The difference she made!

A turning point

The air in the conference room crackled with anticipation as Khalid, poised and polished, presented his new communication technologies. Around him, a sea of colleagues leaned forward, rapt in his every word. Slides flicked by on the screen, a kaleidoscope of charts and graphs illustrating Khalid's meticulously crafted plan. He was in his element, confident and commanding, the consummate professional.

Then, amidst the hum of discussion, Khalid's phone buzzed insistently. He glanced at the screen, a frown furrowing his brow. It was an unknown number. Hesitantly, he excused himself, stepping out into the quiet corridor.

"Hello?" he answered, his voice cautious.

A woman's voice, laced with urgency, crackled through the receiver. "Mr. Khalid? This is Nurse Sarah from City General Hospital. I'm calling about your uncle, Mr. Muhsen. He asked me to talk with you."

Khalid's blood ran cold. His uncle had been battling lung cancer for months. This couldn't be good.

As the nurse spoke, Khalid's world narrowed to the phone in his hand. Her words, clipped and clinical, painted a grim picture. Muhsen's condition had deteriorated, and he'd been transferred from a hospital in Makkah to be treated in Jeddah at the behest of his own after having a sudden crisis and was hospitalized.

The carefully constructed world of Khalid's presentation crumbled around him. Numbers and graphs blurred; the faces of his colleagues faded into an indistinct haze. All that mattered was the rasping breath on the other end of the line.

"I'll to be there immediately." he choked out.

"Of course, Mr. Khalid," the nurse replied kindly. "Please come as soon as possible."

He ended the call, his legs turning to lead. The office felt suffocating, the air suddenly stale. He stumbled back into the conference room, his face pale and drawn.

"Excuse me," he managed, his voice barely a whisper, "I need to leave. It's... it's a family emergency."

His colleagues, used to his unflappable demeanor, exchanged stunned glances. Khalid offered no further explanation, just a curt nod and a hurried exit.

As he raced out of the building, the city lights blurring past his windshield.

In the crowded parking lot, Khalid fumbled for his car keys. He opened the car door and slid in behind the steering wheel. After a couple of minutes, he reached into his side thobe pocket and pulled out his cell phone and called Fajr. He started up the car and pressed the cell phone hard up against his ear; "Honey," he said, his voice warm against the cool air. "Just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be late tonight."

"what happened?" He heard the edge that accompanied the concern in her voice.

"I'm in a hurry. I'll talk with you later."

"Ok, take care."

"in sha Allah"

He tossed his cell phone on the passenger seat.

Upon reaching the hospital, he went through all the necessary procedures, then the Egyptian Nurse, Sarah brought him into a ICU where Muhsen was lying.

Khalid stood frozen, his hand still hovering over the cold metal doorknob to the ICU. His uncle, Fajr's father lay on the other side, tethered to a symphony of machines that beeped and whirred like a metallic lullaby.

Though Muhsen had been fighting cancer with the tenacity of a lion, but the battle had taken its toll.

The doctor's words echoed in Khalid's ears, "We'll do everything we can." he'd said, his voice grave. The patient is going into residence and we'll have him under observation for 24 hours a day."