Chapter 4

I explained to the driver that I have someone who is dying in the car, he needs to be taken to the hospital quickly. He has lost so much blood already and the car just broke down please help us sir I am begging you.

I continued, I asked the driver if he knew if any hospital around and how long it could take for it to reach there and he replied, «there is a hospital not too far from here, I think it's some minute's drive,” I answered with a loud voice,

"What are we waiting for, let's take him there immediately"

I need help to take a dying man to the hospital and the conductor accepted to help us and said he knows a nearby hospital that is just 20minutes away.

I pleaded with him to hurry so we had to transfer the man to the new car and drove off to the hospital.

As he was driving, I could already see the brightness of the day appearing and darkness was slowly vanishing giving way to a beautiful start of a new day.

But u knew for sure that the day won't be a good one for me.

I could see us approaching the hospital and I was talking to the man getting cold on my lap. I couldn't wait for the conductor to reach the care of the hospital when I started crying out for assistance to get him out of the car.

When the nurses came out to help take him out of the car, I stood there watching how they were rescuing him from giving up the ghost.

I saw a lady coming out crying bitterly like there was no hope for her, I wonder why she was in that state but I couldn't go close to her to ask.

I got carried away with the environment of the hospital and its traumatic experiences.

As they brought a stretch to lift him I followed behind looking at him praying in my heart so that he could wake up.

The hospital was filled with so many patients, long white endless hallways.

Its smell is antiseptic, a little bitter, with undertones of artificial scent contained in soap and cleaners.

Everything I could hear was echoes and the cries of newborn babies I could hear the sounds of beeps and blips making their way around the floor.

But eventually, those bleeps and blips vanish into the background.

Also, an endless line of patients waiting for their turns to receive a consultation with their desired doctors.

When I glanced by the side, I could notice the pregnant ladies waiting for their antenatal sessions and the old people and the sick.

I was still in my thoughts and analysis when I heard a voice from behind saying, "Ma'am, are you a family member to the patient?".

I was looking at the person in confusion when I heard the person asking me the same question again,

" Ma'am, did you come with the patient?" That's when I noticed a nurse was standing in front of me.

I answered "yes" I came with the patient.

The nurse asked me again, "what is his name?".

I was completely lost I hesitated and started stammering because I find to know what to say nor what to tell them.

I mustered the courage and told the nurse that,I saw the man on my way back from work almost lifeless and I decided to help him out when I checked I noticed he didn't have anything to identify him with which made things very difficult.

I couldn't contact any of his family members nor friends because I couldn't find any address or cellphone on him.

Then the nurse told me that he is in a crucial condition because he lost a lot of blood and also there was another problem.

Immediately she said that I almost blacked out.

I was thinking all sorts of things in my head, I was feeling that the worst will happen.

I felt afraid, and I asked myself so many questions like,

"What if the man dies? what will be my explanation?".

What will I say happened to him? I don't even know his name, I don't know his address.

What if he doesn't make it out of the hospital?.

Then I yelled," why on earth is the doctor not here?".

How could he not be on during at this time of the morning, what could he be doing at his house instead of saving people's lives.

What kind of a doctor is he? call him to come here right away he has a patient who needs urgent attention.

Is he the only doctor who can take care of the patient? He will die if he's not attended to immediately.

She immediately told me to calm down that they were to get another doctor to take the patient into the operating room to perform the surgery at once.

Just calm down ma'am everything will be fine. I looked at her and asked to plug my phone on a charge which she showed me to the reception.

I instantly went there at a corner where I won't be disturbed by anyone passing through, to plug my phone to be able to get it on and call my friend and ask them to join me at the hospital, because alone, I could not endure another episode of bad news from the nurse or doctor in charge.

I was able to plug my phone on charge,

and I sat on a chair and slide into it, just so that I could lean my head backward to get some comfort.

I took out my sandals and decided to put my legs on the clean floor for refreshment.

My legs have been running all night and they needed to rest they were swollen and weary.

I could feel my feet gasping for air because they had been suffocated by the tightness of my sandals that it couldn't take any longer.

As my feet touched the clean cold floor, I felt a great relief that was priceless at that particular moment.