A Match Made In Jannah

Chapter 47

MAARIAH'S POV

"It's okay, Danyaal. I'm fine. The baby is fine. I wanted... I wanted to kill him, but I won't because I love him," I sobbed.

"I love him too, Maariah, and I love you. I'm angry with you for what you did but I would never abandon you," Danyaal said and enveloped me into a bear hug.

I buried myself into the crook of his arm and cried until my tears soaked into his Kurta and drained everything from my eyes.

I gave him a watery smile and he led me to the car.

"I'll drive behind you. We may have a little problem though. I had to use the tracker and Abba probably checked too," he told me.

My eyes widened in panic and I couldn't stop the fear from reaching my stomach and taking out everything I had inside of me. Danyaal stepped back while I threw up on the parking lot tar. "Ew, that's slightly gross. Are you sick?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant, Danyaal. This is what happens. Every, single day."

"You're serious?! OMA. Don't lie! That must feel so terrible," he exclaims.

I roll my eyes and wonder what type of father he'd be one day. Of course, he'd make a great father; I could see from the way he treated me now that I was pregnant, but still, a clueless one.

He clears his throat. "About Ummi and Abba. Just be prepared for hell when we get home."

"What am I going to do Danyaal?" I wail. "You just said it. Life is going to be hell when they find out."

"They're going to find out somehow, someday, anyway. What's the worst that can happen?"

DANYAAL'S POV

My heart had just about shattered into a million tiny pieces when I figured out that Maariah wanted to abort the baby. As an Aalim, I had always been against abortion for Islamic reasons, but never saw the wisdom in it. I had my doubts, because wouldn't it be cruel to bring a child into this world when you couldn't support him, physically, emotionally and financially? That was my perspective, though I never expressed it, until Maariah fell pregnant and made that terrible choice. I had driven at a speed that I had never risked before, because I knew that this was a matter of life and death. An abortion would mean killing the little child that I had grown to love and protect over the past month. It surprised me how much of pain there was in abortion, both for the mother and for the family. Maariah's circumstances were far from good, and at this very moment, any person without Taqwa would choose abortion because it would keep her izzat in tact, save the family from disgrace and guarantee her a good future if the secret didn't spread. Still, it would be like killing a robbery witness just to hide the truth about the robbery. A sin above a sin. I was glad that Maariah had come to her senses, and I was glad that I still had a chance to see my little niece or nephew in a few months.

Even though Ummi and Abba were going to find out, they weren't unreasonable. What was the worst that could happen?

HUSNA'S POV

I paced anxiously up and down the family room floor. Where was Maariah? I was sick with worry and Danyaal wasn't picking up his phone either.

"Have some tea, dolly. You're getting married soon, don't stress. In Sha Allah everything will be alright. I just wanted you to come over for moral support in case Husna was acting suicidal or depressed and needed her best friend. You know her. Ay, she can be so unreasonable," Maariah's mother said.

Just then, Maariah and Danyaal pulled into the driveway in two separate cars and Maariah's mother screamed for her father to come down.

"Sulaimaan, the child is here. Come down and speak some sense into her. Ya Allah, she can't just leave like this."

Danyaal walked over and smiled in an attempt to reassure his mother. "It's nothing Ummi. She just needed to go for a drive."

"What for? Ya Allah, where did she go?"

"I went for a drive by the farms," Maariah piped up, a little too enthusiastically.

Uncle Sulaimaan descended the stares and when he looked up, we were all taken aback. His face was hard and angry, with a hint of confusion etched into the lines on his face.

"The car showed that it was parked at the family planning clinic for a solid two hours. Did you go to the store next door, Maariah? I highly doubt it. I want an answer and I want it now."