A couple of months later, when she was much larger, soon to give birth one of Liang Ju-Long's partner's wives threw a baby shower for Amira al-Hassan. As she had no female relatives or friends to stage one for her, the women had insisted that one be held for her.
This same group had given her and her husband snide comments and a cold shoulder for so long, Amira was incredibly reluctant to put up the facade of being friends with such people. Only after being prodded and coaxed by Liang Ju-Long did she agree to attend as it would give him "face."
To show off their status, she donned some of her finest jewels she had brought from home in her dowry, as well as a pale maternity gown Liang Ju-Long had bought her. Once she made herself ready, she left with her husband, head held high and proud.
It was a rather grand affair as they had rented out the entirety of ballroom inside of a large hotel. While her husband stood talking with a group of men, not far away; Amira al-Hassan sat in a plush chair surrounded by several women who were gushing over her giant belly, or the string string of diamonds and pearls running through her pinned up hair and around her neck, or the gorgeous flowing soft yellow gown she wore.
Amira al-Hassan kept a smile courteously pasted on her face as the women wished her well and treated her sincerely through masks. She had been treated very poorly by these same women not too long ago, it was only now that her husband was on the rise did they show her any grace now.
Due to their nature and how she had been treated by them in the past Amira had not deigned to remember their names, or really participate in their conversation. She let them fill the air with their own voices, it was what they truly wanted to hear anyways.
Amira al-Hassan felt herself tiring quickly trying to keep up the façade and sent a few eye signals to Liang Ju-Long asking for help. One of the women blocked her line of sight and proffered a glass of wine that she held.
'What, why would this woman hand me alcohol?' Amira al-Hassan leveled a cold questioning stare at the glass in the woman's hand and back to her face refusing to take it.
"Ah, what are you thinking Mo Qinyue?" One of the women appeared shocked and took the glass of wine from the other woman's hand and replaced it with a cup of juice.
"Thank you Meitian Jie, here my apologies, let us toast to your good health, your husband's prosperity, and your first son." The woman called Mo Qinyue took a glass of wine and raised it to Amira al-Hassan before downing it in one go. The other women quickly followed suit and then looked to Amira al-Hassan still holding her full glass.
'Oh, I think I'm supposed to drink with them.' Copying their actions she gave the women a polite smile and downed the cup of juice.
For some reason the cool liquid burned slightly as it went down. Startled Amira dropped her glass, making a loud -Pnk- as it cracked when it hit, as her hands went to her throat alarmed. Several eyes turned to the sound, including Liang Ju-Long's
"What did you just give me?" Amira al-Hassan stared at the women before her and started to rise in anger when a wave of nausea sent her crashing down hard into the chair. As soon as she was down the burning liquid made its way back up and out of her mouth.
Gagging with tears in her eyes she looked at the women who surrounded her with fake concern in their eyes with hatred, before she was racked with another wave of vomiting.
When she looked down she saw there was blood in there as well and felt a cold sweat break out everywhere, while she trembled. Looking up she saw Liang Ju-Long hurrying to her.
"Ju-Long!" Amira al-Hassan cried out fearfully and grabbed onto him as she doubled over again, her heart beating like a hummingbird's wings in her chest.
"Should we call an ambulance?"
"What's going on?
Ignoring the voices crowding around them Liang Ju-Long rushed up to her and saw her terrified look. Seeing the blood dripping from her mouth as she lay collapsed on the floor, he felt his heart sink like a rock.
"Someone help me!" Liang Ju-Long struggled to lift the heavily pregnant woman and one of the men came forward and helped bring her to his car. As soon as she was in the back with a belt to keep her from flying around he slammed on the accelerator.
In the back of the speeding car, Amira al-Hassan felt like her tongue and throat were burning and swelling, constricting her air.
Panicked she clawed at her throat and called out her husband's name a few times as he sped them to the nearest hospital.
"Just relax yourself as best you can, I'll get you help Amira, don't panic." Reaching a hand back from the wheel he caught one of hers that outstretched to his. He tried to give it a reassuring, but her ice cold trembling hands made his voice break as he tried to comfort her.
'I should not have left her side. Why did I trust those people? Hold on Amira.'
Tires squealing in protest he stopped the car suddenly in front of the emergency entrance, and without turning off the car, or removing the keys from the ignition, he jumped out of the car and opened the door where she was.
As he struggled lifting her out, her head plastered to his chest, covered in a cold sweat, her honey brown skin usually luminous appeared ashy and sallow.
As he grabbed her and brought her inside he called for help until they were surrounded by emergency workers. Carefully they put his wife into a chair and wheeled her into a room as a doctor asked him all sorts of questions he couldn't begin to process.
"I don't know what happened, please save my wife and child." The man that had never resorted to begging, did so with tears in his eyes.
"We will do our best, we will need to bring her into surgery, how far along is she in her pregnancy?"
"Around 36 weeks, or so, I am not sure, please doctor save my wife and child."
"Stay calm sir, the more we know the better we can assist. Has she eaten or drank anything that you can think of in the last 24 hours or come into contact with any heavy chemicals?"
"I don't know, we were just at a party, but I did not see if she had eaten or drank anything besides water. She has been home for the majority of the pregnancy to take care of the fetus. She has to be alright, her and our son."
"Alright, if you would sir, please head to the payment counter and take care of the bills while we do what we can."
----
Several hours later Liang Jian Amal stood by himself outside of the NICU looking into the few tiny lives housed in the small glass boxes.
Entering it he walked to the one that was marked "Liang."
After hours of operating, the doctors had pronounced they were unable to save the mother as her organs were failing, but they managed to save the child through an emergency cesarean.
Amira al-Hassan died on the table alone surrounded by unfamiliar faces. When they saw that she was dying they let him in to say a last goodbye, but it was too late.
Her vibrant shining eyes had been closed for the last time already by another pair of hands. The lips that always had a smile for him were frozen into a painful expression, blood dying them red.
One of the doctors exclaimed his condolences and spoke more words about traces of aconitum and another poisonous plant but it went in one ear and out the other. He reached out to touch her cheek to find it had already lost the warmth of her life and was icy.
'This is my fault. My fault.. My fault.. '
Hollowed out he left stripping off the scrubs as he made his way to his son.
Liang Ju-Long looked down at the tiny life resting peacefully in the incubator. Leaning on the glass that separated them, he caught sight of his disheveled appearance, blood still across the front of his white dress shirt. His bloodshot, dead eyes stared back at his own, almost unrecognizable.
"Such a weak, small little life, can he truly live in this world..?" The little form all swaddled in cloth could fit easily in his two hands, he looked so small, like he could be so easily crushed.
"I will make it possible. I will give him a good name Amira, one to honor you. I will make him strong as you wished, stronger than I. I will make sure he never has to face a tragedy such as this.
"Rest in peace my dear wife. I will fulfill your hopes for you."
Liang Ju-Long smiled a little for the last time, looking down on the small life that was all that was left of Amira al-Hassan.
"I am glad that I met you as well Amira al-Hassan.."