LOVE AND DIAMONDS (EPISODE SIX)

KAINENE

'Eww, that is so so ...' We heard Naeto say behind us. We quickly pulled apart. Jeez, I felt so embarrassed. I couldn't look up neither could I talk.

Ray turned to Naeto, 'Hey buddy, what’s up?'

'I am thirsty my daddy.'

'Here, take this.' Ray said handing Naeto a pack of fruit juice. He sat down and drank his juice.

'Nene.' I looked up slowly and saw Ray smiling at me mischievously. I bet he was having fun at my expense. I smiled instead and focused on Naeto. 'Sweetheart, are you having fun?'

'Yes I am' he said and came close and hugged me gathering his little arms at the back of my neck. I hugged him back tightly enjoying his baby scent. 'I love you Nene' he whispered to me. I laughed feeling on top of the world.

'I love you too honey.' Naeto chuckled as he tried to tickle me. We spent a little moment playing totally ignoring Ray. I could feel his gaze on us. He had a puzzled expression on his face wondering what was happening. He joined us later. We stayed there talking more with some of the people who had also come to the falls. It was late evening when we headed back home. Naeto was already asleep. We had a little talk about what happened in the afternoon and decided to try  dating  and see how far it would take us, possibly to marriage but we weren’t certain.. Ray gave me a kiss on the lips and I left the car promising to keep in touch.

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    In an uncompleted building located somewhere in Kuje, three haggard looking young men dressed in faded jeans trousers and torn t-shirts sat smoking weed and drinking alcohol. They were  notorious robbers and famous political thugs used by the political class to ruin elections.
Dr Biola was seen approaching the uncompleted building. She had been informed by her friend, Ajoke that any type of dirty work she needed to get done could be effortlessly handled by these young men. As she got closer to the uncompleted building located in an isolated area, she got a bit scared but she kept on moving till she got to the building.
‘Hello!’ She called out but got no response.

‘Hello!’

“Na who be that now?”

One of the young men whose name was Sector came out of the building smoking weed. He took a good look at Biola assessing her appearance. ‘this one looks like a good customer’he thought.

 ‘Eeh madam, na who you dey find?’ he asked.

‘Please I am looking for a guy called ‘Tarzan’. I heard he stays here and I need him to do a job for me.’

‘Oya wait here make I inform am.’ When he had gone, Biola took her time to survey her surroundings properly. There was no sign of any living creature. It was so eerie. Not long after the same guy returned and ushered her in. The young man entered and Biola followed suit. They passed through what looked like a hallway then turned left and after three rooms they turned right into a big room where they met two other men sitting, drinking and smoking. The room was quite furnished for a hideout with four plastic chairs, a bench and a table where packs of marijuana, cigarette and alcohol were deposited.

‘So madam, what can we do for you?’ the one called ‘Tarzan asked in perfect English.

‘Yes, my name is Biola and I need you to do a job for me, very clean job.’

‘You no get problem madam.’ He said, switching to pidgin.

‘But I hope say your informant yarn you say we dey charge fifty grand no matter the type of job.’ He poured some alcohol into a filthy glass cup there on the table and offered it to Biola. ‘No vex madam, na only this type we fit offer.’

Biola darted her eyes from Tarzan to the glass and back to Tarzan. She drank alcohol but she couldn’t imagine herself drinking that. ‘Quite disgusting’ she thought. Adjusting herself on the bench she was sitting, she replied ‘No thank you, can we go straight to business?’ She wanted to leave the place as soon as possible.
‘Okay.’
Biola gave them the assignment along with some pictures. They discussed the total payment, the instruments needed for the operation and the time.
‘I need this job done within the next two weeks and please do not disappoint me.’ Biola said opening her Prada designers’ handbag. She counted fifty thousand Naira and handed over to Drew, the third man who counted the money and confirmed it was complete.
‘We have done so many jobs and we have not failed or been caught. Be rest assured we fit handle am. Na small matter now madam.’
‘I guess we are done here.’ She said as she stood up adjusting her dress. Tarzan brought forth his hand for a handshake. Biola looked at the outstretched hand, ignored it and put on her sunglasses .She looked at the three men and smiled, ‘Good day gentlemen’ she said and quietly exited the building.

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KAINENE

I woke up that morning to a text message alert on my phone. I picked the phone from the bedside table and clicked on the message button. It was a message from Ray.
‘Morning love, how was your night. I hope you dreamt of Shrek?
Well if you didn’t ... I don’t know what else to write.
Have a nice day dear. Don’t forget our date tonight. I love you xoxo.’
I smiled and sent a reply. I stretched my body and stood up from the bed and went about my usual morning routine. One hour and thirty-five minutes later, I was ready and dressed for work. I didn’t bother waking the girls up because it was a Saturday morning and they don’t usually work on weekends. I did not feel like having breakfast. I made my way to the front door and left for the hospital.
I entered the hospital to resume work when I noticed that I had gotten quite a lot of stares that morning from the gatemen to the nurses and even some of my colleagues. I walked up to the reception and greeted Kiki.

‘Good morning Kiki, how are you?’

‘Fine Doc.’

‘Did you check the charts today?’

‘Yes I did doc, you have just one surgery by 12:30pm.’ She replied quietly pretending to look down at the book in front of her. ‘What could be wrong this morning? Why was everyone looking at me like I had horns on my head? Hmm’ I sighed. ‘Thank you Kiki.’ I said and walked towards my cubicle.
One hour later, I was done with the paperwork on my table, I grabbed my coat and left my cubicle moving towards the children’s ward for the morning ward rounds. I could feel the eyes of the nurses and people staring at me as I made my way into the ward. I went from bed to bed meeting the children. I talked and played with them asking them some questions. We were about rounding up when I noticed someone was missing, Fatai, a little boy of two years suffering from hernia. I turned to the nurse and asked where is Fatai?’

‘He died this morning doctor.’

‘No! No! It’s not possible. He was fine yesterday after the surgery.’ I said in shock. I was going to sign his discharge papers this morning.

‘Yes doctor, he was fine yesterday. From what was reported, I gathered that the nurse on night duty found him shaking so violently on his bed. All her efforts to calm him down was futile until she managed to take is blood sample to the lab and the result showed that he was injected with an overdose of morphine. He died some hours later. I think it was around 4:24 a.m.”

‘But I didn’t even prescribe that. I know I specifically told the nurse not to administer any drug to him unless according to my prescription.’

‘Nobody knows how the drug found its way into the boy’s body system. The nurse on night duty said she had given the children their medication by 8:00p.m. Also, the boy’s family had come to the hospital and threatened to sue the hospital on grounds of incompetence and negligence.’

‘Oh no! That’s not possible. I have to see chief and talk to him about this.’

 As I turned to finish up the round and proceed to chief’s office, there was another child shaking and convulsing violently on the bed. We tried to calm him down but to no avail. After some minutes of struggling, the little boy went limp in my arms. Time of death: 9:47 a.m.
I felt cold shivers run through my body. I wanted the ground to just open up and swallow me. I knew I had to be strong  to be in this profession but it was so hard. I was supposed to help save lives and here I was  losing two patients in six hours. I gave the nurse some instructions and dragged myself to my cubicle. There, in the privacy of my cubicle, I pulled off my coat and shoes, sat on the chair, lowered my face on the table and cried. I cried for the two children who were once the apple of their parents’ eyes. I cried for the parents of these children. I cried for myself and my parents. I cried and cried. When the tears stopped coming, I took the Kleenex from my bag and wiped my face. I looked at my wristwatch and it was almost time for the surgery. I straightened my clothes and went to the OR to get ready. When I left the OR some hours later, my phone beeped. It was a message from chief asking me to report to his Office immediately I was through in the OR. When I entered chief’s office, he was on the phone talking to somebody. He signalled me to take a seat and I did. I took the seat on the left admiring the latest picture of chief and his wife with their children and grandchildren placed on the table. Some minutes later, he ended the call and turned to me.

‘Kainene, I got some disturbing news from the ward this morning about the death of two children in your care as a result of overdose of morphine found in their blood stream. One was supposed to be discharged this morning and the other boy was to go in for surgery this morning. I have known you to be very careful in handling your patients and this came as a shock to me. What do you have to say about this?’

‘Honestly chief, I don’t have anything to say about this. It is equally a shock to me because the second child  died in my arms and I couldn’t  do anything to prevent it.’

‘The parents of Fatai came to the hospital to pick his dead body and they threatened to sue the hospital. Shortly after that, some members of the hospital board came to my office insisting that I do something about it because it happened in my department. Investigations have started and they requested that the doctor in charge be given a query and her work transferred to another doctor. I suggest you handover your work to Dr Biola for now.

‘No problem chief. I will do just that before I leave. I will get to the root of this. I will find out who did this.’

‘I know you will but please be very careful. It is obvious the person involved in this is aiming to tarnish your reputation. Ever since I put up your name as the person to succeed me when I retire, I have gotten quite a number of letters advising me to drop your name and put somebody with better experience. I know it’s my hospital but I can’t really vouch for the behaviour of some of the staff that works for me. I am assuring you of my trust, you have nothing to fear.”

‘Okay sir. Am I still allowed to come to the hospital?’ I asked because it seems that this matter is going to be on for a long time.

‘Of course you are my dear until the board concludes their investigation.’

‘Thank you chief.’ I said and left his office. After handing over my work to Dr Biola, I left the hospital and drove straight home. I was
about leaving my car when my phone rang. It was from an unknown caller. ‘Hello.’ I spoke into the phone.

‘I am sorry Nene.’ The voice at the other end said. Who could be apologizing to me, I thought.

‘Who is this?’

‘It is Chris, your brother.’

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