Khaled's POV
The doctor came in and gave us a full analysis of what his blood tests indicated. He was okay and was healthy without any underlying conditions that would confine him but he did say he was anemic, which explained why this panic attack was perhaps the worst one he has ever experienced when anxiety was already something he dealt with.
"So there's nothing to worry about then?" I asked, unsure of anything at the moment.
"He's okay. I'm going to prescribe him some iron tablets to elevate his red blood cells to normal levels...which he should recover from rather quicker since he's young and healthy. But there are some concerns to address."
"Like?" asked Hassan.
"So when I looked at the few scars he has on his torso, I became concerned and I ran a CT scan and found that he has experienced a few fractures. Mainly on his left wrist and arms, all signs of domestic violence."
I sighed, realizing the doctor was likely thinking that our living environment was where this abuse was taking place.
"His brother has a really bad substance abuse problem and has harmed him more times than I can count. He even tried to kill him not once, but twice and the last time he almost succeeded."
"I can see the small stab wound on his lower side is somewhat scarred. And the faint one on his chest."
"My family and I got him out of that environment after what happened last. He's been in the hospital several times and for the most part, he's had to do it all on his own."
"What about his mom?"
"She was neglectful until the last time he stabbed and nearly killed him. So we brought him to live with us, again to get him out of there."
"I can see there is some trauma. When his blood was drawn, we checked for all sorts of diseases, bacteria, and viruses and he was clear of all of them. But what stood out were his cortisol levels, which is a..."
"Stress hormone" said Cielo.
"Yes, his levels were really high, indicating he's been under a lot of stress. He needs to be in a stress-free environment because when he came in, his heart was barely coping and sometimes it can get to a point where his heart will be beating so fast, the monitors won't even detect it."
"I see" I said, looking at Omar, who was still asleep but was sweating.
He was unconscious but he was breathing heavily. His heartrate was rising and it appeared he was under some type of distress
"What's happening to him?!" I was so scared for him that I started to cry.
"He's having a night terror. It's quite common when people are under a great deal of stress like your cousin and based on his history with domestic abuse and violence and nearly getting killed, it's not surprising."
"Will he be okay?!" I practically demanded.
"He will be fine. This will all pass but I would suggest you keep an eye on him and keep him nearby. Maybe checking on him when he's asleep at night to make sure he's okay because it's common for people facing near-death experiences to experience this type of stress."
"I will" I checked my phone to see if my parents were almost here.
"Look, we will have Omar transferred to a room so he can be with his loved ones since the emergency room is quite small and we can't have too many people here."
"Okay" I said and they prepped him to be moved to a more comfortable room and I made sure he was in the best room with a lot of space for us.
***
We were finally in a spacious room and moments later, my parents and Louai arrived with Anas, Hala, and her husband.
"How is he?" Louai ran into the room the moment he saw an unconscious Omar.
"He's under sedation. He's going to be okay but he experienced a really bad panic attack that he felt he needed to come to the hospital."
"And he came on his own?" my dad looked like he felt guilty like I did. "I should have seen he was not okay."
"What did the doctors say?" asked my mom.
"He's anemic and they say that could have also been a trigger next to the trauma he's experienced because of his brother!" I looked at Omar, unable to believe he had suffered so much in the hands of his brother, who should have been protecting him and not hurting him.
"Did he prescribe him something?" asked Anas.
"Yes, some iron tablets to elevate his iron and blood cells back to normal levels" I said.
Louai took Omar's hand and gave it a gentle kiss, then he leaned over and hugged him, kissing his forehead.
"I'm so sorry!" he cried over his bare chest.
"He's going to be okay" I assured him.
"I'm responsible for this. I was the one who mistreated him and caused him to want to leave. If I had just been more accepting and tolerant, this would not have happened."
"There's no point in blaming yourself. What's done is done" said Cielo. "He's going to be okay and what you can do is be there for him during his times of need. He's going to need you and your family. So be there for him and that's how you can make it up to him."
I looked at my parents, Cielo, my brother, and Anas with his parents as well as his brother Hassan.
We all waited for Omar to wake up. The doctor said we could take him home after he woke up and I hoped he woke up soon so we could take him out of this dreadful place. Hospitals always gave me the creeps and I preferred that my little cousin was in a good environment that would promote peace and security.
Taline showed up out of nowhere, in her red dress.
"What happened to him?" she looked at him, noticing how she wanted to cry but was holding back.
"He suffered a severe panic attack and he landed here" I said, unsure if I should tell her to leave or not.
It was obvious she still cared and loved him but after the incident over six months ago, things between them changed from one night to the next.
I decided not to tell her to leave because she was an important part of Omar's life and I knew she still loved him.
"I think you should leave!" Cielo said in a brute tone
"I can't leave!" Taline was now shedding tears.
"Taline, listen to me! Your presence will only make matters worse and he needs to be at peace and not more stressed!"
"I still love him! I have history with him and I'm not leaving!" Taline snapped.
"And you broke his heart when he was humiliated. I was there, watching on the sidelines how you hurt him and I never thought even then, that he was involved in anything shady!"
"Who are you to even be here?!" Taline shouted.
Both looked like they were going to go head to head with one another. It was dishy and entertaining watching two girls wanting to tear each other's hair but this would only do the opposite of what we were trying to do for Omar.
"You two cut it out!" Hala stepped in. "This is a hospital and if you two have differences to face, face it after!"
"She's right" said Louai.
"You were the one that caused this!" Taline threw at him.
"I know and I take responsibility for it!" Louai said with his head up high, making me proud because he was maturing. "Either way, I want what's best for my little cousin. And he does not deserve to be dealing with this drama!"
"You can stay if you just sit back and stop attacking Cielo!" Hassan too stepped in. "This is not the place or time!"
"Hassan, you've known Omar like five minutes!" Taline tossed.
"Maybe, but we've gotten close in those short five minutes!" Hassan tossed at her, and she backed away.
Moments later, Omar woke up, struggling to open his eyes.
Taline attempted to walk closer before Hala grabbed her arm and kept her from moving any further.
Finally, Omar was up and looked at all of us.
"Hey buddy!" I said as I walked over and picked up his hand.
"What happened?" he asked.
"You had a really bad panic attack but you're okay!" my dad smiled. "You had us worried there for a moment."
"I'm sorry. I just didn't know what to do and I didn't want to interrupt your attendance at that function" Omar sighed.
"What matters is that you're okay!" my mom smiled, leaning over and giving him a peck on the cheek, then wiped away some of the lipstick that had rubbed onto his skin.
Taline walked closer until Omar locked eyes with her. Omar looked sad upon looking at her, noticing how he still loved her.
"How are you?" Taline asked.
Omar did not respond, noticing how his eyes began to water in tears.
"Git!" he said, surprising Taline. "Lütfen Git!"
"Ne?!" said Taline.
"Git! Seni görmek istemiyorum!" Omar said, tears streaming down his face.
I had no idea in what language it was he was speaking, it sure was not Arabic, and nor was it French or Spanish.
All of us were puzzled by this strange language none of us could recognize.
Taline backed away, her eyes streaming with tears. She slowly walked back, crying, and turned around to leave.
Omar was sad and I hated seeing him sad when he deserved to be happy. But whatever it was he said to her, it not only saddened him but also saddened her.
It was, obviously, something hurtful.
"What did you say and what language was that you two were speaking in?" asked Louai.
"I was speaking in Turkish!"
"You speak Turkish?" asked Hala.
"I'm also of Turkish descent, from my dad's. He was half-Syrian and half-Turkish, while my mom is Mexican and Lebanese" Omar clarified.
"What did you say to her, exactly?" asked Khaled.
"I told her to go and that I did not want to see her" he translated his words.
"That was kind of harsh" said my mom.
"Yeah, well life is harsh" Omar rose up. "And she acted like a raging..." he stopped himself. "Yeah, I won't finish that sentence."
The doctor finally came in to check on him and checked his vitals, which were back to normal but he still seemed somewhat like he had the effects of the sedatives they gave him. But he was coming back to planet earth.
They took off the wires that were taped to his chest that checked his rhythms and everything else, then the IV, smearing his blood on the sheets. They finally placed a piece of cotton over the top of his hand where the IV was once, placed surgical tape over it and he was good to go.
He got up as I went to help him, grabbed his tank top, and threw it on. I could tell from how red he was that he was embarrassed being without a shirt as he quickly and swiftly put it on.
I took a closer look at the few scars he had but were covered by his tank.
Cielo went and took his hand and the nurse gave us the discharge papers, and away we started walking from this place that gave me the creeps.
As we exited the elevator, Taline was standing outside from the outskirts and watched as he walked with Cielo. I could tell she was sad because he had moved on with another girl, but I knew she would not do much to separate them as she was not that type of person. No matter how painful something was, she was not the type to do such a thing.
"What do you want to do?" I finally asked Omar.
"I don't know. Maybe get something to eat?" he looked a bit bashful.
"Wait, you want a burger?" I asked, laughing.
"Today, I want to eat my national cuisine, well one of them, at least. Lebanese?"
"I know the perfect restaurant" my dad smiled. "Let's go."