Not Anymore

In the quiet ward of Rehoboth hospital, lay a young woman of 18 years old. Her body, covered with gauze and bandages. Her face was unknown as her eyes were the only part uncovered with the gauze.

Despite it, her nose was covered with an oxygen mask. She had been in a coma for two weeks. But more than that, her babies were saved but they also were placed in an incubator.

A woman walked in, alongside the doctor. They checked on the patient and the doctor said “She's showing signs of recovery. She should be out of coma in a couple of days”

“Alright. Please, whatever you can, save this poor woman and her babies. Please, save her” Ebele Johnson pleaded.

How can someone be so mean as to hurt an innocent girl like this? And to know that she's carrying little lives in her belly makes her think about the level of inhumanity in that person.

“I promise you that she'll be fine. But what I can promise you is that she might not be able to heal completely and the scars cannot be removed from her body except through a surgery and the trauma, is everlasting”

“Just save her life first. Then we'll come to that later” Ebele Johnson stuttered. For the past two weeks, she'd prayed silent prayers, asking that the Almighty save this girl.

“She'll be fine,” the doctor assured her.

Two days later, Isabella Manor fingers trembled. Her eyes blinked and Ebele Johnson was dazed with excitement. She stood up and ran out, “doctor, doctor..” she called, running towards the nurses station.

Few minutes later, Isabella Manor opened her eyes weakly. The oxygen mask was removed but all they could see was a pair of eyes, nose and lips. The other parts were covered.

Ebele Johnson sat next to her, she placed her palm on Isabella's arm, giving it a soft squeeze. At the time, Isabella was not able to say a word.

Her mind was blank and her brain void of any memory. Seeing her pathetic state, Ebele Johnson turned to the doctor, “She's so young, doctor. Can't you help her?”

“She will come around soon. The shock hadn't left her yet. Give her a few more hours, she'll be fine” the doctor assured.

Ebele Johnson turned abruptly back to Isabella. She saw the helplessness of the girl and a lone tear dropped from her eye onto Isabella's arm.

She shivered, turned her gaze on the drop of tear and she jerked up, like someone waking up from a slumber. She suddenly became frightened.

“Excuse me ma'am” the doctor said, coming over quickly and the nurses helping Isabella stay calm. She might act violently as her only means of survival to the last bit of memory she had before going into a coma.

The young woman remembered what happened to her but looking around, she saw herself surrounded by a team of medical personnel.

“Where am I? My babies…” she screamed weakly, grabbing the doctor's arm with great difficulty and using the other hand to caress her now flat belly, trying to raise herself.

“Your babies are fine. Just calm down” the doctor assured her.

***********

Five years later, Isabella Manor came back to her foster family. She drove first to her parents graveyard and stood before it in a long black dress.

“Mom, dad, I missed you both. Words can't express how much I missed you” Isabella Manor choked, tears rolled down her cheeks.

Her parents were murdered by her uncle. It's a conspiracy that was so knitted that until the day that Jeniva exposed that secret, she never knew she was living with her greatest enemies.

The memory of what happened five years ago flashed through Isabella's heart. Her dear cousin Jeniva, two years older than her, had taken her out to take a breath of fresh air, at least, that's what she said.

She had remained indoors after her belly started protruding. Her uncle had told Alex that they couldn't get married until she clocked 18 years.

And from the way things are, she would be 18 years a month before her expected due date of delivery. Hence, she and Alex were expecting their baby, so she thought back then.

At seven months gone, a month before her 18th birthday, her cousin Jeniva took her out. She claimed to be taking her out on a ride in her car. But quickly asked her to apex her signature on a form briefly.

The innocent and naive her didn't think twice nor did it cross her mind to read through the document. She signed it and slipped into Jeniva’s car.

Jeniva got a drink and casually offered her “drink something for the babies” she said, smiling broadly. She was happy, Jeniva was looking after her and her unborn babies.

After taking the drink, she soon began to feel sleepy. She blamed it on pregnancy hormones and pleaded with Jeniva that she would just have a quick nap.

“You can take forever, isn't that what I wanted?” Jeniva mumbled. She found her cousin's words weird and she asked “What did you say?”

“Oh, I mean you can relax, I'm here with you” Jeniva had responded. But somehow she perceived a sinister tone in Jeniva's words, but dismissed it.

When she would open her eyes later, she found herself in an empty old house. She was tied to the pillar of the house and her protruded belly was not spared.

She was breathing with difficulty and before her stood Jeniva, smoking and puffing the smoke of her cigarette onto her face.

Cough cough cough. She was choking but it doesn't seem like Jeniva cares if she choke to her death or not. Why is Jeniva staring at her maliciously and why was she being tied?

“Jeniva, help me. Untie me quickly. I'm choking and feeling pain in my lower belly..” she pleaded. At the time, she hadn't fathomed that the devil she was asking for help was actually the one who tied her.

Rather than help her, Jeniva bursted into a devilish laugh…