Chapter Three

Kumba. 

When Dr. Valentina called and told me she needed to see me immediately, my stomach dropped because it was never good news when she called. 

She had been my doctor through every brutal stage of my cancer treatment. If she was asking me to come to the hospital in person, it wasn't for small talk.

"What is this about?" I asked as I drove.

"I can't discuss it over the phone, Kumba. Please just come in." she said before she hung up.

The entire drive, my mind went to one place only.

The cancer was back. There was always that possibility that it might come back, but I could only hope and pray. 

By the time I reached the hospital, my chest was tight with dread.

I hated hospitals, the smell, the memories from my time there. The reminder of how close I had come to dying.

I pushed open her office door without knocking and she looked up from her desk.

"Kumba, thank you for coming."

The careful expression on her face only made me more uneasy.

"What happened?" I asked. "Just tell me. Is the cancer back?"

"No." she answered almost immediately. 

"Then what is this about?"

She lowered her gaze to the file sitting in front of her.

"There is something you need to know."

I was already losing patience, if my cancer was not back why was I here? 

"Stop talking in riddles Valentina."

She inhaled slowly.

"Then I guess I will go straight to the point, there is a woman in this hospital who is fourteen weeks pregnant with your child."

For a moment, I genuinely thought I had misheard her.

"My what?"

"Your child." she repeated with her face straight.

"That's not possible and you know that." I say laughing, "So just tell me what's really going on." 

Three years ago, after my recovery, I had ordered every specimen I had stored destroyed. I had signed the papers myself. I did not want any kids and I made sure I destroyed any chances of that happening three years ago. 

"I know," she said quietly standing up and her face gave it all away. 

This was no joke, she was serious, a feeling of unease crept up my spine.

Then she slid a document across the desk.

"Your mother purchased one specimen before the destruction order was completed."

I stared at her completely shocked.

"What?"

"She bribed a nurse."

I closed my eyes, Of course she did.

Only my mother would think she had the right to make decisions about my future without my consent.

"She arranged an insemination procedure for your fiancée, Moraa."

My jaw clenched so hard it hurt at the mention of my fiances name. 

Rage flooded through me. But before I could explode, Valentina delivered the final blow.

"However, there was a mistake." I stared at her "a mix up occurred during the procedure and the wrong woman was inseminated."

The room suddenly felt too small. I leaned back in my chair and laughed bitterly.

"This can't be real."

But judging from the look on her face, she meant every word she said. 

"Moraa doesn't know?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"Obviously she knows the procedure failed because she is not pregnant."

I rubbed a hand over my face trying to go over all the things dr Valentina had just said to me. 

My mother had stolen my genetic material.

My fiancée had secretly tried to get pregnant and a complete stranger was now carrying my child.

And somehow I was not involved in any of it. I wanted to punch something.

"This is a disaster."

"I know."

"No, you don't."

My voice echoed through the office.

"When this gets out, it becomes a scandal, this is a lawsuit coming,it's going to be a media circus."

Valentina remained silent.

"I want the pregnancy terminated."

The words came out cold, practical but was the only solution I could think of. 

But Valentina didn't move, Instead, she said softly,

"Kumba, there is more." Of course there was.

"There always is."

"The woman was admitted last night after a hit and run accident."

Something inside me tightened.

"How bad?"

"Broken leg, multiple injuries, significant blood loss."

I swallowed, "and the baby?" 

"The baby survived?"

Relief hit me before I could stop it which irritated me even more.

Why should I care? I didn't know this woman. I didn't want this child. None of this should matter and yet somehow it did.

"You should also know she is trying to leave the hospital."

"What?"

"She can't afford treatment and she has no family or anywhere to go really."

"So the woman carrying my child is homeless."

Valentina nodded.

Then she said the one thing I didn't want to hear.

"I think you should meet her."

"No."

"Kumba"

"No, I am no doing that"

If I met her, things would become more complicated and the last thing I needed was complication. I was still trying to figure out how I got here. 

I stood up and headed for the door.

"This hospital created the mess and you should fix it."

I walked out before she could argue with me.

The elevator doors were already sliding shut when I heard a voice behind me.

"Wait! Hold it!"

I stuck out a hand automatically.

The doors reopened and a young woman limped toward me on a pair of crutches.

My eyes immediately dropped to the massive brace wrapped around her right leg. She looked like she had lost a fight with a truck.

Bruises covered one side of her face, her dark hair was twisted into a messy knot that was barely holding together, and she looked exhausted and yet somehow she was moving with the determination of someone on a mission.

The doors closed again and I glanced at her.

"You know, most people with a leg like that are usually in bed."

She snorted "Most people can afford hospital bills."

I looked at her properly then, "What?"

She shifted her weight onto the crutches.

"I'm escaping."

I blinked and looked at her totally caught off guard.

"Escaping?"

"Strategically relocating." she said smiling 

"That's not a thing."

"It is if you are poor."

Despite myself, a laugh almost escaped me.

"You have a broken leg." i said, my eyes focusing on the big brace on her leg

"Trust me I have had worse."

"You literally look like you were hit by a car."

"Oh wow, when you say it like that it sounds serious." she said her eyes wide open like she had just realized it. 

I stared at her.

"You are joking right?"

"I cope through humor."

"Clearly."

She pointed a finger at me.

"Exactly, you understand me."

"No, I really don't."

The elevator dinged as it reached the ground floor.

The doors slid open.

She immediately started hobbling towards the door and I folded my arms and watched.

"You won't make it."

She looked over her shoulder.

"Negative thinking is ugly you know."

"I'm being realistic."

"You billionaire types never appreciate determination."

That caught me off guard and I raised an eyebrow.

"Billionaire types?"

"You have the watch." She pointed at my wrist. "The shoes and the face."

"The face?"

"Yeah."

"What does that even mean?"

She shrugged, "The face of someone who has never worried about choosing between rent and food."

For some reason that irritated me.

"You know absolutely nothing about me."

She smiled, "That's true."

Then she took another step.

I was just about to tell her she had proven me wrong when her face suddenly lost all color and the smile she had disappeared.

Her body swayed.

"Hey."

The crutch slipped from her hand and her knees buckled, I immediately lunged forward and she crashed straight into my chest and I caught her before she hit the floor.

Her entire body went limp.

"Hey."

"Hey!"

Her head lolled against my shoulder.

Then I saw it, the blood.

Fresh blood slowly spreading through the bandage wrapped around her arm.

"Damn it." I tightened my grip.

"Hey, stay with me."

"Doctor!"

My voice echoed through the hallway and several nurses spun around.

"She needs a doctor!"

Everything suddenly became chaotic, footsteps, voices, a wheelchair appearing from nowhere, hands reaching for her.

Questions being fired at me.

"What happened?"

"She collapsed."

"When?"

"Just now in the elevator!"

The nurses carefully transferred her into the wheelchair.

I couldn't seem to take my eyes off her, she was pale and all the color she had before was suddenly gone. 

One doctor checked her pulse while another shouted instructions. Then they were moving.

Pushing her down the hallway toward the emergency rooms.

I followed without thinking and the entire walk was a blur.

Then suddenly I found myself standing outside a hospital room, watching through a glass window.

Inside, doctors surrounded her bed.

One adjusted an IV.

Another checked monitors.

A nurse pressed gauze against her arm.

Everyone moved with a sense of urgency that made my chest tighten.

I didn't even know this woman, So why couldn't I look away?

Footsteps approached beside me but I didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

Dr Valentina stopped next to me and for a long time neither of us spoke, we simply stood there watching the doctors work.

"That's her." Dr Valentina finally said

I frowned "What?"

She nodded toward the hospital bed and toward the unconscious woman surrounded by doctors.

"That's the girl carrying your child." and for the first time the world stopped suddenly stopped.