Zubiya startled and woke up from her dream, panting heavily. She felt almost as if she had completed an entire marathon. She rubbed her chest to soothe the panic attack she felt arising.

Quickly pouring a glass of water from the jug on her side table, she gulped it ravenously.

Feeling calm once she finished drinking the entire glass, she slowly got up from her side of the bed. Wrapping her dupatta around her arms and grabbing another shawl - thinking she might get cold later, she slowly walked out of the room without making much noise.

She walked out of the building and slowly crept up the stairs that led to the rooftop.

She sighed with relief once she sat on her favorite seat and rubbed her face as she tried to remember her dream.

What she saw in her dreams chilled her to the bones and she dipped further into the shawl thinking,

I should have just brought the sweater, damnit.

The dream, it consisted of a girl - a small girl, probably few months old wailing loudly as she laid on the ground covered by a mere blanket outside the gate.

Outside her house.

Where she had sat crying; begging years back.

It chilled her to the core mostly because it wasn't herself that she saw in her dream but the baby that was actually taken into their hospital the previous night, malnourished and very weak.

The baby was found in a nearby alley on the ground, crying weakly. A baby-girl, merely 6 months old.

Zubiya was about to head back home from the hospital with Asfand when the baby was brought in. They had just completed their 36-hours shift. Since it was their own hospital, Asfand had slightly put most of her duty shifts similar to his own schedules.

Zubiya, who hadn't encountered such a case had immediately decided to help the other doctors. Asfand had also joined her.

Trying to not think about the situation she engrossed herself in helping the doctors.

They had figured out that the baby had been left outside for almost more than 24 hours and had been wailing loudly until she was hoarse and weak with hunger, shivering in the cold and had eventually succumbed to a fitful sleep.

After the baby was taken into the pediatric section and IV drip had been injected to her small little arm, providing her with the glucose, which was required to get her back to her original health; the doctors had stepped out of the room to discuss.

They had decided to keep her under observation for 2 days straight while also looking for her parents. They were unsure to involve the police, but Asfand finally rooted out that he would ask Daniyal bhai first and then take the next step.

Zubiya had returned to the room in which the baby had been kept in observation, while Asfand was busy discussing the situation with the rest doctors.

She slowly walked to the cot and gazed down at the small baby - who laid all alone.

She is so beautiful.

Her fingers shook as she softly caressed the baby's head and carefully put a fore-finger inside her small hand. She felt the baby-girl grip her finger tightly.

A lump formed at her throat. She tried to stop them, but eventually tears spilled from her eyes. Biting her lip tightly to contain her sobs, she covered her mouth with her free hand.

A hand covered her shoulder, startling her. She turned to her right and found her husband, Asfand standing next to her as he too gazed at the baby-girl.

"Asfi-" She whispered, tearfully.

Asfand looked up at her and nodded at her, as he too whispered, "I know."

After another half-hour, at 11pm, they reluctantly decided to leave the room and home.

Zubiya while leaving, weirdly felt incomplete while leaving the hospital. Even though she knew she didn't forget anything that was hers.

Zubiya feeling furious, stood from her seat and was about to slam her enclosed fist against something when it was suddenly covered by another pair of hands.

"Will hurting yourself benefit you in any way? Will you be able to do anything for that girl, then? No. I don't think so you can." Asfand said as he turned her towards himself.

"How are you up? I thought you were sleeping, right?" Zubiya softly asked, as she tried to look away from him. She didn't want him to see her like this.

To see her as crazy.

Crazy enough to dream about a baby that she had just laid eyes on only a few hours back.

"It's going to be three years since our wedding. Do you think I'll be able to sleep without you next to me? If I would've been capable, then I wouldn't have scheduled our night duties together.." Asfand said as he slightly rolled his eyes at her.

"Hmm.." Zubiya said non-committedly.

"Zubiya, I know you're trying to change the topic. Please, at least trust me. Share with me.. whatever is it.. If you're worried about the new case, then.."

"I saw her in my dream." Zubiya interrupted, stopping him short from saying anything further.

"You what?" Asfand whisper-asked, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"I said- I saw her in my dream. Right now. I saw her. Wrapped in just a thin blanket, laying on the cold ground. Wailing loudly. Right outside of a main gate of a house. Of my house." Zubiya whispered hoarsely, not meeting his eyes.

There was only silence between them.

Asfand opened his mouth numerous times before closing again.

"I know what you're thinking. That maybe I've gone crazy. Yes. Even I think so myself. I mean- how can I see her in front of my house? How is that possible? And that too at the exact place where almost 10 years back, I had been sitting, crying. How? Asfi, how is it possible?" Zubiya asked as she looked at him for an answer.

"No. First of all I don't think you've gone crazy. I think you saw that baby in front your house probably because 10 years back you yourself had been in her place. Your family had kicked you out of the house, left you for the dead. Which is why maybe you're connecting yourself with her." Asfand said as he wrapped both his arms around her waist and held her in-between.

Zubiya nodded her head as she laid it down against Asfand's chest while she wrapped her arms around him.

"Asfi, how can people be so heartless? Didn't they feel anything when they left the baby in the alley in this cold weather? Didn't her mother feel anything? What if- what if something worse would have happened to the baby? How could she not feel anything? It's so unbelievable, right? The one who craves for a child, is unable to receive this happiness whereas those who don't want and don't deserve get to receive it! How is this fair, Asfi? Just look at us - we have been trying for a child for almost a year and here, those who have been blessed with this happiness don't even care for it. My blood is boiling just by thinking about how a mother can leave her child like this?! Is her heart so cold? I swear by god, Asfi, if by chance - ever - she comes in front of me, I will hurt her in the worst way ever."

"Okay. You do what you think is right, I won't stop you. I promise. Even I want to see you get in a cat fight. Now please let's go back. I am already missing our warm bed. I can literally feel it calling out to us. And thus, we should return back to our bed." Asfand said as he hugged her and rocked her sideways rhythmically.

"Asfi! Here I am talking about something really serious, and you are busy cracking up jokes. If you are so worried about your warm bed then you can leave. I am not feeling sleepy yet and hence I am going to stay here a bit longer." Zubiya said, as she turned her back to Asfand and folded her arms.

"Okay. I am sorry. I just wanted to bring a smile on your face. I really don't like to see you sad and depressed. I want to see you laughing, smiling all the time. I know how you're feeling right now. We'll do as much as we can for that child. And In sha allah, she won't be helpless. If Allah has sent another person asking for help, we won't send her back without one. I promise you that."

Zubiya smiled proudly at her husband, "Don't you want to head back? I am feeling very sleepy now!"

Asfand shook his head at her and whispered in her ear, "Yes... Let's go back to our room."