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*

Haya

I had just showered at home, ready to head back to the hospital. Stepping out of the bathroom in jeans and a hoodie, I paused in my tracks. 

Aariz was standing with his shirt unbuttoned, spraying cologne as he got ready for work. Despite the situation, my face warmed up. He turned to look at me. "I'm so sorry that I have to go to work even today, Haya."

"It's okay. You were there all night with us." I walked up to him, placing my hand on his back. "In fact, you really should say you can't come, and get some sleep."

"I'll be fine." He gave me a soft smile as he started to button up his shirt.

I smiled back weakly. "You can't do your buttons right. How are you going to work?" I turned him around and lightly moved his hands away before fixing the buttons that he had done up incorrectly.

"You distracted me. This is all your fault." 

I continued buttoning up his shirt, my fingers lightly grazing his stomach.

"Are you going to your parents' house today?" He asked.

I froze briefly before shaking my head.

"Why not?" 

"Papa and my brothers are mainly going to be there at the hospital anyway." I replied. "I'm going to be there with them."

"Can I give you an advice?" He placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Of course."

"Try and convincing your father to go home and rest. Go along with him."

"But Mama..."

"Take turns. But your father needs to rest, Haya. He already must be exhausted from the wedding, and now the constant stress while staying at the hospital. It's too much."

My eyes filled up. "I'm selfish, Aariz. But I can't bear the thought of going to that house without Mama."

"When our parents do so much for us, we could strengthen ourselves up for their sake, right? At this time, Rehan Uncle needs rest. I wanted to suggest that to him when I saw him earlier, but I wasn't sure if I had a right to yet, as a new damaad."

"He won't get offended if you tell him that. He's not like that." I placed my hands on his biceps. "But, I guess you're right. I need to get him out of there. Ro and Arsal will help, I'm sure."

He leaned down and first kissed my forehead, before gently pecking my lips. This was when I realised that we hadn't even shared a proper kiss since we got married. "Haya, I know it's difficult, but I'm with you, okay? Anytime you need to talk, talk to me." 

My eyes filled with tears as I looked up at him. "I'm broken, Aariz. But I'm trying to keep a strong façade for my family. Mama is the life of our family. I cannot even imagine..." 

"May Allah give her a quick recovery, good health and a long life. Ameen." 

"Ameen." I snuggled up against him and he wrapped his arms around me. "Thank you for everything, Aariz."

"We don't thank family for doing what is naturally their duty, so why am I being thanked?" 

"Fair point. So, I snatch the 'thank you' back from you, and you'll never receive it from me again." 

"That's my girl. Now, shall I drop you off at the hospital?" He tucked in his shirt and adjusted his collar.

His girl. I liked it...a lot. "Sure." 

*

Anaya Aunty and Hareem Khalla had cooked dishes and had brought it over, which Arsal had now taken home. 

Ro was sitting outside in the hallway, tossing a small yellow ball and catching it repeatedly. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he hadn't changed his clothes since we had come to the hospital after hearing about Mama.

"Ro." I stopped beside my brother, Aariz right behind me.

Rohaan looked up, his eyes red from improper sleep. "Assalam Alaikum."

"Walaikum Assalam." Aariz and I both replied.

"Any update?" I asked.

My brother shook his head, standing up.

"Ro, we need to convince Papa to go home and sleep." I said, taking charge. "Enough is enough. We don't want him falling unwell as well." 

Ro scoffed. "You think he's going to listen."

"He has no choice." I strode towards Mama's room. Aariz waited outside, Ro with him, as I went inside.

Papa was sitting on the sofa where Hoor and I had fallen asleep last night. Mama was asleep, her head tilted to the side. 

"Assalam Alaikum." I sat down beside my father, placing a hand on his upper arm.

"Walaikum Assalam." He looked at me, his face etched with exhaustion.

"Papa, I love you, but I have to be mean. Go home." I whispered strictly.

"Haya..."

"No." I shook my head. "You will not come anywhere near my mother until you go home and get some sleep."

He smiled weakly. "Honey, you know she's my wife before she's your mother, right?"

"A mother/child rishta triumphs over wife/husband." I leaned my head against his arm. "Papa, Mama's already in the hospital. We becharay bachay cannot have our second parent falling sick too. So, for our sake, please go home and get some sleep."

He glanced towards Mama. "How am I meant to leave her?" 

"She won't be alone. One of us will be with her all the time, I promise." I said. "In fact, Mumani is coming over. She messaged me earlier. She'll be around so that we all can go home and get some sleep. Reem Khalla will also come." 

He still looked uncertain.

"I know you love her the most, Papa, but other people love her too. Everyone will take care of her. The responsibility isn't solely yours, so don't put that burden over your own shoulders. Let us all contribute."

"It's not a burden to me."

"I know, Papa, and you know what I mean." I placed my hand over his. "You're going home. And until you go home and sleep, none of us will. Not me, not Arsal and not Ro. Hoor had no choice because of her health, but she wouldn't have either in different circumstances."

He nodded. "Fine. Let's go. But not for too long. I'll be back very soon." 

"Of course." 

He got up and walked over to Mama's bed. "Listen, your kids are emotionally blackmailing me, and I know that if I don't listen to them, you'll be mad at me because they won't get any sleep. So I'm going to go home for a bit, but I'll be back very soon, In Sha Allah. I love you so much, Anya." He kissed the top of her head. 

My eyes welled up once again and I swallowed hard. 

Papa walked over to me and I slid my arm through his as we walked out. 

*

After Papa had gone to bed, I sneaked into his room and took his phone away. I knew he had set an alarm for an hour or two from now, and that was unacceptable. He had to sleep as much as he physically needed to, and not according to time limits. 

"Go to sleep, both of you." I ordered my brothers, before heading to my own former bedroom.

<Hoor: How is it going guys? Any update?>

<Haya: We finally managed to force Papa to come home to get some sleep. We're all going to sleep for a bit. Mumani is at the hospital now, and Reem Khalla would be going there soon too.>

<Hoor: Okay. I'll come by later, In Sha Allah.>

<Rohaan: You rest too. If you get sick, Mama will be furious.>

<Arsalan: Yeah, Appi. Don't worry about things here.>

<Rohaan: Haya is probably going to get in a lot of trouble with Papa though. 😄 He set an alarm on his phone, and she took his phone away while he was sleeping.>

<Haya: It's for his own good.>
<Haya: Didn't I tell you two to go to sleep?>

<Rohaan: Hypocrisy is an ugly trait. Practice what you preach. You sleep too.>

<Haya: Don't worry about me, Badrooh. You two need to sleep.>

<Rohaan: Why? Are you a robot that doesn't need sleep?>

<Hoor: Guys, relax. All of you sleep, okay? Take care of each other right now. Don't fight.>

I was just about to fall asleep when I heard the sound of sobbing. Frowning, I sat up. Realising who it was, I got up and ran towards the bedroom door. I knocked on Arsal's door before entering.

He had the curtains pulled over the window and was sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed, his knees to his chest, sobbing.

My heart broke. I walked over to him and crouched down beside him, wrapping my arms around our sweet little grasshopper. "Shh, Arsu. Mama will be okay, In Sha Allah."

"I'm s-s-so scared, Appi. My Mama..." 

I was crying openly as I hugged him. I kissed the top of my younger brother's head, wishing that I could protect my whole family from all pain, harm and sadness. I would give my life up just to make sure none of them ever got hurt in any way again.

*

Rohaan

I threw up.

I kept thinking about how if I hadn't phoned her, she would have been okay.

I sat on the floor of my bathroom, sobbing silently. If anything happened to her, I would never ever forgive myself. Ever. 

Our family was so happy. We're all so close, and we all have such a great bond. Why did this have to happen? We cannot afford to lose even one member of our family, and Mama? How the f**k are any of us going to manage without her?

"Mama, please come back to us." My whisper echoed in the empty bathroom.

*

Hareem

"And the detective realised that this was more complex than he had even imagined..." I read out loud from Blood Crimes as I sat at Ana's bedside.

"Are you legit reading Blood Crimes to me?" Anabia smiled as her eyes fluttered open. 

"I mean, your whole life is connected to it." I smiled back. "Your love story is connected to this crime thriller." 

"If I die, let Rehan know the full details of my love for his books."

"He knows, babe. And he knows about how much you love him." I shook my head. "But nothing will happen to you. There are too many people making duas for you." 

"I'm in pain, Hareem." 

A tear ran down my cheek. "I know. But pain doesn't mean the end. In childbirth, for example, pain means new life. Pain is a part of life, but you can recover from it, get past it."

"You weirdo, I'm not giving birth."

"You would if you could. I'm sure you wouldn't have minded a couple of more kids." I joked.

She laughed. "Oww... Shut up, Harry."

"You are brave, Anabia Rehan. You've been through some absolute crap, but you've made it. You will make it through this, In Sha Allah."

"I have done some idiotic things in my life."

"Who hasn't?" I shrugged. "But the fact that you're surrounded by loved ones, Ma Sha Allah, says a lot about you too, babe."

She smiled again, nodding sleepily.

I grinned. "Guess what? Your daughter Haya forced Rehan Bhai to go home to sleep. Otherwise the man wouldn't move from here."

"I'm so proud of my kids. And Rehan needs to stop being such a hero." She rolled her eyes.

"Yaar, you can't blame him for wanting to be a hero to impress his wife." I giggled.

"He impressed his wife before she was even his wife, so he can just relax now." She looked at me. "How is everyone coping, Harry? Arsal?" 

"They've all got each other, Ana. Let them take care of each other. Don't worry about them." I reassured her. "You've both raised them beautifully. The kids put family above anything else, so trust them to be there for each other through thick and thin."

She nodded, a proud smile on her face. Then randomly, she said, "Do you know what I want, right now?" 

"What?"

"Noodles. Fresh chicken noodles." 

My eyes widened. "Allah! Cravings! What are you not telling me, Ana?" 

"Harry, I'm going to kill you." 

I laughed harder, before picking up my phone. "Alright, madam. Let's see if I can arrange some for you. I might get Ifra or Harris to pick them up from somewhere..." 

"This is why I love you."

"Yeah, it ain't for free, mate. I expect the same first class service if I'm unwell."

"May you never, ever end up in this state. May you always have good health. Ameen."

"May you recover quickly and return to your family very soon. Ameen." 

*

Haya

"Right, which one of you took my phone?" 

Hours later, I had just gotten up myself and was drinking coffee, when I heard Papa's voice. Arsal and Ro were still asleep, and the house had been so quiet, that my father's voice made me jump.

"I did." I replied.

He came into the room, frowning. "Haya, what were you thinking?" 

I stood up. "I was thinking that you needed sleep." 

"When your mother is in that condition in the hospital?" His voice rose with irritation.

I had to be honest here. I had never directly faced my father's anger before, nor had Hoor. Mama was right. He could definitely be biased. But it was also a fact that I don't recall ever doing such a thing where he would be furious with me. But this time I wasn't even wrong. I stood up and faced him. "Let's use reverse psychology, Papa. Because you got sleep, we all did. In fact, Arsal and Ro are still asleep." 

His expressions softened. "Are they okay? You? Hoor?" 

"They're okay, Alhumdulillah. And Hoor went home ages ago because she was extra tired." I replied, taking a sip from my coffee mug.

"And you?" He stepped towards me, his gaze scanning my face with concern.

"I'm fine." I glanced down into my coffee mug.

"Are you?" 

His tone made me look up at him, and my eyes welled up. "Papa, it's irrelevant how I feel right now. We have bigger worries."

"Have a seat." He nodded towards the sofa. I sat down, and he took a seat beside me. "It's not irrelevant how you feel, Haya. Talk to me." 

I sobbed, and the mug almost slipped out of my hands. He gently took it from me and set it on the coffee table. Wrapping his arm around my shoulder, he pulled me against him. "Now that I'm all rested, Papa, I am freaking out being here. This house, my childhood home, feels suffocating. I hate it here without her. It's not like she's gone to Pakistan, or somewhere. I am scared that I'll never feel her presence here again." 

He kissed the top of my head. "I know we're helpless in this, meri jaan. We can only make dua. But know this, Haya: you don't have to be brave in front of me. I know you're doing your best in front of your siblings, but you can express how you feel in front of me. I'm Anya's husband, but I am your father too. I'm here to take care of you when you're scared or anxious."

I cried harder in his arms. "Papa, I want my Mama back." 

And, to be honest, it felt good to cry out my feelings instead of bottling them up. Tears don't make you weak; and in fact, sometimes it's necessary to shed tears. 

*

Hooriya

I arrived at the hospital and entered Mama's room. "Assalam Alaikum, Reem Khalla."

Hareem Khalla stood up. "Walaikum Assalam. Hoor, how are you feeling?" 

But my gaze was on my sleeping mother. "I need to be here with her right now."

"Oh, honey." Hareem Khalla came and hugged me. "I'm just going to get a coffee or something and I'll be right back. You need anything?" 

I shook my head. "No, thank you." I noticed containers of noodles from a halal Chinese shop on the table, and I looked at her curiously.

"Anabia wanted it. Authorised by her doctor, don't worry." She reassured me before heading out.

I walked over to my mother and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "Mama, I'm here."

Once, I had ended up for a night in the hospital when I had food poisoning. I was so scared of spending the night, but my parents had been right there with me, throughout the night. I'd felt safe knowing that they were around, but my biggest comfort had been when Mama had been holding my hand and caressing my head.

I took her right hand and caressed her head. "I love you so much, Mama. Do you want to hear something cool? When I got dressed for Haya's Valima, Anaya Aunty said that I looked like you, almost like a carbon copy." I took a deep breath, feeling myself lose control over my already scattered emotions. "I know that I'm the eldest, and that I should be the one stepping temporarily into your role to take care of everyone, but I'm exempt due to medical reasons. But trust me, Mama, Haya is doing a beautiful job. She's the Anabia Junior that everyone needs her to be right now. But this is only temporary, okay? Don't get any ideas. You need to come back and take charge. We need you so much, Boss Woman." I sobbed into our clasped hands.

My phone buzzed and I took it out of my purse in case it was one of my siblings needing anything.

<Tahira: I'm outside the hospital. Is it okay for me to come in?>

<Hooriya: Sure. We are on the seventh floor, room 710.>

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and I turned to see Tahira in the doorway, holding a bouquet of flowers.

I walked over to her and gave her a hug. "Thank you for coming. It means a lot." 

She handed me the bouquet. "How is she?" She glanced towards Mama and she actually gasped a little. "Ya Allah."

"Yeah... Seeing her like this made our world collapse around us." 

"Hooriya, let me know if there's anything I can do to help." 

"Thank you, Tahira." 

"I have to go, but don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, okay?" 

"Sure. That means a lot, Tahira." 

She headed out and I set the bouquet down onto the table.

People had been constantly visiting; our grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, Reem Khalla and her family, my in-laws. 

But things got a little heated an hour later, when a couple of Mama's colleagues visited. I was just talking to them over Mama's bedside when Papa walked in.

"Papa, these ladies have from Mama's work..." I began.

He frowned. "Why? Is there any other flight delay that needs to be dealt with immediately?"

"Papa!" I was stunned.

"Mr Rehan, I'm so sorry that this happened..."

"You people called her early in the morning, during her bloody annual leave, the day after her daughter's wedding reception, and this is what happens to her! So excuse me for not showing my manners!" Papa was speaking loudly, louder than I'd ever heard him speak before. "So why are you here now, to make sure that Anabia's family doesn't sue?" 

I rushed to his side, grabbing his arm. "Papa."

"Please leave." He told them.

"I'm sorry." I mouthed to the ladies, but they nodded understandingly as they left.

"Papa." I placed my hands on his upper arms. "It's not their fault. Accidents happen."

"Employees are just numbers for these bloody corporations. Lose one, get another. But they aren't just numbers; they are someone's family. She's someone's family, someone's whole world." 

I nodded. "I know, Papa. But these ladies are also just employees themselves. It's not their fault." I glanced over my shoulder at Mama, wrapping my arm around my father's waist. 

He exhaled deeply, before glancing down at me. "How are you doing, Hoor?" 

"I'm trying to stay strong." I shrugged. "How are Haya, Arsal and Ro?" 

"As well as they can be, given the circumstances." He sighed. His phone started ringing and he took it out of his pocket, frowning. "Hello? Walaikum Assalam, Yas. What's up?" His frown deepened. "What? I'm coming." 

"Papa..."

"Stay here, Hoor. I'm coming." He rushed out of the room, leaving me worried and confused.

*

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS SCENE HAS THEMES OF SELF HARM

SELF HARM IS FORBIDDEN IN ISLAM. THIS SCENE DEPICTS HOW GRIEF, GUILT AND PAIN MAKES PEOPLE SPIRAL SOMETIMES.

Rohaan

I had a nightmare where we were at Mama's funeral.

I got up, and the guilt and grief inside me made me so frustrated that I started destroying my own room. I smashed the mirror by throwing my video-game controller at it. And then, because I couldn't stand seeing my own reflection in the broken shards, I went and repeatedly punched the broken mirror, causing a fair amount of blood.

The door of my room burst open and Yasin Chachu rushed in. "ROHAAN!" He held me in his arms, as I shouted with frustration.

Arsal stood in the doorway, looking horrified. "Ro!"

It was all a blur. The room in front of my eyes started to swim.

"We have to get him to A&E. Come on, Arsal." 

I blacked out then.

*

When I came into consciousness, I was in the hospital. My hand hurt, but I could feel the heaviness of a bandage around it. I turned my head to see Papa sitting beside me, a hand over his face. "Papa..."

He turned to look at me. "You okay?" 

I nodded and glanced behind him as I saw Behaya appear. "I'm s-sorry."

"Wasn't it enough for you that my wife's life is hanging in the balance, that you needed to put yourself in this position too?" He spoke quietly, but his words were so heavy that I almost felt suffocated by them.

Haya placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Why do you think your wife's life is hanging in the balance?" I muttered. "It's because I phoned her. I caused this. It's my fault, and I am the one who deserves to be in her place right now."

"Are you genuinely this stupid, Rohaan, or are you faking it?" Haya snapped. 

"Haya, I need to talk to him alone, honey." Papa looked at her.

Haya didn't argue, and left the room, but not before quietly glaring at me.

I expected my father to yell at me. I expected him to disown me. 

"Listen to me clearly, Rohaan. You didn't cause this. Accidents are accidents, and they can happen anywhere or anytime, and we can't blame ourselves for it unless there's some serious negligence behind it from our part." He ran a hand over my head. "If we blame ourselves for everything, I could blame myself for not trying hard enough to stop her from going to work that morning."

My jaw clenched.

"Forget anything else, Ro. Think about how your mother's going to feel when she finds out what you're doing to yourself?" 

I chuckled. "She'll blame herself. It's like we'll be going around in circles."

"You don't want that, do you? That Anabia blames herself for this?" 

"Of course not." 

"This is not your fault, okay? I have a tendency to tell you off for everything, so if I'm not doing it now, it means that you're innocent, right?" He smiled.

I laughed harder. "That's a fair argument." And then I did something that was probably the result of medication. I grabbed my father's wrist and kissed his palm. "I'm sorry to put you through more s**t."

"Rohaan..." 

"I know, I know... language." I grinned.

*

Haya

"Come on." I took Arsal's arm and practically dragged him into Mama's room. "She's been asking about you!" When he stopped walking, I shoved him lightly.

Head bowed, he walked towards her bed. "Assalam Alaikum, Mama."

"Walaikum Assalam. Where were you, Arsu?" She lifted up her right hand.

He took her hand and leaned down to kiss it. He didn't speak, but it was obvious that he was emotional.

Hoor and I exchanged a small smile. Arsal needed this more than he knew.

Me and my twin left the room, and walked down the hall. I wrapped my arm around her. "You okay?" 

"I'm numb." She muttered. "This feels like a long nightmare." 

"Come home, and you'll see what a nightmare it really is." I blurted out.

She looked at me, her eyes glimmering with tears. "It must feel like hell without Mama."

"I can't even describe it. I hated it."

We saw Papa and Rohaan coming down the hallway, with Papa's arm casually placed around my brother's shoulders. Clearly the medical team had released Rohaan to be free to walk around now.

"What happened to Ro?" Hoor gasped as she followed my gaze.

"He just got hurt from a broken glass." Papa is the one who replied. "He's a clumsy guy." 

"You okay?" Hoor placed her hand over Ro's bicep.

"I'll live." Ro muttered as I continued glaring at him.

"Haya." Papa's voice made me look up at him. He discreetly shook his head at me, as Hoor continued asking Ro questions.

As my father began to walk towards the door to Mama's room, I stopped him. "Arsal is there, Papa. I think he needs some time with her."

Papa nodded understandingly, and the four of us waited around outside in the hall.

*

Arsalan

"Why don't you be more careful?" I softly accused Mama. "You need to take care of yourself for our sake, Mama!" My eyes were still damp with tears as I kissed her hand once again.

"Well, at least this incident reminded me of how loved I am." She smiled softly at me.

"You wanted to be reminded that? You should have just asked us to remind you! None of us need you to get hurt for that!" 

"My adorable little Arsu." She squeezed my hand. "It's okay, honey. Accidents happen."

"You don't say that when we get hurt! You freak out then." 

"That's different. I'm a mother. I have earned the right to freak out after nine months of being solely responsible for your lives." She spoke jokingly. "But I don't like it when you guys get worried or stressed. It hurts me more than all this." She glanced down towards her body, before looking back up at me.

"I promise that I'll never do anything to hurt you again, not intentionally anyway." I said. "Just please get well soon and come back home." 

"I think I can get a lot of promises out of you guys like this." Again she joked. "Call your Papa, I need to ask him if he needs you guys to promise something as well." 

I couldn't help laughing. "Seriously, Mama?" 

*

Haya

"The surgery is tomorrow." Papa announced to us all as he stood by Mama's bedside. "In Sha Allah, you'll be fine after that, Anya. The recovery process might take some time, but you will be fine." 

"I hate surgeries." Mama whispered, holding onto his hand with her right hand.

"We're all with you, Mama. Just remember, the longer you stay away from us, the more I'm going to mess up the house." Rohaan teased.

She looked over to him, and frowned. "What happened to your hand?"

I mentally facepalmed. He had managed to hide it so far, but had slipped up now.

"A glass broke and I was stupid enough to attempt to pick it up myself." Ro muttered.

Mama looked at Papa, as if for confirmation, and he nodded at her.

My phone buzzed, and I took it out of my bag.

<Aariz: Hey, can I see you out here for a sec?>

I excused myself and left the room. Aariz was pacing the hall outside, and he turned as he saw me come out. "What's wrong, Aariz?" I frowned. "Is it something about Mama's surgery?"

He placed his hands on my shoulders. "Nothing's wrong. Just wanted to make sure that you're okay."

"Seriously?" A small smile appeared on my lips.

"Is it wrong for me to check up on my wife?" 

"It's sweet of you to check up on your wife." I leaned up to kiss his cheek. 

"Everyone doing okay? Rohaan?" Aariz knew about Ro's injury, because he and I were both there when Yasin Chachu had brought him in.

"Everyone's trying to find their strength in family, I think."

"That's a good idea." He nodded. 

We stared at each other, and I took his hands in mine. "Day one after our marriage, and you've already proved yourself to be a wonderful husband. Your support means everything to me, Aariz."

He lifted our clasped hands up and kissed each of my hand in turn. "I'm also your family, and you should be able to find your strength in this family as well."

I hugged him, smiling. "Aariz, I just can't wait for the ease after this hardship."

"It will come. The Quran promises ease after hardship, so there's no doubt that it would come." 

*

Rohaan

At one point, I was left alone with my parents in Mama's room, and that's when I realised that we cannot hide anything from our parents, no matter how hard we try. Especially from parents who'd always had a close relationship with their kids.

"Alright, what really happened, Rohaan?" Mama asked, tonelessly. When Papa began to reply, she looked at him. "I know your name are similar, but I said Rohaan, not Rehan. However, I want to know the truth, so whoever answers, should answer truthfully."

Papa and I exchanged an almost sheepish look, before he turned to her. "Anya, we'll discuss this later."

"My son is hurt. I want to discuss this now, Rehan."

"I punched a mirror." I blurted out. "I felt guilty that you fell because of me, so I punched a mirror, probably subconsciously as an attempt to punish myself."

Papa closed his eyes, seeming defeated.

"You what?" Mama gasped.

I lifted up her good hand. "I love you, Boss Woman. I'm not ashamed in admitting this to you. And I will rip apart anyone who causes you harm, even if it's me."

"Ro, I fell because my heel got caught!"

"My phone call distracted you."

"No, it did not! My heel got caught in the gap in the steps." She shook her head. "How dare you hurt yourself?" 

Oops. I looked at Papa helplessly, who simply shrugged as if saying 'You told her, you deal with it'. I coughed. "Umm... I need to pee." I ran out of the room.

*

Anabia

I raised an eyebrow at my husband. "Let me guess? You need to pee too?"

He sat down beside me, sheepishly. "Anya..."

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Simply because I'm not an a*****e. I'm not telling my injured wife, who is already in enough pain as it is, that our son is going through serious hell."

I tried hard not to cry. The thought of Rohaan hurting himself was unbearable for me.

Rehan placed his hand over mine. "We can't keep going in circles, Anya. He felt guilty, now you are going to feel guilty, and then he'll feel worse for making you feel guilty. This has to stop somewhere."

"Ya Allah, what is happening with my family?" I whispered out.

"Look, everyone is going through a tough time right now, but we will get through this, In Sha Allah." He reassured me, repeatedly kissing my hand. 

"Rohaan needs to be repeatedly reminded that he is not responsible for what happened to me. Arsal is feeling so small and vulnerable right now, and I wish I could just hug him tightly and tell him that I'm not going anywhere. Hoor keeps getting more and more stress, even though she should not be stressing at all. And Haya...her second day of marriage, and she is making rounds of the hospital." 

"Ab kya karein yaar? Jab sab ko sambhalne waali khud takleef main ho, to yehi to hota hai." He said, lightly.

*"What can we do? When the one who takes care of all is in pain herself, this is what happens..."

There was a knock on the door.

Mama and Saim stood in the doorway, looking worriedly at me.

I smiled. "Shukar hai mere maikay waalay aaye. Warna mere sasural waalay hi aaye jaa rahe hain." I teasingly winked at Rehan.

*"Thank God my parental family is here. Otherwise, only my in-laws keep coming."

Rehan chuckled, squeezing my hand.

I looked at Saim then, and my smile disappeared. I had never seen him like that, so...sorrowful and almost lifeless. I then remembered that he had seen me right after I had fallen. I couldn't even imagine having to witness my twin in that state, and he had lived that nightmare.

I then realised that it wasn't just my husband and kids who need some reassurance from me. My mother and my twin brother had been in deep pain themselves, and I was yet to address that.

*

Family is an important theme of many of my books, but especially this series. 

I wanted to show some real bonding, and I also want to emphasis that if a male cries for a loved one, it doesn't make them weak. It makes them human.

Anya is truly lucky to have all these loved ones by her side.

Poor little grasshopper Arsu.

Favourite part?

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