"Yes?" she asked as she couldn't catch what she said.
"Your food is turning cold. I will help you feed," Maria said and sat beside her on the bed and began to take spoonfuls of porridge to feed her.
The ceramic bowl reminded her of the one she had at her house of her parents. The bowl was almost as same as the one engraved in her fainted memory with borders of red and blue flowers. It was almost like a deja-vu. Her mother also once fed her porridge in a nearly same bowl. Her eyes trailed from the white sheets of the bed, to the bowl in Maria's hand, the spoon that she held out for her, Maria's arm and all the way upto her face.
Oh, how much she wished her ammi was staring back at her with a smiling face.
"Please, I don't want to eat," Her throat clogged, "please," A small breath teared through her lips as her chest was tightening with pain. Pain of losing a beloved. Her eyes welled up.
She hadn't felt sick but now recalling the old times, she fell into an abyss of depression and desolation. Tugging her head to her left side, she let her face rest against the headrest. Her head hanging almost lifelessly with a distant look in her red eyes, "please bring me my mama," she whispered and her nostrills swelled up.
"You will get better faster if you eat this," Maria told. There were orders from higher authorities to get special care and attention to this patient. That was why almost a team of doctor was assigned to her who would be on their feet around her 24/7. One wince by her side and they all would be quick on their feet. Maria wanted her to get better faster, that was the only way to loosen the noose around the neck of almost every staff in the hospital.
"I don't want this," Sheharzaad pushed away the bowl. Her throat clenched with pain. She was controlling her tears as he was sitting there. She didn't want to cry yet she wanted someone to hug her, soothe her.
"Please ma-"
"Leave," One word left his lips and Maria was quick on her feet, placed the bowl aside and stepped out of the room.
He appeared infront her vision and she turned her head away, looking at the farther wall. She didn't acknowledge him when he sat beside her, when he grabbed the bowl and when he forwarded the spoon towards her for her to take in mouth and swallow it done.
"Sheharzaad," She still didn't look at him.
He was the cause of her misery. Each and every misery.
"Look here," She turned her head more towards the left. And second later, the bowl was thrown against the wall at which she was staring. She shrieked, her body jolting as she put her hands on her ears.
"Sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She cried out, closing her eyes tightly, "Please I'm sorry!" She repeated it like a mantra, "I won't do it again," she felt fingers dugging in her cheeks and her head was turned towards him. Opening her lashes, she peeked at him through her lashes, "I'm sorry," she winced.
Dialing the intercom, he asked them to bring food for her and send a sweeper. Soon the room was cleaned and now he had a bowl of soup in his hands as he fed her. Quietly, she took in every spoon quickly and with utter obedience. Not having enough courage to say a no to him.
This was the first time she had finished her bowl of food. Every time it'd leave rather untouched or half-eaten.
"Do you want to get better or not?" He placed the bowl aside and his thumb ran circles over her eyelids.
"It's all because of you," She mumbled. He ignored her and opened his arms slightly, flashing his two fingers ordering her to come forward and give in the hug.
She looked away, staring at the floor, then at the sofa. Anything but him.
"Give me a hug," he stated out his demand. Again, she didn't focus her attention on him.
She didn't want to give in.
"Tread on, carefully, Ms. Sheharzaad," His voice turned darker and now her eyes stared at him, directly in the eye.
She gave in.
His rich perfume was the first thing her mind registered, once again. And soon she felt his arms wrapped around her. Then she heard his low rumble. Slow, dark and unsettling. One that would make the message sink in, "You know," his hand rubbed against her silky locks, soothingly, before fixing her hair from her front to her back, "I won't hesitate snapping your neck if you disobeyed me once again," Her body shivered uncontrollably in his arms as he continued giving the threat as if he was whispering loving endearments in her ear, "Are you getting what I'm saying?" he prompted her to respond and gently stroked her hair.
"Y-yes," her tongue moved on its own accord. Traumatized she was already and his words were adding more to the trauma.
"Good. Very good," He muttered and then onwards continued caressing her hair with his palm, holding her fragile frame within his arms, inhaling her scent every now and then. At first, she was stiff. And she remained stiff for good five minutes and at last she had to give in. Relaxing in his arms. They remained like that until he heard her tiny snorts, implying she had slept.
Never had he ever hugged someone so warmingly and so gently.
He wondered what was happening to him.
Lately, the desire within him of being closer to her grew viciously.
He needed to get her off of his mind.
...
Sitting in the wheelchair, she atlast was going out of that room. If she had remained there longer, her mental health would have been disturbed. She had requested Maria to carry her out to the ground so she could feel the sun. And upon her persistent insistence, Maria wheeled her out. They stopped in the middle of the ground. The sun was about to set. There were other people too who were walking, talking, sitting on the benches. All in all the place was crowded. But not too much.
A smile already made its way to her lips.
She was happy.
Genuinely happy after so long.
She hadn't thanked nature as much as she did now.
She had grown weary of sitting so she tried to stand up when Maria stopped Sheharzaad.
"Please, don't put much pressure on your legs," Maria reprimanded.
"Let me walk, Maria. I want to walk," she said and tried to stand up when a hand came infront her eyes. She looked at it, before moving her eyes up and found him standing there. Her lashes batted to the left and found Maria already walking away.
"Come on. I'll help you walk,"
The hand alone brought memories, horrific memories to her mind.
Oh how much she had wished, he hadn't left her hand when she was staring at him helplessly. Now why was he forwarding it for her help?
Tears flooded her eyes.
She recalled how he snapped back his hand when she had held it too tight, hoping he won't let her go.
"I don't need your help," she gritted, with a clenched jaw.
"Take my hand, Sheharzaad," He commanded.
"I don't need. your. help!" Her jaw twitched, "I'll never take your hand. Ever,"
The expressions on his face changed. His jaw twitched. His eyes flickered. And the grey darkened. As he stepped back before retreating his hand.
"Okay then walk. You and I are not going anywhere until you walk to, see that tree, yes there," he pointed at a tree.
"I will and I can do that without your help," she challenged and placed her feet on the grass. She tried to stand up but failed and fell down. Again, she tried to stand up but she couldn't so she let herself fall on the ground.
Her legs felt too weak to hold her weight. The doctors had told her, the fractures were minor, she can walk but with someone's help.
(A/N My biology has died, ok? I don't remember shit about the bones& stuff now. Just consider it as I'm writing. My world, my rules)
He squatted down to her level and tucked her hair behind her ear that were shielding her face, like a curtain.
"Come on now. Get up and walk,"
"I will walk," She felt as if she was making fun of her condition, "I will!" She sobbed. Her chin was quivering now.
She tried. Miserably failed. She tried again.
Again.
Again.
And again
But failed every time.
Now she was sobbing, throwing punches at the ground.
What a useless creature she was.
"I will punish you," he whispered while caressing her cheek as he was squatted down and she sat there helplessly, "so bad that you won't be able to walk for another month if you didn't walk up till there,"
She turned her head towards him, sniffing.
"H-help me," She croaked out, giving the response he desired.
She looked at him with cold eyes and the words escape from her mouth, "I hate you,"
She meant it.
He knew, she meant it.
His cold eyes dropped down her face and observed her. Especially her dead eyes. That stared him, head to head.
Before she knew, he dug fingers in her cheek and attached his lips to hers.
Kissing her. Ravishingly.
She was out of breath.
...
Her stay at Dubai had prolonged. They weren't suppose to get back until she was completely fine and fit in shape. She was recovering rapidly. And now she could walk too without any help.
She was suppose to be discharged in a day or two and the same day they would go back to Pakistan. He had told her.
She would go to the ground almost every day for walk and walk up to the same tree where she had walked with his help. She wouldn't refrain from showing her hate to him now. And he observed everything yet he didn't pay much heed to it.
Right now, she was in the same hospital room when a man walked in and gave him some sort of news.
It seemed serious as she could tell wheels were turning in his head.
"I don't want my men dying invain," He said, looking at the man, "if they're so keen to send me to jail, I'll deal them in my own way," As now, he stood up, fixing his rolex around his wrist, "but first I need to hunt that spy down. He or she is somewhere around me. Very close to me," Momentarily, she felt as if his eyes landed on her, making her mouth go dry and she quickly averted her gaze from him back to the cellphone's screen in her hands.
"That's the first thing I'd do once we reach to Pakistan," he announced and she tried her best to mask her shivering soul.