The Victoria Island Consultancy Hospital's lobby was quiet and calm when Chisom walked in. She had reasoned that if Chief Amadi was in a hospital, this was the right one. She had called his number repeatedly while she drove out of the church premises but he didn't pick, no one answered. She called the anonymous number that called her and there wasn't any response either but she was sure the voice she heard was Ekene's voice and the 'dad' she mentioned was Chief Amadi and if something had happened to him, he must be in this very hospitable because she had heard him mentioned the hospital as the family's hospital and had even heard him speaking on the phone once with a 'Dr. Effiong'. So she drove straight to this hospital using google map for directions.
She walked to the desk and luckily, there was an attendant. She made an inquiry and it was confirmed that certainly, Chief Amadi was rushed into the hospital with the hospital's ambulance. She was told that Chief Amadi was in the emergency room and she couldn't see him yet so she had to wait at the lobby for the doctor who was still attending to him. She took her seat and began to wait for what seemed to be an eternity.
********
"What did you say happened to your father?" Ngozi asked. She was on her favourite seat in the dinning hall at the Amadi mansion, eyeing Ekene impatiently.
"He slumped!" Ekene muttered. She was standing and folding her arms across her chest like a frightened little girl.
"Slumped where? When?" Ngozi demanded.
"In..... at ....in ....." Ekene was really panicking and couldn't speak out.
Ngozi completely loosing her patience yelled, "Where did your father slump Ekene? I don't have time for your prangs this evening!"
Obinna in his own seat, stared at Ekene curiously.
Ekene held her chest tighter in an effort to summon courage. She answered, "He fell in the hotel room....when he..."
Ngozi in confusion cut in, "What hotel room?"
"I was....was with a friend, ....a white man in his hotel room. Dad came to see him....it s dad's business partner ..."
She paused and Ngozi yelled, "And what happened?"
"I came out of the bathroom and dad saw me...that's how he fell to the ground and fainted." She finished and held her head.
Ngozi and Obinna glared at her in shock. Nobody said a word for a few minutes.
Obinna recovered first. He roared in laughter. "Wait, wait, wait! Are you saying that dad caught you fucking his oyibo business partner? Congratulations miss hot pants! You 've killed the old man!" He hailed.
"Shut up Obinna!" Ngozi yelled at him, "She didn't say anything about your father dying!" She rubbed her forehead and faced Ekene, "So where's he now?"
"In the hospital! I called the hospital and they came with the ambulance to take him!" She said and began to sob.
"So why didn't you call me?" Ngozi queried.
"I did but you didn't pick your call! I called home and Adamu answered and said you weren't home, then I called Chisom!" She replied.
"You did what?" Ngozi asked flaring up, "How could you?" She stood up and moved closer to Ekene. "Why would you call that witch? Are you insane?"
"I...I ... didn't know what else to do. I was confused! The health workers demanded that I call someone and you weren't picking your calls. So I found her number on dad's phone and called her!" She cried.
Ngozi glared at her for a long while and gradually calmed down. Obinna appeared indifferent.
"You've done it this time, you and white men! I don't know what's with you and white men." Ngozi scolded, "Just pray nothing happens to your father!" She added.
Obinna glanced at Ngozi and chirped in, "She should rather pray he doesn't survive..how's she going to explain what she was doing with the white man in his hotel room?" Ngozi and Ekene glared at Obinna in disbelief. "I know what I'm saying!" He stared back at both women, "Dad will never forgive her if he comes back alife!" He added and looked away.
Ngozi stared at him thoughtfully for a while, she went back to sit down.
"Let's pray he doesn't die for now Obi! We need him alive for now!" She frowned and pointed at Ekene, "Sit down my friend and stop acting like a scary cat!" Ekene obeyed. "We will have dinner, after that I will go to the hospital and check on him!"
She asked Obinna to summon the cook.
*********
Dr Effiong in his lab coat, walked out of the emergency room and saw Chisom sitting pensively at the lobby. He went to her and greeted, "Hello Miss Nwachukwu!"
Chisom jumped out of her seat and greeted back, "Hello Doc! Good evening!
Please, how is Chief?"
"He's one lucky man! He's alive!" He responded outrightly.
"Ah!" Chisom heaved a sigh of relief.
"What happened to him please? Why was he brought in here?"
"He suffered a heart attack!" Dr Effiong answered solemnly, "He has made some complaints recently and I asked him to take a break from work and come for a check up but unfortunately he didn't listen to me! Your father is a stubborn man!"
"How bad is it please?" Chisom asked, terrified.
"He will be fine! He has pulled through but he needs lots of rest and should take his medications seriously! Please talk to him! Another attack like this one will be very fatal!" Dr Effiong demanded.
Chisom nods her head eagerly, "I definitely will talk to him and make sure he does what you say! Can I see him now?" She asked.
"They are moving him into a private ward with an ICU. A nurse will come and fetch you once he's settled in." He patted her shoulder, "Let me run along to check on another patient! I will see you later!" He smiled at her and walked away.
Chisom rubbed her temple trying to relax. She paced around and after some minutes, a nurse came to fetch her. He took her to a private ward with its special Intensive Care Unit. Chief Amadi lay on the bed with an IV line on his left arm and a bedside cardiac monitor attached to his right arm, sleeping peacefully.
The male nurse told her that he was sedated and shouldn't be disturbed. He left the room while Chisom peered at Chief Amadi's face with worry. She sat on the bed next to Chief Amadi and studied him.
Chisom was sitting on a coach in a sitting room adjoining the ICU where she had a clear view of Chief Amadi's bed reading a novel when Ngozi came in. Both women ignored one another.
"Amadi! Amadi!!" Ngozi called out approaching her husband.
"He's sedated so he could rest well! He's not to be disturbed!" Chisom said coldly.
Ngozi didn't respond. She watched Chief Amadi for a while and turned to Chisom and said, "Tell him I was here!" She left the room. Chisom stared at the door after she was gone, for a while as if making sure she was really gone. She went back to her novel.
Two hours passed, Chief Amadi was still sleeping and Chisom was still reading. She straightened up, observed Chief Amadi for a minute then she left the ward. She placed a call to her uncle in the walkway leading to the private ward. She talked with Chike for about thirty minutes before going back to Chief Amadi's side.
It was about four- thirty am next morning that Chief Amadi opened his eyes and saw Chisom sleeping on the couch with the novel on her chest. He stirred quietly in order not to wake her up but she still woke up all the same. He smiled at her and muttered, "I must be the luckiest man on earth to have an angel like you watch over me while I slept!"
Chisom straightened up and went to him, "You are up sir? How do you feel now?" She asked with concern written all over her.
"Good!" He said, "How long have I been here?"
"You were rushed in here by five pm yesterday evening because you suffered a heart attack! You were sedated after an emergency procedure on you and you have been sleeping since then! It's now four-thirty in the morning! Your doctor demanded that you have to rest!" She announced, sitting close to him.
"And you have been here since then?" Chief Amadi inquired.
"Yes! I came in some minutes after you were brought in! Ekene called me!"
Chief Amadi was silent. He stared at the roof. "You are to rest well here! You are to stay off stress sir! You are to take a break from work! You need a vacation and I'm here to ensure you do all these! I promised Dr Effiong."
Chief Amadi turned to face her. He smiled at her and muttered, "I will surely comply! Who am I to refuse an angel?" Chisom rolled her eyes. "Thank you for staying by my side!" Amadi continued, Thank you for keeping guard over me! You are my sunshine and a breath of fresh air! If I die now, I will die a happy man!"
Chisom frowned at the sound of the last statement. She scolded, "Please don't say that again! I can't stand another death so soon after my mother's!"
"I'm sorry! I won't die..... how can I die so soon after reuniting with my princess? Ha!" He tried to sit up a bit. Chisom went to adjust the pillow for him. "I have to live as long as possible so I can catch up with the lost moments with you...every one of them." He took her hand, "I was such a fool to have abandoned you at birth, my angel! I threw away the best gift from God for the deceitful one from the devil!" He frowned and looked very sad!
"Chisom hushed him, "Don't be like this sir! This is not the time to lament over the past! You have to be resting. I will...."
"When would you forgive me completely and accept me as your father?" He looked at her face asking, "When would you ever call me father or Dad?"
Chisom stared at him pitifully. She was lost for words! Calling him father had never come natural to her, not because she hadn't forgiven him nor because she still harboured any resentment but because she wasn't used to saying that term 'father'. She was still trying to grasp the idea of having a father when for twenty nine years of her life, that image was non-existent and she didn't miss a thing about it. Having a father was something new for her which she was gradually getting accustomed to but using that term, 'father' was something else altogether.
"I will try!" She found herself saying. She used her other hand to hold his hand that was holding hers. "I have forgiven you completely father! I harbour no bad feelings against you! I will get used to calling you father....it will take some time but I promise to try!" She smiled at him. "You have to rest now, you have talked enough!" He smiled back. "Do you need anything?" She asked, "Should I get you something? Let me call Dr. Effiong to inform him you are up as he instructed first!" She got up and searched for her phone.
By eight am Chisom was on the phone making phone calls away from Chief Amadi's private ward so he could sleep without disturbance. Dr. Effiong had come to examine Chief Amadi before he was put to sleep again. Chisom called her uncle Chike to let him know that her father was out of danger. Then she called Amadi's Holdings, she talked to her father's secretary, the HR, Mr Dayo and James who was Chief Amadi's lawyer and Personal Assistant. She told them Chief Amadi needed to rest so wouldn't be in the office for a few days. Work should proceed as normal but she didn't say anything about his ill health.
She later had a detailed discussion with Dr. Effiong in his office about Chief Amadi's health. He related to her on his battle with high blood pressure and diabetes and the new management plan he was prescribing for him in order to prevent another heart attack and prolong his life. Chisom was very concerned and cooperative. She promised to do her best to help!
By ten am, Ngozi was at the hospital again to see Chief Amadi but there was an outstanding order not to let her into the private ward. Chief Amadi had asked his doctor and friend Mr Effiong to do his best to stop Ngozi, his wife and her two children from visiting him at the hospital. He didn't specify his reason but the order was carried out.
Ngozi was enraged at the hospital's lobby when she was told that Chief Amadi was not allowed to receive any visitors for the time being due to his health. She threw her tantrums knowing fully well that Chisom was still in the hospital, at Chief's Amadi's side. Why would she, the wife, not be allowed in? Eventually, when she didn't receive any attention after making noises at the lobby, she left.