NINE

The lunch lady gave Lucille her food and poured something in it, Lucille asked what it was and the woman sad,"It's my secret ingredient. You'll love it."

Lucille smiled, thanked her and left.

The lunch lady didn't give some of the ' secret ingredient ' to any of the other kids, though they begged and payed to get some. She told them she gave it only to Lucille because she was much prettier and more talented than all of them, not caring that it bummed them out.

Mark dropped Lucille off from school one day. Lucy was shopping by then.

Lucille held her head and Mark asked if something was wrong, all she said was,"Daddy...help me."

Then she fainted.

Mark yelled her name and rushed to help her.

Mark took her straight to the hospital and told Lucy who rushed there too.

The doctor looked at them and said,"She has been poisoned by deadly nightshade."

Lucy started hyperventilating and Mark helped calm her down. The doctor said,"We will need to slow down if not stop all her metabolic activities in order for the damage being caused to be minimised. The best option is to put her on a medically induced coma."

Now even Mark was devastated.

The doctor continued,"I will need your signatures to be able to carry out this procedure."

Lucy didn't hesitate to sign, but Mark couldn't. He was just immobilised by fear.

Lucy held his hands and said,"Mark, I know you're scared, I'm scared too. But you have to do this to save her life."

Mark nodded then signed as well.

I walked home really late as I had spent a little time with Rose. I walked to the stairs, expecting my niece to come and hug me and ask where I'd been but it didn't happen.

Mark walked to me and had to support himself on a wall and I rushed to help him, I asked him what was wrong and he looked into my eyes. I saw fear and agony as he said,"Lucille is in a medically induced coma."

I stumbled back when I heard the news and yelled,"What?!"

Mark said,"I'm sorry, I couldn't protect her. I failed as a fa..."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, it wasn't your fault. But how did it happen?"

"She was poisoned by deadly nightshade."

I frowned deeply and said,"This has Oleh written all over it, everytime she leaves us for a while, she comes with a plan worse than the others before it."

A tear fell down Mark's cheek and I hugged him and said,"It's okay."

Lucy wanted to stay strong for Mark and me so she held back her tears, though it was killing her on the inside.

They made sure to visit her everyday though I couldn't because of my tight schedule.

Lucy was walking in the garden when she got a splitting headache and started feeling dizzy.

She had to support herself on the nearest tree and screamed.

Some guards came to help her and wanted to tell Mark but she instructed them not to because that would worry him even more.

She kept slipping in and out of consciousness on her way to the hospital but when she got there, they ran some tests on her.

The doctor came with a grave look on his face and she asked,"What is wrong with my baby?"

The doctor shook his head and said,"There's nothing wrong with your babies."

"Babies?"

"Yes madam... you're expecting three girls."

She started crying tears of joy and suddenly, all the dizziness abated.

She had to tell Mark the good news, so he'd feel better.

Mark had searched everywhere for Lucy but couldn't find her then he suddenly got a call from one of the guards. She was at the hospital.

He burst into tears then rushed there.

He got there and she just hugged him. He asked what was wrong with her and she said with tears in her eyes,"We are expecting triplet daughters."

Mark started crying again but this time,tears of joy.

Mark swiped her feet off the floor and kissed her and smiled. He took her home and I was already there by then.

They told me the news and I jumped around the room like I used to do when I was happy.

I told Rose, Ruby and Olivia and they were so happy for them.

I ran and hugged Lucy and listened to her belly and this time, I felt a mild kick. I looked at her with a wide smile on my face and said,"I felt a kick."

Mark also listened and he laughed when he felt two.

But our joy was short-lived though.

A few days later, Lucille's nurse came to clean her up when Lucille's heart rate spiked.

She rushed to call the doctor and by the time they came, it was a flat line...