What...??" We exclaimed simultaneously. Drugs? How was that possible? Uncle would never indulge in such activities.

"Yes, we found drugs in his stomach that had to be removed. Thankfully, he's stable now. You brought him in just in time; it could have been dangerous otherwise," Dr. Khan explained solemnly.

"My father drugged? But how?" Afiya's shock mirrored our own. We all knew him well; he detested such substances. It was inconceivable that he would willingly ingest them.

"I've been his personal physician for years. I can attest that he's never touched drugs, let alone smoked. It's clear he didn't ingest them willingly. Do any of you know what he last consumed?" Dr. Khan's question drew everyone's attention, and I felt their accusing gazes fall upon me.

Of course, I was the last person to see him before this happened. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks.

"He had green tea," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

"The green tea was laced with drugs, inhibiting his bodily functions and rendering him numb. It's fortunate you brought him here before it escalated further. You likely saved his life," Dr. Khan affirmed.

Saved his life? But it was my negligence that put him in danger. Guilt consumed me as I dashed out of the hospital, racing back to the office.

Arriving at the now-empty office, I hurried upstairs. Most of the staff had already left for the day.

I headed straight for the security office, pulling up the canteen's camera footage. I fast-forwarded to the crucial moment and there it was: the peon tampering with the green tea. Anger surged within me. I shouted his name repeatedly, but he was nowhere to be found. Abhi rushed to my side, alarmed.