"You'll be fine InshaAllah mum," Basma held onto Azeeza's hand while caressing it. "InshaAllah."
A very thin smile appeared on Azeeza's pale skin.
"Thank you so much my dear Basma." Azeeza lifted her other hand and placed it on her daughter-in-law's cheek.
Azeeza was sick and weak.
She had lost so much weight without even trying.
Her skin had become paler than ever.
Her brown eyes that once used to hold a certain kind of twinkle were now both dull.
She was nothing close to the energized Azeeza few days back.
Basma slowly got up from the chair that was beside the bed once Azeeza fell asleep.
Mere looking at her mother-in-law in such a desperate condition made her heart shatter and eyes water.
She made her way out of the room door.
"Haider, We need to take her to the hospital, she's not getting any better just staying at home in bed." She told her husband softly.
Haider who was typing on his laptop stopped instantly and raised his head to his wife.
His face filled with utmost concern.
"Let's go right away." He exited the home office with his keys in hands and approached his mother's room.
There Azeeza was sleeping peacefully or perhaps hopelessly.
Her wrinkled eyelids were shut close.
Azeeza's breathing came very gently and slowly.
Haider synced his breathing to the rhythm of her breathing before gently picking her up in his arms and taking her to his car with Basma's assistance.
He had never seen his mother in such a situation.
He had never seen her look this helpless and weak in his entire life.
Lots of negative thoughts passed through his mind, but he tried his best to stay positive by constantly repeating the phrase "A'uthubillahi mina shaytani rajim."
Stop worrying and overthinking, she's going to be fine very soon InshaAllah.
Once Basma got into the car, Haider put his mum's head on his wife's lap leaving the other parts of her body to lay weakly on the chair.
Haider then got into the driver's seat and set the car for the hospital.
Immediately they arrived at the hospital, Haider rounded up a couple of nurses to roll his mother into the hospital on a wheelchair because she had become so weak to even lift a muscle.
Soon a doctor attended to Azeeza.
He questioned Haider and Basma about her medical records and the changes they had noticed in her lately before scribbling things down on a file.
"We'll have to run a blood test on her blood. Once the results comes out, I'll let you know bi'itnillah." Dr Ismail said as he gave Haider a brotherly handshake which he returned without hesitation.
"Do we need to wait for the results today or what?"Haider inquired.
"We'll take a sample of her blood and run it in the lab today, so hopefully the test should be ready by tomorrow. We're going to put her on intravenous fluid to help reduce the fever and fatigue. She'll be staying back here in the hospital."Dr Ismail's face held a very light smile.
Silence filled the air.
"Is she going to be alright?"The question Basma had in her head came pouring down from her mouth without her even realizing.
Ismail's gaze moved to Basma.
"InshaAllah, we haven't figured out exactly what's wrong yet, but when we do, we will know where to go from there and she'll be fine InshaAllah."He gave her a reassuring look.
Dr Ismail seemed very patient to answer all the questions they wanted to ask him.
"Can we stay with her?"
"As of now, no, but you could come by tomorrow. She's been through a lot of pain and she needs that rest."The doctor gathered his things together as his shift had come to an end.
"Alright then, Jazakallahu khairan." Haider brought his hand forward for another handshake.
"Wa iyyaka." Ismail smiled at Haider.
Haider insisted on staying with his mother the next day but Basma disapproved.
"I will call Yusrah to look after the kids while I'll come to the hospital tomorrow," Basma said as Haider drove back home. "You don't have to worry, just go to work." Basma tried to be as supportive as she could be.
She was really close to Azeeza that she had taken her as a second mother.
Ever since she got married to Haider, Azeeza had never disregarded or disrespected her in any way.
She always gave her advices like Basma was her very own daughter.
"But I'll have to stop by to get the test results." He looked at his wife.
"Right after that, you'd head for work then." She gave the most unrealistic smile to ever exist.
"Ya Allah please do give mum shifa." Tears trickled down from Basma's eyes as she recalled the pale face of her mother-in-law in the hospital bed.
"Ameen." Haider muttered as he moved his hand from the gearbox to his wife's hand and caress her skin gently with his thumb as if telling her everything would be just okay.
°°°
After pulling over in the parking lot, he got out of the car with his wife and they approached the large hospital building.
They both entered Azeeza's room after planting light knocks on the door.
Basma took big steps towards Azeeza's bed and settled in the chair beside the bed.
"Mum." Her crooked voice came.
Azeeza's dull eyes slowly fluttered open bringing her brown eyes into view.
A thin yet genuine motherly smile spread across Azeeza's face making Basma also smile.
"How are you Habibty?" She questioned.
Basma sniffed.
"I'm the one supposed to be asking you that. How are you mum?"
"Alhamdullilah, Alhamdullilah I get to see yet another bright sunny day,"Azeeza's eyes travelled to the opened curtains that allowed the sun diverge its rays into the room. "And please stop worrying too much about me, I'm just fine by the grace of Allah."
Haider moved forward and sat beside his mother's legs.
"Mama," he placed his hand on her soft hair that was exposed from underneath the scarf on her head. "It hurts to see you in this way." He fought back his tears with all his might.
Azeeza lifted her weak hand and placed it on her son's cheek slowly caressing it back and forth.
"It hurts even more to see you both so worried about me." She smiled.
"It's not like I'm dieing or something, both of you really need to cheer up."Azeeza rolled her eyes." I'm healthy, see."she lifted her arms in the air showing her small biceps.
Small chuckles escaped both Haider and Basma.
"How about the kids?" Azeeza inquired.
"I called Yusrah to watch over them." Basma replied immediately making Azeeza nod lightly.
"Mr Malik," the tender voice came from behind Haider. "The doctor would like to see you." The nurse delivered.
"Okay, I need to go now." Haider kissed his mother's forehead and placed a light kiss on Basma's cheek before exiting the room.
He followed the nurse to Dr Ismail's office.
"Thank you." He told the nurse who turned once she showed him the office.
Haider placed a knock on the door and entered when he heard the voice say "come in." from inside.
"Assalamualaikum Doctor." Haider greeted.
Ismail who was looking out of his office window with his hands behind him turned and replied with a smile on his face before offering Haider a seat.
"The results are out Mr Malik," Ismail adjusted his glasses that sat at the rim of his nose. "The results were actually far from my speculations." He fished out a file and pulled out a single paper.
Haider adjusted himself in the seat as he felt a dreadful feeling travel down to the pit of his stomach.
Those negative thoughts came flying back into his head making it hard for him to think straight.
His palms became sweaty and nervousness filled his face as he didn't know what to expect.
"Here you go." Dr Ismail sled the paper to Haider's front then rested back into his chair with his gaze fixed on the man in front of him.
A huge lump formed in Haider's throat as he hesitantly pulled the test results up to his face.
His eyes scrutinized the medical terms that were all over the paper.
His eyes finally settled on a word and his breathing was abruptly cut short.
He instantly become nauseous.
He raised his eyes to Dr Ismail's who was already staring at him.
He stiffened in his position trying to utter words from his trembling lips, but nothing seemed to come out.