I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It felt as if my whole world fell apart in just that one question of hers.
"Who....who am...I?" A shocked whisper escaped my lips as I interrogated myself wirh the same question. She inched away on the bed, her expressions scared.
My breaths started to become dishevelled. "N...Nida."
"Who the hell are you? Please...Please stay away from me." She moved farther away on the bed.
I held her weak face in my shivering hands as tears fell off my face. "Nida mein...mein Sheh..Shehryaar hoon, Nida. Tum...tumhaara Sh...Shehry. Shehry py...." I weeped and she just sat there with her expressions stunned.
"Dekho. Mein...mein kisi Shehryaar ko nahi jaanti. Mujhe haath. Mat. Lagao." She gritted her teeth, breathing heavily through her teeth as she peered into my eyes with her dark eyes that portrayed nothing but the harsh fact that......I was now nothing more than a mere stranger in her life.
I gripped her weak face harder in my fingers and she winced in pain. "I...I'm your husband Nida. Pehchaano mujhe. Ch...chor gayi thi tum mujhe. Yaad hai?" I tried to remind her, trying not to sound harsh because now was not the right time to get back at her for what she did to me a year back.
"Excuse me?" She looked disturbed all of a sudden. "Husband? You come to me, try to remind of something that never existed, t...touched me, and now you call yourself....my damn husband ?!" She yelled, yanking my hands off her face.
"I was never married, and you dare have the fuckin' audacity to call me your...wife? Do you not have the slightest bit of shame ?!" She screeched.
I just shook my head in sheer disbelief. "Nahi Nida......Aise nahi kar sakti tum meray saath." I looked down as rage built up in me. All of a sudden, I screamed in her face. "Nahi kar sakti tum aisa !!!!"
She almost jumped in her place and began breathing harshly. She coughed as tears rapidly screamed down her face.
"Nida?" I instantly put my hand behind her head and laid her down and she stopped coughing.
"Mat haath lagao mujhe !!!" She scorned with a torn voice.
"I am your goddamn husband !!! Don't you remember ?!" I spoke louder as I held her arms, and the door to the room opened, with Mannat entering.
"Mannat !!" She yelled as her teardrops fell down to her white hospital gown.
Mannat ran over to her and carressed her shoulders. "Everything's okay Nida. Just calm down."
"No !! I told you to take me away from here. And you brought a stranger to me who...who claims to be my husband? Kia hai yeh sab Mannat?" She looked at her in disbelief.
Stranger....
"Nida...listen carefully. This guy......" She grabbed my arm and pulled me close to Nida's bed, not worrying about the fact that she was petrified. "Is your husband, Nida. His name is Shehryaar Asif. Remember?" Mannat spoke softly to her and I just looked down at my weak, helpless and terribly broken wife.
Nida just shook her head as she stayed quiet. I sat down on my knees beside her bed as a tear rolled down my cheek.
"Tum kaise bhool sakti ho mujhe Nida. Kaise bhool sakti ho woh sab kuch jo kabhi....jo kabhi hum dono ke beech tha. Bhool gayi ho woh engagement, woh Nikaah, woh High School ke din...jab hum...jab hum pehli dafa mile thay aik doosre se?" I looked down, gulping hard all my emotions that I just wanted to let out in an ear-piercing scream.
"Why are you doing this, whoever you are. You have no right to intrude into my life as my so-called husband. I was never ever married to anyone. My parents died and I came to LA. And I..."
I cut her off. "Do you remember how they died?" I asked, feeling like a complete and absolute stranger to me and it made my heart ache badly on the inside
"Just go away ! And stop asking me questions about my personal life ! Mannat isse kaho yahaan se chala jaaye." A tear fell off her waterline as she pleaded to Mannat.
Mannat turned to me and gestured me to walk outside with her.
I took one last look at Nida who had tears wildly rolling down her cheeks as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a medicine leaf and my eyes widened as she took out a tablet.
I sprinted towards her, snatching the medication from her hand.
"Are you out of your bloody mind ?!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and she gritted her teeth.
"Give them back !!" She yelled.
"Kab se le rahi ho yeh...yeh sab?" I scorned raising the leaf up in between our faces and she just pulled it out of my hand.
"None. Of your. Fuckin' business." She seethed and I attempted to get it back from her, grabbing her wrists.
"Aaah !" She yelled in pain and I felt my heart getting stabbed, deep inside me.
She bawled out crying and I released her wrists.
"Stop hurting meee !!! Go away ! Dafa ho jao yahaan se tum !" She let out her emotions filled with anger and hatred.
"Theek hai. Jaa raha hoon mein Nida. But I promise, you will never see these again. Ever." I threw the drugs out the window in front of her eyes and she cried as I walked out with Mannat.
I just sat down in one of the chairs and threw my head in my hands , tugging my hair in pain.
Kiyun Nida. Kis cheez ki saza de rahi ho mujhe tum? Aagay hi mujh se aik saal door rehna kia kam saza thi meray liye?
"Shehryaar." Mannat sat down beside me and I wiped off my glassy eyes before I turned to look at her.
She put her hand on my shoulder.
"Just as I thought. This is the brain complication she's facing." She gulped and then continued. "She's suffering from amnesia due to excessive drug use. Due to an overdose of these....anti-depressants, her brain had been affected quite adversely and....she now suffers memory loss." She explained and I just looked down at my hands.
"Shehryaar, can you...come to my office so we can further discuss this matter?" She asked and I nodded as we both got up and headed to the Psychology Department.
She sat down in her chair and pulled one in front of her for me to sit.
"Okay." She sighed. "Before I can make any further conclusions about her mental condition, I need you to explain your relationship with Nida, and everything about her parents's death possibly?"
I hesitated for a few seconds. She's asking for too much, but she's a psychiatrist after all.
I sighed. "It's a really long story."
She laughed. "That's why I'm here. To listen to loooong stories and maybe suggest something useful out of them?" She smiled and I did too, nodding.
I sighed deeply and she giggled.
"What?" I looked down at my hands shyly and she laughed even harder.
"Okay...okay. I'm sorry. I got carried away." She panted, suppressing her laugh and I shook my head, chuckling at her craziness.
"How old are you?" I asked curiously.
"Bhala ladkiyon se bhi koi age poochta hai?" She made a face and then giggled. "Khair. I'm 22."
I nodded and she spoke. "Look, I know it's gonna be weird talking about your love story to me but...."
"Hey, why is it weird? Pyaar kiya to darna kia?" I smirked and she raised her hand for a high five and I laughed giving her one.
"That's the spirit !" She grinned.
"Alright." I took another deep breath like the million other times. "So basically Nida and I met on the very first day of our freshman year at High School."
"Remember not to leave any important details." She winked and my jaw dropped. "What do you mean?"
"Ohho. I meant any specific names or places throughout your little prem kahaani, because that'll help me figure a few things." She giggled and I shook my head.
Sahi zinda dil psychiatrist hai kasam se. So not like the one mom made me visit a few months back. Itni kharoos aur sariyal thi woh aurat.
"Earth to, mister." She snapped her fingers in front of my face and I chuckled.
"Right, so Nidzi and I..."
"Wait, who's Nidzi?" She asked and I rolled my eyes.
"Nidaaa?" I responded in a 'duh' tone and she smiled.
"Okay, so we met at Richard Shane High School. We were the biggest enemies in the whole school. Har roz larna humne pagalon ki tarha, at even the most stupidest things." I laughed remembering those times and how crazy and aggressive we both were back then.
She smiled and rested her hands under her chin, wanting me to continue, so I did.
"So basically on the outside we were each other's jaani dushman but inside...." I trailed off, looking down shyly.
"But inside to kuch alag hi story thi, am I right?" She winked.
"Yeah." I chuckled. "But don't forget, we still fought like idiots. Yet again, we never confessed our feelings to each other. Aik yeh ego hota hai na, yeh hum dono ki bohat bari problem thi. Okay let's fast forward now, we finally...confessed our love for each other and not long after, both our parents decided to get us engaged."
"Engaged? You guys were still in high school right?" She asked, furrowing, and I nodded.
"Nida and I were not quite sure as to why our parents made this quick decision of getting us engaged, but right after the engagement, her father Rizwan Khan came to me and told me that her mother, Rafia Rizwan, was suffering from....lung cancer." I ran a hand through my hair as I remembered that scene and how Papa cried in front of me, making me promise that I'd always take care of Nida.
But she never gave me the chance to fulfil those promises that I made to her father.
"So Nida's mother's cancer was the reason for your engagement just so....she could see Nida's happiness before she died?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Correct."
"But were you guys happy with the engagement?" She asked.
I smiled. "Overjoyed. We were madly in love with each other." I chuckled.
"Oye hoye. Sweet." She tried to suppress the wide grin that made its way to her face.
"So after the engagement, we were able to spend a nice month together, until after a month I...." I trailled off as I felt my eyes become watery.
"What happened after?" She asked growing concerned.
"I had gotten into a car accident with her father. It was a terrible accident. Destroyed both our cars, admitted us both to ICU, but I regained consciousness, while her father fell into...into a prolonged coma." I gulped in my emotions.
"Poor Nida. Her mother had cancer and her father..." She looked down.
"Nida did not know of her mother's disease for a very long time. She kept it hidden because she couldn't bear to see her daughter break down in her last days.....Nida's parents believed that...only I could handle her and save her when she finds out about her mother. They knew how much I loved her and how I could do anything for her." I explained.
"So when did Nida find out?" She asked.
"Almost a month before her mother's death. She was always told that its her asthmatic attacks...... Her mother had expressed her wish to get us in Nikaah before she died but didn't really say it to us, in fear that we both might disagree. We found out about it, and eventually had our Nikaah. The same day, at dinner time, her mother's condition worsened and she died the next day."
Mannat seemed like she was thinking deeply and suddenly spoke. "So, her dad was in coma this whole time?"
"Yes. For 6 months, until.....a week after her mom passed away....her dad...died." I wasn't able to hold in my emotions any longer and tears just fell off my eyes like anything.
"Shehryaar it's okay. Relax."
"No Mannat. It's not. I...I was responsible for her father's death. I....was the reason she is like this today. I was the reason she's now a complete stranger to me." I weeped into my palms as her weak appearance in that hospital room flashed across my mind.
"But how? It wasn't your fault. I mean...you didn't do it on purpose. An accident is an accident, it was destined by Allah. But....how did she react to it?"
"She almost lost her mind Mannat. She fell in a terrible sort of trauma. Pagal ho chuki thi woh. Apne aap ko jalaane lagi thi. Sirf iss gham mein ke...aik hi hasti, aik support reh gayi thi iss duniya mein uss ke liye aur woh...woh bhi meine, uss ke husband ne, uss se cheen li." I cried.
She rubbed my back. "It's alright. Sambhaalo apne aap ko. She's still alive. You should at least be thankful for that."
"I know, but what's the use of even being with her when I'm nothing but a stranger to her." I wiped off my tears and just looked into the distance.
She stayed quite for a minute and then spoke. "What happened then? How did she get here?"
"The day after her father died, I tried. Tried to talk to her, make it better for her, and the situation did seem to calm down after a while, until after her father's funeral; when her feelings and expressions portrayed a certain....change. She seemed quite disturbed......I knew it wasn't just because of the funeral, but due to something else too. Something she was hiding."
I took a short pause and she handed me a glass of water. I gulped down the whole glass in one go and exhaled deeply before continuing.
"So then the whole night, I tried to ask her what was bothering her but all she did was just smile and say, it was nothing. Then the next morning, she left me a letter saying she's going somewhere far away and that she's run away....from home due to some mistake she had done. A mistake which wouldn't have let her live with me any longer.....And then I guess, she might've come to LA."
She nodded. "Yep. That's exactly when she came to LA. I remember how sad and broken she was that day, as if....as if she had lost everything in her life."
I furrowed my brows in counfusion. "You...know her?"
"I met her at JFK, a year back that same day she was gonna board a flight to LA." She rold me and my eyes widened in surprise.
"Wow." I then smiled. "I don't even know how to thank you enough Mannat. If it weren't for you, I'd have never found her, despite living in the same city as her."
She smiled. "Hey, no big deal. I'm just gonna say that....you're just lucky you didn't see her when I brought her here."
"Seeing her here in this condition was enough a punishment for me." My eyes became watery again.
"She was.....living on the streets." She looked down and my heart sunk to the deepest part of my body.
I couldn't hold myself together and just got up. "Just excuse me for a minute." I choked out with my blocked throat.
I ran out to the bathroom and cried. Cried my heart out.
Kia kar liya hai tumne apne aap ko Nida. Mein mar kiyun nahi gaya tumhein aise dekhne se pehlay. Kiyun jeete huay bhi marna chah rahi thi tum? Kiyun aik baar bhi mera kia, apne mama aur papa ka nahi socha tumne, jo apni qabron mein be-chen honge, ro rahay honge tumhein aaj aise dekh kar.
I panted as I turned to the wash basin and splashed my face with cold water, letting my emotions wash away with it. Wiping my face with a tissue, I headed back to her office.
She smiled as I entered and sat down.
"You okay?" She asked quietly, putting a hand to my shoulder and I just nodded, looking down.
She took a deep breath and glanced at me as I raised my head to look at her.
"See, from what you told me, and judging her mental condition, I can say that she neither suffers from retrograde amnesia nor anterograde amnesia. She suffering from a type of memory loss which is....let's say, somewhere around retrograde." She took a small pause and then chuckled all of a sudden.
"I know I know you must be like, yeh kia bullshit bol rahi hai. So let's make this clearer to you.....Okay, so you've told me that you were there with her through both of her parents's death, right?" She raised an eyebrow and I nodded.
"So how is it possible that she remembers her parents and not you. Seems a little odd, don't you think? I mean if it were retrograde amnesia and she met you after her parents died, then it was pretty understandable that she forgot all that happened after her parents death, but that's not the case."
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. I mean....I just got half of what she's saying.
She laughed. "Okay okay. Chalo, thora easy karti hoon. Dekho, jab uss ne woh anti-anxiety drugs liye thay, woh....kuch bhoolna chah rahi thi. Usse kisi cheez ka bohat gham tha, jiss ke depression mein woh drugs leti thi......Aur jahaan tak mera khayaal hai, woh...tumhein bhoolna chah rahi thi. And that's exactly what happened. Her brain responded exactly to that. Those drugs stimulated her brain in forgetting you and eventually she succeeded in letting you go. This is why she forgot you. And also her parents' deaths. She doesn't even remember how they died."
I went into deep thought for a minute.
"You're right Mannat. She was definitely trying to forget me, after leaving me for a lifetime." I looked down at my hands and gulped.
She put her hand on my shoulder and I looked up at her. "Shehryaar, I know how hurt you are. You never deserved this, and neither did she. But you're very lucky her case isn't extreme. You can still help her Shehryaar. I know you can save her."
"But how? I just don't understand." I shook my head.
She stayed silent for a few seconds, until she finally spoke. "Why are you here in LA by the way?"
"For university."
"And where do you live?"
"Dorms." I answered.
She nodded. "Okay, how about you rent an apartment, if possible, and live with her. Try to....make her remember and make everything fall into place?" She shrugged.
"It's possible for me to rent an apartment but.....how do I get her to live with me. I mean, she doesn't even let me touch her. Uss ke saath rehna to kaafi door ki baat hai." I ran a hand through my hair thinking of a way to get Nida to agree to live with me.
She smirked. "Leave that to me. Tum bas apartment rent karo, baaqi sab sambhaal loongi."
I just rolled my lips inwards, still confused.
"You should trust your psychiatrist mister. I can do this. You just gotta trust me.....By the way, Nidzi does a better job at this, than you're doing." I looked up at her at once and she winked.
"She trusts her psychiatrist,if not anyone else." She grinned mischeivously and I chuckled.
"Fine. I'll trust you too, if Nidzi does." I smirked.
"Oye hoyee. Biwi se itna pyaar, ke mujh pe bharosa bhi sirf ussi ki khaatir?" She smiled warmly and I nodded, wiping off a tear that just fell off my eye.
"Bas phir. Thora sa crazy ho jaye ga scene, lekin mein jaanti hoon ke tum usse sambhaal lo ge."
"Chahe jitna crazy ho jaye scene, I'm ready for it. Aaj raat tak apartment rent ho jaaye ga. Just tell me what you're up to. That devious plan that you're gonna implement on my poor little wife." I pouted and she giggled.
"Hm... you're gonna have to wait for that. Class dismissed?" She smiled and I nodded, getting up.
She let out her hand and I shook it. "I don't even know what I'd have done without you Doctor Mannat." I chuckled at finally calling her doctor.
"Don't thank me just yet. Here's my contact." She handed me her card and smiled, leading me to the door.
"Here's my number as well, and do tell me the plan beforehand so I can make arrangements."
She nodded and I smiled a 'thank you', and headed out of the hospital.
Hussain's POV:
Her expressions turned sad as she sat at the foot of my bed. "Tum bhi next year LA chale jao ge, mujhe chor ke?"
I sighed and sat down beside her, placing my head on her shoulder. "Haffu senti kiyun hoti ho. I have to reach out to my dreams babe. Don't you yourself want me to become a successful actor?"
I lifted my head off her shoulder and looked into her eyes. She kept her hand on mine and looked down. "But you can study here too. Do you just have to leave me alone?"
"Why don't you come with me, then? You wanted to study Graphic Design right? We can study in the same university. Shehry says it's a pretty awesome university." My face lit up and so did hers.
"I never really thought of that. That's an awesome idea !" She hugged me and I just smiled to myself.
Sain. You're a genius.
"But what about NYU. Aik saal ho gaya hai idhar mujhe. Why the hell did I jump a grade. Ugh !" She pouted.
"Relax. Just transfer your credits and Aaal ij well boss." I winked at her and she kissed my cheek making my heart do a backflip.
I just laid back down on the bed all dramatically and she giggled.
"Oye !" She yelled as I pulled her down beside me.
We just stared at each others' faces and smiled.
She looked down shyly and I kissed her forehead softly.
"Hussain, tumhein pata hai kal kia baat ho rahi thi meray ghar pe?" She spoke and I shook my head.
"Tumhaare baare mein. Mom and dad really like you....for....me." She looked down shyly.
"Really?" I asked with a huge grin plastered to my face.
"Really." She nodded, putting her hand in mine, which was placed in between us.
"To phir rishta pakka samjhoon?" I winked and she smacked my arm lightly with her other hand. "Haan, pakka hi samajh lo, but after I graduate though."
"Koi nahi, kar loonga wait." I said and chuckled.
Suddenly my phone rang in my pocket. I sat up and slipped it out. Glancing at the caller ID, I furrowed. Shehry?
I picked up. "Kaisa hai shehzaade?"
"Sain..." He was...crying?
"Shehry? Shehry kia hua tujhe? Sab theek to hai na?"
"H..haan Sain. Mil gayi mujhe meri bhatki hui saans. Mil gayi woh mujhe Hussain." He weeped and my jaw dropped in shock.
"Khuda ki qasam kha !!!" I yelled, still unable to recover from the shock.
"Hussain, kia hua? Sab theek hai na?" Hafsa asked, putting a hand to my shoulder and I nodded.
"Haan Hussain. Mil gayi woh mujhe. Lekin mein aaj aik ajnabi hoon uss ke liye." He cried harder and I could feel my heart sink.
"Kia...kia matlab?" I asked, confused.
"She's lost her memory Hussain."
"What?! But how?"
"Her overdose on drugs causing amnesia."
I shut my eyes, trying to absorb so much in. "Shehry, dil chota mat kar. I know you can make her remember. Make her love you again. Hausla rakh aur bas Allah par bharosa kar."
"I'm trying." He sniffed.
"I believe in you man. You can do this."
"I will. I will make her fall in love with me again even if it takes every last breath in me to do so.....Mama se baat karao meri." He says and I nod taking my phone to mom.
"Magar Hussain hua kia hai?" Hafsa still stood there, worried, when I returned.
"Hafsa, Nida mil gayi." I smiled and tears fell off her eyes instantly.
"Mil...gayi?" She spoke in disbelief and I nodded, hugging her.
"Shukar hai ya Allah, Shehry ki zindagi mein phir se khushi aa gayi." She sobbed into my chest and I smiled. "Alhamdulillah."
I called Sara baaji after mom was done. "Hello, Hussain?" Her voice escaped the phone.
"Sara baaji.....Nida mil gayi." I said.
"Oh my God !" Her voice came out like a silent, shocked whimper.
"Sara kia hua?" I could hear Aamir bhai in the back. "Sara bolo to sahi, phone pe kaun hai?"
She was crying her heart out and I smiled.
"A..Aamir, mil gayi meri behen." She weeped and then spoke to me. "Hussain, k..kaise pata chala? Kahaan hai woh....aur Shehry?"
"Woh Shehry ko hi mili hai, LA mein." I told her and she just weeped.
"Sara baaji. Relax. Mil gayi na ab to. Ab woh jab waapis aayein ge na dono, tab rona aap." I said and she chuckled.
"Haan In Sha Allah." She sniffed.
Shehry's POV:
I sorted out everything at the dorms and rented an apartment at one of the bulidings not very far from uni.
Ya Allah sab kuch theek ho jaye. Aik saal tune mujhe meri biwi se door rakha. Ya Allah ab aur nahi hota mujh se.
I gave Mannat a call and she picked up.
"Furnished apartment rented and all set. Now what?" I grew curious ready to hear her plan.
"Okay, so now all you have to do is just come and ask her to dinner. You're gonna be my childhood best friend, okay? I just hope her reaction is the way I expect it to be."
"Mannat you know how hard this is gonna be. She doesn't even let me touch her, asking her to come with me is a whole new level." I sighed.
"Trust me with this. I know it'll be hard and I'll end up doing crazy but safe enough things to her, but I'll do it. I want to see her recover."
I smiled. "You're awesome, you know that?"
"That's me. Okay, now hurry up and reach the hospital and gimme a call when you do. Okay? Bye."
"Bye." I sighed and hung up.
"I'm going to make you fall for me again, Nida Shehryaar Asif. I'm going to bring you right back to what we once were." I put my phone in my pocket and sat in my car that I just bought recently and drove to the hospital.
I reached and called her up. She asked me to wait outside Nida's room until she reached there.
She arrived and at her nod, we both walked in.
"Hey Nida." She addressed Nida cheerfully who was lying down in her bed, just staring at the ceiling.
"Hi." She smiled weakly.
Mannat then turned to me. "Shehryaar, you suck. You know that?"
I could've widened my eyes in shock at her phrase, but I knew it was part of her mastermind plan.
"Kia kiya tha tumne dopehar (afternoon) ko. Aur woh bhi meri patient ke saath? Apologize ! Right now." She said sternly and I walked toward Nida.
"Hey...I'm sorry for the 'husband joke' I pulled on you in the afternoon. Mujhe kia pata tha mind kar jao gi. I realized that not everyone can take jokes like Mannat can." I looked down, trying to seem as guilty as possible.
"Just shut the hell up ! I mean tumhein zara si bhi sharam nahi aayi, kisi se aisa behooda qisam ka mazaak kartay huay." She scorned.
"Come on Nida. He's sorry yaar." Mannat put her hand on Nida's shoulder and she just turned away.
"Let's start afresh okay? Nida, meet my childhood best friend, Shehryaar. Shehryaar, this is Nida, a very sweet patient of mine."
I reached my hand out to Nida with a cheerful smile on my face and she reluctantly shook it, not looking at me in the eye.
"Mannat, how about you xome over for dinner at my place. Itne saalon baad mile hain, thori chit chat bhi ho jaaye gi issi bahaane. Oh and bring Nida along." I smiled.
"Nahi ! Mein kisi stranger ke ghar nahi jaaoungi." Nida responded rudely and Mannat sighed.
"Come on Nida. Stranger nahi hai, mera friend hai. Maza aaye ga. Trust me, he's a really good person." Mannat supported my invite and Nida eyed us both suspiciously.
Come on Nida. Maan bhi jao. Apni biwi ko aik ajnabi ki tarha treat kar raha hoon. Damn, this sucks like hell !
"Sirf aik shart pe chaloongi.....tumhein meray saath saath rehna paray ga Mannat." She spoke finally and Mannat giggled.
"Mein hoon tumhaare saath sweety. Chalein ab?" She asked Nida who just nodded weakly.
"Hold on, just let me ask Bethany if she can discharge you." She walked over to the doctor who sat in one corner of the room.
I just stared at her weak face as she sat there, not wanting to look at me.
Kitna kuch badal gaya na humaare beech. Kitna kuch toot gaya, kitni jaanein chali gayeen. Papa ki.....mama ki...tumhaari....
"Come on Nida. You can be discharged. I've taken your medicines now come on." She smiled and helped Nida out of bed and onto a wheelchair.
"Ah !" She winced in pain anwas about to srumble when I grabbed her by the waist. She looked up into my teary eyes for a second and then quickly looked away. I released my grip slowly and helped her sit.
The three of us went out the room and Mannat handed her wheelchair to the nurse.
She whispered to me. "Her stuff is at the receprion desk. I'll help her sit in your car while you load it in the car trunk. Clear?"
"Okay." I whispered back.
"Shehryaar."
"Yeah?" I turned to look at her again.
"You think you can do this?" She asked.
"I've handled her at her worst Mannat. I'm sure I can do this. I believe in Allah. He's going to help me through this."
She smiled. "That's like a good, steadfast husband."
I smiled back. "Thank you. Bas begum aik dafa haath lag jaye meray. Sab yaad dila doonga."
She laughed a little. "Remember, begun abhi bhi drug addict hai. Ziada bother kiya to depression mein ja kar drugs le le gi woh. You need to stop her at all costs from taking anymore of those brain-killers, warna sab bhool jaayegi."
"I will. Don't worry." I just looked ahead and we finally reached the exit. Mannat handed me her bag. That same bag that she left with, one year ago.
She helped her sit in and I, after loading it in the trunk, sat in the driver's seat with them two in the back.
We finally arrived at our new apartment and helped Nida, walk in. She had become too weak to even walk straight.
Mannat made her sit on one of the sofas in the living room and I smiled at them.
"Make yourself comfortable guys. Kia khao ge, piyo ge dono?" I asked, sounding all formal and mehman-nawaaz.
"Get me a drink. Coke se kam nahi peeoungi. Yaad hai?" Mannat spoke with a funny expression on her face and I exploded with laughter on the inside.
"Haan haan yaad hai......Nida?" Her name came out more like a plead.
She just looked down, sitting so close to Mannat, as if I'd eat her up or something.
Hayee jaan. Yeh mat bhoolna ke yeh ajnabi tumhaara shohar hai. Aik baar muskura do meri taraf dekh kar. Please.
"Anything." She coughed with her sore throat.
I nodded and Mannat got up. "Come, let me help you." She walked with me to the kitchen and handed me a few tablets.
My eyes widened at the very familiar sight of those tablets, I've been using for the past year.
"No. No Mannat. I...I can't do this. Sleeping pills? Don't you think she's already been through enough? Besides she's still sick. You can't do this to her." I shook my head and she sighed.
"Relax. I asked her doctor about this, and she said it's alright. Nothing's going to happen, I promise. Don't you want her to be with you? Then trust me. This is the only way." She whispered and I nodded, mixing it into a glass of juice for Nida.
We both walked out and I moved the small tray in front of Nida and she grabbed the glass with her shaky hand.
I sat on the sofa opposite to both of them and Mannat and I talked about the craziest shit ever, though my eyes were still on her face and I felt like beeaking down with each second that passed by with her in my sight.
All of a sudden, she held her head. "Mannat, my head's getting a little heavier. Can we just leave now?"
I shut my eyes, feeling terrible for her as she went through so much. So damn much !
"Shehryaar, do you have a spare room she can rest her head for a while?" Mannat looked towards me, giving me the signal.
"Yeah. Yeah I do. Come Nida. You can rest for a while and then you both can leave." I smiled at her and Mannat helped her up. I led rhem both to one of two bedrooms that were in the apartment.
She lied down and I stepped out of the room, though I could hear rhem both.
"Mannat please stay okay? And wake me when we have to leave." She spoke in a thick, jet-lagged tone.
"Okay. Relax huh? Try to get some sleep." Mannat replied and then walked out the room.
She gave ma high-five and I just sighed.
"Oye Mr. Dukhi. My work for now, is done.....Will you be able to handle her? After I leave?" She looked down, a little gulity for lying to her.
"I will." A tear escaped my eye. "Thank you so much Mannat. I thought I'd never find her. I thoughg.....she.....died. But you saved her. You came like an angel into our lives. Ya Allah! I'm so glad to have met you. May Allah bless you with utmost, limitless happiness for doing so much for others."
She had teary eyes. "Aameen. You can stop thanking me, Shehryaar. That's the least I could've done for her. You both are going through a really hard time and I pray that things get better between you guys very soon. In Sha Allah."
"In Sha Allah." I smiled.
"Hey, by the way, how were you able to contact me in the first place?" I asked.
"Ho ! Don't even ask. I invaded a LOT of privacy." She winked and I laughed.
"She had a locked box which she kept a few of her most dearest things in, including her phone, which had her SIM card out. I just put it in and called up her 'Shehry pyaar'." She smirked and I could feel myself blush a little.
"You evil little psychiatrist." I shook my head, chuckling and she laughed.
"That's me." She smiled cheekily and walked to the door.
"Bye." She smiled. "And keep updating me on her condition. And if yo need anything, just call me up."
"Thanks. Bye." She left and I shut the door.
I sighed and walked into the room she was in and pulled a chair beside her bed and sat down as I kept staring at her face.
"I know you're gonna be mad about this, hate me and Mannat terribly for this. But I'm selfish for you.....Aur tumhein waapis paane ke liye kuch bhi kar loon ga. Aik saal to tumne barbaad kar diya apni zindagi ka, na jaane kis waja se, magar ab tumhaari zindagi nahi barbaad hone soonga mein. Itna pyaar karoonga, ke tum bhool jao gi ke tumne kabhi koi gham dekha tha apni iss zindagi mein." I whispered.
I took a shot pause and then continued. "Ab nahi bicharne doonga Nida. Kabhi bhi nahi.....I love you and I'm going to make you love me back for an eternity."
I leaned ahead and kissed her forehead softly and silently. Those feelings, those crazy sensations relived in me after a lifetime that passed without her.
I smiled at her face and went out her room, shutting the door behind me.
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Hey guys :D Sorry for the late update, but I got caught up in shit -_-
I'm sure you guys now got a lot of answers about Nida's condition. Although, one part remains hidden ;) buahaha >:D