~Not proofread. Do point out if/where i did mistakes. Enjoy reading❤

Layeba kept wringing her hands under the table and biting her lower lip. It was a pure sign of nervousness. Why her daughter was nervous though, Shiza didn't know. SHE WAS NERVOUS! She never was. Whatever she wanted, she would downright say it because she knew she would get it. Whenever she had stirred up any trouble, she would get out of it by sweet talking. But right now, she was nervous. And it was making Shiza nervous watching her being nervous.

Placing her cutlery down, Shiza broke the silence.

"Okay, tell me what's going on."

"Huh? How do you know?"

"Layeba, for a doctor, you act pretty dumb sometimes. I'm your mother. Now say it."

"O-kay", she cleared her throat and licked her lips which felt dry all of a sudden. "A-ammi... I'm thinking of moving abroad. With Arsal and you."

Had a bomb been exploded nearby, Shiza wouldn't have heard it because she was just too preoccupied with the "suggestion" her daughter just made.

"Wh...what did you just say?"

"Professor called me yesterday and offered me a job as head neurosurgeon in his hospital. I...i'm thinking of accepting the offer."

Professor Deniz had been building his hospital in his homeland - Turkey for quite a while now and it was almost finished. Ofcourse, he as the head neurosurgeon would've been ideal. But he decided that since he'll be the CEO, he'll not be an all-time surgeon. So, he chose his best student. Layeba thought it was ridiculous of him to not be the all time surgeon and she had tried to convince him but when he didn't budge, she didn't argue.

And it seemed like the perfect solution for the problem which she was struggling to find an answer for the past two months.

"No." The finality in Shiza's tone dared her to argue.

"Ammi, atleast lis-"

"No."

Layeba knew why Shiza was so against it. Shiza had swore not to abandon the land for which her husband gave his life for. Where his physical self was buried. And by the hurt on her face, Layeba knew that her mother was deeply hurt by her daughter even suggesting it.

"I'm full. I'm gonna go to bed", and Shiza stood up to go to her room.

"Ammi, naaraz to na hon...baat kar ke hal dhoondte hain", she tried to use use the tact her mother always said to her. But seems as if it didn't work this time because Shiza just went to her room.

(Mom, atleast don't get angry...let's find a solution by talking.)

She knew that her mother was upset with her this time and a little bit angry too. Shiza had thought that her daughter would understand her no matter what - even if everyone failed to see her reasons for certain things, Layeba would. But Layeba had reasons too. Reasons she wanted to explain to her mother but she wouldn't give her a chance to explain.

•~•

"Aunty maan gaeen kya?", Sanem asked while they sat in the cafeteria, interns, doctors, nurses - all buzzing around them, busy in their own work.

(Did Aunty agree?)

"No", she sighed. "She won't even listen to me."

"Have you told her?" Sanem's tone held hope. She wanted her to tell her mother. Layeba was always the one to tell her mother everything. And the fact that she was hiding this for past months was making Sanem anxious. She always believed that hiding never had desired outcomes and Sanem feared that her mother's and hers relationship would be tarnished if she didn't tell her now.

And she kind of feared the same thing.

She pressed her lips together and shook her head regretfully.

"You should though. You know it'll only make it more difficult."

"I know, yaar. Ofcourse i know. But you tell me. How could i tell her that when her son was lying in coma? He's my brother and it was so hard for me to take in. She's his mother. How would she had taken it?"

Sanem stayed quiet because she didn't have an answer for that. She knew Shiza was very sensitive about her children and her biggest insecurity was to not be able to bring her children up well. She would've blamed herself for that. Just like Layeba had. Because she felt that she should've paid more attention to him.

In the end, everyone has their fair share of mistakes. But we need to understand that the culprit decided the wrong path himself. He had a choice, just like everybody else does and he wasted it.

Layeba still remembered the moment like the back of her hand when Arsalan's doctor, (Because Layeba was a blood relative, she couldn't operate him and hence, was not his doctor.) Doctor Yusuf had called her in his office the day he had been attacked.....

"Layeba? I have to talk to you about Arsalan. Do you think you could stop by?" Doctor Yusuf had come to do a check up on Arsalan when he found Layeba sitting there.

"Yeah. Okay, sure." But even as she had said it, she dreaded the conversation. What more could he possibly want to talk about? Is there anything worse than these injuries?

They had agreed to meet in half an hour because Doctor Yusuf had to check up on his other patients as well. And that waiting had been both bliss and hell for her.

When she had gone to his office, he was already there. He had gestured her with his hand to sit in the chair which she had gladly done because she was feeling weak in her knees. The events that were going on for three days had exhausted her to the core.

"Layeba, did you go through Arsalan's report?"

She had frowned and thought of where he could possibly go with it.

If it was something in the reports, Sanem would have definitely told me, right?

"No. I didn't. Sanem explained all his vitals and injuries to me, why?"

He had nodded and interlinked his fingers on top the table.

"Layeba, while running tests on him, i found his blood report to be quite astonishing", he had picked up a file from the table and offered it to her.

She had taken it and opened the final while still looking at him confused.

"I found high levels of-", he had stopped, hesitant of proceeding.

"Of?" Concern and fear was written all over her face. Did her baby brother suffer from some disease? She hoped not.

"I found high levels of intoxications in his body."

What?

"C-can you elaborate?" She didn't know why she was shocked. She already knew her brother had succummed to alcohol. How much and how often? That she had no clue about and she felt ashamed of that.

"Alcohol and-"

"Why did you stop? Say it", she had waited for him to continue for solid ten seconds but when he hadn't, she said impatiently, and had held her breath.

"Cocaine."

The ground had been snatched from under her feet. She was not prepared for that. Not at all.

"N-no. That's not possible. Surely you've mixed files. I would've kno-"

But no. How could she have overlooked those symptoms? He was starting to get more hyper, he constantly complained of headache, the bloody nose which he had said was because of hot weather and she had believed it, vomitings which they treated as food poisoning. What kind of a doctor was she? How could she have been so careless and that too, on her own brother? And what kind of a sister did that make her?

Still wanting things to be untrue, she had gone through the file in her hand. But surely, there had been no mistake. The reports stated clearly what Yusuf had already told her.

"After i got to know this, i suspected something else."

"There's more?!"

YaAllah! Or kitni aazmaishein daalni hain mere uper? Karam mere Maula!

(How many more trials will you make me go through? Please have mercy, my Lord.)

He had given her a sympathetic look and continued;

"You know the kind of area from which i came, right?"

She had nodded. Ofcourse she knew. He was the diamond in the rough. Living in a shabby area, belonging to a poor family but a genius. His teacher had seen his potential and financially supported him. And here he was.

"I knew about a alot of illegal stuff that went around in that area. And since its clear that Arsalan is...beaten up by someone, i think it might be because he was involved in drugs."

Could this day get any more worse?

"You think so?"

"I don't want to add more problems for you. But, i mean, its possible. I noticed traces of white powder on his hands while i was operating on him."

Dropping the file in her lap, she had gripped her forehead. She had wanted to yell at him and say that, 'No! Her brother was not like that, there has been a misunderstanding.' But she couldn't even bring herself to lie to her own self. And besides, Yusuf had no reason to lie. He was one of the most honest menn she knew.

Realizing something else, she had straightened up, and asked;

"So you think someone beat him up because of his involvement with drugs?"

Yusuf had shrugged and said,

"I don't know for certain, ofcourse. But it might be the reason. He could've been not able to pay for the stuff, he could've stolen it and gotten caught. Some others could've just done it for additional high."

A new worry had corrupted her mind then.

Was Khan telling the truth when he said he didn't do it? Could it be that i accused him for all the wrong reasons?

"You know you sent him to jail for all the wrong reasons, right?" Sanem's voice brought back to the present. How she knew what she had been thinking was beyond her and she had given up trying to figure out she did it years ago.

"I know. But just because he didn't do it, doesn't mean that he doesn't deserve it. He deserve far worse than jail. And anyway, he was out in less than an hour." Sanem silently agreed.

But who was Layeba if she didn't continue om rambling?

"Or waise bhi! Kya pata wo drugs wagera main bhi involve ho? Kya pata ussi ke koi bande hon jinhon ne ye kia ho?", she was talking animatedly, with her hands and continuously changing facial expressions.

(And anyway! Who knows he might be even involved in drug dealing? Who knows those people were his men indeed who did it?)

Sanem didn't stop her because after so long, it felt as if Layeba left herself free again. Freed herself of the worries and frustration which she was caging in herself deliberately, holdimg on tightly to them.

"Itna khabees or kamina insaan maine zindagi main kabhi bhi nai dekha. Sirf teen din", she held her three fingers up. "Teen din main meri poori zindagi ko azaab bana kar chala gaya hai. Manhoos insaan. Allah gaarat kare usse. Us per apni laathi aise chalaye ke wo dobara uthne ke bhi kaabil na rahe. Laanat ho uspe!" She slapped her hand onto the table.

(I have never seen such an insolent and audacious man. Three days. He made my entire life a living hell in just three days. Bastard! May Allah punish him. Strike him with such force that he never be able to stand up again. Curse him!)

"Okay, enough. You're attracting attention. Calm down."

"Doctor Layeba?" A nurse named Saba called her.

"Yes?", she turned her head to face him.

"Your mother came to visit your brother. She's asking you to join her in your office."

She nodded and Saba went.

Looking back at Sanem with wide eyes, she stood up.

"YaAllah khair!"

She hurried to her cabin and found her mother already seated in one of the chairs.

"Ammi? What happened?"

"Sit."

She immediately sat down.

"Tell me, why did you propose going to Turkey?" When Shiza's hurt subsided a little, she came to realization that her daughter would never do something to hurt her intentionally.

"Is it because of Yazaan?"

"No." For once, it wasn't. "I haven't seen him for past two months. I think he's over whatever obsession he had on me."

And she was telling the truth. Yazaan hadn't shown her his face from that day. And she was glad for it. But deep down, she was worried too. What if he struck somewhere deep? What if he's planning something terrible?

"Then what is it?"

Deciding it was high time she told her mother of Arsalan's drug use, she told her everything. Shiza's shock was nothing on Layeba. Her blood pressure dropped and Layeba hurriedly gave her water and rubbed her wrists.

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

Layeba knew this question would be the first and by now, she had practically crammed the answer.

"With Arsalan in coma, i couldn't have you falling sick too. But you're his mother so i had to tell you."

"Do you think he's addicted?"

She ofcourse, had given this a thought too.

"I don't think so. Because addiction shows severe symptoms and we would've caught up on it."

Both blamed themselves for not knowing it, but the past can't be changed.

"Furthermore, since he was in coma for more than a month, it has been eliminated from the blood by now. And even now, since he hasn't had a dose and craved for it, i don't think its an addiction but-"

Shiza nodded to support her to continue.

"But i think that if kept in the same environment, he might develop an addiction. That's why i think we should move to abroad. Maybe for a few years or so?"

There was deadly silence in the office. Most of the time, she was able to interpret her mother's decision even before she made it but this time she couldn't.

"Okay."

"Huh?"

"Okay. You arrange for the tickets. We'll leave as soon as his plasters are removed. You said its going to be this week, right?"

Arsalan's body had mostly healed when he was in coma. Only the fractures in his arm and leg were left and those too were going to be removed this week.

"Yes. You sure, right?"

Shiza nodded, biting the inside of her cheek. Though it was tough for her, she would do it for her son.

"Yes. I'll start the packing. You find the earliest flight tickets."

•~•

"I have a news for you."

Ozhan interrupted his assault to the punching bag which was barely hanging on the ceiling.

"Good or bad?", he breathed, wiping his face on a towel.

"I can never tell what's good or bad for your twisted brain. You can decide for your self."

He gave him a bored look.

"I got flight details of bhabhi. These are scheduled for tomorrow."

"What?"

Flight? To where?

"To Turkey."

"Why?"

"To run from you, ofcourse", Ozhan smirk was irritating him to an extent that he wished to replace the punching bag with his face.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"These are one way tickets. So ofcourse they are going for a longer period of time. And to Turkey, so that would mean that she's going to the hot teacher of hers. And did i forget to mention that he offered her a job there as well?...Wow! She must really hate you."

The meter broke and so did Ozhan's nose. Blood spurted all over his face and shirt which he tried to stop with his hands.

"What the fuck, bro?", Ozhan groaned in pain.

"Don't be a smartass in front of me." He removed the tape from his hands and went outside, Ozhan following him now a gym towel held on his nose.

"Where are you going?"

"Lahore. Your bhabhi has been left alone for too long. I regard her wishes with respect and this is how she repays me?"

"What are we doing?", Ozhan asked excited. He was just as sick as Yazaan just a lot more rational.

"It seems two months is all she gets. Now is rukhsati time. Its high time she meets her susral officially", the smile he had on right now would've put sharks to shame too.

"I hope you're ready, biwi. Because this time, conditions will be mine."

•~•

Assalam o alaikum beautifuls! I hope you're all safe and well.

Can we just appreciate my fast updates? 🎊

What did you guys think of the chapter? Boring? Too plain? I hope you guys didn't get confused that i wrote the memory in italics.

Do you think Yazaan will reach there on time? Or will she fly off to Turkey? And what will be his conditions?

Also i wanted to clear one thing. I can't write a complete scene for what i've already explained. That would only be a stretch. And i don't want this story to look so forced or stretched. That's why i skip time. Do tell me if its okay for you guys or does it confusing on how much time span i have created? I would try to improve or give some bold pointer telling the time loop. I don't personally like it and i think its more fun when readers unravel things on their own. But that being said, i also want my story to be easy to read. So do tell me what you prefer.

One more thing. Updates!! I updated three times this week because i'm extremely busy in the next few days so i can't promise an update next week or maybe a week after that too. I'm really sorry for keeping you guys waiting. I hope you understand.

Wait!!!! Last thing. Please vote and share too.

Thank you.
Stay safe.
Stay blessed❤
Allah hafiz🌸