FAASLE II: QH FF. Links to Threads I and III pg 1 - Page 59

WOW - this is awesome!!!

Originally posted by: bheegi

<font color="#3300ff">Thanks surbhi. For a writer, that's the best inspiration. Hope u continue to like it. Looks like u r a Zoya fan...this is in a way Zoya's story about her journey</font>

I loved Zoya for being so spontaneous and tactical in the most stressful situations. I'm not saying she is invincible or something, but her optimism and the way she gets back everytime after a fall is simply commendable! I love her. Bas!

Originally posted by: dhlgirl

WOW - this is awesome!!!

just read all 25 parts at a go...i'm amazed at the way you write so beautifully!!! I can feel the pain and angst myself!!!! hats off to you...

please continue soon...can't handle the suspense...pretty please...

Originally posted by: Noe123

So, Rashid does make an entry though yet in shadows with Ayaan being the face. Very interesting!

Zoya took many brave decisions. 'Overwhelmed' is going to be a lot smaller word, when Asad learns what she has done. U bet

10000 one was epic 😆. Zoya really doesn't know the real world. $10000/month US main bhi nahi milenge - in her position. I wanted to keep her basic character intact...itni jaldi koi nahin badalta

Rashid's very flippant attitude about 'enemy' ship bothered me. Maana ki Razia forced him to do dirty jobs, but she could not have messed his sense of right and wrong. No remorse for the lives of good/right navy men which were lost? Let's see what happens next😉

Originally posted by: -gladiolus-

I loved Zoya for being so spontaneous and tactical in the most stressful situations. I'm not saying she is invincible or something, but her optimism and the way she gets back everytime after a fall is simply commendable! I love her. Bas!

u can tell I love my characters too...esp the women characters😊

I also adore Zoya-Najma bonding and how Najma trusts Zoya despite of all the circumstances. Waiting to see how she wins Dilshad's trust in the future. Let's see how flexible this Dilshaad is

Ayaan-Zoya-Rashid was nice, and curious. They raise a lot of questions in my mind. A lot of suspense here too I suppose? wait and see how everything unravels

Great one again. Continue soon.

PART 26: Divided into two sections

Disclaimer: This chapter might not be for the weak hearted. Hope I have been able to convey the emotions the way I have visualized them. Needless to say, this has been one of the most challenging parts for me to write.

Zoya dialed Najma's number again. Long wails and sobs is all she heard on the other line.

"Najma! Calm down. Main aa rahi hoon. Where are you?"

"K-KEM Hospital m-mortuary." Her voice disintegrated into a thousand fragments. Zoya's heart sank to her feet. With the advance she had received from her new job, she took a cab to the hospital.

After paying the cab fare, she walked into the crowded premises of the hospital and followed signs to the mortuary. This couldn't be happening to her. She took a deep breath and tried to ease her anxiety. A panic-struck Najma stood outside the building. As soon as she spotted Zoya, she ran and collapsed into her arms.

"Najma?" Zoya trembled, fearing the worst, "what happened? Please tell me."

"Bhaijaan!" Her words drowned with her snuffles,"unki ship-unki ship."

Zoya pulled back and shook Najma, "what happened to his ship?"

"A-accident." Najma was a mess. Zoya felt as if someone had drained all the blood from her veins and sucked all air from her lungs.

"Are you sure?"

Najma nodded and covered her face with her palms, "I received a call from the Navy-----they asked me to come here------and----and ---and---identify----I can't do that Zoya. Mujh mein himmat nahin hai."

All the background sounds jumbled into a deafening buzz in her ears. "Tumhein galat fehmi huyi hai Najma. That's impossible. Chalo andar chalte hain."

The two women walked arm in arm into the dimly lit, gloomy corridors of the mortuary.

"Aap log Commander Asad Ahmed Khan ki family se hain?" A Navy officer removed his cap and greeted them respectfully. Najma and Zoya clung on to each other, their lips quivered and hands shivered with fear.

"Y-yes officer." Zoya nodded.

"Is there a male member of the family here?"

"I am sorry officer. Bas hum dono hain yahan." Zoya gathered courage and replied.

"I am sure you both have heard about the tragic accident that took place with one of our Navy ships. I am afraid," the officer lowered his eyes, "we have not found any survivors yet."

Najma squeezed Zoya's hand till it turned pale with lack of circulation. Zoya shut her eyes and took a deep breath, "officer, aapne abhi kaha yet, so that means they are still looking, right?"

"Yes, that's right but we are not too optimistic. Uh-I," the officer took out a plastic bag and removed a discolored leather wallet, "we retrieved this wallet from one of the bodies."

"Yeh tho bhaijaan ka wallet hai!" Najma wailed.

The officer opened the wallet, "here is Commander Asad Ahmed Khan's ID and this photograph."

Zoya noticed the wallet-sized replica of their photograph from the cruise. Her heart sank to her feet. So, despite all his denials, he carried her close to his heart even when away.

"Yeh aapki photo hai na Commander ke saath?" The officer pointed at the picture.

"Jee." Zoya nodded as her world came crashing down at her feet; this was all a bad dream, one of those dreams where the whole body was paralyzed and no one could hear her high-pitched screams.

Najma stared with disbelief, her big black eyes drenched in a pool of tears.

"We just need one of you to identify the body. Aapka kya rishta hai unke saath?"

"Yeh unki wife hain aur main sister." Najma replied instantly and stepped back, "Zoya, please I can't do this. Mujh mein himmat nahin hai."

Zoya, still dazed, was astonished by Najma's statement. At that moment, she didn't care about the truth or lies.

"Aayie Mrs. Khan. Please follow me."

Listless and numb, Zoya followed the officer without any protest.

Najma collapsed on a nearby bench and curled up into a ball. Her world had come to a halt; how would she reveal this to ammi? Even though losing their loved ones to war or hostilities was a constant fear for their families, in reality no one was ever prepared for that eventuality.

Zoya walked into the freezer room, where a cold stench of putrid flesh slammed her nostrils. Nauseated by the odor, she covered her mouth and nostrils with her scarf that she had adorned for her first day of employment at the gallery.

A mortuary worker opened a large drawer. Until now Zoya's worst day had been the day her ammi had committed suicide. Even though she was very young, memories of feeling her mother's limp and ice-cold body were still vivid in her mind.

"Aap pehchan sakti hain inhein?" The Navy officer interrupted her thoughts.

There lay on a block of ice, a limp, ashen, injured and distorted figure that the hospital and Navy insisted on identifying as Asad Ahmed Khan. The face was completely disfigured. There were multiple burn marks and shrapnel wounds all over the body.

"Mrs. Khan? I know this is hard for you but is there any way you can come closer and identify whether this is your husband or not."

Zoya stood frozen but shook her head, "N-no-no-that's not him. Yeh Mr. Khan nahin ho sakte."

"Are you sure? We found the wallet in his pocket."

"MAINE KAHA NA, YEH MR. KHAN NAHIN HAIN!" Her voice echoed through the steel drawers full of corpses in the morgue.

She stuffed her mouth with her scarf and ran out of the freezer room as fast as she could.

The officer sighed, "this is really hard." He dialed a phone number, "can we ask for Mrs. Arjun Kirloskar please? We need her to identify this body. Agar wo bhi nahin kar saki tho DNA testing ke liye bhejna padhega."

Zoya dashed out into the corridor and collapsed on the floor. Najma spotted her from a distance and ran towards her. Panting, Zoya bent down and started dry heaving. Najma placed a trashcan near her and stroked her back, "Zoya, please sambhalo apne aap ko. Are you okay?"

Before she could answer, bile exploded from her stomach all over the floor and the trashcan. She was as pale as a ghost. A number of nurses helped clean her up and lay her on the bench. Najma had never been as scared in her life. Najma knew out of the two, Zoya was more courageous but it wasn't fair of her to subject Zoya to such a horrific experience

"Can we call the doctor?" Najma yelled.

"I am fine," Zoya wobbled but got up on her feet. She was still dizzy from one of the most grotesque experiences of her life but this was not a moment to display her weakness. Najma needed her more than ever, "let's go home Najma."

"Zoya? Are you sure? Wo-andar-wahan-bhaijaan?" Najma was scared to even ask.

"Nahin wo Mr. Khan nahin hain." Zoya asserted.

Najma sighed with relief, "Ya Allah! Tera lakh lakh shukr hai."

The Naval officer overheard their conversation and walked in with heavy steps, "I am sorry this was difficult for you Mrs. Khan. W-we will send you the DNA report later."

"DNA report ki zaroorat nahin hai. I am sure this is not Mr. Khan!" Zoya replied vehemently.

"Aap aisa kaise keh sakti hain? Aapne tho theek se identify bhi nahin kiya body ko." The officer was a bit irked but tried to stay calm.

"Officer, main apne Mr. Khan ko aap se zyaada jaanti hoon. I know he is alive and will be back soon. Mujhey maloom hai jab bhi main museebat mein hoti hoon, wo mujhey dhoondh hi lete hain. Ab ki baar bhi dhoondh lenge. Yeh mera yakeen hai."

Najma and the officer exchanged glances.

The officer placed his hand on Najma's shoulder and whispered, "please take care of your bhabhi. I think she is in a state of shock. Aksar aise hi react karte hain log. We are quite sure it's him. 2-3 din mein DNA report bhi aa jaayegi."

A tearful Najma just nodded her head and held Zoya's hand, "let's go Zoya."

ASAD'S HOME:

The news about the accident had spread like wild fire in the neighborhood. A number of their neighbors had gathered to console Dilshaad. Some women offered prayers from the Quran. A few men sat in the front yard to offer their condolences.

"Najma, please ask all of them to leave. Yeh aise maatam kyun manaa rahe hain? Why doesn't anyone believe me?"

Zoya's protests drowned with the wails and squeals of the mourning women. She spotted a distraught and listless Dilshaad surrounded by the well-meaning but ignorant women.

"Phoophi doesn't need these women right now. Najma, please we can't let phoophi lose hope yet. We need to stay positive. Ek umeed hi tho reh gayi hai ab. Usko kaise dafan kar dein hum?"

Najma ran to Dilshaad.

'Ammi, please kamrein mein chaliye. Excuse me," Najma apologized to the other women and helped her walk back to her room.

Meanwhile, Zoya addressed the mourners.

"Aap sab logon ka yahan aane ka shukriya. Humein abhi khabar mili hai ki accident tho zaroor hua hai lekin Mr. Khan ke baare mein abhi koi confirmation nahin mili hai. Humein jaise hi aage koi khabar milegi, hum aap sabko ittila kar denge. Ab aap please hum logon ko akela chhod dein tho bahut meherbaani hogi. Allah Hafiz."

One by one, the mourners left the house.

Zoya shut the door and folded all the sheets on the floor. She headed to the kitchen and prepared Dilshaad's favorite masala tea. There was no way she was going to give up hope and subject her phoophi to more negativity and stress than she had experienced in the past few days. Even Mr. Khan would approve of that.

Najma massaged Dilshaad's arms and feet as Zoya walked in with the tea. Dilshaad looked lifeless with a blank expression. Zoya couldn't bear to see her usual effervescent phoophi in that state. She wiped her own tears and placed the tray down.

"Phoophi, aap chaliye, baithiye aur chai pee jiye. Aise bimaar bankar kab tak rahengi? Itne din ho gaye, aapne meri masala chai bhi nahin pi. Come on phoophi, get up."

Dilshaad, shocked by the news of the accident was still in a daze. As had become her habit since Zoya had moved in with them, she glanced at her absent-mindedly and complied with Zoya's orders. She sat up and accepted the tea.

With a tearful smile, Zoya sat next to Dilshaad and stroked her hair, "phoophi, sab theek ho jaayega. Aap chinta na karein."

"Lekin wo tho keh rahein hain Asad ki ship-----" Dilshaad stared at her with glassy eyes.

"Ship ko hua hai na phoophi?" Zoya dismissed her worry, "Mr. Khan ko kuch nahin hua. Aap khaamkha worry kar rahi hain. I am sure he will be back soon."

Dilshaad leaned her head on Zoya's shoulder and shut her eyes. She had barely touched the tea. Zoya removed the slanting cup from her hand and let Dilshaad rest on her chest.

"Asad----Asad----Asad---" Dilshaad mumbled her son's name and fell asleep. It was as though subconsciously, for Dilshaad, Zoya represented her son in absentia. She slept peacefully for a few hours. Najma tried to relieve Zoya from the seemingly awkward discomfort but Zoya gestured her to not worry. For both women, it was their way of comforting each other as the clouds of an uncertain tragedy loomed over them. Neither wanted to accept defeat; both needed optimism and a ray of hope to latch onto. Despite what life had decided to offer them, that was the only way they knew how to live and survive.

Dilshaad woke up after a few hours. She was stunned to find herself in Zoya's arms. Zoya was fast asleep; her head had limped back on the headrest.

"NAJMA!"

"Haan ammi!" Najma ran in after hearing the distress call.

"Yeh ladki abhi yahin hai? Kitni besharam hai yeh. Please ask her to leave."

"Ammi!" Najma yelled at her mom, "please aap Zoya ko aise mat treat kariye. She has done a lot for us. Wo hum logon se bahut pyaar karti hai. Aap jaanti nahin hai aaj wahan-----hospital---mein----" Najma was overwhelmed with emotions and could barely speak. The memories from the mortuary were too painful and she'd rather not think about that scene.

Zoya woke up with a startle, "phoophi?"

"Zoya Siddiqui! Please leave us alone. Tumhare baap ke saaye ne pehle mere ghar ko ujaad dia, aur ab tumhare saaye ne mere bte ko. PLEASE LEAVE US ALONE!" Dilshaad was adamant.

"AMMI!" Najma screamed.

A visibly hurt Zoya gathered herself and stood up, "Najma. Please. I will leave now. Phoophi ko aur zyaada stress mat karo. I will stay in touch." She picked her bag and quietly left the house.

An aghast Najma glared at Dilshaad, "aap mein aur bhaijaan mein koi farak nahin hai. Aapka dono ka dil Zoya ke liye rota hai aur aapki zubaan usey rulaati hai."

"Promise me Najma. You will never stay in touch with Zoya Siddiqui-ever again."

"I can't promise that ammi."

"Baap aur Bhai ko tho kho chuki ho, kya ammi ko bhi khona chaahti ho?"

Najma was thunderstruck by Dilshaad's words.

"Tumhein meri kasam."

Section two of part 26 continued...