Chapter 19

Hey y’all, just wanted to apologize before hand about the ambulance scene… I have absolutley no idea what they actually do or say, so if I got it wrong, please find it in your heart to forgive 🙂 Enjoy!

Abdullah ran into the house and grabbed the phone, dialling 999. He was put on wait. He sighed, annoyed, and ran his fingers desperately through his hair. The living room looked a mess, dirty plates piled up on the table, Ayah’s toys scattered everywhere, endless mayhem. Finally he got through.

“You have called 999. Which emergency service do you require?” said this posh sounding lady, talking through her nose.

“Err, am- ambulance please,” Abdullah stuttered. He was never good in situations like these.

“You will be connected shortly. Please bear with us.” And with that she was gone, and he was left with country music.

Exasperated, he threw the phone to the ground, stamping his foot. What kind of a useless system is this! He thought to himself, refuting the people who came up with this. He sighed again, seeing that this behaviour that was taking over him was doing him no good. He bent down, and picked up his phone, squeezing it and lifting it to his ear. He walked outside, closing the door behind him, determined not to show his feelings.

When he got out, he saw Sarah staring – just staring – at Amatullah. He walked up to her, his face turning a very deep shade of red.

“Fat lot of good you’re doing, just standing there…” he muttered.

“Well what do you want me to do, fly them to the hospital or something?” she shot back, glaring at him.

“Aargh!” Abdullah clenched his fists, reminding himself to stay calm and collective in situations like these. He sighed. “Look, you could have at least gone home and worn something decent…” he looked to the floor sheepishly, thinking he was asking too much.

Sarah turned a bright red, and looked away as well. Then, after she told herself off for being such a coward, she looked at him, pouting her lips, trying to stare him out. That method only works however when the person you are trying to stare out doesn’t turn around and walk in the opposite direction. Which is exactly what he just did.

She stamped her foot, frustrated and went home, walking in a very purposeful way.

Abdullah went up to his sisters, trying to comfort them, telling them that they will be taken care of shortly.

Asiyah’s eyes fluttered again, “Is Ahmed coming?” she managed to croak out.

“No, ukhty, I called the ambulance,” he whispered, stroking her forehead. “you just rest, O.K.?”

Asiyah shook her head and tried to get up, but Abdullah ushered her back down. “No… Abdullah, we’ll be fine. Abdullah please, we don’t need them!”

“Shhh, the nurses will look after you.”

Asiyah sighed, and gave up, her head hitting the ground softly.

Abdullah stayed there for a second, wandering what the passer-by that just passed them must be thinking. It’s not exactly normal for two young ladies lying in the middle of the street, with a young man tending – well, trying to tend – to their needs. He thought about how irresponsible he had been, how his parents and siblings had given him responsibility, and how he had disregarded it, thinking that his sisters could look after themselves. Look what happened! His parents may never trust him again! But that was the least of his matters as he remembered he was still engaged on the phone.

He put the phone to his ear, noticing a slight pain in his arm as he did so.

“Hello?” he said frantically, hoping they hadn’t connected him earlier and realised he wasn’t there.

“Please state your name.” the fake sounding voice said.

“Err, Abdullah,” he said.

“Please state the name of the injured,” said the voice, making Abdullah think it was a robot.

“Amatullah and Asiyah.”

“Their relation to you?”

“Sisters, both of them.”

“Is it serious?”

Abdullah stared at the phone, exasperated. “If it wasn’t serious, why would I be bloody calling you?!”

The person on the other side of the phone cleared his throat slightly. “Address please?”

“459 Hadyrir Street, Birmingham. Post code, B12 123,”

“We will be arriving shortly.”

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

***

Sarah walked and walked, till she reached her house. The sun was flying through the sky; the day had gone so quickly it was incredible. Golden leaves littered the path way, and had to be kicked aside for people to walk through.

She ran up the stairs, and bashed the door open, happy that her parents had forgotten – as per usual – to lock the front door. If they hadn’t she’d be stuck outside for quite a while.

She ran in, straight up the stairs, and barged into her room, opened her cupboard door, and picked out a black skirt with a short black kaftan dress and a brown jumper, with black flats. She put them on hurriedly, after a shower, and glanced in the full length mirror. I look like a joke! She thought to herself, smoothing down her kaftan.

She went to the bathroom next, washing her face. The water ran black down the plughole. She wiped her face dry on her towel, and grabbed her purse and car keys. She ran down the stairs in record time, and swiftly got in the car, driving like a hooligan to the closest hospital in the town. She figured they’d be there.

***

The ambulance came, its lights flashing, the unbearable sirens blaring. Abdullah was told to stand aside, as the hospital people picked up Amatullah and Asiyah as if they were feathers. They put them carefully in the built in beds that were sticking out of the wall. They looked completely and utterly strange. He climbed in with them as well, convincing the people that their chances of survival were extremely low if they didn’t have their brother. “They’d probably freak out, seeing all you strangers, so… you know… I better come with.” He put his foot down firmly.

They went zooming through all the traffic lights, while the hospital people examined both of the patients.

“This one is in a much more serious condition that this.” Said one, pointing first to Amatullah, then to Asiyah.

Abdullah looked them, eyebrows up. “’This one’ is my sister, and so is ‘this one’. They do have names you know!”

He just got a cold stare from them both. “Listen here boy. We are trying to help your siblings, and giving you a free ride at the same time – so you bett-”

“You don’t know how much parking costs here, it’s a fortune…” interrupted the other one, but he trailed off as soon as he saw the first one glaring at him.

Abdullah sighed, putting his head in between his legs. He was sick of this. His hat fell off, and his longish hair flopped into his eyes, the afternoon sun glinting of the brown strands that appeared from nowhere. He looked into the sun, squinting his eyes, yet they twinkled, glistening in the late afternoon sun.

Suddenly, they came to a stop with a jerk, making Abdullah nearly fall flat on his face. Luckily, he had been given the gift of fast reflexes and managed to stop himself on time. As he jumped off the back of the ambulance, his phone started buzzing in his pocket. He took it out, and looked at it questioningly. He rarely got any calls on his mobile.

It was Ahmed.

He picked it up, foreseeing his destiny, one of utter pain and embarrassment.

“H-hello?”

“ABDI WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!”