The room didn't smell like antiseptic anymore. Aziza had sprayed some humrah on the curtains and also doused the room in a rich smoke of authentic chadian incense. Umma  brought her a duvet from home. She changed the carpet and installed all of Shukrah's bath scents and toiletries in the bathroom. It was almost like she moved back to the hospital. Permanently.

It's been nine days since the accident and she still feels like it happened yesterday. The memories were still fresh in her brain. Sometimes she closes her eyes and she could still smell the tyres burning. She could see the blood beneath her lids. Oh there was so much blood.

She was grateful to Allah for her family. They all wanted to be there for her and made sure she got the best possible care there is. And the first step that Abba took was to transfer them to a much better hospital after Haseeb's surgery and got her admitted in the VIP wing.

Everyone came through for them. Zarah and her sisters were all there hovering around her and giving her all the emotional support she needed. Her friends came from school to see how she was doing and kept her company on days she felt like crap. Haseeb's sisters, Zarah's mum and her Aunty Uwani were also there showering her with prayers and comfort food eventhough there brother was lying helplessly in a coma.

All these made her marvel at the mercy of Allah. How he spared her life from a near death experience and blessed her with the most compassionate set of people who stood by her and loved her unconditionally.

Her wounds were now healing and she was slowly recovering from the trauma thanks to Humaira and the girls.

They've been coming to the hospital everyday for the past four days and each time they left in the night, she felt a little lighter than the previous day. They made her laugh and held her when she cried. They were the best sets of friends anyone could ever asked for.

The only thing that held her captive was the thought of Haseeb pulling through the coma. The doctors said it usually happens during surgery and since the internal bleeding wasn't detected immediately after the accident, this was the price he had to pay. Because he was so occupied with saving her life and getting her to safety, he didn't realize he was hurt and now he was floating somewhere between life and death.

She hasn't seen him yet, but Maama assured her that he is getting better and will wake up soon.

And now as she lay cuddled on her bed in her favorite hoodie and socks, she listened to her friends chit chatting with Umma in the adjoining living room.

"Shukr? Are you awake?" She heard Humy's voice by the doorway. She turned her body away from the wall so that she was now facing her. Humaira smiled and walked into the room, closing the door behind her.

"Hey" she said as she sat on the bed and put her arm around her bestfriend. "How're you feeling today?"

"Much better" she rested her head on her shoulder.

"You look so sad. What's the problem?"

Shukrah swallowed a lump in her throat and shook her head.

"He's going to be fine Shukr. Biiznillahi azza wajjal" Humaira whispered as she tightened her hold on her. She had that superpower of reading Shukrah and knowing exactly what she was thinking. That is probably the reason why she is closer to her amongst the three of them.

Shukrah nodded as tears gathered beneath her lids. She didn't let them fall though.

It scared her. That he might not wake up. And whenever that thought crosses her mind, her heart beats fast and she feels this sense of sadness she's never felt before. And this scares her the most because she's never felt like this at the thought of losing someone, except towards her family. But Haseeb was her family too right?

They stayed like that for a while before Fayrouz and Na'eema finished talking with Umma and then came in. Another fresh batch of chit chat was launched and soon enough, Shukrah was laughing at their stories and almost forgot about the intense pain she felt in her heart.

Ahmad stared at his wife from where she sat across from him, her arm around her mother who was sleeping on her lap. His heart went out to her as he watch her struggle between keeping her family calm and trying to prevent herself from breaking down in front of them for the past few days.

She looked so exhausted. They were both exhausted, coming in and out of the hospital and barely sleeping a wink before repeating the same routine all over again. They barely had time to talk to each other or even offer each other comfort except in the premises of the hospital. They weren't even staying in the same place. She and her mother together with Anti Uwani were staying at a relative's house while he and Abba lodged at a hotel not far from the hospital.

Right now, he wants to reach out and hold her and ask her how she's doing and assure her that everything will be alright. But he can't. Something lodged in his throat and he tried hard to swallow it.

"Muje muyi sallah ko?" He heard Abba's voice from above him. He looked up and saw his father standing over him.

He too, got on his feet and turned towards the direction of the women. As if on cue, Zarah looked up too and their eyes met. He gave her a gentle smile and she returned it almost instantly.

We'll be fine, he thought.

When he went in to have lunch after Zuhr, Umma regarded him for a while  before she spoke.

"Babana"

He looked up from his plate of Jollof rice and potato salad. "Na'am Umma"

"If you leave this hospital today please don't come back tomorrow. Carry your wife along too. Ku huta dan Allah. Dawainiyar tayi yawa."

He opened his mouth to protest but she stopped him. "Have you seen her lately? She's become so thin. Da wanne zataji? Her baby or all this stress?"

He swallowed a lump and nodded.

"Ni ban hanaku zuwa ba but you guys need a breather. And Shukrah is getting discharged tomorrow Alhamdulillah so atleast we don't have to hover around her anymore. I'll stay here with Maman Zarah and we'll watch over Haseeb. Ku sai ku huta ko?"

"But Umma, you are the one who needs to rest, not us. I mean you've been here since the first day and all you do is take care of not only Shukrah, but everyone else. You make sure we've eaten and that we're home by midnight and no matter how early we come by in the morning, you see to it that we all have our breakfast too. You're supposed to be taking care of Shukrah and not worrying about us. Kema fa kina bukatar hutun nan"

She smiled at him with her tired eyes. "Well if I don't do all these, who will?"

"But Umma...."

She stood up from the sofa and adjusted the veil of her Abaya. "Ni dai na gama magana. I don't want to see you and Zarah'u in this hospital tomorrow."

A smile pinched at his lips. "Yes Ma"

She shook her head in amusement and walked into Shukrah's room, gently  closing the door behind her.

Shukrah was pretty sure it was late in the night but the commotion she head outside her door seemed like it was a bright morning. When she opened her eyes, she was enveloped in darkness. She sat up and listened attentively. It seemed like happy cheer but then someone was crying in the midst of it all. She pushed away her duvet and came down from the bed. It took her a while to find the door and she pulled it open.

Umma immediately turned towards her direction when she heard the door creak.

She immediately went into alert mode.

"Ya akayi? Do you need anything?"

Shukrah shook her head. Her eyes were fixed on Zarah's Mum as she wiped tears from her face which kept falling freely. Anti Uwani had her arm wrapped around her in a comforting manner. But she didn't look sad or alarmed. She looked mostly relaxed and relieved.

Shukrah wanted to panic but held her breath. "What's going on? Is he okay?"

They both know who she meant by 'he'.

Maama nodded with a teary smile and pulled her to herself. "He just woke up. The doctors are with him to confirm if everything is alright."

She wasn't sure who started sobbing between her and Maama, but anyhow, they were both crying and hugging each other. Maama was relieved that her only brother, the one she considers her first child was not leaving her. And Shukrah, she was just so relieved. She didn't even know why she was crying.

"Dan Allah kukan nan ya isa haka" Anti Uwani said with a hint of amusement in her voice. "I understand we are all happy and relieved. Let's all look like it please"

Shukrah was the first to pull away and wipe her face. And it was in that moment it just occured to her that she and Maama have never hugged. But today, Haseeb have brought them together and now they've shared something so intimate and cried in each other's arms. She wasn't sure how she was suppose to react to that, but it felt good

She didn't go back to sleep afterwards. She just prayed so many Nawafils thanking Allah for sparing Haseeb's life and for all the blessings he bestowed upon them.

Abba was at the hospital immediately after Subh prayers. He immediately proceeded with Haseeb's paperwork. He was moved from the ICU to the VIP ward in no time. The doctors confirmed that his vitals were good. He needed time to rest to recover from the trauma and to also heal from all the wounds he sustained on his arms and legs. Hopefully there were all minor and no broken bones.

By 8am, Shukrah's ward was flooded with people. Everyone wanted to see Haseeb, but Abba kept redirecting them to Shukrah's ward and told them to wait there because Haseeb needed to rest.

When Umma came out of Shukrahs room and saw Ahmad and his wife, she rolled her eyes and ignored their greeting.

Ahmad couldn't hide his laughter.

"Umma he is my bestfriend." He reminded her.

"Kai de baka jin magana kawai." She said without sparing him a second glance and placed the small luggage bag  she was holding in one corner of the living room.

She was packing Shukrah's since they will be leaving after Zuhr.Her discharge papers were already ready.

Shukrah folded her duvet and neatly placed it in its casing. She looked around the room she's lived in for more than two weeks and sighed in relief. So many memories have been made here and she's grateful for all of them; Umma feeding her in the middle of the night because her right arm was numb and she couldn't lift it, Hunairah cuddling with her and letting her cry in her shoulders, playing Uno with her sisters, listening to Imam Omar Suleiman on Ya Ahmad's iPad and so much more.

Alhamdulillah. She came in wounded, weak and traumatized. But she's leaving now and she's never felt stronger and healthier.

"Let me get that." Umma said the moment she entered. She reached for the duvet and hugged it to herself. "Ki shiga kiyi wanka"

Shukrah nodded and entered the bathroom.

Her reflection stared back at her in the mirror. She's lost some weight and her eyes were hollow. There's still a bandage on the left side of her eye where she got stitches. She was cut by a glass in the accident. She remembered she couldn't open her eyes for days. At some point she thought she'd go blind.

The stitches she got on her arm was almost fully healed. The nurse said she can come back in five days to get it removed. But it was going to leave a huge scar.

She smiled at the thought of it. Who cares about scars anyway. She was alive. That's all that matters.

After her bath, she wore fresh clean pajamas and wore an Abaya on top. She managed to tame her mess of a hair into place and wore a bright pink Chantilly lace cap then wrapped her head with a matching veil. She slipped in her black crocs and picked her phone from the empty bed.

The room was now devoid of anything that belonged to her. She was finally leaving.

To her surprise, the ward was almost empty. All the people that were crowded in there a while ago have now left. Aziza was the only one in the room and she was sleeping on the sectional sofa, her veil covering her face. She too will be leaving for Kano later in the day. Her flight to U.S is in two days and she's been so overwhelmed with the whole situation that she didn't properly pack. Umma had told her countless times to leave but she wouldn't budge. She's finally agreed anyway.

Shukrah dialed Umma's number to let her know that she was ready to go.

"Umma na shirya" she said immediately the call was answered.

"Sorry gani nan zuwa. We're speaking to the doctor with Abba. Give me two minutes" she said and hung up.

"Someone is eager to leave the hospital" Aziza muttered sleepily.

Shukrah smiled and turned towards her. She still had her veil over her face so Shukrah couldn't see her. "Ba dole ba Ya Zeezee. It's been fun Alhamdulillah but I'm ready to go back home."

Aziza sleepily reached for her hand and clasped it in her slender fingers.

"You were strong Shukr. We are all very proud of you. Allah ya Kara miki lafiya"

She teared up a bit. "Amin"

Just then, Maama walked in with Zarah on tow. They all looked tired but mostly relieved.

Zarah went and hugged Shukrah. "I'm so glad you're all better now" she whispered. "Alhamdulillah"

Shukrah savored the hug. It was really comforting.

"Can I see you for a sec?" Maama asked when she pulled away from Zarah.

"Okay" she nodded and got on her feet. She followed Maama outside. When she saw that she was walking ahead towards the male VIP wing, her heartbeat accelerated. She followed her anyway.

They reached a door and Maama finally turned to look at her. She placed her hands on Shukrah's shoulders. "I know this might be hard on you but I really need you to not breakdown."

She swallowed a lump and nodded frantically. "I'll try"

"Good" Maama nodded "Because he's been asking of you and I need you to assure him that you're okay. And step one is to not cry"

He's been asking of her?

She had no idea what to do with that piece of information. It made her feel all sorts of things at once.

Her palms became sweaty as Maama turned the handle and opened the door. She didn't know how her legs carried her inside but she eventually found herself standing before his bed, her breathing erratic and her heartbeat pulsating.

He was a mess.

Subhanallah.

His handsome fair face was bruised and blotchy. He probably sustained a head injury because he had a large bandage on his head. You could see all the places the glass injured him on his arm and knuckles, all red.

Tears pricked her eyes but she bit them down. It was hard.

"Hi"

Her voice came out hoarse. She wasn't even sure if it belonged to her anymore.

She heard him laugh- or was it a cough. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye.

"Shukrah" her name rolled out of his tired lips. "Ya jikinki? Are you all better?"

The room fell silent.

She was scared. If she opened her mouth, a sob might escape. And if a sob escaped, she's going to break down completely.

After twelve days of floating through oblivion and having no clue of whether he was dead or alive, the first thing he asks when he sees her if she's okay?

Her heart was hurting for him. But at the same time, it was ricocheting between numerous warm feelings.

"Ta ji sauki fa Alhamdulillah. She's being discharged today ma."

Maama had to intervene when she realized Shukrah didn't have it in her to reply.

"Shukrah" he called softly.

As if on reflex, she looked up and he immediately caught her eyes in his.

They were red and tired, probably worn out from the unending slumber. But they held an emotion in them she couldn't fathom.

He cocked his head to the side like he's studying her. He looked so funny doing that and she surpsingly found herself smiling at him.

"I'm fine wallahi" she finally found her voice. "Don't worry about me"

His lips stretched too, but it looked painful.

"How are you though?"

He nodded and gave her a thumbs up. "I'm going to be fine InshaAllah"

She nodded along with him. "InshaAllah"

She stood there for a while, just looking at him and marveling at how strong and brave he is. This man that saved her. This man that is very kind. This man that is trying to confuse a lot of things inside of her.

She blinked her thoughts away and whispered Du'as for him. She didn't know he was listening until she heard him say 'Amin' when she was done.

They exchanged smiles and she exited the room.

Maama followed her outside and gave her a warm hug.

"Thank you for holding up. Allah ya Kara miki lafiya ya miki albarka"

Her heart warmed. "Amin Maama. Thank you"

"I'll see you soon okay? Take care of yourself and your Umma kinji?"

She smiled. "InshaAllah I will"

She wanted to say 'Take care of Ya Haseeb too' but she decided against it. Because that will be totally weird.

********
If you were clean Pajamas under your Abaya gather here let's do night vigil 😂😂.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

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T for thanks.