The room was tense and thick, everyone's breath was held and their hands were slightly trembling out of nervousness. Dr Aishatu sent a bright smile toward Afifah and she went ahead and raised up her shirt revealing her flat tummy. Afifah's breath hitched, scared of what Would be the outcome. She applied some jelly lubricant and then moisturized it all over her lower abdomen. Afifah fisted her hand on the bed as she shut her eyes tightly. Her body became rigid. "Calm down Afifah '' Dr Aishatu consoled, putting her over Afifah's fisted hand to soothe her.
Afifah opened her eyes slowly yet not wide open as she looked up at Dr Aisha's smiling face and Nabil's expressionless one. "I'm scared," she muttered in a hoarse, throaty voice. Full of nervousness, timidness and scared. "Breath out, okay" Dr Aisha assured. She seems to be holding her voice with her even knowing despite the fact that she was struggling with it. Relentlessly, she does as said, still taking it slowly like forever.
"Relax and calm down. Everything will be alright" she counseled but Afifah wasn't ready to accept that everything will be alright. No. She refused to believe it. Things are not alright and will never be if the test and scan turn out to be mere thought. The test was taken earlier, her blood and urine were sent to the laboratory and still there is no feedback from them. The test is taking more time than it should and their impatience got them on, they asked for the scan to be done.as soon before the report was brought.
Nabil, who was standing aside, stepped forward and sat beside her on the reclined bed. He took her hand in both of his hands. He nodded at her and asked her to relax and calm down also. "It's okay, just relax" he reassured.
"Yes it's okay" she stated more like asking. Her lips curled in a nervous smile and she relaxed a bit. Nabil signaled for Dr Aisha to go ahead. She began rolling. As all their eyes were on the blurry, black and white ultrasound machine. Opaque, nothing seems understandable from it, still and all, she didn't stop as she continued to roll the transducer slowly yet cautiously as the expert she is.
It took time as Afifah almost gave up, she decided to just lose hope that what she was yearning for will never be true. Still and all, all the six pairs of eyes were staring effortlessly with no blink at the ultrasound screen. When she was tired of looking at it, she turned left, letting the heavy hot tears finally gush down. Her sniffing was what drew nabil's attention from that screen making him look her way.
"Shh, all is okay. Don't mind this, we will make it one day insha Allah" he yakked, cleaning up her tears that kept gushing down nonstop. As he cleans up, new ones make their way out.
"Yes" , sudden cheers cut to their attention. "I got it, look" Dr Aishatu grinned from ear to ear making them gaze at her before taking their attention to what she was showing them. "You really are, you've made it. Look at it" she kept on ranting, grinding hard as her hand continued to go on and on harder with the effort to capture it perfectly, both Nabil and Afifah were dumbfounded as to why she was shrieking, they couldn't understand anything. They intently look at the screen which was like earlier unless this time there was a slightly black dot like a bean shape displayed.
"What is it?" Afifah shrieked, she hoped there was nothing to do with her misery. "I don't—" she was cut off before she was about to say, "you're pregnant!" Dr Aisha shouted, cheering her up with a wide grin masking her great features.
"I'm what, no—" Afifah couldn't believe what she heard, her ears must be damaged, making her brain interpret false information. Because how? Just how?. Dr Aishatu must be joking right?. She must be just kidding to see her reaction which she will fail effortlessly. Because that wasn't the kind of joke you expect her to be taken away with. She was paranoid that her brain cells were acting irregularly.
"Yes, see, look at this dot here. It's your baby. Here is your baby" Dr Aisha effused. Excitement, wonder and happiness could be detected from her voice as she kept on rambling. "You really are pregnant" she again clarified. Afifah was still in daze to react, she was hypnotized, lying there motionless. She kept on staring at galvanized Dr Aisha as if she grew up two heads, she chuckles, that must be the best joke of the year. "Me, pregnant. You must be joking" she flicked away as she sat up. She picked a tissue as she was about to wipe the jelly off her tummy but Dr Aishatu was quick to drive her attention. "You really are pregnant, look at your baby on the screen. That dots—" she was cut off again by Afifah's chuckling sounds.
"That dot, of course, is just a dot, nothing more. A dot. I'm barren of course I can bear a child" she shrugged and" Look at Nabil's way, "it's just a dot right. I can't birth a child. She just joking right' she yapped, prattling nonstop at Nabil who was also emotionless and expressionless. He was also dumbstruck to react or analyze what was happening. He kept looking onto the screen not understanding anything from it. It was just a mere black and white with a small dot like a bean shape on the screen and nothing more. Nothing else apart from it. He looked at her and then Dr Aisha who nodded at him vigorously and affirmatively amidst her tears, joy and excitement.
Agreeing with her, he again looked back at Afifah and also nodded to make her agree. An erotic feeling started to grow in his chest and a big, wide and infectious strike hit his face. He couldn't believe it, he will be a father. He was ecstatic that he was speechless, short of words. He tried to talk but still found nothing coming out of mouth, he just let the tears of joy finally cascade down as he went ahead to send a gratitude to Allah. The prostate to Allah for showering his blessings upon them.
After the long sujood Al-shukur, he finally stood up and looked at Afifah weirdly and gazed at him. She Looked at him as if he had lost his brain. She was still in shock to react to everything, she weirdly looked at him, Dr Aisha, and the stupid dot, bean shaped that they called her baby. They must be insane right? How can that small dot be a baby? They really are insane. She looked at her flat tummy, unknowingly her hand fell on it as she caressed it as if her life depended on it. She tried not to believe what they were saying but somewhere at the back of her mind,she believed them. "No, no. It can't be true. You all are lying" she disagreed, shunning that thought away. She can't just believe them.
Nabil cupped her face with his hands making her look straight in his eyes. "You really are pregnant. We will be parents." He kissed away her tears and engulfed her in a tight hug. "You are pregnant, no we are pregnant. We will be parents soon. Mini us will be here soon" he kept chanting.
"Just stop playing this trick on me, it isn't amusing you know. You all look stupid" she didn't care that she just threw insults at them, they deserve it. Who asked them to play tricks on her, they really look stupid of course. She pulled numerous tissues and wipers from the boxes and started wiping her tummy a little bit too harshly and in haste. When she was almost done, the door creaked open, Ammiey made her way inside in doctorate attire. Afifah immediately called for her, "Come, come Ammyy. It's better that you are here. Asked them to stop playing that game on me, I won't fall for it" she yapped.
Ammiey walked in confused with the atmosphere of the room. She glanced at her sister then Nabil for what was happening but they shrugged, still that grin was plastered on their face. "tell them that stupid doesn't look good on them. Are they okay?" She asked animating with her hand if they were sane or not.
"What is it?" Ammiey asked, taking a seat beside where Nabil sat before. "Wai I'm pregnant, can you believe it. Me, pregnant. Impossible. What a joke" she lied back, chuckling.
She looked at her sister and assured her that she smiled widely before hiding it away. "You trusted me right?" She asked her daughter. "Of Course Ammiey, who would I trust other than you in this world?" She muttered tiredly. Ammiey raised a brow at her but she couldn't see as her eyes were not on her or anyone in the room. She was just staring at the wall. "Let's do it again then," she counseled. Afifah shrugged and signaled with her hand to go ahead. Ammiey went on with the same procedure Dr Aisha went before. When she was done, wiped the jelly off her daughter's tummy herself, removed the gloves from her hand and thrash it in the trash can. She closed her bare stomach with her raised up shirt and stood up looking gloomy.
"They are lying right, I know it" Afifah questioned, her voice trembling making her stutter.
"Yes, they are. You're not pregnant. But the scars were almost healed—" she was stopped on her tracks by the sobs and sniffles from Afifah.
"I'm not pregnant, I will never be pregnant. They were just trying to toy with my feelings. Why would they do such a thing." She cried out, weeping nonstop. Nabil looked perplexed not understanding what was happening but Dr Aisha stood her ground, she was confident with her results earlier.
"Now you're in your senses' ' Ammiey acknowledged, grinning from ear to ear. She went close to the machine, she pulled what looked like a paper and then the sound recorder she placed earlier before sitting down close to her daughter was gaping at her with mouth slightly agape. Confused. She was on the sound recorder and what looked like the sounds of a heartbeats starting beating. It was so strong and symphonic. The room was quiet with both but the heartbeat. It was as if everything stopped, time stopped. The breath stops. The world stops.
Tears were gushing out of her eyes, making her look blurry at each one of them. But still and all, the wide smile plastered on their face couldn't be left unseen. She finds herself smiling too even though she is yet to understand anything. "This your child's heart beats, so strong right" Ammiey commented.
"—My child" she asked, finding the word so surreal on her tongue as it effortlessly rolled. Ammiey nodded affirmatively and giggled.
"Look" she diverted her attention to look at the paper in her hand, it was a scan report paper. "This is your baby, Soo cute right." Ammiey whispered the last statement making her chortled lightly.
"Ammiey, he is so small." She muttered under her breath but loud enough to all of them heard her. Dr Aisha giggles together with Ammiey while Nabil smiles unwaved. He was smiling that his cheek began to hurt but he didn't care. "Yes, he is. He is still fragile." Ammiey conceded. Afifah snatch the paper away from her and stared at it longly until her eyes began to hurt so she hugged it so dear to her heart, grinning and crying all along.
"I'm pregnant, I will be a mother. I'm pregnant with a baby. My baby. I will have someone to call me MAMA. Ammiey this is so cute right? MAMA. Someone will finally call me MAMA. Little me, my baby." She kept on chanting incoherently, she rambled on and on as she placed her hand on her tummy caressing it with everything in her. She was so exuberant with happiness forgetting Nabil who was by her side sulking. She forgot about him so easily, it's their baby not her alone. Or it's her's?. Of Course theirs. Their baby, the little one, not her alone. He also plays a great role right.
"Yes my baby, you will have someone to call you Mama. My baby girl will be a baby mama. I'm so excited" Ammiey engulfed her in a tight hug, stroking her back lovingly.
"I feel like I'm on top of the world, I'm not dreaming right? Some one should pinch me please" she asked. Her eyes fell on Nabil, remembering he was still in the room. "Ya Nabil, I'm pregnant. I will be a mother, oh you will be a father also, Congratulations. We will be parents, our little family will be completed" she congratulated him and they all chuckled at her. Ammiey stood up from the edge of the bed letting Nabil to go closer to her. "You finally remember me," he muttered, sitting beside her.
"Of Course no, I'm just taken away, I can't believe it, you are also right." She raised a brow.
"Yes little kitten, this is great news. I'm so happy" he admitted, cleaning away her tears which were almost dried. He picked up a tissue paper and cleaned her kohl spoiled eyes. She looked like a little witch with those eyes, he laughed in his brain not daring to day it out.
After that, the required information and advice were told, medicine for the improvement and development of the baby were prescribed and some that will help with fatigue and multivitamins were also prescribed. What to do and don'ts, what to avoid and everything were told and they listened attentively. Ammiey together with Dr Aisha kept on going and going until she grabbed everything in her brain and promised to do as said before they left the hospital.
"Stop, stop, stop" Afifah suddenly beseeched, making him stop in an instant halt but beside the road to avoid causing an accident. He queried what it was but she didn't give him an answer because she opened the door of the car and ran out stopping nowhere but inside the building. "Shouldn't she act carefully and maturely" he wondered, "I believe this is what Ammiey kept on repeating earlier. It enters through one ear and out of the other" he talks to no one but himself. Parking the car properly, he dismantled it and went after her into what looked like a store. He followed suit, looking here and there for her inside the busy store. Wasting time at that. "What the hell?" he muttered when his eyes fell on her. He found her with a cart full of sweets and candies. He immediately frowned at what he saw, she was still adding more of it into the cart. He moseyed toward her immediately.
"What are you going to do with all this?" he inquired, looking dissatisfied with her. She made him stop just for this, risking his child's life.
She sighed, "Good that you're here, help me push it to the cashier" she grinned like a fool. He looked at her then the full cart and then her again.
"Don't look at me as if I went insane, I'm not going to eat it. Swears" she promised.
"What are you gonna do with it all then" he asked, he calmed down a bit when she said she is not the one eating it.
"I'm giving it away, I'm so happy. I want to share my happiness with everyone" he nodded in understanding. He pushed the cart to the cashier who sent them a weird glance but they didn't care one bit. She looked at Afifah who asked her to pack everything with an untold expression, "should I" she asked herself, because that is too much for a person. Afifah put her hand akimbo waiting for the cashier to do her work. The sales attendant glanced at Nabil who gave her a go ahead look and she started.
When she was done, she told them how much it costs but she didn't care one bit. She is wealthy ofcourse. Searching for her bag to look for her credit card, it fell to her to leave her bag at Miemie's place. "Oh" she cried out, smacking her head lightly.
She turned to Nabil with a slacked shoulder who was holding his laughter. He tried hard not to laugh hard but her reaction did nothing but to add more making him burst up laughing hysterically. "You should help me with your card, I left mine at Miemie's" she offered the best smile she can to beguiled him. Knowing her well, he slipped His hand in his pants pocket to fish out the card and then handed it to her, she collected it instantly before he decided against it.
She paid the money and they left with the leather bags. Ofcourse, he didn't let her pick one, he picked them all with the help of the workers there and they left together. On their way home, she shared almost all of it to each and every one she sees, whether a pedestrian, riders, male, female, children and adults. His drive was slow making her do as she wished until she was tired, he gave her a helping hand seeing how enthusiastic she is.
"Let's branch out on mummy" she said but he denied that immediately. "Please, let go," she pleaded.
"No, you need to rest. Look how tired you look, you should rest" he refused.
"No, I want to share this exciting news with her '', but he shook his head in denial.
"If you still insist, I will report you to Ammiey. I promise to take you to her but not now. You need maximum rest now" it's still a wonder how she became so active suddenly. He remembered how she kept griping of how sleepy she is and now she was active like a bull.
She sulked and agreed with him although she wasn't happy with his decision. Her child's safety came first so she has to rest..