"Mr. Dhul Qarnayn, Your wife has a mild fever. She'll be fine though, after she takes some anti-biotics" the doctor told Gabriel. It had been almost 3 hours since they arrived at the hospital and it was safe to say that, both Sara and the young maiden were doing well.
The surprising thing was that, Gabriel still didn't know the maiden's name. All he knew was that she was an orphan and that she was living with her cousin Roti. Gabriel nodded at the doctor as the doctor gave him permission to go see her. It all escalated fast. He just named her his wife in the hospital.
He didn't even give the personal details she possessed. Like her name, age and other things. All he did was to carry her to the ICU and push off one old man who was also very ill from his bed and ordered the doctors to attend to her. The old man, Gabriel pushed off was relocated to a different ward and was taken care of there.
But when it was known that her condition wasn't too intense, she was transferred into a private room. Gabriel was very protective over her while she was being taken care of. He had no idea what it was that he was feeling, but whatever it was, he sure liked it so much that it hurt.
Gabriel was well known and very much feared amongst the indigenes of the country. He had authority and power over almost everything and everyone in the black market. But more especially, he was a dominant alpha male and very influential in the working class.
Gabriel walked into the private ward. His mother Nawar and his future brother in-law Huzaifah stayed behind with Sara in her ward. She was slowly recovering. She was finding it difficult to tell what she had seen that had made her get that panic attack. But she would be fine.
When he saw that everyone was distracted, he sneaked into the maiden's room. He met her fast asleep without her hijab on. She was extremely beautiful. Her beauty was one that could make even the devil weak. A genuine smile creeped up on his face when he met her cheeks looking all flushed. She probably was having a beautiful dream. He smiled at that exposing his beautiful laugh lines.
Then his eyes hovered around the hospital ward. It looked too simple in his own opinion. She deserved better than this, he thought. Then the sudden movement in the body of the young maiden asleep awakened him from his love daze. She looked half awake. He watched amazed at her baby like face.
She was so alluring. He smiled again when he noticed her blind eyes flutter open. Her doe-like brown eyes were his weakness. She was one in a million. He had this feeling hat he didn't want to let her go. He wanted her to stay. To keep her. The maiden, completely in oblivion of the fact that a presence was with her sighed before trying to get up.
Gabriel helped her sit down and sat back on the chair beside her bed and smirked at the shock on her face. It was cute and amusing. He wanted to make her this much insecure in a positive way of course. He wanted her to feel like she wasn't good enough for anyone else but him. Which he believed would be the right thing.
"How are you doing Lovely ?" he asked her. She gulped as adrenaline moved down her whole system at the presence in the room with her. His voice was recognisable. That man. The one who knocked her down about a month ago, the one who threatened her, the one who defended her and finally, the one who helped her.
What was he doing here? Was he just kaleidoscopic? Or was he just easily influenced by his mood swings? One thing, he was so rude to her and the next thing, he was all nice to her. She was confused.
He was obviously a non-mehram(someone you can get married to), so she had to be careful around him. Lest, anything by the influence of the devil happened. She lowered her eyes, not like she could see him but not to give him the pleasure of looking her in the face.
She felt empty. Her baby. Her little Laiba. She wanted to hold her. Kiss her. Feel her. Ensure that she was alright. As much as she tried to avoid this man before her, she still needed her to do her a favour. She wanted to see her little one.
"P-Please....I want to see my baby" she muttered coyly with trepidation written all over her face and deep within her voice. Gabriel was perturbed. He sighed before gently cupping her face in his palm and she suddenly flinched in pain and in a bid to protect her Awrah(parts of the body of a person that people of other sex or even the same sex, aren't supposed to see or touch).
He was alarmed. Her cheek still hurt from the effect of the slap her cousin gave her yesterday. Gabriel growled loudly in quite an animalistic manner at that, sending shivers down her spine and making it echo through the hospital room. She screamed with the little strength left in her.
"Who did this to you lovely?" he asked maniacally when he noticed tears pour down her eyes. She flinched when she felt arms around her. Gabriel took her in a taut hug and she tried to no avail to wriggle out of his embrace. This wasn't right. No matter how pitiful she looked, he shouldn't touch her, let alone hug her.
"P-Please l-let go of me. H-Haram" she pleaded. Gabriel pulled back. He didn't want to do anything to make her feel vulnerable or worse make her scared of him. She sighed when he let go of her and pulled back from him, in quite fear. She couldn't trust him just because he did what she asked him to do.
The door to the hospital room opened and a male doctor walked in. Immediately, Gabriel got up and pulled the blanket over her head hiding her hair. Hikma only now realised she had no hijab on her hair and her hair was exposed to this man. But this gesture he made was a noble one. He had protected her Awrah from himself.
"Get out! Don't look at her! And call my mother from Room 33!" he ordered the doctor. Only then did Hikma understand why he had suddenly covered her hair for her. There was yet another man in the room so, he wanted to protect her by protecting her Awrah. This man was undoubtedly a good man she told herself. He had protected her for the second time.
"I'm sorry for frightening you Lovely. I've asked for my mother. She will bring your hijab with her okay?" he assured her. Though, astonished, she just nodded and a sudden blush appeared on her face making him more and more amused.
A while later, Nawar barged in to meet Gabriel sitting quite a distance away from the young lady, trying to engage her in small talk. She noticed that, his usual hard look was gone. He looked soft towards her and it pleased her. If her son was soft on this young lady, she would love it if he fell in love with her.
"Gabriel. I brought Hikma some clothes and a new hijab." she announced breaking their one sided conversation. Basically, Gabriel did most of the talking, trying to get her to open up to her but she was too modest. She wouldn't open up. She would only remain with her face bowed and with a blush on her face.
"Hikma....A pretty name for a lovely girl" he muttered to the surprise of his mother. He never guessed her name was Hikma. He thought maybe, Maryam or Fatima or Zaynab But the name Hikma sounded more and more lovely in his ears today. His lady had a beautiful name. Her blind eyes went towards his direction.
Her eyes piercing through his soul. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. A natural beauty. He looked deep into hers too. Blind brown eyes peering deep into Jade green eyes. Though she saw him not, she had that feel that he was a nice looking man. But all this was wrong. He shouldn't be talking about her this way.
"I'll excuse you now Mama. Take care of my lady mother" he whispered to his grinning mother. She gave him a pat on his head and nodded before shooing him out. As Gabriel turned to leave the room, he took one last look at the maiden. Her face was still quite flushed out and she looked away from his direction. Her eyes still wide and searching around as though she was going to find something.
Gabriel walked down the stairs to Room 33 with a smiling face that looked quite surprising to everyone. Two things were on his mind. Hikma and Blind brown doe-like eyes. He opened the door to the ward and met Huzaifah kneeling beside Sara in her bed. He rolled his eyes in boredom. He still didn't like Huzaifah.
"Bhai...where have you been ?" Sara asked him. His eyes lit up at the reminiscence of Hikma's beautiful eyes. Sara and Huzaifah noticed it and smiled at him. It was all lucid that he was in love. They were all happy for him. Finally, he had found someone he really liked. And Sara's hope was that, it wasn't his betrothed Sonia.
She didn't like Sonia at all. Sonia was a brat. Just a spoilt little brat that thought she was a Queen because she had beautiful looks. But to her, Sonia was just a normal girl. But her friend...her best friend Hikma, she was the one. The most beautiful she knew.
"Oh, I was just talking to the doctor about both you and your friend" he lied and it was visible. She raised a brow at him and smirked. He knew she was about to start teasing him. He just closed his eyes waiting for it to come.
" Are you in love with her Bhai ?" she asked Gabriel mischievously. Huzaifah saw the need to excuse them. He excused himself before winking at Sara and looking at Gabriel direct in the eye. Gabriel gave him a hard look before sighing and shook his head and gave him a manly pat at his back. It was the very first time he had shown such a minimal friendly gesture to Huzaifah. Sara smiled happily. She was glad her older brother was now going to be nice to her future husband.
Huzaifah gave him a smile and departed.
Gabriel walked towards his sister and sat beside her and gave her a pinch on her nose making her giggle.
"So tell me bhai. Do you love her?" she asked him before sticking out her tongue at him making them chuckle at that.
"Hmmm....I don't fall in love little sister. And you know that" he answered before winking at her. She pouted sadly. He gave her a quick side hug and assured her.
"Hey. Gabriel isn't meant to love and you know that sis. Maybe in the next life. But now, Gabriel is only meant to kill bad people" he spoke to her like a little girl. She still didn't understand why her brother didn't want to get married or give love a chance. He seemed like he was just too heartless to love.
"I'll pray for you bhai" she muttered slowly before yawning and drifting into deep slumber. Gabriel planted a kiss on his sister's forehead and sat down and whispered.
'I wish I could...'
His phone went off and when he checked the caller, it was Salman. He came to the hospital earlier and had left because he had to see to somethings back at the warehouse. Basically, their captive.
"Gabriel! Someone tried to break that fucker out!" Salman growled. Gabriel's eyes went wild. Who had dared ?! And how far had they gone? He would massacre who ever it was! He swore inwardly.
"Fuck! I'll be there in 20 !" he quickly hanged up and rushed out of the hospital room upstairs to Hikma's room. His mother was conversing with Hikma when he arrived. Little Laiba was in Nawaar's arms and she looked happy that her new Mama was safe and sound now. Her eyes went to the new person in the room. She smiled at Gabriel.
"Mama. There's an emergency at my warehouse. I'll send Ahnaf here to ensure you are all back home safely. Oh...and let Lovely stay with Roti in the mansion, we have things to settle" he told his mother in whispers so that Hikma didn't hear. She was too quiet for someone like herself. Maybe she had insecurity issues.
His mother nodded and gestured him to take care.
"Get well soon Muhabbat" he whispered to Hikma. She was disturbed with the sweet names he called her. She believed that he wanted more to do with her than just helping her. It was frightening. A tear left her eyes when he left the room. Not like she saw him, but when she heard the door close, she knew he had left.
"MAMA!" Little Laiba spoke when Hikma took her gently from Nawar. They were both astonished especially Hikma. Her little Laiba had called her Mama for the very first time.
"Aunt! Aunt! She called me Mama! She called me Mama!" she exclaimed happily. Nawaar was happy for her too. She had met Hikma just yesterday and she was so fond of her. She and Hikma had long chats. Long happy chats. Hikma had told her all about herself. At least all she knew about herself.
Nawaar had no problem with her son Gabriel falling in love with Hikma, but she didn't know about the lass. She had a feeling that she wouldn't like Gabriel considering their age gap. It was quite huge but it wasn't so bad. At least older men were likely to love better, care better and protect better.
"For someone just 16 years old, you sure are a brave and wise lady. The man who marries you should better be a good man, else, Aunt Nawar will personally beat him to pulp" Nawar commented jovially making them all erupt into laughter. Including, Little Laiba.
"Thank you Aunty. But I don't think anyone will like to marry me. My cousin tells me I'm very ugly and that no one will like to even be my friend, let alone a husband" she muttered sadly. Now it was time for Nawar to advise Hikma.
"Now listen here, young lady. Your ability to take in an orphan and swear your life to taking very good care of it, as though it was your own is one that I still don't believe is possible for someone your age. Any man would be blessed to have you as a wife, I assure you that. And no. In fact, you are the most beautiful I've seen. And don't forget, no matter what happens or what is said about you, be grateful to Allah for creating you as you are" she assured her.
Hikma couldn't help but blush at this compliment. She said a little 'Alhamdulilah' from within and thanked Aunt Nawar for her nice compliment and word of advise.
"Thank you Auntie. You barely know me but you are so good to me. You and your daughter. Even your son. I always thought he hated me, but its nice to know that, generosity runs through the family. May Allah reward you, as you have helped me" she acknowledged in a soft tone full of appreciation.
Nawar hugged her tightly like she was her own child. She wished that she could help this little maiden who was as innocent as a new born. She was the most modest and courteous she ever knew.
"The doctor says we can depart back home today. I want you and your aunt to stay with us for a while. Please accept this dear" Nawar pleaded. Hikma couldn't say no to Nawar but she felt that, she had better stayed at her own home. After all, it was like she was a burden to them anyway. Though they didn't complain, she still didn't think living with them was right.
Besides her son, was acting quite strangely. All the name calling and protectiveness, she feared the worst. She didn't want to sin or be a victim of forceful sin. But she couldn't just tell Nawar that she was afraid of her son and what might possibly happen.
"I would never want to disappoint you Aunt, but I'm sorry I don't think staying with you is the best. Please, By Allah, I have my reasons for wanting to go back to my own home. I beseech you not to feel disappointed Aunt" Hikma pleaded. Nawar didn't know what else to do or say. She wanted the best for Hikma but she also didn't want Hikma to feel self loathing or feel like she was a burden.
Nawar sighed and muttered a little 'Okay'. Though disappointed, she tried hard not to show it. Hikma could sense it but couldn't risk her innocence to anyone she wasn't married to. Even though her nephew Basit was also perverted, she believed
Speaking of Basit, that nincompoop had been missing for days and the trauma of what might have happened to him was killing her aunt Roti. Though Basit was Tharki(perverted), she felt sorry for him and especially the way his absence was destroying his mother. Roti had been crying for days and she was pitiful.
Though, they didn't like Hikma, Hikma had a soft spot for them, considering the fact that they were family. She just hoped that he was safe and sound.
Few hours later, both Hikma and Sara were discharged and Hikma and her aunt, Roti, returned back to their old fashioned dilapidated home. It was the same old life once again. Hikma took her medicines and fed Little Laiba before going to bed.
But Gabriel didn't arrive early enough to meet their departure, he would have probably stopped them from leaving.
This was the genesis of all the drama, suspense and revelations of deeds done by some people.
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