Romance Ecstasy

"So you mean you'd rather take the nurses word before his."

"That nurse is probably the most dedicated emp loyee we have in this hospital right now and I

am particularly sick and tired of the way most of you have gone about castigating her for your

selfish reasons.

The Assistant Director and the matron stared blankly at him.

"Yes" Don't think I don't know what is going on in this hospital I know who have been making

passes at the nurses in this hospital," he said staring fixedly at Dr. Kelvin. "And I assure you if I

was any of them, I would not have hesitated to wield the axe immediately. The fact that I haven't

done that to Dr. Collins shows that I am not certain yet that he belongs to that category of

shameless people and that is why I have prudently decided to conduct an investigation to find

out for sure, and if you have tot a problem with that, well… that's your problem. Now if you will

both excuse me I would like to get back to my work."

Mrs Martins wanted to say something probably in defiance of Dr. Kelvin, but changed her mind

they both got up and quietly left the office.

"My suspicious has now been confirmed, Dr. Kelvin said as they both walked down the corridor

leading to his office.

"Well, I can't dispute that. Look at the way he totally took sides with her. Imagine him calling her

the most dedicated worker in this hospital." She hissed.

Chapter Three

Ann sat on the chair beside Alex bed. She was very angry with him but yet she was quiet glad

as well.

"They are trying to take me away from you she told him. "Dr Collins tried to touch me he tried to

defile me isn't that enough reason for you to wake up from your slumber? How long do you

want to sit back and allow these atrocities to keep going on? Is it until I am totally shut up and

kept away?"

her tone softened up a little and she smiled. "The Medical Director is on our side though. He

has finally assigned me to be fully in charge of noising you, my baby isn't that great? Now we

can always be together and I won't have to answer to any query over you. No one will interrupt

us any more Alex isn't that wonderful?

"Now I know that when you do eventually regain your consciousness I am going to be the nurse

at your consciousness I am going to be the nurse attending to you," she said.

Ann had always dreaded the possibility of Alex coming out of coma to meet or see the face of

another nurse first. She had to be the first person he would see when he regained

consciousness and now, it appeared to be more than a possibility she thought to herself. Little

did she know that Alex was soon going to regain consciousness and that she was not going to

be the first person he would seed.

Ken stared straight into the darkness. He couldn't make out anything probably because of the

incredible pain he was feeling in his head. He wondered where he was and then realized he

didn't even know who he was.

He tried to move his body but he could not the pain that surged through his body was

unbearable. He remained still for a while allowing the pain and dizziness to subside. He tried to

think to remember at least something to remind him about who he was but it was almost as if he

had completely forgotten how to do even that. No visual image formed in the lower temporal

lobe of his brain.

The pain in his head seemed to be increasing and probing and he left himself drifting gradually

away again. Then he lost consciousness again.

He came through moments later. This time he felt a little bit more relieved. He tried to get

himself adjusted to the darkness so that he could at least guess where he was. He didn't

attempt to move his body this time. He just lay there motionless and tried not to think. But then

the images began flashing at him in his mind. He heard the sound of a heavy explosion and

then he heard loud screams, lots of screams. Then almost automatically the events began

playing and like a movie scene. He saw himself in a car. It was a long black car a limousine. He

was at the back seat with several people. They were all engaged in a cheerful discussion. He

was sealed in the middle of two people and they were equally faced by three people sitting

down opposite them.

All of a sudden, there was a commotion. The vehicle had a heavy jerk and the driver seemed to

lose control of the car, which began to swerve left and right. The next thing he knew was the

feelings that they were no longer on the ground and yet the car was still in motion, then there

was a sudden explosion and they were all screaming. And suddenly it didn't seem like a movie

anymore, it seemed very real and he found himself screaming. 'Nooooo.

Nurse Joyce was at the small reception hall in the private patients war. She wished for the

umpteenth time that she hadn't been placed on night shift tonight Chief Hans, her sugar daddy

had promised to give her a special treat today and she had been forced to miss it. She sat

behind her desk dreaming about what lovely fun she might have been enjoying with the Chief

when she heard the loud scream. She was so shocked she almost fell off the stools she was

sitting on.

She was even more shocked when she realized the room the scream had emanated from.

She's not particularly surprised by the scream itself because it wasn't unusual for patients to do

that. Sometimes a patient could begin to feel some agony in the night and unable to sleep he or

she may scream for help.

But the room where the scream had come from had not been just an ordinary patient room. To

most of the staff and even the patients at the Mainland Hospital that room was nothing but a

mortuary. For the sound to emanate from that room meant that a dead person had just spoken

or she imagined it.

Finally, she summoned up courage to go and find out for herself what had just happened.

Solemnly and reluctantly, she quietly went into the room and switched on the light. She stared

at the unconscious body of Alex the oxygen mask still fixed to his nose while his wrists were

still bundled by drips and his pulse being read on the computer system by his side. Thank God,

she hadn't raised any alarm by informing the doctor on duty. The man was just as he had been

since the day he had been brought into the hospital semi dead.

She put out the light and turned to leave the room, when she heard body movements and then

a voice.

"Oh! No, please no".

Another scream emanated from the room but this time it was not the patient on the bed. It was

the nurse.

"Where am I?" Alex asked directing his question at the man since the lady was obviously too

scared to even look at his face.

"You are in the hospital" Dr Collins told him.

"You were involved in a ghastly motor accident. You are miraculously the only survivor of the

crash. You have been in coma for about eightmonths now."

Alex stared incredulously at the man. He was obviously a doctor and the lady was probably a

nurse. Eight months" he had actually been in this place for eight months? He looked around

him. The oxygen mask had been taken off immediately the doctor had come into the room with

the screaming woman. He still had the drips attached to his body though.

"Who… who am… am I?" He felt ridiculous asking such a question but he didn't have any idea

who he was. The only image that kept flashing back to him was the accident.

The doctor nodded understandingly. "You see, you have been unconscious for rather a long

time and at the moment, you appear to be suffering from amnesia, that is a loss of memory. But

not to worry, with time you will regain your memory backfully". Madueke assured him.

"How long is it going to take, another seven months?" He found himself asking.

Dr Collins smiled. "No as long as you don't give yourself undue stress and strain, you should

regain your memory in a matter of days, at most weeks. It is a miracle that you survived. Mr Alex

you are a lucky man."

Alex? Is that my name?" he asked.

Collins smiled again. It was better not to rush the guy. Eight months was a very long time to be

out of consciousness.

"Please, just try to relax or go to sleep. It's late, we are in the early hours of the day already. The

Medical Director will attend to you in the morning, so just go back to sleep, okay?" He turned

too go and has he and Nurse Joyce approached the door. Alex called after them.

"What about… don't have a family or somebody that has been coming to visit me?"

dr. Collins exchanged glances with Nurse Joyce This was a question everyone at the hospital

had asked at one time or the other and no one had been able to provide an answer to.

"Of course, you do Mr Alex. The Medical Director will inform them of your progress immediately

you just try to relax "Dr Collins told him.

At exactly 6.00 Ann walked into the room. As usual, the first thing she did was to walk over to

the curtains and pulled them apart to allow for fresh air.

"I'm sure you'd agree with me that today is indeed a beautiful day, won't you?" she asked him in

her usual conversational manner

"I would have like to agree with you but unfortunately, I haven't had that opportunity of being

outside today," came the reply from the man on the bed.

Ann turned around sharply. Her heart skipped a beat and then began beating faster. A look of

shock, disbelief, amazement and utter bewilderment registered on her face all at once.

"Hello, my name is Alex well at least that's what I have been told and you are? Alex continued.

As the realization of what was happening dawned on her, the look on Ann's face finally

compressed into that of surprise and eventually joy.

"You are alive," she said quietly moving towards him. "You are alive and well, oh my God, I

knew it. I knew you wouldn't go and leave me this time I knew once I found you, you would

never leave me again she said happily, tears of joy stinging her eyes. "Have they seen you?

Has anyone been here to see you? Those wicked people, they all gave up on you, they

believed you were already dead and that your situation was hopeless and they hated me for not

giving up on you the way they did. Oh, oh! I knew you would wake up and put them all to

shame. Not all of them though, you see the Medical Doctor, he was on our side, he really

understood." She went on.

Alex stared incredulously at the young pretty nurse in from of him and wondered if he was not in

hell already. First, he had woken up to find himself in a strange place only to be told that he had

been in a state of coma for eight straight months. He had been confronted by a nurse who

stared at him as if he were a ghost and would hardly stay in the room with him. A doctor, who

had refused to tell him about his family or help him to contact them, and now this.

This nurse was going on rambling about finding him and not losing him. It all sounded so crazy.

"Now we can actually be able to do all those things. Those things we only did in dreams. I'm

sure you must have dreamt them too while you were unconscious did you?"

This was getting too much for Alex

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" he asked.

The question seemed to rattle her for she stopped and stared at him. A new expression on her

face. She was going to say something when the door swung open and in came the Medical

Director, Dr Brown Another man in blue suit was with him.

"Oh! I see you have been getting acquainted with your patient already. Ann. But please, I am

afraid I am going to borrow him for a few minutes, Ifyou don't mind?"

Ann did mind. This was her moment, this was her patient this was her dream, this was her

destiny and she was prepared to guard him selfishly. However, because she recognized the

role the Medical Director had played in the actualization of her dream, and the respect and trust

she had for him. She decided to leave the room for them.

"Thank you," Dr Brown said smiling at her, Alex felt relieved. At least these two looked like

normal people and they seemed to be in control of things.

"I am Dr Brown the Medical Director of this establishment," Dr Brown said as Ann shut the door

behind her.

Alex stared at the second man waiting for him to either introduced himself or be introduced. Dr.

Brown searched his face for any sign of recognition but as he had expected, he found none.

"And this is Mr. Borris Faleti," he said pulling the only chair in the room to sit down.

"How are you feeling?"

"Look, I just came out of a fucking coma after almost a year, how do you think I would feel? I

can't even remember a goddamn thing about myself," he fired angrily.

Standing at the center of the room Borris Faleti smiled to himself inwardly. This was certainly

Alex.

The guy still had the fire in him despite of the Amnesia.

"Mr. Ken, I understand that you are going thro ugh a state of amnesia but I assure you that is

going to pass in the soonest time. If you could come out of that kind of coma after that long, a

trivial thing like amnesia shouldn't bother you," Dr. Brown said trying to cheer him up.

"Wait, wait a minute did you call me Ken? What exactly is going on here? That other doctor

called me Alex now you are saying I'm a Mr. Ken he shouted loudly.

"Take it easy, Mr Ken, "Dr. Brown soothed him. "Yes, your name is Alex and yes it is also Ken.

They are your first nameand surname. That is how human beings are named."

That other doctor said you could help me contact my family," Alex said. Dr. Brown stared at

Borris Faleti. He is going to help you with that".

Borris stepped forward and moved closer to Brown on the bed. Mr Alex he began, "you noticed

a slightly difference in the way Dr. Brown here addressed you and the way the previous Dr that

attended to you had addressed you. Well there is a reason for that". He paused to see if his

words were registering.

"And the reason is because Dr. Brown is privy to some information about you that the other

Doctors is not. You see, you are quite an important person and that is the much I can tell you

about yourself for now. And the incident that led to your being brought here was not a mere

accident, it was an attack on your life. You were brought to this hospital more or less

underground and the word out there is that you are dead. Nobody knows that you are here and

hence the discretion about you personal information. In this hospital, everybody except of

course the Medical Director knows you simply by your first name. all this is with the intention to

provide a sound protection over you and to ensure your safety. As for your family, I want to

assure you that they are well and in no time you would be seeing them. But for now, I think it's

better for you to recuperate fully Dr. Brown has assured us that your amnesia is only temporary

and should be expected because of the long time you were unconscious. So once you have

regained back your memory, then everything else should be easy Faleti concluded. "Who

exactly are you? Alex asked him.

Faleti laughed. Even though he understood his situation, he still considered it funny that Alex

did not know who he was.

"Well, let's just say I used to bea colleague of yours," he smiled mischievously, "Is there any

other thing you want to ask?"

"Yes. Do my family think I'm dead too?"

Faleti took his time to answer that question. "Well no, but they don't know you are alive either.

They are under the impression that you have been flown abroad for medical reasons. Don't

worry, in no time, everything will be just fine.

Alex began to relax well what else could he do but accept whatever he was told. He had

avoided asking them if he had a wife and possibly children because that would make him have

more urge to see them and he had no idea how he was going to react or interact with them

Faleti was right, he really should wait until he regained his memory completely. He only hoped

it wouldn't take long for that to happen.

There is one more thing though, Faleti went on. "Now that you're alive we are not taking any

more chances Maximum security is going to be provided Two security agents are going to be

posted right outside this room. You won't have any more direct interaction with the staff of this

hospital except the Medical Director himself. And it will go on like this until you regain your

memory and you are well enough to be discharged."

"Damn what! Am! The president?"

"No," Faleti said quietly "Just someone close to the president's heart."

"Can't you include the nurse in your arrangement? It would be quiet unfair to just sideline her

like that after all she had done for him." Dr Brown pointed out as they got back to his office.

"Besides, I could do with someone to assist me each time I go down to his room to attend to

him," he added.

Borris Faleti lit a cigarette and shook his head "No, I'm afraid not Doctor. The boss's

instructions had been very clear. No other person must be allowed to attend to him in his room

except you," he said puffing at his cigarette. He blew a small circle in the air.

"I am going too assume that you forgot about the compulsory smoking rules, I have so many

times told you about it in my office.

Faleti took a drag, inhaled deeply and blew out another circle of smoke.

"Then, I am going to tell you Dr. Brown that your assumption is correct," he said, putting out the

light and getting to his feet, "I want to say that the boss deeply appreciates what you have done.

He recognizes the nurse's efforts too and I assure you she will be immediately compensated,

but she is not to go anywhere near him again. Have a nice day Doc." Faleti left the office.

Dr. Brown sat back in his chair. He couldn't say he liked the way things were turning out. He

really hated to disappoint Ann. He knew how much she had grown fond of the – well now

conscious patient and for her to be suddenly barred from seeing or interacting with him was

really very painful. But the orders had come from powers beyond his control and he had no

choice.

He picked up his phone and rang his secretary "Lola. I want you to tell Nurse Ann to come

down to my office right away."

"Yes Sir".

Moments later Ann was sitting right across from him. He could see that she was nervous but he

was more nervous himself. He wondered how she would receive what he was about to tell her.

Just watching her innocent face made him hear the sound of his daughter's screams as the

anchor of that tolling vehicle crashed into her face.

"Ann" he began gently clearing his throat "I want to let you know once more that I am greatly

proud of you for your resilience and commitment to the recovery of the erstwhile unconscious

patient. His recovery cannot be attributed to anyone but you because the rest of us had all

giving up on him. But he is recovered now. Hopefully in a matter of days or weeks, he would

have regained his memory and he would be discharged. But prior to that and I must confess, I

wish I didn't have to do this. I would have to ask you to stop attending to him. No other nurse is

taking over from you, nothing like that it's just that after coming out of coma, which he had been

for so long, it's only appropriate that he is given sufficient time and space alone to think and

help himself to restore his memory. And it would be better for him to forget as much as he

possibly can that he is in a hospital it could have psychology effect of him and dampen his

chances of regaining his memory. However he is personally grateful to you for your devotion to

ensuring he came out of coma and I am going to see to it that he acknowledges and recognizes

you before he is discharged okay?" he said.

Ann sat there staring straight ahead but she wasn't really in the office. It was as if she had been

suddenly hit by a thunderbolt and she was now floating away in the sky.

After all that she had been through and done, they still wanted to deny her destiny. She had

thought that the Medical Director understood but apparently, he didn't. he didn't realize what he

was asking her to do was absolutely impossible. She had not been able to stay away from him

when he was in coma and dubbed. "Semi-Dead," by everybody else How could she possibly

stay away from him now that he wasfully awake? Didn't they realize that she was the one who

actually drew him out of his unconscious state? And if he needed to regain his memory, she

was also the one that can help him with that they did not understand anything but she didn't

instead, she looked up at the Medical Director and said, "yes sir."

Then she got up from the chair and left the office.

Chapter Four

"They are trying to keep me away from you", she tells him. He nods his head. "They are trying to

keep me away from you too".

"What shall we do? I don't want to lose you again," she cried.

"We are leaving the hospital tonight, the both of us and we are going to get away from town.

From the city to where no one is ever going to find us and we will be able to live happily for the

rest of our lives," he said.

"Oh, my love why wait till night? Why don't we sneak out now? I can get you a doctor's coat and

no one will suspect or even notice you. I on the other hand would simply walk out on the pretext

of going to get something outside. "She suggested.

"You really are something Perhaps that is why I love you. How did you think this up so quickly?"

she gets him a white overall and they both leave the hospital but at different time. He goes out

first while she remains at the reception desk for a while, pretending to be going through a

patient's file. Finally, she decided that the time interval between their exit is long enough. She

made to go out but she encounter Nurse Mary on the way and Mary is hell bent on telling her

about what transpired between her and her mother-in-law, the other day.

"Do you know that by the time I got home the woman had already left for the bus stop? She

threatened to go back and get a wife for the son from the village who would always have the

time to attend to her whenever she came visiting in Lagos. My younger sister and I had to rush

down to the bus stop to beg her to come back home Ann it was not a funny thing o, she was

already in the vehicle and it was about moving. We started pleading with her, even the

passengers joined us in pleading with her. The conductor and driver also participated in the

pleading before she now finally agreed to come down Ann I tell you.

She realized Mary was ready to keep going on and on and she had left. Alex waiting for her

forty-five minutes. She quickly cut her short and left the hospital. She met Alex at the taxi park

and they were both ready to leave except that there was no taxi at the park. Taxi drivers had

gone on strike.

"This country seems to have gotten worse since the eight months I have been away to

wonderland Alex said.

"Wonderland!" There was something about that word that jerked her. Wonderland, where was

it? Was it the promise land? She found herself moving about in search of an answer but she

didn't find it until she woke up from her dream.

It was 5.45am Ann made her way into the hospital. She had to see him. She just had to see

him, she thought to herself. She knew she had made a promise to the Medical Director that she

would not go anywhere near Alex again, but she had known it was not a promise that she was

going to keep. The dream had been a warning. Just like all the dreams she had it was a

manifestation of what was going to happen in the near future. It was a revelation of her destiny.

They had to break away. He had to leave the hospital today and she was going to have to find

a way to make that happen.

She climbed the stairs to the third floor and arrived at the long corridor leading to the private

patients ward. She could see two people standing outside, in front of Alex's room.

Who are they? She thought.

As she moved closer, she realized that they were not employees of the hospital. Her heart

began to beat faster. This men had come to take Alex away from her. She had arrived rather

late. They had gotten here before her and they were going to try to shield him from her.

They noticed her coming to wares them and staring at them. They were both in plain clothes.

One of them wore a grey suit and a white shirt with blue tie. The other was putting on a white

Kaftan with a blue fitting cap. Both men were very tall but the one putting on suit was dark in

complexion while the other one in white Kaftan was quite light.

"Well Nurse is there some kind of problem?" the one in suit asked her.

Ann stared suspiciously at the two men. They did not seem like people who could have been

Alex's relatives. "I want to see the patient inside this room," she said.

The two men exchanged glances. This must be the nurse they had been particularly given

instructions about.

"I'm afraid we cannot allow you into the room Nurse. We are Security Operatives from the State

Security Service, and we have been directed to guard this room and not allow anyone in," the

one in grey suit said.

"Except you are the Medical Director of this establishment which I sincerely doubt, said the one

in kaftan.

Both men laughed at the joke and went on with their discussion as if Ann suddenly seemed to

be irrelevant. She stared gleefully at them and wanted to persist but then she hesitated and

went back along the corridor.

Ann have you seen the State Security Service men that have been posted to block the

unconscious, sorry Alex's room? What am I even asking? I am sure you would, if anybody had

attempted going to that room today, it would be you Mary said asking her a question and

providing an immediate answer to it herself as Ann walked into the reception room.

"I understand that they are not going to allow anybody to go into that room again except the

Medical Director. This Ann guy must really be somebody big O. I always suspected. It. Who

could afford to keep a man that is particularly dead in a hospital and pay his bills for eight

months? No wonder, you developed a crush on him Ann Smart girl. So you really knew what

you were doing all along eh. So, what do you think he actually does for a living? I mean who is

he?" Mary returned to her routine of asking question, only this time, she couldn't provide the

answers herself.

Ann did not provide her with the answers she wanted either. In fact, she had barely even been

listening to what Mary had been saying. Her mind was still fixed at what she had just been

confronted with at the entrance of Alex's room. What angered her the most was the statement

the light skinned man in Kaftan had made about her not being the Medical Director. She hadn't

fully understood what he was saying until Mary had mentioned something about the Medical

Director being the only person that could be permitted to go into and come out of Alex room.

She had believed the old man was on her side, that he understood what was going on,

between her and Alex.

How could he do this to her? Was he the one who hired those thugs claiming to be security

operatives from the State Security Service to come and position themselves in front of Alex

room? She had to go and see Dr. Brown.

"Mary, is the Medical Director in his office?

"Yes, why do you…?"

Ann was gone before she could complete her statement. She knocked on the door of the

Medical Director's office on the top floor of the building.

"Yes, come in" Came the reply from inside Ann stepped in and closed the door behind her. "Ah!

Ann hope there is nothing wrong that am seeing you in my office?" Dr Brown asked.

"Er…. Well, yes sir, there is something wrong," she said answering.

Dr. Brown raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair. He pointed at one of the chairs

facing his desk, "do sit down. What is it?"

"Well, it is about the two men stationed outside Alex's room," she began.

"Oh, you are talking about the Security Operatives from the State Security Service? Yes what

about them?"

"I… I d… don't quite trust them sir, I don't think they should be entrusted with the care of Alex

After all, where were they all this while that he was unconscious?"

dr. Ann's stared seriously at Ann "You don't trust them?" he asked. In his mind, a lot of thoughts

were rushing at him. Did she know about Alex after all? Did she actually know who he was and

what had happened that made him hospitalized? He wondered to himself.

Ann what particular reason do you have not to trust these men" he asked watching her very

sternly.

Ann's face was expressionless and devoid of any serious emotion. "I think it would be a very

sad thing if after coming out of coma after eight months, the patient now dies, simply because

he was nursedby security agents rather than professional nurses".

She replied in a quiet tone.

Dr. Brown leaned back in his chair and exhaled deeply. For a moment he had thought Ann

knew more than she was actually letting out. But now he realized that she had merely been

discharging and carrying out her duties as the devoted and dedicated nurse that she was. Once

again, he was immensely proud of her. He really wished there was something that he could do.

She had more or less single handedly brought Alex back to life and she deserved to be better

treated than she was getting. But the truth was that his hands were completely tied. There was

nothing he could do to ensure that she was allowed access to the person she had helped nurse

back to life.

"Ann", he began, "I apprec iated your concern and I acknowledge your contributions, but you

see, I am not in control of this patients case anymore I am merely receiving orders just as you

are. And I can only suggest that you obey them because I am going to obey mine.

"I was told that you are the only one being permitted to go to sue him..... out when you are

with him?

Dr Brown shook his head. He got up from his seat and came over across the desk to where Ann

was seated. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

Ann honestly, I had rather you were the one allowed to see him instead of me. But these orders

come from an office far higher than mine I am sorry."

Ann nodded and quietly left the office.

Alex stood by the window starring down into the street. He could tell by the manner of house

and people/pedestrians he saw moving about in the streets that the hospital was situated in a

residential area Directly opposite the hospital as viewed from him….. First enough was being

used by it woman who was selling provisions. As Alex had observed from staring at the

building everyday she was always the first to run up and open her shop. The shop immediately

after hers was a barbing salon and its major attraction was the loud music that constantly

emanated from it speakers even when Electricity had gone their own.

The barbing salon could as well have been as joint where boys hung out because all Alex

seemed to see everyday's, were sets of boys coming and going out without the slightest

change in their haircut. The next shop was a business centre where phone calls were made

and photocopies done. This shop like the barbing salon also had a standby generator and its

light were always on. But Alex hardly saw many customers patronize them

In front of the block of shops where some road side food hawkers. One woman sold roasted

plantain on the side of the street. An umbrella providing her shade from the scorching sun. the

woman looked quite elderly and Alex wandered if himself had a mother and if she were still

alive. He wondered what would have become of her and how she must have felt and still be

feeling, not having any idea where her son was. He remained at the window staring down. Just

then, a midnight blue Mercedes Benz S-class passed by Alex was startled. He wondered why

the car had startled him. While he was still trying to figure out why the car had logged him

and... and colour passed by again Alex almost laughed, he could have sworn it was the

same car that came back to pass the same spot it had just passed earlier if the two cars had

passed at the same time, he thought to himself, they could as well have been a convoy. That

word started him so strongly. Convoy. What did that word mean to him? How did that word

associate with him? It had to have something to do with who he was something about his past

that could help him with his memory.

Suddenly, it hit him and it all started to come back. The long set of identical cars the convoy.

And he remembered who he was and that he had a family. Not just any family but the first family

of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is the … ins name is Alex Steven.

He is the first son of President Charles Steven. He is thirty-two years old and he has a wife and

two children. His two year old son. Tomi and a nine months old daughter. Kunbi. He shut his

eyes, has the events that led to the fatal accident began playing itself out vividly in his eyes.

The long stretched of Limousines followed each other in a straight pattern. Alex Steven sat at

the back seat in between two Security Operatives. He was on his way to represent his father at

the Senate President's wife's birthday party.

It was not the first time he was representing his father at such an event and he didn't like it. After

all, he was not a politician. Why couldn't the old man get his vice or better yet one of his

ministersto fill in for him? He had thought to himself. He probably wouldn't have minded that

much if the party were to be held in Abuja, but the woman had decided that her fiftieth birthday

should be celebrated in her hometown. They had arrived in the state and where on their way to

the venue when a sudden loud explosion erupted in the air.

"Robbers," cried one of the security operatives by his side. Before they knew what was

happening, another explosion erupted blowing up the car in front. That was when they realized

that the vehicle at the back had already been chattered by the first explosion. As his Security

Operatives hurried to get him out of the vehicle, another bomb suddenly sent off and there

afterwards, everything suddenly became bleak and surreal. It was almost as if the vehicle was

flying in the sky, then it landed at some point, went back into the air and then finally crashed.

And everything became blank…for the next eight months.

***** **** ***** ***

"Where are my wife and my children?" Alex asked, directing his question not at the Medical

Director who was standing directly beside his bed but at Bows Faleti, who was almost learning

unto the bed.

"You don't know how much it gladdens my hea rt to hear you speak on familiar terms again.

Your father had been very worried, we have been worried, and we have all been worried about

you." Faleti said.

"Yes, well my father should worry. He almost sent me to my grave. How is Tolani?" he asked

about his wife again.

"She is fine, very fine. She would be most delighted to hear that you are now alive and well.

She didn't know you're being hospitalized in the country. We told her you have been flown to

Switzerland and that it was a very exclusive and restricted hospital that frowned at visitors, no

matter their relationship with the patient."

"You told her that? For eight months?

Faleti signed heavily. "I'm sorry Alex, this were boss' orders. The president felt that she might

take it very badly if she got to see you in the state that you were and frankly, I think he made a

good decision. Men you were a living dead body," Faleti said.

Alex leaned back on the bed. Eight months? He still found it difficult to believe that he had been

pout out for that long. It seemed almost like yesterday that he and the security operatives had

taken that journey to his hometown.

"What about the others?" he asked.

Faleti shocked his head. "They are all dead Alex, but not has a results of the explosion. The

vehicles all somersaulted leaving everybody unconscious. Nobody died from the shakeup, until

somebody moved in and pumped up bullets in their heads. Except you," he told Alex. Alex

stared incredulously at him. He couldn't believe what Faleti was saying. "You mean someone

came and finished off everybody that was inside the cars and left me alone? Someone wanted

me alone to survive that accident?" he asked. "The accident occurred in his hometown, how did

I manage to end up in this hospital here in Lagos?"

Faleti cleared his throat, "I'd like Dr Brown to answer that question."

Dr Brown, who had been quietly standing at one corner of the room observing the President's

son, moved closer to him and explained.

"You were discovered lying down a few blocks away from this building. Some people found you

and rushed you down to this place. Fortunately I knew who you were. I happened to have come

across a photograph of the first family at one time or the other and your face registered in my

mind, because I had read somewhere that the President's son was a Medical Doctor. I quickly

put a call through to presidential villa and eventually I got to speak to Mr Faleti here, the Chief

Security Officer. He and his men comedown to Lagos and to my office the same day and I was

asked to hold on to you. That the president wanted me to go ahead with keeping you at my

hospital. Even though I must confess, I thought your situation was hopeless and I suggested

that they flew you abroad for better treatment."

"Thank you Doctor, I think I will come in and take over from there," Faleti said. "You see Alex we

decided that whoever was behind the attack on you, somehow for some reasons wanted you to

be admitted to this hospital and so we decided that you should remain here, while we kept a

close surveillance over the place. It wasn't until you regained consciousness that we decided to

move in to provide more tighter security for you," he said.

Alex stared at both men and the dizziness was coming back to his head because of what they

were saying he just couldn't comprehend it.

"I was being used as a bait? To catch those who had launchedan attack on me," he asked.

Faleti shrugged. "Well, you could put that way, but it was our only chance at finding out who

was behind the attack."

"And have you found out who they are?" he asked anxiously.

Both men looked at one another and kept silent. ******* ******` ******** *****

Presidential Villa 14.45

President Charles Steven sat down in the president suite staring at a picture of his son when he

was just about ten years old. He was awaiting a call from his Chief Security Officer in Lagos to

tell him about the current state of his son. His wife Dana, the First Lady, came into the room just

then.

Charles, look I am sick and tired of sitting around here attending to one stupid irrelevant

function after the other while my son is laughing away in the hospital. Look, whether you like it

or not, I am going over to that hospital to see my son. Ah, ah, after eight solid months, my son

has finally regained back consciousness and you still won't let me see him. I am going O!" She

said angrily to her husband.

The President stared at his wife. He could understand what she was going through. He knew it

hadn't been easy for her. Hell, it had not been easy for him either. Alex is their first child and the

attack on his life had badly shaken theme both. But in order to keep the incident from the public,

they had to take some careful measures.

"Dana," he began quietly. "I know you want to see how Alex is doing urgently, but you just have

to be very patient. If you go to that hospital in Lagos, you will be reported in the media and

people would want to know what you went to that hospital to do. I have kept a close monitor on

Alex's progress in the hospital and in fact, I am expecting a call from Faleti any time from now to

fill me in on his condition in the hospital. Please, Dana, don't go to Lagos? We have managed

to keep this incident out of public knowledge so far. Your going to Lagos will blow everything.

Let his wife and kids go and see him. They can go to Lagos without drawing too much attention

to themselves," he said.

Dan Steven stared at her husband. She knows the incident had gotten to him too. He had aged

badly since it happened. It had reflected in his governance of the country. Some sect of the

populace were already calling for his resignation while some were calling for his impeachment.

She softened up and her heart went out to him. She had to count on him to get them out of the

bad situation they found themselves in. she and always counted on him and he has always

done.

"Okay, Charles, I won't go to Lagos," she said. Just then the President's personal telephone

line went off and he picked it up.

"Oh! Faleti, how are you?"

******* 8*********** ***************** Tolani Steven and her children arrived at the reception hall of

the Mainland Hospital. She was met by Faleti, who took her first to the Medical Director's office

where she delivered a personal thank you message from the President before she and her

children wee taken to Alex room.

"Daddy, daddy," their two year old son, Tobi shouted, running up to his father.

Alex picked up the boy and hugged him. Tolani came up to give their daughter, but he pulled

her to him too.

"I missed you," he said, eight months is no joke. They both hugged each other and kissed. They

had been giving total privacy and hence were alone in the room with their children. They all set

down together on the bed.

"I didn't know what to believe anymore," Tolani said amidst joyful tears. "I thought that perhaps

you were dead. They said you were in a hospital abroad and no one could come and see you

but I knew it was not true."

"It's okay, darling, its okay. I am here now, safe and sound. And I am not dead, I dreamt about

you throughout the eight months I pent sleeping," he joked.

There was a gentle tap on the door. "Yes, come in," Alex said.

And Faleti walked in with the Medical Director.

"Sorry, to disturb you," said the Medical Director, "but there is someone here that I think

deserves your thanks and appreciation. She is one of our nurses and she was the one who

personally nursed you. She believed that you were going to come out of coma even when we

all gave up on you here," Dr Alex said. "I just thought it would be nice for her to be introduced to

you especially now that you are completely well."

"Oh sure, please let her come in. I would like to meet the person who nursed me back to life,"

Alex said.

A short while later, Ann was brought into the room. She almost collapsed to the floor with what

she was. Alex was in a sitting position on the bed and beside him was the woman who was

holding him by the hands. On both laps were what looked to her to their children. She felt dizzy.

Alex got up from the and came over to where she was standing. He recognized the nurse that

had come to his room the first day he was recovered from his coma.

"Thank you so much. I am most grateful to you for your persistence and perseverance over

ensuring that I get well and recover. Please, allow me to introduce to my wife and children."

Tolani got up from the bed and came to meet her. She extended her hand towards. "I am so

grateful to you for taking care of my husband," she said.

The word seemed to echo in Ann's mind, 'husband, husband, husband,' managed to mumble

something but she knew she had to get out of the room fast before she collapsed.

Ann locked herself up inside the ladies toilet. She felt herself going out of control. She was

boiling with range. She had tried not to show it in the room with them. She had even managed

to carry their daughter un her arms and played with the boy. Then she had let the room as

hurried as she could and locked herself up in the toilet. This could not be happening, this

couldn't true it had to be a dream. Surely she would wake up to see that she had just had yet

another dream about him. But what a bad terrible dream this was going to be. It was worst than

a nightmare.

Ann, Ann are you in there?" she heard the voice of Nurse Mary. "He is going to be discharge,

he is going home with his family. Won't you come and watch? I think the Medical Director wants

to show him around to the staff, so come out, will you? He deserves to say thank you to you."

"Ann remained inside the toilet. Alex she did not want to see him. She didn't want to watch him

go, she had rather remain here.

"Ann," this time, it was the voice, of the Medical Director. "Ann, Alex had been completely

changed. Her was looking immaculately handsome. His face had been clearly shaven. He was

putting on a nice dark suit on black shoes to match him. His wife and children were beside him

and they were being introduced to the members of the hospital staff one after the other.

By now, everybody knew who he was. They all felt honored to have had such an important

personality has a patient at the hospital. They regretted the shady manner with which they had

treated his case and they all respected Ann for her persistence now. Mrs Martins had come

over to apologize to her and even Dr Kelvin had told her, "if I had know that you were a

soothsayer, you and I would have been on better terms by now," he had joked.

Everybody seemed to be in a happy mood at the hospital except Ann. For her, her whole life

had just come crashing down. Everything that she was, her whole essence of being. This was

not how it was supposed to be for her. This was not how she had planned it. This was certainly

not how had dreamed it. This was not what she had sacrifice for. This was not her destiny

noooo!