My Emir ✅

Chapter 33- Crossroads

  " Zayn," Nazeera took control of the situation. " I'm sorry. She lost the baby." The words felt equally heavy for her to let out, considering she had gone through such a few times before. She decided to be professional. It was for the best. " We can't go and see her unless she regains consciousness. She wouldn't calm down, so she had to be sedated." She chose her words carefully. " I assure you that everything is going to be alright."

   How was he expected to believe such? Just when things were going on smoothly, something just had to go wrong. Why him? Why does his happiness always have to be short-lived? There was always one problem after the other__ like a never ending spiral, heading down south. His little angel didn't even do anything to deserve such a cruel fate. It was hard to believe that he would never get the chance to hold his little bundle of joy in his arms. To keep it close to his chest, away from the adversities of the world.

   Nazeera seemed to have read his thoughts. Although he hadn't voiced them out, they were projected rather boldly in his dejected eyes. As if accepting as part of faith, he square up his shoulders and looked up to Nazeera.

  " Adda, what was the cause?" He asked, hoping to find an answer.

She sighed. " We don't know yet. But Dr. Aliyu is looking into it." She replied.

  Fareed approached them, adjusting the right sleeve of his kaftan to cover his arm.
  " I'm done with the blood transfusion," he started. " We can only hope that she regains consciousness soon."

   Soon enough, Emraan and Eskander arrived at the hospital. They had set off right after hearing the distasteful news.

   Time ticked by rather slowly as if Mariya would never regain consciousness. It was 4:07 when they were informed that Mariya had finally woken up. They had prayed Zuhr and Asr at a mosque right opposite the hospital. They asked Zayn to see her first. They thought that the couple might need it.

   Zayn didn't know what to feel as he stepped into the VIP ward that only Mariya occupied. His head was a pathetic mess. Mariya was worse. She lay quietly on the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling although it held no importance. The only noise that filled the room was that of the various machines that tracked her vitals.
  He walked up to her and took her hand in his, making sure not to disturb the IV line that was connected to her hand. He helped her to a sitting position without much difficulty and adjusted the bed to match her posture. Next, he adjusted the pillows behind her.

  " Ashraf," she called.

Her tone was threatening to break down the walls he had built around his heart. He needed it for her. He tried so hard to put it up.

  " Hayati, I'm here." He sat beside her, still holding onto her hand.

  Her eyes lacked their usual glint. Even the mischievous ones. They were filled with emptiness__ and almost dead.
  " Ashraf, th–they said our baby is no more. Our little angel." She choked on a sob. She brought a hand to her tummy, feeling the emptiness that followed. " They are lying, right?" She tried to convince herself.

   " Malika, I'm sorry." He hugged her, and she remained in his warm embrace. As much as he wanted to drown in the depth of his delusions, he knew it would do her no good. " I failed to protect our angel. You miscarried."

   That was all it took to break her. At least, he should have played along with her delusions for a little longer. A water dam broke loose. Mariya cried hard. Her cries were hollow and shrill. They reflected the emptiness in her soul. Something about it was gut-wrenching. Too much angst. He was sure her cries had breached the room. Eventually, she got rough and started to hit him on the chest, begging him to convince her otherwise. He held her back tightly, considering the IV lines. One of the machines started to beep continuously. He could understand her agony. The fact that she was letting out all her built-up emotions was the best for her. He did want them to burn her from the inside. The loss of a child was no small feat. Getting her to calm down was almost impossible. It took a lot of effort to achieve that. Now he understood why she had to be sedated. She was stable for now. It was a miracle that he didn't break down along with her. After she was secured in her place, he placed a loving kiss on her forehead before getting up to leave. Besides, the others had to come in to see her too.