Ride Her Shoes

22- Letting go

It's been days since Akudo and Zainab met with Echezona and she still can't find the courage to inform Nmachi of the outcome.

Arranging syringes and vaccines in a kidney dish, Akudo couldn't help but replay all that went down at Zainab's office.

The words Echezona had said, how her hopes went high in the belief that he'd accept the child only for it to crush unexpectedly in a few minutes. Maybe she had been too harsh on him or maybe she didn't present the matter in the right way.

Did she take him by surprise? Or had his reaction been as a result of an unpleasant shock from the news?

How was she going to tell Nmachi what had happened? What would she tell her Echezona said?

These thoughts kept running back and forth in her head and she couldn't control it. Not until someone banged the door of the room she was in.

"How long would it take you to get the vaccines for the patient?" Dr. Amadi asked her in an impatient tone.

She must have forgotten that Dr. Ikedi wasn't on seat and might not be until next Monday, which is in two days. This means she's left to undergo both stress and tension under the ever monitoring gaze of the old chubby yet grumpy Dr. Amadi.

"I just need to get the tunicates, Doc." She replied before hurriedly walking past him.

She turned to her left on exiting the ward and headed straight to the postnatal ward where her ex Bayo and his wife were at as she had just had a son.

Taking in a deep breath, she turned the door knob and walked straight to their bed post. She placed the stainless kidney dish on the cupboard right beside the bed and moved to regulate the drip that was injected into the lady's vein while ignoring Bayo's constant stares.

She wasn't going to let what happened the last time repeat itself especially when she is trying to get things together and be with Dr. Ikedi.

Thinking of Dr. Ikedi, she couldn't stop the smile that played on her lips. While she gently picked up the syringe and carefully cleaned the ankle of Tayo's wife so as to inject her the vaccine, an image of her on the bed while he, Dr. Ikedi watches her with love played in her head.

After she was done, she picked up the kidney dish she had come in with and took a quick glance at her wristwatch while stepping out of the room. Nothing could take away the relief she felt and the excitement that came with it when she realized that her shift was over and it's time to go home.

A rush of tension replaced the excitement as she had promised to tell Nmachi how her meeting with Echezona went upon her return.

She hurried to the nurses room and dropped all she had gone to the ward with, then she picked up her large handbag which contained a few baby needs like diapers and soap before hurrying to the reception to sign out.

Avoiding the gaze of her fellow nurses who wondered why she was in such a rush, she hurried towards her car and slid into the passenger's seat behind, while waiting for her driver who was rounding up his card game popularly known as 'Whot,' with the hospital's gate man.

"Madam, you didn't even go on ward round when others," Her driver stated as he wiped the car's side mirror but she shrugged, feeling less concerned.

"Are you going to drive or will you find your way home," she demanded,"On your own." She added in an annoyed voice and he slid into the car immediately and ignited the engine.

She knew he was right. She had not joined in the final ward round for her shift before handing over to the next set of nurses which was wrong and would earn her a query the next day but she couldn't care less as the most pressing need at hand was Nmachi.