Saved by my nightmare (A Nigerian Story)

CHAPTER 57

The flashback>>

Lagos, Nigeria
2012.

'I'm sorry but we lost him', The bottle water Maliya held dropped to the ground, rolling off towards the side.

The next thing she knew, her legs were propelling her forward, without the consent of her brain.

She rounded the corner, seeing a woman roll around on the hospital floors as she yanked the headpiece off her head.

Maliya glanced at the pitiful display, as the woman dug her fingers into the roots of her braid, scratching at her hair as if to yank it off her head.

The woman's sight was pitiful indeed, but Maliya had other things to do.

Once she saw her parents, sitted beside the Kamardeens, she bolted towards them.

"Meyasa kike kuka?( Why are you crying?) Hajia Kamardeen asked.

" Zahar" Maliya said simply, tears rolling freely down her cheeks, "I heard the doctor said they lost him, mama"

"Tell me it's not true, mama please". Mrs Jamil and Hajia Kamardeen turned to look at each other for a second, before Hajia Kamardeen pulled Maliya by her arm.

" Habibti, your brother is fine. He's still in surgery. But in shaa Allah, he'll be okay" Maliya looked at Rumaysa's mum, confused.

"But the doctor just said they lost him" She asked confused, her tears unseizing.

"No, Maliya" She heard her mum say.

When she turned to look at her mum, she saw the woman shake her head sadly before she motioned to the woman who was rolling on the ground.

"Her son didn't make it".

Relief washed over Maliya unashamedly, and while it might have been cruel, horrible even of her to feel, she was glad that it was the other guy and not her brother that had passed away.

Maliya couldn't hide her sigh of relief, going to sit down beside Rumaysa.

Her skin prickled as she felt the weight of Rayyan's gaze fall on her from where he stood alone, a little distance from where they were.

" Hey" She said to Rumaysa, forcing her gaze to remain on the girl's face and not her brother's.

"Hey" Rumaysa choked out. Maliya observed the devastation in her features.

How her hands shook on her laps as she constantly wiped them against her clothes, how her foot rapped against the floor softly, how her eyes seemed to stare off into space.

....She looked like she would burst into tears any minute.

The only sounds that came from the waiting area were the sobs of the woman who still sat on the ground, and her friends who tried to comfort her.

The Jamils and Kamardeens had tried to offer her words of consolation, but her reaction had been utterly terrible.

She'd sworn and cursed at them, praying that Zahar too would die the way her son had. Quietly, they all left her, each of them taking their seats as they said silent prayers.

It wasn't long before the doors opened, and a stretcher was pulled out, a still figure covered entirely in white, on it.

The wailing woman shot off from the ground, hitting the nurses as she screamed and shouted.

Some hospital staff had to come, trying to restrain her, but in the process, the white cloth was swatted aside and the body was visible.

Maliya inhaled sharply as she saw the body, her breath quickly leaving her.