A Twist of Fate ✔

Ch. 02

The first emotion Hamza's mind deciphered was pain. Although he still hadn't fully regained consciousness, the pounding headache was as clear as day. Frowning, he slowly craned his neck upwards as he peeled his eyes open.

Ouch. 

Where was he? Everything felt groggy. He was still trying to clear his head when a familiar face appeared in front of him.

"Auntie Sarah?" Hamza's voice sounded incredulous. What was Laila's mom doing here? She lived at least an hour away...

Laila!

Suddenly remembering the previous traumatic events, Hamza shot out of bed so fast he was momentarily blinded. Gripping onto the side of the bed for support, he looked around and realized he was at a hospital. Laila's parents, Sarah and Ahmad, were standing in front of him with worried expressions on their faces.

But his wife was nowhere to be seen.

"Hamza? Are you okay?" Sarah spoke up, the quiver in her voice apparent. Quickly, she swiped at her wet cheeks. "They called to inform us of what happened, and we came as soon as possible."

Hamza ran a hand through his hair. "Where is Laila? Is she alright?"

Ahmad cleared his throat and met Hamza's gaze with tear-filled eyes of his own. "She's in the ICU."

Those four words were all the encouragement Hamza needed before he tore out the IV that was inserted in his arm and all but flew towards the door. Swinging it open, Hamza ran down the plain white hallway, ignoring Ahmad's calls. He didn't stop until he came face to face with a nurse.

"I'm looking for the patient Laila Hamed," He blurted immediately, standing in front of her to block her way. "Please help me find out where she is."

The nurse was a woman that appeared to be in her late 40s. She smiled reassuringly at Hamza and led him to the main desk where she pulled out a clipboard. Mindlessly flipping through the pages, her face brightened when she came across the familiar name.

"Laila Hamid..." She murmured then started to type away at the computer. Hamza anxiously watched as her fingers flew around the keyboard. "Well, it says here she's in surgery. She was brought in about two hours ago and won't be done until a bit longer. You can sit there until her doctor-"

"No, you don't understand," Hamza pleaded. "I need to see her now! Please. I'm her husband."

"I understand, sir, but you can't go inside while they're operating on her..."

Hamza was a second away from exploding when he felt a hand grip his shoulder. Turning around, he met Ahmed's gaze.

"Hamza, son, I know how you feel. She's my daughter. I want to be in there too." His voice was low and gritted, as if he was having difficulty forming sentences. He started to lead Hamza back to the room they were previously in. "But we have to let the doctors do their job. All we can do now is wait and make du'aa. Insha'Allah, everything will be okay."

He had a point and although it almost killed him, Hamza agreed to wait. Checking the time, he remembered he didn't pray Isha. Somehow, that reminder stood out amidst the alarms blaring non-stop in his head. After excusing himself from Ahmad who went back to comforting his wife, Hamza located the bathroom and carefully made his wudu.

Returning to the room, he took off his shoes and positioned himself. He went about the movements routinely. But the moment his forehead humbly pressed against the cool tile, Hamza broke down. His chest heaved painfully as sobs wretched his body. He didn't bother masking his cries; it was useless to try anyway. The tears poured down from behind his closed lids, each carrying a small amount of the agony and fear that filled Hamza.