Hussain stared at her as he felt her words resonating through his brain. What did she mean? No, that wasn't what he was supposed to think of now, it should be what would his answer be? Did he love her? He quickly shook his head, pushing away the avalanche of thoughts that came running to his brain. He wasn't going to listen to any of his thoughts, or the points his heart might try to make, he was just not going to.

He stared into her eyes and softly shook his head with a smile. "How could you think that way, Sohila? Of course, I do not love her. How can I love my twin's wife?" He was waiting for her to give him an answer, maybe convince him enough to make him fall in love with her, or rather, make him believe that he was in love with her and nothing else, whichever worked for them.

She smiled and caressed her thumb on his hand, "I know you take me as a young girl, Second Baba, but I notice and see everything. I'm not trying to make you do something if you aren't ready or you don't want to do it, but I'd like to advice you on something. Just like First Baba would, will you please listen to me?"

She had grown up so much, so well and so matured that all they did was thought of her as a young girl, but at the end of their conversation, Hussain knew she had grown up to be the lady they both were proud of. He knew Hassan was no more, but he definitely would have been proud of her if he was.

He had retired to bed early, not because he was sleepy or he could even sleep if he were, but because he wanted to think. It had been long since he thought about something apart from Hassan and that had always brought nothing to him but pain. He brought out his camera and was going through their old pictures, smiling as he forced himself not to cry even when he realized he had gone back to thinking about Hassan when all he wanted was to think of his life and what he would do with it now that Hassan was no more when he heard her groan.

At first, he thought it was merely an illusion or because she had prettily occupied his thoughts too, but then he heard her door being opened and her groans were becoming even more prominent. He opened his door even before she got there because somehow, he knew that was where she was headed to.

He found her struggling to get to his door and when she looked up at him, she was covered in sweat and he didn't have to wait for her to tell him that she was in pain. An excruciating pain to be particular. He rushed toward her and her lips trembled as she spoke, "I think the baby is coming, Twin."

Hussain turned around, looking for something that would help. He didn't want to touch her, she wasn't his mahram and she was having his baby. The pain she was obviously in was ripping his heart open and he knew both Hajia and Sohila could not carry her to the car. He was thinking of what to do when she screamed and Hussain didn't know when he scooped her into his arms, "I'm sorry, we'll be there in time, okay?"

He stared at the way she was biting her lower lip in pain as he carried her to the car and rushed to Hajia's chamber to let her know. They all came back rushing to the car in a minute with everything that was needed and like a flash, Hussain drove to the hospital. She was admitted in a hurry, but after an hour of hearing her endless scream, feeling as though he would rush there to tell them to just do everything to lessen her pain, one of the nurses come out.

She rushed toward them and he didn't wait for her to reach up to them when he asked, "How's she? Have she given birth?"

The nurse was accusatively staring between the three distraught family members, "Have she been taking something sweet and cold while pregnant? It's making it so hard for her to deliver the baby and the doctor sent me to make you sign this." She flipped the papers open and looked up at him, "Are you her husband?"

"Yes, I am." He answered in a rush, listening even though his mind was in a chaos to her screams but he was hearing none. Was she alright? Or did she die and they weren't going to tell them yet? "What do I need to sign and what is it for?" He collected the papers in his shivering hands.

"We're going to keep trying but in thirty minutes if she couldn't give birth herself, we're going to perform CS on her, if that's okay with you." He turned to look at Hajia hopelessly and she sighed, he watched as grief roamed through her entire face before she nodded her head at him.

"Okay, I hope she gives birth herself." He sighed the papers with his heart weighing on the pen's tip and when he gave the papers back, Hussain trudged to the mosque. He performed an ablution and went to pray, and in his sujood, he cried.

He didn't know the reason for his tears but he knew he had to cry. He cried for Hassan, the person he loved and missed beyond words and he prayed for his child. And when he thought about her, not knowing whether she had been able to push the baby or not, or whether they were indeed going to operate on her, he cried even more. She was too innocent to be going through all this and he could already imagine the negative thoughts going through her mind at the moment.

'She must be feeling scared.' He thought and wished he was her husband and no matter how much they'd argue him about it, he would have been in there together with her. To give her the comfort she obviously needed and the strength to keep on going.

He stayed in the mosque for two hours and it was getting to dawn before he walked back into the hospital and didn't meet Hajia and Sohila in the reception. He asked one of the nurses and she said, "The woman have given birth, they've already taken her to room 4. They're there with her." He was about to rush to the said room when she called out on him, "You have to pay all these, sir." He only handed her his card and after all the transaction was made, he was about to go to the room when he saw Hajia.

He rushed to her and they both hugged each other, Hajia broke into tears first. "She gave birth to a boy, Hussain." He placed his hands on her shoulders and watched a mother grieving for her son, yet again. "He looks exactly the way you two did as babies." Hussain smiled and wiped at her tears.

"That's a good thing, Hajia. Alhamdulillah for him, aren't we thankful?" She nodded her head with a soft smile. "If we weren't muslims, we could say this is Hassan being rebirth but we know better. It's just a gift from Allah to ease us of our pain."

She nodded her head again with now a broader smile, "You should go in there, I have to go back home and make everything she'll need when she wakes up. And I have to pay..." He cut her off with a scowl on his face.

"Hajia, I don't know how many times we're going to have this conversation! You're done taking care of us, your money is now yours, you can't even spend it, just earn more and have it pile up in account, okay?" She chuckled and he reminded her of how they would meet her in her room whining about something she had done for the house. They hated it when she spent even a dime for them, or the house. And if she spent on Sohila? That's even worse.

"Okay, I'll go and make sure I make everything then, Second Baba."

He chuckled at the name she called. "I think I'm back to First Baba today, my wife just gave birth, I'm a father." When she punched him in the chest, he moved away laughing at her face.

"Allahu yahdika. I'll use your car, where's the key?" He handed her the key walked her to the parking lot, after asking for the hundredth time if she would be safe or he can come and escort her back home. She kept thinking about how he referred to Nadia as his wife on her way home, as different thoughts kept rummaging in her brain.

He walked into the room and found her peacefully sleeping with Sohila staring earnestly at the baby. She looked up at him with a grin, "Hajia said he looks exactly like you two did when you were babies!" He crouched down to her level as they watched the baby together with both a happy and sad smile on their babies.

"Oh Allah, this baby is the cutest human on earth." He looked up at her and said, "I love him, Sohila. I don't think I've ever loved something like him, well, maybe I've loved First H the same way. But..." His eyes began to water and he kept his eyes unmoving on the baby's face. It felt as though he was staring at Hassan in a baby form.

"Can I take him? Won't I break something in him?" As much as they both were crying of joy and despair, they laughed at the same time and Sohila softly hugged him.

"I wish he was alive to witness this moment. To see his child, Second H." He cleared his tears before he nodded back at her.

"I know, Sohila. Trust me, his death has never hit me like it did today." And once again, they cried in each other's arms and it was the most comforting place for both of them.

•

After Sohila prayed her subh salah, she waited until Hussain walked back into the room before she stood up. "I'll have to go to nurse station, Second H, you should keep watch of the both of them, okay?"

He softly knocked her head, "Aren't I your father? I know what to do!"

"Aye! Newest father in town, I'll be back before you even realize I'm gone. Don't miss me so much, okay?" He smiled her off and she walked, she would have to find some quite place to sleep, she would've slept in the room if she didn't want them to have some time alone. She knew he wasn't her husband but there was something about them that just couldn't be ignored and she wanted to bring that thing to life.

She sent him a text, 'Aunt Nadia is out of her takaba the moment she gave birth. I know you know the islamic knowledge about that, just wanted to remind you that she's free now.'

He stared at the text for a few seconds before he softly hissed but there was a smile on his face. He didn't want to believe it, but was this girl playing a matchmaker role in his life? He'd have to deal with her before she gave any risky idea to Hajia.

He pulled his chair to the baby's crib and was watching him earnestly for all the time he had been in the room when he heard her mumbled voice and he rushed back to her. She was beginning to wake up and instinctively, her hand went to her stomach and when she felt it empty, Hussain nearly chuckled at the expression on her face as she quickly opened her eyes.

"Where's my baby bump, Twin?" She asked with a slurred voice and he had to suppress his laughter.

"It's over there, you gave birth to it hours ago." He was speaking softly to her, as though she was an egg he was afraid to break.

"Ohh, thank god." Her eyes closed back as she sighed. "Can you help me sit up please?" She asked with a soft voice while she opened her eyes. Hussain helped her sit up and he placed a pillow on her back. He sat down beside her on the bed and stared at how tired she looked.

"Thank you, Nadia. He's so cute and healthy." He didn't know how to thank a wife he didn't married yet for giving birth to a son that wasn't his son in some ways. She only tiredly smiled at him and nodded her head to show him that his appreciation was approved. "Should I bring him to you? I haven't carried him. I was afraid of breaking his bone or something."

As much as she was tired from everything, she chuckled. "He won't dare break because you carry him. Aren't you the father like you said?" She was teasingly staring at him.

"I am, should I bring him to you?"

She shook her head softly, "No, I don't think I'm emotionally ready to meet him just yet." She sighed and mumbled, "I just need a hug, it has been a roller coaster ride for me. Everything feels new to me." He was sure that the words were meant to be spoken to just her heart, but now that she had mistakenly spoken them out, he was going to do just what she had said.

Nadia had her mind all choked with different emotions as she wanted to burst into tears when she felt as he slowly pulled her to his chest and the hug was everything she had ever needed in her life. She lazily wrapped her hands around him and let loose of her tears. "My mind is a mess right now, Hussain."

He slightly rocked them and held her even closer to his body. "You must've felt scared, right?" She could only nod her head as she cried even harder. "It's fine, you did a good job, Nadia."

I had to exceed my word count today, we all needed this hug🥺❤️