Selfless Love [Completed]

Chapter 10

Nudrat and Saeed landed in New York a few hours ago and came straight to the hospital Zain had told them about. They didn't stay for Zain and Rudaba's wedding because they simply wanted to be with their son who was all alone in the foreign country getting through a painful treatment. Rudaba was sad to see them go but she wasn't told the reason. Deep down she knew that with Shahroze's parents staying for this wedding, it would get uncomfortable for them. After coming to the hospital, Saeed enquired at the reception about the patient they were there to meet. The receptionist guided them to the second floor and showed them the room where Shahroze was staying.

"He is just gone for his CT scan, he will be back in a ten or so minutes with the doctor, please wait here."

The receptionist had explained with a mild smile on her face and then took their permission and left.

Nudrat was exhausted by the travel and so was Saeed but entering the Cancer Treatment Centre to see their ill son as soon as they arrived was nothing short of a pain in itself. They sat on the sofa couch placed near the patient bed and waited for Shahroze.

"Look at these wires, these machines and these drips. He has been going through so much alone and we didn't even find out. Instead we were blaming him for everything."

Nudrat had said as her eyes roamed around the room and she looked at all the medical treatments blankly.

"Because he didn't tell us or anyone else in this matter. Hamare betey mein buhat sabar aur hosla hai, bardasht hai. Woh hud ko jitni marzi takleef dey, apne pyaaron ko nahi de sakta. Isiliye, mujhe, tumhe aur Rudaba ko nahi bataya usnay. Uska pyaar uski kamzori hai aur us pyaar ke liye hi woh har waqt tiyaar rehta hai qurbani dene ke liye."

Saeed had said with a calm and composed tone as he tried to reassure his wife. They were still talking when the door clicked open and the doctor walked in with Shahroze sat on a wheelchair behind.

Seeing him all pale, weak and vulnerable hurt his parents to the core. They were shaking to see their only son, so weak, so helpless. The natural order of things is that parents grow old and weak and children look after them and care for them. Here the natural order was being reversed. Here the old parents were going to care for their only son who had not long left. Shahroze was shifted on the bed and the whole time he was quiet just staring at his mother and father. The doctors and nurses left the room and left the family together.

"Shahroze... yeh..." Nudrat rushed to his side and hugged him and started crying.

He hugged her back and cried too. But he wasn't sobbing. His eyes were just moist, and tears were just falling from them and he wasn't trying to control them. He was seeing his mother after a week, but it felt like it was decades ago. He was desperately waiting for the moment to hug his parents and cry as much as he could. He was longing for it and today his mother and father were with him, so he didn't try to control any of his emotional downfall. Saeed just watched the mother-son duo from some distance and shed a tear too.

After good few minutes of silence, Shahroze tried to console his mother.

"Maa? Bas, please bas. Deikhein, mein theek hun. Mein bilkul theek hun."

He said wiping tears off her face and giving her an assuring warm smile.

"Bataya tu hota... haemin bula lete. Zain ko bhi tumne wahan bhej diya aur yahan akeley... kyun karte ho tum aise?"

"Kyunke ap sab mein meri jaan hai. Ap logon ko takleef dena matlab meri jaan ko takleef dena hai. Is beemari ki takleef nahi hoti magar kisi apne ko hud ki waja se takleef mein deikh ke buhat takleef hoti hai."

"Ab tu bas kardo aisi batein. Apni zindagi ki ek wahid muhabbat bhi tumne kisi aur key hawaley kardi, haemin bhi takleef nai dena chahte. Kaise karlete ho aisey?"