ENIOLA: Beauty For Ashes

Chapter Eleven

When King heard that Eniola had been brought in again, he was upset, very visibly upset.

She was dehydrated, had mild gastric lesions and a high risk of chronic ulcer if she kept up the alcohol. He found himself unable to leave her bedside, praying under his breath and wondering what he could do to help her.
What do you do to help a woman who has endured years of pure physical, mental and emotional torture?
How do you even start?
He was pissed seeing her so...broken and helpless and ending up in the hospital time and again. He sat up when she stirred and mumbled a prayer of thanks when she opened her eyes.
She looked at him the way a child would look at a parent when he or she had done something wrong.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly.
"Th-thirsty" she said in a small voice.
He left the ward and returned with a glass of water, waited for her to finish it, returned the glass and sat back down.

"Do you remember anything?" he asked.
"Not really. I was in my backyard...then I went into the kitchen to get water. That's it" she replied.

"Your security brought you in. He said you were calling him by your cleaner's name and you passed out. Eniola you are severely dehydrated and there are lesions on your stomach wall. You need to lay off the alcohol and weed permanently" he said.
She looked down, unable to look him in the eyes because they held more emotion than she could handle.
"You're upset" she said.
"I am. This is the third time you've been brought in, out cold with health risks just waiting to jump on you" he said.
"Why?" she asked.
"Why?" he asked back.
"Why are you upset? Why do you care what happens to me?" she asked again.
"I have no idea to be very honest. All I know is that I can't keep seeing you like this. This...is not okay. I have work to do. I'll check on you later. Your security is outside in-case you need him"

He waited till he reached his office before letting out the breath he'd been holding. It was the first time in a long time that he'd felt disorganized. There was way too much work to do for him to be off his game.
"Oh dear Holy Spirit I don't feel so good" he muttered. Matthew 11:28 was one of his comfort scriptures.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

He recited it a few times and took a deep breath.

"What's going on, son?"

The voice brought with it a sense of calm that quieted his nerves. "I...barely know her" he said.
"And you're starting to care a lot more than you'd like"
"Caring isn't even the problem. It's the way it's making me feel. I'm so..."
"Upset"
"Yes! It's like I'm taking all she's dealing with very personally. It's messing with my head"
"Do you want to stop caring?"
"No, I want to keep caring but with more control"
"So, you want to care without empathizing?"
"Sort of"
"You know that's not possible"
"I knowww. I know"

*************************

Tiredness threatened to shut down her entire body, yet she couldn't go home. A call
had come in from Refresh Hospital that afternoon about Eni being admitted.

Again.

She didn't even know how to react. She just dragged herself to the hospital after work.

When she reached Eniola's ward, she paused at the door and stared.
After a few seconds she moved to a corner in the hallway, sat down on the floor and began to cry, ignoring the nurses that stopped to check on her and sobbing silently for the next ten minutes.

"Oge?"

She looked up to see Eni's doctor standing over her. What was his name again?

"Doctor, good evening" she mumbled.

"What's wrong? One of the nurses told me you've been crying here for a while"
She sighed and cleaned her eyes.

"Nothing, I'm just tired. I had a very stressful day"
"Hmm, you're sure that's it?" he asked as he helped pull her up.
"Yeah, I just need rest. How is she? I haven't seen her yet. Is she awake?"
"She is. I'm going in to check on her now. She'll live. And you know, you're allowed to be frustrated with her present condition. God knows I am"
"You don't even know her that well"
"I don't need to. No one deserves what she's going through"
He opened the door and let her walk in first. She tried to force a smile when Eni said hello but it didn't work.
"Babe what's wrong? You've been crying" said Eni. She wanted to get out of the bed but King stopped her.
"No sudden movements. You'd get dizzy"
"Oge what happened?" Eni asked again.

Oge sat on the bed, held her hands and stared at them for a few seconds before speaking.
"Eniola, babe, please I beg you in the name of God, I don't want to get another call that you're in the hospital again"
King stepped back to give them a moment.
"I'm sorry" Eni said, looking away.
"Nooo, you don't need to apologize for anything at all. See, I can't pretend to fully understand what you're going through. You're a strong woman but you can't be strong on your own anymore. You have me, let me help you. If you need someone to vent to, to cry on, to shout at even, call me! But you can't keep doing this nauuuu. Please just tell me what I can do"
"You think I like this? Oge you think I like being in and out of the hospital? I hate it here! I hate being looked after like some helpless child. I don't know how to be okay!" Eni blurted.

From where he stood to watch, King noticed Oge sit up and take a more focused disposition. This is what she wanted, to get Eni to pour out everything she'd been using weed and alcohol to suppress.
"What do you mean?" Oge asked.
"What do I mean?! Look at me! I used to be happy! I had a clothes store and a flourishing skin care business! I was good till I met that BASTARD!"

"Kunle?"

"YES! He took everything from me! My store, my business, my freedom and when there was nothing more to take, he turned me into a punching bag. There was no week when Kunle didn't rape me Oge! No week!"
King reached for a chair.
If he thought he was upset before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now.
Eni was already a mess, trying to talk and almost choking on her tears. Oge stayed strong, holding her own tears in place.

"I was so relieved when he died. I thought I could go back to how I was but I can't. I don't even know how to return to normal. I've tried. There's no desire to do anything. I feel so...lost Oge. Kunle ruined my life"
Then she let it all out, the anger, the pain, the hate, the grief...everything, gushing out of her in terrible, heartbreaking wails.