When the heart knows
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
The hospital waiting room was crowded. Uche’s mom and dad were sitting side by side, the great patriarch tried as much as he could to keep the anxiety away. Charles sat holding Eva who was dabbing her eyes every once in a while in silent sob. Stanley and Chuck flagged Uche’s side as he leaned on wall as if to lend him some support. Helen sat beside Tessy and Felix, praying and trying to comfort Tessy. Amber took in the entire scene and thanked God again. Perhaps she was the only one with strong faith; somehow she believed that God wouldn’t be so cruel that he would take away her daughter from her after she had just found her.
No one felt as guilty as Uche did, he blamed himself. If he hadn’t been so selfishly caught up in his own sorrow, he wouldn’t have left her. He would have tried to love her more, find out why she was so unhappy after all she had once confessed she loved him. He should have told her countless times that he loved her too. But what did he do, sent her divorce papers and left, leaving her alone to die.
“God” he prayed, he prayed like he had never prayed before, he promised heaven and earth if the Lord would spare Nma’s life.
His mother had been watching him ever since, she knew he blamed himself. She knew he would be cursing himself for not being there for her. But it wasn’t his fault, she sighed. There was no way he could have known that this would happen. She felt she should do something to ease his pain, as a mother she felt helpless for once. At that moment she prayed with all her heart that God would spare Nma’s life not just for Nma’s sake but for her son’s too because she knew Uche would not survive her death.
“It is not your fault” she heard herself say.
“Yes it is” he answered quietly and those who knew him gasped, they know what it meant when he used that tone.
“You can’t possibly believe that” Tessy said sharply “You could not have known what evil inhabited in the heart of the woman”
“But I knew and chose to ignore it, I knew and left her, I left her mother” he said to his mom and walked away to look out from the window. “The ordeal she must have gone through alone, knowing that I wasn’t coming back”
“But you came back” Eva said, “You saved her”
“Do you call that saving” he snapped at her “She is lying down there half dead and you call that…”
“My daughter is going to pull through this, she is determined to live Uche, for you and for the ba….” she stopped, she didn’t think that was the right time to announce the new life “She loves you and doesn’t want to leave without you”
But Uche heard the statement she didn’t finish “what other thing was she determined to stay alive for” he asked her in that quiet tone that everyone feared. Amber knew there was no getting out of that.
“She took deep breath “She wanted to be the one to tell you and it pained her that she might never able to do that”
“There is still a chance she will tell you herself, I assure you” Stanley spoke “She is going to pull through you will see”
“Amber tell me right now or leave” everyone gasped but they turned to Amber, they too were curious, they wanted to know
“She is pregnant, she just found out”
There was a collective gasps
“So you see, you just have to have some faith, she wants to stay alive. This is not the time to give up if you do; you are invariable pronouncing her dead”
If Uche heard any word beyond the fact that Nma was pregnant, he didn’t show because at that time he felt very faint and he staggered a little. Rose got up from her seat just as he slipped down the wall to a sitting position; she put her hands around him to offer her maternal comfort. He held on to her, a child again.
There were tears in the eyes of everyone, though the men tried to act bold but it was a battle they lost and that was how the doctor found them. He was the Okohas family doctor and he knew what pain they were going through, his heart went out to them. Uche’s father was the first to notice him. He sat up and looked at the doctor silently asking him if all was right. But the doctor gave nothing away.
Everyone saw him then, and Uche quickly shot to his feet “Doctor, how is she?”
“She is in the recovery, she is one lucky woman, and the bullet missed her heart by inches”
There was a collective cheer
Tessy kept muttering thank God
Uche heaved a sigh of relief “And the baby?”
The whole room was quiet again
“Fared better than the mother I would say, we will move her to a private room as soon as she is up”
“May I see her now” Uche asked.
“Yes briefly, she is still unconscious”
Uche nodded “Thank you Doctor”
The doctor smiled at the young man he had seen grow up “Thank God”
While the family and friends jubilated Uche sat beside his unconscious wife, his heart went out to her, she looked so helpless.
“I will never leave you again, he vowed, I love you with all my heart” he let the tears fall for a time; he knew if she hadn’t survived, he would have died too. He held her hands and held on for dear life.
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