Stairway to Heaven

13. Attachments

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST DISAPPEAR FROM MY LIFE!! JUST GET AWAY FROM ME! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU HEAR ME?! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT FOR BEING BORN! IT WOULD'VE BEEN BETTER IF YOU'D JUST DIED!"

His lips quivered with shaky gasps, as he stood there gaping at his sister through tears pooling in his eyes. His hand that had reached out to her; only seconds ago, now hung uselessly to his side after being slapped away.

Mateen tried to open his mouth to say something, anything but he couldn't form any thoughts while looking into her hate filled eyes.

He didn't realize how and when he had started backing away and began running down the stairs and out of the house. He could faintly register his heart thumping in his ears but his feet didn't cease motion. He kept charging through the darkened streets outside his house. Until his eyes reflexively turned back, in secret hopes to watch out for her if she was chasing after him; like always.

But alas; he was only met with disappointment and heartbreak.

His eyes opened with a snap and for a long moment he couldn't make any coherent move. His eyes kept gawking at the lockers in front of him but he couldn't immediately wrap his head around his current state.

A few long moments later, he realised he had accidentally fell asleep on the couch in the Doctor's room, following the end of his shift. For a while, he could do nothing but keep breathing through shaky gasps. When finally his breathing calmed down, he roughly wiped away the tears streaking the corners of his eyes, before getting up.

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"Wait! I know this—! Wait—wait! I swear!" Ammar cried out desperately, while Mateen and his friends snickered around him.

"Dude—Give up, already. Why did you even suggest doing this in the first place, when you know you suck—" Mateen added between laughter, while they crowded around the Nurses' station, being a nuisance.

Unintentionally, Hajra looked up to watch the noisy duo, who had turned the entire ward room up and down with their shenanigans. Shaking her head at their antics, she returned her gaze to her patient with an exhausted sigh, while they continued with their dumb charades.

"He is so dreamy, no?" At 13 year old Tanzeen's doe-eyed remarks, Hajra barely caught herself from throwing up then and there. She knew exactly who Tanzeen was referring to.

"Tanzeen. Should I book an appointment for the ophthalmologist for you, today? Are you feeling alright?" Hajra's face was serious as she dropped the sarcasm bomb on her little patient; who could only watch her with a frown for a moment.

"Hajra!" She exclaimed with a hearty chuckle, after finally realising the meaning behind Hajra's words. It had been a week since Tanzeen had been admitted here for Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma. Yet, regardless of her illness she was a little ball of sunshine in the ward. Even after trying, Hajra couldn't get herself to keep away from her.

"No, I mean honestly—! And he likes you. I am sure about that!" Tanzeen passed final judgment and Hajra couldn't manage to keep the disgust from her face, but chose to not say anything to it.

"Don't you wanna know how I know that?" Tanzeen inched closer on the bed towards Hajra, who had once again become engrossed in noting down her notes.

"No. Because you're mistaken and it makes no difference to me, either way." She answered without looking up.

"Why not? He is so handsome, gentle and caring. He always acts like he doesn't care but then goes around to making sure everything is in perfect order. People who claim to be unkind are surprisingly the kindest—And Hajra, I have seen him sneaking glances at you so many times—" Tanzeen kept going on incessantly and for a long moment Hajra could do nothing but gape at her stunned. Just the description was enough to the churn her insides with revulsion.