Unveiling Meerab [Tere Bin FF]

41. into the third

A/N: Hola! Thank you y'all for loving the last chapter as much as you did! I know I ended it on a bit of a cliffhanger, so here's the next part! Hope y'all enjoy it, see you on the other side!

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Murtasim felt his phone vibrate for the second time, slicing through the murmur of the village elders gathered around the weathered wooden table. The first call from Maryam he had dismissed to voicemail, assuming it could wait, but the immediate second call raised an alarm. Excusing himself from the heated discussion, he stepped aside, his hand unsteady as he swiped to answer.

"Everything okay?" he asked, his voice steady but his stomach twisted with a knot of anxiety.

"Meerab fainted," Maryam blurted out, her voice shaking and laced with the effort of holding back tears. His heart dropped, a cold dread washing over him.

His thoughts raced uncontrollably as Maryam continued, her words tumbling out in a frantic rush. "She—she just stood up and then started falling back—I was close enough to catch her and help her back onto the couch but I don't know—I don't know if it hurt her or the—or the baby—she's not waking up—the midwife is looking at her—I—I—what if—" Her voice broke into sobs.

Instinctively, despite his own terror, Murtasim's tone softened as he shifted into a mode of reassurance, not just for Maryam but to quell his own rising panic. "Shhh, take a deep breath for me. Breathe in and out," he instructed, waiting through the silence until he heard her comply, her breathing heavy and unsteady over the line.

"Meerab will be okay, she's strong. You did good. I'll head back now," he affirmed, his voice full of comfort, though his own heart pounded against his chest with worry. There was a brief silence on the other end.

"Are you nodding, Maryam?" he asked, knowing his sister's habits well enough to picture her actions even without sight.

"Yes, see you, bhai," she managed to say, her voice small and weary.

Murtasim hurried back to the group, his abrupt entrance drawing the eyes of the village council to him. "I have an emergency, let's end this here," he announced, the urgency clear in his voice.

The village head started to protest, "We have to make a decision—" but cut himself off as he caught the stark worry etched across Murtasim's face. With a heavy sigh, he nodded, understanding the gravity of the personal crisis overshadowing village affairs.

Without another word, Murtasim turned on his heel.

As Murtasim rushed to the car, a chilling déjà vu gripped his heart. It felt like the last time he had received a frantic call, the panic in his mother's voice echoing the same dread he felt now. Then, it had been about Meerab falling down the stairs, and he had driven through the streets with a desperation fueled by fear. But now, the stakes were even higher; his wife was pregnant, now it was about the two people he loved most in the world. His mind swirled with terrifying possibilities as he rushed towards the car, his heart pounding in his chest. The thought that his Meerab and their choti shehzadi could be in danger filled his eyes with tears he didn't let fall.

Saim and Bhaktu followed him, keeping pace as he moved with urgency. Murtasim slammed the car door shut, the vehicle jerking slightly as he accelerated before Saim had even managed to close his door completely.

"What's wrong?" Saim asked, sensing the tension but not fully aware of the situation.

"Meerab fainted," Murtasim muttered, his voice tight with worry as he navigated the village streets with a practiced urgency, pushing the car faster than he ever had on these familiar roads.