RUWAIDA ✔️

CHAPTER TEN

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After she had fainted countless of times before reaching the hospital, she blacked out completely, scaring Mama to her bones. The poor woman couldn't stop crying even when they'd reached the hospital and she was wheeled away from them. She had wanted to call Mahmoud and inform him about the happenings but then, she had left her phone lying on the TV set at home. She sighed as she unwrapped Barra from her back.

And as if the little girl knew about her elder sister, she began crying unfalteringly. Abdul had to keep pacing around the place with her, while Mama sat on one of the waiting chairs looking nothing close to consolable. She had occasionally wiped her face with her veil, not wanting Abdul to see her that broken. What will he do then if his own mother is crying like that?

Seeing a nurse emerge from the ICU, Mama sprang up in haste and made her way towards her, blocking the nurse's path so she could ask about her daughter. She had waited in agitation, and it's slowly killing her. "Please Nurse, what's wrong with my daughter-she-please what's wrong,"

The nurse being nice, gave her a sympathetic smile before walking away without a single explanation. Mama stared at her back, feeling herself not able to move a finger. She could sense that something is wrong, she could feel it. But then, she couldn't acknowledge the doubtful feeling and let it settle. She's hell bent that Ruwaida is absolutely fine! How wishful had she been!

It was moments later that the nurse came back with a file, handing it over to Mama and asked for her signature. Even tho, Mama wanted to go through the tablet, she had signed them without doing so. "What are the papers for," she asked with soaked eyes, while she gave back the file to the nurse.

"We will be admitting her because of the critical state she's in, please come with me, Dr Abdullah will like to see you," The nurse answered. As she turned to leave, Mama called her back and pleaded for her phone. The nice looking nurse smiled and gave it to her.

After muttering a 'thank you' She dailled in Mahmoud's number and fortunately, he picked on the first ring. Mama cried into the phone as she narrated the happenings to him, while he kept chanting all the tasbeh's he could muster.

He promised to be in the hospital as soon as he could before Mam ended the call and gave it back to the nurse, finally feeling a tad bit of relief. 

They followed the nurse behind as she directed them to the doctor's office. She left them by the door, striding away into the room adjacent to the A's office, which had a label above the door, reading "GOC ROOM".

Abdul smiled at his mother assuringly, as if he wasn't feeling himself gradually dragged into short depression. He craned his head up as they both walked in with a salaam.

Abdullah replied, gesturing towards the two chairs across his desk. "Good morning Mrs Moolah, I'm sorry for the inconvenience, her file was redirected to me by Dr M Ibrahim, he attended to her the last time," Abdullah explained, not knowing that, Mama was slowly dying from the anxiety that crippled itself in her soul. "But I'm not sure he'll be able to as he said so himself,"

Mama sighed and nodded, placing her hand on the table to keep herself a bit more balanced, because she could swear she was feeling light headed at that instant. "What is wrong with her doctor? I'm really petrified of how she's slowly getting worst," Mama blurted, her sobs getting even higher as she spoke.

Abdullah looked at the boy that sat across his right side, with a glint of hope as he stared right back, while carrying in his arms a cute little thing that wouldn't stop smiling. And just then, he understood why Muhammad had gladly ran from this sort of confrontation. It is practically horrible. "There's nothing to worry about Mrs Moolah, seeing her test reports, she'll get through this as long as the treatment doesn't get delayed for much longer," Abdullah started, deprived of ways to say the actual truth. Sure, his partner had left him in a tight situation.

Mama creased her brows in confusion. "Treatment? What treatment doctor," she asked. And seeing the emotions that swirled throughout his face, she knew nothing is fine. Not when a doctor looked that disturbed to just say about his patient's tests.

"I'm sorry to say Mrs Moolah, She's diagnosed with Leukemia, blood cancer at it's late seco...,"
She didn't let him finish before she released a heart wrenching Yelp and her hands reaching for the end of her veil. She felt horror rise in her like a tide.

Beside her, she felt Abdul rushing to give her a side hug, while still holding Barra in his arms. Her thoughts were jumbled the moment those words left Dr A's mouth. Her daughter has cancer! Her daughter! How will she be able to handle such a dilemma?

She can't loose her daughter! How will she cope with so much loss in her life.

When she was young, just 12 years of age, she had to watch her elder sister Karima die slowly from a sickness too, without her being able to do a thing to save her. What could she possibly do at that time? Her parents had done everything to see karima out of her kidney disease but nothing good came out of their efforts.

They tried! Really really hard, but they couldn't find even 12/45 of the insane amount of money requested for the kidney transplant. So, they lounged for maganin gargajiya (homemade treatments) but that only intensified the situation, as she only started loosing more weight along the line.

How she misses her cheerful Adda Reema was unspeakable. No one could tore them apart when she was alive. They'd always been seen together, be it at home or even around the street. Karima's friends were also Barira's and so were hers. Karima will always wait for Barira before having any of her meals, until at times when their mother would force the other to do it. When she had went on to pick fights, Kareema would always be there to save her the beating.

And now how could she sit and watch her daughter slowly breath her last? She couldn't take that much pain. May Allah SWT see her through her test, because she was indeed feeling herself give up.

"Mrs Moolah please stop crying, she'll be fine InshaAllah," Abdullah consoled, grieving inwardly at the three. How could he accept to do this? He will have refused if by any chance he knew he'll have to watch a broken mother cry like that.

"Yaza kace kada nai kuka (how can you ask me not to cry) Haba Doctor," she couldn't finish talking when another set of sobs escaped from her lips, stopping her sentence midway.

Dr Abdullah sighed and walked to stand in front of her. "I'm sorry Mrs Moolah, but you should control yourself, if you want, just take this and make all the proper arrangements," he adviced and gave her another paper, before he continued. "We'll start the treatment as soon as possible,"

She craned her head up to look at him, while taking the paper. Abdul quickly turned and wiped his tears. He couldn't imagine how he'll have cried if not because he want to be Mama's support.

Even tho she hadn't attended the university, she could clearly read things, but the words used in the paper were a bit complicated so she gave it to Abdul to read for her. After going through it, he faced her with a sad look.

"Mama, we'll have her take a chemotherapy, each session costs $1437 dollars,"

Mama couldn't tell how much that is so she asked. "How much is that in Naira,"

"520,000," he answered in a whisper, but all present in the room had clearly heard him.

Mama broke into another set of tears. Shattering Abdullah even more than he already is. Everything about the small family is so heart touching. "Innalillahi wa'inna Ilaihirrajiun (from Allah we are and to him is absolute return,"

Love_
Silentwriter ☕️