"R...Riz..Rizwan j..jee." Her tone breaking, tears dripping down her eyes as she stood there beside his bed looking at his injured face which had scars all over, bandages stained in blood as they covered his head, both arms and his right leg in casts.
I just weeped silently seeing him like this. Lying there, seeming pretty much dead.
Shehry....Kiyun kiya aise? Kiyun kiya tumne aise? Kiyun uss aik insaan ki jaan par ban gaye tum jo meray sab se qareeb tha.
"Mama...The doctor said we need to leave now. They need to do his checkups." I said quietly, grabbing her shivering hand.
She yanked her hand out of mine and fell to the floor and cried against his arm which was attached to an IV drip.
"Nida...it's been a week. One...week without him." She sobbed as the words 'one week' escaped her lips in a whimper.
We hadn't blinked an eye for seven whole nights. All we ever did was cry in the day missing him and in the darkness of the night, wishing and praying that he recovers but here we were again just like those past seven days, standing by his bed crying over his helplessness. Our helplessness.
These seven days were more like seven decades to me. Seven decades without his jolly, smiley, caring.....presence around me. Please come back papa. Please....Nida ke liye bhi nahi?
I couldn't hold back and just fell down next to her and cried in her arms. My thoughts were too painful and just kept eating me alive with every passing second that flew by in his absence.
The door creaked open and in came the doctor and gestured me to leave. I nodded and walked out the door but could hear him as he crouched down to her level and spoke.
"Bhabhi sambhaliye apne aap ko. Mein apni poori koshish kar raha hun har din, unhein hosh mein laane ke liye. Aap ki aik hi beti hai. Aap kamzor parr jaayein gi to uss ka kia banay ga?" He looked down the whole time and so did mom who just sobbed silently looking down at her hands.
There was a brief silence in the room which he broke again. "Aap ghar jaaiye ab. Aur rest kijiye. Mein Rizwan sahab ke saath hun. Jab tak mein unhein hosh mein nahi le aata, mein unn ko kabhi akelay nahi chorun ga. Yeh mera vaada hai aapse." He looked up at her face and she did too. He smiled slightly and she just nodded slowly, getting up.
She just glanced at papa and the doctor walked out understanding. A few tears dripped off her eyes as she slowly bent down and kissed papa's forehead.
Pulling away she softly held his hand in hers and spoke against it "Rizwan jee....mujhse vaada karein aap jaldi waapis aayeinge. Please? Mujhe aise...akelay mat chorein. I miss you...I..I need you Rizwan jee."
She then slowly and carefully put his hand back on the space beside him on the bed and reached out her hands to his face.
Reaching for the corners of his lips, she slowly curved them upwards, just the way....the way he used to do with her.
"Mein aapki...aapki woh waali muskuraahat, woh pyaari pyaari harkatein dekhna chahti hun. Bas aapko apne paas rakhna chahti hun. I'm so sorry Rizwan jee. So wrapped up in my own self, I never cared how you were. Mein...mein bohat buri hun na Rizwan jee? Meri waja se hua na yeh sab? Bolein. Bol dijiye 'Haan begum. Biwi to humesha apne shohar se apne pyaar ka izhaar karti hai, pata nahi...pata nahi tumhein kahaan se utha laaya hun'." She weeped at the last part with a painful chuckle.
She then leaned in and kissed his forehead again and pulled away speaking as if mimicking him. "Aik yeh meri dramaybaaz jaan aur uss ka jhoota moota pyaar."
I couldn't bear to see the sight in front of me and just turned away and cried.
"Kiyun Shehry?" I broke out in many tears and she walked out of the room.
Wiping her tears and mine, she held me in her arms and caressed my hair. "Come on. Let's go home."
We walked out the hospital and I ignited the engine and drove off.
Shehry's POV:
She stood there outside her dad's room as she broke down.
Itna qareeb ho kar bhi usse choo na paaya. Keh na paaya ke sab theek ho jaye ga.
I banged my fractured arm against the wall and seethed with the pain that came with it and the pain that....I had caused her and her mother.
Aunty came out of the room. Pain evident in her eyes as she hugged Nida and tried to comfort her delicate soul.
I just turned away from the sight and shut my eyes, letting tears rapidly roll off my eyes. I deserved it. Deserved all these tears. If only I had been careful and this never would've happened.
Usse door reh kar bhi uss ki taraf nahi dekh pa raha. Na jaane school mein usse kaise dekhne ki himmat rakh paaounga.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and slowly opened my eyes to find Waqas, Hussain and Atif. They knew I'd be here if I wasn't in my hospital bed. This...this was the only place I'd ever be found at.
Waqas hugged me. "Bro. It's okay yaar. Mat ro. Sab theek ho jaaye ga." I just wrapped my arms around him and cried into his shoulder.
We pulled away and he wiped my tears."Rab ki zaat par bharosa rakh Shehry. Sab theek ho jaye ga."
Atif hugged me, not able to say a word. A tear just escaped his eye as he pulled back. He just shook his head and turned away from me. I could feel him cry. I could feel my best friend cry over my helpless condition.
I turned him back and hugged him again. "Please mat ro Shehry. Aise nahi dekh sakta tujhe."
"Oye bakri. Meri to kismat mein rona likha tha. Tu to mat ro, magarmuch ke aansou." I let out a painful chuckle and wiped away the tear stains off his cheeks.
He smiled a little seeing me smile, though it was a fake one I had to put on for him.
I looked at Hussain and he didn't move. Not even a single bit. Instead he just turned and walked away.
"Sain !" I called after him. "Sain ruk yaar."
I caught after him and pulled him towards me. His eyes red and puffy. He had sleepless nights along with me. Seeing me like this and just comforted me whenever I broke down.
I crashed into him, hugging the life out of him.
"Kiyun maar raha hai apne aap ko Shehry. Kiyun ro raha hai. Teri ghalti nahi hai, aur kabhi bhi nahi thi ! Yeh sab likha tha." He said over my shoulder.
I pulled back and held his arms. "Magar meri wajah se..."
He pulled away quickly, cutting me off. "Kia teri waja se, huh? Kia teri waja se, Shehry?! Uncle abhi bhi zinda hain. Kuch nahi hua unhein aur woh jald theek ho jaayein ge. Tu kiyun marr raha hai har roz? Aur mujhe...mujhe, mama aur baba ko maar raha hai. Bas karde Shehry. Bas karde yaar. Khuda ke vaastay bas karde !!" That one tear that was held in his eyes for a long while now fell off and I just hugged him, trying to comfort him.
Aur kar bhi kia sakta tha. Itna kuch to aise hi tabaah kar daala. Aik bhai hai to uss ko bhi...aise apne hi dard se tabaah kar daalun? Kabhi nahi. Kabhi bhi nahi....
"Chal." He gulped and helped me back into my wheelchair as he drove me back to my room along with Waqas and Atif.
"Oye Shehry. Teri Playstation urra di hai Atif ne." Waqas smirked at Atif while his jaw dropped in shock.
"Kia ?!" I looked at them in shock. "Zaroor saale ne 220 V ki jaga 110 mein laga di hogi. Kamine tujhe pehlay bhi pakra tha meine yeh ghalti karne se pehlay pehlay." I smacked the back of Atif's head, feeling annoyed and they all laughed.
"Kia yaar Shehry. Nahi pata chala na." He pouted rubbing the back of his head.
"Marta jaa raha tha na uss Lara Croft ke peechay. Teray saath iss se bhi bura hona chahiye tha." I gritted my teeth and Hussain and Waqas held in their laughter.
"Waise bachi sexy hai yaar. Maan le Shehry." Hussain says biting his lower lip and I rolled my eyes.
"Sharam kar yaar. Taken hai phir bhi line maaray ga uss ghundi saali pe." Waqas says all of a sudden, making Atif and I chuckle slightly.
Ghundi (gangster) saali. Haha. She is pretty well designed and appealing for a video game character though.
"Abbay game character hai yaar. Waise...asal waali Lara Croft bhi koi kam nahi thi. I mean Angelina Jolie....Oh Damn !" He smirked and gave Atif a high five, while I raised my unfractured arm and slapped his head.
"Oww ! Teri problem kia hai man !" He narrowed his eyes at me.
"Kis saale tharki ke saath phans gayi hai bechari Hafsa." I huffed and they laughed, including him.
We stopped laughing and there was an awkward painful silence that surrounded me once again.
Waqas breaks it saying. "Guys I gotta go now. Mama's been calling me up since the past hour but well, tujhse milne aaya tha." He smiled at me and I forced a smile back as Nida crossed my mind, yet again.
He hugged me lightly and then hugged Atif and Hussain, He waved at us and left through the door. Suddenly Atif's phone rings.
"Jee. Jee abbu. Haan jee. Mein Shehry ke saath hun. ghantay tak niklun ga........Papa meine kaha na yaar. Acha chalein aadhay ghantay tak...Okay... okay Allah Hafiz." He hung up and smiled at us as he sat down on the bed near my feet.
"Ati jaa yaar. Uncle needs you." I smiled, encouraging him to leave. I didn't wanna snatch him from his family.
Aagay hi do khandaan barbaad kar chuka hun, Nida ka aur apna. Teesra nahi hone de sakta.
"I know what you were thinking just now, and if I could, I would've slapped your damn face !" Atif said, raising his voice a little, in anger.
"I swear Atif, I'd have done the same regardless of the fact that he's older than me !" Hussain clenched his jaw in rage too and I just looked down.
I spoke quietly. "Theek hi to socha meine. Two freakin' families. Apno ko bhi apni hi ghalti se tardpa raha hoon !" I said throwing my head in my hands and they both left the room immediately.
Not willing to call them, I just slowly slipped into a lying position and just thought about her. I have to talk to her. I can't let her be like this. Aunty....Aunty has....
A tear left my eye and fell onto my pillow as Nida's face kept flashing in my mind, inducing excruciating pain in my wrecked heart.
I felt a hand on the side of my face. I looked up to find Hussain. He wasn't looking at me, just staring into the distance not wanting to say anything.
"Sain...I'm sorry I pissed you off." I said feeling guilty, despite what I said was no less than the truth.
After some 20 seconds, he answered still looking away from me. "You better be."
He sighs, speaking quietly. his tone full of concern. "Nothing ends here man. Give it all another chance. Try to talk to her. Try to comfort her. Aise rotay raho ge to kuch nahi milega. Balke abhi to woh phir bhi tumhaare qareeb hai, baad mein.....tumhaare haath se hi nikal jaayegi Shehry." His tone grew quiter at the last part.
"You promised Uncle on your engagement remember? Aunty....even she has cancer and Nida needs you. She direly needs you to stay by her side. You can't just break down like this. She's more than just your fiancé now Shehry. I'm sure even you know that perfectly. She's a part of your life. One that you can't live without. I know, I know, dil mein keh rahay ho ge 'saala lecture dena kia shuru karta hai, shuru hi ho jaata hai'." He chuckled taking a slight pause and then continues.
"Lekin meine jo bhi kaha, kia woh theek nahi hai?" He now looked into my eyes and I just pulled him down on me and hugged him. Not wanting to release him. Not now. Not ever.
He pulled back and pats my arm. "Chal, go to sleep. I'll bring Maha in the evening." He smiled and I managed to smile back.
We stayed quiet when he asks suddenly. "Lori(Lullaby) sunaoun kia?"
I smiled. "Suna de. Achi neend aa jaaye gi."
He chuckled. "Lalla lalla lori, doodh ki katori. Doodh mein pataasa, Shehry kare tamasha." She finished and I quickly said.
"Abbay, mein tujhe baandar ki aulaad lagta hun, jo 'Shehry kare tamasha' lagaaya hua hai." I frowned and he laughs.
"Tu baandar chor, kisi dracula ki aulaad hi ban jaa." He says and I slapped his back.
"Beghairat insaan. Bara hun tujh se. Kuch izzat kar meri." I narrowed my eyes at him and he quickly retorted. "Jaise tu bari Waqas ki izzat karta hai na?"
"Chal soja. Itne pyaar se lori sunaayi thi. Satya naas kar ke rakh diya." He frowned and got up to leave.
"Take care man." He half smiled and patted my shoulder, walking out.
Nida's POV:
I arrived home and just went to my room while mom went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, despite knowing that we both would never eat. This whole week, it was Irfan uncle and Azzu uncle who forcefully made us eat, and I'll I'd ever do was puke it all out. The pain was too intense. My father's my sunshine. He's the reason for all the happiness in my life. And to add to that happiness was Shehryaar, and now, I don't have....both of them.
I stood by my window and looked down. Tears sliding down my cheeks and falling onto the grass two floors down. My gaze shifted towards the garden and it reminded me of him. How he used to think he outsmarted Irfan uncle, and break into the house. How...how everything was so perfect between us. Just one week. Just one week had passed without even seeing his face and I miss him already.
I just moved away and laid in bed. Mom insisted that I should go to school tomorrow though I didn't want to. I didn't want to see his face. It'll only remind me of my dad who was struggling between life and death.
Papa aap kab waapis aayein ge meray paas?
"Very few patients survive by gaining consciousness while many.......just stay in this condition for years or even......die."
"No ! No no no !!!" I cried wildly into my pillow as the doctor's words rang clear through my head, and all of a sudden that one dream replayed in my head, in which Shehry and I were faced with a car accident.
Was this....was this what that dream meant? Separating me and Shehryaar for a lifetime?
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Alright, sorry for the late update guys :/ I know I know some of you are a teeny weeny bit hurt but that's how the story goes. Thank you so much for all the love and support you guys have given throughout this book, like seriously <3 <3 :) Oh and how do you like the cover? ;) Suits the story more now, no?