BFFs: finding love again

Epilogue

Fatima starts to cry all over again, her tears break Azanraba's heart. She's the only one who can make his heart feel anything. She lets out a heart wrenching yelp, falling from the stool she's been sitting on with a grunt. Her eyes sight a small dagger on the floor and she picks it up.

She stands up, eyes dry like she's not the same person groveling few minutes ago. She holds the dagger to her wrist. Being a medical student has its perks.

"Let me tell you something Muhammad. I'll rather die than marry you." Fatima flares her nostrils.

"Wallahi I'm going to slit my wrist if you don't take me back. I'll kill myself, then I'll see how you'll marry me." Azanraba shakes his hands.

"No, don't do that. I'll take you back." Fatima doesn't relent though.

"You don't look like you will. Let's help each other out." She draws the dagger, giving her wrist a hollow gash in the process. She drops the bloodied dagger.

"In few seconds, I'll fall and I'll die. And then I'll be free from you. Forever!" Fatima starts to feel dizzy and she holds her head. Azanraba starts panicking. What should he do?

It's better if he takes her back to her family. They'll know what to do.

He picks her up in his hand and runs with the speed of light.

"It's been six hours. Isn't there anything we can do?" Abba asks. He is sitting in the parlor with Aqsam, Aqsam's father, Afnan, Halima, Sa'eed, Hajjo, Innayo, Audu, Hamza, Umma and Amal.

Hamza and Amal refused to leave to their home, although Amal has changed from the heavy gown to a more lighter one and Hamza's babban riga is long gone.

A flash of what looks like lightening comes and Azanraba appears before them. The whole family shakes, the women clutching unto their male mahrams tightly.

Azanraba looks grief stricken. He drops the unconscious Fatima on the floor and without another look nack disappears.

Aqsam is the first to rush to Fatima. He picks her up and that is when Afnan who's hemophobic screams, holding unto Abva tightly.

"Abba jini." Everyone follows her line of sight. Aqsam's eyes widen.

"Innalillahi wa inna ilaihir raji'un. Someone call a doctor!" Aqsam lifts her up and places her on the longest couch. Hamza is already getting off the phone with the doctor.

About ten minutes later, the doctor is ushered in by Hamza. Aqsam was able to stop the blood flow. Fatima has lost the color from her face. She looks extremely pale and lifeless. Her heartbeat, although there, is very faint and her pulse is almost not there.

The doctor checks her vitals.

"She has lost a lot of blood. I suggest you take her to the hospital, fast." Aqsam doesn't need anyone to tell him twice. He picks her up with ease and dashes out. Hamza follows and drives the car to the entrance. Aqsam places Fatima in the backseat and enters beside her. He places her head on his laps and continues to blow du'as over her.

Immediately they reach the hospital, he takes her out and rushes to the emergency unit. She's wheeled into the emergency room and a group of medical practitioners go in. The rest of the family arrive almost immediately.

A nurse comes out with some papers.

"She's going to need blood transfusion. Luckily, she's a universal recipient. You just need to sign these papers." Aqsam collects the papers without reading and signs them.

"Baby. Now tell me..." Aqsam drags Fatima into him"... How are you? I hope he didn't touch my wife." Fatima rolls her eyes at him. He has been acting like she went to the world of the dead and came back. The family just left, leaving her with just Aqsam. She has changed out of the hospital gown into a round skirt and Aqsam's hoodie. While Aqsam is no more in his groom clothes, but a pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt.

"Overprotective much?" Aqsam laughs, playing with her fingers. He can't seem to keep his hands to himself since she came back. Even when she was telling everyone what happened, even when she was talking to Innayo and Abba, he held unto her hand.

"You know, I never thought I'd find love again after you broke my heart."

"Shush, you're still not completely okay." Aqsam pecks her on the lips. She didn't expect it and he was so swift about it.

"Allow me to finish before going all romantic groom on me. As I was saying, but then, after giving up on FINDING LOVE AGAIN, I found you. And I couldn't be happier." Aqsam kisses her.

"I love you." He holds her and they stay like that, stuck to each other, like gum to hair.

This isn't how they pictured their wedding day, kidnap, jinn attacks, hospital beds and panics. It was supposed to be a peaceful and happy day. But they can't change the fact that that's not what happened.

What they are glad about is the fact that they are now here, together with each other, and they won't have it any other way.

"I can't believe it. Azanraba married Rabani. With the way he was obsessing over that Chinese girl, I didn't think he'd end up with Rabani." The other girl that is too engrossed in crocheting snorts.

"She's a Fulani Nigerian, not a Chinese. Do you ever see Chinese with large eyes?" The girl waves her hands.

"Whatever she is. I don't care." Rabani comes out, looking happier than she has ever looked.

"You guys, keep your voice low. My husband is sleeping." She blushes at the thought. The last girl who hasn't spoken anything since the three of them came to see Rabani pushes herself off the chair and turns her concerned eyes to Rabani.

"But everything is fine, right? He's not maltreating you or anything of that sort." Rabani smiles, shaking her head.

"Not at all. He's surprisingly good with me and everything is all good. I would've gone to thank that human girl but we are forbidden from going near her." The three girls nod at Rabani's words. The king has placed an order to execute whoever goes close to Fatima and her family.

"Rabani." Aqsam's groggy voice comes. Rabani turns giddy.

"You guys have to go now. Bye!" She rushes back to her husband. Her husband, she didn't think they'd be married but here they are. When he came back, he demanded Rabani get dressed and they were married immediately. She can't be any happier.

At the end of the day, everything turned out well for everyone. That's how Allah does His things. Inna ma'al usri yusra.