Chapter 13

Stella was still deep in her thoughts, when Fatima came running up from her house. "Stella! Where were you? Why there was an ambulance outside your house?" she rushed with questions. Stella shook by her voice but didn't realized any word. "Stella!" Again she called her name. "oh I'm sorry I didn't realized you were here" she said in a deep voice. "why there was an ambulance" she asked again. "its my mother, she's in hospital, I need your help".

"sure"

"just go to the hospital Fatima, and stay with my mother, wait for me I have to withdraw money from bank, if I didn't submit money they will not continue with operation" she said in shaking voice.

Fatima rushed to the hospital and Stella went to the bank. Fatima reached their and looked out for Stella's mother and realized that the operation was already started. She got confused as what Stella told her earlier was different. She asked nurse as they are operating on patient, did they receive the fees? And to her surprise nurse told her yes. She got puzzled that if Stella has gone to bank then who submitted fees for her mother's operation.

As Stella arrived she went straight to the counter to submit the amount but they told her that they already have received it. She told herself that it might be Fatima and ran to the operation theatre. Meanwhile Mustafa also arrived there in the absence of Stella. Stella exchanged eyes with him but did not said a word, silently she sat on the chair. "doctor said that her heart tissues are mostly dead and her three arteries are blocked which means she has no chance to live, I'm sorry but that's what they told, but they are still operating to see if by chance she could survive" Fatima told Stella.

After 4 hours the operation ended. And doctors came outside, Stella got up in rush. Although their disappointed faces were telling, but still they had to speak to reveal it. "I'm sorry, we tried our best to operate on her but she's not breathing, her heart is not working anymore, she's on ventilator, we will observe her for more 2 hours until we declare her dead"

It seemed like somebody stole her strength and all she needed was her mother to pick her up. But there was no mother, she lost control and fell. Fatima immediately tried to pick her up and they help her sit on the chair, while Mustafa fetch a glass of water.

After recovering from the moment, something rewind in her mind. It was the voice again, she remembered those words. "Fatima! What's the name of your god? And how do you guys seek help from him?" Her sudden words shook Fatima badly. "what? Are u serious?"

"Just tell me please! before, your god was talking to me, he told me to come to him for help"

"Stella, you're sick"

"Just tell me please, I beg you"

"but you're not Muslim Stella"

"Just tell me how to ask him for help, if he saved my mother, I'll accept Islam"

"no Stella! It's not like that, first you need to accept Islam and you need to believe he's a god, he can do everything, he will decide to save your mother or not, but still you have to pray him, you should not lose your faith even your mother dies"

Stella kept staring her blankly.

"It's a hard decision, I know it's difficult so first go to the church and ask Jesus Christ for help, he's your god and it's your religion, he will surely listen to you"

Stella thought for a moment, and realized that Fatima was right. Jesus Christ is her real god, she should beg him for his mother's life. She stood up and went to the church. Church was on walking distance from the hospital, her spirit increased as she took each step. She kept thinking that it's her only chance, god needs to help her and if he not then she will lose her faith.

She went inside the church and walked past all the benches and sat down on the nearest one to the Jesus. She closed her eyes and it released tears. Deep down in her heart, all shattered she asked god for her most precious thing. She asked god to have mercy on her. And grant her first and last wish. All lost, she asked him to let her mother live and take her life.