Chapter 79: Chapter 79

The cold morning breeze soft tap it's chilled fingers on Ummi's face. She squirmed slowly and the pain evolving silently from her lower abdomen reminded her of the life she's living and the life that awaits her.

She muttered some supplications and sat upright on her bed. The pen she wrote with was still in the embrace of her fingers; and the book she've written a message to the other woman was staring back at her with pitiful eyes. She smiled ruefully and licked her lower lip in pain.

Looking at the wall clock fixed on the opposite wall; she gasped. How could she sleep this long without praying her subh salah? It's getting to 9am and she just woke up now. She hissed slowly and shimmered to the end of the bed; with each move, she feels as if the baby would bounce down into the earth, on it's own.

She trudged to the toilet and bathed, performed her ablution before walking out with hands placed down supporting her belly_she doesn't think it would be this difficult. She rushed to her closet and put on a gown on her shaking body, and sat down on the mat_saying her morning prayers.

With each passing second, the pain intensifies itself, she feels as if some bones in her body were being broken piece by piece. She clipped her lower lip and stood up with aplomb_she need to see Al-amin, he has to take her to the hospital, lest she dies from this pain.

She was close to the door when her eyes fell on her phone that had been charging since yesterday. After heaving some breaths, she trudged over it and unplugged it, switched off the socket before slipping the phone down into the pocket of her gown.

"Ya Allah, make it easy for me!" It was as if these words broke down the water in her, and it gushed down her thighs. She almost screamed and didn't know when she turned the door knob and trudged out of the room.

Her right leg got in contact with a slippery liquid and she fell as he body was lifted up and the rest of her body got in contact with the marbled floor on the long veranda of their rooms. Pain was all over her, to what could she direct her attention to? Her throbbing head that fell on the edge of the door, or her churning baby that had itself smacked by the floor, or the whole of her body that wants to cry?

She lifted up her hand and moved it towards her stomach to smell what was this slippery liquid, and behold! It was the liquid of okra being poured deliberately on her front door! None could do this to her but Laila.

She felt tears pooling the brink of her eyes. Off all the pain she's feeling in her lower abdomen, this hurts more. Al-amin saw when Laila tried pushing her into the yesterday, but what had he said? She shouldn't raise a word about it! Adding more salt to the wound, she met them yesterday night sleeping as though they were a tip and a tyre. And now this?

She let out a scream at the heart squirming pain that welcomed her whole body from the lower part of her body. She didn't know when she pulled out her phone from the pocket; and the screen? It got completely crashed! Not minding about that, she entered her call log and dialed Al-amin's number, knowing he might be in his room.

The first call got unanswered. The second, the third, and the fourth. She was slowly getting out of her senses, the pain is slowly lacerating every nook and cranny of her soul. She didn't now when she dialed their gateman's number; whom picked at the third ring.

"Good morning, Hajia!" He greeted with so much respect.

Ummi clipped the lower lip and helped herself sat upright from the floor. "Good morning, Mallam Garba, have you seen Al-amin today? I'm sick and have been calling his line but he isn't picking up." She was crying profusely and tossing from one place to another. How she wished she have Laila's digits in her phone, she would've called her now_despite the fact that she poured down a liquid of okro on her doorstep.

"Subhanallah! Hajia I hope it's not that serious? He has gone out with small Hajia an hour ago! I'll try calling him too!" She ended the call before he could even add a single word.

He couldn't pick her call because he's together with Laila? He knew she was due yesterday or today; but have never cared wether she was fine or not? She got angry and chased him out of her room, how does that gave him the right not to inquire about her wellbeing today!

She needed to scream out of anger, and an excruciating pain kissed her lower abdomen making her screamed at the pitched of her lungs at the same time; dialing Al-amin's number, hoping this time he would answer.

But this time, the call got rejected and what she heard next was the phone was switched off. She knew she's doomed. She scavenged through her contacts and dialed Maami's number; whom picked on the first ring.

"Assalamu Alaikum, good morning Ummi, hope you have slept well? Are you feeling some of the signs I've told you?" Maami rambled in a raspy breath that is an indicator that she just woke up too.

Ummi internally thanked Allah and breathed out the words with so much aplomb. "Maami I'm dying, the pain is so much I don't think I can hold on anymore. My water broke minutes ago; I can't...." and the words trailed off from her mouth, she had been groaning in pain.

"Subhanallah! Where's Al-amin? Hope you're on your way to the hospital?!" Maami's voice was alarmed, and Ummi could hear the shuffling happening in the room and the door being opened and closed.

"I asked the gateman and he said they've gone out with Laila. I've called him and the calls are getting unanswered, now the phone is switched off..." with the last thunderstorm of a scream, Ummi blacked out into the world of pain.

"Ummi! Ummi hold on for a second!" But Maami heard nothing as an answer; not even Ummi's groaning_and that made her completely agitated.

She rushed down to the living room and met Ibrahim sitting on one of the sofas, as he was waiting for her to come down so he could say his greetings. He looked up at the sight of her and opened his mouth to greet her when she cut him off.

"Ibrahim let's go to Al-amin's house, Ummi is in labour_and useless stupid boy isn't at home!" She yelled and rushed to the door, not waiting for Ibrahim that was looking for his car keys around the sofa he sat.

He came out and they rushed over to this car before they zoomed off. They arrived at Ummi's house and Maami didn't wait for Ibrahim to park when she opened the door and walked into the house in a rush.

She searched the rooms downstairs and ran upstairs taking two steps at a go. And there; she saw Ummi laying lifelessly on a pool of water with an amalgamation of blood, and she could saw the glint of the slippery liquid of okro.

"Ibrahim!!!" She cried and rushed towards Ummi, lifting her up into her arms.

Ibrahim ran to them and together, they took Ummi to the car; leaving the house in a full high speed, with her phone left bereft at her doorstep.

The doctors took her into the emergency. First; they have to make sure her breath rhythm normal before they can get back to the labour she's in. Everything happens so swift, she got her breath normalized before they infused her and the baby started churning in itself full force.

The pain; feels like her bones were being broken piece by piece, mended, and getting dismantled before they're healed. She had to wake up with a screamed and bursted into tears_at 10:55am, the first baby of Aysha Abbakar Mashi graced the earth with it's present.

The nurses took the baby and she hear the doctor's voice under hypnosis as she said; "There's another baby on it's way!" And she almost screamed again.

"I can't do it anymore," she drawled painfully and closed her eyes. In the blink of an eye, she felt the pain that beats the other_at 11:02am, the second baby of Aysha Abbakar Mashi graced the earth with its presence.

She gave birth to twins.

"They're all boys!" She heard the nurses squealed, before sleep overtook her drained soul. And in her dream, she saw her little bundles of joy!

***

She didn't know how; but slowly, she started regaining back into consciousness. She squinted her eyes and the first move she made was snaking her palms onto her stomach, and it was flat! So it was real, she's now a mother!

She opened her eyes completely and her eyes fell on them, sleeping peacefully on their cot; with Maami, Ihsan, Ya Husnah, and Meeno all peeking through and having a glance of them. She smiled as one of them whined softly in his sleep; a mother's smile at the sight of her child.

Ibrahim came into the room with his wife tailing behind and their four years old son. She smiled at them and that's when all the attention of her family turns back to her. Everybody kept asking about her wellbeing, Meeno could only make an eye contact with her smile beautifully; she loves the babies!

Maami made her a tea herself, Ummi was smiling all along, and hadn't uttered a word since she woke up. She rinsed her mouth and gulped down the tea, but somewhere in her; she wished she woke up to Al-amin by her side holding their baby's while his eyes emotes how thankful and happy he is.

The babies woke up with a shrill and her eyes landed at them. Ya Husnah scooped the first one into her arms, while Meeno took the younger. They placed them at both her sides and she felt on cloud nine; when each of them took in the little finger of hers_completely wrapped in their hands!

Her heart swayed and she could swear she had a flood of blood in her body. Everything felt so real. She kept looking at them until she could finally realize who's the first and who's the second.

Her mind wandered to the names she could name her babies; to them, she could fight till the very end. What hurts more was; their supposed father wasn't here still.

She took them in her arms, and a tear of joy slipped down. She still couldn't believe these were her babies. They were the babies she used to gist about her painful life then, and what a life! They could now finally see her and she could touch them too.

She smiled ruefully amidst tears and bowed down, planting a soft kiss on the first baby. "Fawad Al-amin Bugaje." She muttered brushed her nose on his tiny; yet cute one.

She turned to the second baby and their eyes met; she felt like she was swaying in the clouds. And a soft chuckle was out of her lips. She kissed his forehead and brushed his tiny; yet cute nose. "Fahad Al-amin Bugaje." She named him too; though unofficial, but she feels so proud.

She brought them all to her chest and hugged them tight, dipping her head between them as she broke into tears. The whole people in the room knew what she feels, they knew what her pain was. Amidst the tears shedding, she felt as the door faintly creaked ajar; and slowly looking up, their eyes met and orbs coalesced.

He stood by the door, and she could see his other hand being entwined with a hand she knew belongs to the other woman. She kept staring at him as if he was an alien that dropped down onto the world.

She saw as his eyes wandered down to the babies in her hand, and right then; she feels the urge to protect her boys_to give them a life that has no pain in it. As she grew up without seeing her mother always in pain, she couldn't bare having her boys to clear off her tears as they go to bed.

The conversation she had with Maami came back to her. She advised her to move on with the flow and wait until she had given birth; whatever she decides_would be the final decision.

And she became skeptical in choosing what's best; should she continue with the marriage or get a divorce?

And her eyes looked down at her babies; lucky enough_Fawad and Fahad stared back at her. As she was used to, for she feels like they've known all the pain she went through. A tear slipped down, as she questioned her new lifeline.

"Can we do this? Or get a divorce and move on?"

I don't want this to end! Ya Rabb❤️

I slept around 12:30am but couldn't sleep that I had to wake up and write this final chapter that had been eating me up!

Alhamdulillah guys! Alhamdulillah!

I'm so happy that I don't know what I'm feeling right now! Ya rabb! The feeling is juicy❤️

Drop in your Questions and everything you need to know about me or Down Hearted or the characters!

Done and dusted!

Started on 9th August 2017

Finished on 2nd February 2019!