Chapter 7

Leona

The security guards released me after the doctor had left and I just stood in the corridor as people stared at me strangely as if I was a new creature.

Nevertheless, I waited. Waited to see the doctor again when he came out.

His eyes met me when he came out of the ward he had disappeared to earlier. When he saw me, he motioned for me to follow him.

Thank goodness.

I followed him with hope as we entered the office.

"How can I help you ?" He sat down, staring at me.

"I'm pregnant," I stated.

He raised a  furrowed brow with a look that says. 'How's that my problem?'

Nevertheless, he nodded for me to continue.

"I'm pregnant but I don't know who the father of my baby is," I added.

He straightened up in the chair as if by interest but he looked bored.

"Were you raped? If you were raped, then you should be at the police station and not here." He said with a frown.

"I wasn't raped."

"Then?"

"A nurse caused it. It was all her mistake."

"What do you mean?" He asked. This time, he looked concerned.

"A wrong injection was given to me by a nurse when I came for a malaria treatment two weeks ago. I just got to know yesterday when a doctor confirmed my pregnancy." I gave him the details.

"What? Are you sure of what you are saying?"

"I'm sure."

"Can you recognize the nurse when you see her?"

"Yes, I can. I even saw her just now but she hid before you could see her."

He faced his computer and began to work on it. After some time, he called me to come forward to his side.

He pointed to the desktop. "Look through these pictures carefully and show me who gave you the injection."

I gladly obeyed.

I looked at all the faces and after the first row, I didn't see her so I made him scroll to the next page. I didn't see her face again. He went to the third and fourth but it was still the same. She wasn't there.

"Are you sure you know the person?" He asked.

"I can recognize her in thousands," I replied. Even though I wasn't feeling very well that day, I am good at remembering faces even if I looked at her with half-opened eyes.

Just then, I saw it. I saw her.

"That's her." I pointed to the picture.

He clicked on a button and the photo enlarged, bringing all details of her along.

He looked at me skeptically again as if to be sure that she's the one.

"She is." I insisted.

He quickly made a call without saying anything to me again.

After some time, a knock sounded on the door and that same nurse I saw earlier appeared. 

"Miss Ellie, do you know her? She was your patient."

She looked at me as if it was her first time seeing me. Pretentious bitch.

"No, please. I see a lot of people every day and it will be hard for me to remember her." She lied.

"I know but try to remember. She came for a malaria treatment just two weeks ago."

"Let me see.." She tried to get in thought. " Are you the lady that was brought by your school's ambulance?"

"Yes," I nodded.

"I remember her doctor." I couldn't mistake the nervousness in her voice.

"Good, what medication did you give her?"

"She was suffering from malaria and that was the only injection I gave her."

Another lie.

"So you didn't give her someone else's sperm through insemination?"

"No doc."

"She's lying, doctor. If she hadn't given me that injection, then how did I get pregnant when I haven't had sex before?"

"You can't accuse her just yet, miss.." he paused for me to mention my name.

"Leona Grande."

He nodded.

"You can't accuse Miss Grande until we check to see if indeed what you're saying is true."

He requested all the patient's files that were treated by Ellie in the past two weeks.

"Back to you, Ellie, after going through  all the patient's records, Doctor Jamie gave you an injection to give to Miss Cole which was the insemination. Did you do that accurately without mixing them?" 

"Yes, I did. The lady came to confirm the pregnancy and also, that was the only insemination we did that day."

What?

"You're right. So miss Leona, I hope everything is cleared? This hospital does not have a hand in your pregnancy...

"But how can you conclude this way? This was the hospital I came to and they made me lie and injected the semen." I tried to explain. I didn't even know that was what they did to me until Raymond interrogated me.

I looked at the nurse and she just shrugged.

"Don't waste our time any further and leave from here. I advised that you try and remember all the guys you bedded. I'm sorry miss Ellie, you can leave."

How can he regard me in that manner? I am a virgin.

"Thank you, doctor." She smiled and left.

"Doctor please, did you confirm that the lady who was supposed to get the insemination got pregnant?"

"Yes, she's indeed pregnant." He answered.

"But what about me? If she got pregnant then how did I come by with this baby?"

"How am I supposed to know?" He replied sharply.

"Trust me, doctor, I'm telling the truth. I haven't had sex before not to talk of having a boyfriend and I wasn't raped either. I got pregnant when I came to your hospital."

"Stop speaking nonsense and go search for the father of the baby. I've tried my best." He picked his stethoscope and made to get up. I know he has tried but I am not convinced.

This was the only way I could have known how I got pregnant and who the baby's father is.

"Why don't you want to believe me? The nurse is lying to you."

"Not another word from you miss Grande! I've been kind enough to listen to you. Now out!!"  He shouted angrily.

I jumped up in fright and walked out of his office with no other choice. Only that I left broken more than I was when I walked into the hospital.

I got to the streets and the late summer morning sun spread warmth on my body causing my dress to dry completely after walking some distance. Yeah. I had come to the hospital in my wet clothes.

It's no wonder the doctor assumed I was crazy.

My stomach growled loudly reminding me that I haven't had anything to eat yet. Just then a car pulled in front of me and when I raised my head, I saw that it was the same cabman I didn't pay for earlier.

He stopped the car and got out.

I walked back, my heart racing wildly. I owe him.

"Give me back my money." He demanded.

"I'm sorry sir, but I don't have anything on me at the moment," I replied honestly.

"Well, you'll still have to pay anyway but with your body. You don't look that bad so I'll manage." He smirked unattractively.

Great! Now I'll have to deal with a pervert.

He was dressed in ragged clothing and I just wondered how I didn't notice him before taking the car.

He kept walking close to me. I looked around the place but those who were passing seemed to be minding their own business. How heartless.

" You don't have to do that, I'll get you the money," I replied calmly but fearfully as he was coming closer and closer.

I stepped on a stone mistakenly when I was going back from him and it got me stumbling till I fell face flat. 

I felt a body land on me but was lifted almost instantly. What I heard next was punches after punch. I was hurting and couldn't get up.

It hurts a lot. I could feel my blood oozing from the tip of my foot.

"Leo, are you alright?" 

"Ray," I mumbled before I was lifted onto my feet.

He started dusting my dress with one hand as the other hand held me still.

"How did you get involved with that driver?" He asked and stared at me.

I just stared at him back.

"Forget it, can you walk?" He asked and looked at my foot.

"I'll manage." I looked back and the taxi wasn't there but a motorbike.

"Is that your bike?"

"Yeah."

"When did you own it? I never knew."

"How'd you know when you were so busy trying to make your family proud. By the way, what were you doing here?"

"I came to the hospital to find out whose sperm it was but they denied it. The nurse denied it and the doctor believed it."

"What? Why didn't you tell me that you were coming here? I would've come along."

"How will I tell you when you were nowhere to be found this morning? I thought you'd wake me up but Mom did instead and in a fine way."

"I'm sorry but how dare they deny that? And about mom, did she do anything? Are you alright?" She scrutinizes me all over again.

"I'm fine Ray, as you can see," I replied, bored. 

"I'll help you on the bike and we'll go back to the hospital together."

"That won't be necessary, bro. They won't believe us and I'm not ready to face another humiliation." 

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." I nodded, biting my bottom lips.

"Okay, then what will we do about the baby?"

"I don't know yet but one thing is for sure."

"Which is?"

"I can't give birth to it, Ray? What do I have to offer him or her? I can't let an innocent baby suffer, Raymond."

"So what will you do?" He looked at me with pity.

"Get rid of it of course."

"What?"

"Yes Raymond, I don't care anymore. What will happen has already happened. I've had enough and I seriously can't kill myself."

"Seriously? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I don't care anymore." I shrugged but deep down, I know my conscience is above that and not as cruel. I just didn't have a choice.