"Bhai, there's no sound coming from inside Maira's room, and I'm really scared," Sara said, her voice trembling. Hatim could hear the sounds of knocking on the door and calling out for Maira from the other side.
"Sara, get the spare key and unlock the door. We're on our way," Hatim said, his hands trembling on the steering wheel. He started driving again, his whole body shaking with fear.
"Bhai, I've tried that, but the door won't open. It feels like it's jammed," Sara explained. Hatim's frown turned into guilt in a moment as he recalled slamming the door shut when he left her room.
"Maybe the door got jammed because I slammed it shut so hard. If something happens to Maira, I'll never forgive myself," Hatim thought, punching the steering wheel in frustration.
"Sara, tell Zain and Zeeshan to break the door down; I'm almost there," he instructed.
"Okay, Bhai," she replied and hung up.
"Hatim, what happened?" Farhan asked, concerned. Hatim explained everything while driving back to his house at full speed.
─•~❉᯽❉~•─
On the other side, everyone continued knocking on the door of Maira's room, desperately trying to get a response.
"Maira, my child, please say something. Are you okay?" Zernish cried out in worry.
"Zain, Zeeshan, bhai said to break the door down," Sara informed them. Both of them nodded and positioned themselves in front of the door.
"On the count of three, we'll push it together," Zain said, to which Zeeshan nodded. They counted to three and pushed the door. After a few attempts, the door finally broke open, revealing Maira lying unconscious on the floor.
"Maira!!!" Everyone gasped in shock at her condition and hurried to her side. They shook her gently.
"Maira, my child, open your eyes. What happened?" Zernish patted her cheeks. Sara brought water and sprinkle it on her face, but she remained unconscious.
While they were attempting to wake her, Hatim arrived with Farhan. He stopped in his tracks upon seeing Maira on the floor, and then his gaze fell upon her hand.
"Hatim, look what happened to Maira," Zernish's voice snapped him out of shock, and he swiftly rushed towards her, kneeling in front of her.
"Maira, please open your eyes," Hatim cried, gently patting her cheeks.
"Hatim, let me have a look," Farhan said, placing his hand on his shoulder.
"Bhai, she feels so cold," Hatim stated, standing up to give Farhan space. Farhan knelt in front of Maira to assess her condition.
"What had happened that Maira caused herself so much harm?" Jamshed asked looking at Hatim, anger evident in his voice.
Before Hatim could respond, Farhan spoke up.
"Her condition is not good."
"We should take her to the hospital," Jamshed insisted, but Farhan shook his head.
"Before taking her to the hospital, we need to restore her heartbeat. I can't feel her pulse," Farhan responded. Everyone gasped upon hearing this.
Farhan carefully positioned her on the floor, placing a cloth under her neck, and began performing CPR. Hatim looked on in shock, his hands trembling, while everyone else was in tears.
"Come on, Maira," Farhan urged, continuing to pump her chest. Finally, after numerous attempts, Maira took in a sharp breath. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as she slowly opened her eyes, glancing at everyone, until her gaze settled on Hatim. She weakly raised her left arm, and Hatim immediately held her hand.
"Ha--tim," she whispered weakly. Hatim cried, "I won't let anything happen to you, Maira."
"For-Forgive M--" Before Maira could finish her sentence, she started coughing up blood.
"Maira!!" Hatim panicked and looked at Farhan, who examined her and frowned.
"What's happening to her?" Hatim asked.
"Pray that it's not what I'm thinking. We need to get her to the hospital immediately," Farhan informed. "I've already called the ambulance, they will arrive shortly," Zain informed them and a moment later the Ambulance arrived.
Hatim picked her up in his arms and rushed outside, everyone following him. He placed Maira on a stretcher and sat inside the ambulance with Farhan.
He intended to hold her hand but paused upon noticing her severely injured hand. "Why did you do all this, Maira? Why did you put yourself through so much pain?" He wiped his tears furiously, angry at himself for not listening. "If only I had stopped at that moment, this wouldn't have happened. Ya Allah, what have I done? Please save my Maira, I'll die without her!"
Jamshed and Zain got into the car, following the ambulance. Maira continued coughing up a lot of blood, and Hatim kept wiping it away with a towel.
Farhan attempted to place the oxygen mask on her face but couldn't due to the bleeding. He began Performing CPR again upon noticing her dropping pulse.
"Nothing will happen to you, Maira," Hatim cried, praying for her safety. They reached the hospital, and the medical staff immediately sprang into action, wheeling her inside.
Maira weakly held Hatim's hand, and he gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Hatim..." She whispered with tears in her eyes. Hatim wiped her tears, "Nothing will happen to you, Maira..."
Hatim didn't want to let go of her hand, but Farhan and the other doctors rushed her to the emergency room, and the door closed in front of him. Hatim stared at his bloodied hands, stumbling back, feeling utterly helpless. Jamshed and Zain quickly reached out to support him, guiding him to sit on a chair.
"Hatim, stay strong. Nothing will happen to Maira," Jamshed said, although he himself was devastated. Zain sat in front of Hatim, holding his hands.
"Bhai, she's very strong, and Inshallah, she'll come back to us. Just keep praying," Zain reassured him, making Hatim look up at him. Hatim nodded, and Zain hugged him as Hatim began to cry.
"Ya Allah, I can't live without Maira. If she comes so close to me and then goes away, I can't bear it," Hatim prayed fervently.
After what seemed like an agonizingly long hour, Farhan finally came out with a grave expression.
"Bhai, is Maira alright? Can I see her?" Hatim asked immediately upon seeing Farhan. Farhan placed his hand on Hatim's shoulder.
"Bhai, your silence is scaring me," Hatim said, his heart racing.
"I can't find the words to explain this," Farhan said, taking a deep breath. Jamshed stood in front of him. "Farhan, my son, please just tell us what happened."
Farhan took another deep breath and revealed the news.
"Maira has a brain tumor," Farhan disclosed. The three of them looked at Farhan in utter shock.
"Brain tumor," Hatim whispered, shaking his head in disbelief at what he had just heard.
"Yes, and Maira was aware of it. The tumor has progressed significantly over time to a point where we couldn't do much. Maira is truly strong, I can't be able to believe how she kept this hidden and endured that pain," Farhan explained. Jamshed sat heavily on a chair, processing the weight of the news.
"Maira was hiding all this from us... Bhai, she'll get better, won't she?" Hatim asked with hope in his eyes, but his hope shattered when he looked at Farhan's expression.
"Just pray for now. Her condition is extremely critical, we can't say anything definitive. We can't perform surgery because she's very weak. The stress has severely impacted her heart, and her body is almost paralyzed. She's lost a lot of blood... After she stabilizes a bit, we can consider removing the tumor through radiation treatment, but that depends on her condition at that time," Farhan explained.
"Bhai, please save Maira," Hatim pleaded, joining his hands in front of Farhan. Farhan held his hands and gave him a quick hug.
"I'll do everything in my power... You pray, sometimes when medicine falls short, prayers work wonders."
Farhan returned to the emergency room, leaving Hatim collapsed on the chair, breaking down. Zain and Jamshed also wept and hugged him in support.
"Maira didn't want to see us in pain, she couldn't bear seeing you in pain, that's why she hid such a big thing," Zain sobbed.
"I don't know how much pain she must be in, and my behavior caused her more pain," Hatim cried, gripping his hair in frustration.
After a while, a nurse hurried towards them.
"We urgently need a lot of blood," she said. "What's her blood group?" Zain asked. "O positive," she replied.
"Me and my brother's blood type matches with hers," Zain said. "You come with me right away," the nurse urged.
"Baba, call Zeeshan and ask him to come to the hospital," Zain said. Jamshed made the call, instructing Zeeshan to come to the hospital without mentioning Maira's condition.
"Baba, don't worry, I'm on my way," Zeeshan replied before ending the call.
Shortly after, Zeeshan arrived with Sara, Zernish, and Shams. Zeeshan immediately went to give blood for Maira.
"Jamshed, what happened to my daughter?" Zernish asked anxiously, looking at him for an answer.
Sara and Shams also turned to Jamshed, seeking an explanation. Jamshed took a deep breath and explained the situation to them. Zernish collapsed upon hearing the news, and both Hatim and Jamshed supported her, helping her to sit on a chair. Sara gasped, covering her mouth in shock, and Shams hugged her, offering support as she cried.
Zain and Zeeshan returned after donating blood, all of them prayed and anxiously waited for good news. Finally, after a few hours, Farhan emerged with slumped shoulders and tears in his eyes.
"Bhai, Maira?" Hatim asked anxiously, gripping Farhan's hands. Farhan attempted to speak but couldn't find the words. Hatim pleaded, "Bhai, please don't say something that I don't have the strength to hear," tears streaming down his face, as everyone else waited in anticipation, sensing they might receive distressing news.
Farhan hugged Hatim. "Forgive me, Hatim. I couldn't save your Maira!" Farhan cried. Hatim froze in the embrace, his gaze fixed on Farhan. He pulled back, his voice shaking as he whispered, "B... Bhai?"
"Maira is no more."
─•~❉᯽❉~•─
This was the most painful chapter I wrote in my whole life 😢
But it's part of the story, I hope you all like it ❤
Vote and comment your thoughts if you enjoy...
I'm setting a time for updates of the story from now..
From now on I'll update on every Sunday, Tuesday and Friday.... 3 chapters a week ❤❤❤
Happy Reading ❤🫂