#SISTER_DEBORAH
Author: Samuel Frederick
EPISODE 15: WHAT TRUTH?
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A large crowd had gathered in the campus field making noise from all angles. They were gathered in a circle, surrounding someone that I couldn’t see. I pushed through the crowd till I got to the front, only to see the least of all people I expected at the scene: Deborah, sprawled on the ground in a pool of her own blood, breathing unconsciously.
There were two ladies bent beside her, whom were her friend Divine and my course mate, Annabel. Shocked, I knelt before Deborah’s half-conscious body, pondering over what led to this.
“Debbie! Debbie!!” I tapped her hand repeatedly, but she remained mute.
“What happened?” I looked up at Divine, who was now in tears.
“She was raped.”
“Raped?” I shouted, utterly shocked. “By who? How come? When? Where?”
“I don’t know. I honestly don’t know!” Divine’s tears flowed like a river.
“I’ll suggest we take her to the school clinic on time, before she loses more blood. She’s bleeding terribly.” Annabel suggested, rising up fast. Divine and I stood up too, following Annabel’s lead. Timi and Fatai flagged down a taxi for us, while Hakeem helped us to carry Deborah into the taxi. It was a five-seater vehicle which could only contain the driver, Deborah, Annabel, Divine and I, so Timi, Fatai and Hakeem boarded another taxi that followed behind us.
Within some minutes, we arrived at the school clinic and carried Deborah inside. Some nurses aided us with a stretcher, which was used to convey her into a ward. We were asked to wait at the hallway while the doctor and nurses attended to her.
After some minutes, a nurse returned and called Divine and I to the ward. When we got there, I noticed that Deborah had been placed on medical drip and that her forehead was bandaged.
“Who is closer to this lady between you two?” The doctor asked.
“We are both her close friends.” Divine replied her, holding back tears.
“Have her parents been informed?”
“Yes, I’ve informed her dad. He’s on his way here.”
“Hmm!” The doctor sighed. “This lady lost a lot of blood today. She needs to undergo blood transfusion within the next twenty-four hours or else…”
“Or else?” Divine urged her on.
“Or else, the outcome might be disastrous.” She finalized.
“I would do it, doctor.” I chipped in quickly. “I would donate for her!”
“Can you handle it?” The doctor scrutinized me from head to toe within a second. “I am talking about one full pint of blood here.”
“I said I’ll do it, doctor.”
“Okay.” The doctor agreed and called on a nurse nearby. I was tested thoroughly before anything else. Thereafter, I was asked to seat on a chair close to Deborah’s bed, and then the transfusion commenced.
Some moments later, after I was done with the blood transfusion, my roommates and Annabel came into the ward to check up on us. They shared their sympathies with me and stayed in the ward for a while, until it was late enough to announce their departure.
They left, which left Divine and I alone with Deborah in the ward. I sat on a chair close to the sickbed, while Divine sat on the bed, next to Deborah.
All of a sudden, the ward’s door opened and an elderly man dressed in a native attire called ‘agbada’ rushed inside, accompanied by an elderly lady behind him. The doctor and some nurses followed suit.
Both elderly folks rushed to the bed, afraid.
“Doctor, what happened to my daughter?” The man’s baritone voice boomed.
“Please, calm down, sir.” The doctor said to him, and when she noticed that he’d relaxed a bit, she said, “Sir, your daughter here was involved in a tragic rape incident this evening. She was brought here by her colleagues, but by the time they arrived she’d lost so much blood, so a blood transfusion had to be done. Luckily for her, this young man here volunteered.” The doctor explained, pointing at me.
The elderly man turned to face me and looked at me for a while, with tears welling up in his eyes.
“Thank you very much, my son.”
“It’s my pleasure, sir.”
“May God bless you abundantly.” He prayed, with joy and sadness laced in his voice. “Whoever did something as evil as this to my daughter, it shall never be well with them. It shall never work well for them. I curse whosoever it is with the pains of a father, that their life shall know no peace, and they shall be miserable all their days on earth!”
“Amen!” Divine and the elderly woman chorused.
“Sir, please take it easy,” the doctor tried comforting him. “I’m sure she will be fine.”
Deborah’s father nodded, acting civil, while the doctor turned to the elderly lady beside him.
“Are you her mother, ma?”
“I am her step-mother.” The lady replied.
“In that case, sir and ma, I would like to have a word with the both of you in my office.” She announced. “Including you two,” she pointed at me and Divine.
Instantly, we all followed the doctor as she led the way to her office. On getting there, we were offered seats, but Divine and I insisted on standing, while Deborah’s parents took their seats.
The doctor commenced with, “I have good news and bad news.”
“What is the good news, doctor?” Deborah’s father asked anxiously.
“The good news is that your daughter is responding well to treatment.”
“And the bad news?” Deborah’s step-mother inquired.
“The bad news is; she is in a serious state of coma as we speak, and…” The doctor paused.
“And what, doctor?”
“And there is a huge possibility that she might not be able to walk . . . temporarily.”
“Jesus!!!” Deborah’s step-mother exclaimed out of shock.
“What do you mean, doctor?” Deborah’s father asked, fuming.
“What I mean is, according to the results of our tests, it appears that whoever was involved in your daughter’s predicament had handled her brutally. She appears to have been hit by a vehicle, probably a car or something else that fractured her bones in the process. She would heal with time, hopefully, but I cannot guarantee that she’d walk properly for a while.” The doctor concluded her explanation.
To say we were more than shocked was a complete understatement. I, in particular, could not believe my ears. I was left speechless. Deborah’s father broke down in tears, and the doctor and his wife consoled him.
After a while, we returned to the ward. The doctor prescribed some drugs for me and urged me to take them when I’d gotten home, but I insisted on staying. I couldn’t leave Deborah in that condition.
“My son, you have done more than enough today. I appreciate your good deeds and your concern over my daughter but you need to rest. Remember you donated blood, so you need adequate rest. Please, on my behalf, do return home.” Deborah’s father pleaded with me. I hesitated to leave, but he urged me more. I ended up with no choice but to budge to his demand.
Deborah’s father’s driver drove Divine and I back to our hostels. When I returned home and narrated the whole ordeal to my roommates, they all sympathised with me and encouraged me, which was exactly what I needed tonight. I managed to have my meal coupled with the drugs the doctor had prescribed for me, and just as I intended to go to bed, a message popped in on my phone from an unknown number.
With curiosity, I clicked on the WhatsApp message which reads:
“If you think she is innocent, ask her where she went to tonight when she recovers. I know she told u she went to church, right? Well, look at these pictures and play this video, and you will find out the truth.”