Four

Let's take her back to the ward, the doctor said. The nurses rushed in and Tonia was sent back to the private ward.

Doctor, "Tonia just fainted hope she will be alright?" Madam Florence inquired.

"Madam, she will be fine, for now, let's not rush her with questions. Let's wait for her to speak by herself, with that we won't have to provoke her emotions anymore." Dr. Frank with his experience advising Madam Florence.

"Thank you doc! We will wait for her to wake before taking off. Once we leave now, we might not see her anymore. Mr. Badmus declared openly.

Mr. Badmus and his family hang around the hospital, waiting for Tonia to wake up and the doctor was busy attending to his other patients.

Tonia woke up two hours after she had fainted. She asked the nurse in the ward with her if Mr. Badmus and his family were still around. 

"They are waiting for you to come to life before saying goodbye," the nurse replied to her question.

"Where are they now?" Tonia asked another question.

"I overheard them asking nurse Alex about where they can get a supermarket around here. I believed they must have gone to the supermarket. Let me go and inform the doctor that you are awake."

"Can you please wait a while before you tell the doctor?" She pleaded with the nurse.

"Why? Are you not happy that you are awake?" The nurse questioned Tonia.

"I am happy to be alive. I don't want to distract the couple. The moment the doctor is aware that I am awake, he will call the couple, before we know it they will be here. I wanted them to enjoy their shopping. Tonia said to convince the nurse."

She was not happy to be awake, better this way, she is heartbroken knowing she will leave the hospital today. She just hoped the little care she is receiving can last a little while. Little did she know that 'nothing lasts forever'.

30 minutes after she was woken, Mr. Badmus and his wife drove back into the hospital. They got her some supplements for pregnant women and groceries. Both the doctor and the couple are in the dark about Tonia's being awakened. Madam Florence was holding bags that contained stuff for Tonia, she headed straight to her private ward.

She opened the door, and the scene she saw was a beautiful one. She met Tonia smiling with the nurse, only heaven knows the funny jokes that amused her, the nurse must have done a great job on her.

"Can I share in your jokes?" Madam Florence asked lovingly.

Yes ma, Tonia said with her face glowing. She has finally accepted her fate. Leaving the hospital today, however, she wanted to leave with good memories.

The doctor and Mr. Badmus with little Johnson walked in.

"Good to see you smile," the doctor complimented Tonia.

She blushed without saying a word. The nurse excused them, to check on another patient.

"Here, this is for you". Madam Florence gave out the full bags she carried to Tonia.

Tonia was amazed. Her mouth was opened without a word, filled with saliva.

Aside from her late mother, she can't remember someone being nice to her, even when she did not ask for their help.

"You don't like them?" Mr. Badmus asked.

She managed to swallow the saliva in her mouth, she finally said "I love them, sir."

"Glad you like them, my wife specifically chose most of the items for you," Mr. Badmus disclose. She has not opened the bags to check all that is inside. The bag's mouth is not sealed; she saw a few of the items inside it. There was tin milk and tea, she knew it was a goody bag.

She wanted to kneel in her mind to show her appreciation to the couple, she remembered Mr. Badmus won't like it if she tries. She grabbed madam Florence's leg and said " thank you ma for all you do".

Madam Florence assisted her to get back on her feet. " you don't have to thank us, we only do what we have to do".

The doctor asked Mr. Badmus to see him in his office. "Sir, let 's meet in my office, there is a discharge form you have to sign so that we can discharge her. She is good to go".

Okay, doc! Give me some minutes, I will join you in the office, Mr. Badmus said he walked slowly behind Dr. Tonia and hurriedly grabbed Mr. Badmus's leg before he stepped out of the ward. " Please, don't go to the Dr yet. I have something to say." Madam Florence was angry at the way Tonia held her husband's leg.

"Honey, let's hear out." Mr. Badmus said to his wife with a calm voice. He gripped his wife by her wrist and sat on the chairs inside the private ward.

Madam Florence sighed with worry, she was not the one who had a story to tell, however, she felt nervous in her soul. Maybe her spirit was connected to Tonia's soul, thus she felt a sharp pain in her heart when she saw the look on Tonia's face.

"Can I sit beside you ma?" Tonia asked madam Florence.

Of course, you can, she replied warmly.

My life is in chunks, I need to gather it together from somewhere, she finds it tough to breathe well.

Madam Florence told her to, "breathe in and breathe out for three times you will feel good". Tonia did as she was instructed, the pain in her chest that moved to her throat reduced slowly, and her breath began to steady.

"Three months ago I lost my mother, she is my everything. Death took her away when she had not enjoyed her life. Is death not wicked?"

"Stop saying stuff like that, God knows why she has to call your Mom to glory. Remember we came from Him and to Him one day we shall return" Mr. Badmus softened her.

"Yes, it is the truth. It is better that she left all her suffering behind and went to a place void of hardships. I watched her ache on the hospital bed, and the images of how she looked, I can't take them off my memory. She was a fighter, but no one can conquer death," Tonia grieved, she tried not to cry thus she spoke gently.

"What happened to her?" Out of anxiety, Madam Florence raised a question.

Hmmm. She sighed tears dropped from her face, she instantly wiped them out without Madam Florence and her husband discerning.

"It all started last year, she was seriously ill. I was told when I came back from school that the neighbours rushed her to Wuse general hospital. Mom has a supermarket store along Wuse market. They said she slumped while attending to a customer." She delayed a bit to gather herself together.

Madam Florence took the initiative to ask her a question. "Was your mother sick before that day?"

"No, she was in her good health before I left the house in the morning. I was preparing for my forthcoming high school final exams (WAEC). Usually, my mom only attends to customers. I helped after school hours. She has been doing the business for years. She is the strongest person I have ever known.

"One of our neighbours locked our store while the rest was with her in the hospital. I was surprised to see the store locked, Mom never said she wouldn't be around and she knew I had an evening lesson to attend.

"Tonia! Tonia!! Tonia!!! Richard called out to me. I heard him the first time but I was angry that the store was locked. A hungry man is an angry man. Richard came to me and gave me a bunch of keys to our store. 

'Why would mom give him the key?' I questioned myself, mom has a spot where she normally hides the key for me. Why the sudden change today. I grabbed the key from him and forced out a smile to convince him that I didn't hear when he called me.

"As I was about to open the door, I noticed there was a change in how the door was locked. Mom would lock the upper part with the silver padlock and use the red labelled padlock for the middle part, the lower part is always with the black padlock But today is different. What is going on with mom today? I questioned who was not with me.

"I attempted to open the upper part of the door. Unexpectedly, I saw Richard running back towards me. "Richard, I am not in the mood for your play this afternoon". I resented him in my mind."

Tonia something came up, I forgot to tell you earlier about it, Richard said with an increased heartbeat.

"What?" I asked nonchalantly.

It was your mom ..., I could not let him complete his statement, I yelled at him "what happened to my mom?"

Your mom was rushed to the hospital earlier today, according to Mrs. Tina, your mom is in Wuse general hospital. Almost everyone in the complex is with her there.

"At that moment, I could not open the store anymore, I became so full that I lost my appetite. Like a goat under the influence of marijuana, I ran to the hospital. The cab man that dropped me at the hospital gate drove me for free. I was in a hurry and I couldn't thank him properly."

She lost her voice a little, Madam Florence got her water to calm her nerves. She drank it all in a gulp.

"If it's not comfortable for you to say it now, you can talk about it another time." Mr. Badmus suggested. Tonia nods in opposition to his suggestions.

"I got to the hospital, it was another world on its own. Different people with different illnesses trod in and out. I wondered where mum was kept. This is a large hospital, where do I begin my search from. I was only sixteen years old then. I went to the emergency unit, and the staff there did not look at me twice. They are busy with their file arrangements.

"Richard did not tell me mom had an accident, no need to search for her in the accident unit. I got to another block, the maternity unit. The last I remembered mom was not pregnant, definitely she won't be found there. I was on my way back to the entrance of the hospital, I heard my name."

"Tonia!" I swivelled with lightning speed, it was Mrs. Tina.

"Tonai, where are you going?" She asked. It's a ridiculous question, she asked me. I was heading outside the hospital, she must ask.

"I came here to look for my mom but I can't find her. Do you know where she is admitted?" I asked pitifully

Mrs. Tina's mouth and mind worked in opposite directions. She wanted to say no at first, I could sense it because of the shape of her lips. Instead, she said, "follow me".