Chapter 42: Chapter 42

A month later, they were already back to work. Habiba was excited to go back to work, with her husband. They were always together since they work at the same department.

She sat on his laps and wrapped her arms around his neck. "What if we get caught?" She whispered, excitedly. "You're my wife and I can kiss you wherever I want," he whispered back. She felt his warmth and already her mind has placed their lips together. But instead he leans in to caress her neck, slow and gentle. He's making her wait and she could hardly bare it. She wants his lips now, She wants his kisses. Then he cups her face in his hands and gives her what he knew she wanted at that moment.

Her body went rigid with surprise as trembles shook her body and the euphoric warmth blossomed within her once more. She was breathless with delight as he showered her with gentle, soft kisses, each with its own flicker of warmth. She gazed down at him, thrilled beyond words to be the recipient of his affection. He drew back and spent a moment studying her face.

She felt her blush deepen under his scrutiny. He gazed at her lovingly, his eyes softening with tenderness before sparking with something else. He tilted her head to the side and kissed her, his lips demanding. She felt a smoldering heat deep within her as he grip tightened, crushing her body to his, gentle yet firm. He slanted her head further, deepening the kiss, squeezing her buttocks.

They heard a soft knock on the door. She quickly pulled her face away and stood up from his laps. She sat on the visitors chair. Ahmad entered the office with a smirk. "Are you guys done with whatever you're doing or you still need privacy?" He spoke teasingly. Habiba blushed and looked away. She stood up, adjusting her blazer and sauntered out of the office quickly.

Ahmad settled down on the chair she sat before. "Wow, just wow! Look at how you're glowing, bruh. I'm so glad that you are happy now." Mahmud nodded in agreement. "I never thought Habiba would be this important to me till I married her. She gives me so much joy," he stated, happily. Ahmad could tell he was in love. "So now you're completely over Maryam?" He asked.

Mahmud shrugged his shoulders, "I have Habiba now so why will I bother myself about any woman again? I'm happily married to the girl I love." He spoke nonchalantly and went back to his work. "Well, glad to hear that." Ahmad shrugged and left the office.

After hours of working, he stood up to check up on Habiba when he heard a loud, rapid knock. The intruder came in, breathing heavily like she had walked up a thousand stairs. "What's the meaning of this?" He asked, clearly annoyed. "Sir, I'm sorry but it's an emergency. Your wife.... she collapsed...."

"What?! Where is she now?" He questioned moving further to the door. "She's in the sickbay," she replied and they both rushed to the clinic. His heart beat against his rib cage as he approached her. She smiled weakly at him. "Hey," she murmured. "Are you okay? What happened?" He asked, worriedly. She nodded, "I'm so sorry," she apologized. "For what?" He asked cupping her face in his hands.

She sat upright from the bed. "Can we go home now?" She asked, looking up at him. "I forgot to...."

"Take your drugs?" He cuts her off, his face expression changing. He left the room and came back together with the doctor. He motioned for her to follow him.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Your silence is killing me," she spoke holding his arm. They were on their way home. The pain of him ignoring her was more than the pain she was starting to feel in her bones. He pretended like there wasn't anyone in the car till they got home. He picked up her handbag and hopped out of the car with her tailing behind him.

He opened the door and headed straight to their bedroom. She entered the room to meet him fetching out her medications from the side drawer. "Just lie down. I'll go make some sandwiches for you before you take your drugs," he spoke and kissed her softly on the cheek. She smiled a bit, fiddling with her hand feeling remorseful.

She sauntered towards the bathroom to take a quick bath. After her bath, she stepped out and he was already in the room with a plate of sandwich and orange juice. He raised his head up from his phone and smiled at her.

"Get dressed and eat your sandwich before I come out of the shower. And don't touch the drugs till I come back," he instructed before also sauntering into the bathroom. She sat on the vanity stool and did her routine before eating her snack.

She was half way through her sandwich when he came out. She looked up at him and swallowed hard. He always aroused her whenever he comes out from the shower. He gave her a puzzled look. "You eat so slow," he spoke walking towards the vanity stool.

After he got dressed, he joined her and settled down beside her on the bed. He took the first drug and gave it to her. Without hesitation, she took it to avoid getting him upset.

"Are you still mad at me?" She asked after she was done taking the drugs. He beamed, alluringly and asked her to lie down. He knelt down beside the bed and moved his face close to hers. "I wasn't mad at you at the first place. I am just scared of losing you," he began to speak while stroking her soft hair.

"You still don't know how I love you uhm?" He questioned. "I do," she replied and kissed his lips. She grimaced in pain making his eyes to bulge out. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked panicking. "Yes, yes I am, I promise. Please baby, I am okay, it happens whenever I miss my pills." She gave him a reassuring smile and hugged his neck. She broke the hug and looked at him.

"Having you here is like all my Duas have been answered and now the only Du'a, the only wish is to reunite with you in Jannah and walk through the gardens of Jannah with you, hand in hand. That's what I call forever." Her lips slowly curved upwards as his words slowly sink in her heart. "Come," she whispered, pulling him closer. He laid down beside her and wrapped his arms around her in a moment and she let her head rest upon his chest. When they finally clasped each other in a warm, slow and luxurious hug, they felt all oppositions to their love had melted. His chests rising and falling against her head, their breaths in unison, and the warm blood that they could feel in each others' embrace. All her thoughts stopped as if her heart took over from her head when they got closer. Next he squeezed as if he needed to check she was really there with him, really there and really real... and she was, body and soul. She doubt anyone else ever felt the way she does about being in his arms.

How was she to put their love into mere words? An entire ocean of ink wouldn't be enough to describe them. They were a starburst of light amongst the darkening dusk. They were all the stars in the sky condensed into a single point. They were everything and nothing at the same time. Together, they were both a beautiful dream and a catastrophic nightmare.

They were in love.

"Now you should get some sleep before Asr prayer." He cooed, interrupting her day dream. She looked up from his chest. "I want to sleep on your body," she whispered and pouted. He chuckled softly and kissed her lips. "I never said I was going anywhere," he spoke and showered her face with lingering kisses.

"Sleep, okay? I'll be right here with you," he whispered and she closed her eyes. As her consciousness ebbed, her mind went into free fall, swirling with the beautiful chaos of a new sweet dream.

••

"Okay, how can I say I'm on my way?" She asked excited about learning his language. "Ina hanya. Now you say it," he urged her. "I... you said, okay repeat it one last time please."

"Ina hanya," he repeated. "Ina hanya," she repeated awkwardly. "This is hard," she slumped her shoulders. "No it's not, it's way easier than any language, in my opinion."

"Now how do I say I love you?" She asked. "Ina sanki is what you say to a female and Ina sanka is what you say to a male," he explained holding her hand. "Ina sanka," she declared, smiling sheepishly.

They have been at the balcony, learning how to speak Hausa Language over some Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches. Lightning lit the skies in brilliant streaks. Fog embraced every tree, every square centimetre of of ground. Thunder declared itself as some rock star upon the stage. Sheets of rain revived the grass, resounding and rippling without frontier.

Emerald eruptions of green envelop countryside in a carpet of living nature. Towers and trees - once boundless and bare - now flourish with vines, victorious as they claim their valley.

"Come, let's head in, it's getting cold." He said getting her up from the sofa. They headed to their room and he laid her down on the bed before turning on the heater. She was shivering. "Are you okay?" He asked looking at her face. "I can't breathe." She gasped for air, closing her eyes tightly. Everything in the room was spinning and it feels as if the bed was melting under her.

"SubahanAllah, Habiba?" He called out picking her up from the bed. She could hear Mahmud saying something, but he sounded distant and muffled. Her eyelids started to give her out. They were giving up.

He laid her down on the sofa and rushed back upstairs to get his car keys. She had already fainted when he came back. It was raining but he still managed to take her to the hospital.

She almost tripped and fall when their eyes met. He looked so distressed and alarmed. "Doctor Maryam, we have a sickle cell patient that needs L-glutamine oral powder," her father called out. She rushed back and followed him.

They entered the emergency room and her eyes widened to see Habiba on the bed, lifeless. She is a sickle cell patient? How? "Doctor Maryam?" Her father called out and she looked up.

They made sure she was stable and was going to be okay before they transferred her to a private room. "Don't worry, she will be okay by Allah's will," Maryam's father soothed, patting his back. He smiled cruelly but it refused to reach his blood shot eyes. "But it seems like she skips her medications which increases the frequency of the pain crises." He talked further more.

"I honestly didn't know how she skipped her medications yesterday but in sha Allah I'll keep an eye on her," he retorted, his eyes fixed on her. Maryam stood by the door, looking at him without blinking. He looked more handsome and attractive. How did she really not see that he was more handsome than his idiotic elder brother? She sighed and rubbed her temple. She had lost him completely. She was no longer anyone important to him.

Doctor Mahdi left the room after he had made her in charge of Habiba's health. He didn't know she was still in the room because he was so engrossed with his wife. He held her cold hand and kissed it softly.

"I wish her a healthy recovery. May she soon get back to the best of her health," he heard her voice. The voice that once gave him joy and peace, but now, it made his heart skip beats, and tortured his soul. "Thank you," he whispered without glancing at her. She let out a shaky breath and left the room. She knew he was still mad at her but he was still in there. Her Mahmud was still in there.

He brought out his phone from his pocket and dialled Ummah's number to inform her about Habiba's sickness. In less than thirty minutes, Ummah showed up in the room together with Maryam. They looked at each other. She ducked her head and left the room.

"Ya Allah, grant this woman a quick recovery," Ummah prayed, frustrated. "Ameen. She will be fine in sha Allah," he retorted. Ummah patted his back, "your prayers is what she needs. By Allah's will she will be back on her feet."

He faked a smile to hide his pain but deep down, he was afraid. Afraid to lose his beloved. He rubbed his eyes to stop the tears from falling.

••

Her dream ended abruptly, as she was shaken back into reality. Her eyes opened, her eyelashes faintly batting against her lids when she blinked. Her eyes landed on the wall clock, it was 3 in the morning. She averted her eyes to him. He moved closer to her. "Why aren't you asleep?" She asked holding his hand. "I stayed up in case you wake up and need help falling asleep," he affirmed, massaging her hand.

"Do you need anything my love? Are you hungry?" He asked when she didn't say anything. She shook her head, lips curved upwards. "I need you to sleep now, that's the only thing I need."

He shook his head in disagreement. "I'll sleep after you've slept back," he retorted. The door was slowly swung open and Maryam sauntered it. He moved his eyes back to his wife. That was the third time she was coming in to check up on Habiba.

"Masha Allah, you're awake," Maryam managed to say. Habiba returned a smile and greeted her. "How are you feeling? Any pain?" She asked picking up Habiba's chart to write on it. "I'm feeling okay now Alhamdulillah. I don't feel any pain, just a slight headache." Maryam nodded as she wrote.

Maryam did some check ups on her while Mahmud was busy whispering sweet words to his wife without caring someone was there. She had noticed how he loves Habiba, how they show love to each other. They were inseparable. Each was the centre of the universe for the other. They were so relaxed in each other's company, so caring. Their love for one another radiated from them, touching the lives of everyone they knew. Maryam wished she'd have that kind of relationship with someone or even more than that.

Is she ever going to be happy? Is she ever going to find love? Find her own happiness? Is she even ever going to meet anyone? She looked at the couple, they were in love, so in love that they didn't even care someone was there. She sighed and masked her fears with a fake smile, like she always did. She said goodnight and left the room quickly.

"Isn't that the woman we went to their house last month?" She asked dazed. He smiled and nodded. "This is her father's hospital, we always come here for check ups,” he spoke nonchalantly. He didn't want to go deep into talking about her. "I was wrong about her, she is so nice," she commented.

"You should get some sleep now," he said instead and covered her body with the blanket. He kissed her head and her forehead. "Don't say anything again, just close your eyes and think about me and our unborn babies," he whispered. She closed her eyes smiling. She let out a sigh of relief and let the deep slumber take her away.