20
Day thirteen, Ramadan
(Free day, charity foundation.)
Heart stabilizing machine sound could be heard accompanied by beeping sound; smell of heavy hand sanitizer could be perceived. Zarah was on the hospital bed; sleeping gracefully—peacefully. An earl sat next to sleeping Zarah; gazing into her closed eyes. Zarah had an oxygen mask attached to her nose to ease her breathing.
The door swung open and Dale Yahaya and Safeenah rushed in. They had a wearied face on.
"How is she now?" Dale asked worriedly.
"She is okay now." Uthman assured.
Safeenah's eyes were blood shot red and her voice was also cracking.
"Ummi, who did this to you!"
"Oh little angel, have you been crying? Mother is okay now!" Uthman tried to console her and she hugged him.
"But I want ummi!" Safeenah cried even more.
"What triggered her episode? Is it migraine or allergies?" Dale asked like he is Zarah's Godfather.
Uthman gazed at Zarah's eyes with pity. "I think it's claustrophobia—she is claustrophobic; she was locked up in the males filthy and tiny toilet, she had shortage of oxygen!" Uthman explained.
"What? What was she doing there? Someone is responsible for this!" Dale concluded furiously, "—we dunno who is responsible, but I betcha, we gonna get that murderer." Uthman assured once again.
The ward door burst open and the man that drove Zarah crazy steps in—is it coincidence or destiny?
As he stepped in Zarah opened her eyes slightly with a beautiful flutter as she perceived the musky intoxicant scent.
The aura suddenly change.
She saw the Prince walking inside the ward with angel wings; he was dressed like cupid himself.
Only if cupid was a boy.
His white robe was wrapped steeply over his left shoulder to his right armpit. His love arrows were also inside a golden sporran—different colours. His bow was also with him; his broad muscles also revealed.
Like a perfect Greek dream.
If this was a dream, Zarah rather get stuck in the dream lope.
"Mrs Rahman, I'm sorry." Prince Abubakar pushed his way in, breaking Zarah's cupidity—stupidity.
Zarah glared at the Prince and kinda see he was in his normal wears. "Huh? You.." Zarah stuttered. Prince Abubakar took his sit.
"I've got people to pick up; I'll go now. I promise to visit later... Bye." Dale said cautiously and walked out after waving goodbye at Safeenah.
Some nurses pushing a cart full of delicious healthy meal entered the ward.
Zarah wanted sitting up on the bed but due to the oxygen mask attached to her nose it was difficult. Abubakar helped her up. "I'm fasting," Zarah declined the food in a weak and wearied manner.
"You didn't have anything for Sahoor, beside you're sick!" Abubakar corrected as he instructed the nurses to serve the meal.
"I'll feed her." Uthman suggested all of a sudden.
Prince Abubakar threw a great askance at him. "Why? She's got hands to do it."
"It's inappropriate for a prince to feed his worker."
Prince Abubakar burst into untimely laugh, or a loud chortle. "Don't tell me you think I'll feed her... That's gross. She's my worker."
Zarah's heart shattered upon hearing what he said.
Safeenah picked the green plastic soup spoon. "I'm gonna feed my ummi!"
She collected the brown soup from Uthman, blow into it before fetching it out with the ladle-like plastic spoon and fed Zarah peacefully. Zarah felt at ease—at least if the world doesn't like her; she's got her daughter. Safeenah also was happy that her mother was okay.
"Thank you uncle Ali, for taking care of my mother." Safeenah smiled.
"It's nothing angel. I hurt you by lying to you the other day; so now we are even ain't we?" Abubakar asked with his usual sexy smirk.
"Yes we are," Safeenah wiggled her head. Uthman suddenly walked out of the hospital room to get something or get away from them; he was chafed to the core—who wouldn't. He was the one who stared with Zarah and the Prince was suddenly getting his attention.
Zarah struggled to talk. "What did you cooked last night?" .
"Look at you. Always caring for those people, you've got the heart of gold Zarah!" Prince Abubakar praised Zarah with a smile that revealed his dimples.
"Shifakillah!" A light voice prayed in Arabic from the ward entrance. Zarah looked forward and she wasn't happy with who she saw.
Shifakillah is an Arabic word used to wish a sick person quick recovery and its also a prayer.
"Can't I come and greet one of our workers." Yasmin asked and even still it was revealed on her face that she have a blithe disregard of Zarah's health. She took her sit on Uthman's empty seat next to the Prince's.
"Yasmin.... Thank you for your hospitality!" Abubakar said furiously.
Yasmin walked to the other side of the bed to get a closer look at Zarah. "How are you doing now? Who locked the door? And what were you doing in the males toilet? Its confusing you know; or are you seeing someone and you secretly met in the toilet—thats the hot rumour around the castle." Yasmin questioned and it was sure she's got a mission.
"Oh yeah, I was waiting for the-" Zarah needed to make her furious so she lied. "—Prince!" Zarah whispered and Prince Abubakar's eyes were widen in shock,
What is she saying? Prince Abubakar thought. "W-what..." Abubakar stuttered, Zarah leaned closer to Yasmin and whisper in her ear; to void Safeenah from hearing what she wanted to say.
"You can tell your fans that!" She whispered.
Yasmin was furious as he lips curved into an obvious annoyance—she felt like choking Zarah.
Prince Abubakar couldn't say anything—he seems to understand what was going on.
"Yasmin, don't you have stuffs to do? Let's get going!" Prince Abubakar said as he dragged Yasmin out of the ward.
Uthman walked back in with some paper works. "It was her, right?"
"Yeah it's her, but what can I do? I am just a nobody, and I can't sue her, I will later be the one compensating." Zarah confessed.
"That's true."
"I love you ummi and I am glad you're okay. As for her, she is going down!" Safeenah said and they whole laugh out loud.
The doctor walked in and he seemed happy that Zarah was laughing.
That was good.
"It seems you're okay!" The doctor said as he was detached the oxygen mask from her nose. "You'll be discharge, and you-" The doctor paused as he turned to Uthman. "—Stop stressing your wife, she is under a lot of pressure lately!" The doctor advised addressing Uthman as Zarah's husband.
"Oh, she is not my wife." Uthman said a little bit abashed.
"Yeah my ummi is a lone wolf. Awoooo!" Safeenah mimicked the were wolf sound. They all laughed out loud again.
* * *
Zarah was fully discharged, so she had to stay home for that day but she wasn't at ease because she knew the orphans won't eat a healthy meal; she had to go to work today not for anyone but the orphans.
Dale was angry about Zarah's decision, but Zarah wasn't ready to accept defeat—her bickering alone can make her get what she want.
It can also make her rob a bank if pressured a lot.
After an hour drive, they arrived at the cooking spot.
"Here you are Mrs Rahman, please take care of your self; I won't forgive my self if anything bad happen to you today." Dale said caring about Zarah.
Zarah felt so disencumbered. "Oh... nothing will happen Insha Allah, thanks." Zarah appreciated and walked down to the cooking spot after waving Dale a goodbye.
"I don't trust her," Dale said as he opened the trunk. Sweaty Safeenah came out of the trunk.
"I hope it wasn't rough angel?" Dale said cross checking Safeenah.
"It's not uncle Dale, I'll do anything for my ummi." Safeenah said with much enthusiasm.
"Watch her closely and please don't do anything to lady Yasmin; she's dangerous " Dale warned, making himself clearer than ever.
"Yes I wont." Safeenah said with a grin that actually said 'I'll do it.' She followed her mother like a little ninja.
Safeenah is on two missions; one, she have to deal with Yasmin and two, protect her mother. She chooses to start with the first mission—bingo, the bird is in the nest. Yasmin was taking her beauty bath in the VIP restroom and she hung her dress at that same spot Zarah did.
Karma is a bitch.
Safeenah had to tame the security at the restroom entrance to get in. As Safeenah entered she grabbed Yamin's dress.
"Who is there? Zarah you shouldn't do that, you'll worsen the matter! I'll sue you." Yasmin panicked.
"—Security! Help me!" She yelled again.
Safeenah scoffed and shook her head in displeasure. "That won't work. I've locked the main door and this is not Zarah, it's mankind's worst nightmare. I am trouble, and trouble will find you where ever you are!" Safeenah proved she has listened to Lenka's song; Trouble.
Yasmin noticed it's just a little girl; she was at ease—she know how to deal with children, they've all got excessive love for ice cream and candy. "Toss me my cloth and I'll give you a big candy and unlimited supply of ice cream." Yasmin bribed.
"You don't know who you're messing with! I don't want any of those." Safeenah declined the offer most kid her age would clung on.
She is sure too old for her age.