The medical staffs of Ekpan General Hospital were in a state of confusion, trying to get everything in order after receiving a call.
"The local government chairman was shot about twenty minutes ago, we are close by and he has a very faint pulse". The caller said to the head doctor of the hospital.
The moment the caller hung up Mr. Rogers Akpede the head of the hospital called his medical staffs to action. Urging them to get everything in order.
An ambulance drove into the hospital. The nurses rushed the bleeding man on a stretcher into the surgical room in the emergency ward of the hospital.
Rebecca seated quietly on a bench in the waiting room with teary eyes. She cuddled her mother, Helen, Who had been crying for a very long time now.
After a very long time of waiting anxiously, a middle aged man in his late forties putting on lab coat, surgical mask and a pair of gloves approached them.
"Good evening Mrs. Okpako." The medical personnel greeted "I am Dr. Ajibade, the surgeon in charge of your husband, I am here to inform you that He is in stable condition right now and we are doing our best to save him". The doctor said to Helen and walked towards the police officers standing by the door of the waiting room.
Rebecca dried the tears in her eyes and said to her mother with a happy face. "Mommy you heard the doctor, dad is going to be fine, wipe your tears. I think you should go home and freshen up, cook something for dad and bring him some new clothes while I stay here and wait for daddy to wake up".
Helen whose eyes were swollen due to the hours of crying and wailing she had just undergone.
"Alright, I won't stay for long. Call me when he wakes up." Helen agreed to her daughter's request reluctantly.
Helen walked out of the hospital premises and boarded a tricycle home. She was looking so sad and depressed. She didn't want to lose her husband so early.
Rebecca seated at the waiting room, shivering, tears streamed down her eyes endlessly. She had been sobbing for long time.
Minutes after her mother left a nurse came to her to announce the death of her father.
"Miss Okpako, I'm very sorry to announce to you that your father is dead. Would you like to see the corpse before we take it to the morgue awaiting burial?". The nurse asked Rebecca politely.
Rebecca stood still devastated. She wished the ground opens and swallow her. She Remembered how her mom cried for hours when they discovered his body lying unconscious on his study table.
How was she going to break the news to her mother. That that thought kept running through her mind.
"yes please". Rebecca said with teary eyes. She had to stay strong in order for her to be able to console her mother who just lost the love of her life.
The nurse led Rebecca to the surgical lab. She entered and saw a corpse covered with a piece of white cloth, lying lifelessly on the table.
Rebecca felt her knees weakened seeing her father's corpse. But she held her tears back. She had to be strong enough to hold her mother when she breaks.
Rebecca walked over to the lifeless body lying on the table and closed it's eyes. "Bye Bye daddy." She murmured under her breath and turned around to leave.
The nurses wrapped the body with a white cloth and rolled it out of the ward to the morgue.
Rebecca walked back to where she was sitting and continued waiting for her mom. She walked round the room for some minutes contemplating on how to break the news to her mother.
She heard her phone beep and rushed to her bag to get her phone. Rebecca's face stiffened.
"Kiel...??." Rebecca didn't expect Kiel to text her all of a sudden.
"Pearl hotel, top floor, room 6, 11pm, wear that jacket I like." Was the message he sent.
Rebecca looked at her time and it was already 9:35pm. She called her mom trying to convinced her to stay at home for the night.
"Mom it's already late, why don't you stay at home and rest before coming over to the hospital in the morning." Rebecca tried to convinced Helen.
"Akpevwe." Helen called Rebecca by are middle name. " How do you expect me to be able to sleep knowing my husband is lying in an hospital bed unconscious."
"Ehn… Akpevwe answer me." Helen urged crying and sobbing over phone.
"Mummy please calm down." Rebecca pleaded. "See why I said you to stay at home for the night? You are stressed out from crying all evening. What if you break down in the process? Mom you need to rest. Please stay at home and rest. You can come over in the morning. Ok?"
When Helen realized Rebecca was making sense and she had already lost in the argument, She reluctantly agreed saying. "Ok, I will stay for the night. But promise to call me if anything comes up."
"I will." Rebecca said through gritted teeth and ended the call.
A nurse came over with a parcel. She walked towards Rebecca and gave her the package.
Rebecca collected the package, opened it and found a pack of sliced fruits with a note placed on top of it. "EAT WELL" was written on the note. She saw a spa ticket and a jacket. Rebecca smiled opened the pack of fruits ate everything. Her phone beeped again.
"Your pick up is here." Was the message she received.
Rebecca got up from where she was seating. She put on the jacket, packed her belongings and walked out of the hospital.
Rebecca walked towards the bike parked at the front of the hospital. She hoped on the bike and collected an helmet from the rider. She wore the helmet and signaled the rider that she was ready and the bike rider accelerated into the streets.