TEENAGE TRAUMA

Chapter 23-Bam!

The four men immediately got in different positions, pointing their various firearms at Aunty, obviously ready to shoot. "You'd better drop your weapons and stand down NOW! And all of you stand together. Or I'm putting a bullet through her skull" Aunty said to the four security men we came with. With Kevin agreeing nod, they complied and came back to us, standing around us like they were forming a barrier.

"It's like you kids won't learn your lesson until I get rid of one of you" Aunty said, looking down on us with spite. The police came to my house earlier today, with a search warrant. I let them search, but did you seriously think I would leave anything just lying around in there, knowing fully well that you kids do not want to let me rest? How stupid of you!", she continued.
"Aunty we didn't send anybody to your house, I swear, it wasn't us. Or did we send anybody? No" I tried to argue, asking Tricia and Kevin. But when I looked at Tricia. She gave an agreeing nod and we realised she was the one who went to the police and asked them to do so.
I placed my hand on my head, knowing we're doomed.

"So it was you, Rita! And you even went behind your friends back. You're stupid o" Aunty commented, laughing.
"Rita? Is her name not Tricia anymore?" Miss Ope asked generally.

"Are you being serious? There is literally a 'GUN!' pointed at our friend and all you can worry about is her name?" I yelled back at her.

"Alright...my bad, it's just that my daughter's name is Rita as well. Hearing that name set off something in me. Sorry".

"I call her Rita because Rita is her name". Turning to Tricia, she continued, "How are you even surprised?Why else did you think I always called you Rita? You thought I could be bothered enough to name you myself?"

"Is that..?" Miss Ope wanted to ask.
"Yes. And I wouldn't like to do what I'm about to do to her right now because..you know, you've done all I ever asked you to do and you've been a really good puppet but these kids need to learn a lesson" Aunty answered her, even before she could finish her sentence.

"Rita! Miss Ope exclaimed as her face lit up with joy.
"Okay, what's going on here? Am I missing something?"my mum asked, confused.

"Seriously, mum? Miss Ope is Tricia's birth mum", I answered her.
"Mum?", Tricia tearfully muttered.

Miss Ope uncontrollably made an attempt to run to Tricia, extending her arms for a hug but Aunty yelled, "Hey! Where do you think you're going? Are you mad or something? Move back, back to the others, now!" Miss Ope was frightened by the order and went back to where she was standing.

"But, I did everything you've asked me to do. For years! All for me to get her back and now you want to kill her JUST like you did my son? Aunty you can't do that! Please give me at least a chance to get to know her, spend time with her as my daughter, it's been 16 years!", Miss Ope screamed, crying and she fell to the floor.

"Ope..don't try to make this harder for me than it had to be o. I really don't want to do this but these kids..they won't learn their lesson if I don't"

"No no! We'll completely leave you alone. We promise you, we will forget about this and NEVER disturb you again, please, Aunty" Kevin begged.

But even after everything,  I fixed my eyes on Aunty's fingers. She was going to pull that trigger no matter what and bam! We all instantly shut our eyes and I looked away, clinging helplessly on my mum. We could here her troubled cry all over the room. I lifted my eyes to see Miss Ope holding Tricia tightly in her arms as she sobbed. "Wait! She's still breathing!" Get her to a hospital, now!" Miss Ope suddenly exclaimed.

Kevin's security men returned from their search for Aunty around the vicinity and one of them rushed to their vehicle outside. The others swooped Tricia up into their arms and within moments, she was already at the car. We all rushed, following behind them and the car doors were already wide open, and one of the men was ready to drive. Miss Ope got in the car with them and one of the men got into my mum's car with the rest of us, as we followed them to the nearest hospital. Between those few minutes there was nothing but the overlapping sounds of prayer. None of us even spoke to each other as we were all focused on praying, crying and hoping that Tricia would be okay.

Finally we ran into the hospital and Miss Ope informed us that the doctors just had taken Tricia into an emergency room. So we all did the only thing we could. We waited. We waited on God. The doctors escorted us all into the waiting room and Miss Ope stopped almost every single medical worker that worked past us, asking them about Tricia's condition. But most of them were speechless.

Just minutes later, one of the doctors who had taken Tricia in came to us. He informed us that though she was still unconscious, he had gotten Tricia in a sorta stable condition but they had to perform a surgery to safely remove the bullet and it would cost 1.4 million Naira.

"Doctor please do whatever you have to do! Do I look poor to you? Like I can't afford 1.4 million? Go and do it, you're wasting time. Listen I'm her mother and I give you permission to do whatever necessary, I will pay. Keep that girl alive!" Miss Ope rudely screamed at the doctor.
"My nurses would bring you the paperwork soon" He answered, hurriedly jogging back into the ER.

So again, we waited.
We hadn't heard anything from that doctor for an hour. And we just kept individually praying. We tried to comfort Miss Ope and speak to her but she wouldn't even look at any of us. The one time I found myself in her sight, she was literally glaring at me. And I could infer that she blamed us for Tricia'a condition.

About one and a half hours later, we finally got some feedback. The doctor came to us with a blunt face and we couldn't tell; was he about to give us good news or a terrible one. Upon sighting him, we all hopped on our feet and tan to him eagerly.
"The surgery was completely successful...", he started but was cut off by our different wails of victory. "Thank God" I whispered looking at Kevin who gave a sigh of relief.

But something was wrong. The doctor wasn't smiling. I knew we definitively wouldn't love the next part of his sentence.
"She's currently in a coma. But I don't think it should be for a long time because other than that, she's fine" she continued. No one knew exactly how to react to that and as the doctor finished that statement, everyone went as silent as the dead. "Well she's alive! That's all that matters. Plus, she'll be alright. Her condition isn't critical at all, right?" Kevin hopefully commented, looking at the doctor.

"Ummn, she's alright..but she should regain consciousness soon, hopefully". He answered.

"So when can we see her? Now?" I asked.

"Oh definitely not. You can't see her right now. But give it about a week and you can sit in a designated waiting area where you can see her from a distance though".

"And when can we finally be close enough to her to touch or something?"

"Only her family members can do that, after we deem it safe. That usually takes definitely more than a week. Others will always have to see through a glass-like window. But for now, you can't see her at all. Now who do I speak to to sort out the bill?" He asked.
My mum and Miss Ope then followed him into his office.

Days went by, even weeks and Kevin, Cristal and I were constantly visiting Tricia. Though we knew she couldn't speak to us or even see us and even we couldn't touch her or at least see her face clearly and reassure ourselves that soon, she'd be conscious, we just had to visit her. Every chance we got.

Soon, The doctors had told us and so had my mum, that we could relax a bit. And Tricia would be okay. They promised they'd call us immediately Tricia woke up, like their job demanded. So I focused more on my studies.