It had been a whole week since the divorce between Jameel and Najah took place, yet Jameel hadn't gotten used to the fact that Najah was no longer his wife.
Struggling to accept the fact that he had lost Najah for good, coupled with dispute between himself and Afrah, Jameel found himself grappling with feelings of loneliness and regret. The void in his heart was getting bigger with every passing day. Jameel couldn't help but replay their last conversation in his mind, wondering if there was anything he could have done differently to save their marriage.
On the other hand, the rift between him and Afrah seemed to widen with each passing moment, with neither of them willing to bridge the gap. Jameel was still very mad at her for disrespecting his mother the way she did, and making him defend her even when she was at fault. What made him even angrier and consumed every chance of reconciliation was the fact that Afrah wasn't as remorseful as he expected her to be. Just like him, she was keeping her distance and also keeping malice with him. Jameel was not supposed to be bothered by her actions for her already knew just how huge her ego was—how saying sorry was too big a task for her—but he still expected her to put in more effort. He had stopped eating the food prepared by her, but it didn't seem to bother her at all. He was tired of living so pathetically.
Still wallowing in self-pity, Afrah barged into the room.
It was her first time in there after the argument they had. What she usually did was knock on his door and ask him if he would eat, and that was all.
"What do you want?" Jameel asked without looking up at her. Her presence alone invoked anger within him. "If you're here to—" His voice trailed as he realized Afrah had tears glistening in her eyes.
"We have to take Fawaaz to the hospital!"
For a split second, Jameel forgot how to breath.
Afrah continued. "I don't know what's happening to him," tears streamed down her face. "He was running a fever yesterday and I gave him paracetamol. This morning, when I checked, his temperature seemed to have gone away and I allowed him to sleep but he hasn't—" Afrah choked on a sob. "He isn't waking up, Jameel. He is unresponsive."
Jameel sprang up; his heart thumping fast in his chest. He couldn't even bring himself to say anything.
"We need to take him to the hospital immediately!"
Gently, jameel push Afrah aside and hurried out of the room.
All he could do as he ran to Afrah's room was pray for him to be alright. He would never be able to forgive himself otherwise.
On getting to the room, he stopped by the door for a few seconds before proceeding to the crib where Fawaaz lay motionless.
Instantly, Jameel's hand flew over Fawaaz's forehead to feel his temperature. He was burning hot. "Fawaaz..." Jameel called, softly, slapping his cheek lightly..
A small whimper escaped Fawaaz's lip, making Afrah's head snap up. She rushed over to the other side of the crib and picked him up, hugging him to her chest.
"He just made a sound! I heard him!" Her voice was thick with emotion. "What are you waiting for? Let's take him to the hospital immediately!"
Jameel took Fawaaz from Afrah and cradled him on his own chest. He could feel his son's shallow breaths against his chest and that sent a jolt of fear through him. "He is burning up!" He said; his voice hoarse.
With pleading eyes, Afrah looked at Jameel. "We need to get him to the hospital fast! Please save my baby." Tears continued to stream down her face. "Please save him. I will die without my child."
Jameel nodded; his jaw clenched tight. He also knew that every second counted. Choosing to ignore the rift and awkwardness hanging between them for the time being, he spoke; "Please get a few essential things he would need at the hospital. Meet me in the car."
Without saying a word, Afrah sprinted towards Fawaaz's wardrobe.
As Jameel walked out of the room with Fawaaz lying motionless on his chest, a painful lump stuck in his throat. Shame gnawed at him for not even noticing that his son had been sick. He should have been there for him when he needed his father, instead of stewing in his own misery and punishing him for the sins of his mother.
A lone tear dropped from Jameel's eye as he raced outside, the engine already roaring when Afrah emerged, clutching a small bag.
She climbed into the passenger seat and reached out, attempting to take Fawaaz from Jameel, but he was unyielding.
For the first time after their big argument, Jameel looked at Afrah with pity. The worry and pain etched on her face made his heart hurt even more. He wished there was something he could say to ease her worry, but he was just as worried but for Afrah's sake, he had to be strong. "I will hold him."
Without wasting more time, Jameel slammed his foot on the accelerator, the car lurching forward. As he squeezed his son closer to his heart, he felt his shallow breaths, and it fueled his frantic driving. He didn't want to let him go. Not even to his mother.
"Jameel," Afrah called; the tears still running down her face. "Please give him to me. I'm his mother. I need to pray for him. Give him to me and concentrate more on the road."
Although Jameel understood Afrah's desperation to hold her sick son and pray for him, he still didn't want to give him to her. As his mother, he knew she was in a state of anxiousness, but he couldn't help but blame her for being so careless about their only son's health. He felt angry that she didn't even deem it fit to inform him, but that wasn't the time for confrontation.
"Can you pray for him here?" Jameel rasped.
"Please, Jameel," Afrah cried. "Just give my son to me. I just want to hold him and pray into his ears. If it's your intention to punish me, don't do it this way. I will gladly take anything else, but not this... Please..."
Afrah's choked plea sent a pang to Jameel's heart. He could feel the fear in her voice and that softened him a little. He suddenly felt it was petty of him to blame her for their son's condition given the gravity of the situation.
"Please, let me have him," Afrah continued to beg amidst sobs. "He's my son!"
"Alright," he conceded; his grip loosening slightly. "You can take him."
Quickly, Afrah reached out and gently took Fawaaz from Jameel. She held him close and began to whisper prayers in his ear. Her tears wouldn't stop falling.
Stealing a glance at Afrah, Jameel could see the sincere love and fear in Afrah's eyes—a mirror image of his own emotions. In that moment, nothing else mattered more to them than their son's health. Their ongoing rift was redundant.
•
In front of the emergency ward, Jameel paced around, praying nonstop for his son's safety.
His gaze fell on Afrah's slumped figure on the iron bench. Her sobs were muffled as she clutched to a handkerchief.
The sight made him feel helpless. With everything in him, he wanted to console and reassure her that their son would be fine, but he didn't know how he was supposed to make the move for he was still very mad at her for everything she did to his mother. Would his words of assurance be a hollow promise? Would his touch be a forced gesture?
Taking a deep breath, he sat beside her, leaving a space between them. "Stop crying," he started; his voice shaky.
At his words, Afrah's cry intensified; her shoulders shuddering.
Jameel was so tempted to bridge the gap between them and take her in his embrace, but he found himself glued to his spot. "Our son is going to be fine," he continued, hoping his words would comfort her.
"This is all my fault! I should have noticed. I'm such a horrible mother!"
Jameel swallowed. Even though he had the same sentiment earlier, hearing Afrah admit to being guilty actually hit differently. He shifted closer to her, but no enough for their bodies to touch. He cleared his throat before speaking. "This is not the time for this...just keep praying for him to get better."
"Ya Allah, please save my baby," Jameel heard Afrah murmur under her breath.
Just then, a male doctor emerged from the emergency room and Jameel sprinted to him.
"The baby that was brought in earlier, are you the parents?" The doctor asked.
"I'm his mother!"
"I'm his father!"
Jameel and Afrah answered simultaneously.
"Please doctor," Afrah gulped. "Tell me my son is alright."
The doctor's gaze flicked between them, his expression unreadable. "His fever has gone down. We're currently running tests on him. Before today, has he shown any sign of sickness or it just happened suddenly?"
Jameel looked at Afrah, expecting her to answer the doctor's question. He then lowered his head in shame. He had been so engrossed in his own problems that he unintentionally neglected his only child.
"It's been a few days, doctor," Afrah answered. "But I didn't think it would get this serious. How is he right now? Can I see him, please? I want to see my baby."
"What?" The doctor boomed; his voice laced with a mixture of anger and concern. "A few days, you say? And you're only bringing him now? You waited for him to pass out? Don't you know a fever in a child can be very dangerous? What sort of carelessness is this?"
"I...I thought it was just a runny nose...his temperature went up a few times but after giving him paracetamol, it went down. His fever only got this bad this morning. I would have brought him here if—"
"We made a terrible mistake, doctor," Jameel admitted, cutting Afrah off. "We should have brought him in earlier. There is no excuse for that."
The doctor sighed. "Next time, when you notice your child isn't feeling well, the first thing you do is seek medical care. Delay can be very dangerous."
"Alright, sir," Jameel replied. "We will keep that at the back of our minds."
"When did the runny nose start, and how high did his fever get before the paracetamol?"
Again, Jameel looked at Afrah, waiting for her response.
"The runny nose started for about four days. It wasn't constant but he seemed a little congested...his temperature went up a little a few times, but like I said, the paracetamols helped. I don't know why he felt very hot this morning and..." Her voice trailed as a sob threatened to escape her mouth.
"Alright, that should be all for now. I'm going to give a proper diagnosis when the result of the tests are ready."
Jameel hummed. "But doctor, you don't think it's anything to be worried about, do you?"
He shook his head. "Your baby is going to be fine. From my observation, it's just a fever, but at the same time, fevers can be unpredictable."
"Please can I see my baby now?" Afrah pleaded, her voice trembled. "I just want to see how he's doing."
"I assure you he is fine right now. He's resting. We'll monitor him closely until the test results are out." The doctor informed.
"Uhm..." Jameel spoke. "Can't we see him? Even for a minute?"
"I'm not supposed to allow him receive any visitor for now due to limited space and infection control, but because I understand what you're both going through, I'm going to allow just one person in for five minutes. Further visits would be allowed after we get the test results."
Afrah glanced at Jameel, a silent plea hanging in the air. She did not even have to speak for Jameel already knew what was running through her mind.
"Thank you so much, doctor," Jameel shook his hand. "I will wait here."
As Afrah hurried into the room, Jameel sat on the bench; the doctor's words coming back to haunt him. He felt so ashamed of himself for being so negligent. If he couldn't be the ideal husband to Afrah, the least he could do was become the best father to his son. They both had been so consumed in their own personal problems to notice Fawaaz needed medical attention.
Waiting for five minutes felt like waiting forever.
Finally, the door opened and Afrah emerged, wiping her tears.
Jameel abruptly stood and walked up to her. "How...is he?"
More tears welled up in Afrah's eyes. She shook her head. "I don't know. He wasn't responding to me."
Jameel could see that Afrah was just not worried after seeing their son. She was scared. Terrified, even.
"That's because he's asleep," He tried to reassure her. "He is going to be alright."
"This is more of your fault!" Afrah accused. "This wouldn't have happened if you weren't so engrossed in mourning your dead marriage and casting me aside!"
Jameel swallowed, the accusation hitting a nerve. He had indeed been consumed by the grief, but Afrah was acting like she didn't know he was also mad her for disrespecting his mother. She was trying to pin the blame on him to feel better about her negligence. "Did you tell me anything about his health?"
Afrah shook her head in disbelief. "Do I have to tell you these things? If you had been there, you'd have noticed! But where were you? Locked up in your room, chasing after someone who doesn't even want you anymore!"
"Afrah, stop it!" Jameel rasped, frustration dripping off his tone. Afrah choosing to twist the knife in his wound only served to push them further apart. "I have many things to say to you, but this isn't the time. Why do you always have to make everything about you? This isn't about US! Fawaaz is lying in there," he pointed to the room. "sick! And this is what you're bothered about? You're unbelievable! Do you even care about your child?"
"More than you ever have and ever will!" Afrah blinked back tears. "No matter how angry I am, I will never ignore my child. Okay, I did something wrong to you, but what was Fawaaz's offence? Can you even remember the last time you held him asides today?"
At Afrah's words, a knot formed in Jameel's stomach. They completely rendered him speechless. He couldn't argue. He couldn't defend himself. She was right. Lost in his own grief, he didn't realize he had been neglecting his child also.
"You don't have to answer," Afrah nodded her head. "Your silence says it all. It's obvious you're tired of us. I know just what to do."
•
Assalamualaikum/hello!
*Hides face*
I know saying sorry for the late update would probably not be enough, so I have decided to make it up to y'all by uploading two chapters today! 😀 It's a double update! Expect chapter 74 in the evening (in Sha Allah) 😊
Don't forget to vote and share your thoughts with me.
Whose side are you on? Jameel's or Afrah's? Who is really to blame?
Do you think Afrah is doing too much?
Jameel insensitive?
100 votes 🙈