***
It was fifteen minutes past midnight when a panicked knock fell on the door. I bolted up instantly. Maybe it's the wind.
I ignored the knock together with my racing heart and tried to go back to sleep. The knock came again, heavier and scarier than the last.
I made my way to the door in the dark and peeked through the peep hole.
Mubasshir stood distorted by the peephole on the other side of the door. He looks like he is wincing but I am not sure. Fear gripped me. What the hell happened this time? I hurriedly opened the door and he practically fell onto the hotel room floor.
There was blood all over his white shirt and he was clutching his stomach and breathing hard.
All this blood is his?!
My head began to spin instantly. I wanted to scream but I couldn't. It felt like my vocal cords were ripped out and I was choking on my own scream.
"lock the door!" he grunted out. I hastily complied with shaky fingers.
"what happened? We need to get you to a hospital!" I managed to rush out, pushing away my impending panic attack.
"no!" he forces out.
"no? what do you mean no?-"
"if we go to a hospital they'll will keep me there. Then there will no one standing between you and Sani. And he has goons outside this hotel right at this moment. So no" he coughed out. Sani. Sani did this.
I needed to take him to the hospital. He was bleeding all over the place. I wanted to say I am an adult and I am capable of taking care of myself but who am I kidding?
"I know you can take care of your self but not against him so don't argue with me on this. Please" I stayed quiet.
Color was leaving his face too quickly for my liking. He was struggling to stay awake. My heart was going like a hummingbird. Is he dying on me?
"we need to call a doctor please. I'm sure the hotel has a medic-"
"No dammit!" He cut me short once more with a yell.
My hands were visibly shaking. Why does he have to be so stubborn? I wanted to smack him upside the head and walk out of the room.
"What do we do then?" I found myself stuttering.
He righted himself on the floor with his back against the bed and I noticed he was holding a white box with a red cross on it.
"you are going to fix me" he says and I felt the color drain from my own face. How fast the tables turned.
"cut it! Cut it open" with shaky fingers, I cut open his white shirt with a pair of scissors. It was a blade wound. A gash that was about four centimeters long above his navel. I swallowed hard in attempt to hold down my dinner.
The blood and the torn flesh overwhelmed me and I shut my eyes in an attempt to stop my tears from falling. I failed. They rolled down my face like it was a competition.
"Please Muba-"
"hey hey hey look at me. Open your eyes " I pried my eyes open and look at the bloody man.
"I need you to put away the fear and squeamishness away. The cut is not very deep. Okay? Pretend it's beef from the butcher " I laughed a little and nodded. As if that would be possibly.
"just take a deep breath for me. You can do this"
"I-I can't! I don't even know what I'm doing-
