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Egbami o,” Wura, Deaconess’ househelp shouted for someone to come to her aid. Meeting Deaconess Beatrice in that condition was a huge surprise. She was equally at a loss on what to do. Before shouting for help, she had bent and placed her ear close to Deaconess’ mouth to know if she was still breathing. She also touched her extremities. They were cold and clammy. She remembered her mum telling her at a time that when someone is about to die, the body especially the legs will be unusually cold.
Wura gazed curiously at Deaconess’ enlarged midsection and gaped. The first thing that came to her mind was that she had a terrible sickness, hence the enlarged tummy. Same thing happened to her dad before he died. Wura shouted again and flew out of the house to get help.
” Thank God sey I return today,” she repeatedly said as she peered into Deaconess’ face on the way to the hospital. The good Samaritan that came to her aid drove at a neck breaking speed to the hospital. Both of them were scared that Deaconess’ wouldn’t make it. She looked lifeless as she lay at the back of the car with her head on Wura’s laps.
Wura had been with the Collins family long enough to know that they only had one hospital that they frequented whenever someone is sick. She knew the family doctor because he also visited the house whenever necessary. Wura directed the driver to the family hospital and waited outside praying that everything would be okay.
The Medical director commenced immediate treatment on deaconess while wondering why and what made her go into a coma. Her vital signs were bad. She was so dehydrated that they had to commence immediate IV fluid rehydration on her. Her blood glucose was down to almost nothing, that meant she had been starved for an appreciable period of time. If quick measures are not taken, her organs would begin to shut down and that would be very dangerous for both her and her unborn baby.
About 3 weeks ago, she had visited him with a young man in tow. The young man claimed to be a medical doctor in kaduna. The medical director checked him out and confirmed that his claims were right. The Doctor( Jerry) said that he had been managing Deaconess for a while and would gladly transfer her care to him. They did necessary documentations. Deaconess’ baseline parameters were a little bit abnormal but not too bad. Her BP was of major concern. The doctor commenced her on antihypertensives and gave her appointment for the following week. She never came. Calls to her phones weren’t answered. He had planned to check on her if she did not show up by this week.
What ever might have happened, she needed immediate care. They might need to do an emergency CS on her to save the life of the baby in case she wouldn’t make it. Several odds were against.
But before he would start planning for the CS, he has to see someone; a family member that is more informed than the house girl that brought her.
He knew much about the family . He knew that the children were not in the country, but he had none of their contact. They have to be contacted to consent to him carrying out an emergency Cesarean section on her. They also need to know about their mother’s state of health. He decided to talk to the househelp to see if she had any of their contacts.
Wura was confused and uncoordinated. She couldn’t give straight answers to the questions asked by the doctor. She looked scared and kept on fidgeting.
” Are you saying you don’t know the number of any of her children?” The doctor asked.
” No sir. Na today I return from village. I meet her on the floor for parlour. Please sir, wetin do her? I see say her belle big like somebody wey get belle. I know that mummy cannot be pregnant because her husband don die.”
The doctor looked at the naive househelp and slightly shook his head. He asked. ” Can you get her phone for me? I need to get across to her children that are abroad. Or, do you know anyone that we can call from here?”
Wura looked up to the ceiling. ” She’s close to the Pastor, and one brother that use to come to our house.”
” Do you have their numbers?”
” No sir. Make I go bring her phone. I sure say the numbers go dey inside.”
Wura rushed to the house and returned with the phone. The Doctor was able to get the number of Reverend Alhassan and placed a call to him. Deaconess had saved his number as my Pastor.
” Good afternoon Sir,” Reverend Alhassan responded when he picked the call.
” Yes. I have not been around. I have the plan of checking on her today. I just returned from a journey.”
” Haa. How is she? I will be with you right away.”
“Jesus!” Reverend Alhassan exclaimed when he saw Deaconess on the bed with several life saving gadgets attached to her. She was even on oxygen.
” This is serious. Lord have mercy. What’s the next line of action now.”
The doctor fully turned to him. ” I think she tried to starve herself to death because I can’t give any other reason for her condition.”
” Starve herself to death? Why?”
” When she was brought in, she was too dehydrated. Her system, especially her brain is starved of glucose. We are doing everything possible to save her. She might not make it. We will not want to lose the baby as well.”
” She will make it in Jesus name.” Reverend Alhassan said affirmatively.
” I also pray that she makes it. But who knows? Something contrary might happen. I want to get that baby out before it will be too late. The pregnancy is above 8 months and the foetus can survive outside the womb now. We may even put it in an incubator if there will be need for it. Before that can be done, her children or a close family member need to be aware and consent.”
” I understand you sir,” Reverend said and took a deep breath. ” I don’t know if it will be possible to get her children now. I’m not even sure if they are aware that she’s pregnant. Alternatively, can the father of the baby stand in for her?”
” You know the father of the baby?”
” Errr. Yes.” Reverend nodded.
” That would have been very okay if they were married. As it is, he’s not her husband and has no right over her, if you understand what I mean. It is a dicey situation.”
” I guess I have to call her children then.”
—-
Reverend called Deaconess’ children. Luckily, the three of them were together at the time he called. In fact, they were discussing about what their mother did and how disappointed and shamefaced they were. The youngest; a lady said she couldn’t believe that their mum could stoop so low as to have an affair barely a year after the death of their father. They had a collective decision for the Reverend. They don’t want to have anything to do with their mother’s pregnancy. The hospital could as well go ahead to do whatever they want to do on her.
” But you know that will be difficult,” Reverend said with a pained tone. ” It is Important that a family member consent to the procedure. No matter what has happened, that woman is still your mother. I can publicly vouch that she’s a virteous woman. She’s a role model in the church. What happened was a one off thing. A costly mistake. She’s not promiscuous. She fell at a vulnerable moment. No one is immune to falling. Your mother has fallen but she will rise again. Will she be happy if she gets to know that you, her children, neglected her at her most trying moment. Will you be able to forgive yourself if…”
” Noooo!” Dolapo shouted and dropped the phone. She rushed to the toilet to weep. She loved her mother. She will always love her. No. It is wickedness if they neglect her now. She will not forgive herself for treating her mum like a trash.
She agreed with the Reverend that Deaconess Beatrice has always been upright. If she falls at a vulnerable moment, it doesn’t mean that she’s the worst sinner.
Dolapo asked herself if she’s better than her mother. Living in a foreign land had made her abandon her good upbringing and Christian background. She lived her life the way she wanted since no one would caution her. She changed men like cloth and do all sort of shenanigans with them. At 27, she had no stable relationship not because she had no admirers but she prefered sleeping with men and dumping them. She had an insatiable appetite for sex. She was the choir mistress in her church but her out of church life is nothing to write home about.
So who is she to judge her mother?
That night, Dolapo placed a call to Reverend Alhassan. ” Sir, please tell the doctor to continue the treatment and do whatever will save her and the baby. I will be taking a flight to Nigeria tomorrow.
TO BE CONTINUED
Β©Bosede Fagbemi
