Before I remember

An Unspoken Concern

Chapter 11



By the time Irha reached home, it was already eleven at night. She stepped inside, only to be greeted by complete silence. Perhaps everyone was asleep by now.



Danyal was utterly exhausted. Without wasting another moment, he headed straight to his room, barely having the energy to do anything else.



Just then, Nusrat approached Irha.



“Bibi Ji, should I serve dinner?”



“No, we’ve already had dinner. Nusrat Aunty, why are you still awake? You should go to sleep too. It’s getting late.”



Nusrat smiled faintly at her words before turning towards her own apartment.



Irha went to her room, freshened up, and was just about to lie down when Danyal suddenly crossed her mind.



She paused.



Something about him hadn't seemed right. He looked unusually exhausted, and she couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't feeling well.



With a quiet sigh, she got up, left her room, and headed downstairs. Once in the kitchen, she began searching for medicine. She opened one drawer, then another, growing increasingly frustrated when she couldn't find what she needed.



Finally, she called Nusrat and asked her where the painkillers were kept.



Following Nusrat's instructions, Irha opened the correct drawer and found the medicine. She took out a painkiller, then opened the refrigerator and took out some milk. After warming it in the microwave, she picked up the glass and made her way towards Danyal's room.



Standing outside his door, she knocked gently.



“Come in,” came his faint reply.



Irha pushed the door open and stepped inside.



Danyal was lying on his bed with his eyes closed, a blanket pulled over him. He looked as though he was desperately trying to fall asleep, hoping that rest alone would make him feel better.



Irha stood beside the bed, holding the medicine and warm milk.



Danyal slowly opened his eyes. When he noticed her standing there, he gave her a tired look.



“Why are you there?”



“I brought some painkillers and warm milk for you. You don't look good at all. Just take them before going to sleep.”



“I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Just go and sleep.”



He answered without even opening his eyes fully, as though he didn't have the energy to entertain the conversation.



Irha scoffed.



“Oh, really? Are you serious? I mean, anyone can tell just by looking at you that you're not fine.”



Danyal didn't respond.



For a few moments, Irha waited, expecting him to say something. But when he remained stubbornly silent, her patience began to wear thin.



“Why are you so stubborn? Just why do you have to make everything so complicated? Just take your medicine if you're not well! Why do you like to suffer?”



Her voice rose slightly with every sentence, her frustration becoming increasingly difficult to hide.



Danyal finally spoke.



“Trust me, I'll be fine if you leave me alone for a while. Just go already.”



“I'm not going anywhere until you take your medicine.”



This time, Danyal opened his eyes completely.



He turned his head towards her and gave her a look that could have frightened almost anyone else.



Irha, however, remained exactly where she was.



After staring at her for a few seconds, Danyal slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position and extended his hand towards her, silently asking for the medicine.



Finally satisfied, Irha handed him the painkiller and the glass of warm milk.



He took the medicine and drank the milk without another word. When he finished, he placed the empty glass on the bedside table and looked at her with an expression that clearly suggested he wanted her to leave.



“I'm done now. Go from my room.”



Irha turned towards the door, but just as she was about to leave, something occurred to her.



She turned back.



“Oh, Danyal, Mahnoor's surgery is tomorrow morning, so I'll go straight to the hospital first thing.”



“Okay.”



He answered with his eyes closed again.



Irha watched him for a brief moment before finally leaving his room.



Back in her own room, she lay down on the bed and reached for her alarm clock. She had originally set the alarm for seven, but since she planned to go to the hospital, she changed it to nine.



Satisfied, she placed the clock back on the bedside table, settled beneath her blanket, and slowly drifted off to sleep.



---



The next morning



It was eight o'clock.



As usual, Rafy came downstairs after getting ready for school and sat at the dining table for breakfast. Farzana Begum was already there.



The moment she saw him, she shot him an angry look.



“You got into a fight with someone yesterday, didn't you? Why did you hit him?”



Rafy picked up his breakfast, his expression remaining relatively calm.



“He started the fight. I only responded.”



“And if he said something to you, why didn't you tell your teacher? How many times have I told you to stay away from these things? Why can't you understand something I've told you so many times?”



Rafy didn't answer.



He continued eating for a moment, but apparently unwilling to listen to any more of her scolding, he left his breakfast unfinished, picked up his schoolbag, and stood up.



Farzana's anger flared again.



“Where are you going now? Finish your breakfast before leaving!”



“I'm getting late for school.”



He walked away without even looking back.



Farzana watched him leave, her expression hardening with frustration.



---



It was nine o'clock when Irha finally woke up.



After freshening up and getting dressed, she went downstairs. Farzana was sitting on the sofa, quietly reciting the tasbeeh in her hands.



Irha approached her and sat down beside her.



“Assalamu Alaikum, Aunty.”



“Wa Alaikum Assalam. You're late from work, aren't you?” Farzana replied in her usual formal tone.



“Oh, yes. I'm not going to work today.”



“Then where are you going?”



“I'm going to the hospital. When I was admitted there, I made a friend named Mahnoor. Her surgery is today, so I just wanted to visit her.”



“Oh... all right. Have your breakfast, then.”



“Okay.”



Irha got up and moved to the dining table. A little later, Nusrat brought her breakfast, and she began eating at a leisurely pace.



Once she had finished, she returned to Farzana to say goodbye.



“By the way, where is Rizwan Bhai? I haven't seen him.”



“He went to drop Rafy off and had some groceries to buy as well. Perhaps that's why he's taking longer than usual.”



“Okay, then I'll go by myself. Khuda Hafiz.”



“Just wait a little longer. He'll be back soon.”



“No, I'm already too late. I'll see you later.”



With that, Irha turned and headed towards the door.



However, she had barely gone a short distance when she suddenly stopped. Remembering something important, she hurried back inside.



“Actually, Aunty, Danyal wasn't feeling well yesterday. I gave him some medicine, but I don't think he's recovered yet because his car is still parked outside. Please check on him once, all right?”



Without waiting for a lengthy response, she said goodbye again and hurried out of the house.



Farzana watched her leave, a slight frown forming on her face.



Her knees had been troubling her for quite some time, making it difficult for her to climb the stairs. Concerned about her son, she called out to Nusrat.



When Nusrat appeared, Farzana spoke with unmistakable worry.



“Nusrat, please go and check on my son. He's ill, and he's still in his room. Go and see if he has a fever.”



“Okay, Madam.”



Nusrat immediately headed upstairs.



When she reached Danyal's room, she knocked on the door.



There was no response.



She waited a moment before gently pushing the door open.



Danyal was still asleep.



Nusrat approached the bed and looked at him with concern. He appeared to be sleeping deeply, and she hesitated to disturb him.



“Danyal Sahib, are you feeling all right?” she asked softly.



He didn't respond.



After waiting for a few moments, Nusrat decided it would be better to let him rest. She quietly left the room and went downstairs.



Farzana immediately looked towards her.



“How is he?”



“Madam, he's sleeping very deeply. I didn't think it was appropriate to wake him up. He hasn't been sleeping properly for several days, so perhaps that's why he's fallen ill. Let him get some proper rest first. Once he wakes up, you can take him to the hospital if necessary.”



Farzana nodded slowly.



Although she was still worried, she decided not to disturb him.



Instead, she silently prayed for her son's speedy recovery.



---



At the hospital



As soon as Irha arrived, she headed straight towards Mahnoor's room.



She opened the door and found Mahnoor lying on the bed with her eyes closed.



A smile immediately spread across Irha's face.



“Surprise!”



She exclaimed excitedly.



Mahnoor opened her eyes at the familiar voice.



For a moment, she simply stared at Irha, as though she couldn't believe she was actually there. Then happiness flooded her face, and she immediately sat up and threw her arms around her.



But the moment she embraced Irha, her emotions overwhelmed her.



Tears began rolling down her cheeks.



“I thought you wouldn't come,” she sobbed. “I thought you'd forgotten about me.”



Irha gently patted her back, trying to comfort her.



“How could I ever forget you? Hmm? How could you even think that?”



Mahnoor pulled back slightly and looked at her through tear-filled eyes.



“Then why didn't you contact me? I was waiting for you.”



“Ah... actually, I lost your number. I'm sorry.”



“Really?”



Mahnoor wiped her cheeks, trying to compose herself.



“It's all right, then. Tell me about yourself. How are things going over there? Is everything all right?”



“Yeah, I have so many things to tell you, but first, you need to focus on your surgery. We'll talk about everything afterwards.”



Mahnoor tightened her grip on Irha's hand.



“You'll wait for me here, right? You won't leave me alone?”



“Of course I'll be here! How could I leave you? Are you out of your mind?”



Irha gently wiped away her tears before pulling her into another warm embrace.



For a little while, neither of them said anything.



They simply held on to each other, making up for the time and distance that had kept them apart.



Just then, Dr. Zee entered the room.



His eyes fell on Irha, and he looked genuinely surprised to see her there.



“Well, what a surprise! Irha, you're here too. How have you been feeling lately?”



“Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that sometimes I get terrible headaches.”



“That's all right. It can happen, but come and see me later. I'll recommend a painkiller for you.”



“Okay.”



Irha smiled faintly.



Dr. Zee then turned his attention towards Mahnoor.



“All right, Mahnoor. I need to examine you to make sure everything is fine before the surgery.”



Irha got up from the bed and moved aside while Mahnoor lay back down.



Dr. Zee carried out the examination carefully. Once he was satisfied with the results, he straightened up.



“Perfect. Everything looks fine. Now, be ready for the surgery. And don't stress yourself out, otherwise your blood pressure might rise. Everything will be all right, okay?”



Mahnoor nodded nervously.



“Hmm.”



“All right, then. I'll see you in about ten minutes.”



With that, Dr. Zee left the room.



Irha returned to her place beside Mahnoor's bed and sat down. She reached for her friend's hand and held it reassuringly.



“Don't be scared, okay? Everything will be fine.”



Mahnoor looked at her, trying to find comfort in her words.



After a moment, Irha suddenly remembered something.



“Oh, by the way, where's Asia? Has she been discharged?”



“Yes. She left two days after you did. Before leaving, she gave me something to pass on to you. I'll give it to you later.”



“Yeah, okay. Just lie down and rest for now.”



Mahnoor settled back against her pillow while Irha remained seated beside her, continuing their conversation in an attempt to distract her from the approaching surgery.



Neither of them noticed the commotion beginning outside the room.



At first, there were only a few raised voices.



Then the noise grew louder.



Irha turned towards the door, confused.



Before she could even get up, several men suddenly barged into the room.



One of them stepped forward, his expression hostile.



“You promised us you'd come to see us yesterday, but you didn't, huh? What do you even take us for?”



Mahnoor immediately stiffened.



The colour drained from her face as fear took hold of her. She looked at the men helplessly, her hands beginning to tremble.



“I... I wasn't feeling well yesterday,” she explained, her voice breaking.



Before she could finish her sentence, the man interrupted her.



“Is it our problem whether you're feeling well or not?”



His words were harsh and merciless.



Mahnoor's eyes filled with tears as she struggled to respond.



Irha, who had been standing nearby, watched the scene unfold.



Her expression changed.



The warmth that had been on her face moments earlier disappeared, replaced by a cold, guarded look.



She stepped forward.



---



Back at home



It was noon when Danyal finally opened his eyes.



For a few moments, he lay still, trying to gather his thoughts. The room was quiet, and the sunlight filtering through the curtains told him that it was much later than he had expected.



He slowly got out of bed, freshened up, and headed downstairs.



As he reached the living room, he noticed Farzana sitting on the sofa with her head resting against the backrest and her eyes closed.



She looked tired.



Just then, Nusrat emerged from the kitchen. The moment she spotted him, she hurried towards him.



“Danyal Sahib, are you feeling all right now?”



Hearing her voice, Farzana opened her eyes and immediately began to get up.



But before she could stand properly, Danyal had already crossed the room and sat down beside her.



Farzana reached out and placed her hand against his forehead, checking his temperature with a mother's instinctive concern.



“What happened to my son? Why didn't you tell me you were ill? You still have a fever! Come on, let's go to the hospital.”



Danyal lowered his head and rested it in her lap.



“Mom, I'm fine. Stop treating me like a child. I'm already grown up. Stop worrying about me.”



Farzana raised an eyebrow at him.



“Oh, really? If you've grown up so much, then perhaps you don't need your mother anymore.”



She gave him a teasing, sarcastic smile.



Danyal lifted his head and sat up properly. Looking at her, he let out a quiet sigh.



“Mom, please... I didn't mean it that way. And besides, you're not just someone I need. You're my whole world. I'm nothing without you.”



The teasing expression on Farzana's face softened immediately.



She smiled affectionately and pulled him into a warm embrace, holding him close for a moment.



Danyal rested against her, allowing himself a brief moment of comfort.



Then, as though suddenly remembering something, he lifted his head.



“Mom, did Irha go to work?”



“No. She told me she was going to the hospital because one of her friends was having surgery today. Rizwan wasn't home, either, so she said she'd use public transport.”



“The hospital?”



Danyal immediately straightened.



“Why did she go alone?”



Dr. Zee's warning suddenly echoed in his mind.



You mustn't let her go alone.



The moment the thought crossed his mind, Danyal shot to his feet.



Without explaining anything to his mother, he hurried towards his room.



Farzana stared after him in confusion.



“Danyal? Where are you going all of a sudden?”



But he was already halfway up the stairs.



He rushed into his room, grabbed his car keys and wallet, and hurried back downstairs.



Farzana, who still couldn't understand what had gotten into him, watched him anxiously.



“Danyal, my son! Where are you going? You're sick yourself! At least rest for a while!”



Danyal paused only long enough to look at her.



“No, Mom. I can't leave her alone. Don't worry about me. I'll be back.”



Before Farzana could say anything else, he turned and hurried out of the house.



His illness, his exhaustion, and his mother's worried words were all forgotten for the moment.



There was only one thought occupying his mind.



Irha was at the hospital, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something might go wrong.