Coming Home (English Version)

Prologue

This is not a sequel to Promise This, each story can be read as a stand alone.

Dubai, 1993.

Sheikha Hind kept pacing around the small waiting room and praying under her breath.

The muted television showed the evening news and the long black abaya was sweeping the floor from left to right as she moved. The motion shifted abruptly at the sound of the door being opened.

A nurse popped her head in. "You can see her now, your highness, but she's very weak."

Very weak seemed like an understatement when the Sheikha laid eyes on her best friend. There were cuts, bruises or stitches everywhere on her face and arms, the only parts of her body that were visible.

"We managed to stop the bleeding." The nurse added behind Sheikha Hind. "But she's in critical condition. The doctor only allowed you to see her because she kept insisting on talking to you."

"Thank you." Sheikha Hind replied with eyes still fixed on Helen.

The nurse left them and Sheikha Hind was struggling to find a way to approach her friend, until a tiny murmur coming from the bed made her take those first steps.

"Hind..."

Her trembling fingers surrounded Helen's hand. "I'm here." She replied with a broken voice.

Helen took a deep breath.

"You should rest. Everything will be fine." The Sheikha felt like a liar.

Helen had just lost her husband and baby boy in a horrific car accident, perhaps not everything was going to be fine but she was determined to stick by hers and Layla's side.

Helen shook her head slowly and fought to open her eyes. "I need to ask you something." She breathed.

Sheikha Hind let go of her hand for a brief moment to bring a chair next to the bed and take a seat. "What do you need, Helen? You know I would do anything for you." She offered, taking her hand one more time.

Helen struggled to swallow. "Take care of my Layla."

The little five year-old had miraculously survived the accident with barely a couple of scratches, unlike her father and brother who had passed instantly.

"Of course." Sheikha Hind replied. "I will take care of her until you get better, don't worry about it."

Helen shook her head once more. "I won't make it."

"Wh--" Sheikha Hind felt the tightness in her throat. "What are you talking about? You will. You have to be strong for Layla."

"I've been holding on only so I can talk to you." Helen gathered the strength to squeeze the Sheikha's hand. "Take care of my Layla, please."

A silent tear rolled down Sheikha Hind's face as Helen's blue eyes found hers.

"You know I don't have any family and Ben's parents are old and sick. You're the closest thing to a family that she has now. Here is the only home she knows... here is... where she belongs."

Sheikha Hind leaned in closer. "You will be fine and we will take care of both of you and--"

Helen interrupted. "Please, Hind. I don't have much time left."

More tears fell down on the Sheikha's face and her jaw started trembling. Flashes of her friendship with Helen started to roll in her mind. She remembered perfectly the first time she met the president of the British Oil Company in Dubai and his wife. They were invited to a lavish dinner that included several politicians and the top management of the companies that had decided to invest in the flourishing Gulf Region.

The two women became inseparable after that night. Shortly afterwards, Helen gave the Sheikha the happy news about her pregnancy and after Layla was born that became one more thing that they had in common. They were both mothers and Sheikha Hind knew there was nothing that could compare to a mother's love. It dawned on her that what Helen needed at that moment was the peace and comfort of knowing that her daughter wouldn't be alone in the world.

"If anything happens," Sheikha Hind wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I will raise Layla as my own, she has always been like a daughter to me, you don't have anything to worry about."

A little smile formed on Helen's dry lips. "Thank you. You're like a sister to me, Hind. My Layla will be safe and happy with you."

"Please, don't leave us, Helen." Sheikha Hind begged with a broken voice. "We need you here."

"God is calling me, Hind." Helen's eyes shined with tears. "I have to join Ben and our baby. But I'm grateful that Layla is fine and that I got the chance to talk to you."

Just the day before, Helen and the kids had visited them at the palace. They both sat and laughed while watching their children play in the gardens, not knowing it was going to be their last happy time together.

"I love you so much, Helen. You're my best friend, I would be lost without you." Sheikha Hind sniffled.

Helen's breathing was getting shallower and her voice weaker. "You're stronger than you think, Hind, you taught me so much... I love you too."

About an hour later, Helen passed away peacefully with only her best friend by her side.