Smile for me

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

FLASH BACK TO A FEW YEARS BACK

OCTOBER 2015

ENUGU CITY

IFEOMA'S POV

"Ifeoma are you speaking to your sister at all? You know she's the only one there with that child you need to keep in touch with her from time to time" Papa said to me, taking small sips of water from the glass I brought to him earlier

"Yes Papa, I try to but you know Chidnma already, she's always busy and barely has time" I simply reply him

"She's still adjusting over there, give her a few more years to settle down fully" Mama says as she walks into the sitting room carrying Papa's drugs along with her

"Mama you've been saying that for a long time, she has been there for almost nine years now, how long will it take her to settle down? Don't be surprised when she stops calling us finally"

"Ifeoma 𝒌𝒘𝒖𝒔𝒊 𝒏𝒌𝒆 𝒂𝒉𝒖, don't talk about your sister like that" Papa said in between coughs

"Papa calm down and drink water" i will not allow Chidnma to be another reason why Papa and I will fight again and besides he's not doing well medically and she's only adding to his problems right now

Papa's coughs become more intense and I rush to his sides to rub his backs since that always works for him

"Papa take water, mama give me the glass" Mama picks up the glass from the table and hands it to me, he's still coughing and he refuses to drink the water

"𝑨𝒉 𝒂𝒉 Papa are you okay? When did this cough start?" He mistakenly hits the glass in my hand and it falls to the floor shattering in the process, he falls to the ground making direct contact with the broken pieces

"Papa"

"𝑵𝒏𝒂" Mama and I both yell at the same time

Chioma walks in on the disturbing scene in front of her and she rushes to my side, the bottom of her school skirt is beginning to stain with Papa's blood

"Get a taxi immediately! We have to take him to the hospital!"

. . . .

I hate this general hospital even though I work here, the service here is so poor. They refused to attend to us for over one hour, Papa just sat down there unconscious and obviously still bleeding from his nose but their argument was that he was not an emergency case, I had to go back home to change into my Nursing uniform before they finally decided to attend to us

"𝑵𝒏𝒂 call your sister and tell her what's happening please" Mama says to me minutes after they take Papa in. They refused to allow her inside, including me- a nurse that walks here. I nod my head at her and I walk outside of the hospital to get a little privacy

She finally picks the call after dialing her twice

"Hello? Ifeoma good morning" I check my wristwatch for the time, and it's only a little past 2pm, time difference

"Good morning Chidinma, Mama said I should call you" I start

"Are you okay? Is everyone okay? You don't sound very well" I take a deep breath

"Papa is not well we're even at the hospital right now"

"What? What happened to him? Is he okay?"

"I don't know Chidinma, he collapsed this morning while we were talking in the house"

"But what are the doctors-"

"Ifeoma the doctor is looking for you" I hear Mama's voice from behind me