Chapter 12 : The Burden inside her 2.

The room was silent for a few seconds. "Whhhooooozzzzz!!!" The sound of the wind entering the ward through the window, as the drapes flew back to the directions of the wind, everything seems slow and dim in the eyes of Chioma though the ward lights was on. Joshua still hugging Sophia in a way, he makes her felt safe and protected in his arms, Sophia still resting her heads on him, feeling the warmth of Joshua gradually smiling wishing this could be forever with tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

"Chioma is good to see you!!" Chioma looked at him, frustrated at what she saw. Then she cries out. "Is this really you!!" Sophia looked back, she was shocked as she put her hands on her eyes to clean her tears and said. "Mrs. Chioma." Chioma looked at her then at Joshua in a concerned way. "Are you taking advantage of her?" Joshua looked confused. "Wait!! What?! How could I. You are mistaken. It is not what you think.....she....." Chioma stormed out. Joshua immediately looked at Sophia. He stammered. "She.....you.....I will be right back." He ran after Chioma while Sophia staggeringly sat on the hospital bed. "Chioma wait?" He went to the waiting room to look for her but she wasn't there then he saw her from afar going towards the garage outside the hospital. He ran to her. Chioma went to her car, as she opened the car, she looked back about entering the car. Then Joshua reached her, breathing heavily. "Please don't go. You misunderstood us." Chioma stopped, looked at Joshua feeling the guilt in her heart,

 "Joshua I don't even know why I behaved like that earlier, I shouldn’t be angry at what I saw, I felt," she touched her chest. "My heart is beating heavily.....am confused Joshua......am confused." 

Joshua seeing she was about to cry, held her hand. "I should have say this a long time ago. But I think is too late. Please go back to your family, it's getting late." She calmed herself down and give out a deep sigh, she was about entering her car, she stopped then glanced at Joshua with a jittery tone. "No am not leaving again, that is why we are not together, every time we actually want to talk about this to each other it seems the world is......is......against us, not being together. I......I....am not leaving, let talk now to remove the pains in my heart." She looked at Joshua in tears. "Please what am I to you before I married Sunday." Joshua looked down feeling uncomfortable. "You are always the one I love but…." Chioma looked shocked and moved a step backwards towards her car then she jerkily sat on the driver's seat placing her hand on her forehead. “Did it ever occur to you it might hurt. Not telling me sooner.” Joshua looked worried immediately a tear fell down from his left eye. "Every day I regretted not making a move then, I regretted ignoring what was happening between us ," he knelt down. "Please Chioma. Forgive me I was so inhuman towards your love to me. Then I was trying to figure out whether it was love we had or feelings." Chioma smirked and cleaned her tears. Joshua looked surprised. Then she held Joshua up and said with a chipper tone. "Now telling all this in my face, makes me feel you have become to man that can stand for anyone, and able to protect the ones you love. As you can see we can't turn back time. Am now a married woman with two lovely kids." She placed her hands on Joshua cheeks. "Remember I loved you first." She smiled then went inside her car closed the door and zoomed of. 

After a long Twenty minutes ride, Chioma reached her house, parking at the front of the house, she saw that some lights were still on, then she went out of her car and slowly went to the door wondering how was the lights still on, she put her hand on the door handle gently, when she noticed that the door was opened, she was shocked. "Why is the door not locked?" She thought. Then she slowly went inside the house. “Hello? Is any body there? Chidi? Diamond? Grandma?” looking at the sitting room, the lights was switched off. Suddenly she heard a noise coming from the kitchen, immediately she went there. When she saw that no one was there, she looked around and noticed, a fallen spoons on the ground. She went to pick up the fallen spoons and arranged them in their stand. 

“Mummy!!” her eyes widen, she immediately cried. “Diamond!!” she entered the living room frightened. Why is it dark? who switched off the light? That was going through her mind as she sluggishly moved to the area where the switch is then she switched the light on. Suddenly everyone shouted. “Happy Wedding Anniversary!!!!! Mummy!!” she was shocked. Seeing Sunday, Sunday’s mother, Chidi and Diamond. She smiled looking at Sunday. “You didn’t tell me you will be around?” Sunday happily went to her and gave her a hug and said. “You didn’t tell me you will be going out?” Chioma looked shocked. “I……” Sunday cut in with a smile. “You went to see him. I know.” Chioma looked at him. “Yes.” 

“Mummy, Mummy see what Grandma brought for us.” Chidi and Diamond said while holding their walkie-talkie showing it to Chioma.

 “Ahuuuuun!” smiling at her direction. “Mama I thank you, we really appreciate.” Grandma laughed. “No problem my daughter in-law. Thank God.” Sunday went to the table and took a small box, 

“I made something special for you,” Sunday said holding a box of chocolates. “Your favorite. Chocolate truffles.” She jumped up, as she clapped her hands. “Yippee…..Am so……,” Sunday gave it to her. Chioma looked at Sunday and gave him a kiss. “Eewwww!!!” the kids said closing their eyes with their hands.” Grand ma held their other hands. “Okay kids let go to your room, let me tell you a story.” Grandma said looking at Chioma and Sunday. Then they all laughed.

At the hospital around 11:50 in the night. Sarutobi was still at the operating room performing surgery on the man who was rushed in several hours ago with his crying wife at the waiting room.

 “There is another metal shard pierced at his lower torso.” Nurse Dami said. 

“We have to remove it immediately….. scalpel.” Sarutobi said. after, while slicing through the skin. “Dami the suction.” She said raising her hand towards Dami, 

 “Here ma.” A male nurse cleaned Sarutobi sweats on her fore head. she nodded. “He had loss enough blood.” She thought.

 Nine minutes later, Outside the operating room. “How is my husband?” she said, holding Sophia hands, “He will be okay. Right?” Sophia looked at her, “The doctors are doing their best,” she said with a flat tone, looking at the clock. It shows 11:58. “This is two minutes to midnight, things are not going well at all.” She thought. Suddenly Sarutobi, Dami and the two doctors with two nurses came out from the operating room looking sad. The woman immediately went to them. 

“My husband, how is he?” Dami shook her head then Sarutobi looked at the woman, 

“Am sorry ma, we lost your husband.” She said as kindly as she could. Sarutobi soft words dropped like a bomb in her heart, The woman looked shocked after hearing that.

 “No……No,” she said with a brittle tone. “We just got married last month, it’s…….it’s impossible.” The nurses tried to calm her down. But she pushed them and immediately went in the Operating room.

  “Ma please stop.” Sophia cried, she turned deaf ears and walked to her husband, she placed her head on his chest, surprisingly she felt her husband breathing, Sarutobi and Sophia turned and walked towards her to calm her down while Dami went to the other operating room, On getting there Sarutobi and Sophia was in shocked with what is happening right in front of them through the glassed door constructed between the walls of the operation room.

 “My husband…..My husband is……..Alive.” The woman cried in excitement.