HER INNOCENCE TAMED MY MONSTER

CHAPTER 41

Nani ma enters the hospital, with Rizwan trailing behind her, totally exhausted by the work in the office, luckily there were only a few reporters as compared to last week's huge crowd, waiting outside to snap pictures and talk to her about Maaz Jaffery's disappearance, answering them shortly, She took small steps towards the private suite room, she took a long breath before opening the door and stepped in watching them sitting around in a circle with their laptops and other devices and discussing something in a low tone, "Steve," she called him, he looked up and greeted her, she nodded and signaled him to come after her, she took him to the small lounge area and took a seat, "Is there any progress?" she asked, Steve walked into the small kitchen and poured her a cup of tea and placed it in front of her,

"We are still searching for her, we have the CCTV footage of parking lot from that farmhouse, but all other cameras were turned down that day, there is nothing we could get other than that only footage in which Areesha is seen driving away in a white car, we traced the number of that car and found it near the river in a car accident, but no sign of Areesha, we have no clue is she still alive or not, but we are still looking for her," Steve told Nani ma who was now massaging her forehead with her finger tips, due to the massive headache, "Ya Allah, what happened to my babies, why this is happening to them," she said, "Areesha is alive, I know it," she assured herself,

"It's almost a month and you guys are still searching? How can you not get any sign or clue? It's not very hard for you all to figure it out, why are you delaying this, huh?" she yelled at him, Steve stood there quietly, "Ma'am, we are doing what we can do, but we need a little bit more time, we have investigated all the staff on the farmhouse they all told us the same thing, they were hired few days back and didn't know much about Uzair and his activities, on that day all the staff was given a day off only two men were there along with security guards and we found them all dead, when we found Maaz unconscious," he told her,

"Just do what has to be done and make it quick, I cannot wait for it much longer," Nani ma said, closing her eyes,

"How is Maaz today? Any progress?" she asked, he shook his head,

"I am sorry, but he is still the same since day one, doctors are saying he is hemodynamically stable, but still in the state of shock, he needs some time to recover from that nervous breakdown, he barely eats anything to survive, today doctors have inserted I.V to give him nutrition through it," Steve said, Nani ma let out a frustrated breath and dismissed him, closed her eyes to stop the tears from falling, she tried to calm herself but it was not helping it, she stood up from the couch and move towards his room.

She enters the room and saw him lying on the bed with his eyes wide open staring blankly at the ceiling, he had bags under his bloodshot eyes, he hadn't shaved and now the rough stubble was covering his bottom face, he has lost weight, his face had prominent cheek bones, very sharp angles, and planes now, he was still holding that locket in hand, which he never let go, despite their efforts to take it from him, she sobbed watching him like this, she took a seat next to him, he didn't look at her still staring the ceiling, There was an I.V attached to his arm as Steve told her earlier,

"Maaz, My dear child, please, talk to me, please, don't do this to yourself, you don't have to be this harsh on yourself, please Maaz," she said in between her cries, but he didn't respond, still staring at the ceiling,

"Maaz!" she shakes him up, but still there was no response,

"At least cry or do something beta, you are scaring the hell out of me," she said, but again the same response from her beloved grandchild, exhausted, she plopped down on the seat and throw her head on her arms, tears making their way freely down her cheeks, there was a soft knock on the door and Alizeh walked in carrying a bag of food in her arm, she put it on the side table and sat near Nani ma,