Chapter 6

The office was small for a consultant like Dr. Simon or was it so because of many properties like the bookshelf by the window side containing medical books of different sizes and colors.

Maureen looked around her, files were packed on the floor away from trespassing while some on his desk were scattered and rumpled.

By her left where the trashcan sat filled with wastepaper and disposed of pieces of equipment, a rickety standing fan rotating at an angle one-eighty constantly blowing hot air.

Maureen sighed, wondering why an office would be so disorganized. "Weren't doctors supposed to be well organized and neat?"

She imagined it was the problem federal hospitals in Nigeria suffered. Low maintenance.

And the doctors and nurses were underpaid. Thereby taking out their bitter frustrations on the patients.

She wondered what exactly was taking the old man his time, she'd been sitting around for minutes already with no sign of anybody, she needed to return home.

After the fight, she had with Sophia the night before. Maureen had tried her best at a nice sleep but her conscience was beating her.

She was disturbed about Sophia's whereabouts and wellbeing but Monica had advised her to move on and sell Bernards home for start-up capital.

Which she loved the idea so much and was on the verge of signing a deal when she received a call from the hospital about Sophia's accident.

The only reason she sat here now waiting patiently was because of one thing. She didn't want to look suspicious if she just sold the house and ran at this period when she was supposed to be seen at the hospital.

"Monica was right, Sophia would become a liability to me" Maureen cautioned.

She wasn't aware of another presence until doctor Simon cleared his throat while wiping his wet hands with a paper towel.

"You must be Mrs. Maureen Moore right?" He smiled showing off his nice dimple.

Maureen swallowed hard. Judging by his environment she thought he would be an old ugly... Boring man with eyes in his voluminous medical books all day. She was quite shocked to find Dr. Simon was very attractive though he wore glasses and looked older he looked like he'd seen better days in his youth.

"Uh yes I am" she stood to take in his extended hand for a shake.

"You can sit, I apologize for the long wait. I was onward round and had this difficult patient" he murmured as he sat and searched vehemently for something in his drawer.

"Alright," he began adjusting his speck.

"Says here Sophia is your daughter?"

"No, stepdaughter" she corrected firmly.

"Oh, okay. She was involved in a hit and run which by the way the culprit hasn't been found. The case has been taken to the police immediately after she was admitted. She suffered a skull fracture which doesn't seem like a huge risk except she's still comatose but our main fear is that her chances of walking again are very thin because her lower vertebrae columns were damaged in the accident" he stopped to gauge Maureen's countenance.

"She needs urgent operation though and under the hospital rules, we can't do anything until a certain amount has been deposited."

"I understand doctor but a widow like me struggling to raise a stepdaughter with a menial income can't possibly deposit one hundred and sixty thousand nairas!" She cried wiping her eyes with a clean handkerchief.

Dr. Simon carefully took off his glasses, it was usual for family members or relatives of a patient to complain and even plead with the doctor in charge for treatment before pay.

Dr. Simon knew this and understood how hard the economy was but he couldn't save every patient who needed his help this was hospital policy and it wasn't like the doctors and nurses were well paid.

Dr. Simon took out a form and pushed it towards Maureen.

"What is it?" Confused.

"Read it" he spoke ignoring her shocked expression.

Maureen sat there for a while gazing absent-mindedly at the paper before her. Her agitation simmering. How would she tell the handsome nice doctor that she couldn't read at all?

Her ego was hurt at the thought of letting Dr. Simon know she was not just poor but illiterate.

"Well?..." Dr. Simon pinned his hard charismatic gaze at her. Nervous, Maureen sorts what to say but found herself murmuring gibberish.

"It's the only way I can help my patients, through such NGO grants. I and some other doctors initiated the program" he informed adjusting his collar and took a mint from a plate filled with more. Maureen followed his action, admiring his slender hand.

Wondering how many miracles he's worked with those hands.

"Do you want some?" Distorting her train of thought.

Maureen jerked, "oh no, I'm okay. I just can't understand what my daughter did to deserve so much wickedness from people. Now I have to run around for money I don't have. Lord!" She cried shedding real tears.

Maureen was an attention seeker. Whatever she wanted and covert she got. That was how she met her first husband. An illiterate businessman but very successful Maureen worked as a salesgirl in one of his establishments and had eyes on him for a long while until she could get her hands on the target, she did.

But she was foolish then, she overspent. Lived life like there was no tomorrow and finally ended up with nothing when her husband died. His relatives took everything belonging to him and left Maureen stranded.

Then another bad luck inform of Bernard Moore came.

A total mistake and loss because now she ended up with the dead man's daughter as a liability to her. Maureen sighed inwardly.

"Madame are you alright?" Her eyes finally caught the worried expression on Dr. Simon's face.

"It's really difficult sir, I have no one to go to for such amount eh."

"It seems you don't understand what I meant by this form here" he spoke pointing at the paper before Maureen.

"It's a grant, they give you the amount of money you need for your bills as charity no paying back."

"Really?!" Enthusiasm dripping.

"Yes ma, just ask around for their headquarters and submit the form after filling it they help a lot of patients."

Maureen couldn't contain her excitement. 'Money!'

Finally, this was payment to her for enduring Sophia since her father died. She would cash the money and relocate to a different state with no trace, at least start afresh.

***

"She was finally awake!" Stanley thought. As he walked into the hospital room with the other doctors who were onward round. The room smelled of antiseptic and the sound of the monitor beeping distressed him so much but as a practicing doctor on a house job he had to get used to it even as he watched their present patient.

She looked so skinny and devoid of color, Stanley watched her meticulously noticing how the cannular ejected into her transparent slim veins and the constant drops from the pint of drip flowing through the tube into her body.

he felt for her a lot especially when he heard how her stepmother deserted her for days alone struggling to survive the cruel world and the hospital board decided to take her off life support if no help was forthcoming.

Dr. Simon and others went ahead to do the necessary morning checkups and Stan wrote down some things on his pad.

Stanley stood perplexed.

Sophia was asked some questions by one of the doctors but she merely shook her head. Talking was as difficult as thinking at that point.

Her mind was still in a bizarre state eager to grasp the meaning of her strange environment and the strange people on white hovering above her speaking in muffled tones.

Quietly her eyes drifted around the room searching for a clue or an explanation and it finally dawned on her she was at a hospital and the incident flashed through her fragile memory like a beam.

After the ward round. Stanley went ahead to speak with doctor Simon in his office.

"Sir she seems better now. But her stepmother is yet to return, isn't there any relative of hers we can contact?" Stanley asked dipping his hands on his pocket.

"Yes, Stan. We can't keep her for long here, she should be discharged soon I guess. But I don't know how to handle such issues now. She's had her bad lucks in life, I feel pity for her" He lamented moving side to side on his roller chair.

"Why don't I take full responsibility for her? at least till her family comes for her. I can rent her an apartment with some nurses to help. you could put in a good word for me?" Stan convinced.

"That would be very nice and considerate of you dear I do not doubt your hospitality she would have been dead if not for your help," Dr. Simon said wiping his glasses.

"But may I ask why the sudden interest in a patient whose family deserted her? or don't you think she must've been a bunch of problems to them?."

"Doc, I don't care what people think, or why she was treated that way. I've had my share of bad experiences with bad family members, so I wouldn't want that for someone else. Just speaking from experience."

Dr. Simon nodded in affirmation having no doubt he knew Stanley so well having been friends with his father a well-known political lobbyist. Stanley was like a son to him.

Having a busy businessman like his father Stanley knew what it was like to be left alone and vulnerable so he developed a soft spot for people like Sophia.

"Okay I understand and thanks a lot you're a good man Stan. I'll let you know when she's ready to be discharged."

"Alright thanks, I'll see you around" He greeted and walked off.

On his way out his phone rang. It was the police department.

He answered.

"Hello, did you find anything?" Stanley asked pausing for a while listening to the person on the other line.

"Alright thanks so much, I'll come over tomorrow and see the footage.... please do" He cut the call and continued on his way.

***

"So I guess he's thinking about signing you into his label," Mason said with such assurance that it got on Sean's nerves.

The guy was always easily taken to people's words. He was never good at interpreting people's actions and that was his problem. Mason was always soo aloof on everything.

So as he sat by the bar and sang his songs of glory to Sean's ear. The irritation he felt for his cousin increased immensely. He prayed silently for Jason to quickly arrive.

Just as he thought, Jason walked in waving at some guys by the entrance and strode towards them.

"Hey Jason thank heavens you here, Mason has a problem bigger than the earth itself."

"Hi, Jay Jay" Mason greeted and turned to Sean.

"So now I have a problem? that's the 'thank you for getting me a step closer to my dreams' you could have said since."

"Nah. You just took me one step back from my limelight that I've been working my ass off for" Sean blamed.

His cousin seems fed up with the uptight situation stood and walked off to somewhere.

Jason quietly sat beside Sean and ordered a drink.

"What kept you late? I've been trying your line since and it's not available" Sean asked accusingly.

"Well... I went to see my project supervisor so I put my phone out for a while" He answered without looking at Sean.

"Woah! Now look who woke up this morning and decided to become a responsible adult. Wait what happened to you? Cos I know you would never take your academics seriously, Is this about the incident?" He asked concerned.

At the back of Sean's mind, he knew it was the accident that bothered Jason so much and the reason he was acting differently.

"No!... Not that I... I just thought that you know, I'm too old to keep sticking around in the University. I mean my mates are working in respected places now with their certificates and I? I'm still dependent on my parents" he ran his index finger around the tip of his glass absentmindedly.

"Man am too old for that... Seriously and I understand if you don't support my sudden change."

"Oh, no..." Sean cut in quickly.

"Not at all Jason you can do what you want, am surprised to hear that from you cos me too I've been thinking the same. Since after the party I know this my music career won't lead me anywhere soon so I need a real source of income too. So am going for a second degree in oil and gas"

He announced.

"Really?" Shocked Jason asked.

"Yeah, man. My dad would take me back and let me run his oil well so I just figured... I should just do something worthwhile."

"What happened with you and Charlotte? cos she rang me like ten times the other day ranting on and on about you giving her a cold shoulder?."

"Charlotte is a handful" Jason confessed.

Sean smirked. "Oh is she?."

"Don't be sarcastic man" Jason sighed.

"No why wouldn't I be? I've tried telling you for like decades But no!. You were in love and blinded by your emotions. I never thought you'd be the one avoiding her not her you" Sean smirked victoriously.

"Heard you took your belongings without sparing her a long glance?" Sean laughed in mockery.

"Damn! Is that what she told you?" Jason hit the counter in fury.

"Yeah, and how you rejected her advances, she said I should warn you never to come back and beg her... But I mean why would you leave your house for her? It's silly!."

"You know she was homeless before we met and she needed shelter besides I can't take it from her it was a birthday present" Jason defended wryly. He felt torn apart by the whole incident.

"She was staying in the female hostel and she also had her family house to return to.

So who would pay the rent now? I mean since you no longer live there?" Sean persisted, he never liked Charlotte for his friend.

"I will, of course, it was a promise I made to her until she's through with her studies and gets a job. I don't mind."

Sean looked at his friend with wonder, he wanted to say a lot to Jason to tell him how stupid he sounded but he refrained reminding himself that Jason was going through a lot now and needed patience.

Jason was ever out giving and he wouldn't understand Sean's point of view unless something changes inside of him just as he did today.

Once Mason returned from his wherever he went to.

He continued ranting off about his instinct being right on the offer they requested from patoranking.

Sean sighed inwardly and ordered more drinks. While Jason drowned himself in thoughts.

Please don't forget to vote... Thanks.