Post your reactions as you read. I really look forward to your comments ;)
Asim watched his mother miserably. Distraught, she was barely able to stand on her feet as she talked to her husband on the phone. Uncle Dawood had finally let him know about Salma's accident, though he kept it from him that she was in a coma. Asim's mother was totally beside herself when her daughter was brought back to her, frail, quiet and immobile. She just stayed by her side, crying and pleading with Salma to wake up. She refused to eat, rest or do anything otherwise. This was the first time she had left Salma's room for something other than prayers in the past twenty four hours.
Asim was glad Anne and William were around to help. He had no idea how he would have dealt with his mother after he brought Salma back knocked out and at the verge of death. The previous day was one of the most horrible days of his life.
Asim found out about Salma's coma when Zayn threw a tantrum on their way back. He was terrified for his sister but Alex reassured him that Salma was fine and that Zayn was horribly misinformed. Being extremely foolish, he believed her. However, once they climbed all the way to the road and settled in the helicopter, sense started returning to the younger boy. As he watched the paramedics tend to Salma, Asim had realized his error. Her condition was fragile and because of his stupidity, she had lost a lot of time that she could not afford to lose.
Asim jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. Turning away from Anne, Asim quickly wiped his eyes.
"Son," she said softly, "You need to go home and get some sleep."
"I'm fine, Anne." He attempted a smile. "Don't worry about me."
"You've had it rough since yesterday," she said. "You need to rest. Take a break for tonight."
"I can't go," Asim said, swallowing the lump in his throat, "Anne, I won't be able to rest. I -"
"Your mum is here, and so am I," she squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, "We'll let you know if something happens. I would have asked your mum to leave with you but I know she needs to be here with Salma for now. You've been the only one to get some sort of a response out of her. But you have to be strong if you want to pull her out of it. You need take care of yourself. Get some rest, please?"
Asim knew Anne was right, but he had left his sister behind far too many times and regretted it. His eyes strayed to Salma's room. William was leaning beside it, arms crossed over his chest and staring hard at the floor. Like everyone else, he looked pale and tired.
Could he risk leaving Salma behind again?
"Don't worry," Anne said softly, "You can trust us to take care of your sister."
Asim looked away from William, not quite able to meet Anne's gaze. He knew how horrible she must have felt to see him doubting her son. Heat started creeping up his neck and he felt ashamed of himself.
"I'm sorry, Anne. It's -"
"Perfectly alright," she cut him, surprising him with an understanding smile, "You're being a brother, Asim. I would do the same if I were in your shoes. To be honest, I don't trust Will not to try and sneak in, either. He does miss his partner in crime, you know."
Asim was not sure if he should smile or feel annoyed at the last comment about William.
***
Getting out of the bathroom, Asim finally checked his phone. There were close to fifty miscalls and texts, mostly from Dean, James and . . . Niall?
Anger coursed through his veins seeing the last name on the screen. Holding back the urge to hurl his phone across the room, Asim deleted all of Niall's texts without reading them and called Dean.
"Oh my God, Asim! What the hell?!" Dean's cried in relief, "I've been continuously calling you for the past thirty six hours. Where in the world were you?"
"I'm sorry, Dean," Asim replied, rubbing his temples, "It's just been . . . hectic."
"Anyway, how is Salma?" he asked, "You found her, right? That infuriating girl won't pick up my calls. Put her on the line, will you?"
Asim swallowed to ease the lump in his throat that was choking him. Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he stayed silent, not sure how to reply to him.
"Asim?" Dean urged on, "Lad, is everything okay? You found her, didn't you?"
"Yeah, yeah we did," Asim replied, as his vision blurred with tears.
"What happened?"
"She's - she's in a coma, Dean," Asim said quietly, "Salma's in a coma."
***
Asim was sitting in the kitchen with William. His sandwich laid untouched in front of him while William was playing with his too. Anne sent him home, probably to make sure Asim would eat something and get some rest. Or, may be she did not trust him to be around Salma for too long. Picking up his sandwich, Asim quickly dismissed the later thought.
William was like a brother to him, but he could not help feel really protective of Salma right then. The other day, he was too shocked and overwhelmed to notice the marks left by something vile that had happened to her, but today, as he sat by her still body, pleading with her to wake up, he had seen them all. There were bruises on her forearms, throat and face, where she has been grabbed tightly and hit. Her hands had scratch marks, where she had been clawed, and her face had a crescent shaped wound, where she'd been bitten. It was all too obvious. Salma had been assaulted.
Overwhelmed, Asim pushed his plate away. He could feel William's concerned gaze on him as he put his head in his hands, trying to ignore the sting in his eyes.
"Do you think he did it?" Asim asked out of blue, "Was it him?"
"Harris?" William inquired without even asking what he was talking about.
Asim lifted his head to see his cousin quirking a brow at him.
"You still doubt that?" William questioned, putting his sandwich back.
Asim looked at him, not sure how to reply. It was just too sickening to think that Zayn would assault her after all that she did for him.
"I don't know." Asim looked away from him.
"Asim, who else was there with them?" William said incredulously.
"Alex did mention one of the criminals getting attacked by some girl--"
"One of the criminals was attacked," William pointed out, "Not the other way around. And they believe the guy was hallucinating, anyway. Do you think Salma would be able to fight back and escape? She doesn't even know basic self defense moves. Not to mention, you said she was found close to their shelter. Wouldn't that jackass at least have heard her when she was attacked?"
Asim was reluctant to agree but he knew William's argument made sense. Salma was perfectly fine a day before when she called them, and then the next day, they found her unconscious, and bruised. It's like Zayn had attacked her and she ran away to save her life but could not make it too far before she collapsed.
"It just doesn't add up," Asim muttered quietly.
"What doesn't?" William asked, confused.
"Yesterday, when we found her, a male medic wanted to tend to her and it was Zayn that protested against it. He said that the medic was not allowed to touch her because she was a Muslim girl," Asim explained. "It just does not add up that he would respect her choices and -- "
He stopped abruptly when William gave a humorless laugh. Asim realized how stupid he must have sounded. It's not like Zayn could not have resorted to acting like he cared for her, after he realized he was done for. He definitely looked like he was hiding something. It made perfect sense that he would show concern for her when he was cornered, so close to getting punched by Asim and surrounded by at least four dozen FBI agents.
"He's a celebrity." William shrugged, "Everyone worships him, and then there is Salma who's . . . well, you know what she's like. She's a challenge and he's so full of himself. To be really honest, I dreaded something like this could happen."
Honestly, the first time Niall broke the news that Salma and Zayn were together, that was the only thing that Asim dreaded the most. And yet, as he recalled Zayn shouting at Alex shortly before he was drugged, Asim could not help but doubt his own suspicions of him.
The door bell rang, breaking his confused train of thoughts. He shot up from his seat before William could, not knowing that the person at the door will only cause his mood to deteriorate further.
Niall's P.O.V
"Goddamit Zayn!" Niall cursed, receiving yet another call from him, "What has gotten into you?"
He typed quick text.
*Me: Could you please stop! I'm at his place. Just get a grip, will ya!
Tossing the phone on the passenger seat, Niall got out of the car. Zayn had already called five times and he was still counting. After the third, Niall stopped attending his calls. Zayn would be going berserk by now but there was nothing new to say so Niall did not bother picking up.
Letting out a slow breath, Niall rang the bell. He did not know what to expect. It was probably a bad time. Asim's family must be going through so much if his sister was in a coma, but Zayn left him with no choice. Niall cursed himself for foolishly agreeing to meet up with Asim without giving it enough thought.
He waited, bouncing on the balls of his feet, dreading the news that awaited him behind that door.
When the door opened, he was relieved to see it was Asim. For some reason, his curly haired cousin seemed to harbor a strong dislike towards Niall and he preferred to stay out of his way.
Asim's features hardened upon seeing Niall, making the blond's gut churn with unease. Keeping his eyes fixed on visitor, Asim closed the door behind him. His face was pale, his eyes red rimmed and heavily surrounded by the bags. Niall's heart sank a few inches. This was definitely not a good time.
"Hey." Niall smiled nervously.
Asim did not reply audibly. He just nodded. Scowling, he maintained his silent stare and Niall became more and more anxious.
"Bad time?" Niall asked stupidly.
Asim finally looked away. Swallowing, he took in a deep breath as if trying to stay calm.
"Why are you here?" he asked curtly.
Why was he here? Niall questioned himself, Why the hell was he stupid enough to be here?
"I --" he ran his tongue over his lips, "I did not see you after, you know, since yesterday morning, so I thought I'd come and ask how --"
"Listen Niall," Asim cut him, keeping his voice even, "You may mean well but it is best if you just leave. It's a bad time for us and I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire."
"What do you --"
"Please," Asim said softly, "I appreciate the concern, but you should leave."
Before Niall could say something, Asim was already shutting the door.
"Asim, wait --"
The door closed and Niall was left standing in front of it, shocked and confused.
"What the hell just happened here?" he whispered, taking a step back.
Niall turned around to leave. Standing by his car, he stared at the vibrating phone on the seat. He had no idea what to tell Zayn. The dark haired boy would rip his head off for keeping him waiting and getting no more news. Niall put his head on the roof of his car, lost. He was still shocked by Asim's words. What did he mean by not wanting him getting caught in the crossfire?
Just then, he was startled out of his thoughts upon hearing William's voice.
"I'll be back in a minute," William shouted over his shoulder, "Don't lock the door!"
No sooner had he said those words, that their eyes met. Niall felt a shiver run up his spine when his green eyes went cold and hard. Before he could react, the curly boy was already walking over to him.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" he asked angrily.
The amount of venom in his tone took Niall by surprise. He was expecting to be cold, but not like this. He really did not get what William's problem was.
"I was here to see Asim," Niall replied calmly.
He unlocked his car and opened the door but was shocked when William suddenly slammed it shut again.
"What the -"
"Stay the hell away from my family, all of you!" The curly haired boy seethed.
"Look mate, I don't know what your problem is, but I was only here to ask about his sister."
William eyed him menacingly, visibly struggling against the urge to sock him. However, when he spoke, his voice was eerily controlled.
"You should have asked him about it. Wouldn't he know?" He raised a brow. "She was with him when they found her. He would know what happened. May be you can fill us in on the details?"
"What are you trying to say?"
William's eyes narrowed to slits.
"He sent you here to dig up for information, didn't he?"
Niall's breath got caught. He was taken aback by his accurate guesses. Noticing his surprise, William smirked.
"Well, he better get down on his knees praying that she wakes up," he said, "His jail term may get longer in case she doesn't."
"What're you talking about?"
"You wanted to know how she's doing, right?" William snapped angrily, "Then let me tell you, your pathetic friend can breathe freely for a while because she's still out!"
"What has her coma go to do with Zayn?!"
"Oh, we don't know. You tell us!" William raised his voice. "She's got bruises all over her body, and there are bite marks on her face! What does it tell you?"
"What?!" Niall cried, shocked.
He stared at William's tormented features, the pain in his eyes and the worry and anger that was radiating off of him in waves. Niall had no idea what he was talking about. Zayn said she was in coma because of a very high fever. He did not mention anything about an assault.
"Oh, I see." William laughed humorlessly. "He didn't tell you. Kept it from his admirers, has he?"
Suddenly everything made sense. Zayn's words that Salma had been through hell the past few days, Asim's distant behavior and his words about Niall getting caught in the cross fire, and finally William hinting that Zayn may get arrested. Anger coursed through Niall when he realized what they had assumed.
"You are completely deluded!" Niall spat at him, "Zayn would never do something like that!"
"Ah!" William pulled the corner of lips up sarcastically, "Of course, because he tells you everything and you would totally know?"
"Yes!" Niall fumed, "I would know. He's nothing like that! I know him very well, Sterling!"
"Since when?" He scoffed, raising an incredulous eyebrow.
"Since we were very little!" Niall replied.
William narrowed his eyes at him, staring him up and down.
"Did you take a break from knowing him when he was in high school?" William asked, "Because I did that job for you. I can fill you in so you'll know him even better."
"I think I'll do without, thanks."
Stepping away from him, Niall got into his car and slammed the door shut. Zayn may not be an angel but this was outrageous. Niall knew that raven haired boy like the back of his hand. He's a complete pain in the ass, but he's not one to hurt. Not intentionally, anyway. If they actually involve the police in this, things would go horribly wrong for Zayn. Niall was confident that he would come out of it all with his name cleared in no time, but given his career and popularity, everything would be mess.
A very, very high profile mess.
Niall's phone buzzed again, as he pulled away from Asim's house. Snatching it from the seat, he answered it.
Zayn's P.O.V
"I swear Niall . . . Pick that stinking phone, you – Darn, I'm going to kill you!" Leaning against the sink Zayn let out a frustrated groan.
Niall has been ignoring his calls and it was driving him insane. With every second that passed, he got more annoyed and upset. He turned the tap on and splashed some water over his face to cool off.
It did not help and Zayn was back to calling Niall again. He took a seat on the lid of the toilet, waiting for the call to get through.
"Come on, man!" Zayn let out an exasperated sigh.
He put his head in his hands. It was throbbing slightly and felt like it would burst anytime. Zayn had this nagging feeling that something was wrong and it was driving him crazy not knowing what it was. He needed confirmation that his fears were wrong. He needed a word of reassurance. Something to ease his worry with. This is why he put Niall up to it but he was not taking him seriously right now. Zayn thought that little shit understood how important this was to him.
As the dread of an unknown mishap coursed through his blood stream, Zayn jolted up to his feet and tried dialing Niall again.
"Answer it, Niall," Zayn muttered anxiously. "You better answer this call."
Zayn pinched the bridge of his nose as he restlessly paced around the squeaky clean bathroom.
"I'm going to kill you, Flintoff! I'm going to fu--"
"Zayn?!" Niall voice carried through the device.
"OH, SO YOU KNOW WHO THIS IS, DO YOU?" Zayn thundered, "I THOUGHT YOU F --"
"Shut up and listen to me!" Niall interrupted.
"Don't you dare tell me to --"
"SHE STILL IN A COMA!"
Zayn froze mid step. Cold chills swept through every cell of his body. His mouth went dry.
"I'm sorry I didn't pick your calls, okay!" Niall continued, "But I had trouble getting to Asim. I texted you earlier to let you know I was at his place!"
Zayn had no idea what he was talking about and he did not care to figure out. He barely heard anything Niall said after he screamed that Bee was still in a coma. Why was she still in a damned coma? And where on planet earth was she?
"But he did not want to talk and told me to leave," Niall continued in the background, "It was her jerk of a cousin that --"
"Niall," Zayn interrupted his long rant, "I need to see her. Like right now. Where is she?"
Niall hesitated for a while.
"Zayn . . . I don't think it's a good idea."
"What are you even on about?"
"Her family is going through a lot. I don't think It's right to --"
"Where, Flintoff? I need the address. Where is she?"
Zayn waited, listening to Niall frustrated breathing over the static.
"Niall!" Zayn warned.
"Fine, Hell! I don't know, okay!" he shouted back, "I don't know the address."
"What?!"
"Zayn, I'm sorry. I couldn't --"
"You took all this time. Ignored my calls and --"
"Listen to me, Harris," Niall cut him again. "You cannot go and see her."
"Of course," Zayn snapped sarcastically, "because you decide what I can and cannot do and I totally know where she is."
However, what Niall said next, shut his smart mouth up completely.
"They think you did it," he said quietly.
"What?"
"They say she's got bruises and stuff. Shit is serious, mate. You cannot see her even if you knew where she was."
What the hell? Zayn ran a hand through his hair, tugging at their roots. Things were getting more and more messed up. He took in a couple of deep breaths.
"Niall I . . . I didn't!" Zayn managed to say, "Mate seriously, it wasn't me!"
"I believe you, you devil's offspring. I trust you!" Niall reassured him, "It's them that would need convincing."
Zayn was only mildly aware of what he had called him while letting him know he trusted him. Suddenly feeling suffocated in the bathroom, Zayn made his way to the door.
"I'm glad you believe the devil's offspring but that's not enough, I need your help."
"Like I have a choice but to help you." Niall chuckled, but when he talked again, his tone was serious. "I think the best way to go about it, is by talking to her brother. I'm worried, what if they involved the police?"
Zayn got out of the bathroom as Niall filled him in, only to suffer another mental blow as his eyes landed on her face.
"Asim is the calm one and he's a decent lad. He would listen. I mean her cousin is a complete jerk, so . . ."
Niall waited for Zayn to agree with his plan but he did not reply. Zayn felt his fists balling up.
"Zayn?" Niall spoke up. Zayn slowly pulled the phone down, "Lad, you there? Zayn?"
He hung up, glaring at the blond girl, casually sitting in the seat next to his bed.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked in a barely restrained voice. "Who let you in?!"
She looked up from the observing her perfectly manicured nails, her blue eyes twinkled in amusement completely disregarding his murderous glare.
"Oh babe, I was starting to think you wanted me to get in there with you," she smiled lazily, "Guess not this time then. So how's your leg?"
Author's Note:
Hey! ^^ and Assalamo'Alaykom (to those who like being greeted this way :P)
How was it Losties? Zayn seems to be in neck deep trouble. Do you think he will get up getting jailed or will he be saved somehow O_O!
Lots of Love,
J.