God is with Me

In the land of olive trees and breezy wind, the people used to live peacefully even though they were threatened every single day; but one day they woke up to see their beautiful land covered with smoky clouds that had a disturbing scent and flashing lights that was brighter than their own suns, they looked closer into the scene and they found out that it's not their sun but a bomb that gave birth to an untamed fire. The untamed fire left wrecked homes and corpse; small town boys and men who survived tried their best to take some of the victims to the hospital that is nearby.

In the hospital, there was a doctor or at least a doctor to be named Rami, he is a new graduate but didn't get a chance to graduate because his university was destroyed for being a part of his innocent land. Rami vowed to be the best doctor that he could ever be, even though no one heard him as he vowed. His vow included taking care of the injured old man from his neighborhood who used to tell him stories about the heroes of his town and how they fought those who created the dark smoky clouds and how they fired his own people for protecting their own families. Rami's vow was a part of living tragic stories every single day when a mother mourns because the murderers burned her only son alive, and another story where a small girl comes asking for a bandage for her infant brother because there's no mother or a father to take care of her injured soul and her brother's injured arm. Rami’s vow didn’t include answers to the journalists who ask him questions that are out of his field,

“Aren’t you afraid?”

“Is there something you need?”

 “What is your wish?”

Rami respond the same way his mother would respond, “Mo mohtaj eshee Allah ma’ee (I don’t need anything, God is with me)” and that was enough to stop the journalists from interrupting his work.

One day, at the beginning of the day where the dawn haven’t stretched the skies yet, the enemies started crawling but they didn’t stand close enough to their target because they are known as cowards who would never face the heroes of this town. It was at the beginning of the day where Rami’s shift at wing B started where they take care of the injured children. He put on his green uniform that has stains of blood that couldn’t be washed away just like his memories for the past three weeks where scenes of blood and death couldn’t be washed away from his mind.

“Marhba beautiful ladies!” Rami said when he stood at the beginning of wing B where Al Qassam sisters stayed after they lost their brother and go injured when their home collapsed. The older sister looked at Rami and smiled,

“When will we leave this place?” she said.

“You don’t like it in here? With us?” Rami crossed her arms and smiled cunningly so he can make her laugh.

It worked and she giggled, “Dr. Rami you make wing B a happy place.”  Then she hugged him.

Rami enjoyed the innocent hug and it made him forget about his own pain few seconds. The suddenly he heard a disturbing noise that broke the silence and spread terror between the children’s eyes; “It’s okay, don’t worry.” Then he left fast to see what is not okay.

Rami rushed through the hallways to check wing A but it was fine, the patients waved at him then he left. He walked fast out of wing A to check wing C and D since they are a bit far; he walked until he saw flickering light and he remembered that this hospital is new and there is no way this happened within a day, so he started to walk slowly because his heart knew that there is something wrong.. he saw reddish light as he walked closer to wing C and then he heard weird voices and once he stood in front of wing C, he saw his fear right in front of him. The doors of wing C melted as the flames crawled out of the wing slowly.

“To go in or to stay here?” he asked himself but then he remembered his mothers words, god is with me.. god is with me.. god is with me he kept repeating it in his mind until he saw a blanket that the fire didn’t find yet, he covered himself and walked in but he saw nothing but flames. Rami tried to find someone whom he can help but he thought he’s too late until he heard someone screaming,

“HEY, HEY!! GET OUT OF THIS PLACE NO ONE IS THERE!”

Rami rushed outside as the fire caught the tip of the blanket and forced him to throw it in the fire pit. He moved out of the wing to face the person who shouted, it was he colleague Bilal.

“We evacuated this wing and wing D really fast and almost all the patients are in wing A and the basement. Those bloody cowards fired the hospital from a distance.” Bilal talked fast, his cheeks were really red from the heat of the fire and his green uniform turned darker from the sweat.

“Wing B??” Rami questioned.

“We need to evacuate it as well since all the kids are there.” Bilal added.

Rami ran to wing B faster than the breath that Bilal inhaled after uttering his words. Rami thought of Al Qassam sisters who stay at the beginning of the wing and the toddler who lost his mommy while she was shopping, he ran faster because he wanted to save them.. he wanted them to live, it’s too early for them to leave.

“CLEAR WING B NOW!” someone screamed as Rami approached wing B. He got paralyzed for a second thinking whom to save and whom to leave behind, then he ran faster than the flames that ignited wing B.

Rami tried to locate Al Qassam sisters and every child he knew, but he saw some of the doctors and assistants carrying the children and some of the children weren’t there; but there was someone who is crying right at the end of wing B. Rami tried to escape the flames that ate the beds and curtains so he can locate the crying voice..

On the left, small bed and a baby hands hanging from it, it’s the toddler who lost his mommy. Rami held him up and hugged him tight to get him out of there.. “WATCH OUT!” someone screamed but it was too early to watch out. Rami felt a sting on his back for a second and he instantly held the toddler tighter so no harm can reach the little thing; but the pain started spreading from his back right to his knees and suddenly he felt a new kind of pain and then he faded away.

At 12 pm; thirty minutes after the attack Rami opened his eyes one last time. He saw Al Qassam sister’s right next to him and he felt Bilal’s tears falling on his hand. He took a deep breath and said, “What happened to the toddler?”

“We couldn’t help him but please help us so you can stay with us Dr.” Bilal whispered.

“Listen.” He took a deep breath to escape the pain so he can talk, “You tell my mother, god is with me.. he is with m..” and he faded away but this time forever.

At 1pm; one hour after Rami’s death, Bilal knocked Rami’s house door and his mom walked out, “Khaltee” he said and then he started crying. Rami’s mother stood there silently waiting for more words to come out of Bilal’s mouth and after five minutes of patience Bilal told her that Rami’s last words. Rami’s mother asked Bilal to get everyone in the neighborhood around her house and she’ll be back in 3 minutes.

At 1:03; Rami’s came out of her house with a basket filled with candies and she stood between her neighbors.

She grabbed a hand of candy and threw it on the heads of her neighbors as the tears started flowing out of her eyes on her wrinkled old pretty face, “My Rami said that god is with him.” She smiled proudly.

“My son is out of this bloody war and I am okay!” she threw more candy on their heads.

“My boy will sleep safe and sound today and I will join him someday.. god is with my son and he is with us people! One day our dawn will come you have to wait because god is on our side!” she hugged her empty basket and cried out of grief and happiness because wars and massacres mess people’s emotions mercilessly.

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Hope and Love

Maitha the Parrot