Chapter 4 Advances

Akudo sat in the pavement of her house as she wasn't on duty until later that evening. She had taken the opportunity to make three different soups Oha, Olubu and Egusi; and a bowl of tomato stew to take her through the week since she might not be free during the day after today.

Her friends, Zainab and Chigozie had called earlier to know if she was going to be home because they hadn't met in weeks as a result of Akudo's job.

Zainab was lecturer in the Federal university of agriculture, Umudike while Chigozie runs an adult school and also has partnership with the NGO.

Soon, there was a very loud honk right in front of her gate and her gate man, peeped to see who it was before running towards where she sat.

Upon reaching her, he said, "Madam, Aunty Zainab don come." and Akudo nodded.

"Chukwudi," She called him,"Zainab has come." She corrected his speech and even had to remove the 'aunty' he addressed Zainab with. Not because he was quite older than Zainab but because Zainab hated it.

"How many times do I have to remind you before you stop speaking Pidgin language in my house?" She asked. He was going to reply but the car honk made him run back to the gate.

She had always asked him to speak proper English or his native dialect but it seems he was comfortable speaking the language and has even succeeded in infecting her driver with it.

After the gates were opened, Zainab drove in, in her dark blue 504; similar car to that of Akudo.

"Aku Akụ," Zainab hailed her as she got close and Akudo quickly got up from her seat to welcome her. When they were few inches away, she stretched her hands and embraced her.

"Long time no see." Zainab said while taking a seat in front of Akudo. "How have you been?" She asked, placing her hand bag on the table.

"My dear, I've been fine. I thought you were going to come with Chigozie." Akudo asked, noticing that she was alone.

"No, but she would be here before you know it. You know how busy she can be." Zainab teased which made Akudo laugh. It wasn't a lie what Zainab had said because even Akudo had no objections about it and even when they try to talk to Chigozie about how she invests too much time in her work and zero time for herself, she waves it off with excuses about being hardworking.

"I got your letter the other day, ah Tayo has a lot of nerve bringing his wife to that hospital especially when he knows you work there." Zainab stated, getting annoyed.

Akudo sighed,"I don't even want to talk about it. What can I offer you?" She said and got up from her seat to avoid the discussion and Zainab followed her immediately, grabbing her bag as she went.

Her sitting room was huge and a stepdown. Zainab left her bag on the couch and walked straight to the kitchen where the food was.

"I'm making garri to eat with the egusi soup." Zainab said and without waiting for a response, she responded "Thank you," before collecting the kettle from the stove and filling it with water while Akudo watched her.

Akudo gave both Zainab and Chigozie the liberty to use her things as if they were theirs and if one wasn't careful enough, they'd think they were siblings.

"Make enough for three of us since Chigozie would be he-"

"Aku Aku." A soft feminine voice called which caught both ladies attention.

"Chigozie," Zainab said smiling,"I thought you were not going to come any more."

"Why won't she?" Akudo asked, smiling at her.

"I could have been here a long time ago had it not been for an old class mate of mine whom I ran into on my way here." Chigozie explained as Zainab began to make the garri while Akudo brought out the egusi soup from the freezer.

"I wonder how women take marriage as an achievement these days and use every little opportunity they get to rub it in the face of we singles." Chigozie lamented before walking to the sink to rinse the plates on which the food would be dished.

"I second to that." Akudo said, raising one of her hand in the air for a few minutes before taking it down to continue with what she was doing.

"Can you believe that I ran into this lady after how many years and after exchanging pleasantries, I started telling her about the certificates I've gotten and where I've gotten to now. After I was done, guess what she said?"

"What?" Zainab asked as she poured more of the white powdery substance into the hot water.

Chigozie chuckled lightly,"She raised her left hand to my face and wiggled it in front of me, then she said 'look at me, I'm married.'"

Akudo couldn't hold back her laughter neither could Zainab.

A loud noise filled the room as Akudo's telephone began to ring and she immediately left the kitchen to where the telephone hung on the wall and pressing a button on it, she held the telephone to her ear and spoke into it.

She couldn't go far from the phone because of the coily wire which connects it.

"Hello Sir," she said politely into the phone and her friends became quiet but the voice that came up on the phone was that of Dr. Ikedi.

"Can you come earlier to the hospital?" He asked her over the phone and she became silent for a while, thinking whether or not she can.

"Why? Is there a problem?" She asked him while taking the soup spoon from the rack with her right hand and dipping it into the already frozen soup.

"There is an issue in the hospital which I would like you to address." He informed her,"I'd appreciate it if you could come now." He pleaded and she dragged in air.

"You know I'm supposed to be on night shift today?" She asked him "Is it so urgent?"

"Yes. if you can come now, you'd not have to be on the shift any longer." He offered and a smile crept up her face. She felt a sense of relief, knowing just how strenuous her job could be on certain days. If this was an opportunity to stay back, she definitely would.

"Alright. I'll be there soon." She said and ended the call before placing it back in it's holder.

She then turned around to face her friends who were eagerly waiting for her to tell them where she was leaving them to.

"Dr. Ikedi just called an-"

"Such a fine man." Chigozie said in awe while wiggling her eyebrows at her.

Akudo rolled her eyes at her friends gesture, before continuing what she was saying, "and he asked that I come to the hospital right now." She informed them.

Zainab shook her head in dismay,"But today is our ladies day. We haven't seen each other in weeks and now we mak-"

"Wait. I'll be back before you know it. He promised I wouldn't have to work today once I'm done with whatever he's calling me for." Akudo explained "Don't leave until I'm back." She pleaded before hurrying to her room to get her uniform.

_

"It's nice you could come." Dr. Ikedi said to Akudo the moment she entered into his office.

Akudo smiled but remained standing in his office. She wanted him to tell her why he called her as fast as possible so she could go home to her friends.

"I need you to go to the Post natal ward and speak to the woman whom we delivered of twin girls." He said to her but Akudo wondered what for, then he said, "Her husband has refused to pay her bill seeing that she has given birth to more females, making it a total of eight girls." He informed her which surprised her.

"Why would he do that? Medically, It's actually his fault she didn't bare him a male child." Akudo said visibly annoyed."I'll be right back." She said and the moment he approved, she stormed out of his office and took the left hall which led to the Post natal ward.

She wasn't annoyed at the fact that the man had left his wife, she was annoyed that he had to hurt the innocent children as well. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind.

Upon getting there, she opened the door and found the woman shedding tears while breastfeeding one the twins as the other one was sleeping peacefully in the cradle next to her bed. It was just her and her babies in the room.

Akudo took a moment to behold the beautiful sight and felt like going down in tears. The level of energy she had in her when she stepped into the ward was no longer there but had been replaced by a sudden happy-sad feeling.

She felt it deep in her heart and watching the woman cuddle the child while it's little mouths succuled at her nipple as she was in tears yet smiling down at her child.

In that moment, Akudo felt like conceiving. She felt like having a child, she wished she could just take both children from the woman and free her of the pain she was going through.

Akudo wiped the tear that was already growing in her eyes but wiping her face of tears wouldn't wipe the pain in her heart or erase the lump in her throat.

Soon, there was a cry in the room. The voice was so tiny yet so loud and Akudo found out it was from the twin that had been sleeping.

She rushed to the cradle and carried the child in her arms and began to rock the child so that she would stop crying while she stared at her tiny fingers and beautiful small face which on it were two huge innocent eyes.

"Nurse, thank you." The woman said with a smile on her face and Akudo smiled but didn't say a word. She just looked around the room, imagining how it must have been for the woman these few days taking care of the twins alone.

Akudo rocked the baby a little longer before putting her thumb in the baby's hand. The baby wrapped her tiny fingers around her thumb, holding it tight which warmed Akudo's heart and she brought forth a real smile, one she haven't made in years, the one that comes from the uniting of heart and soul.

The baby had long stopped crying but she didn't keep the child down as she just stared at her and smiled for no reason but the tiny figure and it's innocence.

"Nurse, bring her." The mother of the child said to Akudo while stretching her hand up to carry the child from her and Akudo reluctantly placed the baby in her arms.

Immediately, Akudo felt the warmth in her arms while she was carrying the baby being replaced by a sudden rush of cold and it caused her goosebumps.

"Madam, the doctor sent me. It's regarding your bills." Akudo said and just then, she saw a tear escape the woman's eyes as she placed her nipple in the child's mouth.

Akudo was really touched by the scene before her and she contemplated on what she was going to do to help.

"I know," the woman sighed,"my husband would be here an-"

"You don't have to lie to me, you know?" Akudo said to the woman who immediately turned to face her and she instantly saw the shame and sadness the woman felt when their eyes met.

"Can you go home alone?" She asked the woman who shook her head.

"My sister would soon be here." The woman replied.

Upon hearing this, Akudo made up her mind to help get the woman out of the hospital. "I will take care of the bill." Akudo assured the woman and her eyes widened in disbelief.

"What did you say?" The woman asked her just to be sure she wasn't imagining things.

"I said," Akudo paused for a while to watch closely the woman,"I said that I am going to take care of the bill."

"My God, you don't mean it, do you?" The woman asked her and she nodded.

The woman began to thank Akudo,"Thank you so much." She said as she began to lower herself while carrying the child in her arms and Akudo sensing what the woman was about to do, took fast steps and held the woman, stopping her from going down on her knee.

"My God will bless you, he will give you your heart desires." She said and tears were now flowing freely from her eyes.

"Please don't tell anyone about this." Akudo begged and the woman nodded but looked at the door and then at Akudo as if telling her that there was someone at the door.

Akudo noticed the movement of the woman's eyes and followed her gaze only to find Dr. Ikedi standing with his back on the door while looking at them.

"You were taking long to return so I decided to come up and find out what has been keeping you." He explained to her while standing erect and dipping both hands into the lower pockets of his laboratory coat.

"I just finished." Akudo replied with a small smile before looking back at the woman and her babies.

She took in a long deep breath and exhaled immediately. Then, she gave the woman a quick smile and began to walk to the door.

When she got to the door, Dr. Ikedi stepped out of the door way and she pulled door open and stepped out.

Immediately she was out of the room, she exhaled.

"That was kind of you." She heard someone say behind her and jumped in fear as she wasn't expecting it.

"Oh. Doctor." She sighed while recollecting herself,"I didn't do anything." She denied immediately she remembered what he said.

Unknown to her, he had been there since she asked the woman if she could go home alone. It was actually her fault that she didn't notice when he stepped into the ward.

If she had shut the door behind her, she might have noticed his presence but she was so captivated by the beautiful babies and their mother that she didn't pay attention to her surrounding.

"I know what I'm saying Akudo," he said in a voice that held proof. "I really admire what you did and you don't have to worry about the bill any longer, I'll take care of it." He said and walked past her before she could say oppose his offer.

Akudo really didn't want his offer because they were both on a pay roll from the government. Had it been it was his own hospital, it would have been a different scenario all together and she wouldn't be as bothered as she was now.

The hospital was owned by the government and there were different doctors and nurses around but some how, she was always placed to work with Dr. Ikedi at any wing of the hospital he was assigned.

She didn't think much about it because she somehow enjoyed working under him. She made up her mind to confront him about what he had just said. She thought about dividing the bill between them and that sounded like a better solution to the issue, that way no one is cheated.

Just when she was about moving out of the spot she had been standing, a nurse in training walked up to her.

"Nurse Akudo," the trainee called her "Dr. Ikedi asked that I give this to you." She said, stretching her right hand in which she was holding a thin envelope.

She collected the envelope from her and continued on her way. She began to open the envelope, peeped into it to see what was inside.

Seeing a neatly folded paper in it, she inserted her thumb and index finger into it and brought out the paper.

She immediately unfolded it and was surprised how neat the writing was compared to his other writings on patient folders and prescriptions. Had it not been for his signature at the end of the note, she would have sworn it wasn't his.

After admiring his writing, she proceeded to read it's content which stunned her. It read;

Dear Akudo,

Your selfless, simple and humble nature has attracted me to you.

I have always admired how diligent, selfless and devoted you are to your job and to the patients. I just wanted to say a proper thank you for what you did for that woman.

If it's not much of a bother to you, I was thinking you could accept my invite to have lunch at my place on Sunday. I would be off that day and I'm sure you would.

I'll be expecting your reply. Hopefully, a positive one.

Yours Sincerely,

Dr. Ikedi

It seems Akudo got herself a date!!