Living Water

4. Dr Yabo

A certain kind of grief broke in Timothy as the memory replayed in his mind over and over again, the moment the man got up till when he hit the ground. It played in all perspectives, each perspective in black and white, like how the 90's programs were displayed.

There was a warmth that radiates of this man, that Timothy longed for. The way the old man looked out for him, even though he was just a young stranger he just encountered. He waited in the clinic as the medical team tried to revive him.

"Doctor Yabo." He played the name on his tongue as he looked to the white ceiling of the hospitals, strings of cobwebs in different patterns hung loosely, tainting the white POP of the ceiling. His memory quickly shifted to the white flowing gown of Doctor Yabo.

"In the name of Jesus!" The prayer team concluded their marathon prayers that has gone on for two straight hours since the old man fainted.

He mulled over the total chaos in church today. How he sprinted to meet the old man who laid on the floor face flat, still his arms folded into himself as if still clutching his pained chest, the ushers gathered the fallen man hastily. A stretcher was provided to carry the man out of the church, members gawked in worry and shock, while some burst out in tongues, which worried Timothy as speaking in tongues was still a strange spiritual phenomenon to him. The Minister still stood at the altar perplexed and urged the other members to remain calm, while he himself was fidgeting.

They accompanied Doctor Yabo together with Timothy who told a lie that he was related to him, still reluctant with having the company of another party, they eventually allowed him to follow them to the clinic which was conveniently situated two blocks away from the church, so it was less than a five minutes drive to get there.

When the voices of the prayer team subsided, a woman cloaked in a white lab coat came out from the hospital ward, a smile was plastered to her face as she met with the prayer team of four people three men and one stout woman, who occasionally glared at Timothy even while they prayed and as for Timothy, he just couldn't care less, what occupied his mind was the recovery of Doctor Yabo.

"How is his condition Doctor?" The tallest amongst the prayer team spoke, one could tell he was a Yoruba man from the crude tribal marks that lined his dark sunken cheeks and the accent he spoke with.

"You mean Doctor Yabo?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes, the man we brought in earlier." The tall man replied in haste.

"The patient encountered a cardiac arrest, which could have been very fatal, but he was brought in just in time and we managed to resuscitate him." A collective sigh of relieve resounded in the hospital waiting room. Even Timothy who sat on the bench mouthed a brief ; "Thank God."
The positive report from the doctor elated him.

The Doctor cleared her throat, to indicate she still had more to say, a hush fell over everyone as they were eager to hear what more she had to say.
"Mr Yabo is free to go home today, but he will need to be admitted to a more developed medical center for further check up and treatments to stabilize his heart condition."

"No problem doctor, that will be taken care of." The tall man spoke reassuringly.

"By the way, the patient is now conscious, I believe it would be better for his relatives to see him first?"

All heads turned to Timothy, as he was already labelled a relative due to the lie he told earlier. Now he had to play the role he bargained for, he swallowed deeply.
"I'm his n-nephew." He nervously told the doctor. Never in his life has he felt so guilty for lying like this, and he lies a lot. A mouth full of nectar, his mom would say whenever she caught on to his lie.