Salaam 😢
I hope you enjoy this chapter 😭😭
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It's just been two weeks since the incident. Naima couldn't forget it. They were back to California a few days later but she would never forget that day, when everything changed.
She had lost something that day. She almost died.....but that didn't matter because something much bigger was lost and she wouldn't be able to live if things didn't go well. She didn't even realize when tears fell down her face. Something she had been doing since that day. Like a daily routine.
"What are you thinking about?" Zain asked her when he got downstairs.
"Nothing." She lied.....again.
"It's alright. It's a thing of the past. You need to move on in life. At least for Karim." Zain encouraged her. He knew point blank how she felt.
"I need to see him again." Naima said out of the blue after a while.
"You are just going to cry more and be more miserable than you already are right now. " Zain noted.
"No. I promise I won't. I just need to see him. He's all alone in the hospital. I should be there with him." Naima pleaded with him.
"Dean's there with him. You know how he feels about you being there. You heard what he said." Zain explained the facts to her. Facts, she didn't want to hear about.
"I know what Dean said but I'm his wife. He is my husband. He can't just decide that I shouldn't see him." Naima protested angrily.
"Dean wasn't the one who said you couldn't see him. Tawfiq made him promise to keep you safe and sane no matter what. You seeing him in that state makes you go crazy all over again. Dean doesn't want to break his promises. " Zain held her shoulders to look into her eyes make her understand the situation here.
"I said I won't. I will be fine.....I'm going crazy not seeing him. " Naima cried out.
"Shhhhh.... You will wake Karim up. The little guy is not in the best place right now. He has nightmares normally and his dad just can't seem to get any better." Zain retorted.
"You should be with your son. That is what Tawfiq would have wanted. Not crying all day long." Zain told her plainly.
"You don't get it. I can't even look Karim in the eyes anymore. I failed him. He almost died that day and all because I wasn't a good mother. I was the one who suggested that they stay home. If I had just listened to Tawfiq and brought them along with us, nothing would have happened to him or Tawfiq." Naima cried.
"Come here. " Zain hugged her. Her hands were by her sides as fresh tears fell from her eyes again. She didn't want to cry but she just couldn't seem to stop it.
"It's not your fault. Karim doesn't think you failed him... He thinks you are angry with him for being kidnapped. Talk to your son. Before you lose him. " Zain soothed.
Why would Karim think that? She would never get angry because of that.
"Thank you. I'm sorry I overreacted." Naima apologized.
"No need. Just go up and talk to him. Explain to him what is going on. He is more bright than you think." Zain was right. Karim was like his father. He could understand stuff children his age clearly shouldn't.
Naima nodded when he let her go. She hurriedly went upstairs to Karim's room. He was on the bed with the covers covering his whole body. It was too hot for that....Naima thought.
She tried to pry it off of him only to be taken aback by an alert Karim with a toy gun in his hand pointed at Naima.
"Mama?" A surprised Karim said.
"What's with the gun baby? You know you are safe right? No one will hurt you again. " Naima furrowed her eyebrows.
"I know, but I don't want you to get sad and angry if the bad men come for me again. I don't want you to get hurt like daddy." Karim explained.
"Aww baby, I was sad but I wasn't angry. I love you more than you think. I could never get angry at you for that. And your daddy will be fine, so don't worry your little head about that." Naima tried to make herself believe her own words but she couldn't. She hugged her son tightly and ruffled his hair making him groan in disapproval.
Tawfiq had been in coma since he was shot that day. It was one of Alvarez's men that shot him, from what Naima knew. Bella had gunned down Alvarez not to soon before Tawfiq was shot that night.
Two weeks ago
Naima had been called by a man who had supposedly been in contact with Tawfiq a few hours ago. She had been asleep from the drugs for almost 8 hours already when she was called.
She and Belinda had quickly left the island and gone to the police station on the mainland. Some police officers had already been dispatched there, but after a lot of pleading they allowed them to go to the location with two other policemen.
"They will be fine." Halima said.
"In Shaa Allah. I hope so." Naima held back her tears. Her thoughts had been blocked out by the wails of the police car's siren that she didn't realize they had got to the location.
The second they got there, her eyes scanned the area. It was dark but the lights from the police cars illuminated the place. She could see Dean, Zain and even Nick. Where was Tawfiq and Karim then? She got down of the car with Belinda. That was when she saw Tawfiq coming out of the building with Karim in his hands. She released a breath of relief and smiled happily.... They were okay..... Tawfiq hadn't seen her yet though, but from the way he was looking around, she was sure he was looking for her.
She was about to ran to him when she heard a gun shot. Her eyes turned wide and her breathing cut off as she covered her mouth with her palm to hold her screams back. She stopped when Tawfiq stopped. She could tell he wasn't aware of the fact he had been shot. He even looked confused. He dropped Karim and looked at where he had been shot.
The next thing Naima knew, Tawfiq was falling to the ground. Everyone shouted saying incoherent things. She ran as fast as she could to him but she was too late. She got to him just as Dean got there.
"TAWFIQ!" Dean slid to the ground. He checked his pulse quickly.
"He's alive, Naima keep pressure on the wound! I'm going to make the bastard pay!" Dean took his gun
from the back of his jeans. Naima didn't even bother to stop him. It might be wrong to think this but she hoped Dean would kill the shooter. He deserved to die.
"You can't just die on me!" Naima put his head on her lap. She put her handkerchief on the wound on the side of his stomach. A groan escaped from him as his eyes fluttered open a little.
Halima came by her and took Karim in her hands. Naima had nearly forgotten about Karim.
"Habiba?" Tawfiq said in labored breath.
"Argh!" Tawfiq groaned. He was in pain from the look etched on his face. But he still tried to remain strong.
"Shhhhhhh......Save your breath. Keep your eyes open and on me, okay? For me." Naima pleaded as heavy tears fell from his eyes.
"I want to.... Argh... But I'm so... Tired... Just a little bit of rest, please." Tawfiq pleaded with her.
"No! Don't close them, babe. Just do this one thing for me." Naima forced a smile. Her clothes were soaking with his blood. She tried to put more pressure on the wound but the blood wouldn't stop. It just wouldn't.
"Babe?.... You are trying to corrupt me..." Tawfiq managed a chuckle. Naima smiled a tight-lipped smile.
"No more talking. You are going to be fine." Naima told him. Where was the fricking ambulance? Her mind screamed.
"..... I hope so. Forgive me for..... Arhnn!... I shouldn't have..... It wasn't my place." Tawfiq pleaded for her forgiveness for trying to drug.... Actually for drugging her. But he still thought it was the right thing to do to keep her safe. He'd do it again if it came down to that again.
"No, no, You did the right thing. I'm not angry with you." Naima caressed his hair and face. She kissed his forehead as blood started to trickle down from his mouth. His eyes were closing slowly but he was keeping it opened for her.
"Ma'am?" A male paramedic touched her shoulder and she flinched. They had brought the stretcher by her but she couldn't find it in herself to let him go.
"You need to let us take him. He's losing blood and the boy is having a serious fever." The man explained to her.
Naima let go of him and got up as the paramedic took charge of keeping pressure on the wound. He was carried onto the stretcher with the help of another paramedic. Naima covered her mouth to prevent her from crying like a baby.
" Take him and go with them. We will be there soon. " Halima handed Karim to her. The paramedic was right, Karim was hot... Too hot to be normal.
She took Karim and followed the paramedics into the ambulance and it quickly took off. She didn't know where Dean was, she didn't know if he had caught the shooter but deep down she hoped he had and done what had to be done.
Tawfiq's eyes were still open when Naima entered the ambulance. He looked at her and smiled as he took hold of her free hand.
"He's going to be okay. " Tawfiq assured her. She nodded and squeezed his hand.
"You are both going to be fine." Naima corrected him. The paramedics placed a breathing equipment over his nose to help him breathe. They attached some tubes to him, for what reason, Naima didn't know. One of the paramedics came to take Karim from her but she hesitated a little.
"I'm just checking some necessary stuff." The paramedic informed her. She handed him over to him after a little hesitation.
Just then the machine by Tawfiq went frenzy. It beeped continuously in a frenzy manner. Naima's heart stopped. In the movies, this was how people died. You didn't need to be an expert to know.
"He's crashing!" The paramedic shouted.
"He's going into cardiac arrest. We have to perform CPR!" The other man said after a while. Naima couldn't talk or move. She didn't even notice how the ambulance was going past all the speed limits. She just cried and cried.
The cardiac monitoring went into a continuous beep and the line became flat.....
" No!" Naima screamed as the paramedic performed CPR on him. He couldn't just die.
"1.....2....3....4..... 5......." The paramedic compressed his chest as he counted each compression. He frowned as he compressed further.
"We've got a pulse. It's slow, but it's there. " The other paramedic sighed in relief.
They got to the hospital longer than Naima thought was necessary. Naima followed Tawfiq's and Karim's stretcher. Her hold was tight on Tawfiq's hands but when they got to the Intensive Care Unit, a nurse stopped her and other doctors took over from the paramedics.
They entered another part of the hospital and all Naima could do was watch them... The love of her life and her baby boy... Her son... Being dragged away to wherever.
Dean had come later with everyone else. He had a stiff face with no emotion showing on it. Naima didn't bother to even ask him what had happened back there but she didn't care any more.
After almost 10 hours of pacing the hallways of the hospital, a female doctor came out of the ICU.
"Are you the family of... Tawfiq and.... Karim?" She asked after looking through a clipboard. Naima quickly turned her attention to her.
"Yes. I'm the mother and wife. Tell me, are they okay?" Naima asked her fervently.
"You want the good news first or the somehow good news?" The lady asked her sadly.
"Good news?" Naima said unsurely. She looked at everyone and they all nodded in response.
"Karim is fine. He just contracted a little stubborn bacteria that made him unconscious due to a reduction in his fluid intake but it's not anything that antibiotics can't cure." The doctor explained.
"They starved my baby?" Naima almost cried. She could feel it. That was why she didn't want to eat. He hadn't eaten anything.
"Yes, from what I could tell. The bad news is.... Your husband. I'm sorry but he is currently on life support. We tried the best we could. He is even lucky he is alive. Normally, from where he was shot and the amount of blood he lost he should be dead but something in him doesn't want to die yet. We are counting on that to get him back. But as at now, I suggest you just wait. " The lady explained.
" Can we transfer him? " Dean asked her abruptly. He wanted to leave the country already. A simple vacation had turned everything upside down. Bella had ended up shooting Alvarez and he had shot the man who had shot Tawfiq and he didn't regret it. Not one bit.
"To? I assure you that this is the best place in the country for him." The lady frowned a little.
Naima thought it was a good idea to transfer him to another hospital in the states. Away from everything that happened.
"Back home. We are just here on vacation. We would like to send both of them back to the states. If you think it's advisable, that is." Naima answered her.
"You can but you need to have a doctor with him on the flight at all times. He could spike at any time and at such high altitudes it could be dangerous. " The lady warned.
"Can you be of service to us? I can get a private plane ready by tomorrow for you.... I will pay you as much as you want. Take it like a rental.... Miss...? " Naima pleaded with the lady.
"Clara...I have to check with my boss first...." Clara looked unsure. Going to the states was a dream come true for her but she loved her job here too. She loved her country and the people too.
"Please do." Naima begged with sad eyes. Clara nodded understandingly.
Naima turned towards everyone else.
"I'm going to call Salim to get the plane for Tawfiq and tell him the news." Naima told them.
"Let me do it." Dean offered but Naima had to decline.
"Thanks but I have to handle this myself and not ran away from reality." Naima explained to them.
"She's right." Bella defended her and she smiled at her.
She walked outside the hospital and called Salim, hoping and praying he'd pick up. He did, after a few rings though.
"Salaam. Naima?" Salim said quickly
"Salaam. Yes it's me. I know it's late there but I need a little help. Ummm... Tawfiq's been.... Shot..."
"Shot?! When? How? Is he okay? Who shot him? " Salim was shocked to say the least that he asked all the questions he could think of at once. Tawfiq? Shot?
"It is a long story. I will tell you later. I just wanted to ask if you could get me the private plane by tomorrow? We are transferring him to the states. He's on life... support... Right..... Now." Naima's voice shook as fresh tears fell from her eyes. Salim
"Ya Allah!.... Sure, sure. It will be there latest by tomorrow afternoon. I will meet you in the states when you get back. I have to tell dad and Farhana." Salim informed.
"Okay. But I'm not sure Tawfiq would want his mother to know so please keep it from her." Naima told him.
"I know. I will call you later." Salim said and ended the call.
Naima walked into the hospital again and after a while the doctor, Clara, informed them that she could go with them.
The next day, when the plane arrived, A few people had helped them prep the inside of the jet to be more suitable and more hospital like for Tawfiq's transfer. All the necessary equipments had been provided in the plane for it. It looked like a smaller clinic.
"You okay? It's gonna be fine." Zain assured her as Tawfiq was carried on his bed by a few people into the plane, followed by Karim on a stretcher. He was still weak and needed as much rest as possible.
Bella had Nick in her arms and was walking by Dean who followed the men into the plane. Zain, Halima and Naima followed not to soon after them.
Clara was the last one to enter.
"I can't thank you enough. You are leaving your work behind to help us...."
"This is also my job so don't worry about it." Clara informed Naima.
**
The flight to the states was a long one but nothing major happened except Karim waking up in the middle of the flight screaming from a nightmare and Tawfiq's blood pressure going higher than normal but Clara managed to get it back to normal soon after.
Tawfiq was quickly admitted to the best private hospital in the whole of California according to what Naima knew. Naima had never been a fan of getting money from Tawfiq's account. She knew his account number and could access it at any time with her signature but she didn't. She'd rather ask him for it. But this time, she accessed the account almost every day just to provide the best care she could get for Tawfiq.
Clara was still taking care of Tawfiq in the hospital as his private doctor - after Naima had asked her to stay- with the help of other doctors as well. Naima had gotten her a place to stay in California. A few weeks ago she'd have thought the apartment she had gotten for Clara was too expensive but now she didn't care as long as Clara was okay and well enough to take care of Tawfiq.
One doctor had suggested taking Tawfiq off life support to save them all from misery. She had gone ballistic over the idea. She wouldn't do that. She never would.
She had cut herself away from everyone. Only talked when it was needed. She talked only a few times when Farhana and Tawfiq's dad had arrived but they had to leave soon after, according to Tawfiq's father, Mohammed -against Farhana and Salim's wishes- so as to not attract attention.
She couldn't even look at Karim anymore, nowadays. She felt she had failed him. She wasn't the good mother she thought she could be. Halima and Zain had been staying with her since they came back. To keep her company.
Naima literally lived in the same hospital room as Tawfiq. He had been placed in a private VIP room and Naima had gotten another bed for herself. She'd go home for a few hours and come straight back to the hospital every day. Even some of the patients knew her well and she did too.
By the end of the first week, Dean snapped. He moved or let me say dragged her out of the hospital room and sent her home and made sure she wouldn't be allowed to see Tawfiq any time soon. Except when he thought was necessary.
She understood why Dean did that. But she was going crazy, slowly and Dean had promised Tawfiq never to let that happen.
~
That was two weeks ago. Tawfiq was still on life support and Naima only saw him twice a week for an hour.
" Are you sure daddy will be fine? " Karim asked her.
" Yes..... " Naima thought for a moment " You know what? Why don't we go and see him tonight. But you can't tell anyone about it, okay baby?" Naima whispered. She knew Karim wanted to see his father and so did she. It would just be for a while.
"Okay!" Karim shouted.
"Shhhhhhhhhhh......" Naima placed a finger on her lips to show Karim to keep it down.
He mimicked his mother with a smile.
"Shhhhh...."
They'd leave after Zain and Halima were asleep. It wouldn't be too long now.
Hold on, Tawfiq. For us.
Naima thought.
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How was the chapter? I hope you now understand how things went down from Naima's point of view.
Anyways #VCS
CIAO 💓