'Are you sure they left two hours ago?' I asked one of Haya's friends. Haya and Papa were still not home, and I was trying to call Papa's number, but I kept getting a message saying that the person I was trying to reach was unavailable. The storm was getting worse and so was my worry.
'Yes, Baji. Uncle came to pick up Haya about two hours ago. I told them to wait until the storm calms, but they left in a hurry' She told me. I ended the call and tried calling our neighbours hoping to hear some news but got no response. No one had any idea about them at all. I looked at the time and it was almost 9:30 in the evening.
I stood by the door and waited even if I couldn't see much far because of the heavy rain. I wish I had someone to talk to right now. I picked up my phone to call one of my best friends, Zoya but didn't follow through with an idea once I realized that she was out of town because she recently got married. I didn't want her to worry over me. So instead, I decided to call Karim Sir.
'Hello? Ayat?' Karim Sir sounded surprised to hear my voice over the phone. I hardly called him.
'Hello...yes...sir...I, did Papa call you?' I asked him.
'No...why? Is everything okay?' He sounded concerned.
'Yes...well actually no. Papa and Haya didn't come home. I am waiting for them, I tried calling Haya's friends and our neighbours, but no one saw them today. Papa is also not answering the phone...I don't know what to do...I think I should go outside to go look for them.' I told him everything. Papa told me if things ever go out of hands and he is not there, call Karim Sir. Papa trusted him.
'No don't go outside on your own. I will go and look around, I will call you once I get some news. Don't worry okay? Do you want to talk to Mama? You can come over and stay with her if you...' He offered.
'No...I'll wait here, in case they come here. Thank you, Karim Sir,' I was so thankful that he offered to go and look for Haya and Papa. Strange thoughts crept over my mind, but I tried to stay positive. Maybe the network was bad that's why Papa didn't get my calls or maybe they went to some store to avoid the rain on their way home, that's why they were late.
'Hello...yes, Karim Sir...did you find them...I?' I answered Karim Sir's call in a heartbeat when he called me after an hour or so.
'Ayat, I should be there in a bit' He said in a low voice and my heart sank.
'You found them, right? They are with you?' My voice cracked in between the words.
'Yes...I'll see you' With that, he ended the call.
'Where are you taking me? Why aren't you saying anything?' I kept asking Karim Sir while he was driving. He showed up at our house minutes after we last spoke over the phone and told me to come with him.
'Hospital' He finally sighed and answered the question.
'Hospital? Why? What happened?' My eyes teared up. I hope my family was okay. I prayed and prayed over and over.
'They got in an accident' He looked at me briefly before turning his attention back on the road. I pinched my skin hard to make myself believe that I wasn't dreaming. This was real. This was happening. I was living my worst nightmare.
'How bad is it?' I almost whispered, he heard it but didn't answer.
We got to the hospital and I found out and both my sister and father got in a car accident. Both were suffering from head injuries. Their injuries were both internal and external. Everything was happing so fast that I hardly got a chance to process everything. I got too busy with filling out the forms, getting the money, consulting with the surgeons and the staff that I didn't even get a proper chance to mourn or fully understand my emotions.
'You need to rest' Karim Sir walked into the waiting room and sat down next to me. He helped me out so much.
'Do you think I can rest while my family is under this condition?' I fired back, and he dropped his eyes and stared at the floor.
'I am sorry, I shouldn't have said that...you did so much to help me and I...I am sorry. I actually wanted to thank you for bringing my family here. If it weren't for you...' I started but he stopped me.
'You should thank Hamza...he was with me when you called. He and I went out together to look for them, he was the one who found out about them.' He informed me, and I didn't know how to respond. Where was he now? Why wasn't he here?
'He is at the police station...the guy who was driving the car escaped from the scene...Hamza is taking of that' He told me. I felt as if Hamza was sent down here only to help me.
'Can I talk to him?' I asked Karim Sir and he dialed his number and gave me his phone.
'Is everything okay?' Hamza asked right away when he answered the call.
'They are still under critical condition' I told him.
'Ayat?...don't worry they'll be okay. The person who was driving the car has been caught. We found some eyewitnesses...they are giving their statements right now...' He went off and told me about everything that was going on at the police station.
'Thank you so much' I broke down.
'Ayat, don't cry, it's going to be okay.' He tried to calm me down, but I couldn't help but cry.
'I am so scared' I cried.
'Don't be. I am here...we all are, I mean. Nothing is going to happen to them, but you need to be strong. You can't break down Ayat. Okay?' He said to me.
'Thank you for taking care of this...' I thanked him one last time and ended the call.
'You sure you'll be okay?' Karim Sir asked me when I told him that I was fine, and he could leave.
'Yes, it's fine...you should go. We can't do anything but wait. I'll keep you updated' I assured him, and he left. Papa and Haya were still under observation, every time I asked the doctors or the nurses, they just told me to wait.
'How are you doing dear?' Zaid mother came to visit me in the hospital the next morning when I called to inform her about the situation. She gave me a hug and sat down next to me in the waiting room.
'Zaid is also here, he is just looking for parking' She told me.
Minutes later, Zaid walked into the room and sat next to his mother.
'How are they?' He finally looked at me.
'Still under observation' I answered him.
'Let us know if you need anything' He said, and I nodded.
'I am sure she has everything under control' His mother said to him.
'Yes...don't worry. I don't need anything. Thank you' I added.
They stayed for a few more minutes and then left. Their interaction didn't feel genuine at all, or maybe I was overthinking everything. Maybe they felt awkward in this situation.
'Miss Ayat...may I have a word with you?' One of the doctors whom I chatted with earlier this morning came by later in the day and invited me to her office.
'Is everything okay? Do you need something? Any medicine...or?' I asked her.
'No...we don't need anything for now. Your sister is out of danger now, she will still be under observation, but her condition has gotten better' She slightly smiled, and I took a deep breath of relief that I was holding in for what felt like years.
'However, your father...since his injuries were a lot severe...there was a lot of internal bleeding and his spinal shock is affecting his blood pressure...' She chose her words very carefully and that's what scared me the most.
'What are you trying to say?' I demanded.
'He might not make it' She looked right into my eyes and said those words in a way that felt like I had been shot in the heart multiple times, all at once. I felt all the air was sucked right out of my lungs and I couldn't breathe.
'What do you mean he might not make it? How can you say this to me? Why aren't you inside saving my father instead of telling me all this? You can't just say...' I got up from the chair and stared back at her.
'I can understand what you are going through but believe me, our team is trying...'She said the same overused words to take control of the situation.
'We both know that's a lie' I meant to yell but instead yelped and ran out of the office.
'Ayat?' I heard Hamza's voice coming from behind in the hallway just as I left the doctor's room. I stopped and turned around. I saw him looking at me with such care that I couldn't help but ran to him. I looked at him and kept on crying. Him looking at me like he could hear each of my thoughts that were running in my mind, it felt comforting. He took a step forward and took me in his arms as I continued crying. He gently patted my back and told me several times that everything was going to be okay, but I couldn't let go. I felt so alone.
'Shh, ...it's okay.' He wiped the tears off my face when we parted, he walked me to the cafeteria and sat me down.
'I am sorry, I shouldn't have hugged you like that' I apologized to him once we sat down.
'The last thing you should be doing is apologizing to me Ayat' I could feel his eyes on me, but I couldn't look back at him. The comfort I was expecting to feel in Zaid's presence, I was feeling under his. Zaid was supposed to feel like family in times of sadness but instead, it was Hamza's presence that felt like home. Why was this happening?
'I am going to get some food' He didn't wait for my answer and minutes later he returned with a tray of food and a cup of hot tea.
'Eat' He pushed the tray forward and I took a sip of tea.
'Thank you' I felt short on words.
'I am sorry about what happened' He said after a while. We were sitting in silence, I had nothing to say to him. He did so much for me that I felt I owed him so much more than just a thank you.
'Everything feels like a blur. I feel like this is all a bad dream' I closed my eyes for a minute and the image of my father appeared right in front of my eyes. Every single minute, some thoughts of my father kept flashing in my mind. He was a silent hero. He did so much for us, never asked anything in return except our happiness.
'You are not alone' I heard him say and I opened my eyes and found his.
'You are a very nice person Mr.Hamza, I still mean everything that I said to you before, you need to stop torturing yourself. You deserve nothing but great things. You helped me so much...more than you'll ever understand. I am glad I met you' Papa once told me that God sends us people we need at exactly the right time. Mr.Hamza was one of those people. Right now, at this moment, I knew that even in the crowded room, I'd be able to spot him from a mile away because even if we didn't understand each other completely he was someone who touched my soul.
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I am not crying, you're crying! Ahh the feels
Hey guys, how are you all doing? Sorry for attacking you with a heartbreaking chapter but it had to be done. I really hope you're liking this story, there is so much more to come!
I just want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and love...it means so much to me and reading your awesome comments really brightens up my day. You guys are epic! <3
I'll be answering your questions in the next few updates, so please inbox/ leave your questions in the comments for me to answer. Here are the answers to few of the questions I got earlier. <3
Q: How much time does it take to write one chapter? About 2-4 hours, including quick editing!
Q: Where do I live? Canada
That's all for now, see you next week! <3