CHAPTER | TEN | ALIZA | POV

Asalamalaikum wa rahmatullah. 

Asalamalaikum wa rahmatullah.

 We finished the Eid Salah and as I got up I was caught in peoples embrace saying Eid Mubarak to each other. Every single Muslim in town usually went to the big park on Eid to pray Eid Salah and that's where we were now. My whole family was here and my in laws which I have come a lot closer to already and have met every single one of them now. 

"Eid Mubarak Ali!" Mustafas little legs came running up to me and hugged me by the waist. I certainly couldn't pick him up anymore since he was getting older. 

"Khair Mubarak shorty." I teased and gave him a kiss on both his cheeks which he wiped off complaining girls had cooties. I had no idea where he got that from but I let it go though later on I would question him about it. 

"ALI!" All of a sudden all three of the boys came running up to me and squashed me into a tight hug. Laughing at my distress they let go, "Eid Mubarak sis." The twins said together cheerfully while giving me a peck each also. 

"Khair Mubarak. Eid Mubarak Adam." Adam gave me a sideway hug and flashed me his killer smile which I rolled my eyes at. Slowly as the time went I had greeted everyone but I still hadn't seen Isa since this morning when we left to go pray. Looking at my phone, it read that it was still 9 AM. 

With nothing to do since I had already mingled around, I slipped down to the ground, my back leaning on a tree and began playing Candy Crush. To be honest I didn't like this game but Isa told me to try it out and it was getting kind of addictive really. 

Smiling to myself as I passed level 46 I shut the game off and decided to go back to the families who were getting ready to go the Eid festival we always have on the other side of town. Not only did Muslims go there though; the whole town usually went too. 

"Have you seriously not bothered looking for me?" A pair of arms wrapped around me and I knew it was Isa.

"Not really." I replied back teasingly. I dropped his arms to his sides and carried on walking to where the others were. He gradually caught up with me and took my hand in his. 

"Seriously?" I could hear the anxiety in his voice but nonetheless I kept it casual. 

"Well I thought about it but didn't actually go looking." I replied honestly. We were at the car now but before I could go inside, something vile from my throat was threatening to come out and I had a feeling it was my breakfast that was soon about to come out. 

"Isa can you take me home?!" I asked pleadingly at him trying to control the vomit that was about to come out. He looked worriedly at me and nodded before going to the other side of the car and sitting himself down. I did the same and placed my hand to my throat. 

During the car ride he kept asking me if I was alright and what the matter was but I could only get myself to nod or else I'm sure I would have thrown up in the car if I opened my mouth. When we finally reached home five minutes later, I dashed out the car and into the house. Isa was right behind me as I opened the door to the bathroom and emptied my stomach out in the toilet. 

It was vile and felt horrible but it kept coming anyway. Finally it stopped and I sat there not knowing what to do apart from flushing the toilet clean.

"Ali, are you okay?" I forgot that Isa was there and he was know sitting on the floor next to me where I probably looked like a horrible mess. 

"Yeah, amazing." I said sarcastically to try and make it seem I was okay, but I wasn't. Standing up, I went over to the sink and washed my face before gurgling some mouthwash to try and get the horrible after taste in mouth away. 

I stood there with my hands grasping th edge of the sink for support because I was sure I would have fallen back down to my knees. I was sure I wasn't ill, especially in the summer and I couldn't have got it off anybody else since no one else was feeling poorly either.

"Ali, maybe we should go to the hospital. just in case." Isa suggested to me. I wasn't going to waste up the opportunity to go the hospital right now.

"Yeah. Let's go." I left the bathroom without waiting for him and phone in hand, I got downstairs and out in to the cool breezy air. The hospital wasn't that far away walking distance and to be honest I didn't feel like being cramped up in the car.

He soon caught up with me and started to make conversation to which I didn't hear. My mind was on what had happened earlier in the bathroom. I wasn't dumb; we had learnt about this in health class and that was the only explanation I could think of that was happening to me right now. 

I had to be pregnant.

"Ali, we're here. Come on." I followed him inside the hospital ignoring the stares coming my way from the laced abaya I had on for Eid. Some people who knew me flashed me smiles which I faintly returned to the best of my abilities.

"Excuse me can I get a doctor for my wife please? She just threw up and doesn't look very good." The strange sense of pride always came to me when he called me his'wife'. 

"Sure, go on in. Room 14." I was surprised that we didn't have to fill out a form or that she didn't make us wait like the other patients were who had come before us to the hospital. It was quite unfair really that we were going first.

"Isa?" I called out to him. He looked at me and vaguely smiled, I think he knew what I was thinking before about the pregnancy. "Why do we get to go in first? There's other people waiting." 

He looked at me for a second and stopped walking. I noticed we were outside room 14 where the doctor was. "It's useful to be known around town." Was all he said and I understood so I didn't press on further.

Opening the door of the room, we went inside and I sat down on the chair closest to the doctor while Isa sat next to me. Thankfully it was a female doctor so I didn't have to be hesitant about him touching me.

"Ahh good morning and if I think right, today is Eid right?" She asked cheerfully in a warm tone to which we both nodded at. "Well Eid Mubarak and it says here that you've thrown up once today. Is there anything else that's been happening that's out of the ordinary?" She asked me.

Coming to think about it, during Ramadan at Iftar whenever there was meat cooked, I would immediately turn away because the sight and smell repulsed me a little. Also, last night the dizziness was there but thinking nothing of it, I didn't mention it to anyone.

"I've been sort of getting off meat now. It just looks and smells horrible to me and makes me want to throw up." I replied honestly. 

She had a thinking face on and began writing some things down on her little notepad that she had with her on the desk. I hope she didn't make me read it because doctor handwritings are really hard to read, especially when I'm feeling squashed inside this room.

"Hmm, just what I was thinking. Would you mind changing into this gown for me? We might need to run some tests." I got up and took the hospital gown from her hand and went in to the bathroom that was already joined with the room.

As I changed I noticed the posters around the walls that were giving information about babies and asking if we were reading to have them. There was also a compartment at the corner that had pregnancy tests in them. I debated whether I should take on or not but decided against it considering they were waiting for me.

Walking out of the poster filled bathroom I came back to the doctor who now had some sort of machine with her. I stood there awkwardly in the hospital gown not knowing what to do. I stole a glance at Isa to see what he was doing to see that his eyes were scanning the posters in the room. They were also about babies.

"Great, if you could just sit down here." She moitoned to the bed that was in the corner by the white machine she had just brought in.

I went over to the bed, glad that my bare feet didn't have to touch the cold marble floor anymore. She motioned again with her hands to lay back and called Isa over to where we were.

She gently smiled at me. "I have a feeling that you may be pregnant young one so I'm just going to apply this gel on your stomach and we're going to just see through the monitor on the machine, okay? Also, the gel is quite cold so don't worry."

Nodding was the only option I could do since I didn't know what else was appropriate to do in this situation. Taking a look towards Isa was something I was afraid to do right now too. What if he didn't like the idea of me being pregnant?

The gel really was cold, I thought after it was spread out on my bare stomach. I didn't pay attention to my stomach though; my focus was on the monitor screen and first all I could see was blotches of black and white but then a small egg shape began to form towards the middle.

The smile plastered on my face was so wide when I had considered that this tiny egg shape might be our little baby inside of me. Finally I looked at Isa only to see that he was squinting his eyes to try and figure out what it possibly was.

Taking his hands in mine brought his attention to my smiling self and he gradually smiled himself though I could tell he was unsure of what he smiling about.

"Well it looks like that tiny little fella there is going to be the new member of your family." I wasn't looking at the doctor as she said that. Instead, my eyes was still on Isa as I saw he processed the information being said to him.

My attention finally focused to the doctor who was smiling at us waiting for us to say something.

"How many weeks is the baby?" I asked her. It would have to be about 4-5 weeks old perhaps, but I wasn't completely sure about it. The grasp on Isa's hand became stronger as he squeezed my hand.

"Well according to the size and the machine, your baby is about 5 weeks old. I'll give you two some time alone to have a little chat and call me back in when you're done. We have to arrange the appointments for finding out the gender of the baby in a few months time." As she said that by the door, she left us and closed the door behind us to give us some privacy.

"Isa are you okay? Are you not happy?" I was instantly worried now and by instinct I placed my hand on my belly that had now formed a little baby bump which in my head had another cause for me to be happy.

"I-I am." I didn't sound too convinced by his answer and the stuttering and it seemed he didn't seem fully convinced with his answer too. I had to know though that he was happy with the fact we were going to start a family of our own.

"Please be honest with me. Do you not want the baby?" My voice was now cracking and I was on the edge of tearing up which was strange because these emotions just kept coming and changing like a tornado. It was all mixed up.

He looked down at me with wide eyes as if suggesting how stupid could I be saying that. "Don't you ever think that Aliza." Things were always serious when he called me by my full name and by the seriousness of his voice, I believed him.

"I want our baby and it's ridiculous of you to think that I don't! I'm going to be there with you to support our baby and be the best dad I can." I had never heard him sound so sure about his decision of something and that made me feel overwhelmed.

Not bothering to wait further, I got Isa in a hug and after chuckling he hugged me back rubbing circles in my back. It was actually very comforting.

"Should we call her back in?" I asked as we broke away from the hug. He nodded before placing a quick kiss on my lips and going to call the doctor back in.

While he went outside to call her back in, I couldn't help but feel my emotions being tripled and usually when he kissed me it wouldn't have such an affect but I guess the hormones were getting in the way.

In the entire month we and Isa have spent together being a married couple made me realise just how much my feelings towards him was growing. I didn't dare tell him though, what if it was too early for him? What if he didn't even feel the same way towards me? 

I didn't believe that though. The way he always looked at me with some kind of strong emotion always told me he felt something there too but he's just never said it before.

The sound of clicking doors made me look up at the two coming in and settling themselves on either sides of me. Isa's hand had found its way back to mine and he began playing with my fingers.

"So I have printed out the appointment letter for your next scan and this is another letter to show you've come in today and exactly how old your baby is." She handed me two envelopes which I took out of her hand and placed on my lap.

"Thank you. Can I go change now?" She nodded her head at me and I swiftly got off the bed and headed back to the bathroom to change back in my jeans and abaya. I couldn't find any leggings so jeans was my only option to wear under the abaya.

The pictures of babies on the posters looked so cute and once again my hormonal levels were getting a little out of control. Quickly I got out of the bathroom fully clothed and with my flats on. Isa was signing something on the clip board which I guess was the form we had to fill out by the reception area.

As he was still signing the amount of forms I went over to stand beside him. Finally all the paperworks were finished with and we were free to go. The gloomy face I had when I had first entered the hospital now changed to being cheerful.

"We should tell the others." I said absent mindedly to him when we had come out through the sliding doors and in to the fresh air. 

"Yeah, we should." His arm went to my shoulders and as we walked home I couldn't help but feel blessed with what Allah has given us both. Insha'Allah we will continue to be blessed with happiness.

***

Asalaamalikum, this is a short chapter I realise but to me it was a very happy chapter for me to write. Sorry that I hadn't updated earlier but I wrote this today and I'm satisfied with it. To some people you might think that the story is just going easily but that's because I'm trying to show the beauty of being married. And to those who have read the prologue of my other story, it's basically the sequel to this one! And that one as you could tell is not very...happy? But that one will not be updated until this one is finished! 

P.S the picture on the side is how I imagine Shoaib to be when he was small. He is basically their son they're going to have and read the prologue of the other story when you have time!

Dedicated to @Loverockers for her awesome feedback and be sure to check her out!

Have a good Day and May God Bless You All.