Chapter four

    He touched my neck with the back of his hand and immediately his eyes popped. “Turn the car around. We need to get her to the hospital. She wasn’t lying”.  They nodded and turned the car around and turned on the siren. I was almost unconscious when we got to the hospital. I had flashes of when I was hurriedly rushed inside lying on a stretcher. 

   I woke up after sixteen hours in a strange hospital room. It was deja vu for me when I opened my eyes. I scanned through the room for Gerald again and sighed in relief when I noticed he was not in sight. I looked again for Harry in anticipation to tell him about my weird dream and how I almost got into trouble with the cops. My anticipation crashed when I didn't see him either.

       I laid there and dozed off. I woke up after an hour and everything became clear. The hospital room was unfamiliar and the sharp but painful pain from my abdomen hit in. I panicked and tried to touch my abdomen but I couldn’t. The Iv on my arm stopped me. I hissed in pain and cursed seconds before a middle aged woman walked in with a familiar face. It was the cop from the airport. 

    “Hey Mira, you are awake. I got scared, '' he smiled softly. He walked beside me and sat on the chair there. The middle aged woman examined me before turning to the cop. “Felix, she has to wait for recovery. She is a fighter”. She said with a smile. “Thank you mom”, he responded. She looked at me with concern and asked how I was feeling. 

       “My head is heavy, my abdomen is sour and the pain is killing” I answered without holding back. She nodded and took a deep breath. “Mira, when did you notice you had lost your baby?” she asked gently. I blinked as tears gathered in my eyes. “8th of june”. She looked at the cop and turned back to me. “That was two days ago. Why didn’t you get medical attention? The delay caused some serious complications”.

       My eyelids failed me as tears poured out. I was sobbing heavily as I tried to explain but she hugged me. “It's ok baby, you don’t have to say anything”. Her hug was comforting as I sobbed in her arms. “Felix is here, you can give him the name or contact of any family member or a friend he could contact. You will be fine” she patted my head before walking out. 

       Five minutes later, Felix asked; “You have nobody here right?”. I laughed bitterly because he was right.  “I was curious, I had your purse the whole time and I checked your passport, you have no family members here. This is also your first time in Levino. Why did you come here in such a condition? And without a phone or an address” he asked gently. He looked at me and noticed how hard it was for me to speak. “It  can wait. You should rest''. He said before he walked out.

       A week later, I walked out of the hospital assisted by Felix. He looked strange because it was the first time I had seen him without his uniform. He helped me to his Car and got to the driver’s seat. As he drove slowly, I closed my eyes leaning fully in the car. He looked at me from the rear mirror and said, “don’t think too much about it”.

       It was as if he saw through my thoughts. Three days ago,Felix and his mom had the most intense conversation with me. I eventually found out I had a surgery after seeing the stitching on my abdomen, but I was clueless on what reasons I had. I asked Felix’s mom who happened to be the doctor incharge of my case. She waited till Felix was off duty before she decided to spill it.

     “Mira, we had to do it to save you. Remember this” she began. “When you were rushed in here, it was almost too late. Apart from the fact the you lost so much blood, you were not given proper medical attention. You had blood clots in your womb which attracted infections. Mira, your baby was not fully evacuated. We opted for another evacuation which was successful but we had another complication after series of test. One of your fallopian tubes had ruptured. We had no choice than to commence the surgery so it doesn't breed future problems for you”. 

        I listened curiously as she explained all that has happened in my body. “However, there is some bad news that you deserve to know”. Her words scared me but I listened attentively. “Your chances of conceiving naturally is 10%. You might consider IVF in the future to get pregnant”. It was after she left to attend to other patients, I understood all she had said. I am partially barren, without IVF I might never birth a child. 

     Felix held my hand in a comforting manner without words. It was not easy for me to accept it. I had lost myself, my family, my child and my chances of becoming a mother all in one day because of a man. 

       “This is my apartment. I hope you find it cozy”, Felix parked the car at the garage. It was a modern bungalow. He helped me out of the car and led me inside. It was a simple sitting room with a prominent color, gray and white. I sat on the couch weakly with a blank mind. Felix left me and got ready for work. He walked out fully dressed in his uniform. “I hope you get comfortable. Your room is on the left. There is all you might need here. Rest  and get better”.

       He was about leaving when I stopped him. “I am sorry if I am inconveniencing you. I promise to get a job as soon as I can and…….”. Felix chuckled, adjusted his belt and smiled at me. “You are not bothering me, stop thinking too much”. I wasn’t thinking too much, It was the truth, from the moment he saw me at the airport, I had convinced him. Felix paid my medical bills and helped extended my stay after I told him how I escaped Free city.

        Harrison had helped with a six month tourist visa while Felix extended the time duration to a year. It was enough time to get my life together. “I am serious Mira, you don’t need to blame yourself for anything. Moreover this house is too big for a cop” he smirked, tapping my cheeks before leaving.  

     Living with Felix was the first fresh air I inhaled after a while. I felt alive again. It was easy to be myself, sleep when I felt the need to, eat at the table with him and watch a movie. It was a luxury for me, I never had that kind of life in Free city. Gerald believed I had to earn everything. I had to earn good food, using the laundry room, watching tv for twenty minutes and many others.

       I remembered Felix’s reaction when I told him I needed a job barely a month after I left the hospital. He looked at me and laughed. “Why do you need a job?” he asked. I played with my hands shyly as I tried to get proper words. “I have been idle and I can’t just stay home depending on you”. He laughed at my explanation and took his plates to the sink.

      “Alright. You already have a job. I enjoyed my dinner. All you have to do is to take care of the house and make dinner, maybe breakfast sometimes and get paid at the end of the month”. Felix made me an offer I couldn’t reject. It was almost like living in the same routine and getting paid. I accepted and started taking my work seriously. Within the first two months, I earned $900.