chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

FREDA'S POV

"STAY with me."

My voice came out of my larynx trembling. It was obvious I was risking everything bringing this man home as he was still bleeding profusely from the bullet holes but the good thing about everything was that he was conscious for that moment.

With one hand over my shoulder, we wobbled into my apartment, he fell to the ground right at the door, his eyes fluttering again about to lose consciousness.

I swiped my hands across his face, landing a stinging slap that brought him back to life.

"Don't die on me," I said, picking him up as we staggered into my kitchen. I placed him right on the table before rushing to get my first aid kit.

The man was still groaning when I reached his side.

"You will be fine," I assured him looking into his dark, dying eyes.

His body was getting cold every minute, it had to be the cold from the rain or the fact that he was dying.

"Fuck." I muttered to myself realizing I had no painkillers to help ease his pain while I got the bullet out.

I ran my hands through the drawer again and found a piece of leather.

A part of me was screaming at me to drive off as that was what anyone with common sense would do but I was sworn to an oath and it would seem unethical for me to leave many dying by the roadside.

I got out of the car and stood under the heavy rain, my fingers trembling as I turned the man.

Two of my fingers reached for the side of his neck. "Good he is still breathing."

His breath was rasping and right there on his upper arm were two bullet wounds.

With rasped breaths and fluttering eyes the words "please save me…"

"Chew on this," I said while reaching for the bottle of liquor up on the shelf.

Tearing his shirt open with a pen knife exposing his ripped chest, He groaned in pain as I poured out a generous quantity of liquor on his wound.

"You will be fine."

I poured more liquor on the forceps and burnt the end with a lighter for sterilization and forced the leather into his mouth.

"Chew firmly."

I dug the forceps into him hoping to find the bullets as he groaned in pain.

It took about ten minutes but soon I was bringing out the second bullet.

He muttered something I couldn't hear and the truth was I was so mind-absorbed in what I was doing that I didn't pay attention to what he was saying.

After pulling the bullet out of him he lost consciousness, with the quantity of blood he had lost and after running a blood test on him with my home kit, I knew I had to rush to the pharmacy down the road to get a pint or two.

Closing the door behind me I took that long walk, by then the rain had long stopped but I still shivered.

I flashed my Identity card across the attendance face and soon she came back with exactly what I wanted. The trip back home was quicker, and if there was anything I was glad of it definitely and to be the fact that he was still breathing when I reached him.

He would be safe. I thought to myself after running the drip watching the blood trickle, this was illegal and I was risking my license doing this but I did it anyway.

****

I spent the next day by his side watching and waiting for him to just open his eyes and be conscious.

All through that time, I paced the room in a state of anxiety. He had survived this long and dying would not only drag into a lot of professional trouble but also it was certain I was going to jail as I had held the man for more than…I glanced at my watch, more than twenty – three hours.

His vitals came out all right, and it kept me Wondering why he was still unconscious.

All through that day all I wanted was for him to wake up and give me a good reason why he had stressed up my life for that short period, it was a good thing I was free for that day so I will have to stay the whole day by his side even when I had to eat lunch and later dinner, I did so by his side not leaving him for one moment not even when I had to sleep.

Morning came quickly and at first when my eyes fluttered open something seemed different, I walked into the shower butt-ass naked ignoring the fact that I have a male stranger in the apartment with me.

Soon I walked out and got ready for work. For a minute I didn't want to leave the man alone but I had to get to work on time to prevent getting into more trouble with Mr. Adams.

I took a good look at his vitals and seeing it was all good, I stepped out of my apartment.

I had not washed my car from the stench of blood so it felt unwise to use it so instead I opted for a cab.

It took me just ten minutes of reaching work to realize I had forgotten the file Mr. Adam asked for my car at home. I would have remembered if I had used the car that morning as it was laying on the second seat.

"What the hell am I going to do now?" I thought to myself about running home to get it.

I was still trying to make the decision when I turned to meet Mr. Adam face-to-face "Miss Frenda, my office now!" He ordered.

I shut the door behind me looking for a good excuse to give him.

"Sir…"

"Save it!" He interrupted as I was trying to speak. "Where is the file?"

"That is what I was trying to say." I tried explaining.

"You are the most incompetent person I have ever known." He blasted out the ugly words from his mouth.

"Sir ." I grimaced. "That is a very unfair word to say to me, you know I try my…"

"Shut the hell up." He cut me off again and I was freezing right where I was standing.

The Medical Superintendent walked in and I sighed in relief. "What the hell is going on here?"

Mr. Adams could not bring himself to speak, "Are you fine Freda you look sick."

"I am just tired sir," I said.

"Why don't you take the rest of the day off." He said.

It was the best news I could get, as I closed the door behind me I could hear him addressing Mr. Adam, he had not wanted to do that in front of me.

I didn't care a bit about what they were ranting about, all I wanted to do was reach home as fast as I could

I struggled with the groceries and getting the key into the keyhole of my room.

As soon as I switched on the light in my room, I dropped the groceries in shock.

The stranger was awake and was watching me with curious eyes.

"Where am I?" He asked.

"What happened to me?"