MAKESHIFT HUSBAND (COMPLETE)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Kamal paced to and fro, unable to sit still for the past thirty minutes since they arrives at the Accident & Emergency unit of FMC, Keffi.

"Hello gentlemen. I'm doctor Fatima. I'm the one in charge of the lady you brought in"

"My name is Salman. I'm the patient's brother. How is my sister?"

Doctor Fatima nodded at Salman. "The patient you brought in is stable condition and she's awake already."

The short doctor stuffed her stethoscope in her pockets and smiled to Kamal. "Seeing as this man is her brother, I'm guessing you're her husband?"

"Yes I am. Is something the matter?" His heartbeat increased and he felt the killing urge to use the toilet.

Salman went on the alert. If something happened to his sister now, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for failing as a big brother.

He thrust his trembling hands inside his pockets. "Look Doctor you can just tell us if something is wrong with her. We'll be able to handle it"

"Oh no I'm sorry if I've given you the wrong impression" she shook her hands. "On the contrary, the patient's very okay save for dehydration and the fact that she hasn't been eating, she is very fine."

Doctor Fatima's smile widened. She faced the two of them with large blinking eyes. "Congratulations!" She beamed with excitement at Kamal. "You're about to become a Father"

"What!?" The two of them chorused.

"I know it's quite a shock right? This mustn't have been the way she planned on breaking the news to you but no harm done."

Doctor Fatima chirped on and on, throwing in more words of congratulations and finally, she handed a prescription to Salman.

"Maryam's pregnant?" He asked his frozen friend again. "We'll talk about this after I buy the drugs." Throwing him one last withering glare, Salman left to the pharmacy.

Kamal felt his head getting heavier, like the whole world was spinning.

"Are you okay Sir?" A nurse approached him. "Should I get you a doctor?"

"No I'm fine" he shook his head. "Can you direct me to a patient?"

She pointed to the receptionist's desk. "You can get every information you want over there but I suggest that you sit for a while. You look very pale."

Kamal felt she was being funny.

He looked pale?

Of course he felt pale and sick, like he needed to throw up.

Maryam's pregnant.

With a baby.

His baby.

What had he done?

After getting the information he needed, Kamal hesitated for a while in front of the door.

He pushed the door with a soft "bismillahi" and walked in.

She was leaning against the pillows, staring at the window with dazed eyes that she didn't even hear him walk in.

"Hey" he spoke cautiously and walked to her side. "Are you feeling better?"

Maryam ignored his eyes. She couldn't face him now. What would he think of her? Would he think she didn't tell him about the pregnancy early because she wanted to trap him in their fake marriage?

"I'm so sorry"

The tears started to fall and before he could give her an answer, she'd started to sob.

Damn pregnancy hormones

Maryam thought.

Why am I even crying?

"Stop crying okay? You have nothing to be sorry about. Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something? The doctor said you were dehydrated and that you hadn't been eating well. Haven't you been getting deliveries from Ado?"

Kamal inquired and she felt tongue tied.

Was he really concerned about her health? He wasn't blaming her for getting pregnant? He wasn't angry that this 5?

"You're not upset at me?"

"Why would I be? You didn't get pregnant on your own did you?"

The two of them sat in silence for a while.

"Oh and by the way, this baby shouldn't affect our decisions in any manner whatsoever." She added.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we've agreed to get divorced in the next two months so this child shouldn't make us change our decision."

Kamal looked at her serious face. She wasn't joking at all. She really wanted them to get divorced after two months while she's carrying his child?

He suppressed the urge to laugh. Did she think this was the western nations? Divorce her with a baby?

"You're joking right?" Even though he knew she wasn't, he still had to ask to be very sure.

"I know it sounds absurd but look at it like this" Maryam adjusted on the bed and started to explain herself. "In the past ages and even presently, some of our mothers have remained in a loveless marriage simply because they had kids. They turn out miserable, depressed and unhappy but I don't want to be like that."

She paused and continued despite Kamal's increasingly angry expression.

"I know my past will forever be a  wall between us and I regret the things that I have done but I'm greedy enough to want to be in a happy marriage."

She held up a hand to stop him from talking. "Let me finish Kamal. I know you don't love me and I don't blame you for that. After all you never wanted to marry me. I'm the one who barged into yours and your family's lives and upset the balance you all had. You don't have to wait until the remaining two months are up. You can just divorce me now and I'll take care of things with my family."

Kamal felt as if he needed to give her a tight slap. She spoke about sensitive topics as if she was discussing what she wanted for dinner.

"So the child? What will we do about it?"

She smiled seeing that he was following although her heart was aching.

"We can discuss visitation although I'll be out of the country for a while. Maybe it can visit you when its older but before then, you'll have to cope with video calls."

"So I should let my child grow in a totally foreign land while calling another man father when I'm alive and healthy? Are you crazy Maryam? You want me to divorce you? Then fine......"

"Divorce her?" Snarled Salman who just walked in hearing only the latter part of the conversation. He glared at Kamal. "I'd like to see you try"