Sister Deborah

EPISODE 24: ONE STEP AHEAD.

#SISTER_DEBORAH

Author: Samuel Frederick

EPISODE 24: ONE STEP AHEAD.

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An indescribable, enormous weight befell me as I screamed Deborah’s name out of shock.

Frightened, the two nurses wheeling the dead body stopped and turned around to face me, both annoyed. They probably thought I was a maniac, since I was silent after screaming, so they ignored me and forged ahead.

“Who was that?” I asked, looking at Timi, with a literally protruding heart.

“Bro, calm down. It’s someone else.”

“Who?” I countered impatiently.

“A woman who shared the same ward with Deborah.” Timi explained. “She kicked the bucket a few minutes ago. Chill, bro, Deborah’s alive.”

“Thank God.” I heaved a sigh and raised my hands up high for emphasis. All the while, Deborah’s father’s eyes were on me with a fiercer frown. I turned to him and went on my knees, interlocking my hands with a cloud of pity roaming around me.

“Sir, I am sorry.” I pleaded wholeheartedly with the elderly man. “You were like a father to me but I wronged you, sir. I wronged your daughter, Deborah, even more. I neglected her in her time of need and difficulty, when she needed me the most. I abandoned her in her trying times. I was overwhelmed with hatred and blinded by bitterness. I now realize my stupidity and I regret my mistakes, sir. Please find a place in your heart to forgive me, sir.”

I was so bitter with evident regret at that very moment. I gazed at the elderly man’s face, awaiting his response, hoping eagerly that he’d have compassion on me. And at last, with tears saturating his eyes, Deborah’s father spoke softly:

“You are forgiven, son.” He patted my shoulder with a reassuring smile. “Get up on your feet, my son.”

I adhered. The elderly man shook my hands to signify and emphasize his genuine forgiveness for me. Afterward, Divine pulled me into a warm hug to show the sincerity of her forgiveness, too.

Emotions upon emotions saturated the air right then. I felt at ease, having been forgiven by the people that mattered most in my life. As soon as Divine pulled out of the hug, coincidentally, something fell out of my pocket and dropped on the floor—Annabel’s SIM pack.

With a smile on my face, I bent low, picked it up and raised it up high, facing the elderly man. “Sir, I have a confession to make.”

A rather confused greying-haired man asked, “A confession? What could that be, son?”

Without delay, I cleared my throat, composed myself and revealed the shocker to them. I narrated the whole ordeal about how Annabel was behind Deborah’s predicament the whole time. I explained how I found out, leaving no detail untouched. At the end of my narration, Deborah’s father down to Mr. Fabian were all left in the blue, completely awestruck.

“Who is this Annabel in particular?” Deborah’s father demanded, pulling out his phone from his pocket. “I need every single detail about her.”

“Sure thing, sir. What do you want to know?”

“Hold on.” He said, dialling someone’s number on his phone.

“Hello.” He spoke hastily, the moment the receiver picked up.

“Am I speaking with the CSO?”

“Yes, sir. It’s Chief Etomi on the line.”

“I’m good, sir. I just got intel about the prime culprit concerning my daughter’s case, sir, and I’ll appreciate it if you could send some of your men down here, sir.”

“Yes sir, send them to the school clinic, urgently.”

“Ok, sir. Thank you.”

Deborah’s father dropped the call and faced me. “If this turns out to be true, I swear with my father’s grave, I will make sure that this so-called Annabel faces the law fair and square, even if it costs me my last drop of blood.”

At that very moment, the ward’s door opened from inside and a doctor walked out, sweating profusely. She looked exhausted.

Deborah’s father, Divine and Deborah’s step-mother all rushed to the doctor, in that order.

“Doctor, how is my daughter?” Deborah’s step-mother inquired.

“She is fine, ma. We managed to stitch the wound on her head and stop the bleeding. She might likely experience a slight concussion when she recovers, but for now she needs as much rest as she can get, ma.”

“May we see her, doctor?”

“You may, but just for a short period of time.” The doctor affirmed and walked away after we all nodded in agreement. Divine pushed the door open and we all trooped inside, one by one.

Lying on the sickbed was a rather lean, pale-looking Deborah hanging between life and death. She was unconscious, covered in bandages on her head and her hands. I noticed her crutches by the bedside. She breathed slowly as a pint of medical drip connected to her hand transfused gradually.

I sat beside her and touched her wrist to examine her pulse. She had a high temperature, as expected.

We were all afraid. In spite of the doctor’s words of assurance, we couldn’t help but ponder on what would become of Deborah’s fate and condition if things went wrong. It would’ve been preferable and better if she’d only fell and hit her head, had it not been for her sudden asthma attack which led her into her present state of unconsciousness.

“I am scared.” Divine voiced out, holding back bitter tears. “Will she make it?”

“She will.” I replied, unsure of my own words. “I know she will.”

“I hope so. I honestly pray she does.” Divine said, sniffling.

That very moment, Chief Etomi’s phone rang out loud. He picked up the call with haste. The moment he dropped the call, he informed us that the police officers had arrived and then asked me to follow him downstairs. Timi and Mr. Fabian followed us, leaving Divine and Deborah’s step-mum behind.

We met three police officers dressed casually downstairs, and after a brief discussion between Deborah’s father and the officers, we all exited the clinic, swinging right into action.

In about thirty minutes, exactly half an hour later, we arrived at the outskirts of campus where Annabel’s apartment was situated. The police officers parked their vehicle at the same spot Mr. Fabian parked Chief Etomi’s car, and I led the way forward, past the gate, into the main compound and then we scaled through the stairs.

We got to the fourth floor and I met the shock of my life there: Annabel’s door, bolted shut and fastened with two huge padlocks, coupled with chains and an extra padlock on the outside gate.

We didn’t see that coming.