Edited

CHAPTER24

I squinted, as the whiteness of the room hit me. I tried to open them once more, and finally after a few attempts my eyes were open.

I looked around, and all I could see was white and the sound of that annoying beeping. God, why doesn't anyone turn that alarm off? I have a huge headache.

I groaned as I heard the beeping sound once again and closed my eyes.

"Noor, babe. Are you awake?" I heard a voice ask and I just groaned again in response.

"Noor, can you hear me?" I heard the voice ask again. I mumbled something and waved my hand around.

I felt a hand engulf mine and warmth spread through my body.

I tried to open my eyes once again but ended up squinting from the light. I blinked a few times, until I was finally able to open my eyes a little.

I looked around a little and I saw white walls I looked over to my hand seeing a cannula had been put in it., and I realized the beeping sounds are the beats of my heart.

I am in a hospital.

The events of what happened came across my mind in a flash.

Yusuf.

Is he okay? What happened to him?

I felt myself panic, and my heart beats picked up.

I felt a hand squeeze mine.

"Babe, it's okay. You're okay."

I looked over to the familiar face, his words soothing me sending tingles down my spine.

He is okay. Alhamdulilah Ya Rab.

I let out a sigh of relief and whispered "Alhamdulilah you are okay Yusuf."

I held my hand slowly reaching to cup his cheek. He closed his eyes then kissed my palm.

"I should be the one saying this to you love, you have no idea how you scared me. Sacred us." He whispered, opening his eyes.

The emotions in his eyes were on display and I could see everything in it. The pain, the regret, for something I couldn't quite understand, but it made his eyes sparkle.

His face looked so tired, like he hadn't been sleeping. The bags under his eyes proving my thought.

"How long have I been out?" I asked.

He held my hand in his "For about a day."

"Have you been sleeping or eating? You look so tired." I questioned him.

He rolled his eyes at me.

"I am fine, really." He then looked into my eyes. "I am just so happy that you are okay Noor. I don't know what I would've done if anything happened to you." His voice sincere and his eyes looked vulnerable as they bored into mine.

"I heard that you were awake Mrs. Alsadiq." A voice said startling the both of us.

Breaking eye contact with Yusuf, I came face to face with a beautiful woman. She was standing there smiling at me. Dressed in a white coat, it was clear that she was the doctor.

I smiled back at her "Guess I am."

"We will just check with you and see how you're doing." She said, and moved forward.

"I should call Khalo and Ameen. As well as all the people who wanted to see you yesterday. I will be back soon." Yusuf said, kissed my forehead his lips lingering there before whispering once more. "Alhamdulilah you're fine Noor. You have no idea how happy I am to see you fine."

He then went out of the door, smiling one last time in my way.

"You know, he was devastated yesterday, but when I told him that you were going to be fine you can't imagine how relieved he was." She smiled down at me. "By the way, I am Nasrin."

"I am Noor, but I am sure you already know that." I replied.

"I do," she laughed lightly before waving a light in my eyes.

After a few minutes of checking she was finally done.

"Everything seems to be fine; you should be able to leave the hospital in next week inshallah."

"Thank you."

"It was nice meeting you Noor, and please don't frighten your husband again like that again. I think he is too in love with you to handle anything like that." With that, she went out of the door leaving me dumbfounded.

I know I recently admitted to myself that I am in love with Yusuf, and I know that losing him or anything really happening to him would kill me, but I never thought of how he thinks of me.

I mean, I really didn't have much time you know after I realized how I felt for him I was captured and a gun was held to my head and blah blah blah... you know the rest..

I am suddenly worried, what if he doesn't love me back, what if he just cares about me and not in an ' I love you' way but in a 'you're a good person' way.

I started to freak out, thinking about the endless possibilities, and I guess when Yusuf came in he could sense that something was wrong.

I just looked at him with wide eyes, more like staring.

"Baby, what happened? What did the doctor say? Is there something wrong? Should I call her back? Why aren't you answering Noor? Are you in pain? I better call her back."

"Yusuf, it's okay I'm not in pain. It's not that, wallah" I tried to calm him down.

"What's wrong then?" He asked again.

"I will tell you later when we're home." Yusuf was about to argue, but I gave him a pointed look. He let out a sigh.

"But you have to tell me okay?" I nodded at him, squeezed his hand in reassurance, and gave him a small smile.

"I promise"

"Good"

"Anyways, what did Abbi and Ameen say?" I asked him. Wanting to know when they'd be here.

"I believe they will be here in a couple of minutes, if not less." Yusuf chuckled.

To his words, Ameen burst through the door looking out of breath. His eyes searched around the room until they met mine.

He walked. No, more like ran up to me, and engulfed me in one of his bear hugs. His familiar scent making me smile.

"I meant a couple of seconds not minutes." I heard Yusuf mumble behind Ameen.

I held back a cry when he squeezed my shoulder near my wound.

"Ameen you're hurting her, let go of my wife." Yusuf pulled Ameen off me, making Ameen whimper.

I giggled at his expression.

"Where's Abbi?" I asked not seeing him in the room.

"I guess he is too old for the stairs. He waited for the elevator." He shrugged giving me a lopsided smile.

Just then, Abbi walked in and all of our heads looked up to him.

"I believe you were talking about me." Abbi said looking suspiciously at each one of us.

I laughed under my breath making Abbi's attention turn to me.

He came up to me, pulling me to his embrace. He held me tight as I did to him.

"You have no idea how worried we were." Abbi whispered to me.

"I am sorry." I whispered back.

"Don't be, you were brave, and Alhamduilah you are fine. Just don't pull a stunt like that ever again." Abbi said and I smiled into his chest.

"I promise." He let me go and kissed my head.

"I am just so happy you are okay, Noor." Abbi said smiling down at me. "Even Ameen didn't eat, can you believe it?"

Ameen grunted behind him "I just didn't have the appetite."

"I hate to break it to you bro, but that means you were worried." Yusuf patted his back chuckling.

"Ohhh, my baby bro was worried." I gushed at Ameen.

"I am older than you Noor." Ameen sighed.

"Only by age bro, not by maturity." I reply in a singing voice.

"No, by maturity too."

"Nope."

"Yes"

"No"

"Yes"

"No"

"For Allah's sake she just woke up."

Yusuf sighed massaging his temple as Abbi said at the same time, shaking his head" Can't you guys not do this one time?"

"Nope" We both said it together.

We turned to each other but this time instead of glaring at each other we shared a small smile.

~*~*~*~

"Are you sure you don't want us to help you tomorrow dear?" Khala asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

I gave her a small smile." Yes Khala, you have already helped us more than enough."

"But I don't mind." Khala protested.

"I know you don't Ummi but you're tired and you need rest." Yusuf said holding his mother's hand.

"But-"

"Besides there isn't much to help with, I think Yusuf can handle himself." I sent her a reassuring smile.

"Fine." She finally gave in making me and Yusuf both grin.

It's been two weeks since the incident, the doctor insisted I stay for two weeks at least. I tried to protest, but Yusuf wouldn't let me. Khala and Khalo have been here almost every day, as well as Ameen and Abbi, bringing us food and keeping our company. Salma and Farida both visited often too, and even though we had company, I still couldn't wait to go home.

As might you have guessed by 'we' I mean Yusuf and I. He refused to go home and leave me alone. The only times he had left me is when he went home and brought some clothes with him. My hospital room had a bathroom inside it with a shower, so we both took showers here.

Although I tried more than once to convince him to go home for at least one night, he wouldn't have it. I felt sorry for him for sleeping on the couch every night. I even tried to convince him to sleep next to me; the bed was big enough for both of us, but he said he wanted me to sleep comfortably.

He is too sweet and stubborn for his own good.

Finally, I was going home tomorrow. I grinned at the thought.

A knock on the door took me from my thoughts. Not soon after, Samira's black hair came into my line of vision.

"Hey" She said softly with a smile that looked hesitant.

"Hi" I smiled back at her. A genuine smile making her eyes wide.

I can't ever forget what she has done to me, but I can forgive her. She was just a kid just like me, naive.

"Um, how are you?" She asked me.

"I am good, Alhamdulilah."

She nodded, shifting from one foot to another, looking awkward.

"Can I speak to you... alone?" She looked around at Yusuf and Khala.

I could see that Yusuf was about to say something, but before he could I cut him off.

"Yes you can." Yusuf looked at me giving me a look that said 'are you sure?'. I just smiled in reassurance, and he nodded before leaving with Khala.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I asked.

She took a seat in the chair that was next to my bed.

"Look Noor, I am really really sorry for what I have done to you. I was stupid and still am. I shouldn't have brought you into this again, and I am so so sorry that this happened to you, all because of how stupid I am." Her words filled with sincerity as she stared into my own eyes.

"I forgive you." I said. Making her freeze.

"What?!' She asked. Pure shock visible on her face.

"I know what you did was because you were hurt and lost. I am not saying that it was okay for you to hurt me like that, because it wasn't, but I am saying that you made decisions that you regret now, and that's all that matters. I'm not saying that I can forget what you did to me, because let's be honest I don't think I ever could, and neither could you. What I am trying to say is that I will try my best to forgive you."

By the time I was done, I noticed that Samira had tears on her cheeks, and before I knew it, a tear fell from my eye as well.

"I don't know what I have ever done to deserve someone like you, whether as a friend or not." She smiled sadly at me.

"Hopefully a friend." I said and she grinned at me.

She came and pulled me into hug, and I hugged her back.

"I have a question though." I said once we broke from the hug.

"Ask away." She said smiling.

"What happened to YassiR?" Her smile disappeared and she looked down.

After a few moments, she looked up at me. Her eyes glimmering with tears out the corner of her eyes, waiting to be released.

"He-he died." Her voice croaked.

My eyes were wide as I stared at her.

I don't know what I was expecting, but I wasn't expecting this.

"Did they shoot him?" I asked.

"No, he shot himself." Samira said as a tear slid down her cheek.

"I know that I shouldn't be sad. I know he deserved what happened to him, but after all, he was my only family. I know it was idiotic of me, but I was holding onto that thread of hope, that maybe when he goes to jail, maybe just maybe he would regret what he has done and repent. Then maybe, just maybe, we would be a family again" She whispered the last part as she shook her head.

"But I guess his pride wouldn't take it, because once he finally came to the realization that there was no way out, and he would be put in prison, he shot himself. The scariest thing though, were his eyes, Noor. Just before shooting himself, his eyes found mine, and there was so much emotion in them. I could have sworn that he mouthed 'I'm sorry' to me, just before shooting himself. His eyes still on me, as the bullet went through his brain."

She ran a shaking hand through her hair, as more tears fell from her eyes. I hugged her tight.

"It wasn't idiotic of you to hope that. After all, he was once your brother, and I know how he was before your mother passed away. The caring and protective brother." I whispered back to her as her shoulder shook.

"I wish I could go back in time and help him like I was supposed to do, instead of encouraging him." She muttered through her tears.

"They were his choices Samira, and his faults, not yours. You were a kid, you looked up to your brother, and instead of him showing you the right way, he turned his back from you. Don't regret for not helping him, because he made all those choices."

"I know, I know." She sighed.

After sometime, Samira calmed down and we started talking about the past, future, and everything. Turns out her father died last year from an overdose of drugs. She never went to the funeral though. It is really sad now that I think about it. A strong family like Samira's, who would've imagined that the death of only one person could ruin everything?

Allah really tests us with hardships, then He gives us choices, but you are the one who chooses, because Allah doesn't give a soul a burden that can't be handled.

~*~~*~

So Chapter 24

I hope that you liked it, and as you might have guessed there isn't much left for the end to come just hold on tight.

Please if you liked it vote and comment I want to know about your thoughts. It would mean the world to me.

Love you all. Every single one of you :)

And thank you so much for all the support you have given me. I couldn't have finished it without your help.

~Saya <3