Dawood had put the entire FBI ordeal behind him and a week later, life seemed to go back to normal. He helped his father out daily, at work and had assimilated quite nicely into the Khan family's daily routines. He woke up every morning at five and then went on an early morning jog around his neighborhood. His fifteen minutes of fame had subsided by now, so it was easier walking around town without being recognized. After his jog, he spent some time mowing the lawn or weeding out his mother's precious flowerbeds before heading inside to start breakfast. By this time, usually, Amina and Mehak could be found in the kitchen having a cup of coffee. Today was no different. Dawood yawned and gave Amina's cheek a kiss before opening the fridge and saying, "How are you, Mama?" "I'm fine," Amina smiled. "What do you want to eat?" "I'll make something," Dawood said before stifling another yawn. "I wish Sulaiman would go jogging with you in the morning," Mehak began as she carried Ali and placed him in his high chair. "I'm starting to worry about his cholesterol." "Stop feeding him so many eggs," Dawood chortled as he poured himself a cup of coffee before deeply inhaling the aroma. "Oh God, that's good." Mehak smiled at Dawood and shook her head, "I don't feed him lots of eggs, Dawood." "Right," Dawood muttered as he rolled his eyes, "his plate magically has four eggs on it, daily." "Well, he works hard all day," Mehak countered defensively. "Yup, at a desk," Dawood laughed. "I'm just messing with you, Bhabi. Feed him all you want. You're his wife, you know best."
Mehak took Dawood's words to heart and placed one egg in front of Sulaiman at the breakfast table before sitting down with her own breakfast. "What's this?" Sulaiman asked as he raised an eyebrow and poked his egg with his fork. "Your breakfast," Mehak said simply and smiled as Musa and Mariam sat down with their breakfasts. "It's always fun to see you both together." "Why?" Musa asked before spreading some jam on his toast. "You're so similar," Mehak smiled and watched as Mariam and Musa both took a sip of their coffee in unison. As if realizing what just happened, Mariam wrinkled her nose and said, "That's so weird. Stop copying me." "I'm not copying you, Baji, you're copying me," Musa said and quickly put his cup down. "Why is there only one egg on my plate?" Sulaiman asked again while he looked at his wife. "Did we run out?" At that moment, Dawood sat down at the table with a giant omelet and grinned. "Well clearly, we're not out of eggs," Sulaiman said and looked at Mehak for an explanation. "Your cholesterol is too high," Mehak said simply. "I'm taking medicine for it," Sulaiman pointed out. "I think I deserve a couple more eggs." "I think you don't. I want you healthy and alive, so no more eggs. You're lucky you're getting even one. In fact, I want you getting up with Dawood and exercising regularly," Mehak added. "When hell freezes over," Sulaiman said before stabbing his egg with a fork.
"The feeling is mutual," Dawood spoke up once he had washed down his breakfast with a giant glass of milk. Right then, Jannat walked into the kitchen and looked around before saying, "I feel Korean today." Dawood squinted his eyes in confusion and leaned his chair back to look at his big sister, "You feel what now?" "I feel Korean today. Today, I will eat nothing, but Korean foods and shall also speak in Korean," Jannat said simply. "You know how to speak Korean?" Dawood asked in disbelief. "You have your army, I have my passion for foreign languages. Not all of us are boring, Dave," Jannat said simply. "What's his name?" Amina asked as she sat down with her plate. "Oh, sorry, Mama. I meant Dawood, honestly," Jannat covered up quickly while clearing her throat. "You know how much it irritates me when you use nicknames for your names," Amina said as she sliced into her cantaloupe. "Right, well, won't happen again," Jannat said as she took a sip of her coffee. "Hang on," Dawood called out, "that's not Korean. You just said you'll be speaking Korean today." "Stop being a pain," Jannat said and rolled her eyes before muttering something in Korean. "Yup," Dawood smiled, "that was Korean." Before everyone could settle back down, Dawood watched as Amina's cup of tea slipped from her hand and clattered against the wooden floor.
"Mama?" Dawood whispered as he called out to Amina. Amina rubbed her temples and said, "I'm fine." "No, you're not," Sulaiman opposed as he watched his mother get to her feet shakily. "Mama!" Musa yelled out as he watched Amina teeter and fall face first. "No!" Dawood yelled out, running as fast as he could to catch his mother before she could hit the ground. "Mama!" Mariam yelled as she patted her mother's cheeks. "Mama, can you hear me?" "She's out of it," Musa said and looked at Sulaiman. "Call an ambulance." Dawood felt his heart beat rapidly as Sulaiman called paramedics to their house. This was his mother. This was his only pillar of support in his life. She was his superwoman. Nothing was supposed to happen to her. "Amina!" Dawood heard his father yell out as he rushed to her side. "What's wrong, my love?" Things seemed to slow down as the paramedics rushed into the house and pried Dawood away from Amina. He watched as she was strapped into a stretcher and taken away. He fell to his knees and watched his siblings run around the house, all in a panic. Dawood wasn't sure how long he knelt on the ground, but the next thing he knew, Jalal had forced him to get up and was ushering him into his car.
By the time Dawood had arrived at the hospital, everyone else in his family were already sitting in the waiting room. There were people rushing past him in the hospital, but the only thing he focused on was his family. "Baba," Dawood called out as he approached Harun and noticed the strain on his father's face, "where's Mama? Is she okay?" "I don't know. They haven't told us anything yet," Harun whispered and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. Jalal wrapped an arm around Harun and said, "Baba, you have to be strong. No matter what, you have to be our support." Dawood retreated from his family once he noticed them consoling one another. He headed back down the hall and leaned against the wall as he replayed the moment his mother lost consciousness. He had seen war. He had seen carnage, but nothing made him tremble like seeing his mother stagger. When his siblings wanted nothing of him, he would crawl into his mother's embrace and knew he could turn to her for support. He sank to the ground and wrapped his arms around his knees as he realized that if his mother disappeared from his life, the fragile bonds his siblings reluctantly had forged with him would snap easily.
"Where's Dave?" Jannat whispered as she finally noticed that her little brother wasn't with the rest of the family. Jalal looked up and looked around in confusion, "I brought him here. Where'd he go?" "I'll go look for him," Jannat said as she stood up and headed out of the waiting room. She didn't have to go far as she spotted her tall brother curled up in a little ball only a few feet away from the waiting room. "Da-," Jannat began to call out, but stopped as Ahmed passed by her. He walked by without noticing her and handed Dawood a cup of coffee before sitting down next to him. "Thanks, man," Jannat heard Dawood whisper and watched as he wiped tears from his face before forcing himself to take a sip of his coffee. She hadn't seen Ahmed arrive, but she also hadn't seen Dawood distance himself from his family either. She watched as Ahmed draped an arm around her brother and whispered, "She's going to be alright, bro. How do you think she'd feel knowing you're out here instead of in there with the rest of your family?" "She'd understand. She knows I barely belong there," Jannat watched Dawood sigh and wipe his eyes with his sleeve now. "You're more my family than they are." Jannat gulped and wiped her own tears away as she listened to her brother's admission. She had wanted to bridge the gap between Dawood and herself many times, but something always came in her way. Now, as she watched Dawood, she wondered if she was too late.
While Jannat stood, lost in her thoughts, a doctor in blue scrubs walked towards the waiting room and called out, "Are you Mrs. Khan's family?" Dawood stood up in a hurry with Ahmed right behind him as he looked at his sister standing in the doorway. "Yes, we're her family. Everyone else is inside," Dawood answered. Jannat moved aside allowing the doctor to enter the waiting room. The doctor glanced around the room before looking at Harun. "Are you Mrs. Khan's husband?" The doctor asked politely. "Yes," Harun nodded and gulped. "Is she okay?" "She's resting at the moment and you'll be able to visit her once she's alert," the doctor began, "but there is something I'd like to go over with you." "What is it, doctor?" Mariam asked in concern. "Your mother's dizzy spell is not the first, as she has explained to me," the doctor continued. "Unfortunately, there is some troubling news. We conducted a CT scan and noticed a mass in her brain." "A mass?" Musa asked quickly and read the doctor's nametag, "You mean a tumor, Dr. Castro?" "Yes," Dr. Castro replied. "We will need to run more tests. For now this is all the information we can give you."
Dawood leaned against the wall of the waiting room and closed his eyes. He heard his sister's sob and his brother's murmur in disbelief after the doctor left. He took a staggered breath and clenched his jaw before looking at his siblings. Musa comforted Mariam as she wept on his shoulder and Jannat sat by herself as she wiped her tears away. Sulaiman stood in the center of the room on his phone while Harun sat stone faced on a nearby chair, away from everyone else. "Alright, so what's next?" Dawood spoke up as he cleared his throat. Dawood noticed that his father snapped out of his daze and looked at him as he spoke. "What are you talking about? Didn't you hear? Mama has a tumor," Sulaiman spat out as he looked at Dawood. "Yeah, I heard, so what's our course of action?" Dawood asked as he looked at his siblings. "Course of action? Course of action?! This isn't one of your war games. Mama may die and you're talking about playing war?" Sulaiman asked in anger as he grabbed Dawood by the collar. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Ahmed stood up and grabbed Sulaiman's hands, prying them away from Dawood's collar before saying, "Can't you two stay civil for five minutes?" "This is between family," Sulaiman spat out. "What the hell do you have to do with any of this?"
"Enough!" Harun bellowed. "Your mother did not teach you to act like animals!" "Sorry, Baba," Dawood apologized immediately. "Acting like animals? Baba, are you serious? Dawood should keep his mouth shut for obvious reasons. He's here for a few more weeks and then what? He leaves and we take care of Mama. Should he have a say in any of this? Speaking out for what's right is now animalistic?" Sulaiman asked incredulously. "Bhai, we're in a hospital, calm down," Musa said as he pulled Sulaiman away from Dawood. "Your temper will be your own undoing, Sulaiman," Harun warned sagely. "Write this down since I am making this clear, Ahmed is a part of this family, whether you like it or not." "Right," Sulaiman said sarcastically and barged off away from the family. "I didn't mean any disrespect, Baba. I was only asking how we're going to approach this. Mama is going to need all the support she can get. We have to be strong and be pillars of support for her," Dawood explained. "I know what you mean, son," Harun sighed. "I just don't have the patience to listen to Sulaiman arguing with you."
Dawood decided to give the rest of his family some time alone before they were allowed to visit their mother. If he was honest with himself, he felt like the rest of his siblings were giving him judgmental looks, which had always made him uncomfortable. "Where are you going?" Ahmed called out as he followed Dawood down the hallway. "I don't know. Away," Dawood sighed and felt Ahmed's hand on his shoulder. "Let's go to the cafeteria," Ahmed suggested, sensing his friend's pain. They walked to the cafeteria in relative silence where Ahmed forced Dawood to sit down and sat down across from him. "Aren't we supposed to buy something before sitting down?" Dawood asked. "I'll grab us some coffees," Ahmed suggested and ran off towards the line. Dawood took this moment to bury is face in his hands and fight back the nausea he was feeling from hearing his mother's condition. His mother had taught him, to take everything in stride. He was taught that there would be many ups and downs in their lives, but no matter how bleak the outlook was on life, he should remain optimistic because life moved on. Even if one of them fell sick, even if the prognosis was the worst they could imagine, they still had to remain optimistic.
He remembered his mother giving him a lecture on keeping a positive attitude when he was younger when his pet hamster fell sick. "You know, Dawood, life isn't always perfect," Amina had said as she wiped away Dawood's tears. "The people and even animals we love and care for, fall sick. Sometimes there's nothing we can do, but pray and sometimes even then, they don't get better." "Why?" Dawood had sniffed as his mother held him in his arms in the veterinarian's office. "Why doesn't prayer work?" "I wouldn't say prayer doesn't work, but sometimes in order to learn a difficult lesson in life, we are given tests. These tests may hurt us at the time, but we learn to grow from them. We pray a lot so that we have a good outcome from the tests, but that doesn't mean God doesn't listen to your prayers. He just saves them for later when you might need them more," Amina had explained. "What if I want God to listen to my prayers now and save Mr. Hammington?" Dawood had asked innocently as he wrung his small hands together. "Well, God will only do what is best for you. If there is a lesson you need to learn from this, it may seem like God isn't answering you, but remember, He is still listening and has saved all of your wonderful prayers for later," Amina had explained calmly as she stroked Dawood's hair. "Always stay positive, my sweet. No matter what, don't let the one who is ill know that they are ill. Even if they are living their last breath, give them a positive memory, a memory filled with laughter and smiles so they can leave the world content."
"I swear you have more flashbacks than a soldier in a World War Two flick," Ahmed said before he slammed two mugs on the table, jarring Dawood from his thoughts. "Huh?" Dawood asked in confusion. "Welcome back to the land of the living," Ahmed said slowly. "Sorry, just have a lot on my plate," Dawood sighed. "I was thinking of what Mama told me about staying positive in horrible situations." "Yeah she gave me a lecture on it too," Ahmed sighed. "I don't know what to do, man," Dawood sighed as he played with his mug. "You're thinking about what Sulaiman said?" Ahmed asked quietly. "Once he said it, you saw how everyone else was thinking the same thing," Dawood whispered. "I'll be gone in a few weeks. Do I really have the right to talk about how we're going to tackle Mama being ill?" "You're her son, man," Ahmed began and bit into a muffin viciously, "you're probably the only one that actually understands her. I think the rest of them should shut up." Dawood smiled and shook his head, "You're always taking my side." "I'm just pointing out the obvious," Ahmed replied. "I hate seeing them step all over you, like you're some kid. Most of them don't even know that Auntie's favorite food is lasagna." "Think we should head back?" Dawood asked Ahmed. "Finish your coffee, then we'll head back," Ahmed replied and quickly devoured the rest of his muffin.
Dawood ran his hands over his head while he headed towards the nursing station, trying to soothe the headache that was brewing in his head. "Excuse me," Dawood called out to a nurse sitting behind the station. "Oh my goodness," the middle aged Caucasian nurse said as she looked at Dawood. "Well, that's a surprise!" "Excuse me?" Dawood asked. "What is?" "Your voice," the nurse answered and called out. "Hey, Christina, come here!" Another middle-aged nurse walked over and said, "What's up? Having trouble with the new system update?" "Uh-uh," the first nurse answered. "Listen to his voice." Christina looked up at Dawood and smiled, "Well, aren't you a cutie?" Dawood's cheeks colored slightly and he said, "Uh, I just need some information on a patient who was moved here." "Oh my Lord," Christina said with a grin. "I was not expecting such a baritone, Alice." "Right?" Alice sighed and propped up her face in her hands. "That jawline could cut stone. What can I do for you, handsome?" "Hey, did you find out what room Auntie is in?" Ahmed asked as he approached Dawood. "Oh my goodness, another one!" Alice exclaimed. "I'm so happy I took a double shift today." "They keep talking about our voices," Dawood whispered to Ahmed. "It's awkward." "I swear, men these days just don't have voices like you two anymore," Christina sighed. "Now that we've officially turned this young man into a beet root, how can we help you?"
Ahmed smiled at while Dawood blushed some more and said, "We need to know what room Mrs. Khan is in." "What's your relation to her, handsome?" Alice asked as she typed on her keyboard. "We're her sons," Dawood replied. "What a lucky woman to have such handsome sons come look after her," Alice smiled. She looked up at Dawood and said, "She's in room 237. Just head on down this hallway and it should be the third door on the right." "Thank you," Dawood and Ahmed said in unison before heading down the hall. "That was so weird," Dawood spoke up as they distanced themselves from the nursing station. "You've been out of the loop too long," Ahmed chuckled. "They were giving you a compliment." "It felt like a creepy grandmother was hitting on me," Dawood said as he looked at Ahmed. "Well those creepy grandmothers are now going to take care of Auntie, so let them have their fun," Ahmed pointed out.
Once they reached Amina's room, Dawood looked inside from the small window at the door. He could see his mother, sitting up and conversing with her children who were all in one way or another sitting on her bed. He took a step back from the door and frowned. "You're not going in?" Ahmed asked. "I don't think I should. The others have it covered. I'll come back when no one is around," Dawood decided and turned to leave the hallway. He instead, collided with another young man. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Dawood asked quickly as the young man got to his feet. "What are you made of? Stone? I swear my body's aching right now," the man said as he rubbed his shoulder. "Is this Mrs. Khan's room?" "Who's asking?" Dawood asked as he looked at the man in distrust. "I just need to know if it's her room, dude. The nurses said it's this room," the man reacted irately. "Yeah, but I'm asking you what's your relation to her?" Dawood asked and looked at Ahmed. "You know this guy?" "Nope. Never seen him before," Ahmed said and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "What's your name, man?" "I'm her son. My name's Adham," the man said. "Her son?" Dawood asked with a laugh. "Who are you kidding?" "Listen, man, I don't have time for this. I need to see how she's doing, I don't care if you believe me or not," Adham said in annoyance.
Dawood was about to grab the imposter, when he heard the door open behind him. "Oh God, don't hit him!" Jannat yelled out as she pulled Dawood away from Adham. "Who is he?" Adham asked as he looked at Jannat. "I wasn't telling YOU not to hit him. I was telling HIM not to hit you, Adham," Jannat emphasized and looked at Dawood. "Remember how I told you I got engaged?" Dawood who had his brows furrowed nodded and then seemed to put two and two together, "He's your fiancé." "Yes," Jannat sighed and looked at Adham. "This is my little brother, the one I told you about." "Oh God, I'm so sorry," Adham said quickly. "Of course you'd get angry at me. I was claiming to be your mom's son when you actually are her son. You're the military brother, right? Of course you are. I felt like I collided with a wall of steel when I ran into you." "Oh God, you're as nervous as Jalal," Dawood remarked. "Calm down, man. I'm not going to hit you." "I've just heard a lot of things about how you're tough and all," Adham explained and composed himself. "I'm Adham Park." Dawood shook Adham's hand and said, "Dawood Khan. Sorry, I didn't know what you looked like since my sister never got around to sending me a picture of you." "Nah, it's cool. I'm just glad you didn't knock me out," Adham laughed nervously. "I'm going to go inside to see Amina Auntie." "Yeah, you do that," Jannat sighed and looked at Dawood once Adham went into the room. "Thank you for not hitting him." "I didn't really want to hit him, but he just came up here and said he was Mama's son and I was like, uh no you're not," Dawood explained. "Why don't you go inside, Baji? I'm sure your fiancé has probably peed his pants by now."
Jannat nodded and headed back inside the room while Ahmed and Dawood continued to stand outside. "You're seriously not going to go in?" Ahmed asked as he glanced at Dawood. "Not right now," Dawood whispered. "I mean, of course I'm going to check on Mama, just not with everyone else around. Let's go to the gift shop. We can get her flowers in the mean time." Ahmed nodded and added, "That way we'll get some fresh air as well." "Yeah," Dawood agreed. With that, the two of them headed back towards the nurse's station. "Where are y'all headed?" Christina called out as she spotted Dawood. "Um, the gift shop," Dawood said as he walked up to the nursing station. "Could you tell us where it is?" "Honey, if you'd ask me to jump off the building with that voice, I'd do it in a heartbeat," Christina sighed. "I wouldn't ask you to do that. I really just need to know where the gift shop is," Dawood replied uncomfortably. "Sure thing, honey," Christina smiled at Dawood. "We don't really have a gift shop, it's more like a gift center. If you head out of the hospital, right out the main doors, and turn left, you'll see a building that looks like a mini White House. That's our gift center." "Thank you," Dawood nodded before they headed towards the elevator.
"You're so awkward," Ahmed teased as he pressed the button for the lobby once they were in the elevator. "What do you mean?" Dawood asked and rubbed his neck. "Those ladies were flirting with you and you went all awkward on them," Ahmed laughed. "I don't like flirting. I don't even date, you know that," Dawood sighed and stepped out of the elevator once they arrived in the lobby. "I get that. I mean I don't date either, but I'm not awkward around women," Ahmed pointed out. "You work in the public sector, Ahmed. I'd be surprised if you were awkward around women," Dawood sighed. Ahmed grinned and shook his head before adding, "Okay I take back the statement that you're awkward around women. You're awkward around women that give you compliments." "I'm fine with that," Dawood said offhandedly as he looked towards the lobby doors. "Is that Bhai?" Ahmed followed Dawood's gaze and saw Sulaiman pacing outside of the hospital's main doors.
Dawood had seen his big brother pace like this before. The last time he had seen Sulaiman pace was when his youngest was born and they had stood in the waiting room. Usually this was his worrying pace, but as Dawood looked at his brother, he saw anger simmering behind his eyes. He watched as Sulaiman reached into his pocket and pulled out an e-cigarette. Dawood's eyes widened as he watched his "perfect" big brother inhale deeply on the thin cylinder, causing the LED tip to glow brightly. "Is he smoking?" Ahmed asked in surprise. "Wasn't he the one that said smokers were no better than thugs and ruffians?" Dawood pushed past the front doors and yanked the cigarette from his brother's lips. "What the fuck are you doing?" Sulaiman asked calmly. "You're better than this, Bhai. Mama's sick and you take up smoking? Things aren't that bad. You should stay positive!" Dawood exclaimed angrily. "What I do with my body is none of your goddamn business," Sulaiman said as he menacingly poked Dawood in the chest. "I'm so sick and tired of your fucking self-righteous act. You think you're perfect? You think you're a mega-Muslim, that you've studied every little nook and cranny about Islam? You kill Muslims for a living, you hypocrite. There is no God. Chew on that, asshat." "I can take you calling me a hypocrite, but how can a Muslim say there is no God?" Dawood asked in confusion. "Aren't you Muslim?"
Sulaiman cackled. Ahmed gulped as he heard Sulaiman's laugh. He had heard him laugh like that whenever he would purposely push Ahmed down the stairs or trip him when they were younger. He hated that laugh because to Ahmed, it was a reminder of just how spiteful Sulaiman could be. "Am I Muslim?" Sulaiman asked and looked at Dawood harshly. "Fuck no. You know what it's like being Muslim here? It's like being ready to wear a scarlet letter so that this community ostracizes you. Mama and Baba may have tried raising us Muslim, but I don't want any part of it anymore." "Then why marry a Muslim? Why pretend to care about what Mama thinks about Islam?" Dawood asked in disbelief. "I thought I was Muslim when I married Mehak. I thought that for a while until Umar was born. That's why I married a Muslim woman. She knows I'm no longer Muslim, but what is she going to do? Divorce me? She loves me too much to do that and I love her too much to let her go," Sulaiman said simply. "As for Mama, I love and respect her. I put up with her Islamic nonsense because I don't want to hurt her feelings, but inside, I think she knows I'm no longer Muslim as well. Now, stop shoving your beliefs down my throat and go back to whatever hellhole you were stationed at before coming here. We're better off without you and your pet."
Dawood stood in shock as Sulaiman took the cigarette back, placed it between his lips, and walked away. "Dave," Ahmed whispered as he placed his hand on his shoulder, "you alright?" Dawood frowned and said, "Yeah. I'm fine." "You don't look fine," Ahmed pointed out as they headed towards the gift center. "Lots to process," Dawood said simply and rubbed his neck before reaching for the gift center's door. He wasn't looking where he was going and collided with a woman who was leaving the gift center, causing her things to fall to the floor. Ahmed quickly bent down and began picking the things up while Dawood jumped as high as he could to catch a sheet of paper that had caught a nice breeze and began drifting away. Dawood snatched the sheet by the tips of his fingers and finally looked at the woman, "I'm so sor-oh! Assalam alaikum!" Iman smiled as Dawood greeted her with the traditional Islamic greeting which meant "peace be upon you." "Walaikum assalam," Iman replied, which meant "and peace be on you." She then added, "I seem to be running into you gentlemen everywhere." "Are you here visiting someone?" Ahmed asked after greeting Iman. "I come here weekly for services any Muslim patient may need, including scheduling visits with the imam," Iman explained and thanked Ahmed for picking up her possessions. "That's pretty cool. I didn't know we had that service here," Dawood said as he handed Iman the sheet he had caught. "It's still pretty new. I decided to pick up some plush toys for the children I am visiting," Iman explained. "Are you gentlemen visiting someone?" "Our mother," Ahmed explained. "She fell ill today."
"Really?" Iman asked in concern, "Was it sudden? I mean, I've seen her here with your father at least once a month." "What?" Dawood asked in surprise. "She came here once a month?" "You didn't know?" Iman asked. "I'm pretty sure I've seen her here during my visits." "No, I didn't know. It seems like I know very little about my family," Dawood sighed. "Where did you see her around?" Ahmed asked. "Usually sitting in the waiting room of the radiology department," Iman replied. "She has cancer," Dawood whispered in realization and ran his hands through his hair and walked away to cry out in frustration. Iman looked at Ahmed and said, "You two really didn't know?" "No. She kept it from us," Ahmed sighed and rubbed his neck before shaking his head. "I think it's worse for him since he's always away." "I feel horribly guilty. I didn't mean for him to be hurt by this," Iman said and shook her head. "If I had known you two didn't know, I wouldn't have said anything." "It's not your fault," Ahmed reassured Iman. "I hope you won't think we're rude but I have to make sure he's alright." "No, not at all," Iman sighed. "I'll leave you to collect your thoughts. Excuse me."
He was hurt. He was sorrowful. No, he was furious. Dawood felt a whirlwind of emotion developing inside him as he pieced together what little he knew about his mother's illness. She knew she was having headaches and had hid it from her family. She had been coming to the hospital regularly which meant she knew she was ill. Chances were, she knew what her illness was and was getting treated for it at the hospital once a month. She had at least one partner in crime, which was Harun who had helped cover everything up in their family. Going to the radiology department once a month meant she had an appointment there either for diagnostic testing or treatment. The only treatment that came to Dawood's mind regarding radiology was radiation therapy. "Dave," Ahmed whispered as he placed his hand on Dawood's shoulder. Dawood turned and whispered, "She was sick this whole time, Ahmed." "I didn't know, man. If I did, do you think I'd let her come to the hospital alone with Uncle?" Ahmed asked. "No one told me." "I want to know why she hid it," Dawood whispered fiercely. "She has children that would have stood by her, so why hide it?" "We can go ask her, but Dave, don't get angry at her. She's still your mom," Ahmed whispered.
They headed back to Amina's room and knocked on the door once they arrived. "Come in," Dawood heard his father call out and opened the door quickly. Dawood gulped and felt his anger ebb away as he looked at his mother who lied back against the propped up bed. "I was wondering where you were," Amina smiled at Dawood. "I-I didn't want to come when everyone was here," Dawood explained hesitantly. "Harun told me what happened," Amina sighed. "You didn't really take what your brother said to heart, did you?" "It's not the fact that he said that, Auntie, it's the fact that you could see everyone else thinking it once Sulaiman said it," Ahmed chimed in and gave Amina a hug. Amina patted Ahmed's cheek and said, "I think everyone kind of overreacted, that's all." "Imagine how they'll react once they find out that you knew you were sick and had been coming to the hospital regularly," Dawood whispered as he sat down on a chair next to his mother and looked at the ground. "What?" Amina asked softly. "What did you say?" "We know, Mama," Dawood began as he looked at Amina seriously. "We know you've been at the hospital regularly. You know what's wrong with you, don't you?"
At that moment, Aisha walked in and looked at Dawood in surprise, "You're still here? Everyone else has left." "Then why are YOU here, Bhabi?" Dawood asked in suspicion. "She knows as well," Amina said simply. Dawood looked at his mother in disbelief, "How many people helped you cover this up, Mama?" "Four, including myself," Amina sighed. "Who is the fourth?" Ahmed asked. "Mehak," Aisha said. "Right, of course," Dawood laughed, "so my sisters-in-law and my parents covered up my mother's illness. That makes perfect sense, doesn't it?" Ahmed could see the frustration in Dawood's eyes as he tried coming to terms with both his mother being sick and the fact that she was keeping it from everyone. "Dawood," Amina whispered and placed her hand on Dawood's hand, "I won't apologize for keeping this from everyone. I had my reasons for doing this." "Can you tell us what's wrong, Auntie?" Ahmed asked as he looked at Amina in worry. "She has a grade three anaplastic astrocytoma," Aisha said as she rubbed her neck. "Can you explain what that is?" Dawood asked as he wrung his hands. "You know, for those of us that aren't doctors. By the sound of it, it doesn't sound good."
Aisha sighed and sat down next to Harun on the couch in the room, "She has a tumor in her brain. Do you remember anatomy classes from school?" "A little," Dawood whispered. "I remember the basics about the brain." "Well then, I won't go into specifics, but her tumor is in a location where if we do remove it, she may have trouble walking and talking normally," Aisha explained carefully. "It's serious, Dawood." Dawood gulped as he buried his face in his hands and whispered, "Shit. Shit, shit, shit." "Dawood," Harun whispered as he stood up to approach his distraught son. Dawood stood up and began pacing, tugging on his hair with his hands, something he did when he felt he could do nothing else. Dawood brushed Harun off as his father reached for him and leaned on the bed to look at his mother, "Mama, are you dying?" Amina smiled sorrowfully and kissed Dawood's forehead, "We all have to die at some time, my son." Ahmed let out a ragged breath as he wiped tears that now cascaded down his cheeks before sobbing, "You're kidding, right?" Amina looked at Ahmed and said, "Why are you crying? It's not like I'll drop dead right this minute." "God, Mama. Stop saying you're going to die. Bhabi, isn't there anything we can do?" Dawood looked at his sister-in-law desperately. "We can buy her time with treatment, but in the end, it's really up to Allah," Aisha whispered. "I'm doing what I can as her daughter and as her doctor."
"What are her treatment options?" Dawood asked quickly as he faced Aisha now. "Well, surgery for one. Then she'll undergo more radiation and chemotherapy in the form of a pill called Temozolomide," Aisha explained. "Alright, we'll do that," Ahmed said quickly as he stood up. "We have to do that!" "Don't I have a say in this?" Amina laughed. "No!" Ahmed and Dawood said in unison. "What are the side effects of the medicine? It's chemotherapy, right. So, will she lose hair?" Dawood asked Aisha. "I don't think that'll be a problem," Aisha sighed and shook her head as Amina removed her hijab. Amina ran a hand over her bald scalp and smiled at Dawood and Ahmed who both looked astounded. "Y-Y-You're b-bald," Dawood stuttered. "M-M-Mama, y-you're bald. What the heck is going on here?" "Someone tell me I'm dreaming. Someone tell me I'm dreaming," Ahmed mumbled to no one in particular. "Neither of you are dreaming and yes, I'm bald," Amina smiled. "You're not having chemo, so how are you bald?" Dawood asked in complete confusion. "The radiation made my hair begin to fall out, so I got rid of all of it," Amina said simply. "Oh God," Dawood moaned, "and no one noticed this?! Is everyone mentally slow?!" "You didn't notice," Aisha shrugged. "It's Mama's hijab. We've gotten so accustomed to seeing her with it that we don't question what's underneath it anymore."
"So, so, what now?" Ahmed asked as he sniffed back tears. "Auntie, you're getting surgery and chemo and everything, right?" "Well," Amina trailed and shrugged. "Mama!" Dawood cried out, "You have to!" "Alright, relax," Harun said as he held his hands up to diffuse the tension in the room. "Amina will get treatment, but she has some conditions." "Conditions?" Ahmed asked as he sat on the edge of Amina's bed. "How can you have conditions at a time like this?" "I have come to terms with my disease, my son. I think it'd be best if you two did too," Amina said as she smiled at Ahmed. "What are your conditions?" Dawood asked somberly. "The reason that I haven't had surgery yet is because I wanted to be well and able to pick you up from the airport. This could very well be the last time you see me like this. I wanted you to have a good memory of me," Amina explained. "Right, so this is my fault?" Dawood asked incredibly. "Oh honey, that's not what I said. This was my decision. Now, my conditions for treatment also have to do with you," Amina explained. "Please hear me out before protesting, alright?" "Yes, ma'am," Dawood whispered as he looked at his mother expectantly. "As you know, the surgery may make me weak and unable to walk and talk. I may also die. There are a lot of variables that have to be considered," Amina began as she squeezed Dawood's hand. "I want to see Jannat, Ahmed, and you get married."
"What?" Ahmed coughed and felt Harun patting his back to stop him from coughing. "Me?" "You're my son, aren't you?" Amina asked. "Yes, but Auntie, marriage?" Ahmed asked in disbelief and then glanced at Dawood. "You're not going to say anything?" "I have nothing to say," Dawood whispered. "Is this your wish, Mama?" "Yes, my son," Amina smiled. "I want to be alive and well when you get married. Seeing as I don't have that much time, I was hoping you three would agree to get married soon." "How soon?" Ahmed asked as he rubbed his neck. "I have already been looking at potential spouses for you two," Amina said simply. "I figured as much," Dawood nodded and stood up. "I also met Jannat Baji's fiancé. He's a special one, isn't he?" This caused Aisha to snicker as Harun yelled out, "That's what I said!" "He's a decent man and he cares for Jannat," Amina explained. "He tries to be tough, but he's a softy on the inside." "You'll probably hear this from Jannat Baji, but I nearly punched him," Dawood said and shrugged. "He kept saying he was your son and well I had never met him." "Thank God you didn't," Amina sighed. "What do you say, Dawood? Ahmed? Will you think of this as my dying wish and agree to it?"
"You're not seriously considering this, are you?" Ahmed asked as he followed Dawood down to his parked car. "Mama has never asked anything of me, Ahmed. I went into the military while everyone wanted me to be a doctor. She didn't even raise a voice of protest," Dawood sighed as he sat in Ahmed's car. "Marriage is a big deal, man. You can't just get up one day and say you're getting married," Ahmed said quickly as he roared the car to life. "I'm ready to get married, Ahmed. All of my siblings had arranged marriages. That's something that I'd like as well. Having my parents use their life experiences to guide me to find a spouse who is compatible with me and is willing to face highs and lows together in life, is something I have seen work for my siblings. I have a steady job, a home, a steady income and I have a plan for the future. I think I'm ready to get married," Dawood explained calmly. He faced Ahmed and said, "You're not, are you?" "No," Ahmed sighed as he drove Dawood home. "I can't get married yet. I want Rana to get married first and you know how she is about choosing her future spouse." "I'll explain it to Mama. Hopefully, she understands and will be content with seeing Jannat Baji and me get married," Dawood sighed. He balled his fist and gritted his teeth as he pleaded mentally, "Please Allah, don't let anything happen to Mama."