Sultan's stay in the hospital had to be lengthened to four days instead of three, and before being discharged, Dr. Khalid emphasized greatly the need for him to be monitored at all times. His workload and trips had to be reduced too. The family was consistent in curbing the news of the accident at the industry from him. Luckily, it wasn't huge enough and didn't cause any significant loss to the corporation.
The extended picture of the family that wasn't allowed to visit him at the hospital due to the implementation of privacy was open to visit him the day after he was discharged, and they came in their numbers. The house was occupied with people, who didn't seem ready to leave anytime soon.
Mariya's parents had visited, and they left not long ago. Even Eskander parents were there with them. It was easy to have all their friends over, as it was a Saturday. However, the reality of the situation was retained within the immediate family. As it was, they were trying to avoid the uproar that would follow the news of Sultan's health status when it reached the public.
It was evident that the past few days were nothing but gloomy for the family, knowing that a beloved figure of the family could leave them at any given time. Sultan, on the other hand, wasn't keen on seeing them that gloomy. He kept insisting that they quit mourning him already.
He appeared to keep his spirits high, and they all knew it was a blatant façade that masked private despair. Aisha was a fair witness to that. He said it was a golden opportunity for him to die in a good state of heart. He once mentioned going to Makkah for a pilgrimage, that would presumably be his last one.
Aisha reprimanded him when she shouldn't. However, her reason was comprehensible. Nana had died the day after she finalized her decision to go to Makkah. She didn't want a repeat of such an event. Something in her knew it was inevitable– in fact, everything in her knew it was inevitable, and that, her effort was only subtle. After ample convincing, she reluctantly gave in to the idea.
Sultan sat with Aisha in the family lounge at his house, while the rest were downstairs. He sat on a comfy sofa while his feet were propped up on a small coffee table. He had a duvet draped over his lower body, while he scrolled through the morning news on his iPad mini. Mama Aisha sat against the sofa, with her head resting on his lap. This was one of the peaceful moments they would never trade for anything. Thirty-seven years of marriage and counting. They had to fight for their love to get where they are now, and it was all worth it.
Sultan frowned when he heard a sniffle, and he was sure that it was from his wife. He set his iPad aside and threw his feet off the coffee table, to face her properly. Truly to his thoughts, she was indeed crying. She had failed to do it secretively, just like the prior days. He cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him.
" Shatu," his gaze on her softened. He knew that words wouldn't be enough to console her at the moment, so he wrapped his arms around her. His heart melted at the way she melted into his arms. " I'm sorry. I am very sorry." That apology was for the days she would have to spend without him. He let her cry, while he whispered coaxing words into her ears. It took a while for her to calm down.
Someone who was silently watching them prayed that her relationship with her husband would be the same when they got old and grey.
Sultan swivelled his head to the arched entrance of the lounge when he took note of Mariya's presence. Mariya immediately looked away, having been caught red-handed. She wiped her tears with the back of her left hand, while the other hand supported a tray. She was at ease that her father-in-law didn't prod on it. Instead, he called her name and asked her to come in.
Immediately, Mama Aisha turned to her with a practiced smile. She took notice of the tray in Mariya's hand that was laden with a bowl of chicken soup. " Ah, you really didn't have to." She got on her feet. " You could have asked any of the helps to do so." She took the tray from Mariya and gently placed it on the coffee table in front of Sultan.
Mariya let her gaze linger a bit on Mama Aisha's eyes that couldn't hide what her smile hardly did. The older woman met her gaze and had to look away quickly. She wanted to tell her mother-in-law that it wouldn't hurt to be vulnerable in front of them at times.
" Mariya," Sultan called, making Mariya turn to him. He had to do something about the situation. " Is Eskander still around?" He asked.
" Ē, Abba." She answered. " Should I call him for you?"
" Yes." He confirmed.
Mariya turned on her heels and made her way towards Zayn's room, where she knew he would be with Zayn and the other men. Eskander was quite surprised to hear that Sultan wanted to see him. Nonetheless, he honoured the call and made for the lounge. He was even more surprised at Sultan's enquiry about him. The older man had asked him if the date for his wedding had been set. He gave a positive answer and stated the date__ 22nd to 26th of February. Five days of festivities. It was only five months away.
Sultan called him out for copying his wedding date and asked that he get invited to the wedding. They joked about it, and Eskander marvelled that the man had the nerves to joke when death was looming over him. Eskander got a bit emotional as he thanked Sultan for taking him and his father under his wing, which led to his success in his prime.
Zayn walked in on their conversation and accused his friend of stealing his father from him. Sultan only laughed. He turned to Zayn, with a slight change in his mood. " I'll pretend as if I didn't read about the accident at the industry on the news today."
All heads whipped towards him. Aisha had noticed a slight dampness in his mood, but she didn't speculate such a reason.
Zayn let his shoulders drop in defeat. He really couldn't outsmart his father. His gaze dropped to the iPad beside his father. That answered all his questions. " We wanted to keep you out of this." He tried to explain. " We couldn't risk another heart attack. Besides, we're handling it well."
" Yes, you don't need to worry about it." Mama Aisha chipped in as she handed him his pills. She also passed him a glass of water. He popped the cocktail of pills into his mouth and downed them with the water. He placed the now empty glass and looked at Zayn who was still on his feet.
" I get that, and I'm proud of you all." Zayn would never get tired of hearing that. " With the way things are going, it's safe to say that I'm leaving everything in good hands. God bless you all."
" Ameen." They echoed simultaneously.
"Madallah. You two can take your leave." Mama Aisha prompted and asked Eskander to extend her greetings to his parents. He agreed instantly.
Eskander got on his feet, joining Zayn.
Together, they left the lounge.
*~*
Sultan's death was inevitable, and they knew that. And he had advised them times without number, to stop grieving something that was out of their control. He took Eskander's wedding as an opportunity to see to it that his fate wouldn't stop them from being happy. He asked them to enjoy it to the fullest like the was no tomorrow. He didn't want to see them in despair. It took a lot of effort to soak Yasmeen into that mindset. He spent more time at home and very little time at work. His stepbrother, Hamza had assumed most of his workload. His broken relationship with him was slowing healing, and he liked it. Especially, when they sit at the gazebo on weekends to talk and reminisce about the good old days. His wife hardly ever let him out of her sight while he was at home, and he found it sweet. Nothing could ever beat the round family table sessions they had on the weekends. He cherished the laughter and chatter that rang within the walls of his house, knowing that one of them could be his last. They were trying their best to buy him more time. However, at the end of it all, everything was in the hands of God.
One thing he always included in his prayers was to see the day Zayn would have his own child. He knew better than to pressure them to it though. He was content with all that he had, considering that Nazeera was only thirteen weeks away from her delivery date. He pretended as if Yasmeen hadn't started to talk a little bit too much about Fareed. He wanted also wanted to see if Haseeb would end up with Khayra's friend. Khayra had been an important figure in Zayn's life, and it was only right that he cherish Haseeb like he did to his sister who had been nothing but a breath of fresh air. He prayed to God, not to take his life while the suspense was at a heating point. Albeit, some days were hard on him. Those were the days he couldn't bring himself to put up a façade.
It was scary how time soared fast when you didn't want it to. It has already been three months since he had that cardiac arrest, and he will forever thank Nazeera for her professional effort that fateful day.
*~*
Mariya walked to the room she and Zayn shared, with Cairo striding right beside her. She held a mug of hot chocolate drink in her right hand, while her phone was in the other hand. When she got to their door, she couldn't help but move to the next door which was supposed to be that of their child who never got to see the world. She turned the knob to the door, although she knew it was locked. Zayn had done that, so she wouldn't continue to wallow in grief regarding the child they had lost.
Out of sight, out of mind.
However, not everything worked that way. There were times when she remembered about it and cried. Zayn had never failed to be supportive.
Talk of Zayn, he had called her that he was on his way from work. It was almost nine p.m. Yes, it was late, but Mariya wouldn't hold it against him. Following the supposed accident (whose culprits turned out to be labourers), Sultan's condition and Zayn working extra hours to build his own company, she would support him just as he had her back. The case she had with the JD Pharmaceuticals ended in her favour. She would have rallied for a new judge to sit the case, assuming she had lost the case.
Saratu and Eskander's wedding was in two months, and they wanted to be big. Mariya had sworn to wreak havoc if anyone took her self-appointed position as the chief bridesmaid. Saratu's sister had agreed to bench down for Mariya to do the job.
The preparation was on fast track, and Saratu was freaking out. Zayn had also told her about Eskander's nervousness about the pending event. Firstly, that was so unlike them. Secondly, she trusted them to get through it safe and sound. She had felt the same before she and Zayn's wedding but look at them now.
Something awaited her in their room. It was either another disappointment or a call for celebration. She entered their room and closed the door behind her after Cairo had filed in. That cat was the princess of their house.
In the room, she placed the mug on a coffee table in the sitting area and entered the bathroom. She strode towards the sink, where a mirror was plastered on the wall. She gazed down at the pregnancy test kit that lay in the sink. She had done the necessary procedure and left it to bring out a result. The five-minute wait was excruciatingly long for her, so she had opted to go downstairs to get a drink to pass the time. She stared disappointedly at the kit.
It was negative__ again.
She had been experiencing a few symptoms, so she thought of taking a test. However, she had decided not to go to a hospital, so she could keep her disappointment to herself. She was right.
She shut her eyes and leaned towards the sink, chanting a whisper above her breath that she would get pregnant when the right time came. For now, she decided to put her trust in God. She knew there was nothing like discontentment in His case. She raised her gaze to the mirror, only to see her reflection staring back at her. It took every single iota of strength in her to not cry. Zayn was on his way. He would be tired, and she didn't want him to meet her in such a state. He would start to worry.
She got out of the bathroom after properly discarding the device. She dialed her mother's number and waited patiently as it got through. It was answered on the third ring. She had discussed it with her mother, and she deemed it right to share the results with her.
" Mariya," her mother sounded happy, and it made her heart churn. She could hear Fareed's voice in the background.
She didn't see the need to stall about. Laura was about to utter something, but Mariya beat her to it. "Mama, it's negative." Her voice was flat.
The line went silent for a while before her mother spoke. " Your time will come, kinji? As long as Zayn or his family isn't pressuring you, then have patience."
There was a shuffle at Laura's side, and Farooq's voice came in next. He spoke with her lovingly, and her heart was at ease. He concluded by promising to throw a big party when she gave birth. She laughed, asking him not to get ahead of himself already. He handed it back to her mother, and they were talking when Zayn entered. He requested to speak with them. Mariya handed the phone to him, and he exchanged pleasantries with them. They said their good nights to them, including Fareed.
Mariya turned to Zayn when she ended the call.
" You look tired," she pointed out, wrapping her arms around his neck. His hand automatically wound around her waist and pulled her closer to him. " I've told you times without number not to overwork yourself." Her hands went down to his neck to undo his tie. The next thing that came off was his suit jacket. Mariya threw the somewhere on the bed, making a mental note to pick it up later.
" I just need to clear up my packed-up schedule, then that will be it." He placed a kiss on her forehead. " I missed you." He liked the smile that tugged at her lips after that.
She hadn't been herself in the past few days. He didn't want to force her to open up, but he would be with her through the silent battles. That, he was very sure of.
" I've got something for you." He spoke, making Mariya raise her eyebrows at him, while he fished for something from his pocket. He brought out a small velvet box and opened it. A ring gracefully sat in the box. It was a silver ring which had diamonds engraved all around it. A bigger size of the tiny cut diamonds sat clawed up in the middle of the silver band.
Mariya gasped lightly and then smiled. She seemed to like it. Her expression was worth the amount of money he had spent on it.
Within a span of a second, she stopped admiring the jewellery and looked up at him. The smile on her face was now subtle.
What was wrong?
" It's expensive." She pointed out. Just one look at it, and a person would figure that out.
" Yes," he admitted. " And beautiful too. I saw it and the only thing I wanted was to see it on your hand. Forget about it being expensive."
" Thank you." Her gaze on him softened.
" You are most welcome."
He took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her middle finger on the right hand. " It's perfect."
" It is." She countered.
" Don't you think we should do a little getaway? Just the two of us." He suggested. "I stole the idea from Mama and Abba."
" Doesn't sound bad." She was so down for it. The Christmas holidays would start in ten days, so she was sure to get a leave. She knew how to find her way with Emraan. "I'm on board. Come to think of it, we've never been on a honeymoon before, due to the circumstances in which we got married, so this getaway would be the best."
" Exactly." Zayn countered and let go of her. " We'll look for a suitable resort and go with it. We'll have to come back before Eskander's wedding though. We'll leave our body measurements for our clothes to Fareeda before we leave."
Mariya nodded.
" For now, just take a bath and have your food it's late already. I'll go down and heat it for you." She prompted.
" Toh, nagode." He was grateful. "And have you eaten yet?" He didn't like it when she stayed hungry to wait for him so they could eat together.
" Yes," she answered. " Yasmeen, Mama Aisha, and Abba were here, and we ate before they left."
Zayn was surprised and relieved at the same time. He nodded and headed towards the bathroom.
He entered the bathroom to freshen up, while she slid out of the room with her mug of hot chocolate.
Fifteen minutes later, Zayn walked into the kitchen just in time to see Mariya take his food out of the microwave.
He was clad in a pair of simple black shorts and a t-shirt. Instead of going to the dining room to eat, they stayed in the kitchen as he ate his food on the island. He filled Mariya in on the progress of his work. She was proud of him and glad that he was thriving in his businesses. It felt good to hear.
After eating, they decided to watch a movie__ The King. She had to admit that Zayn had good taste in movies.
It was a Netflix movie that depicted the historical story of King Henry V.
Mariya took a sip from her soda and placed it beside Zayn's. She opted for Pepsi while he took Fanta. The argument to prove which one was the best had to be adjourned for the sake of the movie.
She rested her head against Zayn's chest as they sat on the carpet in their living room, with duvets draped up to their waists. The only light that lit up the room was from the TV.
She focused intently on the movie, while Zayn seemed to have other plans. He stared at her intently, and Mariya could feel it.
She reached for his lips and kissed him. Zayn took over from there. It started gently until things started to get a bit heated. He wrapped an arm around her waist, while the other cocked her head to his access. Mariya's hands were draped at his shoulders. He pulled back to allow them to catch their breaths. He rested his forehead against hers to buy time to steady his heartbeat.
Mariya huffed out a breath. " We are supposed to be watching a movie." She chuckled lightly.
Zayn pulled back to have a better look at her face. " Well, we found something better to do."
She couldn't argue with that.
He leaned in again and trailed feather-like kisses down her neck to her cleavage, occasionally leaving behind a few marks. She did nothing to suppress her moans as his hands roamed about her body teasingly.
" I don't think we are supposed to be doing this in the living room." She uttered when their gases locked, and her voice wasn't like she knew it to be.
How he managed to leave her flushed every time was still a mystery.
A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. " Fine then,"
He carried her in his arms and made for their room. He didn't forget to switch off the TV. On their way, he teased her about how he carried twice her weight in the gym when she had asked him to put her down.
Behind closed doors, no strings were pulled to retain self-control. One by one, clothes came off, leaving them skin to skin against each other. Just like every other time, it was blissful, and Zayn never failed to check if he wasn't hurting her now and then.
It made her feel safe to know that he cared for her even in such a hazy state where he was blinded by pleasure.
Eventually, Zayn allowed her to sleep, and though she had wanted more. She had to wake up early for work the next day, and he didn't want to tire her.
He gazed at her softly as she slept soundly without a care in the world. She looked peaceful and ethereal. Once again, he felt this strong urge to protect her.
Did he give in to it?
Yes. It was a pledge to forever.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him.
" Good night."
He kissed her hair.
This was the woman he would love for eternity and the days beyond.
Hi, guysss
Yet again another chapter.
As I said, the story is finally coming to an end.
I can't wait to round up with it.
Don't forget to vote, share and comment.
See ya.