Hues Of Dusk

Chapter 93. Jelly Belly

I didn't pay much heed to her but somehow her eyes caught my attention - her whole face was covered under a veil, revealing only her light brown orbs which seemed a lot familiar. But I shook my head and continued on my way.

"Sandhya Didi!" Zoya jumped from her chair and hugged me.

"Is Aunty okay?" I asked.

"Doctors are operating on her right now..." Zoya whimpered.

"Everything will be alright, Zoya," Katherine came beside her and patted her back. "Nothing will happen to your Ammi."

I smiled at Katherine and thanked her for helping Zoya in such a hard time. She nodded and told me to relax and gave me some water. All three of us sat down outside the operating theatre and waited for the doctors to give us the news.

"Did you inform Faiyaz?" I asked Zoya.

"Bhaijaan will be here in an hour," she informed.

"Okay. Now stop crying or else you will get dehydrated." I side-hugged her.

Soon, we were engulfed in a calming silence minus the usual hospital noise. We didn't realise when one hour past by and Faiyaz was standing in front of us, asking Zoya about their mother's condition.

Zoya launched herself in his arms and told him the same thing she told me. Faiyaz hugged her tightly and gave me and Katherine a grateful smile over Zoya's head. Katherine gave her seat to Faiyaz who kept her sister's head on his shoulder for support and tried to cheer her up.

I crossed my fingers and prayed for everything to turn out alright. After a few minutes, I noticed the same girl I bumped into earlier come and sit beside Katherine. I tilted my head at her and was going to ask Faiyaz if she was a relative, but at that moment, the doors of the ICU opened up and two doctors walked out with blank expressions on their faces.

"How is my Ammi, doctor?" Faiyaz questioned in panic.

"Please tell us. I want to see Ammu," Zoya begged.

"Wipe your tears, kids; your mother is safe and sound," one of the doctors announced and smiled.

Faiyaz hugged him and asked if he could meet his mother or not. The other doctor nodded but told him to take care of the bill as soon as he met his Ammi. Faiyaz's face paled for a second but he masked it quickly and went inside the operation theatre with Zoya in tow.

Katherine and I waited for our turns and when I confirmed that Faiyaz's mom was out of danger, I sighed in relief. When I exited the room, I noticed that Faiyaz was gone; Zoya told me that he went to the reception area to get the medical bill. I exchanged a glance with Katherine who seemed to be sharing the same doubt as mine.

I told Zoya to wait for us and left with Katherine to discuss something important.

"I have some savings left in my account," I said and checked my bank balance on my phone.

"I will take care of the rest," Katherine added.

We nodded after a small discussion and went back to our earlier spots. Faiyaz was back, and he was staring holes through the white sheet of paper in his hands. He was thinking hard while Zoya kept asking him why the bill was so high.

"Don't stress, Faiyaz," Katherine consoled.

"I know the bill is pretty big but if we pool money together, we can take care of it," I suggested.

Faiyaz shot up his eyebrows at us. "There is no way I am taking money from both of you."

"It is not about money, dude, and you are not taking a loan or something; we are your friends - you can rely on us."