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*

Anabia

"You. Come here." 

I was heading towards the stairs after helping Haya with her hair, when Rehan called me from our bedroom doorway. "Me?" I blinked innocently at me.

"No, I'm talking to my second wife who's standing right behind you." 

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Come, Anya." 

I headed towards our bedroom, and as soon as we were close enough, he grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me inside, before closing the door behind us. "Rehan!"

"You touched my a** in the middle of the wedding hall. There must be some compensation for that." He pressed me against the door, leaning his forehead against mine.

"Well, technically, we were not in the middle of the hall. We were on the stage, behind the sofa. My action remained unnoticed. And secondly, that was revenge for making me blush in front of everyone." I poked his stomach with my finger. "Let me go, I have things to do."

"We can do things together?" He smirked suggestively.

"Rehan! Seriously, yaar, what has gotten into you today?"

He hugged me tightly, and I wrapped my arms around him, placing my hands on his back. "Anya, Ma Sha Allah, we have created a beautiful family together."

I smiled. "Ma Sha Allah, yes."

"Seeing them all together today, just made me realised that after Allah, of course, I wouldn't have had any of this if it wasn't for you."

"My man finally understood the value of his wife?" I teased.

"Your man knew the value of his wife since day one." He pulled back, his arms still around my waist. "But I'm not going to forget what you did today, Anabia Rehan Tariq."

"Haye. Once upon a time I would have fainted had I known that our names would be linked together in such a beautiful way." I smiled, moving my arms up to wrap them around his neck.

He kissed me, pressing me against the door, his hands on my waist. 

A loud pounding on the door made me gasp and stumble. Rehan steadied me in his arms, otherwise I would have been on the floor.

"Boss Woman, your assistance is required."Rohaan's voice came from the other side.

I smiled up at Rehan, who looked clearly irritated. Pushing him back lightly, I turned and opened the door as he headed towards the bathroom.

Rohaan stood there, frowning in confusion. "Mama, I tried to make French toast, but it's disgusting."

I bit back a smile as I smelled egg from him. "Did you drop the egg on yourself?"

He nodded sheepishly. "It slipped out of my hands as I tried to crack it."

"Ya Allah, Rohaan!" I placed a hand over my forehead. "Let me make it for you." Shaking my head, I walked out of my room and towards the stairs.

*

Rohaan

I watched Mama leave, and then waited in their room for Papa to come out. 

When he came out, his eyebrows raised as he saw me pacing the room. "What was the emergency, Rohaan?" 

"I failed in making French toast." I bit the inside of my cheeks sheepishly. "You didn't tell her, did you? About what I wrote?" 

"I didn't yet, but you should. She would be happy." 

I shook my head. "Nah, there's no point."

He walked up to me, placing his hand on my shoulders. "I think you should."

"Dad, it's stupid and embarrassing." 

"It's not stupid, Rohaan. It has great potential." 

"That means stupid."

"Come here." He placed his hand on my back and led me to the desk. "Sit."

As I sat down, confused, he powered on his laptop before opening his email. As he opened my Word document with the password 'LilHamster', I looked up at him. "What are we doing?" 

"I'm going to give you a quick writing lesson." He said. 

*

The quick riding lesson went for so long that Mama came upstairs with a tray containing a plate piled with French toast, and extra plates. 

"What are the father and son conspiring against?" She teased, heading over to the living area and setting the tray down onto the coffee table.

"Papa was just showing me something...related to writing."

She looked confused, turning questioningly to Papa.

"Yeah, just showing him a part of my job. For example when we are sent over manuscripts, what the process of it is." He explained to her.

"Ro, please get Haya and Arsal. You'll all enjoy these here in our room tonight." Mama smiled at me.

"Really?" Papa asked her. 

"Boss Woman gets the final word." I shrugged, standing up. "Sorry." I patted his shoulder sympathetically and headed out.

*

Haya

"God, I was so hungry." I closed my eyes and enjoyed the delicious taste of Mama-made French toast. "I barely ate at the Valima."

"Yeah, you were too busy being the DJ." Arsal pointed out with a laugh.

My brothers and I ate the French toast, while Mama put away her and Papa's outfits, as well as her jewellery. Papa leaned against the headboard on the bed, watching Pakistani news on TV.

"He's sulking because there are three haddis in this room." Ro said loudly enough for him to hear. 

Mama smiled in our direction.

"Behave, Rohaan." Papa called out, not moving his gaze away from the TV.

My siblings and I laughed and talked about anything and everything until I noticed how exhausted my parents looked. Mama sat on the bed beside Papa, tilting her head back against the headboard and closing her eyes.

"Hey, let's go downstairs." I suggested. "We can watch a film or something." I looked pointedly at my brothers, nodding in the direction of my parents.

Ro and Arsal turned to look. Papa had reached out and was gently massaging the back of Mama's neck, while still watching TV. 

As my brothers got up to leave, I stopped them. "Excuse me? Who's going to take the dishes?" I stood up. "I'm only a guest for the night." Smirking at them, I headed towards my parents. "Good night." I leaned down to kiss Mama on the cheek, then walked around the bed to do the same with Papa. "Love you too."

"Good night, Haya. Let me know if you need anything." Mama gave me a tired smile.

"I need my parents to rest up after the tiring wedding functions." I told them nicely, but firmly. I glanced towards my brothers. "Let's go, Humpty and Dumpty."

The three of us left our parents' room, ready for some fun hours downstairs.

*

Anabia

Rehan and I barely got a chance to even talk because we were both worn out. We both fell asleep shortly after the kids left the room.

I don't know how we managed to wake up for Fajr and pray, but we did. 

We'd barely returned back to bed, and I was just falling asleep again when my phone vibrated constantly, indicating a phone call. I sat up, reaching for it. It was from work. "Hello?" 

"Anabia, there's an issue. A flight is being diverted here, and most likely it will be cancelled. Or other flights are all oversold and it's going to get chaotic here. Any way you can come here?" One of the airline duty managers sounded almost desperate.

"Can you not ask Raj?" I whispered, walking towards the living area in my room so that Rehan wouldn't be disturbed.

Raj, who had been a duty manager with me, was now my co-station manager. 

"Raj is in Portugal with his family, remember?" 

I groaned. "That's right. Fine. I'll be there." It's okay, Anabia. You'll be quitting soon anyway.

My body ached from exhaustion, but I had to go. I was the station manager, after all.

"What's going on?" Rehan asked sleepily, turning the bedside lamp on. He propped up on his elbow, squinting at me.

"I have to go to work, Rehan."

"Anya, you're exhausted. Tell them you can't come."

"I'm a station manager, Rehan. And my fellow SM is not in the country." I headed into the bathroom.

When I came out, he was fully sitting up in bed. "I'll drive you."

"No, you get some sleep. You're going to have to be up early because I won't be here. I wanted to make a special breakfast since Haya is here, but you're going to have to make something now."

"Anya, this is stupid. You are meant to be on annual leave for our daughter's wedding." He came up behind me as I tied my hair in a braid, wrapping his arms around my waist and placing his chin on my shoulder.

"I have no choice, Rehan. I'm in such a position that I can't say no." I turned to face him, placing my hands on his cheeks. "That's why I'm quitting. I can't do this anymore." Kissing his cheek, I backed away. "I have to go. Go back to sleep, Rehan." 

*

"This is a list of passenger who have to be rebooked to different airlines. Stop them before they are checked in and reissue their tickets for different airlines. This gives us some extra seats." I took charge immediately, the second I walked through the door.

"What about the business class passengers? They are going to be p***ed." One of the duty managers asked.

"Reroute, or offer downgrades with compensation. We are going to have to urgently ask the passengers for volunteers to travel on a later flight." I sighed. "I'm going airside to check on the flight that has been directed. Keep me updated about the situation here."

Half an hour later, I stood at the aircraft door, just on the landing of the stairs attached. I hugged myself tightly as the cold breeze made me shiver.

"Long time no see."

I turned and saw my twin brother walking up the stairs, holding a clipboard. "Oh, you were dragged here too?" 

"Well, I'm a senior manager in my own department, and this is a major technical issue." He explained. "But what about you? Isn't your daughter here to stay the night?" 

"As Ro says, I'm the Boss Woman, and being the boss has its disadvantages."

"You look exhausted, Ana. You should have refused."

"I had no choice. Even Raj is not here." I rolled my eyes. 

The sun had risen, and with every passing moment, I missed my bed even more. I wanted to lean against the door of the aircraft and sleep. 

"Go into the business cabin and sleep there." Saim, naturally, noticed my state.

I grinned. "Tempting, but I have a lot of things to do. I'm going back inside and seeing how the passengers are coping. I'll see you in a bit, Terror Twin."

"See you." He got distracted as his team started to discuss the technical issue. 

As I started to walk down the metallic steps, my phone rang. I glanced at it and saw that it was Rohaan calling. Frowning in concern, I wondered why my son was calling me that early. "Rohaan, what's wrong?"

"Mama, you asked us all to be up early, but you yourself are not awake, so I thought I'd give you a wake-up call." 

"Ro, honey, I'm at work. I had to come because of an emergency." I paused on the steps, watching a plane taxi past. "Look, just help your father with the breakfast, okay? I'll be home as soon as I can." Which doesn't seem to be anytime during the daylight hours.

"What shall we make, Mama?"

"Oh God, Rohaan, you guys are not kids. Be creative." I couldn't help smiling at my son's childishness.

"Okay, Mama. I'll let Papa decide. But can you do me a tiny favour?" 

"What is it, Ro?"

"When you're coming back, can you pick up some..."

My heel got caught in the tiny gap in the steps, and everything happened suddenly. I was halfway down the steps, and I lost my balance, flying down onto the ground with a scream.

My face against the concrete, with pain shooting all over my body, I watched my own blood pool around my face with blurry eyes before I lost consciousness.

"ANA!"

*

Rohaan

"Mama?" My heart almost stopped when I heard her scream. "Mama, what's going on? MAMA!"

The call ended abruptly.

My knees shook as I sat down on the kitchen chair. I'm sure it's nothing. I'm sure she's okay. I'm sure. With trembling hands, I picked up my phone and dialled my mother's number again, but the call went straight to voicemail.

"Rohaan, what's going on?" 

I looked up and saw Papa in the doorway. Shaking my head in a daze, I replied, "I don't know."

He looked concerned. "What happened?"

"I was on the phone with Mama. She screamed and the call ended." I explained. 

"What?" He took the phone from me and dialled her number.

"I tried, but now it's going straight to voicemail."

He gave me my phone back and turned to head out of the room, dashing up the stairs. I followed, even though I thought I'd collapse. He headed straight to his room and towards his phone. 

"Papa?" 

"If anything's wrong, I'm her emergency contact." He explained, his jaw clenched. He tried calling Mama again from his own phone, but even from here I could hear it going straight to voicemail.

*

Rehan

I couldn't think straight. Rohaan was watching me worriedly, and I knew that I had to remain strong for him, but I couldn't help thinking of reasons why Anya could have screamed.

My phone started ringing, a call from an unknown number. "Hello?"

"Hi, is this the husband of Anabia Rehan?" The unfamiliar voice asked from the other end.

"Yes, this is Rehan Tariq. Is she okay? She was on the phone with our son and..."

"Sir, I'm afraid she fell off the steps by the aircraft. She has sustained quite a few injuries, possibly fractures, but the paramedics have taken her to the hospital and..."

I felt like my whole world had crashed around me. My beautiful wife, the one who had been laughing and chatting with me, being playful with me till yesterday, was injured. "Which hospital?"

Rohaan turned completely pale, and I got worried about him now. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I focused on the details I was being given.

I swallowed hard. "I'm coming." 

*

Haya

I was internally shaking as we headed to the hospital. 

Ro had refused to let Papa drive and was driving himself. Papa was in the front passenger seat, while Arsal and I were at the back.

"Will she be okay?" Arsal whispered worriedly to me for the tenth time.

"In Sha Allah." I repeated for the tenth time.

Ro sped through a couple of red lights, but Papa didn't say a word. He was sitting there, lost in his thoughts. 

"We can't lose her. She can't leave us. No. Haya Appi, what will we do without her?" Arsal was starting to panic.

I moved towards him, wrapping my arm around his shoulders. "Shh, just pray, Arsu." I tried to comfort him even as a tear rolled down my cheek.

What will we do without her?

"Shall we call Hoor Appi?" Arsal asked.

I shook my head. "Not yet. We'll call Farhaan Bhai first, I think. He can break it to her gently."

"I'll message Hoor Appi!" Arsal did not seem to be in the right state of mind.

"Arsu, no. You don't want her to get unwell, do you?" I gently spoke to him, like he was younger than Yamna or something.

"Mama." His face crumpled up and he was crying like the sweet little boy that he still was (in our opinion).

"Nothing will happen to her, Arsal. In Sha Allah." Papa finally spoke up. "Just make dua for her, beta."

I silently prayed, turning my head towards the window.

Allah, please give Mama a full recovery, and a long and healthy life. Ameen.

"This is my fault." Rohaan suddenly blurted out. "I was on the phone with her. What if my phone call had distracted her?" 

"Rohaan..." Papa sighed.

"I caused this! I shouldn't have called her." 

"Ro, you could not have known!" I spoke up. "You'd never intentionally harm Mama, and everyone knows that."

"But what if I caused this? God, if anything happens to her, I'll never forgive myself!" Rohaan was getting hysterical.

"Ro, focus on the driving right now!" I snapped.

He drove in silence for the rest of the way.

*

Saim Mamu was sitting in the waiting area, his high-vis jacket covered with blood stains.

My mother's blood.

His head was in his hands and he sat there completely still.

"Saim!" Papa called out as we all rushed towards him.

Mamu stood up, his face pale and tear-streaked. "Rehan Bhai!" His expression turned sadder as he saw me and my brothers.

"How's Mama?" Arsal asked. "Is she okay?" 

"From what I've heard so far, she needed stitches on her face, and she had a leg and an arm fracture." Mamu explained. 

"Was she distracted by my phone call?" Rohaan asked, worriedly.

"No, bachay. Her heel caught in the gap in the stairs." Mamu reassured him. 

"Can we see her?" I asked, eagerly.

"Not yet, Haya. The specialist just came around, and he will determine the course of action now." Mamu sighed. "She might need surgery for the fracture."

Papa ran both hands through his hair. "Anya..."

*

Rehan

When I saw Anabia, my heart broke into a million tiny pieces. The left side of her face had scratches and a bruise under her eyes. There was a white bandage wrapped around her head. She looked so weak and vulnerable as she lay on the bed that I wanted to hold her in my arms and never let go.

"Anya..." My voice broke.

She looked at me, and still somehow managed to smile weakly. "Well, that was unexpected."

I stood by her bedside, taking her right hand in mine. "You scared the hell out of me, yaar. What the hell?" 

"I survived. Otherwise based on the amount of blood I saw, I thought I was a goner." She spoke slowly, and with pauses, but at least she was conscious and aware of things around her.

"How dare you even think about leaving me behind?" I leaned down to kiss the top of her head as lightly as possible.

Her eyes filled up. "It hurts, Rehan. Everywhere. They gave me painkillers, but the pain is back."

"I'm sorry, Anya. I wish I could take your pain away somehow." 

How did this happen? Just last night, I was teasing her, we were being playful. Just last night, our kids were having French toast in our bedroom, while Anya sat on the bed beside me. Just last night we were so happy that Haya's wedding was officially and successfully completed.

How had it come to this?

"Don't." She whispered, glancing straight at me. "You need to stay strong for the kids."

I hadn't even realised but seeing her in this condition had made my eyes well up. I bowed my head, clenching my jaw, trying to control my emotions.

"Rehan, please. It hurts me more to see you like this." 

"Everything was so perfect. Why the f**k did this happen?" I muttered from between gritted teeth.

"Because life isn't perfect." She said. "And if our perfection had to be burst somehow, I'd rather that I get hurt than anyone else in our family and extended family."

"Don't say that, Anya. I hate this. I wish somehow we could switch places." 

"I'm glad we can't." She smiled weakly. 

"Mr Rehan?" 

I turned and saw the orthopaedic surgeon enter, giving me a sympathetic smile. "Hi, Dr Alvarez." I stood up.

He walked over, before glancing at Anya. "How are you feeling, Anabia?" 

"Like I fell off the stairs onto a hard tarmac at an airport..." She spoke lightly, but the pain she was suffering was obvious in her expressions.

"Fortunately, she doesn't have a fracture on her arm. The material of her blouse and blazer somehow protected her arm. And once we are done with the surgery for the fracture in her leg, the pain should ease quicker." Dr Alvarez explained.

"Can we not do surgery?" Anya looked at me, as if it was my decision.

"Anabia, unfortunately surgery is the best option for you right now." The doctor replied.

Arsal, Ro and Haya rushed in through the door then. They immediately rushed to their mother's bed side.

"May I have a word with you?" The doctor asked me quietly.

"Sure." I nodded, and the two of us stepped out of the room and into the hallway. 

"Mr Rehan, I would highly recommend a inpatient medical facility for her, for at least a few weeks. As she recovers, she may need physiotherapy, which could be provided for her there, as well as twenty-four/seven care."

"Few weeks?" I asked.

"I'm going to be honest with you, no sugar-coating. It was a very nasty fall. She will be in a lot of pain in the upcoming days, potentially weeks, fracture or not. She would need proper medical attention. When we are younger, yes, all these injuries are still painful, but the recovery rate is quicker. In my opinion, she needs to have a twenty-four/seven medical care." 

I crossed my arms over my chest, listening carefully. 

"Papa!" 

I looked up and saw Hooriya rushing towards me, with Hareem and Anaya Bhabi.

"Papa, what happened? How is Mama?" Tearfully, my daughter clutched my arm.

I turned to the doctor. "Thank you, Dr Alvarez. I need to discuss this with my family and I will let you know very soon." 

He nodded, before walking off.

"Mama..." Hoor pressed her forehead against my chest, sobbing.

"Hoor." I caressed her head. "She'll be fine, In Sha Allah."

"I want to see her. Where's my Mama?" She looked around.

Hareem and Anaya Bhabi were looking at me, wide-eyed.

"Ana is fine, right?" Hareem whispered.

"I'll be right back." I told them, before glancing down at me. "Come with me, Hooriya." I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and led her inside Anabia's room.

"Mama!" Hoor started sobbing as she saw her mother in that state.

"Hoor!" Anya looked alarmed. "Who told her?" 

"She has a right to know, Mama." Haya explained.

I cleared my throat. "Anya, the doctor has told me that he recommends that you spend the next few weeks in an inpatient medical facility, where you'll get a twenty-four/seven medical care."

The kids looked at me, shocked, while Anya's eyes widened.

"Weeks?" My wife whispered. "Weeks? Are you serious, Rehan?" 

"You're going to need medical care." I nodded, grimly.

"Is there no other way?" Arsal asked me.

I shook my head.

"Absolutely not. How am I going to spend weeks away from my family, Rehan?" 

"Anya, honey, there's no other choice. We cannot give you the care at home that you need."

Her eyes closed and a tear ran down her cheek.

"Mama, you can get the rest that you needed after the wedding." Haya tried to make her feel better, even as her own voice broke.

"Yeah, you don't need us to annoy you when you need rest." Rohaan added.

"Everyone will be fine, Mama." Hoor spoke, softly. "We'll all take care of each other the way we always do." 

"Take care of your Papa too." Anya said. "Usually that's what I do, but since I'm a little helpless, I need you guys to do it."

"Don't worry, Mama." Haya said. "He won't even miss you." She grinned cheekily at me, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"I'll hold you to that promise, Haya." Anya smiled.

*

I was sitting in the waiting room, reading about the medical facility, an article emailed to me by Dr Alvarez. It seems great, sounded perfect, but I had to go there and check it out myself before Anya went there.

 "Assalam Alaikum." 

I looked up and saw both my sons-in-law enter. "Walaikum Assalam." I stood up and they both hugged me in turn.

"How is she doing? What did the doctor say?" Aariz asked.

I told them everything, including about her having to stay in a medical facility.

"May I see that?" Aariz asked, nodding at my phone. When I handed it to him, he nodded as he read. "Yes, I know about this place. I often go there to help the patients with physiotherapy."

"So, you would recommend it?" I asked.

"Yes. They'll take great care of her." Aariz reassured me. "And since I'm regularly visiting, I'll also check in on her too, to make sure that she's being well looked after."

I patted his back. "That would ease the stress within me greatly, Aariz." I patted Farhaan's back with my other hand, giving him a smile. "Now just keep my daughters as far away from stress as you possibly can in a situation like this, I'd really appreciate it." 

The boys nodded and excused themselves to go and see their wives.

"And who will keep your sons away from the stress?" Mum's voice from the doorway surprised me. 

I looked up to see her being led inside by Yasin, with Dad following. "Assalam Alaikum."

"Walaikum Assalam." They all replied.

"Rehan, Ma Sha Allah the girls have their husbands. You need to focus on Rohaan and Arsalan." Mum continued. "Arsal is very attached to his mother, but Rohaan is no less fond of her either. Go and check on them. It's your responsibility, and I'm sure Anabia would agree." 

*

Arsalan

I sat on the bench outside the hospital.

Seeing my mother like that had broken something inside me. The mother who had always protected us from the most minor of scratches was now...

"Yo, grasshopper!" Ro flopped down beside me and patted my back. "I've been looking for you." 

"This is a nightmare, right?" I whispered. "I can't get the image of her out of my mind, and it hurts so much, Ro."

"I know." He sighed. "I wish it was me. I can't see her like this."

"And now she's going away for weeks." My voice broke.

Ro wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

I felt a hand on my head and looked up to see Papa standing behind the bench, his other hand on Ro's head. He came around and sat down on my other side. 

"Look, guys, I know that it's a very tough time for all of us, but we need to get through this together as a family." He spoke quietly, somehow covering up his own pain just to reassure us. I suppose that's what it meant to be a parent. "And just so you know, I'm here for you both, for all of you. I'm not going to lose myself in my own pain to neglect you. Anya will never forgive me." He smiled weakly.

"So, you'll take care of us because you're worried that Mama won't forgive you, and not because we mean anything to you?" Rohaan teased back.

"Honestly, when Anya is in her true mother form, I tend not to mess with her." Papa now grinned fully. "So, I really don't want to explain to her why her sons were neglected." 

I leaned my head against his arm. "In Sha Allah, she'll recover quickly and come back to us."

"In Sha Allah." They both repeated.

"And then he can go back to being Mama's little grasshopper again." Ro grinned, slapping me lightly on the back of my head.

*

Saim

"Saim?" 

I jumped, startled. "Huh?" 

"You okay?" Laila asked me gently. "Shall we go?" 

I nodded, standing up. I had just gotten back from the hospital. After showering and putting on a fresh pair of clothes, I had sat down on the bed, unable to stop my mind from flashing the image of Ana lying in a small pool of her own blood.

My twin sister.

My Terror Twin.

And now it was time to break the news to Mama. I had no idea how to do it, and I was grateful that Laila was with me.

My wife and I headed downstairs and entered the living room. Mama was sitting there sewing, completely oblivious to the chaos that had descended over my twin sister's family. When I had returned home, with my twin's blood on my clothes, Mama had fortunately been asleep, but I could no longer avoid telling her.

"Mama." I whispered, crouching down in front of her and grabbing her hands.

"Saim? What's wrong?" She looked alarmed, especially when I looked at her with tear-filled eyes. "Saim!"

I pressed my forehead against her hands, my shoulders shaking with sobs.

"Saim! Meri jaan, what happened?" Mama was in tears herself now.

"Mama." Laila spoke up. "It's Anabia. She had an accident."

"What?" Mama's voice rose. "Accident? What? Is she...is she okay?" 

"She had a fracture in the leg, and some stitches on her face, but overall she's in a great amount of pain. She's bruised all over." Laila explained. "She would have to stay in an inpatient medical facility for a few weeks." 

"Ya Allah! Ya Allah Khair!" Mama stood up, causing me to fall backwards onto the ground. "Take me to her! My Anabia! Take me to her, Saim! Laila! Take me to her!" 

I stood up and held her in my arms. "Mama."

"Take me to my Anabia, Saim." She was hysterical at this point, and now I was concerned about her health too.

I looked helplessly at Laila. Was it right to take Mama there in this state?

*

Haya

I was feeding Mama soup.

"At least I got to see your wedding." She smiled, seemingly in good spirits.

"Yeah, but your need to see Ro's wedding, and Arsu's, and Bunny's and Yamna's...In Sha Allah." I whispered. "I know we are annoying, but what's the rush to get away from us?"

"Take care of Rehan. He'll end up being strong for everyone else, but he'll completely neglect himself." 

My heart hurt as she spoke with a weird sense of finality. "Only you can handle him, otherwise he doesn't listen. He just has to be the superhero." 

"He always just had a lot of responsibilities, so he feels that he has to be the one to shoulder all the burden, all the time. Eldest son, older brother, husband of an immature wife who's a decade younger than him, and then father of four." She whispered, fondly. "I love him, but he forgets to take care of himself." A tear rolled down the side of her face.

"That's where you come in." I had tears in my own eyes.

"And Hoor is in a very vulnerable state right now. I'm not going to be around, so please keep an eye on her. This is the time when a girl needs her mother the most..." 

"Yes, Mama. She needs you, not me as a substitute." 

"And Ro is like your father in many ways. He feels that he has to be the strong one; the one to cover up his true feelings. But you are the one who understands him the most, Haya. You are the only one who can take him out of his shell." 

I set the bowl on the table because I was crying so hard.

"And my Arsu..." She sobbed before crying out in pain.

"Mama..." I placed my hand over my mouth to stifle my own sobs.

"He's going to need the most love, care and attention." She finally managed to whisper out the words.

I buried my face in my hands, my shoulders shaking with silent sobs. The fear that I would lose my mother was suffocating me. 

I turned and ran out of the room, and sobbed harder as I leaned against the wall outside.

"Haya..." Strong arms wrapped themselves around me, and I caught the familiar scent of Aariz's cologne as he held me tightly against himself.

"I can't do this without her, Aariz. I cannot lose her!" 

He wordlessly held onto me, letting my cry against him.

We were all so happy! Why did this happen?

*

Anabia

I felt almost intoxicated with all the medication, enough that I was starting to hallucinate.

I felt touch my arm, as if prepping it up for an injection. I opened my eyes and I felt like I was dreaming.

Zohaib Waleed stood there, smiling down at me. "Hello, Anabia."

I screamed, and I continued screaming. 

"Anabia..."

"Mrs Rehan..."

I felt myself being held down as I kept my eyes closed.

"It's okay. You're okay." A soothing voice said. 

I opened my eyes and he was no longer there. Instead I was surrounded by the warm and friendly faces of concerned nurses. I looked towards the door, a tear rolling down the side of my face.

Mama stood there, her hand clutched to her chest and her mouth opened slightly with grief as she saw me. "Anabia..." 

I cried out, this time in unbearable pain. My body felt like it was being hammered from all side, with full force. 

Mama rushed to my side. "Anabia, shh, it's okay, sweetheart. It'll get better soon." She began to recite supplications and blowing them over me.

"I want to die." I sobbed out. "I'm hurting too much, Mama." It was funny how, no matter how old you were, you could display vulnerability in front of your mother that you can't do in front of other people.

She kissed the top of my head repeatedly. "Shh, don't say that. Don't you dare say that, Anabia. We all love you so, so much. You are the heart and soul of your family. May Allah give you a quick recovery, and eases your pain. Ameen."

I cried out again, louder. 

She sat beside me, caressing my head, and softly singing a lullaby that she used to sing for me and Saim, and then for our kids. 

I suppose it was the mixture of the supplications, my mother's lullaby and also the medication injected into my vein that my body began to feel numb, and sleep began to finally descend over me.

*

I woke up as the sunlight had just started to make its way through the window. Blinking a few times, I turned my head. I blinked again to make sure that I was seeing things clearly, and realised that this wasn't a dream or hallucination. On the blue chair that was kept for the patients to sit up and have their meal, sat Rohaan, fast asleep with his mouth open. On the very uncomfortable chairs nearby were Rehan and Arsu, both also asleep, with Arsu's head resting on his father's shoulder, and Rehan's head tilted back against the wall. I then turned my head and on the sofa were the twins, with Hoor asleep with her head on Haya's shoulder, while the latter was sleepily scrolling through her phone.

"Is this a family gathering?" I whispered with a smile.

Haya looked up, startled. "Mama! Are you okay?" She carefully moved Hoor away, making sure her head was rested on the back of the sofa in a comfortable position. Getting up, the younger twin walked over to me and smiled. "I think we were all afraid to leave you alone last night."

"Raj has warned me so many times that the heels were not safe to wear by the aircraft side." I smiled, looking up at the ceiling. "I don't listen, do I?"

She raised my good hand up to her lips and kissed it. "Whether you listened or not, it doesn't matter. Just be okay and come back to us, please." She ran a hand over my head, as my mother had done last night. "You know, Aariz often goes to that place you're going to. He said he'll check up on you regularly."

I laughed lightly, wincing as I felt a sharp pain in my arm. "Don't worry. I think Rehan is going to move in there with me, part time. I don't think he'll leave me alone now."

"You found a good one, Ma Sha Allah."

"You're so biased." 

We both smiled. 

"You just got married. You should be living your new life with Aariz..."

"Oh he's here too, as is Farhaan Bhai. They are in the waiting room." 

"It really is a family gathering."

"Well, when the matriarch falls down the steps by an aircraft, the family has to unite."

I laughed harder, again wincing in pain. "You're making it sound so dramatic."

"It is dramatic, in a classic Anabia Rehan way." 

And despite the pain, I felt briefly good, as I was surrounded by my family. I felt blessed, truly loved. Alhumdulillah. Despite every idiotic thing that I'd ever done, I had these beautiful people who loved me unconditionally, as much as I loved them. 

And I prayed that this wasn't the end for me. I wanted to witness my sons succeed in their careers and then find their own happily ever afters. I wanted to see my Hoor's kids, and any other future grandchildren. I wanted to live many, many more years with my cheeky, adoring and still s*xy-as-hell husband, Rehan. 

In Sha Allah.

*

To be honest, when I started writing this chapter, even I didn't expect this twist.

But maybe, maybe this twist will lead us closer to the beginning of Rohaan's story. Maybe.

No matter what your thoughts or opinions of Anabia, she truly is the heart and soul of her family. Rehan and their kids truly depend on her. Would her absence for the next few weeks create an impact on the family?

Haya's wedding might have lacked drama, but her newly wedded life has started quite dramatically.

Poor Saim, live witnessing his twin sister's state.

General opinion, but who do you think would be hit the hardest if anything was to happen to Anabia? (I'm not hinting anything, it's just a reader-participation question!)

Thoughts and comments?

Thank you for reading and don't forget to vote!