Ali sat by the bed, looking at his tired but glowing wife.It had been hard on her the past few months, especially in the last trimester. The closer it got to the date, the bigger her fear. It was as if what it was just there, barely out of reach.
So near, yet so far.
She was afraid to hope, but the yearning was very strong.
Ali was the calm one, or to be more accurate, the calmer one.
He had to be, for he could see how worried Sofiya was.
Ali leaned forward and kissed her gently, "You"re such a strong woman, my love."
Sofiya smiled, holding his hand and touching her bulging stomach at the same time.
"He"s a strong one," she whispered.
"Like his mother," Ali agreed.
"Will it really be okay, Ali?" Sofiya asked.
Ali took a deep breath.
What should he tell her? Say the nice, comforting words that may not be true? Till now, there is always a risk. Yet, does one really want to hear the truth?
For him, however, it was best to be prepared for the worst though he always prayed for the best.
"All we can do, my love, is leave it to the hands of G.o.d," Ali said finally, "And the capable hands of the doctors. We have done all that we can."
Sofiya couldn"t help but feel extremely worried and she voiced out what she had been thinking of all this time, "Am I bad, Ali? Is this my punishment?"
"If I lose our baby, is it because I have sinned too much?"
"Oh, G.o.d, no, my love," Ali said in horror, "How could you think that? G.o.d is the Most Merciful, and G.o.d does not punish you with the life of another. If our baby doesn"t make it, it"s only because it"s for the best."
"It may not feel that way, but that is the way it is," Ali said, putting hand over her heart, "This. G.o.d knows what is in your heart. What will be, will be."
Sofiya bit her lower lips.
She looked up at him and sighed.
How could he be so rational about this? Did he not want this baby as much as she did? Would he not feel the pain?
Sofiya didn"t truly understand Ali"s stance and point of view.
Of course, it was a difficult thing to comprehend. It wasn"t that Ali didn"t feel worried, or that he didn"t care. He wanted this child more than anything. He would be devastated if anything happened to their baby, and to his wife.
However, he also knew worrying about it would not change anything.
Thinking about it, wondering on the "what ifs", and "if only" would only drive a person insane. Or give them sleepless nights.
The calm acceptance wasn"t indifference, but rather, a coping mechanism that helped him face whatever came his way.
His state of mind wasn"t something that he was born with, but cultivated over the years. It was in the teachings of his religion and he had the first taste of it when Sofiya had left him all those years ago.
During the entire time, he had felt like he had gone through h.e.l.l, and back - several times. He had turned to his Faith and eventually found some semblance of peace. He hadn"t protested over the marriage and lo, behold, he was rewarded with the greatest gift of all.
Sofiya.
True, Kyle was the one that arranged everything but Ali believed it was through the "inner workings" of G.o.d that it could happen. It wasn"t that Ali felt Kyle had not contributed at all, but rather, Kyle achieved it by the help of G.o.d.
Most people did not understand that when one thanked G.o.d after a particular incident was successful like, say, a surgery. One was not belittling the efforts of the doctor, but one can"t deny the guidance of G.o.d.
It"s akin to the situation when you need to go from Point A to Point B.
If you don"t actually get up and move, there is no way you would arrive at Point B. However, you having the energy to get up and move, is by the Grace of G.o.d.
Fact that they had the best doctor at hand, Dr. He and a capable surgeon on standby, were all things Ali had sought for and found but he wouldn"t have been able to find them if not for the grace of G.o.d.
This belief, and outlook on life, isn"t something that could be taught but rather, had to be felt. It was so easily misunderstood. Thus, Ali didn"t explain further.
"Ali," Sofiya said, her face pale.
Immediately concerned, Ali asked, "What? What"s wrong?"
"My water broke," she said.
Ali gulped, and quickly called for the nurse.
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Sam, looking a bit worse for wear, arrived at his in-laws house.
As Betty was in her final trimester, he had her move back into her parents" house. He was at work all day and he was worried about her. Knowing her, she wouldn"t stop moving about, doing things.
Of course, he could have hired some help but Betty would most likely still keep on doing stuff on her own. At least, her parents would be able to stop her from being too active.
He did hire professional housekeepers, who would come everyday. They would arrive in the morning and leave by late evening.
They would be in charge of light cleaning needed for the upkeep of homes such as replace bedding, clean rooms, halls and bathrooms, vacuum, sweep, mop, replace toiletries, and make beds.
In addition, they would also prepare lunch and dinner.
Thus, Betty"s parents" were well taken care of while they took care of Betty.
As he stepped through the door, he was greeted by a smiling Betty, who reached out to take his briefcase. He brought it away from her reach and instead, took that hand and brought her closer, hugging her.
"You"re not supposed to carry anything heavy," Sam said.
"It"s just a briefcase! It"s not heavy," Betty said with a pout.
"Be good," Sam said, taking her by the hand, "Have you eaten?"
"Of course," Betty said.
She didn"t dare not to. It wasn"t that she didn"t eat, but rather, she liked to wait for Sam to come home first and eat with him. He had scolded her for that, telling her that their baby needed to be fed.
He didn"t really raise his voice or anything, but Sam hardly reprimanded her for anything. Thus, Betty took his words to heart and would eat first, then accompany him as he ate dinner.
As Sam walked towards the kitchen, he missed the slight grimace on Betty"s face. She sat down at the dining table, then took note of the time. Sam came out with a bowl of rice and a couple of dishes that had been reheating on the stovetop.
Betty wasn"t allowed into the kitchen so she had to obediently wait for Sam, who served himself. She felt bad about that, but Sam was very firm on the matter.
She smiled and watched him eat, not caring about the silence or the occasional pain from her stomach. After the meal, Sam washed up and they headed to the bedroom.
"Um, Sam?" Betty said hesitatingly as he was unb.u.t.toning his s.h.i.+rt.
"Yes, Bunbun?"
"I think we should go to the hospital now," Betty said, rubbing her stomach.
Sam"s fingers stilled on his s.h.i.+rt. He turned to face Betty, who was now breathing rapidly through her lips.
"Hospital?" Sam repeated blankly.
"Yes," Betty replied after the pain subsided, "The overnight bag is there."
Sam looked in the area Betty pointed and saw the suitcase.
"Overnight bag," Sam repeated, still not moving.
"Sam!" Betty called out to him, seeing that he was in a daze.
What happened to her stoic, efficient husband? He looked sh.e.l.l shocked at the moment.
"b.u.t.ton up your s.h.i.+rt, take the bag," Betty instructed, "Get the car keys and drive me to the hospital."
Sam quickly did as he was told, "Yes, yes! Bag. Keys"
Betty couldn"t help but laugh at Sam"s antics but her laugh was cut short when another contraction hit.
Sam, seeing this, panicked even more.
He dropped the bag, and rushed to her, but she hit his hand away.
"I"m fine. Take the bag and let"s go."
Betty went to her parents" bedroom and knocked, while saying, "Mum! Dad! We"re going to the hospital now."
A flurry of activity was heard in the room, and the door flung open.
"It"s time?!"
"We"ll go first. You can catch up later," Betty told her parents before turning to Sam, "Sam. Start the car."
Nodding like a chicken pecking for rice, Sam ran.
Daniel, Betty"s father, asked worriedly, "Is he going to be okay?"
"Don"t worry," Betty said, "He"s fine. He just needs instructions."
A fl.u.s.tered Sam was a funny Sam.