Amile The Queen

Chapter Seventy

***Amile Gumede***

I’ve never been so scared my whole life. I’ve never been so afraid to lose someone like this. I can’t even help feel like I’m to blame for everything that is happening to him; that he’s dealing with everything he’s dealing with because of me.
My leg won’t stop shaking, I’m terrified, the doctors have disappeared for almost an hour and no one has come to report something. I hate it more because my eyes are dry; I can’t even cry. It’s draining, it’s scary, I don’t know what to do with myself. Shlobo has been holding my knee to try stop it from shaking several times, but it has proven not to work.
I feel as if I should have known. I should have bothered myself to ask him what his terminal illness is, and not just push it to the back of my mind every time he mentioned it. What kind of wife am I going to be? Imagine what it would be like if Shlobo wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have known what to do, Mandlenkosi is just as useless as I am.
He actually followed us here.  After he refused to come help us carry him to the car, he literally got in his own-as drunk as he was-and followed us to the hospital. I’m angry at him for that, he definitely knows how to ruin a good thing. I literally thought we were finally in a good space, where we could just sit, talk and be civil with each other. Now he’s turning to the bottle again, and I feel it is not my duty to tell him he won’t find the answers he’s looking for at the bottom of all those bottles.
My head is pounding. I let down my hair, thinking it was the ponytail, but it’s still hurting like hell. I’m sitting here contemplating how quickly things could change if he were to lose his life in there. I would be doomed, I know nothing about running a whole kingdom! I’m sure the rest of the family would shit on me, and maybe try to bewitch me for taking over, and that is drama that I’m not ready to face.
“I’ve been telling him to go to the hospital, he didn’t want to listen.” Shlobo spoke, dragging me out of my thoughts.
“Is it not something to do with him not being on the throne?” I looked up.
She shook her head. She looks just as stressed as I am, the crease lines on her forehead make her look even less pretty.
“He’s terminally ill, he needs a heart transplant, his heart is giving up on him.”
New information alert. I’m shocked. A heart disease is not something you can just ignore and live with. You can literally spend all your days in hospital and we could expect you to die at any time.
“Is it a hereditary  thing?” I think I heard somewhere that King Mhlabawesizwe had a heart failure. I could be wrong.
“Yes, it is.” I sighed and she sighed right after me. We are a bunch of stressed girlies.
“He’s not going to die just yet. I just hope the doctors can help him, I hate seeing him suffer like this.” oh?
I seem to forget that she can see into the future, or some creepy shit like that. And that feeling is suddenly coming back; what the hell is going on between these two people? Shlobo, really?
“Your highness.” the doctor bows in front of us.
I didn’t even see her coming towards us. I stand up and look at her to give me the answers I want.
“He’s okay, just heavily sedated. He has a coronary heart disease, that is why he suffers from severe chest pains from time to time. He suffered a heart attack, a blood clot was blocking the blood from flowing to his heart.”
“So how are you going to stop this from happening again?” Shlobo asked standing up too.
“Angioplasty surgery to reduce blockage of the arteries.” I know this, I learnt about it in biology last year.
“Please use simple english.” Shlobo.
“They will insert and inflate a tiny balloon to widen the artery so the blood can flow properly.” I broke it down for her.
The doctor looked at me impressed.
“Yes, that is the gist of it.”
“But that doesn’t guarantee success. What if the artery narrows again?”
“His artery isn’t severely blocked, therefore this would be the best procedure. It also has a 99,7% success chance.” I don’t want him to be that 0,3% of people that don’t survive.
“Trust in me my queen. The prince is in good hands.” I believe her.
“Can I go in and see him?” she hesitated a bit.
“I don’t think that is a good idea. He’s still very out of it.”
“I will go in, I just want to burn some incense for him, it always helps him.” Shlobo suggested.
Still with hesitation, the doctor spoke.
“I can only allow you in for two minutes.”
“Thank you.” we both said.
“His surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning.” well damn, he was supposed to be addressing the press tomorrow.
“Thank you.” I said.
She led us to where he was. He was hooked up on pipes, one was in his mouth and he has an oxygen mask on. He’s still tall as hell, his feet are dangling at the bottom of the bed, they even had to remove the foot board. My heart hurts, it hurts so bad.
“Mageba, it’s me and your wife. I know you don’t know this place, you will go home soon. Nakhu okwakho.” the smell of impepho filled the whole room.
I’m sure this is illegal, that is why there are smoke detectors going off. She’s burning it next to his head and I’m standing on the other side of the bed, watching. Two male nurses rush in with fire extinguishers, but stop at the door when they see me.
“My Queen, we are going to have to ask you to switch that off.” why are they talking to me? I’m not the one who lit the incense.
Shlobo paid no mind to them. When she was finished talking, she walked passed them and I followed behind her like a lost puppy.
And I know she didn’t just tell him that his wife is here. Oh hell no!