No Choice || H.S.

Chapter 19

Harry's P.O.V

"What!?" I exclaimed and sat up straight on the couch.

"Hurry up and come to the hospital! We'll explain everything then." Sara said and her voice wavered a bit.

"I'm on my way." I said and got up from the couch. "Harry, what's wrong?" Mum asked as she grabbed my forearms.

"Tahira collapsed, mum. She's in the hospital." She gasped. We both quickly put our shoes on while I grabbed my keys then we were off.

"Tahira Sultan?" I asked at the reception of the only hospital in the town. The receptionist nodded and typed her name in while I tapped my fingers on the table in nervousness.

"She's in room 37. It's right down the hall." The receptionist said and pointed towards the left.

"Thank you." He just nodded while mum and I went down the hall and soon spotted Sara and Omar sitting on the chairs. Sara looked like she was crying and Omar kept squeezing her hand and whispering in her ear.

"Sara!" Mum exclaimed and she looked up at us in shock.

"Anne? Oh, Anne!" Sara got up and quickly hugged mum tightly. Mum hugged her back and she burst out crying while mum tried to comfort her. Omar smiled a bit but when he saw that I was looking at him, he looked away.

"How is she?" Mum asked and Sara pulled back a bit.

"The doctor hasn't come out yet. We just got here a few minutes ago." She looked at me and smiled a bit. She walked towards me and suddenly pinched my cheek.

"I kept telling Omar it was you."

"Ow, ow, Sara." I said and rubbed it when she let go and we gave each other a small smile.

"Sara, what happened to her?" Mum asked as she and Sara sat down but I kept standing.

"We don't know. After Harry left, Tahira kept complaining of a headache so we told her to get some sleep. We heard a crash but thought she dropped something so we left it."

Sara said and shook her head while Omar continued. "It wasn't until we tried to wake her up for prayer did we realise that her door was locked and she wasn't replying. I had to break the door down. It was her that fell down a few hours ago. And we. Just. Realised. Then." Omar said and I felt bad for him but before I could say something the doctor came.

"Tahira Sultan?"

Omar and Sara stood up while I grabbed my mums hand. "We're her parents." Omar said and the doctor smiled.

"She's alright. It was just a case of mental exhaustion, nothing else. Her body gave up because of it. Has she ever been in an incident regarding her mental health?" The doctor asked and Omar nodded. "She had amnesia when she was four." Omar said and the doctor nodded.

"Sometimes even old accidents can be a reason for it. She's awake at the moment."

"Alhumdulillah!"* Sara said. "Can we see her?" She asked and the doctor nodded.

"You can, but she has been requesting a 'Teddy' since she woke up."

We all froze at that.

"She remembers." I whispered and mum beamed at me. "Go, Harry!" Mum said and Sara and Omar just nodded at me with tears in their eyes. "Go."

I slowly opened the door to Tahira's room and poked my head in a bit before entering the room completely. She had an IV drip on her left hand. Her right arm was laid across her stomach and her eyes were closed, her face was wrapped in a plain green scarf.

"Tahira?" I asked and her eyes opened a bit. She looked at me for a second then looked away.

I chuckled in my mind and walked towards her bed. I sat down on the chair beside her and a stray tear fell down the side of her face.

"Hey, don't cry." I said and that moment I wished I could wipe it away.

"I'm sorry." She whispered and I frowned. "Why are you sorry? If anyone should say it, it would be me. I forgot you." I said with a sad look.

"I knew who you were from the start." She whispered again and my eyes widened at her.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I wanted to see if you could change. I once overheard papa talking to uncle Desmond-"

"About us being promised?" I finished and she nodded.

"I was just scared of how you'd react once you learnt because at the time you were a complete stranger to me."

I sighed in defeat. "I can understand. I would have done the same." I said and she let out a small smile.

"You know, you're not that bad, Teddy." I chuckled.

"I could say the same, Ladybug."

We let our parents come in after that and they were ecstatic to know that Tahira and I made up properly. The doctor had come saying that Tahira was free to leave in the evening and while her parents left to pray, my mum sat down and told embarrassing post-Tahria childhood memories while I decided to leave them alone till Omar or Sara came back.

When we entered the room, Tahira looked like she was having a blast listening to the stories. But the tables turned on her because Sara and Omar both started telling her stories making me laugh evilly in my mind and that caused her face to turn as red as a tomato. When I teased her about it, mum just scolded me making Tahira poke her tongue out back me when mums back was turned on her.

When the time came for Tahira to be discharged from the hospital, it was already sunset. We had all planned to meet up at Tahira's house, for the Iftaar* as Omar called it. When we reached there house, Omar carried Tahira inside while mum helped Sara prepare the snacks. Them talking and laughing could be heard in the living room where Tahira was layed down on the couch.

"Harry, Tahira, it may not be a good time but I'd like that you both talk to each other about..."

We understood and I hesitantly nodded and Tahira followed my lead. Omar cleared his throat awkwardly and left the room but I could tell he was just far away so that we couldn't see him but he could still hear us.

"If I ask you something, will you answer truthfully?" Tahira asked a few minutes later and I nodded.

"Of course." I said with a small smile.

"Why did you do it?"

———————————————————————————————————————————

*Alhumdulillah - Praise to be Allah (God)

*Iftaar - Meal consumed by Muslims when they break their fast, after sunset when the athan/azaan (call for prayer) is heard for Maghrib (The fourth obligatory prayer of the day)

AN: NEXT CHAPTER IS THE BIG REVEAL!! For that I'd like atleast three comments and three votes on this chapter... please? Comment, Vote and Follow :)