Loving You

CHAPTER# 4

“Sir Mr. Fawaz is conscious now and he is asking for you.” A nurse came rushing toward Mustafa to inform him.

Mustafa rushed to Fawaz's hospital room, followed by Xavier and

Nooreh, who was now able to walk. When Mustafa reached Fawaz's room he felt his

heart wrenching as he saw his friend wrapped in machines.

"Mus... tafa..." Fawaz called Mustafa toward him by lifting

his hand slightly. He couldn't speak properly due to the immense pain in his

body.

Mustafa stepped toward Fawaz and reached for his hand.

"Arminah? Nooreh?" Fawaz asked Mustafa about his family. Upon

Hearing her name, Nooreh stepped toward her dad.

“Daddy…” Nooreh rushed forward to his bed and hugged him lightly, keeping her face on Fawaz’s chest.

“Daddy, where is momma? You said she would jump with me but she didn’t. I was so scared. I thought that you and momma would leave me forever. Daddy, don't do this to me again. Nooreh was very scared.” Nooreh said to Fawaz, still not raising her head from his chest.

Fawaz felt his heart breaking, hearing his daughter saying this to him. He never in his life had imagined his family going through this pain. He looked at Mustafa once again, who hadn’t replied to him about Arminah yet.

“Arminah?” Fawaz asked Mustafa again. Mustafa, who was already saddened because of Nooreh’s speech, felt completely speechless when he was asked about Arminah again.

Mustafa shook his head in refusal, as he knew he wouldn’t be able to utter a word now. Fawaz felt that he wouldn’t be able to breathe again.

Fawaz rested his head on the pillow in defeat. It was his defeat. He couldn’t save his family.

“The baby too”, Mustafa informed him. Two tears slipped from Fawaz’s closed eyes. His world had torn apart in just a few hours. He felt miserable. He felt like he wouldn’t be able to be happy again. He will never be able to live again.

“Mr. Fawaz Khan you will be undergoing surgery in a few hours. It will be major surgery and it will take some……” The voice of the doctor who was informing Fawaz about his brain surgery blurred for him.

All he could remember was that Arminah had left him alone. Alone to take care of their daughter, Nooreh. That poor child didn’t even know what precious jewel of life she had lost.

“Mustafa, my friend, I need to ask you something very important. I don’t have any trust in my life now and my poor Nooreh will be all alone if something happens to me. You know the danger she will be after me. They would not leave her alone if they knew she was alive.” Fawaz said brokenly, holding Mustafa’s hand.

“Don’t say like that, Faazi, please you’ll be alright. You just have to go through surgery and you’ll be alright. Please don’t lose hope in God.” Mustafa begged his best friend.

“Noor will never be alone, not until I am alive, Faazi. Just don’t lose hope of going through the surgery. I will take care of her,” Mustafa continued.

“No! There is no certainty about life. I want to be assured that Nooreh will be safe in my absence. I want to ask you something very important,” Fawaz said calmly.

Xavier, who was standing beside Mustafa all this while, looked at Nooreh for a second, who had probably drowsed to sleep during the conversation. He felt sympathy for that poor girl. He then looked at Fawaz Khan, the man who he admired the most as a person and a father. He sympathized with him the most, as he was suffering the most, but suddenly hated him for what he said next.

“I want you to make Nooreh your daughter. I want you to marry Nooreh to Xavier.” Fawaz said firmly.