I was sitting in a bus, on my way back to school when Dylan called again. I picked up and didn't hear anything from him, just his loud breathing.
"Dylan?" I called him, assuming he didn't know that I had picked up already and I was right.
"Hey man, look, I wasn't supposed to tell you but I have to. Ann's in the hospital and she's been sobbing ever since, she won't even eat something so she can take her prescribed medications. She won't even listen to these friend of hers..."
"I know, I'm on my way."
"You knew?"
"I didn't know; I just found out."
"Oh... well, hurry up, I don't wanna be here any longer, I'm not a fan of hospitals." He said lastly before ending the call.
After the call with him ended, i had time to think through all he said. Did he say he wasn't supposed to tell me? Why wasn't he? And why Is he in the hospital to begin with? Now I had to be there.
********
The cab stopped and I stepped out immediately, shoving the fare through the window for the driver and hurrying inside.
I met Lily first at the hallway leading to the entrance. I still can't believe I didn't recognize her voice over the phone, she sounded different and exceptionally rude over the phone.
"You!" She came up to me before I could go to her.
"Where's Ann?" I asked her but she looked at me angrily.
"Like you care!"
"Look, I can't do this with you right now, just let me know what ward she's in." I tried to plead with her but she didn't seem ready to listen.
"Do you think she would wanna see you?" Lily snapped at me, and almost made me give up on seeing Ann because she could be right. What if Ann didn't want to see me.
"Jerry!"I heard Dylan and looked behind me."Come on, hurry." He signaled me to come to him so I did, ignoring Lily.
I followed Dylan to Ann's ward and stopped at the door to look at her through the glass door. She was sitting up, and she was crying while a doctor spoke to her. I couldn't breathe properly after I saw her on that hospital bed, crying like that.
First, my mum and now Ann. I didn't know if to enter while the doctor was still in there with her or not but it seems like Dylan read my mind because he said:
"Just go in. I let the doctor know that I was calling you and that you could make her eat and stop crying."
"Okay," I nodded at him and made my way in slowly.
The doctor stopped talking once I walked in and both he and Ann turned their eyes to me. Ann stared at me for some seconds with her reddened, teary eyes then looked away.
I couldn't wait to be alone with her and let her know that the reason I wasn't around when she had to come to the hospital was because I wasn't in school...but then, why was she even here, in the hospital? I didn't know yet.
"Who are you, young man?" The doctor queried.
"I uhm, I'm her boyfriend," I refered to Ann and I think he knew.
"Oh. And were you also the father of the child?"
"Y-yes?" My voice was husky as I accepted that.
"Please follow me to my office so that we can talk about her condition."
"Okay."
"Your girlfriend, Miss Hillow, she was eleven weeks pregnant but unfortunately, by the time she arrived here, we couldn't save the baby."
"What?" I breathed out a word. Now, I understand why there has been a lot of past tense in his sentences since I met him.
"She has refused to eat and without eating, she can't be completely attended to medically. You have to talk with her with as much love as you can because right now, she is a bit mentally and emotionally weak, If you get what I mean..."
I drifted into thoughts after hearing that Ann was no longer carrying the baby. O my god. I just reminisced the look she gave me when I walked into her ward.
"Giving birth successfully is one thing but then, it most times leaves some women mentally drained for some days or even weeks after birth but it the case of Miss Hillow, she miscarried and that..." the doctor paused and shook his head pitifully."...that could leave her...did her parents know she was expecting?"
I swallowed and wiped off some of the beads of sweat over my forehead when the doctor's information on Ann's condition led to that question.
"Uhm..." I started to scratch my head, not knowing what to respond.
"You know what? We could talk about that later, you, me and her, when she's feeling better in every aspect. I just need you to convince her to eat something so the nurses can attend to her. Can you?"
"Yeah, I'll try." I replied and was happy to leave his office, not having to face any questions I wasn't prepared for.
I walked into Ann's ward for the second time since I arrived the hospital. She wasn't sitting up this time, she was lying on her back and still crying but silently.
"Ann?" I called to her when I was close enough. She raised her eyes to glance at me before looking away again and sniffing afterwards.
"Ann..." I made to call again.
"Where were you?" She looked at me again and I immediately wished she wasn't looking at me now. I couldn't bear to see her in the state she was.
"With my mum..." I managed to breathe out despite the lump I felt in my throat.
"Liar..."She whimpered and sniffed simultaneously.
"It's true, I...I swear it's true. I went home after I was informed that she was rushed to the hospital..." Tears were starting to form in my eyes as I spoke but I wouldn't let it fall.
"You should have at least picked your call Jerry. You should have..." She paused and sniffed."I called and called..."
"I'm sorry..."
"The doctor wouldn't tell me yet but I know, I know we've lost the baby. There was blood everywhere Jerry, there was..."
"Hey..." I went and sat by her on her bed so I could hold her and stop her from crying.
"It was everywhere Jerry, everywhere..." She wouldn't stop crying. She wouldn't even let me hold her.
"I'm sorry," I just said because I didn't know what to say at that point. She has never cried this much around me.
It continued like that for a while with Ann crying and sobbing loudly in my arms as I tried to stay strong, for her at least, she couldn't see me break down when she was broken herself. All the times my mum's illness has gotten acute and we had to rush her to the hospital, my dad had always been strong in handling the situation so I hoped that was what I was being, strong.