The drive to Chiké's home lasted about forty five minutes. Damn! I had no idea it was almost at the outskirts of town. When we pulled over, we gazed at the magnificent house in front of us, spellbound. Thirsty for more of its beauty, we rushed out of the truck to feast our eyes on a house I was certain we both had never seen in reality before, heck, even in our dreams. House? Who was I kidding? This was a small city! The kind of house that belonged to Royalty. How come Chiké never told me he lived with the Queen of England? This sure looked like a place she'd likely live in, one hundred percent. If I lived in a house like this, I would never leave its premises. I would spend the rest of my days roaming around, discovering new sights to see because there sure would be something new each day.
"Wow! Oh my lucky stars! This house sure beats my fantasy house!" Rose muttered, still in awe.
"I know, right? Its breathtaking!" I responded.
"And the fact that African Lover boy owns the place, makes him ten times hotter, don't you think?" at the mention of his nickname, I suddenly remembered the true reason we were here. Oh no!
Like a Superhero, I ran forward, heading to the door and rang the doorbell twice. Rose caught up with me, breathing heavily behind me. As we caught our breath, we waited for our call to be answered. A while later, the door opened and an elderly woman, possibly in her early fifties, walked out. She had the same skin colour as mine and there were traces of grey hair on her head.
"Can I help you?" she asked in the politest voice ever. She sounded like a nun or an immaculate being. So pure, sans blemish.
"We're looking for Chiké. Is he at home?" I tried to match her politeness but mine was far different from hers. Rather hoarse.
"Yes, he is. I'm afraid you didn't introduce yourselves earlier." she added in a very thick French accent.
"Oops, sorry! I'm Samira and this is my best friend, Rose." we shook hands with her as she reciprocated firmly. "You must be Harriet." I predicted and she looked at me in surprise.
"Indeed I am. How are you aware of that?" I sighed in bliss that she was the 'Harriet' and not someone else who was young and pretty. To be candid, I got a tad jealous when Chiké mentioned 'Harriet' had prepared his breakfast.
"We're Chiké's friends and we'd like to see him if he's around." I explained. She scrutinized us, clearly surprised that we referred to her boss as our friends. After seconds of her mental assessment, she nodded and let us in.
"He had breakfast about an hour ago and went into his room. Let me go and call him. Excuse me." she said and made a turn to leave.
"Actually, can we go with you? You see my best friend here, spoke with him about an hour ago as well and he sounded sick. We'd like to go in with you to confirm if he's all right." Rose requested and for the second time today, I was thankful she came with me.
"Oh sure. Though I believe he's fine. Probably having his siesta. Come with me." She agreed and we mirrored her footsteps to his room, a little distracted by the wonders of the living room.
As we got to his door, she knocked politely and opened it, walked into the room and ushered us in. The room was larger than my entire apartment and more glamorous than my imagination could comprehend. I had just placed my fifth step in when I screamed at the gory sight in front of us. Rose and Harriet's screams followed suit as we bulldozed over to Chiké's lifeless form at the edge of his bed. I gasped in shock as his body lay cold. There were splatters of blood on his bed, his pajamas and the fluffy rug on the floor. Quickly, I pinned my index and middle fingers to the base of his neck, searching hopefully for a pulse.
Slowly but surely, I felt his pulse.
He was still alive! Oh glory be to God!
My fighter! He was still hanging on.
"Call an ambulance, please!" I howled and the two women searched frenziedly for a phone. Harriet brought hers but her fingers wouldn't stop trembling. Therefore, Rose snatched it from her and called the emergency line for an ambulance. They promised to be around in three minutes.
At exactly five minutes, the ambulance came barreling around multitasking; examining Chiké and asking us questions at the same time. We answered as best as we could and soon, he was moved and placed in their van. Harriet went along with them in the van, representing family while Rose and I tailed behind in our truck as it sped away, its siren in full blast.
I sat unease, afraid of what next and hopeful that he was fighting.
Oh God, please save him.
**********
Shit, shit, shit. My emotions had gone haywire. Have you ever gotten so scared of the present that you'd feel no other fear existed far greater than what you felt at the moment? I attempted controlling my fright-filled emotions but when that seemed impossible, I concentrated on happy thoughts. Just anything to take me away from the troubling reality.
Once we got to the city's memorial hospital, the ambulance went straight to the emergency route while we had to figure out the right spot to park the truck at. That alone took us about ten minutes. By the time we were at the lobby, we had no signs showing where they had taken him to. We found the receptionist—a blonde, plump young lady—and asked for more information.
"Are you family?" she inquired, already typing on her computer to get some information. I searched for the words to say. Would they let us see him if we presented ourselves as just friends?
"She's his girlfriend and I'm her best friend." Rose came to the rescue. I raised my eyebrows at her. When did I become Chiké's girlfriend? She only shrugged and winked at me.
"My word! The billionaire has a girlfriend? How come the tabloids never mentioned this? Juicy!" the reception went pro-gossip style, ignoring her foremost duty. I resisted the urge to say something we'd all feel sorry about.
"Can you just tell us where he is, please?" I settled for civility. Miraculously, that did the trick. She went back to typing and relayed the needed information.
"Please tell him I'm a huge fan of his." she winked as we turned to leave.
"Let's all focus on him getting better first, all right? And please keep any news of whatever is wrong with him confidential. We don't want the tabloids misinterpreting it all, do we?" It was my turn to go all 'girlfriend of a billionaire' mode. My courteous yet firm warning put her together. She was all nods and smiles thereafter.
"Damn! You would do well for a billionaire's girlfriend." Rose complimented and we high fived. In no time, we got into the elevator, pressed the button for the fifth floor and waited, with our hands clasped together, silently praying there'd be no bad news. At the fifth floor, there was another receptionist, an elderly woman who was all serious and straight to the point. Chiké was in the ICU undergoing a major surgery, there was no update on him yet but once the doctors were done, we would be notified immediately. She directed us over to where we could sit to wait for the doctors' update. We appreciated her formality and hurriedly sought the visitors' spot.
We found the place and I immediately recognized Harriet with a stranger. They were both locked in a passionate embrace, unmindful of the world around them. They were just about to kiss when Rose and I, as though controlled by one remote, cleared out throats, signaling their attention. Like lightning they broke contact with immediate effect like teenagers caught making out by the TV on a Friday night.
"Harriet, how is he? Please tell me he's okay?" I hugged her while waiting to hear what she had to say.
"The doctors haven't said anything yet. We're waiting." she said, pointing at her forbidden lover, a move to bring him into the conversation. He got the memo and stretched forth his hands for a handshake.
"Hello ladies, I am Gerald, Chiké's Uncle." Oh wow! The Cook and the Uncle were having an affair? Wow! No wonder the shock and need to act like nothing was going on between them at the sound of our cleared throats. This was definitely a Mexican soap opera adaptation. We exchanged pleasantries and I proceeded to ask him a few questions about Chiké's health which he answered with a few words. I didn't think he liked us that much.
"Harriet mentioned you both know my nephew. May I ask, how?" Gerald asked, a little brusque but understandable. Chiké was his nephew after all.
"Oh um, we're just friends. Chiké comes to our Ice cream shop once in a while to say hi and we often hang out, that's all." I explained rather uncomfortably at his scrutiny. It felt like the Spanish Inquisition in here. Phew!
"I see. You're the one his driver mentioned Chiké goes to see almost every evening on his way back from work then?" He speculated and I blushed crimson under his intense gaze. His driver told him that? But how? I had never even met this so called driver, yet he knew so much about me.
"Well sir, as I said before, we're simply friends who enjoy each other's company and he doesn't hang out with me alone, Rose here," I turned to Rose who had remained silent, "My best friend, also hangs out with Chiké." I supplied more evidence of our platonic friendship.
"Hmmm..." he sounded unconvinced. "And he made mention of his ailment to you? Apart from us," he extended his index finger in Harriet's direction, "No one else knows, so how come he told you if 'you're simply friends'?" Hold your horses, mister! He sounded like a Papa Bear ready to pounce on me. I was about to defend myself—stating that I had found out by accident, if I hadn't seen the blood on his shirt, I guessed he never would have told me about it—when a voice quite high pitched than mine, spoke up.
"I thought the same thing." we all looked back to see a young lady, without a doubt in her late twenties, marching up to us, a brown wooly coat draped around her shoulders and the nerdiest glasses perched on her nose. She walked up to me, with a firm hand stretched out.
"Good day, I am Alexa, the Personal Assistant to Mr McAdams." my lips formed the letter O, but no sound came out. I could only shake her in return. She reached out to Chiké's uncle and placed a kiss on each side of his cheeks. She also hugged Harriet. Rose and I glanced at each other, wondering what next to do.
"I cannot thank you enough for being vigilant enough to know my boss was in such profound trouble. Thank you so much and thank God I trusted you enough to send you his home address." She hugged me, taking me by surprise. I placed both palms of my hands lamely on her, not truly knowing how to respond to the surprise display of affection.
"It was nothing. Deep in my spirit, I had the inkling that he was in a state of emergency and so, I did what I had to do." I replied.
"Thanks all the same. And thank you 'best friend',"she continued, acknowledging Rose who stood beside us, "for coming to her aid in making me see reasons why I should trust her. My boss' life was at stake." she hugged Rose as well. Unlike me, Rose was prepared for the hug and hugged her tighter.
"Were you truly serious when you said you'd call the police?" I asked apprehensively in a whisper, the only question playing on my mind.
"Yes, they're currently on the main floor of this hospital, doing a little investigation of their own. But do not worry, you're both not in any trouble." She whispered right back, understanding my fear. Phew, thank goodness!
Investigation for what though? I mulled over.
Instantaneously, a nurse walked by and we all rushed to her, almost choking out information from her.
"Sorry, I have no news from the doctors yet. It might take a while so I suggest you all sit down or find something to do in the main time." were her words before she squeezed through to continue her duties.
The whole process was longer than I thought. I exhaled and sat down with the rest.
Thirteen hours later, we were still seated on the exact same spot although, Gerald had ordered pasta and some coffee for us all, for dinner. I had just gotten off the phone with Malcolm, asking if work last night went great. He affirmed and I left my phone with Rose to speak with him. It was almost 4am the following day. I realized that by this time yesterday, Chiké and I were together in his car as he confessed his deepest secrets and fears to me. Darn! A lot could happen within twenty four hours; enough to build one's life or in our case, wreck it.
Two kids walked by, one held a flute and the other, a violin. My hands itched to get the instruments from them. Music was one of my consolations in trying times. Without thinking, I walked up to them.
"Hey guys, can I borrow one of them, possibly the violin?" I enquired with enough enthusiasm one had when talking to kids.
"Actually, we borrowed them. The receptionist over there," one kid responded, pointing at the serious, all formal receptionist we last spoke to. "lent them to us. She said the hospital has a ton of instruments visitors could use to cheer up patients." he concluded and they hurried along.
Puzzled, I gaited to the position of the receptionist, replaying what the kid had told me. She asserted the child's statement and asked if I'd like to borrow one. Woah amazing, such a thoughtful and caring hospital! I nodded and was about to ask for a violin when I remembered one of my favourite instruments in the entire world.
The ukulele.
I remembered Chiké as the weird man at the train station who sang with me—though incomprehensibly—as I played the same instrument months ago. Maybe the ukulele would cheer him up. I was just about to complete supplying my details on the form sheet containing my need to borrow the instrument and when I'd return it, when I glanced behind me to see that the doctor had arrived and was about to tell us what next. I hastily scribbled my signature, grabbed the ukulele and zoomed off to hear the doctor's report. From his bodily expression, I sensed he had not brought us bad news. I made quick exhalations five consecutive times and listened.
"I'm excited to announce that Mr McAdams is in stable condition." We hollered and hugged one another. "You all can take turns in visiting him. Please do not try to wake him up! Let him wake up of his own accord, all right? You have fifteen minutes each." he smiled and walked away.
Rose and I jumped up down, up down, in merriment.
He was in stable condition. That was good music to my ears.