Assalam-o-Alaikum !

Here is the last wala update guys:(

I won't say more coz I have already wept enough.....

Just remember one thing....not every story has a happy ending and not every happy ending is all about LIVING. Sometimes all you need is a peaceful death....sometimes all you need is to let go.

CHAPTER: 67: REST IN PEACE

Kash maut ko bhi maut aa sakti.....kash usey mehsoos ho sakta k jin ko wo apne sath le jati hea, un k bagher zameen waley kesey jeetey hen; sans letey hen per zindagi nai hoti, dil seeney mein maujood hotey hen mager dherkan ghayab rehti hea.

Kash hum jane walon k sath he ja saktey.....

Kash.....

Kash maut ko bhi maut aa sakti...

Sitting over the prayer mat, I silently let the tears roll down to my cheeks to my neck to my heart. Heer was in the operation theater for last half hour and she took my peace, my heart, my soul along with her.

Raising my hands for du'a I just stared down at my palms, those lines slowly fading in front of my eyes, those lines in which He Himself wrote Heer's name and now He is snatching her from me. Why?

Tu ne he to us ka hath merey hath mein thamaya tha Ya Allah! Phir q cheen raha hea usey mujhe se?

My fingers were trembling, tears falling down into my palms. No mater how hard I tried to pray but nothing could come out from my lips; nothing could come out of that shattered heart.

For long I just kept sitting on the prayer mat in Ayesha's room in the hospital, leaning with the table at my back, silently crying for the fears had surrounded me like a child afraid of falling down, like a child afraid of loosing the most precious toy he has.

Same was me at the moment I was afraid of loosing the most precious thing in my life, my whole world, my wife.

Slowly I wiped my face with my hands and got up, my back was hurting from all the sleepless nights and hectic days for past few months, my eyes itching and face....looking at my own reflection my own eyes could get betrayed.

Folding the prayer mat I placed it on the table when my gaze landed on a frame placed on the table, it was Ayesha smiling broadly, her arm was snaking into somebody's neck but on the person's picture she had pasted Heer's.

My hands reached for the frame unknowingly and I picked it up, Heer's picture was pushed into the frame, I turned the frame and pulled out her picture, turning it around I found Ayesha standing with her arm snaked into a girl's neck, she resembled her a lot; same eyes, same warm smile.

Who was she? And why did Ayesha pasted Heer's picture over hers?

I shook the thoughts away as I felt a little bad for intruding into her stuff without her permission.

My fingers caressed Heer's face in the picture, that smile so powerful yet so painful. I brought the picture to my lips and kissed it before pushing it back into place.

Turning around I walked towards the door when it flung open and I came face to face with her horrified, panicked face.

My heart stopped beating inside my chest as I saw her eyes moistened.

Ayesha's pov

After injecting in her spinal cord, we waited for a few minutes before her operation. We had to see if the anesthesia wasn't reacting, we couldn't numb her senses so rather stick to her lower half where her senses were completely working, she could talk and listen and react to things happening around her.

It was the first time my hands shivered while the incision of a patient, first time ever my vision getting blur every now and then as Heer's silent whimpers and heavy uneven breathing kept on striking my eardrums, getting all my attention. With her conscious it became even difficult for me.

I know being a doctor this might be the dumbest most idiotic thing to say but, yes, I was afraid; afraid of loosing a sister all over again, in front of my eyes....

I felt I had my own sister in front of my eyes, Khadija. I felt she was here...right here; wincing in pain and just like a decade back even today I was helpless and timid and weak and......

Please Allah ji! Let her live if the life coming ahead is worth all this pain, or else let her die peacefully, if death is better for her. Ameen!

Only You know what is best and what is worst for her.

My hands were busy in my work but my heart silently praying for Heer, for her child for Shehryar.

"Dip it in benzene" I ordered one of the junior doctors, who was assisting me in the operation and he handed me the bud.

My gaze unknowingly went to Heer's left hand, fisted at her side but still trembling.

"All is okay Heer! Relax!" I placed my hand over her fist and trust me even through the glove I could feel her numbness, her cold pale skin.

"Doctor!" he softly nudged me over my arm, making me come out of the stupor and I looked at him, blankly. He gave me a confused look and I shook my head embarrassed.

"BP?" I asked, my gaze was fixed down and the nurse stated the readings making a sudden frown appear over my forehead.

"Its dropping?" I looked up at the machine at the side of the bed.

"It was high a few minutes back doctor!" she shook her head, as she informed me.

"Fluctuation is not good" I almost said to my self, before looking at Heer whose eyes were shut tight and face muscles clenched.

"Heer! You need to relax! Just let out all the thoughts, think about something good, pleasant. Please relax you mind" I insisted firmly and she nodded her head, without opening her eyes.

HEER'S POV

I don't know what happened, my brain was bursting inside my skull, my heart ready to explode anytime soon and my eyes..... my eyes refused to stop streaming.

"Heer! Relax! All is okay" I heard a voice.

I felt weight over my hand, and then it was pressed a little before I heard the same voice again. "Heer! You okay? Open your eyes Heer! Stay with me...open your eyes" the voice was urgent and panicked, but not as panicked as my heart was.

I tried to open my eyes but I felt like flowing, like something was flowing within me; blood or life? As if somebody was sucking life out of me.... and it was quietly flowing out through my limbs, creating a silent chaos around me.

My chest felt pain, extreme pressure and weight. I winced silently.

Hamara bacha....Ya Allah! Kuch na honey dejiye ga usey.

Hamara bacha.....

A sudden gust of pain spread in my head and I leaned my head back, my spinal chord felt like jelly and needles of pain pricked all over my body.

"Doctor!" it was a shriek, a low cautious scream. "we are loosing her" the same voice added.

"Heer! Heer! Sun rai ho na tum? Aankhen kholo Heer!" Ayesha jerked me holding my shoulders and just then I threw up, I wonder after all the enema what was there inside me to come out.

"Blood?" I heard a voice, replying to my query.

"Wipe it"

The hands over my shoulders detached and my body started to shiver hard, my eyes were partly open by now and I could see blur images in front of my eyes, getting even blur and hazy.

"Ayesh..sha!"

"heer! Heer look at me, stay with me please!" I heard her voice, pleading near my face and I tried to hold her hand, before it gets too late.

"Ayesha!"

"Yes, Heer am here, please don't loose it Heer! Apney bachey k liye, please stay with me" She was louder then she ought to but her words had a shiver in them; shiver of pain and fear.

"Save him...." I tried to open my eyes and look at her. "promise me...prom...

"Heer! He is okay, your baby is okay Heer! Trust me" I felt the same weight over my hand once again.

"Doctor! We are loosing her" I heard a flat tone and my heart thud inside my chest.

"My baby....my....

"We have to save the baby" voices got mixed and my senses stopped differentiating between all of them.

"Shehr.....ya" it was a groan came out from my mouth. "Shehr...........

I wanted to look at him; look at his face and his smile, I wanted to look deep into his eyes before parting for long.... Shehryar!!!!!

"The baby is okay, he is breathing normal."

"Cut the chord" it was an urgent tone, Ayesha it was. I knew that.

And the next moment I felt something was detached, my body was numb but heart could feel every single move. I could feel all those heartbeats of my baby were gone from within me.

"wipe him up, quick"

"Heer!" I heard Ayesha's voice once again coming closer, having a tint of excitement. "Heer! Mubarak ho Heer! Tumhara Shaheer aa gaya, Heer! Look at me" her voice ended in a plea.

"Shehryar ....Sheh....

"Okay okay! I am calling him okay? Please stay strong Heer! Stay with me. mein abhi aa rai hoon. Please stay with me" she urgently instructed me and the hand detached from my hand once again.

All this was making my senses even blur and numb.

"Doctor! The baby is not crying" I heard a male voice, panic erupted once again and I pulled up all my courage and power to open my eyes. The doctor was holding the small fragile body in his hands.

My baby....Shaheer! my heart skipped a beat.

"Dr. Qadir!" he called but she was gone, she didn't reply back.

I wanted to get up and hold my baby in my arms, kiss him and feel him and caress his face for once.....just for once.

"He has to cry, no oxygen is going in. Nurse! call the doctor immediately or we will loose him as well"

My brain stopped working as the words crashed to my nerves.

Ya Allah!!!!

SHEHRY'S POV

"Shehryar!" her face was panicked and eyes blood shot.

"what happened?" I asked stepping towards her.

"You have to come with me, hurry up" she held my wrist, ignoring my expressions she pulled me out of the room, my heart was beating dangerously fast as we stepped into the lobby.

"Ayesha! What happened? For God's sake tell me" I asked panicking, but she shook her head, kept on walking...running.

"Don't ask anything. Heer needs you" she stated urgently, we walked past Mom, Hussain and Dad who looked at us worriedly but Ayesha was not in the state of replying or even listening to any one.

We stepped in the OT; it was a hall with a few glass wide doors.... She walked towards one of them and I followed with my feet weak and heart trembling inside my chest.

Ya Allah Heer theek ho....Heer ko kuch na Khudaya!

She took me to a room, darker than outside. In the middle over a stretcher kind of a bed I could see a body.... A body as if no soul was left in it.

"He.Heer!" my feet were stick to the ground and eyes rolling down tears already.

Something wasn't okay....

"Dr. Qadir! The baby hasn't cried yet" I headed towards the bed when I heard a voice.

Baby?...my baby? My son.....my heart skipped a beat.

"What?" Ayesha almost shouted. "hold him with the heels upside down and pat over the back" she instructed urgently.

"Heer!" I stopped near her, my fingers touched her hand; cold and numb sending shivers down my spine. She looked in extreme pain.

"Heer!" tears soaking my soul and I quickly wiped my face as she tried to open her eyes.

"Shehr..." I almost fell down over my knees holding her hand in mine.

"Heer! Meri jan! am here....kuch nai hoga tumhen" I stated and she shook her head faintly.

"Sha-he-Shaheer" her lips trembled as if don't know who much pain she was going through. All the acute pain was oozing up from every feature.

"Han! Shaheer. Our baby Heer! Our son" I tried to smile but couldn't.

"he has to cry...what is wrong" doctors were busy with the baby but I didn't have courage to let her alone at the moment. Not even for a second.

Everything was secondary in front of her...everything.

"Heer! Look at me, please don't go" she went quiet and her hand in my grip went a little loose and heavy. I got up and sat near her over the brim, I touched her shoulders but she didn't open her eyes.

Why wasn't she replying? Was she.....No. please! No.

"Oye Heeriye! Khol na aankhen" my vision got blur once again as I literally begged. "stop scaring me Heer! Stop it! Open your eyes" suddenly her eye lids parted a little and she made a face as if she was about to throw up but instead of her mouth, a thin red line appeared from out of her nostril. My heart panicked even more.

"Doctor! Ayesha! Ayesha!" I shouted and looked around, finding her standing holding the baby, she handed the baby to a doctor and almost ran towards us.

"Heer! Heer! Aankhen kholo" I jerked her up. "kia ho raha hea tumhen?"

"Shehryar!" Ayesha pressed her hand over my shoulder and I looked up at her. "save her please!" I begged, my face soaking with tears as I looked down at Heer and pulled her in to my self.

"Don't go Heer! Please!"

"Shehryar!" Heer spoke and I looked down at her face. Her lips were trembling; she was trying to say something. Ayesha wiped the blood coming out from her nostril.

"Bolo Heer! Bolo am here...bolo!" I urged her, she blinked her eyes before her lips parted once again and she spoke but I could get, her words were fumbled badly.

"Kam...l...klm....

"Heer! You want something...? Pani? Pani chaiye tumhen?" I asked unable to understand, I felt my own brain would burst any minute but she shook her head. .

"What does she want? Why are you people not doing anything?" I shouted out loud, looking at Ayesha and a few nurses who were staring us, every face every eye has the fear of death as if it had surrounded us all already.

"Do something. Save her" I begged but Ayesha just looked down at Heer with tears soaking her face.

"km...kalma" it strikes my ear and I looked down at Heer in my arms, her eyes partly open and her lips wide apart as if she was breathing with great difficulty.

Her hand was grabbing my collar fisting tight, trying to suppress the pain inside her.

She faintly jerked me. "Kalma....Shehrya...kalm...

I don't know who but somebody whimpered loud near me, my eyes were plain, fixed on Heer's face silently letting the tears fall down. I shook my head. "No! no Heer! Stay with me. don't go"

"pl-ea-please!" It was a dying painful whisper when her finger tips touched the tears over my cheek. "Don't...ple-please! don.....don't cry....

With my heart shattering into a thousand pieces I recited kalma in broken words and ragged breaths. My voice hiccuped as I finished and her lips trembled again...she touched my lips and tried to stretch them wide.

But she couldn't as her hand fell down from my face and my heart sank deep into my tummy as her eyes went completely flat, emotionless and from near a baby cried at the top of his lungs.

Her head fell loose over my shoulder and the blood drops from her nostrils kept falling over my shirt as I stared down at her pale motionless, life less face.

"HEER!" my soul screamed as a part of it got snatched away.

"Heer! Get up! HEER!" I jerked her shaking her shoulders but she wasn't replying...her body was heavier and colder.

"Shehryar!" somebody held my hand but I jerked it away, ignoring the sobs and whimpers.

"Heer! Heer! Aankhen kholo! Jawab do mujhey...HEER!" I was screaming, shouting calling her name but she wasn't listening anymore.

"Shehryar! Let her go....wo ja chuki hea Shehryar! She is no more" Ayesha held my hand and tried to move me back.

Wo nai ja sakti mujhey chor ke....she can't.

Heer can't leave me like this....

"HEEER!!!!!" with a sky shattering scream erupting from my heart I embraced her motionless body in my arms and pulled her close to my chest, crying my heart out.

This was the first time when I hugged her but she didn't hug me back.....

My life my happiness...everything was over.

Heer left her Ranjha alone.... 

kaash maut ko bhi maut aa sakti. 

~~~~~~~~~~~THE END~~~~~~~~~~~

Lying on the bed

Surrounded by crowd

She tried hard but

Could only give a faint smile

A forced one

Far away someone was calling

Her by name

Looking around

Faces got dimmed

Noise no longer heard

Crowd blurred

She closed her eyes

For eternity

One life ended

Another began.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

I wanted to keep it short and to the point, avoiding extra pain and trouble.

can't talk more...Inn Shaa Allah later......