ALWAYS ZAYN

57'

Nana was silently sitting on a rock in front of her room when Maajida, or Jumaimah rushed to her and sat down, breathing in deeply before she opened her mouth to talk. She stopped again to take a deep breath then opened her mouth, Nana couldn't quite catch what she's saying since she was talking very fast so she stopped her and asked her to take another breath, she did as she was told before started talking.

"You're going to the city with Isuhu, tomorrow." She told her in harsh breaths, because she heard Baba Larai telling him to take her there so they could come back with more city food.

"Why? I'm heavily pregnant and it's not like we have any car!" Nana look down at her big belly, looking like the thing inside will pop out any second and she's almost nine months, just a day.

"Baba Larai wants you guys to go there so you could 'bring back more city food' I don't know how greedy that woman is. But she also said that your mother wants to see you and I don't think she knows that you're pregnant." Maajida frowned, sensing something fishy.

"Why would my mom want to see me now? I'm sure she doesn't know I'm this heavily pregnant." Nana mumbled out like she's whispering to herself but Maajida heard her.

"Exactly what I'm thinking!" They released a sigh at the same time since they can't come out with anything apart from a blank page.

Why would her mother want to see her? She hasn't talked to her since she got married and she knows the woman won't even ask how she's coping in the village with wicked people. Not that Nana hates her mother, she's her mother after all but the woman doesn't care about them and she could even ask Isuhu to bring her with him even if she knew she was pregnant just because she doesn't care.

Then again, no woman would want her daughter to suffer even if they don't care. It's just in the blood of mothers to never want their children suffering no matter what. Nana can't come up with any reason so she settle on her mother doesn't know and maybe Isuhu told her that she wanted to come so she agreed. She always send money to her, Isuhu to her but he never gave her except when Baba Larai glare at him to give her 1% of the hundred percent her mother sent her. Nana won't complain since Maajida also gets her share, she likes when he do generous things which is once in a blue moon.

"You should get ready though, it's going to be a long ride. He might even borrow one of his friend's car." Maajida advised and helped her stand up so they could start packing.

"I should not pack now, Jums. He would know that you told me or we eavesdrop and that will get us into a huge trouble." She demanded when she sat her on the bed and brought out her trolley.

"Yeah, you're right." Maajida sat back down on the bed and kept thinking, what is going on with her? Her heart is beating too badly and she didn't like the idea of this trip. Why didn't Isuhu ask her to come with?

"Maajida, go to you're room, I want to talk to Aisha." Maajida stood up and left the room, not before giving Nana a whimpering look.

"We are going to Abuja tomorrow. Get ready!" He ordered and left the room just like that, she thanked God he didn't insult her or her baby because that's what he always does.

"I don't want you to go." Maajida cried, hugging Nana as tight as the bump will let her. She is having a really bad feeling about it all.

"I don't want to go too but I don't think we'll be spending the day there, we're coming back tomorrow itself." Nana cajoled, not liking the idea of traveling with a huge belly in front of her.

Morning came, Nana was asked to dress the best she can and make sure to hide those scars from her body which she did. She wore her yellow floral maxi dress with long sleeves and high neck so as to close her whole body like he'd asked her to. She went ahead and put on a shailah, a very long one. Happily closed, Nana took her flats and the bag she'd never used and trudged out if the room to bid her farewell to Maajida before Isuhu gets ready.

"Do bring those coffees again for us, I love it." Maajida grinned, looking at Nana whose head fell back when she roared with laughter.

"I sure will, inshaa'Allah. Is that all you want from the city?" She raised a brow when Maajida gave her a piece of paper which she opened.

"Don't ask me." Maajida sheepishly laughed when she saw Nana's expression.

"Oh my Allah! You are impossible wallah! You wrote this, all of these? I should bring it from the city because I'm going there just for a day?" Nana asked in disbelief but also found it funny.

"What? I don't know whether you have it all in your house." Maajida shrugged innocently to which Nana only shook her head at, laughing.

"Let's go!" She heard Isuhu's voice snapping at her, she jolt and bolted like a robot.

"Safe journey!" Maajida yelled at the duo before retreating to her room to pray and make sure this feeling of unease left her body.

"I would've beaten you up black and blue if not that we're going to your mother's house! How dare you not bring out my clothes out for me?" He snapped with a chilling voice.

"But you always bring you're clothes out yourself." She bravely replied, since he told her he wouldn't beat her and she knew he can't.

"Shut up." He asked her to get into a beat up red Camry and he settled himself in the driver's side which confirmed that he is the one driving and he borrowed the car.

The car ride was silent until Nana started saying 'Inna lillahi wa'inna ilaihi arraji'un' multiple times because a trunk was coming their way and Isuhu can't move his hands on the steering wheel, it looks like he was paralysed just from seeing the car and gave up everything. He kept looking till the trunk hit their car with a very hard impact that threw them to the side where Nana could only hear him yelling and crying in pain then sound of glass shattering, the car melding and wind blowing around them then it was silent. Pindrop silent!

Nana's parents did find her a little after it happened, an hour later. A driver in their house informed them that they had been an accident with a red car and they called Isuhu's phone to confirm that they are not the ones but a stranger picked the phone which made Hajiya Salamatu's heart to drop, she knew they are definitely in trouble but manage to ask who the person was.

"The owner of the phone was in an accident just a little before Abuja." Hajiya Salamatu kept mumbling supplications and told the man that she was coming soon.

Hajiya Salamatu together with Alhaji Talib called the ambulance before leaving the house. They made it there just before the ambulance and were told that Isuhu is dead but Nana is still breathing and she needs to be saved before she lost her baby and also lost her life. That snapped the parents out of their grief of loosing their son in-law and asked them to take her to the hospital and they will follow behind.

Five hours in the OR, the doctors manage to save both her and the baby with great difficulty but also told them a very bad news.

"They are both safe and she gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. She's slipped into coma immediately after holding him, we don't know when she's going to wake up though. We have another bad news, I'm sorry but she won't be able to give birth again. It was a disaster and it causes too much complications." He explained with sympathy before giving them space to digest the information.

Nana's parents vowed to be with their children at that very moment and promised to never leave their sights. They called her elder brother who said he was getting on the next plane and get there as soon as possible.

They apologized to their eldest and only son, Fahad but he demanded that they should give him the baby. He did the steps that should be done to a Muslim baby and named him Khumais, just like Nana had always told him, she loved the name. He took Khumais with him and continue to take care of him with his wife till she recovered.

They didn't know it was going to be longer than they thought .