After Midnight

13

Half an hour passed with me sitting inside the room booked for Harry, until the door burst open and Aaila stumbled through it.

“Oh Aabi,” she cried. Without hesitation, she threw herself at me with extreme force that I almost lost my balance and fell back. Perhaps if I would’ve told her about the baby she would’ve been more careful.

“Why didn’t you call me that very moment?” my best friend murmured, caressing my shoulder with her thumb. Her eyes saddened to the point where tears glazed my eyes and I had to look away.

But how did she know about all this?

Once I was sure my emotions were under control, I looked at her again. She was wearing a blue long coat with matching scarf and white sneakers. Just having her with me gave me a little—no, a lot of comfort.

“Who told you?”

She linked our hands together, and replied, “I stopped by your house to say hello, and then saw all that blood—God. I was so scared that I screamed your name. Your sister told me everything.”

We both sat on the bed next to each other like old friends sharing a sad story. But the only thing that she didn’t understand was the ache inside me that grew every second.

“I didn’t mean to scare you like that. I would’ve told you, but everything just happened so quickly—I wasn’t prepared—at all. Besides, I don’t even know where my phone vanished. Bet Dad stole it.”

Remembering him sparked a different kind of emotion inside me. I felt the blood rush through my veins.

Angry. I was angry at him—beyond any words that could describe. He didn’t think about me once. He shot my husband and then left him dying on the ground. Even in that chaos, he somehow managed to take my phone.

Aaila sighed. “What happened? How is he now?”

I didn’t know that myself. I didn’t even know if Harry was breathing right now, let alone alright. A cold fist seemed to grip my heart—a feeling I was accustomed to feeling quite often lately.

I pushed down a bleak bubble of laughter. “The man I call my father doesn’t deserved to me call anything but a monster.”

Aaila cursed under her breath. “I knew he would’ve done it. But why? Wait—what was Haaris doing in your house?”

So I filled her in on everything, pausing to take in large gulps of water from her water bottle. A part of me wished to tell not tell her about my baby, but a part that ran deeper than that urged me to blurt everything out.

I was just opening my mouth to tell her when the nurse burst through the door with a somewhat victorious expression on her face, and announced the happy news, “Mr. Haaris is safe now. The operation went successful!”

I almost started crying as relief overflowed in my body. I could finally breathe now, without the feel of a nice stuck in my throat. Perhaps on impulse, my hand flattened against my stomach.  .  . your daddy is safe.

“Can we see him?” I asked, hope lacing my voice.

The nurse shook her head abruptly. “Not yet. He is still under the anesthetic and requires plenty of rest.” A smile touched her lips. “While we were taking him into the ICU, he said his wife would come and he asked us to also look after you. According to him, you wouldn’t have eaten anything, so I suggest you do. You need to feed the guy inside you.”

Aaila let out a silent gasp.

I closed my eyes shut, warmth blossoming inside me. Of course while he was dying, he’d still care for me. I should have expected this coming. But did I really? Nope.

“Yes. I will eat something now that I know Harr—Haaris is alright,” I replied in a slightly cheerful mood.

Aaila was just waiting for the nurse to leave us alone when she started bombarding me with questions.

“WHAT DID SHE MEAN!!! IS IT WHAT I THINK IT IS? WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME!”

I screened my ears. “Stop whining,” I teased. My hand went to my stomach again, the other one resting over it and a big goofy smile overtook my lips. “You’re thinking right. Our baby is coming into the this world soon InshaAllah.”

She squealed so loudly that I had to cover my ears again. Telling her just added the happiness to it and after what felt like forever, I actually laughed. Although Harry’s family had no idea what happened today, I still thought of it as unfair to not tell them. But that’s what Harry would’ve wanted as well, and I was only doing what according to me was best.

I know I had been through a lot just in one day, from the fear of losing Harry to actually coming so close to losing him. But at the end of the day, I also laughed with my best friend after receiving the good news of Harry’s health. And that is what Allah SWT tell us in the Quran, ‘Verily with every difficulty, there is ease.”

Three hours later, I was allowed to see Harry, but Aaila wasn’t because she wasn’t his family and had to come tomorrow in visiting hours outside of family.

“Tell him I am so glad he is okay,” she said as she hugged me tight. “And tell him I think he will be the best Dad ever.”

I chuckled and pulled back, letting my hands linger on her shoulders. “You’re talking like I might never see you again. I will tell him though, and you take care of yourself.”

She nodded in agreement and gave me a quick peck on the cheeks before marching away from me.

Okay. . .I have to contain the tears inside—and not let him see me cry. What were the chances he’d cry too? I wasn’t ready to bet on it though.

I slowly pushed down the door handle and peeked inside the dimly lit hospital room.

Then, a voice came from inside, “Hey, baby.”

My knees almost went weak at that familiar sound of him, at that softness in his voice that really brought unnecessary tears to my eyes and emotions that built in my throat. I didn’t hesitate a second before walking through the door towards my husband who despite looking the worst, still managed to make my heart speed.

He looked bad. He didn’t wear any shirt, but the sheets were pulled up to his collarbones. Although the room was illuminated just barely, the sweat that was breaking on his forehead was too noticeable, glittering under the light. I reached my hand forwards and wiped it away and pushed the hair off his forehead.

“You’re okay,” I whispered, gazing at him. My heart was beating so fast that it was a wonder how I wasn’t gasping for breath.

“We’re okay,” he confirmed with a throaty voice.

Because he was having obvious trouble with keeping his eyes open, I suggested, “You should go to sleep. I will be right here. Just by your side.”

Despite himself, he laughed. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

I poked him lightly in the arm. It was so damn cold! “You’re freezing! Should I call the nurse?” I made a move to get up but he grabbed my hand and halted my escape.

“I am fine. It’s just my body reacting so differently. I am literally burning inside.”

Somehow still unconvinced, I slumped back in the chair. So what now? What were we to do? Just sit here and let my father rule over us? Pft. I’d rather run away with Harry to some place where I wouldn’t have to bear the tortures inflicted by my family.

“Does it hurt really bad?”

He attempted a smile. “Only half as bad as you think. It was worth it though. At least now I could boast about taking a bullet for you.”

My heart fell. “I would’ve taken it for you if he wouldn’t have pushed me away.”

“Don’t,” he warned sternly, angry Harry returning. “Don’t you dare say that. I can’t ever risk yours and our baby’s life.”

“Do you ever wonder what your life would’ve been like if you had fallen in love with a girl with less issues and her family that actually accepted you?”

“I’d still want to spend my life with you.” He seemed to have somewhat gained his senses and became more alert. Was it because I brought up our relationship?

“Even after. . .this?” I waved a lazy hand at his form. God, he looked so weak and fragile that it broke my heart into million pieces just to see him like this. It was all my fault.

“Yes, even after this. Aabirah, if me jumping off a cliff could guarantee the most happiest future for you, I’d do that as well. Don’t ever doubt what limits I could cross for you.”

“Wow,” I chuckled. “That’s a statement there.”

“That’s just the truth.”

I raised a sarcastic brow. “So if I told you I want to be with another man, you’d leave me?”

“Never,” he growled. “Aabirah, stop talking about things that make my blood boil.”

I burst out laughing, but clamped my lips shut because he was clearly mad now. Even pissed. It was actually pretty cute, but now I had to cool him down.

“Relax, hubby. I know you’d never leave me, just like I won’t ever leave you. I was just having some fun with you,” I defended myself.

He rolled his eyes. “Right fun,” he muttered.

I pressed my lips together to stifle the laughter.