Delayed Diagnosis {Book 1 of the Rex Obasi Trilogy}

Chapter 48

Bami called me a little later. My dad had once again been the designated security to stay by Andy's bed but I could see he was tired of sitting in the room alone.

Apparently my mom did too, because she offered that they all stay behind while I went food hunting so I assured them I would get something nice and be quick.

Currently, I was skipping down the stairs when he called me.

"Bami!"

"Please, use my alias. I'm known as agent John. Don't come and give away my identity unknowingly"

"Agent John?...I'd try my best but won't it be better to still protect your alias.."

"Don't call me strange eyes if that's where you're going"

"Okay I won't...so what's up, any news?"

"The flights have been booked. 4pm, first class tickets. You should receive the details as we speak"

True enough my phone vibrated, "thanks, you won't believe how my mind just calmed down now"

"I'd have the other things you requested for tonight and you can trust me to provide security for Andy anytime you won't be there. Especially when the sun sets..."

I lowered my eyes at his choice of words, but I said nothing...instead I ended the call.

I spent a small fortune on food alone, everybody was super hungry and I didn't hold back, it was a popular eatery I went to, and their food is known to be too expensive, coupled with the fact that I couldn't stop my eyes from roaming everywhere in the show glass....everything I was seeing looked inviting; rice, porridge, plantain, salad, not to talk of the dilemma to choose between meat/fish/chicken/snail......at the end I settled for almost everything and from the amount of paper bags I held, one would think it was for at least 20 people or they were about to sell me.

The hunger must have been more serious than I thought because my father called me twice, and both times I assured him I was on my way.

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The day seemed to fly by and my parents were no longer as supportive as they had been concerning their journey back. I knew however, that I had to be firm and I maintained that they had to go. "You came to spend the weekend, it’s already Monday. We can't be jumping from hospital to hotel like this.."

We bantered back and forth but I was firm. They had come to visit me and the visitation was over.

By 4pm we must be headed for the airport..they couldn't afford to miss their flight.

It was 12:30pm currently and I was thinking about how I would drop them at the airport, drive towards the other end of Lagos to the hospital for Olivia's checkup then drive back to Jossy's makeup school for our makeover session. Olivia and I were in the room with Andy. My parents were somewhere outside in the "sunlight" as my dad had put it, he had been super restless and I know he was tired of the hospital really, he said he needed a different kind of air and was taking a walk, my mother had joined him saying the antiseptic smell of hospitals always made her queasy. So currently we were alone with Andy who was still sleeping(a different doctor had come to check on him and announced that the next time he would wake..he should be strong enough to speak softly)

I decided to fill Olivia in on what I had found out in the last few hours.

For a minute I thought I had succeeded in scaring her with the horrific tales of how the widows were snatched by the shadows. One would think the shadows had supernatural powers with the way I narrated it and she must have thought so too because her eyes were wide and white.

"It’s okay Olivia. We'll find another way I'm sure, we don't need to risk your life"

"No it’s not that..." She shook her head, "I'm just shocked at how these people have been messing and playing with lives all along...kidnapping them, treating them like objects..." her eyes had some kind of fire in them. "No Rex, the time is now...we need to stop them. They feel invisible but we need to expose them!" She was so fired up that she got up as she was talking so she could look at me without turning her neck and I assisted her to the bed.