THE BLACK WIDOW

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

On Monday the 24th August 2015, Sonia woke up to the quiet sound of the hospital room where she rested. The walls were a combination of warm cream and light green colour. She turned to her right and left and found that she was alone. She closed her eyes and opened them again and swiftly remembered the horrific incident. It felt like they had transported her back in time. She remembered how shocked she was when Dr. Gavin fell down dead, and Mrs. Rogers aimed the gun at her. JR was behind her; she was protecting him with her body. JR! Did Julianna take him? She knew Dr. Gavin was most probably unconscious and couldn't have succeeded in rescuing him. She tried to get up, but the shock of pain in her body sent her back. How long was she out for?

"I'm alive." She muttered under her breath.

The door of the private room opened and a young female Doctor walked in.

"Mrs. Rogers! You are awake." She said happily and rushed to her side.

"I am so glad you are awake Madam. I am Dr. Ayobami Richards. I was the Doctor in charge of your surgery. How do you feel?" Her pretty brown eyes were dancing with happiness.

What a question! How does she expect me to feel good after getting shot?

Sonia smiled, and replied instead, "What happened? How long have I been here?"

"Just three days. Your surgery was a success. You are safe now."

"My... my family?" She chose 'family' because she was too afraid to ask about JR.

"They left about a couple of hours ago. They spent most of their day here. They will be here during the next visiting hour this afternoon."

Dr. Richards checked her vitals, and smiled brightly.

"You are doing great Mrs. Rogers. You should be out by the end of the week."

Sonia smiled weakly.

"I know what is bothering you; you want to inquire about your son right?" The doctor asked kindly.

She got Sonia's hot tears in response.

The doctor took her left hand and replied,

"Hey, he's alright. He is with us here because we are keeping him under close monitoring."

"Thank you. But was he hurt?" Sonia replied amidst tears.

"No. Not a single scratch." She breathed a sigh of relief, and relaxed on the bed.

"When can I see him?"

"As soon as you get better, but we could ask his pediatrician if we can bring him here instead."

"No. I don't want him to see me like this." Sonia said defiantly.

"Allow him to bond with you. Life is not about hiding our flaws or weaknesses from those we love; they should bring us closer to become our best."

"Thank you. Please inform my family that I'm awake. I need them to be relieved of any burden they must have been carrying these past days."

"I'll get that done right away. I'll send a nurse in to get you changed."

"Thank you."

After the doctor left, Sonia busted into fresh tears: tears of thanksgiving to God for rescuing her and JR.

====

"Welcome home!"

Sonia gasped as she saw her family, a few colleagues and other relatives waiting for her at home. Her living room had been decorated for the occasion, and she could hear soft music playing in the background. Kunle wheeled her inside and helped her to sit down on one of the sofas.

"Wow! Thank you so much." She cried in happiness. She was strong enough and recovering well to be discharged and that was exactly what happened. JR was with his nanny Mrs. Omolere, chewing happily on a chocolate bar.

The sweet fragrance of the different flowers brought for her filled the room. Her PA, Stella, brought the biggest one: a large bouquet of pink roses. Sonia was blown away by the amount of love and support for her. She also received so many gifts from well-wishers, including fans, admirers, and neighbours.

"Mummy, all these gifts for me?"

"Yes o!" Her mother beamed with joy.

"Some even brought cooked meals from restaurants and eateries for us while we were at the hospital. It was crazy."

"Wow."

"Sis, you have so many fans out there, especially those from ...." Kunle's voice trailed off, then he tilted his head to one side and said,

"Sis, you never told us you started a foundation for widows below the age of 30."

Sonia smiled and tried to hide her face behind one of the bouquets beside her.

"Sonia! You are amazing and also secretive. About five women from there came and had night vigils here for three days, and brought farm produce. One of them testified that she was able to become a successful agric produce owner because of your help." Her father said with pride and joy.

"Madam, I missed you so much. I thought... I was so afraid." Stella said dramatically, but it was genuine.

Sonia blew her a kiss and assured her she was fine.

David and Caroline also joined the party and were received well by the family. They've been a regular since the shooting, ensuring that the family was well taken care of and also to let them know they were not alone.

After the guests had left hours later, Sonia and her family were having ice-cream, and JR was more than happy to have his in his Bob the Builder bowl. According to her parents, neither Mr. Rogers nor Margaret came to check her or JR after the first day they were all there. They acknowledged that it was a tough time for the family because they have so many crisis in their hands.

"JR, give me some ice-cream." Kunle pleaded with a cute face.

JR looked at him and said, "No," calmly, but yet so firm.

They all busted into laughter.

"My dear, that poor man has so much on his plate right now. He has to deal with the plunging stock prices since the news of the shooting. On top of that," Her mother's voice trailed off.

"What is it Mum?"

"Dr. Gavin died from the gunshot wound."

Sonia gasped.

"Oh my God!"

"Hey! Your mother-in-law is still at the hospital where she was taken for treatment. She will be moved straight to jail after she recovers. I'm not sure if that has been done yet." Mr. Moses informed her.

"Barrister Tomiwa came while you were at the hospital too. He checked on you almost every day and he said things don't look good for the Rogers. The way things are, and with you as the only living witness, Mrs. Rogers may be sentenced to life imprisonment, or worse, be given a death sentence."

"Kunle!" His mother chastised him.

Sonia had waited for the day that Mrs. Rogers would get all she deserved. The day is near, but she felt really bad for her family: her innocent husband and daughter. She couldn't begin to imagine what they must be going through. Tears escaped from her eyes as she thought about the agony they must be enduring: the national and international shame of the scandal, the plunging stock prices, and the pain of an unknown future. A future without the mother of the house.

"Oh God. Oh God." She sobbed. Her mother moved closer to her to comfort her.