Before I remember

Unexpected softness

Chapter no : 3

Danyal had already called Ali earlier, so it wasn't long before Ali arrived with a few other police officers.



The moment the thugs heard the sound of the approaching car, they started running away. Yet Danyal remained standing there like a statue, making no attempt to chase after them.



Some of them were caught, while the others managed to escape.



Asia Bibi had also woken up because of all the commotion. She looked toward the girl, who seemed utterly terrified. The girl had started hitting herself in a state of panic.



Seeing this, Asia Bibi hurried toward Danyal.



"Go and call the doctor," she told him.



But Danyal stood completely motionless, as if he hadn't even heard her. Left with no other choice, Asia Bibi went out herself to look for the doctor.



When Danyal saw the girl panicking like this, he reluctantly stepped toward her and grabbed her hands to stop her from hurting herself.



The girl kept repeating the same words over and over again.



"Who are you? What have you done? Why does everyone want to kill you?"



Danyal held her hands firmly, pulled her closer, and wrapped his arms around her. Then he began speaking to her in a reassuring voice.



"Everything is alright. Nothing happened. I'm here. You're safe with me. No one can hurt you. I'm here, aren't I?"



But the girl couldn't hear him. She continued struggling in his arms, seemingly unaware of anything around her.



Regardless, Danyal kept repeating the same words.



"Nothing happened. Everything is alright."



Gradually, the girl began to calm down.



When he felt that she was a little better, he helped her sit on the bed. Then he knelt in front of her and looked directly into her eyes.



"Take a deep breath. Hold it for a little while, and then exhale slowly."



The girl followed his instructions like an obedient child.



She repeated the exercise two or three times, and gradually, she began to look calmer than before.



Once Danyal was satisfied that she was alright, he stood up and was about to leave when the girl suddenly grabbed his hand.



"Can you sit here for a while?"



"I'm busy," he replied curtly.



"Just five minutes, please."



He hesitated for a moment before finally sitting down at a little distance from her, on Mahnoor's bed. The bed was empty now, as Mahnoor was no longer there.



The girl looked at him hesitantly before asking, "Do you know me? Do you know anything about me?"



Danyal looked at her. After a few moments of silence, he replied,



"No. I don't know you."



"Then..."



She hadn't even finished her sentence when he interrupted her.



"Your five minutes are already over. I'm leaving."



The girl hurriedly spoke again.



"Your name?"



Danyal stopped.



She looked at him and repeated her question.



"What is your name?"



"Danyal."



He was about to walk toward the door when the girl spoke again.



"My name is Irha."



The moment he heard that name, he immediately turned around and looked at her.



"Do you remember something now? Or is there anything else—"



Before he could finish his sentence, she interrupted him.



"No. Asia Bibi gave me this name. She said that until I remember my real name, I can tell everyone this one."



She looked at him with a smile.



Hearing her explanation, Danyal took a deep breath.



"Okay, Irha. Good night."



She smiled back.



"Good night, Danyal."



With that, Danyal walked out of the room.



The moment he stepped outside, he began thinking about his own actions. Within seconds, embarrassment washed over him.



"Why the hell did you say good night to her? Are you out of your damn mind?"



He shook his head and took a deep breath.



"Whatever."



Just then, he noticed Doctor Zee approaching him. Asia Bibi was walking slowly behind the doctor. Because of the pain in her legs, she couldn't walk very fast.



As soon as Danyal saw Doctor Zee, he immediately walked toward him.



"She's fine now. Come with me. I need to talk to you about something."



Without wasting any time, the two of them headed toward Doctor Zee's office.



Once inside, Danyal closed the door and sat down in the chair opposite him. Doctor Zee took his seat as well.



Danyal spoke without wasting any time.



"About that girl's surgery, no one should find out about it. This matter must remain strictly between you and me..."



Meanwhile, Asia Bibi entered the room and found the girl looking much calmer than before.



She walked over and sat beside her, then asked affectionately,



"Tell me, child. Are you alright now?"



"Yes, Asia Bibi. I'm completely fine. I'm sorry you had to go through so much trouble because of me."



Asia Bibi gently shook her head.



"No, child. As long as you're alright, none of this matters."



With that, she pulled the girl into a warm hug.



---



When Danyal reached the hospital entrance, he ran into Ali.



Ali looked at him with concern.



"Are you alright?"



"Yes. What could possibly happen to me?" Danyal replied.



"Then why were you standing there like a statue earlier? If you'd caught that bull, he wouldn't have escaped."



"He ran away," Danyal replied flatly.



Ali let out a sarcastic laugh.



"Oh, of course! He was waiting for Danyal Sir to come back to his senses so he could finally arrest him. He was practically dying to get caught!"



Danyal shot him an unimpressed look.



"And what were you doing? Just standing around for show? One man slipped away while all of you stood there watching!"



Ali stared at him in disbelief.



"Brother, didn't you see his body? That man could chew a hundred people like me alive!"



"Whatever."



Danyal turned and started walking toward his car.



Ali immediately hurried after him and climbed into the passenger seat.



"Get out of my car," Danyal ordered.



Ignoring him completely, Ali took out his phone and dialed a number.



"Assalam-o-alaikum, Aunty. How are you?"



He paused for a moment before continuing.



"Yes, your son is with me."



The moment Danyal heard those words, his eyes widened.



He shrugged his shoulders, turned his face away, and fell silent.



Without saying another word, he started the car and drove off.



---



By the time Danyal reached home, it was already two in the morning.



His mother was asleep on the sofa, having waited for him. The moment he entered the house, the sound of the door woke her up.



Danyal looked at her disapprovingly.



"Mom, how many times have I told you not to wait for me? I'm not a child anymore."



His mother looked at him with a gentle smile.



"Listen to me. You'll always be a child to me. Anyway, Nusrat was on leave today, so I thought I'd warm up some food for you when you came home and serve it to you."



"Mom, I'm not a child. I can warm up my own food."



"Alright, alright. Go freshen up and come downstairs. I'll set the food on the table. I won't wait for you next time. Now go, hurry up."



Danyal went upstairs to freshen up. A little later, he came downstairs and sat at the dining table.



His mother brought the food and sat beside him.



"How is Rafay? Did he go to school today? How was he?"



She turned her face away before answering.



"Yes, he goes to school. He must be fine. What do I know?"



Danyal had just put a spoonful of rice into his mouth when he stopped and placed the spoon back on his plate.



"Mom, how many times have I told you to take care of him? He's still a child. Whatever happened just now, what was his fault? Have you ever thought about how your behaviour affects his mental state?"



His mother's expression changed immediately.



"His mental state? Huh! I don't care about that at all. Because of him, my daughter isn't here with us today. How am I supposed to forget that? Even now, I can't sleep peacefully. Every single day, I remember her and suffer."



Her voice grew louder as she spoke, and before long, tears began rolling down her cheeks.



Danyal immediately got up and hugged her.



"Mom, please calm down. I didn't mean it like that. But he's a child too."



He gently tried to console her.



After a while, he gave his mother her medicine and helped her lie down on the bed. Once she was settled, he turned off the light in her room.



Then he went to Rafay's bedroom and quietly opened the door.



Rafay was asleep.



Danyal watched him for a moment before closing the door again and heading toward his own room.



Just then, his phone began ringing.



He glanced at the screen.



Furqan was calling.



Danyal answered the call, and after exchanging greetings, Furqan got straight to the point.



"Only one camera managed to capture him, but even in that footage, his face isn't visible. He had covered it with a scarf. However, we did manage to get a clear view of a tattoo on his arm."



Danyal listened silently as Furqan continued.



"The tattoo is completely different from the one associated with the Alvadi Gang. That's why I don't think the man is a member of the gang. Other than that, I'm still trying to find out more. I'll inform you as soon as I discover anything."



"Okay," Danyal replied before ending the call.



He placed his phone aside, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes.



But the moment he did, the same girl's face appeared in his mind.



My name is Irha.



Good night, Danyal.



Her smiling face flashed before his eyes.



He immediately opened his eyes and slapped himself on the face.



"What the hell are you even thinking?"



He shook his head in frustration.



"Get a grip on yourself, Danyal."



He stared at the ceiling for a moment before muttering,



"Do you even know who she is?"