Madame Doris sat on a posh couch chatting with her younger brother, Osita, as they watched the TV programme 'Half of a Yellow Sun.'
"Look at that!" Osita said, pointing at the TV in awe. "That servant always finds himself in such an awkward situation," Doris said amused.
Doris' tummy was so big because she was due to give birth that month. She shifted uncomfortably, trying to see the best way to sit so she could be more comfortable, because her back was in the throes of pain. Watching TV as a form of distraction, she fiddled with her gown.
"Osy, I am very thirsty," she brandished a cup to her brother, who groaned at the interruption.
Doris just shook her head at him. "Go on," she shooed him off. He sprinted into a run.
"Just because of film, look at how he is running like an ape," she teased him.
But he ignored her.
All of a sudden, Madame Doris felt something break inside her. That was when an intense pain hit her hard.
"Oh My God!" she screamed. She could not sit anymore, but was now on the floor clutching her tummy in anguish.
Osita heard her groans and abandoned the water he went to fetch. He ran to the parlour.
"Sister... Sister... What is it?" He asked in fright.
"My... my... wa...ter... br...oke," Doris managed to say in between pains of agony.
Osita searched for her phone and called her husband, Nonso.
Immediately he picked. Osita started rambling. "Brother, sister is in labour!"
"Quick, take her to the hospital! I will be there soon," he ordered him.
Osita was as white as a sheet. He had always thought it wouldn't be him to face this type of predicament. One look at his sister showed a woman in pain. He gingerly went to her, and said, "try and get up."
"Leave me joor," as she pulled on her hair in a crazed
fashion. He suddenly had the urge to laugh. Taking a deep breath, he raised her up and placed her arm around his shoulder in order to aid her. They took agonizing movements as he collected the car key from the centre glass table.
"Breath in and out," he counselled her softly.
She glared at him in her pain. "Y...ou do..n't know what I am see..ing!" she snapped.
"Sorry, sister," he choked out.
They finally got out of the compound and hailed a red
and yellow taxi. The driver came out and assisted Osita to help Madame Doris inside the car. With speed and avoiding the traffic chaos, they got to the hospital.
The hospital was located at Muslim Avenue, Ikeja. The nurse wheeled her into the private hospital.
"I will die!" Doris shouted.
"Don't talk nonsense; you will be alright," the Nurse comforted.
Doris hit the bed in anguish, shaking her head from one side to the next. They got to the Ward and placed her on the bed. Osita went to the hospital authorities to answer some questions.
"I told you, I don't have the money. My brother is coming," he told them emphatically.
The nurse adjusted her eye glasses and looked at him through the ridge of her nose. "Money, boy, or we won't help her out," she told him point blank.
Osita gasped in disbelief. Luckily, Nonso chose that moment to come.
"Where is she? Is she OK? What of the baby?" He threw the questions at Osita.
"Brother, calm down. They said we should pay first,"
Osita said, looking in the direction of the (wicked) nurse.
Nonso frowned. He knew how much the money was, because that hospital is where his wife went for antenatal. He counted out #20,000. Here, he handed it to the nurse.
But she was typing something on her laptop. This almost drove Nonso insane.
"Are you going to stay there till my wife dies?!" He yelled at her.
His nerves where on thin ice. He did everything to maintain a semblance of control.The nurse's eyes dilated huge as she quickly ran to get the doctor to aid a spiteful Madame Doris.
Meanwhile, Doris was in pain and it was starting to show with her manners towards the nurses.
"Where is the doctor? Can't you guys behave like humans for once?" she demanded.
"I am very sorry," the petite nurse apologised.
She sighed as her hands dug into her palm. After what seemed like forever, the doctor came in.
"How do you do?"
"How does it look like I am doing?" She snapped.
The doctor was shocked. He was taken aback because he knew Doris as a gentle soul. Looking at her closely, he observed then that she was in serious discomfort.
"Be calm. We would make sure you are OK." With that, he backed out orders to the nurses as they took her to I.C.U. They were in the Ward for 48hours with no end in sight.
"We are going to do a caesarean section," the doctor told Madame Doris grimly.
"Do it," she sighed.
A nurse gave her a document to sign, which she hastily signed.
"Alright then, let's get to work," the doctor announced.
After doing the magic down there, the cry of a baby was heard.
"Here, you go," one of the nurses said after cleaning up the baby girl.
Doris held her with tear-filled eyes. "My baby," she cooed.
They took the baby from her, and left her.
Meanwhile, Nonso's hair was on end. As soon as the doctor came out, he tackled him.
"How is she? Is the baby OK?" He queried, holding the doctor at a death grip.
With a huge smile, the doctor said, "congratulations! Both mother and baby girl are fine."
Nonso was overjoyed and he started doing a happy dance. "I am so happy."
He and Osita launched into praises to Jehovah, while the doctor excused himself smiling.
Doris was on the bed when her husband came in with her brother.
"I am so glad you are OK, my love," Nonso held her tight against him, pecking her on the forehead.
Tears sprang to her eyes. "Me too," Doris retorted.
Osita couldn't help it and joined in the hug. "Me too, he too said."
Laughing, they separated. Nonso held Doris' hand to his chest.
"What do we call her?" Doris asked weakly.
"Gabriella Endurance Adugo Achortam," he beamed.
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