"Okay that is enough both of you!" She snapped. "What is the meaning of this? What's with the fight? Yaya Mujahid, you have to understand that mahmud is your brother and he's my brother too. I don't see any reason why you should...."

"Just shut maryam," Mujahid screeched at her. She stared at him, speechless. "Hey you can't talk to her that way!" Mahmud retorted. "So what if I do? You have no business in whatsoever we do..."

"Maryam, you deserve someone far better than this brat. He can't be treating you like trash and still claims to be someone who loves you," mahmud tried to reason with her. A tear cascaded down her cheek while she glanced At mahmud. "So what are you trying to say Mahmud? She should leave me and go back to you?" Mujahid laughed dryly. "I always knew you were in love with her. Who wouldn't know? The looks, the jealousy, gifts...."

"Mujahid that's enough! Maryam, If you think he's the right person for you then so be it!" He furiously barged out of the house. Mujahid cholericly glared at maryam. Before he could make another move, she left the living room in tears.

Tears blurred his vision as he drove his car in speed without caring. His heart beat fast, aching and paining him. His head dazzled and he lost control of the car. The moment the car hit the trees, He assumed he was dead. Then he kept waking and waking. He liked to be unconscious rather than awake. Because when he was awake he could taste the coppery blood pooling in his mouth and a deep pain in his heart. He could feel it grazing his teeth and soaking his tongue. He felt the aching and cracks in his bones. Each crack felt like rocks were burrowing into his skin. He sucked in cramped air, feeling his lungs caving in on themselves. He saw the spots in the corners of his vision, making his head feel like the only thing inside of it was static. He heard a buzzing noise, filling his ears. He felt like he was there for hours, fading and waking and fading and waking. His agony was the only thing keeping him alive. It was the only thing he could feel anymore. People started gathering around trying to pull him out. That was when he blanked out.

••

They finally reach the door, brown and dull like all the others, but she can already see people inside. "Well, here we are," the nurse smiles kindly and opens the door wider. Doctors and nurses surrounded his hospital bed, attaching IV's, heart monitors and oxygen tanks to him. She decide to explore the room while the other people are still crowded around him. An old TV set hangs from the ceiling. A window giving me a view of the world below was just beneath the screen. In the corner are two chairs, frayed with wear and tear. It was a typical hospital room, sparse and functional. She sat herself next to Nyx and stared dejectedly up at the ceiling. Mujahid came in minutes later and sat beside her without uttering a word to her. He watched as his brother was being checked on.

She sobbed into her hands and the tears dripped between her fingers, raining down onto the marble tiles. Her breathing was ragged, gasping and the strength left her legs. Mujahid hissed loudly and glanced away. She scrambled up and stopped one the doctors. She showed him her ID Card, "My name is Doctor Mahdi. I would like him to be transferred to my hospital now, if possible."

"No problem Doc, but at least let him be conscious first. By tomorrow he will be transferred to your hospital," he replied. "But how is he doing?" She asked worriedly. "Uhmm well, he broke his left arm."

Her shoulders slumped down as new tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked at him feeling remorseful. "Look Umma is on her way, let me take you home," Mujahid interrupted, pulling her wrist. "What?! I am not leaving his side. He needs someone close to him. He needs me. I'm very sure it was because of that silly fight that caused this accident. Don't you even feel bad for your brother?" She seethed not caring what he'd do. She was fed up with him for the first time since they were together.

Without another glance, he left the room. She heaved a sigh and sat down on the stool beside mahmud. She stared at his face and smiled softly. He was still handsome to her even though he had bruises on. Out of complete silence the cry arose. Out of complete reverence the things of the world stilled to listen. Like a budding flower it started. Slow and gentle but it rose to a wail that tore at her heart.

Umma walked into the room, "Innalillahi wa'inna ilaihir rajiun, Mahmud," she exclaimed. Another pair of tears raced down Maryam's cheeks as she hugged Umma. "C'mon Maryam it's okay, he will be fine. Our prayers is what he need."

Umma kept consoling her and calming her down till the tears stopped but she was still feeling dejected. She wasn't going to leave his side, not that time. He needed her close. Umma urged her to go home but she reprobated. She would only be at ease when he wakes up and she sees him being transferred to her clinic. After umma left, she sat on the chair close to his bed and laid her head down on his bed. She closed her eyes listening to the beeping of the heart monitor.

• •

The next day, he got transferred to her clinic when he woke up. She made sure he got all the care he could get. He was satisfied to see her beside him all the time. She sat down close to him, staring at his face and smiled. He looked at her and smiled back, "Care to tell me why you're smiling." He spoke even though whenever he did, he feels some pains in his chest. She shook her head, "shh don't talk. You should be resting, or do you need something?"

He chuckled and grimaced in pain. "You see! Stop moving please and keep shush," she warned, fixing his pillow. He smiled weakly and nodded. Mujahid came in same time she was fixing mahmud's head position. He furrowed his brows and sighed. His hands in his pockets as he looked at the both of them. Umma and the rest of his sisters came in.

"Your father will be here later to check up on you," Umma says after exchanging pleasantries. Maryam slipped out of the room to avoid the hot daggers Mujahid and Fadila have been sending her way.

She went straight to her ward to check up on her patients. Daddy was already there checking on aliyu who was still receiving treatments for leukemia. "How's Mahmud doing?" Daddy asked, after she greeted him again. "He's doing great Alhamdulillah."

She stayed for a while and talked with some of the patients. They all loved her, she always cheers them up and give them hope. She was a very nice and lively doctor.

Later in the after they left and she was alone with him again. She felt overjoyed being around him but she never wants to admit that she has a drop of love for him. She can't do that, she has boyfriend, who would be her husband in a year or less.

••

one week later......

"Okay my turn," he spoke after answering her question. "Would you rather be smart and ugly or rich and beautiful but dumb?"

"Hmmm." She scratches her chin and raised a brow. "I'd rather be smart and ugly. With my brain, I can use it to make money, Uhmm?" She replies. "Yeah you can use the brains but not the face," he chuckles. "Okay okay my turn. Can you marry your best friend?"

His lips stretches up making his white teeth to shine out. He wasn't surprised at all. He was glad she asked. "Yes, I can. I don't mind making you my wife," he answered. Her cheeks bloomed while she lowered her gaze. She bit her lower lip, fiddling with her bracelet. He knew what it meant but he shrugged. "Why?" She dared to ask.

"Well because Nobody can understand me the way you do. You fill my life with happiness. You have always been there for me, no matter the situation. I know I can speak to you even when I am hurt and you will instantly make me feel better. You believe in me. And mostly, you were there for me when I lost my mother. You still stayed with me even though I pushed everyone away. Your love is the only love I believe that's true."

As she attempted to hide her face behind her fair fingers, her cheeks became a color to rival the rose-pink. "Okay it's my turn to ask," he interrupted when she was getting uncomfortable. "Would you rather stay in an island without your phone or any source of internet but with your three favorite three people for a year or stay in an island with free internet but alone?"

"Ahh this is a tough one. But I'd go with the first one, at least we would play all sorts of games and gist."

"Hmm you're right. So your turn," he says. "No, no games again. It's nap time, since we've prayed now, you need to get some rest before Asr prayer." She advised. He pouted and slumped his shoulders. "Five more minutes please," he pleaded. "No captain you need that sleep," she insisted standing up.

"Now lie down and sleep," she says trying to help him lie down on the bed. She held his shoulders and he slowly laid down. Mujahid came in without any permission and saw them in that position. At first, he thought they were making out.

"Meet me in your office, now!" He said without showing any face expression. He walked out of the room without giving them a second glance. She looked at Mahmud who was still looking at the door, unable to believe his brother's behaviors. He looked at her and gave her a reassuring smile. "You should go, I'll sleep now." She nodded slowly "I'll be back soon," she said and left the room.

Fires of fury and hatred were smoldering in his small narrowed eyes as he weighed the pros and cons of the various and creative means available to him for exacting revenge. "So this is why you refused to leave his side? To be touching each other and doing God knows what when no one's around!" He spat the moment she entered the office. She folded her arms giving him a questioning look. "I don't understand. I'm a Doctor if you don't remember. And it is my job to make sure that he's back on his feet."

"Bullshit! Bullshit!! You're both liars. You're in love with him right? You're cheating on me right? Just look at you, so disgusting!"

"Yaya Mujahid, I respect you a lot please don't make me change that," she spoke calmly. "I gave to you freely from a sense of deep love, yet you assumed you had taken it from dominance. I saw our relationship as cooperation, yet you saw manipulation instead of helping words, as if we were in some bizarre live game of chess. It broke my heart to realize that you saw a cold war instead of sweet love, for it was all in your head, a paranoia." He slapped her across the face without thinking twice. The slap was as loud as a clap and stung her face. It had been an open-handed smack and it had left a red welt behind. Just below her eye was a small cut where the ring had caught her. She staggered backwards, clutching her face, eyes watering.

"You really thought I'd kill myself because of you just like my brother tried to do? I said I loved you and you actually believed me because you're so dumb and you let everyone into your worthless, cheap heart. Well guess what Maryam, you just got played." He stormed out of the office. Her hand was still on her cheek. Her mouth open wide as her heart was throbbing and paining her. The heartache was like a red hot coal placed in her chest, it glowed and burnt her at the same time, but it did not cool quickly like a coal in water, it throbbed and tortured her.

She couldn't Mujahid did that to her. He played her, betrayed her. She screamed like a child in a tumble dryer, garbled, muffled, intermittent, but none the less distressing and intense. Amanda rushed in to find Maryam already on the floor, gasping for air before she went unconscious.