(S1): HEARTBEAT OF BELLO'S HOSPITAL. E2

EPISODE 2 TITLE: From the Beginning (2)
........

Lola and Ahmed went to the cafeteria to eat lunch. As they were eating, Zara walked in to order for food. She went to an empty table and sat alone. Ahmed looked at her and back at Lola.

“Even if we are competing for the top two, we should stick together.”

She smiled saintly at him. “I think it is not compulsory to stick together. The four of us don’t think alike.”

They continued to eat. Melvin came in, ordered and joined Zara.

“Hey.” He said to her.

“I didn’t tell you I wanted a partner.” Zara said coldly.

“I never called you my partner,” Melvin said. “Stop acting like a kid.”

“How am I acting like a kid?”

“You are acting as if we don’t know each other, as if we have never met before.”

“You are like a stranger to me now.” She said angrily. “If you don’t leave here, I will leave.”

“We should be close and work together to be the top two.”

Zara had eaten half of her meal.

“I don’t need to be close to you again. The last time I did that, you dumped me.” 

“That was a long time ago.”

Zara stood on her feet and leaned quite closer to him. “Get lost Melvin. I don’t need you to be in the top two.”

She walked out of the cafeteria. Melvin shook his head and began to eat. Lola and Ahmed had been watching them and looked away when Zara left. Ahmed looked at Melvin briefly and stared at Lola.

“I hope all is well with both of them.” He said to her. 

“Something is definitely going on between them but it’s none of my business.” 

They had finished eating and rose. Lola and Ahmed left the cafeteria without saying anything to Melvin.

********

Two female teenagers were outside a building hugging each other.

“Thank you for coming to visit me after begging you for months.” The chubby one said jokingly.

“At least I came. I tried.” the other girl said. She was tall and quite slim. “I will call you when I get home.”

“I will be expecting your call.” 

They waived at each other. As the tall girl attempted to cross over to the other side of the road and take a taxi, the chubby girl turned back to enter inside her house. A car moved in speed and the driver lost control and hit the tall girl.

The other girl heard the crash, turned back and saw her friend wounded and gushed out blood from her mouth. A bone had pierce out from her right leg.

“No!” She screamed and looked at the house. “Mom! Mom!” 

She ran to her friend as onlookers raced to check the driver. He was unresponsive. He had a deep cut by the left side of his head and blood dripped down to his shirt. 

A woman ran out of the house and saw her daughter with the injured girl. “Oh my God!”

She ran inside, grabbed the key of her car and drove in panic. Two men carried the girl into the backseat and the chubby girl stayed with her.

“What about the driver?” One of the men asked the woman.

She didn’t answer him. She drove in speed, as her daughter couldn’t stop crying.

*******

Lola and Ahmed were walking towards the emergency ward when a woman rushed inside to alert them of an accident victim. Oliver and a female nurse carried a slate and went with her. The girl was carried inside the ER. Lola and Ahmed ran to them and assisted Jidenna.

“Page Dr. Duke!” Jidenna told Oliver. “He needs to be here to save her leg!”

“Okay doc.” Oliver took his phone to contact Duke.

“Her right leg is severely damaged.” Ahmed said as he examined the leg.

“Oh my God!” The chubby girl said as tears dripped from her eyes. Her mother stood beside her. They looked at her.

“Who are you?” Jidenna asked her.

“Uju. I’m her friend.”

“What’s your friend’s name?”

“Harriet. Please, you have to help her! She must not die!”

“Dr. Jidenna the patient is losing blood.” Lola said. “She needs blood ASAP.” She turned to Uju. “Do you have any idea what’s her blood group?”

 

“No!”

“Dr. Duke is on his way.” Oliver said. “I will take her blood to the lab for test.”

“Please, tell who is in charge to be fast about it!” Lola uttered.

“Okay.”

Oliver injected her, took some of her blood and ran off.

“You have to locate her parents.” Ahmed said as he focused on the injured leg. 

“We will.” Uju’s mother said.

Duke ran and halted as he saw the leg. “Damn it!”

Uju touched his hand and he looked at her. 

“Please, you have to save my friend’s leg. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have invited her to my house!”

“I will do everything I can.”

“Please, go to the waiting room.” Jidenna said to Uju.

Uju’s mother took her away.

After placing her on oxygen and other treatment to keep her stable, Lola noticed more blood came out. 

“She is bleeding from somewhere else.” Lola said. “It can’t be from her mouth and leg only.”

“Let’s turn her from the left and check her back.” Jidenna ordered.

Lola and Jidenna did it together and she put her hand under her back. 

“She is bleeding!” Lola said.

“Don’t remove your hand.” Jidenna said to her. “Put pressure on it.”

“I know.”

“We have to take her to the operating room.” Duke finally said after thoroughly doing all he can to stop more blood from gushing out from the leg. 

“The test result is not out.” Jidenna told him.

Oliver ran to them and extended a sheet to Jidenna. “She is AB+. I have gone to the blood bank.”

“Good.” Duke stated. “We have to take her to the OR now and prepare her for surgery.” he said and looked at Lola. “Dr. Bello, you will be in charge of the damage at her back.”

“No problem doc.”

Lola, Oliver, Ahmed and a nurse trolled the patient away. Duke followed behind. Yvonne saw them and ran to meet him.

“Dr. Duke, can I join?”

“Yes. Get ready.”

Yvonne smiled excitedly.

*******

The parents of Harriet arrived. Uju explained. Harriet’s mother exploded into tears. Dr. Jidenna went to meet them.

“Doctor, please how is she?” Uju asked him.

“Is this are parents?” He asked her.

“Yes.” The couple said at the same time.

“How is my daughter?” The mother asked.

“She is in surgery and the surgeons involved are doing everything they can to save her life.”

“What about her leg?”

“Dr. Duke is the best. If he can, he will save her leg.”

“What do you mean ‘if he can’?” The father asked.

“I can’t promise you anything.” Jidenna saw as nurses took a wounded man to the ER. “I have to go.”

Uju looked over and pointed. “That’s the man! That’s the man that hit Harriet!”

“Bastard!” The father of Harriet cursed and moved but Jidenna stopped him. 

“Please, this is a hospital. Calm down and think about your daughter for now.”

“But he almost killed my daughter!”

“We will treat him and you can get the police involved later.”

“Nothing must happen to my daughter’s leg otherwise he will pay highly for that!”

Jidenna said nothing and left.

******

“Your baby is doing fine.” Dr. Melvin said to a pregnant woman who was due in few weeks.

“Thank you doc.” She said with a smile on her lips. “I wanted to ask about my doctor.”

“She is unavailable at the moment that was why the nurse called me to check on you.”

“I’m grateful.”

“You are welcome.” 

“My doctor told me my due date but I was thinking of travelling next week and spend only three days. I hope it is not risky.”

Melvin asked. “Are you travelling by car?”

“Yes. My husband will take me there.”

“How many hours journey?”

“Four hours.” She replied.

“Must you travel?” 

“My grandmother is very sick and I really want to go and see how she is doing. If she dies before I see her, I won’t be able to forgive myself. She took care of me.”

“I can relate to that but I don’t think she will be happy if you put your baby’s life at risk. You have to be cautious and be prepared. The time for the birth of your child is very close. Anything can happen. You can go into labor anytime.”

Her face fell.

Melvin added as he noticed how sad she appeared. “My advice for you is, do not travel. Give birth to your baby first.”

She looked into his eyes. “What if my grandmother dies before then?”

“I don’t know if your grandmother is going to die. You are the one to make the decision to travel or not. The choice is yours.”

“I know. Thanks.”

“You are welcome. You are free to go.” Melvin told her and disposed the gloves into the dustbin.

*******

With a sheet in his hand, Oliver walked to Jidenna who was reading a document. “How is he now?”

“How is who?” 

“I’m talking about the patient that hit the girl?”

“He is doing very okay.” Jidenna answered. “He is on sedative and asleep now.”

“The parents of the girl deserve to know.”

“Deserve to know what?”

Oliver extended the paper to him. “That man didn’t lose control of his car because of brake failure. He was drunk.”

Jidenna glanced at the result. “There is alcohol in his system. It’s high.”

“Yes.”

“The father of the girl has contacted the police.”

“Better. For putting that innocent girl’s life in jeopardy he deserves to be in jail.” Oliver walked away.

*******

After hours at the operating room, Duke came out. Ahmed and Lola were washing their hands. Zara passed them with a beam on her face. Ahmed took off the mask from his face and Lola saw the frown plastered on it.

“You don’t look happy.” Lola said to him.

He moved closer to her and answered in a low tone. “Dr. Duke and I are in the same field. I don’t know why he didn’t allow me to stitch the patient. He allowed Dr. Zara.”

“But you were okay with it when he told me with our first patient.”

“That’s because I like you…. It‘s not as if I like you….I mean I like your person. You know what I mean, right?”

Lola smiled. “Of course I know what you mean.”

“You seem nice and Zara has been acting as if she is the best here.”

“Let her be. I am sure Dr. Duke knows what he is doing. I am sure he will give you a chance to prove yourself.”

“You are defending him.” Ahmed said in a surprised tone. 

“I’m surprised myself.” Lola said. “Cheer up.”

He managed to smile.

*******

The parents of Harriet, Uju and her mother rose as they sighted Jidenna and Duke walking towards them.

“How is our daughter?” The father of Harriet asked.

“She is responding to treatment but I will like to talk to you and your wife alone.”

“What about her leg?” Uju quickly asked.

“I can’t say anything to you, I’m sorry.” He stared at the parents. “Please, come with me.”

He took them away from Uju and her mother. “Your daughter is going to be fine. I did all I could to save her leg. When she wakes up, it will be difficult for her to walk. She will be on wheelchair for at least a month. Then she can use crutches for support. With checkup, medication and support from her family, probably five or six months later, she will be able to walk properly. Please, no pressure on her.”

Harriet’s mom burst into tears and smiled.

Thank you doc.” Her husband said in an emotional tone. He gazed at his wife and back at Duke. “It doesn’t matter when, as long as my daughter can walk again, thank you.”

“I simply did my job.” Duke stated.

*******

Lola and the others were through for the day. They went to the dressing room to change. Melvin tried to talk to Zara but she snubbed him. On their way going, they saw Dr. Duke. He had changed too. He held a leather bag. Ahmed and Melvin admitted he was truly a handsome man. 

Melvin noticed how Zara looked at him. He grimaced.

“Dr. Duke,” Zara said as he neared them.

“Yes.” He answered. 

“I was thinking of coming to your office to talk to you.”

“Why?”

Lola, Melvin, Ahmed wanted to leave but he told them to wait.

“It seems you are going home.” She said to him. “I will come to your office tomorrow.”

“You can tell me anything you want right here.”

Zara looked at the others with mean eyes and back at him with a cheerful expression. “I just wanted to thank you for the opportunities you gave me to show my capability.”

Duke smiled. 

The smile he rarely showed was priceless. Lola smiled and realized there was a smile on her lips. She quickly wore a straight face.

“You’re welcome.” He turned to the rest. “Dr. Wole Bello will have a meeting with all of you during the week. When I know the exact day, I will send a text.”

“Okay doc.” They answered.

Duke marched away. Lola bid her three colleagues goodbye. Melvin walked with Ahmed. Ahmed brought a car and told him he could drive him to his house. Melvin refused and insisted he drop him where he could get a cab. Yvonne strolled to her car. Jidenna saw Lola alone and walked to meet her.

“Going home?”

 

“Yes.” She replied. “And you?”

“After I attend to my last patient, I will leave.”

“I don’t mean to prey, what happened to the man? I heard the police came.”

“Yes. He will be discharged tomorrow and the police will take the case up.”

“It will be a lesson for him. He will learn not to get drunk again.”

“Some people never learn. They can never change no matter the circumstances.” He paused and spoke. “When I get home, I will be alone. Will you like to go for a drink?”

“I can’t. I am very tired.” Lola said.

“I understand.”

“Maybe another time.”

“Okay. Can I have your number?”

“Sure.”

They exchanged numbers.

“Take care and goodnight.” Jidenna said to Lola.

“Goodnight.”

*******

In a secured estate, Duke drove into his residence and walked to the entrance. He heard music playing inside. He opened the door, closed it and a pretty and slender woman with a curvy shape strolled to meet him. Duke was surprised to see her.

“Hello baby.” Daniela said and kissed him deeply on the lips.

“I didn’t see your car outside.”

“I didn’t go home. My dad’s driver picked me up from the airport and brought me here.”

“Oh, okay. How was your trip to Paris?”

“Beautiful.”  She put her arms around his neck and kissed him again. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too.” 

Daniela took her hands away and carried his bag.” You got my text?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you reply me?”

“I was going to call you when I get home.” Duke replied.

“Okay. I made something special for you.”

“I will like to have my bath first and eat on the bed.”

“On the bed?”

“Yes. I want to eat you.”

Daniela laughed and began to kiss Duke again. 

******

Lola returned home and met her mother in the kitchen cooking. She greeted and hugged her.

“I needed that hug in the morning.” Bidemi said.

“I know.” She glimpsed inside the pot and frowned. “Mom, you know I don’t like sweet potato.”

“It is mine. I made coconut rice and fried chicken for you.”

“Thanks.”

“How was work?”

“Fine.” she said. “Mom.”

“Yes love.”

“Is it possible to find someone very annoying and yet you still like the person.”

Bidemi gave her an uncertain look. “Did you meet someone you like at the hospital?”

“That is not what I said.”

“But it is the same thing.”

“Never mind mom. It’s nothing.” 

Her mother turned to her. “Did you meet Dr. Wole Bello today?”

“Not yet.” Lola said. “He is not around. Why did you ask?”

“Nothing.”

 Lola’s phone rang. She took it from inside her bag, glanced at it and smiled. “Hello doc.”

“Hi doc.” Jidenna said. 

They chuckled.

He asked her. “Have you reached home?”

“Yes.” She said and moved away from kitchen. “And you?”

“I’m driving home right now. I just wanted to check up on you.”

“Thanks.”

Jidenna smiled. “See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah. See you tomorrow.” Lola smiled and ended the call.

*******

To be continued… Wednesday.