XOXO
#spreadthelove
Hi guys! I know I haven't posted in a while. I would like to thank you for your patience with this virtual gift basket. I have been interning at a hospital this summer holiday, hence the reason as to why my posting has been spasmodic. The internship was a wonderful opportunity for me to spread my wings in the science world. That said, I'm back and I am working on new content asap. Thanks for being patient and believing me.
XOXO #spreadthelove
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I was shocked when Dr. Khan informed me that I had a visitor. I was a little bit relieved, though. Maybe that visitor would shed some light on who I was and how I had ended up in the hospital. I asked her to let the visitor in. She nodded and left the room.
A few moments later, a handsome tall man entered the room. He seemed oddly familiar. I tried placing him but my memory was still shot. He told me that I was in danger and that I didn’t have a chance at survival unless I stuck with him. I was intrigued. I couldn’t understand how I would be in danger. I thought the injuries I had were from some sort of scuffle, nothing as serious as someone trying to kill me. I wrote him off as mad and tried pushing the button to call the nurse. He stopped me from doing so. “I am here to protect you,” he said. “Why should I believe you?” “Because I tried to kill you.” That was when I remembered him. He was the mad driver from the hit-and-run encounter! “I think you must be in shock,” I said, “because you hit that woman. She died, by the way, and you’re totally responsible for it. You should see a doctor though, for the trauma.” “My name is Jake. I’m your friend.” “Then why do you say that you tried to kill me?” “Because I did? It’s not something I’m proud of, but it was either you or me.” “So why are you trying to save me now?” “Because I shouldn’t have tried to kill you in the first place.” “Jake, you sound deranged. You should really get checked,” I said as I pushed the button. “You shouldn’t have done that.” He said, rather sternly. He moved over and stood by the door. As soon as the nurse came in, he choked her, slipping her into unconsciousness. I gasped. I pressed the button again and again, rather frantically. He looked at me softly, seeing that I was terrified of him. “You have to come with me,” he said as he hauled me over his shoulder. I felt a sharp prick in my abdomen. I winced. I slipped into the darkness that followed. I had to try and kill her. I just had to. How could I tell Mr. Summers that I failed him? He would have me living out the gutter, worst case scenario, if I failed him. I had seen the people that failed him fail to resurface, and if they did, maggots were halfway done with their corpses. I didn’t want to become one of them. I have to do this.
“You can do this Jake; she means nothing to you. You can do this,” I said to myself over and over again. No matter how much I repeated it, trying to convince myself, I knew I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t kill Liya. I slammed my head against the steering wheel. That’s when the car lunged forward. I had accidentally put the plan into motion. I looked at the road only to see Liya in the middle of it. I tried to hit the brakes to no avail. F***. “That lying son of a gun was going to get rid of me too,” I said, as I realized that someone had cut the brakes to my car. I could feel the electric surge in my brain as all my senses started going into overdrive. I heard a thump and realized that I had hit her but something took over me and I just kept on going. I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to anyway. I kept on going till the car ran out of fuel. At that point, I was at a forested area. I got off the car and walked into town. Later on, I found out from a friend that Liya was still alive. Apparently, I had hit someone else. I couldn’t help but sigh in relief, even though I knew that my fate was then sealed. I knew Josh would have my head. I knew I was done. “You should get out of town man,” Dave told me, after he was done giving me news about Liya’s condition. “I know I should, but I can’t. I can’t leave her here Dave, he’ll kill her,” I said. “He’ll kill you too if you stay!” “I know, Dave, but I owe her this much.” “Are we talking about the girl that tried to kill you or are we talking about another girl? I’m very confused.” “In all fairness, she dropped me where there was no traffic so she couldn’t possibly have been trying to kill me; at least not intentionally.” “Wow! You people are messed up!” “They killed Emerald.” “What?” I could see the shock on his face. “This people mean business, Dave, and I have to get her out of here. Her own father wants her dead. Have you seen the news lately? Liya Summers is still performing even though she’s in hospital! He’s already replaced her with her twin and nobody out there even knows. He’s not going to stop.” Dave nodded. “Do what you gotta do, man. I’ll try to buy you time.” “Thanks. I owe you." "Just try not to get killed," he said as he walked away. I was feeling sick, depressed. I was still seeing Vietta, she was condemning me for abandoning her. I couldn’t take it anymore. The stress was too much. I had lost two cases in a row. Losing a third case would mean early retirement for me. I had been fined for disorderly conduct in court. I had lost Taliah and I knew there was no way I would get her back. So many thoughts ran through my head, some were nice, most were not; as a result, I suffered from migraines that lasted for days upon days. I finally decided to go see a doctor.
On the drive to the hospital, I debated with myself on whether I really needed to see a doctor. Before I realized it, I was at the reception area of the hospital. I was immediately referred to a Dr. Khan. A kind-looking nurse showed me to Dr. Khan’s office. I shuffled my feet there. I wondered what the doctor would say. Would Dr. Khan just give me some aspirins and send me on my jolly way? Would Dr. Khan refer me to a psychologist or even a psychiatrist? Would Dr. Khan ask me to switch to a sugar-free organic diet? What would Dr. Khan do? I realized that I had reached Dr. Khan’s office. I knocked. No answer. I sat in the waiting lounge outside the office. I felt dizzy. I could feel myself going to that dark place again. “Why, Terry, why?” It was Vietta all over again. Leave me alone! I couldn’t stop it from happening. I fell to the ground as my consciousness flooded with old memories. Leave me alone Vietta! “Vietta? Ma’am, we’re here to help,” said a calm gentle voice. I looked up. I had apparently been screaming out loud. A lady wearing a white lab coat was squatting, trying to help me up. I read her name tag. It said Dr. Khan. “I…I need help, Dr. Khan,” I managed to say. “Come with me,” she said as she led me inside her office. I followed her into her office. It was plainly furnished. I lowered myself into a chair. “I’m not mad,” I started, “I’ve just been having bad dreams.” “Bad dreams? Was what just happened one of them?” “Yes.” “Would you like to tell me what happens in these bad dreams?” “I help my sister…I help my sister but it’s my fault. It was all my fault…” There it was again. Leave me alone! I got up and ran out. I couldn’t see where I was going but I kept running. I had to get away. I had to leave. I found myself outside the hospital building. I stepped onto the road. There was a girl in the middle of the road. I made a mad dash across the road and pushed her out of my way. I heard the screeching brakes too late. I felt a lot of pain as my world went dark. My soul was at peace at last. Taliah was going to be the best thing to ever happen to me. The day she happened to me, I had peace. Peace at last. She was a natural. She answered all the questions on that show exactly as she was supposed to. Granted, she did go off script, but I saw great potential in her. She was a rebel, an outcast, a pioneer; she was me. She was perfect for the job.
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I sang as I walked into my office. I whistled and clapped. One would have mistaken it for me having a private worship session along the hallways but that wasn’t it. I was happy. I was happy that things were falling into place at last. It’s finally here. I smiled as I poured myself some whisky and drowned it in one gulp. The dawn is here. My soul was at peace at last. Taliah was going to be the best thing to ever happen to me. The day she happened to me, I had peace. Peace at last. She was a natural. She answered all the questions on that show exactly as she was supposed to. Granted, she did go off script, but I saw great potential in her. She was a rebel, an outcast, a pioneer; she was me. She was perfect for the job. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I sang as I walked into my office. I whistled and clapped. One would have mistaken it for me having a private worship session along the hallways but that wasn’t it. I was happy. I was happy that things were falling into place at last. It’s finally here. I smiled as I poured myself some whisky and drowned it in one gulp. The dawn is here. I did not know where I was. Dr. Khan had said that I was in a hospital. The smell was acrid. My head felt heavy. I touched it. the left side was heavily bandaged. I wondered what had happened. I looked around to see if I could find a mirror but there wasn’t any. Turning my head made me realize that my neck was stiff, like someone had tried to break it. I noticed some silverware in the room. I walked over and used it as a mirror. That’s when I saw it. I was in a neck brace. My right eye was blackened. I went into shock. That was not the reflection of myself I was used to seeing. I let out a loud scream. A nurse came running over.
I did not stop screaming, I couldn’t. The nurse went to get the doctor. Dr. Khan came rushing in followed quickly by the nurse. She tried to calm me down but I kept on screaming. I screamed and screamed and screamed some more. I felt a sharp prick in my arm then everything went black. I was backstage, waiting to appear on one of the biggest talk shows around – The Mary Okeyo Show. I had all my questions. I had all my answers too. No one would ever know that the whole thing was staged. It would seem truly natural and the host would seem truthful. She would ask the questions and I would have the answers at hand. Simple. Just as planned.
At two minutes to go time, I was whisked off from the make-up chair to behind the curtains. I went front-stage as soon as I heard my cue. “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Liya Summers!” said Mary. I walked calmly, majestically, waving at the audience, till I reached the cozy white chaise lounge. I sat. “Hello Mary, hello everyone!” I said, to a loud applause. “Liya! Good to have you with us today.” “Good to be here! Thank you for having me. I love you all!” Applause. “So Liya, what do you think of your father running for his second term?” PAUSE. “I’m looking for the words, Mary, looking for the words,” I said as the audience laughed. “He’s awesome; he’s an awesome dad and I really hoped I’d get to see him more, I thought this was it, but when he asked me if it was okay for him to do so, I agreed…” Loud cheers and whoops. “…I agreed because I think he’s awesome at it, I think he does a really good job and we’d both be really happy if you’d have him once more…” Another applause. “…Mum would’ve been really happy too.” Oohs and aahs interjected here. “She would’ve, wouldn’t she? Let’s hear it for Liya’s mum, God rest her soul!” The audience broke off into loud cheer. “I must say he’s done a commendable job, it’s hard enough being a single parent, but being a single parent and the president…he’s done it people!” More cheers erupted from the audience. “Shush people, shush,” she said lovingly to the audience, “what about a boyfriend?” “What about a boyfriend?” “Do you have one?” “A boyfriend, no. But you’re so specific, it could be a girlfriend!” I could hear whistles in the audience. “Well, do you have one?” “I was just teasing, I’m so single, single and ready to mingle!” “Yes you are! Girl, we must go out!” “I know right? Hit me up and I’ll be there asap!” “So what about Jake?” “Who’s that?” Mary and the audience laughed heartily. “Girl, don’t be playing! Your ex, Jake?” I laughed. “You said it Mary, not me, but yeah, we broke up.” “You two were so perfect together, what happened?” “Let’s just say it didn’t work out; but that’s the beauty of endings, isn’t it? To look forward to new beginnings,” “Yes it is!” “Let’s talk about something important now Mary, shall we? Say, world hunger? Sanitation? Going green?” I could see the color flush from her cheeks. That wasn’t part of what we had agreed upon. “You know Mary, most people take people in the entertainment industry as airheads because all we appear to do is sit pretty and answer to all the gossip flying around when we could be using our influence to fight for causes that are dear to our hearts. Don’t you think so?” “And what cause is dear to your heart?” “Going green. I think it’s imperative for people to realize the effect of their carbon footprint on the earth because at the state we are in now, environmentally and climatically speaking, the earth is sick and humanity is the virus behind it.” “OK, that’s awesome! You heard it here first people, going green is important! Let’s go to commercial now, shall we? Don’t go anywhere, we’ll be right back!” The music cued and we went off air. We both went backstage. It was here that she descended upon me. “What was that?” “What was what?” “That wasn’t in the script!” “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She came closer. I could feel her breath down my neck. “Listen girl, you’re not going to come here and ruin my show. People don’t want to hear about that boring school stuff! Their lives are boring, which is why they tune in to us, they live vicariously through us, through you, and if you better deliver the juicy stuff.” “I told you, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said as I walked away. The patient had lost a lot of blood from a nasty cut on the head. Her neck had also been snapped to a weird angle. She looked oddly familiar, although at that point I couldn’t tell where I thought I knew her from. She was brought in dead, literally. It was a miracle that she was alive. Hare Krishna. There was something about her that pulled me closer to her. I took care of her like she was my own. I visited her each and every day. It was more than a doctor-patient relationship. The way she had been found and brought in said a lot about her; she had been found in the lavatories at the mall. She desperately needed someone to be her guardian angel, a duty I took upon myself.
Weeks went on by before we finally made the decision to bring her out of comatose. A day went by before she opened her eyes. She looked at me, trying to comprehend whom I was. Her eyes implored for an explanation. “Hello there! I’m Dr. Khan, you’re in a hospital, a Good Samaritan brought you in. You had a nasty cut on your head. How are you feeling?” I said. She tried to speak but I could tell she was too feeble for it. “It’s okay,” I said, “we’ll let you rest, okay?” She nodded weakly then drifted off to sleep. I went on with my duties for the day but doubled back to bid her goodnight. She looked so peaceful as she slept. Who knows the storm she’s been through. I was back there the next morning. She was already awake when I got there. “Hi! Remember me?” I said cheerfully. She didn’t talk, but I could tell she recognized me. Good sign. For two weeks the routine was the same. She never said a word. It was on the beginning of the third week that she finally said something. A nurse rushed to get me. “Doctor! Doctor! She talked!” The nurse said enthusiastically. I rushed over. There she was. I could hardly contain myself. “Hi! …” She cut in before I could finish. “You’re Dr. Khan,” she said. “Yes,” I answered cheerfully. “How do you feel?” “Groggy.” “That’s in the normal spectrum,” I said happily. “Can you tell us your name?” She paused. “My name?” “Yes.” “I...I…I…” I could see her start to panic. “No, no…shhhhh…it’s okay, everything’s going to be okay,” I comforted her. I looked at the nurse. She (the nurse) wrote something down and left. “What did she write?” “It’s nothing that should worry you, you’re just having a little trouble remembering your name.” “Is that normal?” “All injuries to the head are different, but I can say that amnesia is not uncommon. Don’t worry, we’re going to figure this out.” She nodded. “Jake! Jakey! What the hell happened here?” I asked as I walked into his office. He was leaning on his desk, reading some files. He turned around. He smiled, evidently displeased.
“Terry! You never bothered to learn my name, even after I became your president,” he said. “It’s Joshua, Josh for friends, but you’re not a friend now, are you?” He added. He eyed me with the displeasure of a demon eyeing a faithful church-goer. “To what do I owe this pleasure?” I savored the moment. Making him squirm has always been a pleasure of mine. “I was accidentally put on your case, how unfortunate.” I smiled. “So, I hear that someone battered you and by the looks of it they got you good!” “Don’t they have better lawyers?” “Oh don’t worry Juju, everyone knows we’ve got chemistry.” “Joshua! It’s Joshua!” “I don’t give a rat’s ass.” I stood there as he contemplated on what to do. I could see his spidey eyes darting from point to point. I took the chance to look around. Books and files were scattered all over his desk, I could tell he didn’t have a knack for neatness. “Don’t touch anything,” he said coldly. “Where’s my niece?” “Dead, I hope. She did this to me. You better pray I don’t find her.” He came close. “Have your team take care of this.” I didn’t even have a second to process what he had said before Jake burst in, carrying a body bag. Something in my gut told me that it was Taliah in that bag. I felt my head reeling. What has this monster done to my little girl? Jake walked right over to Josh and they said a few things before he (Jake) scurried off, body bag in tow. I felt faint. The room was spinning. “Who’s in that bag?” I asked, with my heart in my mouth. He just smiled. I felt sickened. “Terry dear, always a pleasure seeing you. I have business to attend to so you better leave now.” He started going to his desk. “No! NO!” I screamed as I tugged on his shirt. “You can’t do this!” “Oh, Terry, I already have. SECURITY!” As they dragged me out I could see the evil grin persistent on his face. NOT AGAIN! I SWEAR VIETTA, I DIDN’T MEAN TO! I was with Emerald, dining at one of the biggest hotels in town. She was wearing the diamonds I had given her. She looked amazing. I knew the press would wonder why I was going out with Emerald and not with Liya. I was prepared for that. As far as I was concerned, I had dumped Liya and was now going out with Emerald. My butt still hurts! F***!
“So, Em, how is Frank?” I asked. “Frank? How is he? Same as always, I’d say. I don’t think that’s our concern right now, our concern right now should be to get ourselves out of this deal,” she replied. “We’re in quite the conundrum, I know, but I told you, we can’t sign out!” “Well then we’re in a pickle, aren’t we?” “Do you want to die, Em? Coz I’m not ready to die yet.” “I’m actually starting to prefer death than this. If we’re not leaving then I want a divorce.” “A what now?” “A divorce, Jake, or have you forgotten that we’re married? We’ve been married for what, five years now?” “Six, actually, and I’m not giving you a divorce. We’ll get through this, together.” “Okay, so what’s the plan?” I paused. “Liya ran me over.” “Even she gets to quit!” “No, I’m pretty sure Joshua will kill her. He’ll kill us too if we leave, you know? We can’t leave…we’ll just figure something out.” She sat there, looking right at me. She took a deep breath. “You always say that, you know?” She took a sip of wine. “Goodbye Jake,” she said as she stood and started leaving. From the corner of my eye I saw the paparazzi gather. I just sat there. Merde! I heard a loud bang. I turned sharply. Emerald was lying in the middle of the road, her life running out of her. A car disappeared in the distance. |
AuthorYvonne started writing at a young age, with successful publications in the children's section in newspapers, publications in a number of textbooks and a number of manuscripts. She is currently studying for a Bachelor's degree in Forensic Science. Archives
August 2016
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