She brought us together

CHAPTER 42

Zanele was involved in a car accident,Zanele was involved in a car accident. The thought keeps on repeating itself in my head,I don't want to think of the state she could possibly be in RN. Worse given her driving skills. I'm brought back from my thoughts by the sound of hooters from the cars behind us as the car sways to the right. Is he trying to kill us?

I have been saying a silent prayer to the man above since this car got on the road. I can excuse him speeding but not him switching from lane to lane at high speed. "You do know that we will not be of any help to Zanele if we are admitted at the same hospital as her or even worse in body bags" I tell him seeing that he sees nothing wrong with his driving. "Mxm" is the response I get after receiving a nasty look from him.

He decreases the speed a bit,A BIT. Guess I have to accept what I get. He parks at the hospital entrance,you know where ambulances usually park when bringing in patients? Yah dude parks there,without switching off the ignition,he bolts out of the car and leaves his door wide open. Clap once,inoba ndiyavivinwa namhlanje(my is getting tested today). I look at the back to see my baby girl oblivious to what's happening,she's chewing on a teething toy and has her snuggle bunny on her lap.

I so wish I was her,stress free and oblivious to my surrounds. Before we get our selves arrested or in trouble,I jump over to the driver's seat,close the door and drive off to find the appropriate parking spot.
When I get into the waiting area,I find Nqobi and bab'mncane seated on the bench. Since Cebo is sitting on the end of the bench,he stands up to make space for me even though its not necessary. There's a lot of space...we can all sit.

I do tell him that but he stands up either way ignoring me. Not that he's ignoring me per say,but one can tell that his mind isn't here,I'm pretty sure he didn't hear a word I said. "What took you so long?" Nqobi asks once I have sat next to him. Although he's right next to me,I dramatically turn my body to face him cause bro WTF. He looks puzzled by my look and because I don't have the strength to remind him of what he did,I sit back and ignore him.

No one has uttered a word,its only Nonjabulo who's mumbling to herself. Other people are being attended to by doctors,thina niks(us nothing). Sihleli nje la(we are just sitting here),we haven't received any report from any doctor not even a nurse. The brothers are just stressed,at this point,you can smell their stress,feel it and most definitely see it. Jokes aside,stress doesn't look good on them. Nqobi nearly bit off one doctor's head,demanding to know what's happening.

The poor doctor looked scared shame,he told us to try to relax,it might happen that the correct doctor is busy with her in surgery hence the delay. Ngebhadi utshele umuntu owrong (unfortunately he told that to the wrong person), instead of calming down Nqobi grew more furious. His anger was misdirected but who would dare tell him that? He eventually let the doctor go. 

"Zanele Ndlovu?" In a speed I never knew existed before,the two of them were right in front of the doctor in seconds. "What's happening?" "Is she okay?" "Can we see her?" They bombard the Dr with these questions before he could even introduce himself or say a word more. I have now joined the party,the doc is looking between the three of us as if our faces would provide him with the answers of our relation to Zee. "We are her brothers and this is her sister in-law" Cebo says in annoyance.

"Well okay then,Miss Zanele has suffered from traumatic brain injuries,fractured ribs,neck injuries and a whiplash. An operation was performed to remove a steel piece of the car which went through her abdomen she has sustained internal bleeding and has lost a lot of blood too but fortunately no vital organs where damaged" he explains "she has now been moved to the ICU,she's in a very critical condition and its hard to determine the outcome at this very moment"

All I heard was that her condition is critical and she's in ICU...oh yah she underwent surgery. At least he didn't use fancy terms that would cause a stroke to my brain. "Uhm when will she gain consciousness?" This time its Nqobi who asks. "Its hard to tell" thatha dokotela(basically I'm applauding the doctor) keeping it short and simple. "But will she be okay?" I ask "I will be honest,anything can happen in the next 48hours,her condition might improve or worsen. I'm not going to get your hopes high,we have done all that we could...its up to her now to fight back"

I turn to look at Nqobi and Cebo and I see fear and pain in their eyes which is something I have never seen in them before. "Can we go in and see her?" Nqobi's voice cracks and his eyes are red. "Unfortunately you cannot,as I said her condition is critical" the doctor looks at us with empathy before saying "I have to continue with my rounds but my door is always open,should you have questions."

Being a doctor must be the hardest thing on Earth,your job doesn't end at saving lives. You have to console the families of your patients and assure them that you have given it your all to save their loved ones. You have to put your emotions at bay,walk with a straight face and be as professional as you can be.

"Umufonele uMa(did you call mom)?" Nqobi asks Cebo as we take our seats, "Cha(no),why don't you do it?" Cebo argues. "Cebelihle just call her please!" Yeah he shouts. "Ngobani,eyakho efone inenkinga kanti(why?is your phone giving you problems)? If you are out of airtime or maybe your phone just doesn't work,you can use mine to call her" Haibo what's wrong with these two.

Nqobi clicks his tongue and glares at Cebo who's acting indifferently and has his phone out for Nqobi to take. "Damn it just give me the phone,I will call her" I say,phela liyoshona ilanga angakatshelwa uMaNdlovu(the sun will set before MaNdlovu is informed) because these two idiots are suddenly scared of something.

As I walk outside,staring at her numbers I become nervous. Whatever big energy I had back then when I jumped on this opportunity has  evaporated.

Her: "wavele wakhumbula ukuthi unyoko usaphila mfana wam(you suddenly remembered that your mother is still alive my boy)? Ngoba iGoli lenigwinyile wena nomfowenu(Because the city life has consumed you and your brother). Ngibonga ugcino wam ohlezi engihlola(I'm only greatful to my last born who's constantly checking up on me)." She says as soon as she answers the phone.

And I giggle at that. At least she has managed to calm my nerves down.
Me: "Sawubona ma,ukhuluma noSimphiwe hai uCebo(good day ma,you are speaking to...not...)." I say then she laughs.

Her: "ayy ngiyaxolisa MaDlamini ingabe konke kuhamba kahle(ohh forgive me Ma...is everything alright)?"
Me: "uhm ma bengicela uhlale phansi (can you please take a seat)." I nervously say.

Her: "yini(what is it) MaDlamini?" Her tone is too joyful...if only she knew that I'm about to ruin her mood.
Me: "Ma uZanele uthole ingozi yemoto (Zanele got a car accident) ." My own voice cracks as everything said by the doctor settles in. I hear her gasp
Her: "ohhh ingane yam(my child). Ukahle kodwa yena(but is she okay)?" I can tell that she's holding back her tears.

Me: "we don't know,the doctor said anything can happen in the next 48hours. She's in ICU"
Her: "Ngone bani kulomhlaba Jesu (who did I wrong in this world Jesus)? My child is still young" she says sniffing and I just feel bad,why did I have to be the one to tell her.

She insists on flying out now but I convince her to do so tomorrow morning,I even tell her that Nqobi will be the one picking her up from the airport.
Her: "MaDlamini thank you.." there's a pause "for letting me know,I know those 2 idiots weren't going to do it. And please keep them in line" she hangs up.

I go back and tell them how the call went,and they also thank me for doing it,when I ask why couldn't they call her. Cebo says they are just not fans of delivering bad news with a shrug. Mxm and I guess I am? I stand in between Nqobi's long legs,bring his head to my stomach pulling him in for a hug. His one hands goes around my waist as he's holding Joy with the other.

I keep on massaging his head while telling him that everything will be okay. When I try to pull away,he doesn't let me and that's when I feel my T-shirt get wet. After a while he releases me and his eyes are bloodshot red,instead of looking at me,he looks to the side. I then move to hug Cebo who's standing,when I pull away from the hug,a lone tear escapes his eye. "Your hugs are making us emotional" he laughs to hide his emotions.

We then decide its best that we go,since we aren't allowed to see her. I ask Cebo to sleep over at Nqobi's so he won't be alone and stressed but he says that he won't be alone. Apparently he has a guest,who is going to help him "release" all the stress. I shut him up when he tries to explain how she will help him. "Dlala(you go) sexture" Nqobi applauds for him. We all end up laughing,which is something thats needed considering the circumstances.