THE TOWER OF LIFE

CHAPTER 4: UNVEILING THE TRUTH

After prayer, Amina had called her driver to come and pick her up. She couldn't last the remaining hours in school. Her flare up was getting worse and she needed to go to the hospital for her check up.

"What about the last period of school?" Aina'u asked on their way back to the class.

"I can't stay any longer." Amina stated and walked ahead to get her bag.

"Can I come with you then?" Aina'u didn't believe she said that. She couldn't dare to miss class nor follow someone she isn't very close to out during school time.

Amina gave her a weird look then shook her head "Thank you but I am fine."

She picked her bag and left the classroom. Her driver was already waiting for her by the time she had gone to get permission from their homeroom teacher to give to the security guards.

Though they let her out with no issues as they had known her to always leave school earlier than everyone else.

"To the hospital?" Her driver, Aminu, asked and she nodded.

"Thanks!" She said as he passed her the bunch of banana she had requested of him. He drove off to the their family hospital down town.

Back at school, Junny came to seat close to Aina'u the moment he saw Amina carry her bag and leave.

"Why did she leave early?" He asked.

Aina'u shrugged "I don't know."

"Isn't she your friend? Why do you sound like that?"

She sighed "We met some hours ago, do you expect her to tell me everything immediately? It takes time to earn a person's trust."

"I thought you both already bonded within that short period of time." He winked and she rolled her eyes at him.

He was such a dork at times.

The next teacher came in and left after an hour and forty minutes, the bell rang signifying the end of school.

"Let's go home!" Junny told his Sister as they left the school.

He brought his motorcycle to school and she joined him as he drove them off home.

Amina just got to the hospital and waited a bit till she was called to see her consultant.

"So how are you feeling now? Any changes from the last time we met?" The doctor, Elizabeth asked after they exchanged pleasantries and joked about the weather.

Doctor Elizabeth had been Amina's Consultant for the past 3 years. She knew everything about her and took her like a friend because she knew her situation even her family situation.

Amina was always free with her and could tell her everything. They meet often aside from the hospital, Elizabeth had been to Amina's house a few times to see her during difficult times. All in all, Elizabeth is the only friend Amina had.

"Still same! Nothing has changed, Doc."

Elizabeth nodded in understanding "Are you still taking your medications regularly?"

Amina nodded.

At the end of her session with the Doctor, she concluded "I will schedule you for an endoscopy test tomorrow. Let's see if there is any change."

Amina inwardly groaned, she hated that test. To have a machine put in your gut unsedated is the last thing anyone would want. She had done it several times but she could never get used to it. It wasn't possible for anyone to.

"Do I have to?" Amina asked sadly.

Elizabeth upon noticing her tenses state smiled reassuringly "Don't worry about it, dear. I know it's hard but we are going to do everything to make sure you are fine again."

Amina shook her head "Surely you don't know how I feel, you don't know how much pain I go through every second of my life. You don't know how hard it is for me to keep my sanity. You certainly don't know how many times I wish i was dead."

Elizabeth frowned "I might not know entirely what you are going through, Amina. But I am your Doctor, I have been for the past three years and I can say I understand you more than anyone. I understand your pain and I feel how much you hate your life but nothing can be done to that. You have to live and fight this disease, you can't just give up without putting up any fight."

Amina teared up "But I have been fighting alone... for three years I have been fighting this battle alone."

Elizabeth placed her hand on hers in support "You haven't been alone, dear. And you will never be. As I had told you during our session last week, you really need someone you can trust, someone to love and be loved back by. You need to move on from the pain your family had imprinted on you. You deserve to be loved, Amina."

Amina was crying by now, she wasn't sure of how to get that love, that care that she had always yearned for. Ever since her Mum left her, no one looked after her, not even her Dad. She was so alone and deserted that living became too difficult.

"You are a fighter! I have known alot of patients with IBS and I can proudly say that you are the best fighter I have seen, giving what you are going through right now. Some people don't understand that IBS affects the mental health as much as the physical state of a person. You are very strong, my dear, for you have gotten here all by yourself."

Amina nodded slightly "I guess so. I just wish all these would be over, I am so exhausted and tired. It's so tiring."

"We shall continue managing it till something changes one day, as Doctors, we can only hope as we help, for we have not the say over everything the Lord declares."

Amina was grateful to have met Doctor Elizabeth, she had been a great help and a good friend to her. She had made her understand that not only blood can be family, the Almighty sends some people to you and they become family by how kind they are to you.

Amina stood up "Thank you! What time should I come for the test tomorrow?"

"I will talk with the nurse and let you know later. Don't forget that I am here whenever you need someone to talk to."

"Thank you!" Amina waved her bye and left.

The drive home wasn't long and she immediately went to her room and slept off without even changing out of her uniform. That was how exhausted she was.

Aina'u and Junny arrived home in half an hour, the ride was really refreshing to Aina'u as it gave her time to think about her next move.

She had decided to unravel the truth behind Amina's secrecy and lend a helping hand to her as she felt that they shared a bond of some kind within the short moment they had met.

Hey lovelies! I realized that they have been an error with chapter 5, as it is published as the last chapter down there. I tried to return it to where it belongs but it isn't working. Kindly ignore the stress and pls scroll down to find chapter 5.

Thank you for your understanding!

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