Amile The Queen

Chapter Eighty-Nine

***Amile Gumede***

I cried until Lerato was forced to drive me to the hospital. She spoke to her husband first and I’m guessing he agreed to let me come to the hospital.
I’m still crying, I’m angry at everyone, I’m angry at Khaya for just ditching me and not telling me anything, I’m mad at Lerato for keeping me away from going to see my husband. She has no idea the amount of time I have wasted while I could be by his side. He needs me, he needs no one else but me, I know my husband.
Here I am waddling through the emergency room, tears are blinding my vision, but I’ll push through, I need to find kaMhlaba.
“MaGumede!” that is Mandlenkosi, I’m always able to tell his voice apart from anyone else.
Even he’s here!? it’s a family reunion without me at the expense of my husband. I’m the only one who will be widowed if something happens to him.
“You aren’t supposed to be here.” he says grabbing my arms, gently pushing me back so I don’t enter the waiting room.
“No, I need to go and see my husband.” I say hitting my fists on his chest.
“Amile, you are pregnant, you aren’t supposed to be in public, you know this. Bhuti is fine.” he says whispering, he doesn’t want attention drawn to us.
Well, if that’s what he doesn’t want, it’s exactly what I will do.
“LET ME GO TO MY HUSBAND!” I scream loud enough for everyone to hear.
He lets me go as quickly as he got up from his seat to come stop me, and I took the opportunity to rush past the waiting room where they are sitting, that traitor Khaya is also here. And an unknown woman, she’s sobbing.
“Where is my husband?” that’s all I want.
They can see that I’m not smiling with anyone, Khaya is the first one to point me to the emergency room.
I waddle there, he knows better than to challenge me when I’m mad.
He’s lying on a hospital bed, fully conscious, a doctor hovering over him.
“Baba.” I say as I rush to be by his side.
“Ma’am you aren’t supposed to be here.” the doctor say as I cling onto him.
He has his other arm hooked around me and I’m crying on his shoulder.
“Sh…my wife…” he manages to say.
He can barely form a sentence and that breaks my heart into shreds.
“Mrs Zulu we are going to have to ask you to excuse us while we run some tests on him. He suffered a heart attack.”
“He had angioplasty surgery a few months back for his coronary artery disease.” he looks at me as if I’m here to take over his job.
I’m not interested in that, I just want my husband to be okay.
“Then maybe his arteries are clogging up again.” he points out the obvious.
“Call doctor Klaus.”
“His doctor is Mhlongo.” I correct.
He gives me that look again before he walks out the room along with the nurse, leaving me with baba. I hold on tightly to his hand and lean in to kiss his dry lips.
“I was…goi…” he attempts to speak.
“It’s okay baba, you don’t have to explain.” I said wiping the tears that were running down his cheek.
He places his hand on my baby bump.
“We are okay baba, and you are going to be okay too. You just need to be strong like you always are.” I say to him.
He nods and tightens the hold on my hand.
While we sit in silence, Dr Mhlongo rushes into the room.
“Bayede, Ndlunkulu, sekwenzenjani manje.” he already has his stethoscope on his chest checking his heart rate.
“He had another heart attack.” I say looking at him.
“Another, why didn’t you come back after the first one.” I look at him. It’s no time for I told you so but I did say.
“It happened early this morning doctor, we were going to come in tomorrow. And it wasn’t a major heart attack, just chest pains.” I explain.
“How long have you been having the chest pains Mageba?”
“A few times.” he manages to stutter.
I give him a death stare. Why didn’t he say anything this whole time. Is he trying to die? He better not do me like that, not when I’m carrying his baby.
“His arteries may be clogging up again, I’ll have to do a MRI to see. If anything, then we are going to have to do bypass surgery. I’m admitting you Zulu, you are a high risk at this point.” my heart fell into the pit of my stomach.
“Thank you doctor.” I said as I covered his chest after he finished checking his vitals.
He wrote a few things down before he excused himself. I was left with baba and I took that opportunity to talk to him.
“Why didn’t you tell me kaMhlaba?” I asked.
I know he’s struggling to speak, but I want to know, I really want to know.
“I didn’t want to stress you out.” he said breathlessly.
He wanted to continue, but I put my hand on his chest to stop him from talking some more.
“It’s okay baba, at least now you will get help. I love you okay.” I said and planted another kiss on his lips.
He managed to kiss me back. He must never do this to me ever again, EVER.
“Please call Shlobo.” he said caressing my arm.
“I will baba, don’t worry.”
“Go home.” he said before he closed his eyes.
That is what I’m not going to do. I let go of his hand and give him time to rest.
I make my way out the emergency room to the waiting room where the whole family is congregating.
“He’s being admitted, you can go home.” they all just stare at me like I’ve grown horns.
Lerato is the one to stand up and she comes to hold my arms. She must not.
“We are taking you with Amile.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” I said calmly.
“You need some rest, and you can’t be seen in public.” I shook my head and removed her hands from my arms.
“I said I’m not going anywhere. My husband is here, and that is where I am going to stay.”
“Amile…” Khaya tries to cut in.
“Don’t challenge me.” I said pointing a finger at him.
He lifted his arms in the air and walked away from us.
“You can all go home.” I said again.
I know I’m not going anywhere. They are all exchanging looks, I don’t care. I make my way to one of the couches and sit. After a long time filled with silence, Mandlenkosi is the one to stand up.
“You can go, I’ll stay with her.” he says to his brother.
“But bafo...” bhut’ Thula tries to protest.
“She’s stubborn, she won’t budge, just go home, rest and come back tomorrow. I will find a way to convince her to go home.” his confidence is admirable, but that is not going to happen, unfortunately.
He finally agrees and collects his whole family, along with the woman. I still don’t know who she is and why she’s here, and quite frankly, I really don’t care.
“Mgabadeli you can also go, I’ll call you if we need you.” Nkosi says as he settles on the couch opposite mine after seeing everyone off.
Mgabadeli says his goodbyes before leaving. Nkosi and I are left sitting in silence. He keeps stealing glances at me, and I can tell that he wants to say something.
“What do you want?” I ask him.
“Nothing.” he says quickly.
“No, say what you want to say, clearly it’s bothering you.” I say getting comfortable.
“Why are you like this? You could have just gone home and rested. Bhuti needs you and the baby to be strong and okay, not here, worrying about him.”
“You said so yourself, I’m stubborn.” I said reiterating his words.
He looks away in embarrassment.
“I love him Nkosi, and it’s not even about that only. I’m carrying his first child, I can’t deal with the pain of losing him before he meets his daughter. How would I make it through this life thing with a child when we are supposed to be doing it together?” I could see the pity in his eyes.
“I wouldn’t be able to heal from that, if I lose him too, I wouldn’t heal.” I admit.
I dealt with losing him, then I lost Banzi, I definitely can’t lose kaMhlaba, especially not now.
“You didn’t lose me.” he says.
I sigh. He is right, I technically didn’t lose him because he’s still here. Now that we can sit like this, without things becoming awkward means there is growth, from both me and him.
I just wish things didn’t happen the way they did, we should have never slept together, that is one part about our relationship I regret the most, because the ancestors knew what they were doing when they stopped it from happening so many times. I’m guessing it happened finally because they had already turned on the whole Zulu family, and I already was a part of it. I would never say that out loud though.
“Thank you Nkosi.” I said and wiped my tears.
I’m glad he is the way that he is now, that he’s back to being the Mandlenkosi I met almost two years ago. I hated that man he had become, that drunkard of a man who would embarrass himself for the fun of it. He’s back to being that Nkosi who stayed in the background, doing what he wants to do, and that is the Nkosi we all knew.
^
^
^
He got me a cheese sandwich from the cafeteria and a bottle of water because I desperately needed to take my antenatal pills. I’m feeling sleepy, we have been sitting here for almost three hours. I promised to go home as soon as Shlobo arrived, I wasn’t going to sit and sleep on a hospital couch knowing very well that I am pregnant.
“I need air.” I said after downing the pill.
“Must I get you a wheelchair?”
Is he insane.
“I’m not paralyzed Mandlenkosi, just pregnant.” he laughed.
“How far are you?”
“Seven months, I’m due in January.” he genuinely looks shocked.
“You look like you are nine months pregnant. Are you sure you counted correctly.” I rolled my eyes, then proceeded to help myself up from the couch, further proving that I’m capable.
“Wait for me.” he said standing up.
As we were walking heading to the exit, a nurse pulled up next to us.
“My prince, the king is asking to see you.” we shared a look.
“I’m coming.” he dissmissed her.
“He thinks I left.” I say to Nkosi.
My heart is racing, is he okay.
“It’s okay, go sit down, I’ll go hear what he needs.” I shook my head.
“I need air.” he looks unsure about me going outside alone.
“I’ll be careful, I promise.” I said.
He didn’t think twice, he ran back to the hospital while I went to sit outside. There was a bench there and I sat down, feeling the cool breeze on my face.
I know what scares me more about Langalethu dying now is that I would have to succeed the throne. It’s worse now that I know I’m expecting a girl, I know I’ll sit on the throne until the day I die. Maybe then she can take over as queen, but something like that has never been done. He can’t die. I know nothing about ruling a people, I’m only 18, I’m barely an adult.
“He’s not going to die.” I almost jump out of my skin when her voice echoes in my ears.
“Are you trying to kill me?” my heart is racing.
She replied by laughing at me. She then put her hand on my thigh. I used my hand to wipe my tears and took in a deep breathe to help me calm down.
“I’ve been sitting here with you for over a minute and you didn’t see me. You must really be deep in thought.” I sighed.
“He’s not going to die, there’s a lot he hasn’t fulfilled on this earth, it’s not his time yet. You have my word on it.” she reassures.
The only reason I believe her is because it’s her. I have no reason to fight Shlobo.
“I just want him to be okay.” she tightened her hand around mine.
“He will be fine and he will be out of this place soon.” she said before she stood up.
“He’s been waiting for you.” I announce as she helps me up.
“I know. You can go home, I’ll make sure he’s okay.” thank God she’s here.
I may pretend to the outside world that I know more about him than they do, but in actual fact, this woman right here, she definitely knows him more than I do. And I’m not trying to compete, I let her do what she needs to do, as long as my man is happy and healthy.
*
We are sitting around the table, one big happy family. There are all kinds of delicacies decked on the table, my mouth is literally watering.
I’m sitting opposite Mhlabawesizwe, he’s at the head of the table. Next to me is the boy, and next to the boy is Banzi. He looks ravishing, like a mystical being from another world, I’ve never seen a person looking so pure.
On Mhlabawesizwe’s side sits MaNdlela, she also looks happy. Why am I here, because this seems to be a family reunion?
“I kept my end of the deal.” Mhlaba’s voice rumbles in my ears.
Why is everyone at the table speaking like they don’t see or hear me?
“So did I. Your wife is sitting right there with you.” this old man better not try me.
He gave loud cackle. Even beyond the grave he’s still evil. The wicked never rest, do they.
“No, in fact, you didn’t keep your end of the deal because Nkosi still hasn’t settled down and found the right one for him, and Langalethu is still fighting for his life, going in and out of hospital when I asked you for peace in our family.”
“Mandlenkosi found love and peace within himself. The love for life, and peace of mind.” he replied.
I was left without a comeback to that. It’s true, he’s happier, maybe when I said love, I wasn’t specific enough. I’m just happy he found it.
“But Langalethu is still sick, we aren’t living in peace.”
“Gog’ Mfusi told you that it’s not his time yet. He knows what he needs to do in order to feel better. These hospitals won’t do anything for him.”
I drew in a sharp breath.
“I will show myself again, you just won’t be seeing me like this anymore.” he says.
I look down to touch my bump, it’s not there.
I panic and look around.
“My baby? What happened to my baby!?” he gave me a smile.
*
“My baby!” I shot my eyes open and my hands landed on my stomach.
Thank goodness! I mumbled a prayer asking the Lord to protect me and my family from harm. I don’t know what to make of that dream, I don’t know how to interpret it.
“Mhlabawesizwe, what do you want now?” I said as I rolled out of bed.
I need to get ready to go to the hospital and see baba. There’s something deeper here, and it has Mhlabawesizwe written all over it!