Awa love by Johnny Drille❤️
Like a flash, things seemed to happen so quickly. It was like turning your head just for a moment, but by the time you turned back the world had already ended. Ifeoma felt the same way–like her world had ended–when she found out that her baby was kidnapped. But now, she somehow couldn't imagine how she would live if Jeffery didn't fight through the situation they were in.
Jeffery please wait for me. Ifeoma whispered as she ran towards the operation room where Jeffery was.
Although the doctor had been the one to call her, she was the one who led the way back. There was nothing she wanted more than to see Jeffery. She hoped and prayed deeply that he was alright.
He had to be alright.
How would she live without him? How could she even think of living without him?
There was so much she wanted to do with him, so much she wanted to say to him and so much more she wanted to thank him for.
How would she do all that if he didn't pull through the circumstances around them?
It hurt her that she hadn't had the chance to thank him for loving her unconditionally. For loving her more than she loved herself and for sacrificing as much as he did for her.
How would anyone love her the way he loved her?
The answer was no one could, just as no one ever knew what would happen next.
"Miss Ifeoma please wait. You have to dress appropriately for this, he is still in a critical condition." The doctor called after Ifeoma who turned around abruptly and hurriedly ran into the next office where she wore all that she was required to.
"Jeffery..." Tears seeped down slowly from Ifeoma's eyes. Watching him lay almost lifeless on a bed that wasn't supposed to be his' was enough to force tears from the bank she had saved them before.
From every single aspect—no matter which anyone cared to look from—Jeffery didn't deserve anything that was happening to him.
Was it the hand that pulled the trigger that brought him down that he deserved?
Or was it bullet that tore though him that served him right?
Or the sturdy pipe that was connected from his nose to the oxygen tank that suited him?
Or was it the pain that was etched boldly on his face that matched his skin tone finely?
Or maybe the way the hospital gown wrapped hideously around him in a way that seemed like it was choking the air out of him—if he even had any left?
Nothing there was his'. The fact that he was lying on the immaculately white bed with his eyes closed and his breath laboured and aided cut through Ifeoma deeply.
The room smelt harshly of hospital disinfectants and antiseptics. The smell alone was enough to make Ifeoma nauseous, but she took slow deliberate steps towards the bed and flung herself down to the floor.
"Honey I'm so sorry." Tears ran down some more as she threaded her rubber-gloved hand through his naked, cold one.
His eyes opened slowly and Ifeoma thought she saw a painful smile light up his face. She had never seen him that way before—even a smile was sucking the life out of him.
"Thank you so much for everything honey, thank you for loving our baby and being the best dad ever." She couldn't bring herself to tell him that their baby was nowhere to be found.
"Thank you for always being there for us. Thank you for the sacrifices you made for us, for me especially. And thank you most of all for loving me unconditionally." Ifeoma whispered the last part as her strength was almost gone.
"Please come back to us quickly. Get well soon Tiger, we have so much to do together. So much more to say to each other. So much more to live for with each other. I want to grow old with you Jeffery. Fight this so we can be together, so we can have many more children. Don't you want that?"
Ifeoma was overwrought at the moment. Jeffery hadn't said a word and even if he wanted to, he couldn't.
At a time, Ifeoma wondered the worst—if he was listening or even hearing her at all and after a while if he was still breathing. But his chest rose slightly and Ifeoma felt hope slowly trickle into her being.
"Come back to me Jeffery." Ifeoma rubbed his hand, trying to bring back warmth into it. "I love you so much." She said, breaking down into tears.
Slightly, Ifeoma felt a little pressure on her hand; one too little that it could almost not be there. As a form of assurance it meant a lot to Ifeoma as she squeezed back harder.
Even in his worst state, Jeffery still cared dearly for the woman he loved and he tried his best to assure her that he was still by her side by holding her hand as tight as he could manage.
Then she heard his voice small and not himself. She could not have heard it if she wasn't watching his face so intently.
"Me on," It sounded like that or maybe, "moo on" or something like "move one" Ifeoma wasn't sure. She could have missed an extra word but she didn't know either. His voice was so subtle that the words he said weren't making any sense to her.
"Honey what did you say? What are you saying?" Ifeoma stood up, her hand still in his'. She watched as his eyes fluttered once, twice and it was then she realised that he hadn't blinked or moved his eyelids since she started talking to him.
Suddenly as sharp as a shrill piercing voice, Ifeoma felt the sound of the computerised machine next to Jeffery beep faster and faster. It was beeping before but she hadn't noticed. Now it was beating so fast and loud that she couldn't ignore.
"Doctor!" Ifeoma screamed, seeing Jeffery shake. "Doctor! Doctor!"
A doctor and three other nurses rushed into the room. "Please you have to leave Miss Ifeoma." Ifeoma wasn't sure who said that to her, if it was the doctor or one of the nurses. All she could see and think of was Jeffery, even when the door slammed shut in her face.
She wasn't in her right mind when she headed to the waiting room and sat on a chair. Shocked and alarmed was an understatement compared to how she really felt. She couldn't even cry if she wanted to.
"Ifeoma!" A voice called, approaching the seat Ifeoma sat on with her head collapsed in her hands. "Ifeoma!" The voice called again, this time way closer than before. The voice was strangely familiar but Ifeoma wasn't in the mood to think of anyone or anything else other than Jeffery. She only lifted her head a bit so she was staring at the floor in front of her.
A feminine and fabric-lined sandal came into view. "Ifeoma..." the voice spoke again, more softer than before.
Ifeoma raised her head slowly only to see her aunty—Ngozi. Without saying a word to her, she returned back to her former position.
"Ifeoma! Ifeoma I'm sorry." Ngozi's voice broke a bit. It seemed like she had been crying as her eyes were redder than Father Christmas' cap and her cheeks and the rest of her face as puffy as doughnuts.
"I'm really sorry Ifeoma. Now I know that what you were saying was the truth. I caught Chris... Chris that bastard that I loved so much, I caught him cheating on me. Even before that, he started coming home late and drunk and he beat me up several times."
"He has been in jail for some time since I reported him to the police, but I have not felt at rest. I have been having many problems, so I went to church and my pastor told me that I have to come and ask you for forgiveness in order for me to move on or I will never be at peace..."
"So I should forgive you just so you can be at peace right aunty Ngozi?" Ifeoma gave a short, bitter laugh. "Even now you are still selfish. I know you only brought me to the city because of the money my father sent to you every month. I heard you over the phone one time. You told papa that my school fees was twenty thousand Naira when it was only ten thousand."
"You also wanted me to help you in the house so you would have more time with the fool you called your boyfriend. So when you found out from Chris that I tried to sleep with him, you didn't bother to listen to my side of the story. You threw me out of the house without a backward glance. And even after that, you kept collecting money from my parents. Mama told me everything."
"Ifeoma..." Ngozi whimpered.
"My father worked hard for the money he sent to you, for every single thing I ever had. It was from his own sweat. The poor man died of a heart attack and do you remember how you broke the news to me? You didn't care how I felt. In fact, now that I think of it everything that is happening now is all your fault."
"Wha...what...what do you mean?" Ngozi stuttered while taking back a few steps as Ifeoma stood up, her face livid with anger.
"If you never sent me away from the house, I would never have gone to live with Jeffery. Obinna would never had seen me and he wouldn't have started devising plans on how to get revenge on Jeffery or how to take me away from him. He wouldn't had even known I existed. Jeffery would had never got shot and my baby would had never been kidnapped. You caused this aunty and you want me to forgive you?"
"Ifeoma..." Ngozi cried as she watched Ifeoma, not being able to utter a word to contradict all Ifeoma was saying.
"Did you think this was going to be like it always is in dramas? That I'll hug you and accept you and forgive you immediately? No aunty that's not how things work in real life. I'm so hurt that I cannot even think of the word forgiveness not to talk of actually forgiving you."
"Do you know what I wish aunty?" Ifeoma sniffed deeply and wiped the tears on her face defiantly. "I wish you would drown in all your problems. I wish you would feel the pain I felt when you threw me out of that house and most of all, I wish you'll know the feeling of being lonely and alone. They are all what you deserve." Ifeoma said as she quickly walked away from her aunt.
"No! Ifeoma!" Ngozi yelled after her, but Ifeoma was way past turning back.
"Kate!" Javier held Ifeoma up as she crumbled to the ground right next to the OR Jeffery was in. "Are you okay?"
"No." Ifeoma whispered as she sobbed into his shoulders. "I'm scared Javier. I'm so scared." She got out in between jerking sobs. She didn't say what she was scared of, but she didn't need to as Javier perfectly understood her. His hand stroked her hair, and his other hand slightly trembled as he patted her back because deep down, just deep down; he knew he was scared too.
"Miss Ifeoma." The Doctor that had spoken to Ifeoma before stood in front of her again.
"Yes?" Ifeoma stood up from the spot she was bent over and held tightly in Javier's arms. "Doctor what happened?" She asked, taking in the grim look on the doctor's face.
"I am sorry we did all that we could, but Mr. Jeffery is dead."
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