Broken

REVELATIONS

Dedicated to samanyounas because she's helped me so much! I love you. <3

CHAPTER SEVEN

The pain grew with alarming intensity, she knew she was losing. Only a matter of seconds and she'd be lost; a prisoner to the darkness slowly engulfing her. What drove her over the edge was the prospect of not being able to see the child that she had helped bring into this world. A chance to hold her baby's tiny hands, to stroke it's forehead, to hold the baby when it cried, watch it grow, not being present to catch it when it fell on it's first step. What would she not give to at least get to know the baby's gender. She prayed to the Lord Above to afford her one look at her baby, perhaps, she could die in peace then.

Life is cruel. Raina died as the baby gulped in her first breath of air. She came shrieking and wailing, causing much commotion. The Hakeem laughed at the boisterous baby, proudly announcing the arrival of a girl. However, the atmosphere turned grim as his eyes scanned the dull eyes of the mother. He knew what the glassy look entailed, the frozen expression and the lack of movement. The mother of the baby he now held in his hands had died. The midwife took the baby away as he made his way towards the stricken husband.

His steps were excruciatingly slow, lethargy creeping into his motion. Every inch of him, despised the task he now had to perform. Despite, his misgivings about the birth, he had assured Amro there was a chance, a chance for him to be reunited with his wife. The husband had fallen to his feet and pleaded to bring his wife back. Both men could see it would fall no less than a miracle for Raina to make it out alive. She had been pushed far too long, it was clear to him that she was hovering over the edge. Waiting for her child to escape into the real world, so she could finally let go.

He turned and cast a fleeting glance at the pale body of Raina and stopped in his tracks. He'd noticed patterns along her arms. He now fully refocused his vision onto her body, discerning the marks as similar to the ones on her legs. He lifted the cloth covering her arms and exposed the skin underneath to his scrutiny. The air kissed her bruised skin, as if, displaying a sign of kindness, trying to lessen her pain; realising not the plain truth, that she was dead. Dead not because of a rocky delivery but due to the abuse she'd suffered. The same abuse that played its part in weakening her.

The Hakeem apprehended not that he was holding his breath; the shock had rattled his being. It was not uncommon for him to come across a sight as he presently beheld, for, living in the area that he did, this was not a major jolt. However, much as he may see it, the initial jarring prospect never seemed to subside, each time it hit him hard, knocking him off his feet; each time he questioned into the sanity of men; each time he shook his head at the brutality. Words failed to line up to display his feelings; the boiling anger he now felt was murderous to a point, though, not enough to call for a confrontation. His mind wandered off to the husband,
"If this woman was a toy for abuse and a portal to let out his frustration, he would want her to be alive.
However, it wasn't as if he couldn't get another woman as easily as he could rid of her. Why then was Amro so adamant on Raina's survival? What sick scheme is this man playing?"
As the above stated thoughts ran rampant in the Hakeem's mind, the midwife returned with the baby. Wrapping his arms around the little body, he made his way towards Amro; his steps now carried a newfound determination and confidence that they had previously seemed to lack.

A VOTE, PERHAPS?