21. Season of Injuries

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Being bed ridden along with two protective women that were her once friends and now strict bodyguards, Ziah lay lazily on the bed, grumbling profusely under her breath.

It had been a few hours since the incident, she might as well start claiming that the pain was now bearable but Parizad and Laiha didn't leave a chance to nag her for the slightest of movements that she made.

Not to include Madiha who kept peeking from the door every 15 minutes or so and smiled in satisfaction when she found Ziah under the quilt, her whole body swallowed by the enormous bed.

"Ab rehne bhi do. I'm feeling much-"

"You'll feel much worse if you put those feet on the ground."

Laiha pointed sharply in response to which Parizad nodded her head while taking a huge bite of the red ripe apple that was rejected mercilessly by Ziah.

"But why is she allowed to wander then? Iski haalta toh mujhse bhi zyada kharab hai!"

Ziah whined in protest. Her accusatory eyes darted to Parizad who skillfully ignored the look and focused on finishing the fruit. Laiha did contemplate whether she should force Parizad to lay beside Ziah but the girl looked just fine on her own.

"Woh sab chodo, Parizad, have you contacted back at home?"

Parizad stopped chewing and looked between Ziah and Laiha before nodding her head. Gulping down the bite in her mouth, she turned to face the two, one leg crossed under while the other dangled by the bed's edge.

"Hmm, ammi and mama baba were furious. You should've seen the way Daiyan was sweating bullets when they fired question after question. Woh toh acha hua Maryam ka, that they didn't come all the way to Bandra."

Towards the end, she laughed a laugh of glee with a hidden coating of contentment. Ziah smiled at her friend and unconsciously, her fingers pulled onto the quilt in hopes to distract the surfacing thoughts that were anything but pleasant.

As subtly as possible, she took deep breaths to calm the train of negative thoughts that was making way into her heart and mind.

"So when will you be visiting them?"

Laiha asked, getting more comfortable on the couch. Her curious question was met with a confused shrug.

"Maybe when all this ends."

When all this ends.

The words resonated in the room before silence settled in. Three minds suddenly lost in the depths of their own thoughts- none of which seemed pleasing.

The silence made it easier for them to close their eyes and just lay back and relax. Days of ups and down, unwanted encounters that somewhat flipped their whole life, rummaged through their thoughts in ways they would have never expected and left with a mess that seemed too surreal for their normal routines to adjust to.

A knock on the door shook the three out of their wandering thoughts. Seconds later, Madiha entered the room with a bright smile that was way too contagious for any of them to hold theirs. The once dimmed aura had suddenly brightened as the older woman sauntered in the room with a cheerful expression.

"Ab jab sab free baithe hi hai, toh kyu na thoda fun time ho jaye?"

Ziah sat up straight at the mention of 'fun', her hopes high with the thought of finally getting out of bed but all of it came crashing down when Madiha stared at her with a hard look, silently telling her to not put her feet down.

Scowling at no one in particular, she got comfortable in her position while Madiha opened the door wide and minutes later, a maid came in with buckets of popcorn, cold drinks, chips and chocolates.

"A movie afternoon, sounds nice?"

Two loud squeals were heard at her words- one from Laiha and the other was emitted by Parizad. Ziah too looked excited but controlled herself and cleared her throat to not act like the other two ladies in the room.

"Kaunsi movie?"

Laiha asked with eagerness as she jumped to adjust the settings on the tv that lay proudly on the wall ahead. Madiha placed the snacks on the table and looked at the three women with a nonchalant look.

"Left the picking up to you all."

Parizad shared a look with Laiha, the two confused as to what to watch but immediately, Laiha sprang towards the remote before picking 'sardar udham'. It had been ages since she last saw a movie based on the forgotten parts of the endless Indian history for freedom.

"Seems too intense for the situation we're in, no?"

Ziah chuckled nervously as she saw the intro of the movie. Silence reigned after her words, no one spoke since their eyes were glued to the television with hidden nervousness about what was to come and elation about the scenes that told stories untold.

Minutes passed by, gasps of horror along with loud cheers from Laiha when something of the British went down later, the movie finally came to an end.

Ziah slumped down on the bed. Her eyes blinked as she looked at the now blank screen.

"That was... intense..."

"So much for lifting our moods."

Parizad fell back on the bed, keeping her injured hand in check.

"Hey! It wasn't that bad."

Laiha defended the movie chosen by herself and three pairs of eyes darted towards her.

"Endless bodies being dumped."

"Unwanted bombings that shook my ears."

"Too much drama for an already filled to the brim plate."

Laiha cleared her throat and crossed her arms across her torso.

"Still, it wasn't that bad."

"Yeah, sure..."

Parizad mumbled under her breath. Madiha shook her head at the three grown up women and cleaned the table, refusing the help offered by Laiha and Parizad, saying it was nothing.

Ziah's eyes darted towards the wall clock that read 5:46 in the evening. The sun had started going down and there was no sign of them being back.

"How long is it going to take them?"

Ziah whispered to no one in particular. The silence in the room made it easier for everyone to hear her words but no reply came since they too had no idea of what was going on with the supposed interrogation.

"Chai?"

Laiha asked out loud. That was the only thing that came in her mind in hopes of reducing the tension that spread like wildfire and in response to her, three loud groans of agreement were heard.

"I'll be quick."

Saying that, she darted out of the room, leaving behind Ziah, Parizad and Madiha who was now staring at her phone, contemplating whether ringing a bell to her son would be a smart choice or a foolish one.

"I'll call, Daiyan."

Parizad offered when she saw the look on Madiha's face. The older woman gave her a small smile of gratitude and Parizad connected a call to her husband.

Ziah didn't bother saying anything because she had nothing to say. The quilt was long forgotten as it lay crumbled on the bed with her legs on it. Taking the edges of her dupatta, she pulled the strings towards the end in an attempt to calm down her now worrying heart.

Dozing in between her thoughts, wandering lanes that seemed blurry, suppressing the tugs at her heart, Ziah cleared her throat and ran a hand through her slightly messy hair.

The strands had been tangled and a hiss left her lips when her fingers by mistake tugged hard on the stubborn brown locks.

She needed to know the recipe for silky smooth hair as soon as possible!

"Didn't pick up."

Parizad mumbled with a frown on her face. Looking at the other two females in the room, she bit the insides of her cheeks before asking something.

"Neeche chale?"

And Ziah was more than happy to nod her head at the request. Madiha reluctantly looked at Ziah before slowly giving a nod too.

Ziah sprang on her feet with Madiha's help while Parizad held her hand out. It felt as though it was the season of injuries when looking between the two. Carefully, with utmost caution, Madiha helped Ziah in climbing down the stairs. Minutes later, they found themselves resting on the plush couch in the living room that was too empty and silent for its own good.

"Laiha!"

Parizad called out when she saw the woman taking a tray of cups filled with tea and a plate of rusk upstairs. Laiha jerked at the sudden yell of her name and glared at Parizad for the unexpected sound. Huffing under her breath, she turned her way towards the living room.

"Aunty, yeh rusk-"

Parizad swallowed her words down when thunderous footsteps echoed into the once mute house. The four shared a look, each anticipating what was about to come.

Parizad was the first to get on her feet and race away, followed by Madiha who was anxious to see her son and as Laiha too got up to leave, her eyes fell on Ziah who was nibbling on her bottom lip, trying to get up on her own.

Disregarding the now bustling environment, Laiha held onto Ziah's right hand and placed another across her shoulder, supporting her in taking firm steps without stumbling. Ziah smiled in gratitude while Laiha rolled her eyes with a small smile playing on her own lips.

They weren't too close but maybe, just maybe, a hushed friendship had carved its way between the two.

"Allah, yeh kya hua hai tumhe?"

Parizad gasped in horror when the sight of Daiyan standing with a bruised knuckle and dried blood on his lips came in view. The rest looked unharmed if not for Marwan who was jerking his left shoulder every now and then, a discreet motion that Ziah and Madiha had caught onto in seconds.

"Nothing."

He grumbled, not wanting to talk about it though the scoff that was heard from Marwan suggested otherwise.

"Nothing? Nahi, the fact that you jumped on his bones in a not-so-good way, sending the guy into unconsciousness for half an hour along with me almost dislocating my shoulder sure sounds like nothing."

The taunt seemed as a cover for the happiness in his tone. Madiha narrowed her eyes at her son whose eyes were dancing with mirth, probably happy about getting his mini revenge. Hitting his bruised shoulder, she ushered everyone towards the living room. Each one of them looked exhausted and the way Kabir was practically acting as a pillar for Aliya who had put all her weight on him told all in itself.

"Liya, stay awake. Just for some more time."

Kabir whispered sweetly in his wife's ears emitting an annoyed groan from her along with a swat on his chest.

"Sar dukh raha hai."

She mumbled back, wrapping her arms around his torso.

Kabir visibly blushed at the blatant PDA- if it could be called that- and cleared his throat to ease the warmth on the tip of his nose and ears. Perching his glasses carefully on his nose, he gripped Aliya's shoulder with a gentle yet firm touch.

"Just a little bit and then we'll head home, hmm?"

Aliya's drooping eyes looked at her husband and she sighed before giving him a small nod. Smiling down at her, Kabir detangled himself from her and instant, knitted his palm with hers. The two then walked into the living room where everyone was already seated.

Marwan had opened the first two buttons of his shirt to breathe more properly. Resting his head on the couch, he closed his eyes, holding in a pained groan due to the throbbing in his left shoulder.

It surely was an injury season it seems.

"Z-zyada dukh raha hai?"

A small whisper was what he heard. Opening his eyes, he looked at a concerned looking Ziah who was eyeing his shoulder with a troubled expression. Ignoring the weird warmth that had suddenly crawled up his body, he was about to give a negative response but immediately stopped.

An idea popped in his brain and he tried his best to hide the mischievous look in his melted chocolaty eyes before nodding his head with an innocent guise.

Ziah was quick to act on his response. Her eyes darted towards Laiha and she politely requested for an ice bag which lay in her hands not long after. Looking between the bag and Marwan, she calmed her racing heart and traitorous mind that was displaying blurry images- portraying the desires of her beating organ- and placed the bag gently on his shoulder.

Marwan held in a satisfied groan and closed his eyes at the sensation. He thought it would be better if the bag came in contact with his shoulder without the hindrance of the shirt but he knew that the young maiden beside him might faint on seeing him in such a state.

"Sirf mar-maar kar aaye ho ya phir koi kaam ki information bhi mili hai?"

Laiha asked, placing a new tray filled with tea for all of them on the table.

"Gosh, woman. Show some respect."

Daiyan countered with an annoyed tone, hissing slightly when Parizad dabbed the cut on his lip with more force than necessary. His nervous eyes looked at his wife who was glaring at his wound with an intensity that he wouldn't like to admit.

"He didn't know much. Kaha that he was given orders on the phone- not like we expected anything less. The number was unreachable but then again, Kabir was helpful."

Kabir looked at Major Mathur, trying to hide the shyness that had suddenly enveloped him. He cleared his throat and continued from where Mathur left.

"The waves were traced back to Turkey, confirming the suspicions. The bank account from which the money was transferred into the driver's account was dwindling from one country to the other before finally settling in Sirince."

On noticing the confused look on Laiha's face, Kabir added,

"Sirince is a small town located in somewhat midwest of Turkey."

Silence settled in. Highly tense and uncomfortable.

Ziah blinked when she felt the ice from the bag melting completely under her touch. Pulling the bag away, she placed it on the table before settling back on the couch. The ache in her ankle had reduced a little but was still prominent.

Marwan opened his once closed eyes on not feeling the ice bag nor the warmth that the familiar female's aura carried and looked towards his left only for his frown to deepen.

Ziah had scooted away from him. A distance enough to be considered appropriate- more than appropriate.

Marwan sat up a little, turning his gaze towards the table. He numbed the throb in his shoulder and the pang in his heart, acting chilled and unbothered.

Oh the lies that he had said to himself in the past hours!

"Toh ab kya?"

Madiha asked out loud. Her eyes looked at everyone in the room, stopping at Marwan and Ziah for more than a few seconds before diverting her gaze to Major Mathur who himself looked deep in thought but the glint in his eyes told a different story.

"We leave for Turkey. Tomorrow morning."

Heads snapped in the direction of the old man. Daiyan groaned and threw his head back on the couch. Aliya whined in dire need of sleep and Marwan stilled, partially excited for the adventure and partially afraid to leave things behind-

Or maybe, someone.

Mathur stood up from his position. Looking at his three commandos, he barked words of order laced with authority and a no-compromising tone.

"Pack your bags and get the much needed rest. We'll leave by 7:30 a.m sharp. No delays or else.."

He ended his statement with a hard edge to his tone and the commandos all gulped. Correcting their postures, each gave him a curt nod and with that, the Major took his leave for the evening.

"Early to bed then."

Aliya announced with a small whisper. Even though she did feel sleepy not long back, the conversation just brought her back to an awakened state and an annoyed one too.

"Might as well take some painkillers."

Marwan spoke with a far away expression.

Ziah glanced at him a few times. A frown rested on her features due to Major's words, knowing well that the dangers in the way had just increased. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it immediately. Shaking her head to herself, she gave one last look to the man staring into space and with the help of Laiha, walked up the stairs and into her room.

Resting her back against the door, she stared into the empty space and unknowingly, a sigh escaped her lips. The honey brown eyes gleamed with an edgy look because something told her that the next few days wouldn't be the brightest.

Oh heavens, if only she knew the storms that were steps away from destroying everything she had started holding dear to herself.

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Was I on hiatus?

No, well, at least not intentionally.

To frame it in simple words-

My immune system sucks.

And so does my education board.

Anyways, My hearty apologies for disappearing into thin air. Insha'Allah we'll get back to regular updates from today.

P.S. Do you see the troubles coming or do you not?

Bahot ho gayi shanti. Let's blast some bombs now...*rubs my palms together with an evil grin*

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