Chapter Three

Kumba

"I need you to come in." Dr Valentina said, she had been my doctor during my battle with cancer and if she wanted me to come in, it was definitely not good news."

"What's this about Valentina?" I asked a little confused, why did she want me to go to the hospital, she knew how I felt about hospitals. 

"I can't discuss this over the phone Kumba, just come in please there is something important we need to discuss." she said before hanging up. 

I was on my way to the hospital when I got the call, so I just stopped by the hospital since it was on my way. 

The hallway outside the administrative wing smelled like antiseptic and something metallic, like blood that had been scrubbed away but never fully disappeared and I hated it. 

My shoes echoed against the polished floor as I walked toward the office with my name on the visitor log.

Dr. Valentina.

I pushed the door open without knocking, she was sitting behind her desk, she looked up the moment I opened the door. 

"Kumba," she said carefully. "Thanks for coming on such short notice, please sit down." she said forcing a smile but I could tell something was definitely wrong. 

"What is this about?" My voice came out colder than I intended.

Her eyes flicked down to a file in front of her.

"There is something you need to know." she started, 

"I don't have time for vague explanations, doctor, just tell me what's going on. Is my cancer back?"

"God no." she said immediately. 

"Then what am I doing here? I am confused." 

"There is a woman in this hospital who is fourteen weeks pregnant with your child Kumba." she said

For a moment I genuinely thought I had heard her wrong.

"What?" I asked slowly confused if this was some kind of joke. 

"Her name is Gesare, she is pregnant with your child."

A sharp laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

"That's impossible and you know that."

I ran a hand down my face, irritation rising fast.

"I had every specimen I ever stored destroyed three years ago. I signed the paperwork myself and you were there"

"I know," she said quietly.

My jaw clenched.

"So unless someone broke into a medical facility and resurrected dead samples, you are mistaken."

Dr. Valentina opened the file infront of her, 

"I wish that were the case."

She slid a document across the desk for me to read. .

"Your mother," she continued carefully, "purchased one specimen before the destruction order went through, I recently just found out, she bribed one of the nurses."

"My mother what?" of course this is something my mother would do. 

"She arranged for artificial insemination." Dr Valentina continues. "For your fiancee, Moraa."

My fists slowly curled at my sides. My mother had always been manipulative and controlling but she had taken this way too far. 

"So you are telling me Moraa is pregnant?" 

"No," she says looking up at me again, "that's the problem, there was a mix up during the insemination and the wrong woman was inseminated." 

"This just keeps getting better." i say trying to hold back the rage boiling inside me. 

"Moraa wanted to surprise you when she was sure she was pregnant, but she found out this morning she was not. She does not know it's because someone else was inseminated she just thinks it failed." 

"So you are telling me my mother and fiancee went behind my back and true to get pregnant, and now some innocent woman is pregnant with my child because of a medical mishap." 

"Yes, we are so sorry for the mix up." 

For several seconds I couldn't even process it all. 

"This is a lawsuit waiting to happen!, you know that"

My voice echoed against the office walls.

"Do you have any idea what kind of disaster this is especially if the public gets this information, they will eat me up?"

"Yes, that's why I called you in. Your fiancee doesn't want you to know, but mostly because we have not told her yet that someone else is carrying your child"

"I want the pregnancy terminated."

The words came out immediately. Without hesitation.

Dr. Valentina didn’t argue, Instead she leaned back in her chair and watched me carefully for a few seconds. 

"Kumba, there is something else."

I was already done with this conversation.

"I don't care, just take care of it." i said, "does the woman know it's my child?"

"No, she doesn't, she is actually in tje hospital right now, she was admitted last night she was in an accident." 

That got my attention, I slowly turned back toward her.

"What?"

"She was in an accident, hit and run" the doctor continued. "Her leg is fractured. She has significant injuries and she was bleeding, the baby is fine but it's high risk."

Something uncomfortable twisted in my chest.

"And?"

" a few hours ago she tried to ran away."

"I am so confused, why would she try to ran away with a broken leg?" 

"She is homeless, she does not have the money for the hospital bill." 

"You are telling me the woman carrying my child is homeless, this keeps getting better." I said with a laugh 

"I think you should go see her." she finally said. 

"Why?" I asked confuses, "you just sais it yourself, she is a nobody and she doesn't know I am the father, get rid of the pregnancy and I will take care of everything. Let me know when it's done."

"I still think you should atleast sew her." she says

"If I go see her she will recognize me and that will complicate everything, this is your mess take care of it. Now I have a meeting I should be in right now." I said before walking out.

"Please hold it." I heard a small voice yell at me to hold the elevator doors.

"You seem to be in a lot of pain, are you sure you should be walking around?" I asked the young woman as soon as she joined me in the elevator.

"I can handle a little pain." she said with a small laugh.

I glanced down automatically.

Her right leg was wrapped in a thick brace that ran from her thigh to her ankle and she was putting almost no weight on it. She was leaning heavily on a pair of crutches that looked about two sizes too big for her.

"You call that handling it?" I said dryly.

She shrugged.

"I have had worse."

The elevator doors slid shut and began moving down and for the first time I really looked at her, she looked exhausted.

Her dark hair was pulled into a messy knot that was falling apart, bruises dotted the side of her face and her arm, and she was wearing a hospital gown under an oversized hoodie that clearly didn't belong to her.

"You shouldn't be walking around with a fracture," I said.

"I shouldn't be in a hospital either," she replied casually.

"And why is that?"

She sighed like I had just asked the most obvious question in the world.

"Because hospitals are expensive."

The elevator stopped on the ground floor but neither of us moved immediately.

She shifted on the crutches and winced slightly.

"You should sit down," I said.

"I'm trying to escape before they add another zero to my bill.

I looked at her properly now.

"You are running away?"

"Strategically leaving," she corrected.

"With a broken leg."

She nodded proudly.

"I'm very determined."

"You won't make it ten steps."

"I absolutely will."

She took one step forward, then another.

On the third step her grip on the crutches slipped and her body swayed.

I caught her before she hit the floor.

Her entire weight collapsed against my chest.

"Whoa," I said grabbing her arms.

Her head tilted back slightly and her eyes fluttered.

"You okay?"

"Hey." I shook her lightly. "Hey!"

Then I noticed the blood.

A thin line of red was seeping through the bandage on her arm.

"Doctor!" I barked loudly.

Within seconds nurses came rushing over with a wheelchair.

"What happened?" one of them asked.

"She passed out," I said sharply. "And she shouldn't have been walking in the first place."

They carefully transferred her into the wheelchair.

Just as they started rushing her toward the emergency wing, another doctor stepped into the hallway.

Dr. Valentina, her eyes went straight to me, then back to the unconscious woman.

Her expression changed instantly.

"Kumba, that's her, the woman carrying your child"