"I love you, Aahil, and I can't let you go. I won't give up as I know this is just a hardship; our Lord is with us. Hold on, Aahil, I will be back," said Kinza and went towards the car.
She sat nervously on the driving seat. She closed her eyes and murmured, "Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim" (In the name of God, the merciful and compassionate.) She started the engine and put the gear on 'D' and slowly took the car towards Aahil and picked him by his shoulder, and placed his body in the back.
Kinza went back and sat on the driver's seat, fastened her seat belt, and muttered all those duas she knew. She started to drive and was a little familiar with New York, so she knew where to go. Kinza just wanted to go on a street where she could find people and call for the ambulance.
As she started to drive a little faster, her heart started pounding, She was sweating and shivering, but this time Aahil wasn't there for her; instead, Kinza had to do something for him. How Kinza wished that Aahil would come and hug her, comfort her, but he didn't even move.
Kinza was driving after years, and she felt as if she never knew driving. She reached the main road in 5-10 minutes and saw a shop. She got down from the car and ran towards the shop and asked the shopkeeper to call for an ambulance, and the ambulance was there in no time.
The doctors took Aahil towards the I.C.U. Kinza called Kayan, and all of them took the next flight and were coming to New York.
Kinza's tears didn't stop, her body was shivering, and she felt completely shattered. Kinza couldn't process what all had happened; she was still in shock and pinched herself because she thought maybe she was having a nightmare, and she felt when she would wake up, she would find her Aahil fit and fine.
"Oh! Allah, please don't make my nightmare come true. You are Al-Malik (the king and the owner of dominion). Please save my beloved one, be his guardian as you are Al-Muhaymin, you are Al-Jabbar (The compiler, the restorer). Please accept my duas as you are, As-Samee (The all hearing) Al-Baseer (The All-seeing), and you know that I need Aahil.
Al-Muhyee (The giver of life), please let my Aahil live. Ya Khuda, I beg you," cried Kinza.
The doctors returned after 2-3 hours and comforted her, saying that they were taking care of Aahil and that they might get the situation under control and were taking care of Aahil.
Hayat, Kayan, Huma, and Hasti reached the hospital in Fajr. Huma kept on panicking and kept on crying until the doctors came and reported, "He is still unconscious; his condition is a little better since last night, though he is not completely out of danger."
Hearing this, the Malik's were a bit relaxed, especially Kinza, who hadn't slept, eaten, or even drank a sip of water since last night.
"I will get the medicines," said Kinza.
"No, Kinza, you need to rest. I will go and get them," argued Kayan.
"I can't rest now," said Kinza aloud.
"Kinza you really, need it, and I have got clothes for you; please change it. You have got blood all over Kurti and hijab," informed Hayat.
"Oh, Allah, I might be smelling horrible," replied Kinza.
Everyone just stared at her and didn't respond as they didn't want to embarrass her. Kinza smiled sheepishly and went into the guest room for a shower. As Kinza got out of the shower, she prayed Namaz and started to read the Quran, and Hayat entered the room after a while.
"You are reading the Quran even now with translation?" asked Hayat.
Kinza completed her last verse, closed the Quran, and smiled, " I make sure to read the Quran with translation even more at such times because it helps me gain strength and I believe Allah gives me answers through this like I randomly opened this page, and after a few verses I read, 'Indeed my Lord is near and responsive.'
"He will be fine, Kinza, don't worry. Now tell me how everything happened or how about you eat your brunch and then tell me the whole scenario," said Hayat.
"My husband is in the I.C.U How do you expect me to eat." cried Kinza.
"He wouldn't want you to starve Kinza, and didn't you hear what the doctors said? He will recover soon, Insha Allah, and so you need to be fine for him because when he wakes up, you need to be there for him, beside him, and not faint because of dehydration," laughed Hayat trying to add a little humor in their conversation so that Kinza could eat.
Hayat fed Kinza like a baby, and Kinza narrated the whole scenario about last night; and Hayat was alarmed, "Did the police come for inquiry?"
"They did. But I wasn't in a state to answer any of their questions. They might come today or tomorrow again," said Kinza.
"Tell them everything; It is important to catch Ali. You didn't fight for yourself last time in that hospital, but today you will fight for Aahil in this hospital," expressed Hayat sternly.
Kinza rested for about a few hours and woke up with a nightmare. She drank the water beside her and cried at the thought of losing Aahil. She clutched her knees close to the chest, buried her face in them, and whispered, "Not again, please, Ya Khuda protect the love of my life."
Kinza rushed outside, placing her hijab properly, and asked Kayan, "Did the doctors say anything," but Kayan just looked down, so she asked him again, "Bhai, please, something."
Kayan kept his hand on Kinza's head and informed, "Aahil's condition has worsened and..."
"And what bhai?" asked Kinza with trembling feet.
"His body has suffered lots of blood loss and seems like he isn't able to bear it, and now they are planning to work on his blood clots," informed Kayan.
"Why didn't they do that earlier?" inquired Kinza.
"Because the body needs to have the proper amount of blood in it to operate on it," said Kayan.
"Maam, please fill this form," said a nurse giving Kinza Kinza a few papers to sign.
"What is this?" interrogated Kinza.
"I am his brother, give it to me," demanded Kayan.
"What is written on them?" asked Kinza, worried, but no one replied.
"I asked something," yelled kINZA.
"That if the operation doesn't succeed it is not the hospital's fault because there are high chances that his brain will stop functioning and the second reason is that due to the second operation on his leg. He won't be able to walk again," informed the nurse.
"What rubbish are you saying? I want my Aahil fit and fine! You heard that," screamed Kinza.
"Yes, ma'am, that is not in our hands. We can hope for the best," responded the nurse in a very calm tone.
Kinza sat on the floor and started to weep while Hayat came and hugged her and said, "He will be fine, Kinza, and everything will be okay," to comfort her.
"The last time, I thought the same, but nothing was okay, and since then, nothing is the same. Yarr Baaba aane ke baad ek he insaan unke jaise mehsus karwaata hai Hayat. (After my father, there was only one person who made me feel like him, and that was Aahil). I can't go through the same pain again; it is all my fault," cried Kinza.
Kayan signed the papers with shivering hands and with heavy tears. Aahil was his only brother, and all the time they spent together flashed in front of his eyes. He wanted Aahil to be fit and fine. He couldn't see his champ failing this way.
"Ma'am, please do not sit on the floor. It isn't clean," said the nurse to Kinza.
"Do you think I care about it?" spat Kinza.
"I am sure your husband does, and he will be fine; pray to God. You can come inside and see him for a while before we operate on him. But make sure you aren't loud," replied the nurse.
Kinza got up a little content and looked at Kayan, then Huma, "Can I please go?"
"I won't come. I won't be able to handle myself; Kayan can go with you," said Huma in an undertone.
Kinza stood up with all the courage and walked behind Kayan. She didn't know where she was going until she was standing beside him.
It was him, her beloved Aahil. Her heart melted inside; that sweet and handsome face had suffered injuries. There were blood clots on his swollen and had scars on his hand.
Various medical instruments surrounded Aahil. Never in Kinza's worst nightmare, Kinza thought her past would affect her to this extent. Kinza sat on the chair beside Aahil and touched Aahil's fingers slightly. She made a conversation with him in whispers, then kissed his fingers and got up to leave.
Kinza looked at Kayan, who was standing beside Aahil with tears in his eyes and frightened. However, he managed to say in whispers, "Mere chote, mere bacche jaldi theek hoja. Bewajah kisse tang karunga aur kaun mere ego ko satisfy karne ke liye mujhse haarega. Har cheez ache se karte ho na tum toh chalo jaldi se theek bhe hojao."
(My little brother get well soon. Whom will I annoy for no reason, and who would lose for me just to satisfy my ego. You are good in everything so now come on, get well soon too)
Kinza kept her hand on Kayan's shoulder and said, "He is stronger than we think; he will be fine, Insha Allah."
Indeed it was tough for Kayan to see his younger sibling this way. Kayan and Kinza silently prayed for Aahil and left the room.
When Kinza came out, there were thousands of questions flashing in front of her.
Did he feel my presence?
Did he feel me holding his hand and kissing it?
What if he wanted to say something to me?
Did he hear what all I said?
These were the questions that Kinza was asking herself again and again. She had terrible thoughts, hopes, and prayers in her mind all together.
A few hours had passed, and soon Aahil's operation would get over. Stuck in between, the family members couldn't even cry; neither could they be happy. All they could do was to rely on Allah.
Another hour passed, and the doctor came out and said, "We are sorry. It seems like we won't be able to save him. His body isn't able to cope up with it."
Kinza moved back with a thud and cried softly. It seemed like Aahil didn't want to come back; Kinza's perfect picture was tearing into pieces, and Kinza had no other option but to let him go and let those pieces of the picture fly away...
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