Chapter 8

A faint yet diligent smile adorned her face as she looked at Azeeza's closed eyes.

Azeeza had been asleep for a long while.

"Ya Rahim, please show your mercy on my mum." Basma bitterly prayed repeatedly in her mind as every second went by.

Azeeza's eyes twitched slightly but still remained close due to the reflection of the afternoon sun.

Basma hastily got up on her feet and walked to the window to shut the hospital curtain close but a voice stopped her from proceeding with her action.

"Don't close it, It's a source of vitamin D for me." Azeeza let out a soft and tender laugh.

So soft that it wouldn't have been heard if not for the quietness of the room.

Basma turned back and returned to her former position beside the bed, but this time she was standing.

Vitamin D in the late afternoon?

Basma chuckled lightly internally.

"You're awake mum." Basma smiled.

"As you can see." Azeeza managed to say with a smile even though you could clearly hear the weakness in her voice.

"You must be hungry," Basma turned to the bedside stand that held the hamper she had brought along earlier that morning. "I made your favourite." She unscrewed the flask allowing the unique smell of different spices dissolve in the thin atmosphere.

"I'm not hungry dear." Azeeza tried getting up.

Noticing her mother-in-law's attempt, Basma dropped the bowl she was holding and helped Azeeza get in a sitting position with a pillow behind her back for support.

"You haven't had real food since we got here and the doctor says you can eat solid food." Basma dished out the meal; Samak Mhammar anyways.

Basma found her way back to her chair and placed the plate beside Azeeza.

She picked up the spoon and scooped a spoonful of the yellow rice before holding it in front of her mother-in-law's mouth.

Basma nodded as if telling Azeeza it was okay to take a bite.

Azeeza looked at the spoon in her front then shifted her gaze to Basma.

"At least just a bite mum." Basma was still holding the spoon that held the rice.

After a short while, Azeeza leaned in and took the spoon into her mouth.

She slowly chewed the tender grains of rice before swallowing.

"You like it right? I made it specially for you." Basma winked.

Her mother-in-law smiled at her before the questions left her lips.

" How about the test results?"

"Another spoonful, please." Basma held out the spoon again in front of Azeeza's mouth, but this time the spoon held a piece of spiced fish and caramelized onions.

She made a cute-pleading face at her mother-in-law.

Azeeza chuckled at her daughter-in-law's reaction and took the food into her mouth anyways.

Basma prayed silently for Azeeza not to ask about the results again.

She and Haider had decided to not inform Azeeza about the test results so she wouldn't get worried as she needed rest.

Informing her about her having leukaemia would only breed different thoughts that could cause her to overthink and her condition could worsen.

The hospital room went dead silent.

Only the sound of the metallic spoon coming in contact with the ceramic bowl in Basma's hand and Azeeza's chewing and occasional gulping of water could be heard.

Once Azeeza was done eating, Basma cleared out the plate and emerged into the restroom that was inside the room after serving Azeeza a decent amount of warm Laban.

This lady staring back at her wasn't the person she knew.

This lady had slightly sore eyes and small puffs of bags beneath her eyes.

Her Caramel burnt skin was dull.

Just a piece of straight simple black gown was over her slim figure with a pale blue veil hastily wrapped around her head.

Her eyes looked like they would light up but they instantly became dull each time she blinked.

She forced her lips into a steady upward curve which began twitching before leaving her lips in a straight line.

Basma turned on the tap and cupped her hands under the warm running water before splattering it on her dull face with the thought that it might perhaps bring a little light and shine to it.

She hardly slept anymore as she was always up in the middle of the night praying, crying and wailing to her Rabb for the well-being of Azeeza.

After wiping away the droplets of water away from her face with her hands, she rested her palms on both sides of the sink and stared at her very own reflection.

Cheer up Basma, she's going to be alright.

She gently tapped her face as if trying to wake up from a dream she didn't want to be in.

A nightmare.

She gave herself a little pat on the shoulder.

As she stared at the lady who stared back at her, the sound of the adhan went off on her phone.

She instantly fished for her phone in the wide pocket of her gown and turned the adhan off before proceeding to perform wudhu.

She exited the restroom only to be met by Azeeza staring out of the big glass window from where she sat on her bed.

Azeeza looked like she was deep in her thoughts.

Basma didn't want to interrupt the lady's moment of trance.

She quietly pulled out the prayer mat and her prayer garment from the shelf that stood beside the bedside stand.

After putting on her garment, she got on the mat and began observing her four units of the late afternoon prayer(A'sr).

Once she was done with her solah, she made dhikr(supplication) whilst still in her previous position.

Immediately she finished, she lifted her eyes from her raised hands to Azeeza whose eyes were already fixed on her.

Azeeza's smile widened.

Basma got up after wrapping up and returned the items to where she took them from.

She walked to Azeeza's bed and sat on her usual chair.

The two made eye contact.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Those were the words Azeeza's eyes held.

"You're going through a lot mum yet you're still hanging on in there." Her eyes spoke.

Azeeza moved her hand and placed it on Basma's.

"Did the test results come out with something bad?" Azeeza brought the topic up again.

Basma was silent.

She took her gaze off Azeeza's and looked down at their hands.

"It's okay if it's bad, come on just tell," Azeeza insisted. "It's not like I can change anything if you tell me."

Basma gathered all the courage in her while fighting the tears at the back of her eyes that threatened to start a downpour and looked back at those deep brown eyes that held the tiniest spark of brightness.

"It's fine mum,"she placed her other hand on top of Azeeza's hand." You're going to be just fine, so don't worry, okay?" The fastest thing Basma could think of to compliment her sentence was her lopsided smile which she tried so hard to maintain.

Silence.

"You should take some rest too dear,"Azeeza sighed as she carefully sled back into the bed. "You really need some break."

Basma ran her fingers under her eyes slowly and muffled a small mhm.

Silence now filled the room as Azeeza closed her eyes gently.

She was neither in a deep slumber nor was she wide awake.

The creaking sound of the door made her open her eyes which now stared directly at the ceiling above her.

"Mrs Malik," The young nurse's voice called out from behind Basma.

Azeeza's eyes turned to look at the nurse almost the same time Basma turned.

"The Doctor said I should inform you that the chemo..."

"Oh-right." Basma immediately cut her short as she made different eye signals for the nurse to not keep talking.

"The chemotherapy session starts in a few minutes," she blurted out anyways leaving Basma's effort in vain. "I'll be back soon." She smiled and walked out of the room after Basma gave her a slight and small nod.

The only thing Basma was thinking about at that point was for the earth to open up and engulf her in itself.

How would she avoid the question Azeeza might ask this time?

She slowly and reluctantly turned back to face Azeeza whose face held a smile regardless.

"It's Cancer right?" Her moderately firm voice came with the smile still on.

Basma docked her head down unable to look Azeeza in the eyes.

Immediately after the question dropped from Azeeza's mouth, the sound of the door closing was heard.

The two ladies turned to the door.

"You told her?" The words escaped shakily from his lips as he walked into the room even further.

"No she didn't tell me, I figured it out." Azeeza responded to her son's question.

Tears clouded Basma's puffy eyes.

"You're going to be okay mum." Basma patted the back of Azeeza's hand allowing the moist liquid fall from her eyes.

Azeeza's hand travelled to Basma's face and she used her thumb to clear her tears.

"You didn't inform Umaymah, right?" Her gaze shifted to Haider this time.

Haider nodded in response.

"Good, I really don't want to bother her with my own problems." She forced on a smile despite the excruciating pain that was beginning to overtake her.

Basma got up from her sitting position and hugged Azeeza.

"I love you mum." Tears kept streaming down her eyes.

"I love you too my love." Tears finally plopped down from Azeeza's eyes.

As the emotional moment was ongoing, the room door opened again and the nurse returned.

"The Doctor is all set now for the session," she began. "We'll transfer her to the chemotherapy room now." A couple of other nurses accompanied her.