CHAPTER TWELVE
"Hey dear" Johnson said, when he saw Ella heading towards her department.
"Good morning" Ella replied, "if you are looking Nelly, she is not in our lodge she travelled home, her mother is sick" she concluded
"Ok when is she coming back"? he asked
"Sincerely, I don't know" Ella said, and they both said their good byes and went their separate ways.
Ella got home and changed into her home wear and then decided to cook noodles for herself, after whom she had a warm bath, picked up a novel and started reading although she wasn't interested in the novel, she had just picked it up only to keep herself busy because her phone was dead.
She had just read three pages on the novel when she heard a knock on the door. She wasn't keen at opening the door at first but when the knock persisted she shrugged and opened the door but she met the most unexpected visitor;
"Ray Peterson" she said out of surprise
"Hi, can I come in" Ray said
"Of course" Ella said with a smirk on her face. She was very thrilled to see him because she had been secretly admiring him although she knew the visit wasn't for her but for Nelly, but she didn't bother telling him that Nelly wasn't around because she wanted to spend some minutes with him.
"Umm where is your friend" he asked making himself comfortable in a chair beside a table which happened to be their study chair.
"She travelled home" she replied while going back to her former position on the bed.
"Why, she is not the type that blanks school" he said looking worried
"Her mom's sick" she finally said
"She was rushed to the hospital" She added
"Seriously" he screamed as he rushed up
"Which hospital is that" he asked
"I don't know, but she said something about Parklane hospital but I'm not sure oo" she added". "Wait, why do you ask me that, do you want to go there"? she asked with concern.
"Yes I'm leaving right away" he said in a hurry, Ella got really angry about it, she was very glad that he showed up and now he wants to ruin everything by mentioning Nelly, and even wanting to go to the hospital to see her mother.
"What about me" she said out loud without even realizing it
"What about you"? Ray asked looking genuinely confused, that was when Ella got to her senses and quickly added
"Are you going to leave without me?"
"Oh", he said and scoffed
"I never knew you were going, come on get dressed lets go, I will be waiting in the car" he said and went out.
Ella quickly dressed up making sure she looked her best, just to impress Ray. She was bent on making him fall for her. She picked up her purse, unzipped it, to make sure that she had a little money with her, which is normally called "fuck up fee". Just in case he bails out on her.
Just then, she heard the hooting of the horn, she knew it was for her.
"What are you doing, it's already getting late" Ray shouted from outside. "I'm almost through, I'd be out in a jiffy" she said as she wore her sweet smelling perfume.
She came out looking well dressed, they both entered Ray's car and zoomed off to Enugu town. They had their moment in the car, discussing and chatting, then, they made a stop in Abakpa market to buy some stuff for Nelly's mother. They got to a point that they started arguing on what to buy for her, they ended of buying lots of fruits and beverages for her and then, continued their journey, when they got to the hospital, they met up with a nurse on duty who barely had time for them but they had had managed to get the information they needed from her. They found Mrs. Ikeche sleeping peacefully on the bed; although her face was quite pale she still looked beautiful.
Ray kept on staring at her; the woman laying there is the older version of Nelly. "Wow Nelly really looks like her mother" he said.
"yea" Ella replied.
"But why is she in the public room, she should be transferred to a private room for proper treatment, I'm going to see the nurse, in charge of her". He said and went out, while Ella sat on a seat beside her bed.
"He is so caring" she said , "I'm going to have him all to myself, so that when my mother gets sick she would be treated like Queen Elizabeth the second" she added. Soon a female nurse came in with two other male nurses who helped to carry Mrs. Ikeche to another bed while they moved her to the VIP room.
"Dad, I told you that mom is in the hospital and the hospital needs money to start some treatments on her and you are telling me you've got no money" Nelly shouted at her father out of anger.
"I know, I heard what you said but you see, I have no money, I haven't cleared your brother's school fees. Now the seminary is threatening to throw him out if he doesn't pay up, the two of your elder sisters still needs money, you need money, your siblings in secondary school needs money, and what am I to do? Am I to kill myself?" Her father fired back.
"Forget about school, mom's Bp is at the peak, the doctor said if it's not carefully treated it might cause paralysis" she said almost breaking down in tears but her father wasn't moved. He stood his ground and then she carried the food she prepared for her mom and made to leave then she heard her father's voice
"When are you going back to school, you are missing your classes" he said.
"Seriously Dad, is that the only thing you care about" she said while backing her father.
"I' staying here until mom is okay and I'm going to borrow money from people just to treat mom, because you, Mr. Ikeche has failed in your responsibility as a husband to my mom" she added and left without turning back.
She got to the hospital and she couldn't find her mom at her ward, fear gripped her immediately, she didn't want to think otherwise. She knew she had to ask the nurse in charge of her mom
"Excuse me good evening ma. Please I'm looking for my mother Mrs. Ikeche I left her here in the afternoon but now I cannot find her" she said with fear.
"Oh Mrs. Ikeche, your brother transferred her to a private room, a VIP room to be specific". She said with a smile.
"My brother? Please bring her back here my brother is just crazy, we can't afford to pay for the VIP room". She called with a pleading tone
"No I can't take you but I can direct you, or better still, sit here let me call your brother on phone, I've got a lot of works on my desk, I can't leave now" the nurse said
"Ok ma" Nelly said with a sigh of resignation.
Immediately the nurse made a call to whoever her so called brother was. Nelly stood there waiting for her unknown brother to come just then she saw a very familiar face and she walked forward, her face full of surprise and confusion
"Ray?" She said
"Hello sis" he said making Nelly more confused
"Come on, don't keep mummy waiting" he added while he dragged her along with a naughty smirk on his face. Nelly allowed herself to be dragged because she was still confused when she got herself, she made to a stop.
"Hey hey hold on, firstly what are you doing here, secondly where are you dragging me to." She asked
"Cool down princess, it's not as if I'm dragging you to hell fire, we are going to see our mother"
"Our mother" she asked minimizing her visual
"Yes and I transferred her to a private room" he said
"Ok, ok I need to see her now, please hurry" Nelly said, and they moved to VIP room, Nelly in her entire life never imagined any of her family members being in a VIP room whether hospital or anywhere.
This Ray guy must be stinking rich, she thought to herself. He pushed the door open, Nelly entered and met her mom sleeping peacefully, and she adjusted the bed spread over her and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"Ella, you are here" Nelly said after attending to her mother.
Ella got up and hugged her.
"It's going to be fine" she said
"Thanks Ella" Nelly said as they disengaged their hug and Nelly sat next to her.
"So princess, what is wrong with your mom" Ray asked
"Princess!" Ella she exclaimed
"You call her princess?" she asked again.
"My dear ask him oo" Nelly said
"My mom's blood pressure is at its critical stage, the doctor said that if care is not observed, it could result to paralysis" Nelly said with her face down "That's great news" Ray said "The doctors should take charge," he said "That is the problem Ray, she needs intensive care for like two months before she is better and that would cost up to five hundred thousand naira,, we haven't even paid for the bed, all the treatments she is receiving now, we haven't paid for it, I'm really confused right now, I don't know what to do" Nelly said as a drop of tear fell from her eyes.
Ray made a move to hug her, Ella who noticed what was about to happen made a move and hugged Nelly first so as to prevent Ray from hugging her.
Ray who saw what had happened thought that it was because of their strong affection as friends, but he wasn't aware that she has hots for him.
"Umm princess, how about I clear up the bills for you" Ray said, staring deeply into Nelly's eyes as Ella broke the hug, no way, she couldn't let that happen
"No Ray dear, forget it, I'm going to be responsible for that, I'll clear up the bill" Ella said.
"Relax Queen" Ray said, "I'll do it" Ray said.
Ella wanted to argue further but she was lost in the delusion of the pet name Ray just called her.
Nelly who couldn't contain her happiness rushed and gave Ray a very warm hug which she quickly broke away from. Immediately Nelly's phone rang, she picked up the call and when she was through with the conversation over the phone she went to her mother and gave her yet another kiss on the forehead.