•||Ch1: Dearest Brother||•

||Izzah POV||

“Oh my God! My feet are paining!” I complained as I threw myself on the uncomfortable chair of staff room.

“Dr. Izzah, you have to be tired after all you are the senior and responsible doctor and today we have received more cases and that was all complicated!” One of the junior doctors said with a yawn.

That was true. Today we had many cases and all were different from each other but one thing was common in them, they all were complicated. I yawned and stretched my arms. I quickly jumped up to stand and bid bye everyone.

I was going to my clinic but thought why not had a last round in cancer ward of kids. The mere thought of seeing kids for the last time both excited and sadden me.

Those flower shouldn't be diagnose with cancer but no one can come in between the plans of Allah. May be it is best for them so they can never see or face this cruel and heartless world, the hardships of life and double face ill people.

I prayed best for them silently and went to their ward. When I entered inside every kid screamed and smiled in excitement.

“Dr. Izzy!”

Every kid yelled in excitement and waved at me. I went to every kid and kissed on their cheeks. They all talked to me as I went through their reports.

“Dr. Izzy, we are bored here. Can't we go out please?” One of the child asked me with a cute face.

All the kids looked at me same face and hope in their eyes. It was impossible for me to say no these cute faces and these all the kids knew that cute face was my weakness. I made a face and acted in front of them like I was thinking.

“Hmm! I think we all deserve a picnic,” I whispered, slowly and looked at them with a smile.

They all yelled in excitement and blew a flying kiss in my direction. I quickly caught all of their flying kisses in a fist and put that fist on my heart.

“I lock all your kisses with your other flying kisses in my heart so no can snatch or steal them from me!” I said with a wink and hugged them last time.

I exited from their ward and went to my clinic and took my bag. My eyes fell on an envelope on my desk. I put my bag on the desk and picked that envelope. I was about to open it when my phone rang.

I sighed and pulled my phone out of pocket of my lab coat. Before I answered, it stopped ringing.

I rolled my eyes when I saw it was my dearest brother. I decided to call back him when I reached home. I threw the envelope in my bag and walked out of my clinic.

I reached the parking area and felt uncomfortable. My sixth sense was telling me something but I was too tired to understand. I shook it by thinking that it might be because of exhaustion.

I threw my bag in the backseat of car and took off my lab coat and tossed it in the backseat. If Innaya, my sister or adoptive sister, was here and saw me who badly I threw my staff in backseat then she must had gave me a long lecture.

I climbed in my car and drove to my home sweet home, and my heaven. There was no such place in my life like home.

My motto, heart and peace is where the home is specially the bed is!

Innaya was dead set against my this motto. She didn't like my this motto because according to her,

Home is where your love ones are!

Or

Home is where your heart belongs!

I prayed silently for Innaya because today was the last hearing of court and today the judge had announced the result. I hoped she won today but I knew she was born to win and she would win that case. After all, she learnt from the best. She was just like dad and always gave justice and went for the justice.

When I reached home, I waited for the guard uncle to open the gate then parked my car in the driveway. I squealed when I saw Taha’s car. Finally, someone came back to annoy the living daylights out of me.

I rushed inside the house leaving my staff in the car. The whole house was silent but I knew where to find him. I went to Innaya’s room and saw him leaning against washroom's door. A teasing smile stretched on my lips when I noticed him ogling at her.

“There you are, Taha!”

I yelled and entered in the washroom to hug him. I turned to Innaya and saw her ready to go somewhere. I hoped I hadn't disturbed them or ruined their plan.

“Are you going somewhere?” I asked her.

“Yeah! I have dinner tonight but I promise I will be back soon and we will have siblings night!” She said and kissed on my cheek.

I noticed my brother got uncomfortable when she mentioned about dinner. I peeked at my brother who had a frown on his forehead.

“OK then be back soon!” I said and pulled my brother out of her washroom.

I didn't want to see my brother suffering like this. I hated to see him not admitting his love for her.

Such a coward brother I have!

“If you need me, just ring me!” Taha said looking over her from his shoulder.

I took my brother to the kitchen and saw handmade dish cooked by my brother. He must cooked it for Innaya.

“When I ask you to cook something for me, you deny me but when Innaya asks you, you quickly cook for them. How unjust you are, dear brother!” I said and playfully glared at him.

He laughed and ruffled my hairs which made me angry. I swatted his away from my hairs and set my hairs. I punched on his arm and poked my tongue at him.

“Kids!”

Before Taha did something to irritate me, we heard dad’s stern voice. We turned around and looked at dad who was glaring at Taha.

“She started it, dad!” Taha whined, loudly.

“No, dad, I didn't. He was the one who started it,” I complained and quickly walked to dad.

Dad looked at me from Taha and wrapped his arm around me which made me wink at Taha who was now glaring at me.

“Dad, that's not fair! I just come back after one year and you are giving your attention to her,” Taha mumbled narrowing his eyes at me.

“I think I should go back because no one loves me,” He added and put his hand on his heart like he was hurt.

“Who said no one loves you. Come here,” Dad ordered him and opened his other arm for him.

Taha smiled and came near us. Dad wrapped both of us in his arms and kissed on our heads. Taha smirked at me with a wink.

“Drama queen!” I mumbled and rolled my eyes at him.

“No needs to tell because this is how your number is save in my contacts list,” Taha said, smugly and poked his finger in my ribs.

“Dad!” I yelled looking up at who was trying to stop himself from smiling.

Finally, after many days, I saw him smiling. I didn't know why was going in his head but he not behaving and acting normal. He was always stressed and worried about something.

“I really miss this!” Dad said looking at us.

We both smiled at dad and hugged him tightly. He hugged us back and there was something in his hug. It wasn't a normal hug, it was a type of hug which was telling something but what I couldn't understand.

We all went to living hall and sat there. Taha was telling us his stories and embarrassing incidents. Like how one of his friend pranked him and swapped the sign of ladies and gents toilet and when he was in gents toilet, a group of girls entered.

“And then there was just screaming of us. Mine was in embarrassment and their were in fear and shocked!”

Taha told with his pink cheeks which made me giggle at him. Innaya also came and was about to sit with us when Imran uncle, dad’s driver, came inside the house and informed us,

“Innaya, your man is here. He is waiting outside for you!”

“Your man!” I sang with a teasing smile and wink in her direction.

“Look like I have to teach someone manners!” She mumbled and stomped out of house.

I giggled thinking about how my beloved sister’s man tamed her. Finally, my sister got some colours in her life.

“Next time bring your man inside!” Dad yelled at her as she stomped out of house.

I looked at dad who was smiling while staring at the door. When he looked at me, I raised my eyebrows at him because I didn't expect this reaction from him.

“I know him. He is trustworthy,” Dad explained.

Taha got up and excused himself. I looked at him as he went out of the living hall. I hoped one day he got over Innaya and found a girl who could make his life happy.

Dad also excused himself and went out of the living hall. I remembered I had to change my clothes and got fresh. I went to my room and took shower to relax myself.

After shower, I was going to kitchen to eat something when I saw Taha rushing out of his room with car keys in his hand and grinned like an idiot.

“Going somewhere?” I asked him in confusion.

“Yes, Innaya called me! She wants me to pick her,” He informed me and tried to keep his face straight but failed.

I nodded my head and observed him carefully. He was shifting from one foot to another. I hummed and smiled at him.

“You can also come,” He said, quickly.

“No, it's OK! You both go and have fun,” I said with a smile.

“I insist and we can also go somewhere for fun. Um… Virtual game house! Where we used to go?” He said and suggested with a smile.

“Are you sure? I don't wan--,”

“Izzy, come on! I will not mind because I know she can never be mine so why try,” He said, casually but I knew my brother very well.

“Taha, yo--,”

He didn't let me complete my sentence and pulled me with him. We both walked out of the house and climbed in his car and and drove from where we had to pick Innaya.

At near a park, he parked his car and stared at the steering wheel absentmindedly and tapped his fingers on it as we waited for Innaya.

“How much you love her?” I asked him.

“People says they can offer their lives to their love ones but not me. I can offer her something different. If she ever needs a cloth to protect herself then I can happily become her cloth and hid her from problem, that much I love her. If she needs a heart, I can give her mine to to have it. I can give her my eyes if she ever ask so she knows I will not look at other girls other than her,” He said and joked at the end and laughed but I knew that laugh was force.

“Tell her you live her,” I whispered staring at him.

“It's complicated, Izzy,” He said and looked at me with a smile.

I hummed and looked out of the window. I saw an ice cream shop at the other side of the road. I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned to Taha.

“I am going at that ice cream shop,” I told him and pointed at the shop.

He nodded his head and handed me money which made me grin.

“Aha! Treat from brother dearest!” I mumbled, happily and kissed on his cheek.

I was about to open the door when the electricity cut off and the whole road was drown in darkness but that didn't stop me to reach my love, my ice cream.

“Be careful!”

I heard him saying and I smiled at my concerned brother. I climbed out of the car and crossed the road and went to the ice cream shop.

After buying ice cream, I was crossing the road again when a sharp light came from my right side. I stopped on my track and felt my brain stopped functioning. I could hear the voices in the background but couldn't put finger on what they were saying.

“Izzah!”

That was the last voice of my brother which I heard before I was pushed away and fell on the road and my head and ice cream hit the road.