Sadiya |REWRITING

Chapter One

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ABUJA, NIGERIA.

7:45 a.m.

A content sigh escaped her lips, turning on her side to drift back to the nightmary slumber she had oddly slipped into. The silver of relaxation surged through her veins—a primary feeling she felt the need to guard from. Sleep, she seldom did. A chip of rare moment as then where she found herself waking up from it.

Her eyes dilated, she pulled the digital clock from atop the bedside drawer. By then, she need not be told she was getting late for her shift. 7:47 a.m. The comfort of the bed seeping through her was one she hated the idea of. She was late—Sadiya was never late to work. Fifteen minutes after her unusual morning ordeal, presentably stood the thirty-one year-old, rushing was part of her routine, yet, tardiness was not.

Sadiya decided on settling for the morning coffee her assistant usually greeted her with. She was not hungry as it was. Luckily for her oddly begun day, Salma was not in the lot to greet her with the ear aching name she had for the doctor. However, missing the meeting by 8 on the dot was not her intention that day.

Somehow, Zahmal was quite the place she looked forward to spending her days at. Workload plus surgeries aside, her office was like her room, theatre like her stage. Cutting people open was not the nicest thought or dream, as a little girl however, white coats and stethoscopes around the nape was. As she grew older, Sadiya realized there was more to it than in the eyes of an onlooker. By the time the black Mercedes-Benz gle was pulled over on the staff's side of the lot, it was five minutes to her scheduled shift.

The woman could swear she had never driven like a maniac ever since her license was in her hold.

Words of greeting were thrown her way from the friendly securities and janitors that were finding it hard to be lucid that early.

"Morning."

She only said, a faux smile hitting her face. The lobby was per usual, bustling with patients and staff—when ever was it not busy in Zahmal? A question, left rhetorical.

After hurriedly putting away her bag and that of her laptop's, she turned to be met with a pushed door, Nurse Safeenah trudging in, the all too familiar broad smile marring her sheen facial features. "Doc." She greeted, handing over the Styrofoam cup which Sadiya retrieved with a grateful smile of her own.

"Nurse, morning."

"Morning, Doc. Ready for the meeting?"

"Whenever you are," she answered, the smile intact. "Rita seems to be having cowife issues today as well." The Medical Director, Rita, was the strictest human Sadiya had ever crossed. Her arrogance had only drawn more attention to her on her personal life. The previous few months, it was rumored that her husband got married to her old maid's seventeen years old granddaughter.

Time flew by quicker than one would ponder, schoolgirls were rushed into the gynecology section. Sadiya as made, was to operate on the instantly admitted patients. The woman went into the OT after she put on her surgery gown, cap and mask, made sure to sanitise her hands before slipping them into the rubber gloves. She conducted the surgery with the assistance of Nurse Safeenah, few other doctors and nurses.

The surgery lasted for a stretch of 11 hours, said patients were transferred to the ICU because they were to be under intensive care from how badly injured they were from the accident.

Immediately rounding the hallway, came the part she hated and liked too, relaying words of either comfort or heartache to the relatives. Hated because in some cases, it ended with wails soaked in pain or devastation. And liked because in other cases as the recent one might be, smiles and thankfulness towards them and of course, Al-Malik Himself.

"Doctor, how's my daughter?"

"H-how is she...?"

Questions were thrown from corners of the crowded hallway, most being the parents. Sadiya and other doctors calmed the scared people, hope obvious in the glistening orbs. Being a gynaecologist was enjoyable, yet hard, but seeing the hope vanish from people's eyes was heartbreaking.

"The victims are safe now, ma'am. There's nothing to worry about, in sha Allah," Sadiya assured.

"Your daughters are thankfully, out of danger now and stable. It might take a while for the injuries to heal but they've been sedated after some corrections for the fractures and shots of painkillers. You all have nothing to worry about," another doctor completed.

"Can, can we see them at least?" Someone amongst them inquired.

Sadiya replied with a nod and, "of course."

The first woman from earlier whom Sadiya had answered the question of also asked for her phone digits. They exchanged numbers and Sadiya did not find the actions of the unknown lady, Mrs. Shehu, odd.

Sadiya sighed from the exhaustion off the surgery and walked away to pull off the gown and mask. Frequent checkups awaited her and she needed to get to it.

^-^

That was short, ik. Anyway, thanks for giving this book a chance, it rlly means a lot! Y'all will enjoy it, that's for sure :)!

-♥︎