A/N: More angstiness ahead

Chapter Four

Syed was asleep when his parents arrived. Zainab almost started crying again when she set eyes on her sick son. He was so pale and thin and so fragile and it made her heart ache. Christian was sitting in the chair next to the bed and stood up to greet them.

"Masood, Zainab," he nodded respectfully and moved out of the way to let Zainab sit down next to her son.

"How is he?" Her voice was small and scared. Christian didn't think he had ever seen Zainab Masood look so vulnerable before.

"He's doing okay, considering," Christian replied. "He's tired a lot so he mostly sleeps. He's glad you came."

"What have the doctor's said?" She asked.

"They're still waiting on the test results. They did a biopsy on his bone marrow earlier but they said there would be anything back until tomorrow at the earliest. We just have to wait."

Syed began to stir and Zainab was immediately leaning over him. "Syed, are you awake?"

"Mum?" He groaned quietly.

"How are you feeling?" She asked; her voice soft and quiet, so unlike her normal tone.

"Tired," he moaned as the late afternoon sun hurt his eyes. "When did you get here?"

"Haven't been here long, we just arrived."

"Glad your here," he smiled slightly and allowed his mother to lean down and pull him into a hug.

She was shocked at how thin he was, his bones were practically digging into her. "Oh Sy," she sighed. "I've missed you so much," all the arguments and recriminations seem to disappear in one moment, now all she could think about was making sure her eldest son got better as quickly as possible.

"Did Christian tell you what's wrong?" He asked.

"Yeah he did," Masood said as he pulled another chair up and sat opposite Zainab, resting his hand over Syed's and squeezed it gently.

"Everything going to be okay," Zainab asserted. "You're going to get through this and everything will be all right."

"Thanks mum," Syed tried to smile but it was hard to be so optimistic when he was feeling this way.

"And of course you will come home and stay with us," she continued. "You need to be at home with your family."

"What?" Syed asked in disbelief.

"You have to come home."

"Haven't we already had this argument?" Syed said. "I did go home but you couldn't handle me being with Christian. If I recall; it's the reason I left."

"Syed, maybe it's best you calm down," Christian said, moving closer towards his lover. "You don't want to get too stressed."

"I am calm. I just don't want a repeat of last time."

"There won't be," Zainab sighed. "I promise."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I've missed you and I realised that I was wrong."

"How long did that take?" Syed asked sarcastically.

"Please Syed; you're in no condition to argue like this. I want you to come back home."

"I'll come back as long as Christian comes too."

"I can accept that," Zainab said.

"And he has to stay in the house with me, share the same room," he added; mostly as he knew it would make his mother squirm.

"Okay," Zainab agreed; although she was visibly uncomfortable at the thought.

"Are you okay with that?" Syed asked Christian.

"I'm okay with whatever you want," Christian smiled softly. "It's completely up to you."

"Thank you," Syed smiled.

The doctor confirmed everything the next day when the test results had come back. Syed just sat there in quiet disbelief as the doctor ran through the treatment methods. He wasn't really taking it in, it just wasn't sinking in. Christian sat next to him, holding his hand and nodding whenever the doctor said something significant. Zainab and Masood had left them alone at Syed's request. He didn't want them there at the moment.

"Do you have any questions?" The doctor asked.

"Is he going to be okay?" Christian asked.

"Given his age and prior health and also that we caught this early at the moment his prognosis is very good."

"When can I go home?" Syed asked quietly a she continued to stare into space.

"You can go home today once we have discussed your treatment regime further. I'll come back later," the doctor said before exiting the room.

Christian looked at Syed with concern in his eyes. He wasn't taking this at all well and Christian was scared. He was scared for Syed and what he was going through and he was scared that he was going to lose the love of his life, not that he was about to say that out loud because he needed to be strong for Syed.

"How are you feeling?" He asked

"I'm okay," Syed replied, obviously lying.

"Do you want to talk about this?"

"No," Syed snapped. "I said I was okay," he immediately regretted saying that."

"Fine," Christian said, shocked by Syed's reaction. "I'd better go, if we're heading back to the Square I'll have to pack up some stuff," he said sounding, very standoffish and it came out harsher than he meant it to."

"Christian," Syed said but Christian brushed him off.

"I'll be back soon," he told him as he headed out of the door; almost banging into Zainab on the way out. After muttering his apologies he hurried off, leaving an upset Syed and a confused Zainab.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she rushed to his Syed; her voice full of worry.

"I'm an idiot," Syed replied with tears forming in his eyes. "I just snapped at Christian for no reason, he was just trying to help."

"It's understandable; you are going through a lot at the moment. What did the doctor say?"

"He was telling me that they'd finished the diagnosis and that it was correct and I just tuned out after that. He said he was going to come back and discuss how they were going to treat it before I went home."

"I should go and talk to him and find out more," Zainab said and she went to stand up but Syed stopped her.

"Please can you just stay for a while? I don't want to be alone," his voice sounded small and childlike; it broke Zainab's heart. She hated to see her eldest son so upset.

"Of course I will," she smiled encouragingly but the sadness shone through her eyes. She held his hand and they just sat there in silence.