The Trust She Broke

30. Tears and Embrace.

This chapter is dedicated to YOU. Thanks for staying with me.

30.

Enjoy

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The noise around was not enough to drown out the internal noise going on in Ilyas' mind. He was drenched by his own sweat even though the standby air condition was working perfectly well. He paced around the lobby with a heavy dread on his mind.

The lobby of Dove Hospital was occupied with both in patients and out patients, medical personnel and other staffs, each tending to their own personal and official issue.

"Your wife has put to bed."

Ilyas heard a nurse announced to two men amongst the occupants of the lobby.

"A girl or a boy?" One of the men asked the nurse and Ilyas assumed him to be the father of the newborn.

"A girl." The nurse answered before walking away to attend to other stuff.

"I knew it!." The other man suddenly fired and stood up from his sitting position. "I told you she will give birth to a girl again." He hissed.

"Oloye calm down, it's just your third child." The first man said. "The next one will be a boy." He assured.

"There's no need for a next time," Oloye, the father said. "because I'm taking a second wife who would give me boys." He concluded.

"Haba oloye it shouldn't be..."

Ilyas looked away from them thinking of how ungrateful some people could be, a girl child that is of no value to him is what some are praying for, some people wouldn't even mind giving birth to stillborn just to experience the feeling of parenthood but here the man was spitting fire because his wife gave birth to a girl.

Ilyas couldn't help but think about his own situation. His wife had..., His thought was interrupted when he saw the doctor coming towards him and he rushed to meet him halfway.

"How's my wife?" He panicked.

"Relax your wife is fine. We have moved her to ward thirty six." Ilyas heaved a sigh.

"And my baby?" He questioned.

"We tried our best but...we couldn't save the foetus." He retorted.

"Subuhanallah!" Ilyas exclaimed. He slumped but before he could fall a hand shot out and pulled him up.

Khalid drew him closer and held him a tight embrace. "How's Ruqqoyyah?" He enquired.

"Sh...she's fine but my...my baby..." He said between sobs.

"It's qodar(fate), Allah will replace it with what is better." Khalid consoled him rubbing his hand up and down Ilyas back.

"Thank you brother. Can I see my wife?" Ilyas asked the doctor, wiping away the tears that streaked down his face.

"She's sleeping now but you can go in just make sure she gets enough rest." The doctor said before he left.

"Let me go and see her first." Ilyas said to Khalid.

"What ward is she in?" Khalid asked.

"Ward thirty six." Ilyas replied.

"Alright I will be here when others get here." Khalid said, patting Ilyas on the shoulder. Ilyas nodded before making his way to the ward.

He slide opened the door to ward thirty six and entered. His gaze fell on the sleeping posture of his wife. He moved towards the bed, he stood at the edge and observe the rising and falling of Ruqqoyah's chest.

He sat on the chair next to bed and placed his hand on Ruqqoyah's tummy, he couldn't helped the sob that escaped from his throat.

Everything was like a dream to him it was just four days ago when his wife brought the good news to him when he wasn't even expecting...

Flashback

"Honey your dinner is ready." Ruqqoyah called from the dinning room while putting a plate of steaming coconut rice and fried chicken on the dinning table.

"Wow the aroma here is mouthwatering." Ilyas commented when he entered the dinning room. "What's the occasion?" He queried as he sat down.

"Well nothing too special," Ruqqoyah answered, pouring a jar of homemade pineapple juice into a cup. "Can't I cook for my husband again?" She asked jokingly.

"No one said you shouldn't cook for your husband, but I think there's more to this."  Ilyas said. "This food is extraordinary." He said, savouring the taste of the food.

"Enjoy it while it last because very soon I will be too tired to cook."

"And why would that be o, lazy wifey?"

"Guess?" Ruqqoyah said tilting her head.

"Tell me." He said but when she didn't reply, he added, "Please." He pleaded.

"Okay, if you insist on knowing, I will tell you." Ruqqoyah stood up and walk to Ilyas, she took hold of his left hand and placed it on her stomach, she winked suggestively.

"Is...is it what I'm thinking?" He stuttered and Ruqqoyah nodded in affirmative.

He stood up from his seat."Allahu Akbar!"  He exclaimed joyfully. "You are actually pregnant?" He asked.

"Yes." She said nodding her head repeatedly.

Ilyas pulled the chair back and fell in sujood shukr(prostration of gratitude). He stood up after a while and embraced Ruqqoyah in a warm passionate hug. He pulled back and placed a feathery kiss gingerly on her lips.

"I'm going to be a father. This is like a dream." He pinched himself.

"A dream come true." Ruqqoyah said. "Can we eat now?"

"Of course, eat as much as you want." He pulled out the chair for her.

"Thank you." She said and Ilyas returned to his sit as well.

"Who should we call first?" Ilyas asked eagerly.

"Let's eat first."

For the next four days, there joy knew no bound as the two family were in sheer happiness due to the joyful news that they were expecting their first grandchild.

The joy was short lived though, on that unfaithful day when Ruqqoyah had a terrible stomach pain after dinner and was bleeding profusely by the time Ilyas got her to the hospital.

It was the whimpering of Ruqqoyah that brought Ilyas back from his train of thought.
"You are up." Ilyas said.

Ruqqoyah wanted to enquired about her baby but the gloomy expression on her husband's face was answer enough to her unspoken question.

"My baby..." She said as she cried uncontrollably holding tight to Ilyas arm as he held her in comforting embrace.

"Don't worry babe, Allah will comfort us in a better way." Ilyas consoled as tears streaked down his face as well. Ruqqoyah pulled back from the hug and used the sleeve of her cloth to wipe his tears.

"I'm sorry babe, I'm so sorry." Ruqqoyah said, new fresh set of tears wetting her cheeks.

"It's no one's fault, it's qodar(fate)." Ilyas replied embracing her again.

Ruqqoyah closed her eyes trying to take in the comfort his hug brought but she couldn't control her mind from wandering to places she didn't want.

Everything was her fault, she should have seen it coming.