DERAILED✔️

11~

Numb; that was what Nadia felt, lying on the reclined hospital bed, she felt devoid of any emotion, the experience was too traumatic for her, her heart beat pace still hasn't calmed down even after taking medications

Everything felt like a dream, from watching people smiles turn to cries, happy live humans dropping dead with their eyes still open, their mouth stopping midway between their last word, to following a strange man who turned out to be her saviour, it was just too overwhelming.

The dim white light in the four walled hospital room added to her numbness, she stared blankly at the door that was facing her when it flung open, Abdallah held the door to balance his stamina, his hand laid pressed on his chest as his breath raged heavily like he just ran a marathon race.

He closed his eyes tightly when he first laid his eyes on her small figure which was swimming inside the oversized cotton hospital clothing,

"Nadia" he called out, that was when she jolted back to real life, even though her eyes captured his entrance, her mind was totally not there. She looked into his eyes, but it looked different, he wasn't giving the normal cold stares she was used to, his eyes were swirling with emotions, genuine emotions.

Abdallah fleeted towards her direction, his shoes making clicking sounds on the brown tiled floor, "Nadia" he called out again before enclosing her whole frame in his broad body, he hugged her tightly, but she wasn't responding, her cold body rested on him like some inanimate object.

He broke the hug to cup her face with his hands, he gazed deeply into her brown eyes, and it looked dead, they were no emotions in it, "Nadia are you okay?" he said while still staring deeply into her eyes.

Okay?, how could she be? When she can't get the images of the dead people out of her head, their eyes telling different types of stories, she wanted to say all that, but everything remained in her thoughts, it wasn't converted into spoken words.

"I'm fine" she said, using her hands to detach his hands from her face. She smiled at him, but that wasn't how his wife smiled, "don't worry about me, I'm very fine" she smiled again, confirming his speculations.

"Are you hurt anywhere" he used the back of his hand to feel her body temperature which was lesser than normal, he held her hand to get the view of the cut that was in her fore arm clearly "should I get the doctor?" he said,

"I said I'm fine!" she said raising her voice above normal, the room turned silent from her sudden outburst, only the ticking of the square clock hanging on the white oil painted wall could be heard, "I'm sorry" she apologized, "it's ju-" she wanted to explain more, but he cut her off,

"it's okay," he said folding his two hands behind his back, "I understand". Abdallah meant every single word he said, he knew a little part of him was angry or more appropriately 'sad' because she wasn't revealing her emotions to him despite how worried he was, but a bigger part of him understood her.

He wanted to bring her out of whatever is wrong with her little by little, even if he wasn't a patient person. Only one word can describe the feelings he had for Nadia right now, and that is 'compassion'. He felt pity for her, and he wanted to help her even if it is out of his principles.

"Thank you" she muttered sinking back into the bed and her thoughts,

"you're welcome" he muttered, not sure whether she heard or not.

****

Abdallah stayed with Nadia for that night, so the doctors could examine if she had any injury, when they were sure she was fully okay, they discharged her the next morning.