ZAIN
St Thomas' Hospital_London (England )
He was living the worst night of his life. The night outside would eventually see its day.... but the darkness i kinside him would never find light.
Walking on the cold hospital floor, his mind felt like it was short-circuiting.
"No, it can't happen... I know this is a nightmare. The most dreadful nightmare..."
In a matter of minutes, his happy, dream-filled life had disappeared behind the closed doors of the operation theater.
The two strongest pillars on which he had built the roof of his dreams....his mother and father....had collapsed.
A sudden shiver ran down his spine. The temperature had dropped below zero due to the unexpected snowfall, yet the cold he felt wasn't just from the weather.
His mind had stopped processing any rational thoughts, focusing only on those closed doors...waiting for them to open and deliver the verdict that would change his life.
For a moment, he closed his eyes.
He wanted to vanish into thin air. The moment was so suffocating, so painful, that he couldn't bear it any longer.
Then, the doors flung open, revealing a few figures in green uniforms. He squeezed his eyes shut again.
Despite a thousand mental preparations, he couldn't bring himself to hear what they were about to say.
"God, please have mercy..."
"Mr. Zain Farooq... I'm sorry."
These were the words he had unconsciously been waiting for, but now that they were here, he couldn't accept them.
In that moment, he felt as if his Creator was cruel...capable of changing everything, yet choosing not to.
"Your father is no more."
Her eyes....once full of hope....darkened instantly, like a candle blown out in the wind.
The doctor placed a hand on his shoulder and lowered his head, unable to ease the weight of the loss.
"And your mother..." the doctor paused.
Yes, his mother...
He still clung to hope, like a lone leaf hanging onto a branch during a violent storm....knowing that any strong gust could tear it away.
"My God, I know You're not in the mood to listen today, but please don't take her away. She's all I have. Please God, let her live. I need her more than ever..."
He slowly opened his eyes, bracing himself for whatever decree fate had written for him.
"Your mother is still alive, but she's in critical condition..."
For a moment, his senses faltered. Should he cry over a half-dead mother or smile because God had, after all, heard at least part of his prayer?
"His feet felt numb and uncooperative, but he dragged himself down the cold corridor leading to the CCU.
With great effort, he forced himself to look at the silent figure lying in that sterile room."
The bruised woman....barely breathing through machines....couldn't possibly be his bubbly, ever-smiling mother.
The helpless figure lying on the bed, wrapped in bandages, felt like a stranger."
With a deep gasp, he turned away from the glass window and stepped back.
There, he saw Mrs. Stafford....their housekeeper....and Mr. Alam, his father's manager.
"My poor baby... I'm so sorry for your parents. I know it's hard. Even we can't believe it...and so how can you bear all this? It must be devastating. But you need to be strong... because your father is waiting for you to perform his last rites."
Zain didn't know whether his mind was truly accepting anything...
but he nodded.
"Zain sir, I'll handle everything. Don't worry," Mr. Alam said, patting his back.
"We've already begun the process to retrieve the body from the hospital... but you must stay strong."
The body...his highly respected father.
The lion of the banking world.
A man whose name was always spoken with admiration.
Mr. Muzzamil Farooq was no longer himself. He had become... just a body.
Even his father's eyes had left him alone in this world.
Inside, Zain was still in denial. But Mrs. Stafford was right.
His father needed him....even if he was nothing more than a lifeless form now.