LULU'S POV
For the next few hours after Jamie and I got rescued I drifted in and out of consciousness barely aware of what was going on around me. I had been so strong, ready to scale a cliff so we could get help but as soon as I'd seen Marini I had stopped fighting or being strong. My big sister had come to rescue me so she would be strong on my behalf.
I vaguely recalled Isaac and Mark walking out of the cliff supporting James on their shoulders.
Next thing I remembered was being carried to the helicopter and being laid on a chair next to James. We were both wounded but we were alive, we had survived. We held hands the whole flight back to Ndoto, drifting in and out of consciousness. I protested when they separated us as soon as we got to the hospital to tend to us separately but I was too weak to do anything about it. I had my own injuries too so I couldn't just focus on James. Last thing I saw before I finally passed out was Doctor Ezra cutting into James' shirt to reveal his ribs.
When I came to properly after a few hours I was in the newly built in-patient ward at the hospital. I recognized it immediately because I had been there a week earlier when all the medical equipment had arrived. I struggled to blink my eyes open and assess my surroundings. When I could finally see properly I realized that I had an IV in my right hand and I was dressed in the stiff blue and white hospital gowns. I also had an oxygen mask digging into my nostrils making me uncomfortable so I reached for it trying to pry it off but a hand stopped me.
"Don't do that."Marini scolded giving me an admonishing look.
I hadn't even noticed her walk into my room but I was so relieved to see her. I had no idea why but hearing her voice set me off as tears welled in my eyes. I didn't know what Marini was doing in Ndoto but it was so good to see my big sister. She had saved my life. I struggled but managed to sit up so I could hug her. I cried on her shoulder and she hugged me back tightly rubbing soothing circles on my back.
"Hey it's okay, don't cry, I'm here. You're safe now."She consoled pulling back to wipe the tears off my face with the pads of her thumbs.
"How are you here?"I asked Marini looking at her in wonder.
"Isaac flew us here yesterday to surprise you but you weren't here. I knew something was wrong the minute you didn't come back so with Mark's help we located you using the micro chip."She replied.
I sagged in relief feeling happy to have an overprotective big sister who always went above and beyond to make sure Amani and I were safe. Amani and I had fought Marini when she had demanded we get the microchips but she had been insistent since it was the only way she would have allowed us to move out. We'd finally relented and gotten the implants. I had no idea why we had fought against them so much because once they were in, you forgot you even had one after a few weeks.
"Thank you so much."I cried hugging Marini once more.
"I'm just glad you're safe. Now tell me what the hell happened out there Lulu?"Marini asked her motherly tone slipping in.
She would definitely make a good mother but she had told me that she and Isaac had agreed to wait a few years before they started having kids. Marini hadn't wanted a husband in the first place so kids would take some time to wrap her head around.
I was about to tell her what had happened when I remembered James. James, Jamie, my baby, where was he, how was he?
"James?"I asked Marini my voice dripping with concern.
"Don't worry, he's right here."She replied getting up to push the curtain next to my bed aside to reveal James sleeping peacefully on the bed.
"You two kept calling out to each other as you drifted in and out of consciousness so we just put you in the same room."Marini explained my eyes trained on James, my fiance.
His wounds had been tended to and his left leg was in a cast suspended propped up on some pillows. He was dressed in a hospital gown just like I was looking battered and bruised but alive. We had survived, we lived. Thanks be to God.
"Is he okay?"I asked Marini.
"Doctor Ezra said that its a miracle you two survived such a treacherous fall but you're both expected to make a full recovery. Speaking of doctors, let me go get him so he can check on you then we'll resume the conversation about what happened out there."Marini demanded.
I nodded and she squeezed my hand warmly before leaving James and I alone.
I had been so sacred that James and I wouldn't make it out alive but we had and for that I would be forever grateful. I willed James to wake up so I could see his beautiful eyes and his smile but he kept sleeping peacefully next to me. He deserved to sleep though after the ordeal we had both been through.
"There's my favorite Kiarie sister. How are you feeling?"Doctor Ezra asked as he walked into the room.
"Hi Ezra, Im fine, I just feel like I've survived a car accident."I grinned happy to see the old doctors kind face.
"Well you are a survivor all right. You saved your life and that of James, you're a hero. Now let me check you up properly. I noticed that you have a high tolerance for pain so I can't take your word for it."Doctor Ezra replied retrieving his stethoscope from around his neck.
For the next five minutes he did an assessment of me, checking my brain activity , motor function, heart beat, blood pressure, all the generic doctor stuff to make sure I was okay.
"You're okay Lulu but you'll be feeling sore for the next few days, having headaches plus bouts of dizziness but I'll prescribe medicine for that. If you promise to take mandatory bed rest for the next forty eight hours, I promise to release you to your sisters today."Doctor Ezra said.
I didn't quite like the thought if going home and leaving James behind but I didn't like hospitals either so I agreed.
"I promise doc but what about James. How is he?"I asked.
"James injuries are much more extensive than yours so we'll keep him longer for observation. He has two broken ribs, a broken ankle and a concussion but other than that he's doing okay. We managed to break his fever so if he continues to do well, we'll let him go in the next two days or so."Doctor Ezra explained.
"Thank you doc."I smiled happy to hear the good news.
"You're welcome. Now there's a lot of people here to see you. I'll let them in but please be mindful of your injuries."Doctor Ezra demanded softly.
"I will."I assured him.
He smiled patted my leg comfortingly over the soft blanket before leaving the room. Marini took her place on the side of my bed once more looking like she was about to grill me hard. She didn't get to though because seconds later, my room started filling with people from Amani, Isaac, Jeremy, Ruth, Mark and the James' family, his parents, brothers and sisters. Yeah we really did have a big family. Doctor Ezra had drawn the curtain back so James wasn't in sight as everyone crowded over me.
Amani was the first one to launch herself at me hurting my bruised ribs but I endured the hug because I was happy to see her too.
"Hi, chubby, miss me."I teased earning myself a very unimpressed glare from Amani.
"You scared us all to death but I'm glad you're okay. Don't ever do that again."She scolded slapping my hand.
"I won't, I promise."I assured her even though I had no control over what had happened to James and I.
Amani pulled away so everyone else could get a chance. Isaac was next looking at me like he wanted to lecture me but he changed his mind last minute and just bent over to kiss my forehead.
"It's good to see you Lue."He mumbled and I could here the tightness in his voice.
Isaac and I hadn't gotten the chance to grow super close just yet but he was my sisters husband who had adopted the role of overprotective big brother very seriously.
"Did you see my lions yet?"I teased back hoping to lighten the mood.
"I caught a glimpse of them as we flew over the park but I'm sure I'll get a one on one introduction from you soon."He replied with a smile.
"It's a date."I promised him smiling back.
Jeremy just gave me a wordless hug, he was probably still intimidated by me which was okay. Mark and Ruth fussed over me for a few minutes before giving space to James's family. His brothers and sisters were happy to see me alive but they kept their distance because we weren't that close. James mom cried as she hugged me, cussing a lot in her native language. I understood her frustration and welcomed her motherly love.
"What this?"Naeku asked lifting my left hand to her scrutinizing eyes.
I had totally forgotten about the ring but I was grateful that they hadn't taken it from me.
I didn't even get to reply because Amani and Ruth were both shrieking in excitement at the ring.
"Would you look at that, James finally got the guts to pop the question."Mark commented looking very proud of his best friend.
The whole room erupted into a series of congratulations as I got another round of hugs. I was happy too but it would have been better if James was awake to share the joy with me. I was sad but at least he was alive and well, recovering in the bed next to mine.
"I know we're all excited about the engagement but there's a bigger issue here right now. Lulu you have to tell us what happened to you and James. When we saw your car it was riddled with bullets and upside down at the bottom of a cliff. How did you guys survive and why was your car full of bullet holes?"Marini asked the question that was probably on everyone's mind but they were too afraid to ask.
Everyone I cared about was in the room and since I didn't want to keep repeating the story I decided to just tell them what happened in one go. I sat up straighter, Isaac helping me with the pillows since he was closest to me.
"James and I did get shot at, they hit one of the tires and that's when we tumbled down the hill."I informed them and everyone gasped and scowled in anger.
"I think you need to tell us everything from the beginning."Marini demanded before everyone could start talking.
I took a deep breath and proceeded to tell narrate the whole ordeal even the unnecessary details from when we arrived at the top of the plateau, the accidental proposal, to when we were forced down the bottom of until Marini, Isaac and Mark came to rescue us. I hadn't thanked Isaac and Mark but I was really grateful to them for coming to our rescue.
By the time I was done the whole room was quiet for a few seconds before everyone started talking all at once. Everyone was angry, Amani was on the verge of tears and Naeku was inconsolable crying in her husbands arms.
"Did you see any of their faces?"Isaac asked clearly angry as the veins popped on his forehead, his blue eyes blazing with fury.
I'd never seen Isaac angry so seeing him like that was a little scary for me.
"No, they were too far and when the bullets started flying James and I didn't get the chance to look."I replied.
"This happened before and you assured me it would never happen again. I should ship off to Nairobi right now and lock you away."Marini seethed.
She was not kidding about her threat and could force me to move back to Nairobi if she wanted to but I wouldn't let her.
"I am not moving back to Nairobi Mar and I'm not entirely sure that this two were related cases."I retorted.
There's no way James was moving to Nairobi and us being apart was not an option.
"Your jeep is white not camouflage so it couldn't have been mistaken for a ranger's jeep. They also didn't steal anything from you so this means that their job was to kill you and they would have succeeded at it. I'm still in shock how you survived such a fall."Marini retorted.
"God's grace."I mumbled.
"We could go back and try to track them down. They tried to kill you so they could be a danger to other villagers as well as the wild animals in the park."Mark suggested.
"Good idea, I'm coming with you and providing aerial support."Isaac replied.
"Guys that's such a drastic move, shouldn't we leave all that stuff to the police."I intervened.
"No we're finding them and getting to the bottom of this."Isaac insisted.
I looked at Ruth for support but she just shrugged kissing her husband goodbye and wishing him luck. They had made the decision less than a minute ago but they were already kissing their wives goodbye. Marini and Isaac talked amongst themselves for a while before they kissed and she let him go. James' brothers volunteered to join the search too.
"Mar you've got to stop them, Ruth please. Those people had automatic weapons."I pleaded with them but Ruth just shrugged as if she hadn't just allowed her husband to go out on a suicide mission.
"Isaac can handle himself, you're forgetting he was in the army for ten years. Mark will also be fine, he was in the police force before he became a ranger right. They will both take care of the rest."Marini defended.
I lay back on the bed with a huff frustrated with the whole situation. If James were awake and able to move, he would probably have been wanted to join the hunt too. I didn't like the sound of that one bit so part of me was glad he was sleeping through the whole thing.
"The doctor said we couldn't stay long so we'll leave you both to rest. I'll get the discharge forms and find you clean clothes to change into so we can take you home."Marini said.
I liked the idea of leaving the hospital but I didn't want to leave James all on his own.
"Can you do all that tomorrow? I want to stay the night so I can be here with James."I requested Marini.
She didn't look pleased with my request but she also knew that I was not going to relent.
"Okay we'll see you tomorrow morning, get some rest."Marini said caving in as she leaned over to kiss my forehead.
"I can't wait to start planning the wedding. I'm so happy for you and James and I'm glad you're both alive."Ruth whispered in my ear as she hugged me goodbye.
Everyone one else said their goodbyes and wished both me and James a recovery. James' mother and sisters made sure to check on James too before they left and soon enough it was just me and James in the recovery room.
I slowly got out of bed, mindful of my IV and waddled towards James' bed. He looked so peaceful while sleeping but I didn't like all the cuts and scrapes on me.
I couldn't stand for long so I lifted the covers on his right side and slid into his bed right next to him. Good thing I'd invested in the bigger hospital beds otherwise it would have been and extremely tight fit.
"Hi Jamie, it's just me and you now. I can't believe we actually survived yesterday but here we are, beaten, battered and broken but alive."I sighed nuzzling my face into his neck.
James obviously didn't reply but listening to his heart pulsate on his neck against my lips was enough assurance that he was with me.
I looked at my ring and smiled, before putting my arms around James and hugging him close. My love for him could fill the oceans and I have no idea what I would have done with myself if James had died. I had not been looking for love when I arrived at Ndoto, it had been just another job for me, but then I met James and I feel hard and fast. Losing him would have killed me so I was really grateful to God for helping us survive such the shooting.
I prayed for the safety of everyone who had gone to hunt down whoever had shot at us. I hope they were caught and thrown in prison because they didn't deserve to be free after what they had put us through.
I had no idea how long I lay there listening to James' heartbeat and admiring my ring but after some time I felt James stir under me. I looked up to find him struggling to wake up and after a few seconds his eyes fluttered open. I didn't have anything to say to him so I just grinned up at him like a gaping fool.
"Hi baby."He smiled back when his eyes zoned in on me.
"Hi."I mumbled back.
"We lived."He commented looking around at our surroundings and realizing where we were.
"Yes we did."I affirmed.
"All thanks to you."He praised making me beam.
"You're welcome and you still owe me a massage."I replied with a smile.
"I know and you'll get it and everything else you want."He agreed.
I pressed the button to call for Doctor Ezra to check on James. I tried to get out of the bed to give the doctor some space but James held me back.
"Stay."He demanded.
I hesitated but stayed nonetheless because I didn't want to be away from him either.
When Doctor Ezra came he didn't look too pleased at us sharing a bed especially with James broken leg but he didn't comment on it. He just checked all of James vitals, gave him a rundown of his injuries, the medication he would take and the healing time for his ankle. He left us, informing us that supper would be brought to us soon.
"I love you. Thank you for saving me, us."James confessed once we were alone once more.
"I love you more, thank you for holding on for me, for us."I replied leaning up to kiss him.
The kiss was short but sweet showing relief to be alive and grateful to be together even with our injuries.
I just hoped the lunatics who shot at us would be arrested soon so we could put the whole ordeal behind us.
When our food arrived, James and I ate while I told him about what Isaac, Mark and his brothers were up to. He was disappointed he didn't get to join the hunt just like I had predicted.
Later we wanted watched a movie on the TV screen in the room before sleeping in each others arms, grateful to be alive and back to civilization.
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I really should stop putting my characters in the hospital but I can't help myself 😅😅.
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Love@Lyssah.