The Wedding

Chapter 6

He had been sitting on a comfortable couch, his feet up on the centre table of the small hotel room in Lagos waiting for the appointment he had finally gotten with some rich brat who was his doorway to an opportunity of a life time. That was four hours ago; now he was rushing through a hospital corridor to reach his friend's dying father.

Not if he could help it.

What he didn't understand and had been trying so hard to understand on the flight here was why the family had even tried to stop Mukhtar. But he was here now, he'd be the backup Mukhtar needed and he'd make sure the operation took place tomorrow.

No one should have to watch their parents die, especially if they had the means to stop it.

He didn't have the means.

When he found the corridor leading to ICU, Yaseer walked down, the reality of it sorely different than what he'd expected to find. Firstly he had expected the sisters; at least one of them if not the two. The first sister; Halima was the fair tall one with the shy smile. He had seen her a couple of times in his childhood when she came to pick up her younger siblings. In her secondary school uniform she was the definition of a swoon worthy older woman to him- whom he had a slight crush on, nothing serious. The second sister Zainab.... He remembered her to be intelligent. She was active in both academics and extracurricular activities; she had been two years ahead of him in primary school. He remembered how she was the trophy of the school. She was always head of the interschool quizzes, the debates, the essays... he never really liked her though; her intelligence intimidated him. More like reminded him of his own dumbness.

He had expected the parents. They were both good people but he liked the mother more. She was... nice.

Really nice

He came to a stop in front of a room. There was an unconscious man, IV tubes running into him, a dialysis machine he assumed was the one on the left side of the bed. On the right where the regular monitoring devices that were currently letting out that steady, rhythmic sound.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Beep...

He ran along with the stretchers being pushed by nurses and panicked yet calm doctors that were barking orders in words he couldn't hear. His throbbing in his heart wouldn't let him hear. All thoughts running through Yaseer's mind were not in the least bit positive. He watched the two stretchers with people he loved lying there unconscious being pulled to separate rooms in opposite directions. Yaseer stopped in the middle, not sure who to run after... his mom, or his dad.

"Yaseer?"

He must have involuntarily shook in response to the hand on his shoulder because Mukhtar looked at him apologetically.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you"

"It's okay" He shook his head recomposing himself. "How's he doing?"

Mukhtar joined his friend as they both stared ahead into the ICU. "He moved his hand earlier today. So far that's all we got" he said sadly

"I'm sorry. He'll get better in no time Insha Allah" Yaseer offered the words his friend needed to hear

"You think I'm making the right decision right?" Mukhtar asked after a second, his hands shoved into his pocket

Yaseer didn't flinch before answering. "You're doing the right thing"

Behind them the two people that had dispersed earlier to go pray, eat and just walk about in general had returned, unknown to them. Laila and Zee had walked towards them, both ladies wondering who the taller guy beside Mukhtar was but found the answer in what they had been saying. She had come close enough just in time to hear him support Mukhtar.