And we found us [Completed]

Chapter 8

"I don't want it.. I have no appetite, please Mama." Ahsan stopped his mother from giving him soup and she couldn't persuade him to have any as she didn't want to stress him.

"Okay." Firdous sighed.
Upset and quite concerned Firdous sat back on the sofa that was placed next to the wall in Ahsan's room at hospital.

Ahsan was moved to a room today from the emergency services ward. His health recovery was positive but the doctors insisted that he must stay in the hospital for two more days before he can be discharged.

The door knocked and Aliya stood up to open it, seeing Dr Qadir, Sania enter alongside Inaya who held a small bouquet of flowers.

"Assalam o Alaikum, Ahsan, how are you my son?" Dr Qadir inquired as he shaked hands with Ahsan.

"Walaikum Assalam, I am better Uncle. Thank You for coming. I am grateful." Ahsan trembled but managed to speak.

Inaya was looking at him in complete shock at to how weak he looked within the matter of days. His face had gone pale, his eyes looked empty and they gave an impression that Ahsan was sleep deprived for days. Inaya was confused but also concerned.
Someone the same age as hers, someone who was so happy and full with life about two weeks ago, what made him this frail? Inaya was asking questions to herself while blankly staring at Ahsan but he didn't realise since he was busy talking to Sania and Dr Qadir.

Sania turned to Inaya who was stood right next to the door and said: "Inaya?" She turned her eyes to the bouqet so Inaya comes forward and presents it to him. Inaya nodded and walked towards Ahsan's bed and passed the bouqet to Aliya who was stood next to his bed. "Get well soon Ahsan." She smiled at him while she said it and he smiled back, adding "Thankyou".

*********

Inaya and Aliya went to the cafeteria while Dr Qadir and Sania remained in Ahsan's room with Firdous. Aliya began to speak.

"I went to bhai's room last Wednesday and I saw he was sat hidden on the floor crying and shivering. He looked so weak, so broke. I couldn't help but scream his name as I ran to him so I could help. Inaya, my heart breaks seeing bhai like  this. He is so young, like all of us. He has his life ahead of him, his university starts in a month and here he is, battling with his depression." Aliya shed a tear as she said this.

"It's all fine Aliya. InshAllah he will be absolutely fine. Don't you worry. You should pray for him. Allah will listen." Inaya's words comforted Aliya and she attempted to smile.

"If you don't mind, can I ask you something?" Inaya hesitantly spoke.

"Yes, sure."

"What happened to Ahsan, I mean there must be a reason that he suffers from this right?"

Aliya looked around in confusion and didn't know how to respond. She didn't want to tell Inaya in case if Ahsan didn't want her to know considering the kind of temper he has. "Umm, let's leave this, you tell me, what course have you applied for at university?"

Inaya smiled and realised that Aliya wasn't comfortable sharing and she didn't mind it. "I applied for English Literature at UCL."

"Nooo you must be kidding, so has Ahsan Bhai, he is also doing English Literature at UCL." Aliya cheerfully revealed.

Before Inaya could speak, Dr Qadir and Sania returned from the hospital room and hinted at Inaya to come with them.

"Okay, Aliya, you take care. See you soon." Inaya gave her a hug and walked with her parents towards the exit of the main hospital entrance.

********

Firdous and Aliya returned home in the evening, visitors weren't allowed to stay overnight with patients despite they were parents or siblings.

Ahsan was lying in his bed recalling the time he first read Inaya's story and how interesting he found it. His lips curled in a smile while he thought of the little things he did to Inaya at Umair's wedding events. He thought back about her frustrations and little annoyance at his actions that were meant to distract his attention from his own tensions so he could smile and possibly make her smile too. Little did he know that at least at Inaya's part, his efforts didn't work. Though Ahsan didn't mind that. Why am I recalling all this? He asked himself.

Before he could think of anything else, his eyes moved to the flower bouquet she had presented him earlier. It had a card on it too, Ahsan pulled the bouquet close and picked up the card and read: "I hope you know that I was never annoyed or angry at your little teasing. Always know that you are the reason of many smiled and you are strong. Get well soon, Ahsan. Regards Inaya."  She drew a smiley and a heart on the card at the end of the letter. Ahsan smiled warmly reading her note. His eyes beamed with hope and his body gained some immediate strength and he couldn't understand what was happening to him.

*********

Wait, wait, oh my God, oh my Allah, I drew a heart on that one. I drew—. What even? And I gave him the one I wasn't supposed to. What must he be thinking about me? We were never this frank. Oh Allah what have I done?

When Inaya returned home she saw the card she was actually meant to put with the bouquet which didn't have a heart and rather had a shorter note than the one Ahsan actually received. When she first wrote that card, she drew a heart in rush without realising that it wasn't to her best friend but a family friend who is ill. She kept it to a side and wrote a different and a more formal one, but she ended up handing the rather informal one. Absolutely full of disappointment and embarrassment, Inaya was unsure of what to do.

I mean he looked ill, I am sure he won't notice this much right? Yeah He won't." Inaya tried to satisfy herself but it didn't help much.

*********

The next morning Inaya was working on her laptop trying to complete the story she started before Umair's wedding when her phone vibrated. It was a text message.

She looked at her phone and it was from Ahsan.

'Thankyou for the flowers, and for the card if it was meant for me' Ahsan wrote with a wink emoji.