*
"I'll be discharged tomorrow morning." Jasmine squealed to Hafsat as she was sitting on the bed in the room whilst Hafsat sat on a plastic chair beside Jasmine's bed while her son, Humayd stood beside her. Sa'eeda was on the couch at the corner of the room, smiling at her phone.
"Stop acting like a baby." Hafsat eyed Jasmine, holding Aayan.
"Mom, this baby is cute." Humayd said with a cute smile as he caressed the baby's head.
"He's your little brother." His mom told him.
"Just like Asma?"
"Yes just like Asma, honey."
"Talking about Asma, where is she?"
"She's at the crèche." Humayd answered excitedly.
"Yes maybe I should go pick her up, I almost forgot it's almost time, today's a Friday." Hafsat sounded a little tensed.
"Yes you should go get her please."
"No I'll call brother Sulaiman to bring her here." Hafsat took her phone.
Jasmine's stomach churned at the mention of his name, she wasn't ready to see him. At least not after the tons of messages he sent to her and the numerous calls she intentionally missed that earned him a ticket into her phone's blacklisted contacts.
"I think it's better if you go yourself, your brother might be busy. And don't forget to bring with you the pepper soup you claimed to have made for me but forgot." Jasmine laughed at herself for finding a solution. A cicatrising one.
Probably even futile.
"If Ahmad was here he would've done that for me because I don't want to leave here for a second, I want to spend the rest of my day here. I feel as though I'll never get to see you again." Hafsat's words were sincere and emotional, making it seem more serious that it is or maybe less serious than it is.
Jasmine hissed playfully. "You better go, don't leave the poor girl waiting."
With a wide genuine smile, Hafsat nodded. "Come here Humayd, let's go and come back."
"No I'll stay with Aayan, when you come back with Asma, we'll play together with her and Aayan."
"You have to come with me Humayd. We'll come back together." Hafsat was lightly stern with her voice.
"Leave him if he doesn't want to go. He's obsessed with his cousin." Jasmine chuckled, reminiscing on the times they vowed to make their respective children cousins albeit they had no blood relation.
Hafsat stood and handed Aayan who had woken up few minutes ago to his mother.
Hugging Jasmine, Hafsat said, "I love you Jay. Take care of Humayd."
"I'll smack you idiot." Jasmine glared playfully at her only and truest best friend.
"I love you Humayd, don't trouble aunt Jasmine or Aayan." She pecked his cheek.
"I'm not troublesome, mom." Humayd whined.
"I know you're not but be a good boy, okay?" She twinged his cheek and kissed his forehead.
Sighing, she unfolded to her full height. "Bye-bye Jay. Sa'eeda," she called and Sa'eeda looked up at her. "Goodbye." She said with so much enthusiasm before closing the door with Jasmine patting the space next to her on the bed and Humayd struggling to climb up being the last thing she saw before the door closed completely.
"Salamu alaikum." Ummulkhayr said the taslim and walked in with Muslim behind her. Sa'eeda answered.
The couple met with Jasmine sleeping and Humayd looking at Aayan in his crib while Sa'eeda sat on a prayer mat.
