Chapter 3 I find myself in the hospital. What happened

We start coughing seriously. "What did you put on the fire?"

"I-I was making spaghetti and then I forgot" I rushed to the kitchen. I scream when I see the red hot flames.

"The extinguisher" I yell. "Dare!"

There was no reply. The heat is so hot that it starts burning my skin. I start sweating profusely as I pace around in confusion. I run back to my room, I don't find Dare in the room. His bag, the gun, is gone. But the transaction papers are still littered on the floor. I take the extinguisher from my wardrobe and run back to the kitchen. I use every ounce of energy I have to spray it on the fire. The smoke settles in my throat and I start coughing uncontrollably. My hands are shaking, I lose grip of the fire extinguisher and I slump

*******************

I open my eyes. I know it's not my bed. This one feels hard. A fan whirled above me, the ceiling is painted white, the walls blue, and the room smells of Izal and drugs. I sit up, resting my back on the cold wall. I sight my neighbour, David, standing by the door.

Shortly, a nurse walks into the room. Her face is wearing judgment, she pauses, and then a smile cuts across her face. I wonder what is amusing in my situation, and why the nurse started smiling at me immediately after wearing a judgmental look.

"Good afternoon, how are you feeling?"

The nurse asks with a concerned look. The kind of question that a mother will ask her sick child.

"Never been better" I reply and roll my eyes.

The nurse is an elderly woman with a lot of white hair and a gap tooth. She's pretty. She must have been a very pretty and attractive woman when she was young.

She glances at the bed and uses her eyes to seek permission to sit down next to me.

"Sure" I nod.

She adjusts the white sheets and sits gently on the bed. The bed makes a streaking sound like something that wants to break into two.

"Ma'am, I think you have been stressing yourself lately, when last did you have a proper sleep?"

I fix my gaze on the ceiling and give a serious look as if I'm solving a tough maths equation.

"Monday"

"That's three days ago"

"Uhm" I want to correct her that it was four days ago. The night I was kidnapped, I didn't have any sleep.

"You are two weeks pregnant."

"No, no, no" I cover my mouth as tears leak through my lashes. The nurse gives a confused look. She thinks l should be happy and not sad to hear the news. If only she knew the dilemma I'm in. She gives a pitiful smile. I let out a hot breath.

"What of the father?"

"He's gone, after taking all my money."

"Your partner duped you."

"He's a bastard," I say as I sit up and wipe my tears.

"I'm so sorry about that. Didn't you inform the police?"

"I wanted to before my kitchen exploded and he escaped."

The nurse gives a puzzled look. She stays with her curious eyes ready to listen to the complete story.

"Anyways, I'm removing it. I don't have any money to take care of myself and the child." I say, without any remorse.

"Hold on, wait," the nurse says with a worried look. I rest my back on the wall.

"I know you are sad and heartbroken, but I think you should take things slowly. I think you should think it through and make your decision." She pauses. "Take your time."

"For now, have enough rest so that the drugs will work. You will be discharged tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, I appreciate your kindness, but can I leave today? This evening? I am strong enough, and besides, this place even makes me sicker." The nurse frowns.

"I'm sorry" I apologise when I notice that my remark was rude.

"If you insist, you should have this contact."

The nurse walks to the corner of the room where a wooden table sits with a few worn-out books clustered on it. She gently tears a piece of paper out of a hard-cover notebook and uses her eyes to scan the table for a pen.

She finally finds a pen and scribbles something fast on the paper. I sit there, watching her. Remembrance hits me when she notice that my neighbour, David was no longer standing at the door. I'm sure that he found me, rescued me out of my burning house and brought me to the hospital. I feel like a mean person now, for not acknowledging him for his kindness.

The nurse walks back to me and gives me an encouraging smile. "You should have this."

"Okay," l reluctantly stretch forth my hand to receive it.

"Thank you"

The number above is mine, the number below is the counsellor's, her name is Melissa. She's an expert in her field, you can trust her with anything.

"Well, these days I don't trust anybody. My boyfriend of five years duped me, and you're talking about someone I haven't met yet? Thank you." I raise my eyes to the nurse, I quickly fold the paper and tug it in my bra.

"Not everyone is a jerk like your boyfriend"

"Ex," I correct her.

"There are still good people out there," The nurse says. My mind searched for the good people around me. I remember my friend, Tessy, how she didn't hesitate to send me the money. I also remember David, and how he saved me from the explosion.

"You are right," I say. The nurse smiles.

"Speaking of good people, where is the young man that brought me to the hospital, he's my neighbour."

"Oh, he rushed you into the ward, with the support of a lady."

"The lady must be his girlfriend."

"Should I fetch him for you?"

"Yes, thank you"

"Wait" I beckon to the nurse

"Thank you for everything"

"Get well soon, I'm rooting for you"

The nurse says as she gives me a thumbs up. The nurse walks briskly out of the room.