Stairway to Heaven

32. Hope & Joy

The guard made a futile attempt to suppress his yawn by clamping his free hand over his mouth. It was close to midnight and his duty hours were still long ways to go. He shifted on his feet to disrupt the blood flow when the footsteps of someone fast approaching the gate caught his attention. He turned his head towards the source, but she passed him by like a blur. If not for the white overall she was donning, he would've stopped her; no matter the look of her terror stricken face.

She charged through the hallways. Her heart thumping in her ears, drowning which was the sole sound of her shoes slapping against the marble floor and echoing throughout the empty and quiet hallways of the Hospital's private ward.

Faster and faster, she pumped her legs, gaining momentum with each push. Her heartbeat quickening along with her breathing; trying to appease it's demand for oxygen.

In the corners of her eyes everything became a blur. She darted pass the curious onlookers and went straight for the staircase instead of opting for the elevator; jetting past the various figures that blurred in her speed. By now, she had memorized every nook and corner of this place.

Thuds of her footfalls, coming closer to each other with each bound forward, until her foot nearly slipped from beneath her and she slipped on the staircase. Ignoring the stabs of pain rising up her ankle, she went on to cover the last flight of stairs; skipping two stairs at a time. Adrenaline coursing through her veins allowed her to keep going, until the room finally came in her view.

She banged open the door and stumbled in, only to find her gaze locking with him; whose smile immediately faltered upon her sight.

Gasping for breath, she continued to silently gape at him, while a lump of tear clogged the back of her throat. Her lips quivered, but no words would come out. Only tears stung the corner of her eyes, making her vision blurry.

Suddenly, as if someone had sucked away all her energy, Hajra collapsed to the floor. Feeling light headed from the lack of oxygen, she slumped forward in her place. Hajra felt her body getting limp, as she made desperate attempts to get a hold of herself. She gasped for breath to compensate for the lack of oxygen supply to her lungs, but felt helpless nonetheless.

Even when he had got out of the bed hurriedly to come and sit down next to her on the floor, Hajra didn't say anything. She just kept gawking at him through blurred vision, only to realize that she was crying—no, she was sobbing. Wailing through gasps of breath as she shook helplessly in her place, without having any conscious control over herself anymore.

Mateen could do nothing but gape at her in shock, feeling at a loss for what to do. And before he could think about what to do, Hajra dropped her face in her hands and curled over herself in pain. Yet, it did nothing to calm her tears.

Mateen felt like someone was tearing him apart limb by limb.

"I am sorry. I am sorry, Hajra."

"I am sorry." He kept apologizing over and over again, with Hajra leaning against her knees and sobbing uncontrollably.

But this time out of relief.

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"Hajra?"

She continued to ignore him. Her gaze fixated on leafing through his charts. There was nothing except hurt and anger etched on her face. She didn't even want to look at him. All she could think about was all those bullets lodged in his chest, when she first saw him in that frightening state 2 weeks ago.

Since that day, Hajra never left Mateen's side. No matter what anyone said, she would only quietly sit in her place by his side and weep. She wouldn't leave even when Humera tried to get her to return home with her. However, she promised to drop by. Finally on Shahid Abbasi's request, she had reluctantly went back to work today. He feared Hajra would lose her mind if she stayed in that room any longer. She never ate or slept and even when she did accidentally fall asleep on the couch, she would wake up screaming.