Contemplating

Third Person's POV

"Here's what you need ma'am,"

 A female hotel staff member said as she handed a paper bag to Ada who had a tired and anxious expression on her face as she waited at the lobby.

"Thanks, dear, you were really helpful." She appreciated the Lady and started heading back to her hotel room in hurried steps.

Getting back to the hotel room she shared with Nife, her eyes widened at the sight of the figure standing outside their door.

'Am I seeing things?' 

She asked herself and kept walking close to the hotel room.

'I'm not seeing things… or am I'

She kept on asking herself internally.

"What are you doing here?" She unknowingly asked out loud enough for both of them to hear. Her sizing the person in front of her up and down.

Donald went straight to Nife's room instead of going to his after he left the restaurant. He didn't go in but stood outside the door staring at it. 

He was contemplating within himself the right words he would use to face her.

He turned around hearing Ada's surprised voice. 

Ada, still not convinced why he would be here, eyed him suspiciously. He scratches the back of his head, trying to find the right words when his eyes fall on the paper bag on Ada's hand.

"Donald?"

 Ada queries him with her arms folded on her chest. To remind him she's still waiting for his response.

"Is Nife okay?" He chose to ask instead.

Ada repeatedly sighs, her expression downcasted.

"What can I say? This was supposed to be a peaceful night. But it turned out wrong." She replied sadly.

"I pray she gets better before morning comes," she added.

Donald nods at her words.

He licks his dry lips nervously and asks carefully.

"Can l see her?" 

He patiently waits for her response as he stares directly at her face, not to miss a single expression.

"Not tonight, tomorrow will do." She said, with certainty.

Donald nods his head in understanding. "All the same l apologize for Toyosi's actions tonight." He pleads.

"Donald, we know Toyosi and her attitude way back in college. It's in her place to apologize to Nife," Ada said with a smirk.

"Right, please look after her," he added and eyed the paper bag again, before taking his leave.

"Sure," Ada retorted and stared at him, leaving for a few minutes before going inside their hotel room.

<<<<<

"Madam, I'm back," Ada teasingly said, to Nife who was lying on the bed immediately she stepped into the hotel room.

"Hey,"

Nife responded in a weak voice as she tried to get up from her lying position. Ada rushed to her side in quick strides and supported her, by placing a pillow behind her back. 

Nife leaned on the pillow comfortably. 

"You don't have to stress yourself now," Ada scolds her. 

"Do l have a choice," Nife countered while rolling her eyes tiredly. 

A deep frown appeared on Ada's face. She flicked the back of her finger on Nife's forehead.

"Ouch! What did you do that for?"

 Nife, let out in pain. 

"I should be asking you that… Nife," Ada thundered in a hurtful tone.

"You scared me, Nife!" Ada scolds her in a hurtful voice, her frown deepening.

Nife looks down at her fingers in guilt. "If I hadn't come in earlier, where were you planning on taking your own life??" 

Ada thundered. Nife kept silent and didn't say a word.

"You are lucky your friend is a Doctor," Ada kept on scolding her as she opened the paper bag and brought out three different packets of tablets. She brought out the pills from the tablet and gave them to her.

Nife collected the pills from her with a guilty expression.

"I'm sorry, I just don't know what came over me." She explains in a slow voice.

Ada gets up from the bed and goes close to the island table, pours out the water inside the jug inside the glass before handing it over to Nife.

She takes the glass of water from her and dawns her medicine.

"That's not even my problem, what if you have hurt yourself in the process? What if…" Ada vents and swallows half of her words.

"I'm sorry," 

Nife apologized with a guilty tone.

"It's okay, oh my, see your body is already showing signs of fever," Ada says with a worried expression as she feels her body temperature with her palm. 

"But thank God I was able to get the right medicine on time. Let's pray you get well before tomorrow morning." She added.

Nife nodded with a warm smile.

"Let me make you a warm tea," Ada expressed warmly as she went back to the island table.

"Thank you,"

Nife sweetly said as she grabbed her phone on the table by the side of her bed to check up on her son.

She slides up the screen of her phone, goes to her contact list, and dials her mother's number.

'Ringing'

'Ringing'

After some time the phone connected.

"Hello, Nifechukwu, how are you?"

Her mother trails out through the other side of the phone. Her voice was laced with deep concern.

"Mummy I'm fine," Nife responded in her unusual voice.

Her mother kept quiet for some time, "Hello, Mother are you still there?"

 Nife asks out, over her silence. She removed her phone from her ear and brought it closer to her face to check if the call ended.

"Nife, are you okay??" Her mother asked after a minute of silence.

"Yes Mother," Nife responded as she cracked a slight laugh to hide the sound of her bad mood earlier.

"Are you sure??"

Her mother worriedly asked.

"There's nothing to worry about, Mother." She assures her.

"Who's that?" Ada asked as she stepped close to the bed, with a tray containing two cups of tea and snacks.

Nife glanced at her. "It's Mum,"

"Oh, Mummy, I already miss you…" Ada screams at the top of her voice, as she drops the tray on the bed, climbs onto the bed, and sits comfortably next to Nife.

Nife smiles at the show her Friend is putting on. "That girl,"

Her mother teased over the phone. Nife directly puts the phone on speaker.

"You girls should take care of yourself," She told them.

"Mummy you have nothing to worry about, we are fine…" Ada said.

"Nife will be well taken care of by me." 

 She added which got her an eye roll from Nife.

"What?"

"Isn't it true!" Ada mocked Nife in a low voice as she threw snacks into her mouth.

Nife smiles over the phone at her words.

"Mum, how's my baby doing?" Nife asked with a different expression, a passionate one.

"He's fine, he has gone to bed already." Her mother replied.

Nife smiles warmly. "Thank you, mother,"

"I have told you, I don't need you to thank me for taking care of my grandson," her mother scolded over the phone.

"Right, ma," Nife said with a light laugh.

"Ok, I will leave you to rest, okay?"

"It's okay, remember to always pray before you go to bed,"

"Sure I will"

"I will be hanging up now"

"Okay"

Nife ended the call and carried her cup of tea and started sipping gently.

"Here, help yourself with chips ooo," Ada told her, referring to the snacks on the tray.

"Gracias," Nife thanked her and dug into the chips with her.

"Guess, who l saw standing outside our hotel room?" Ada implored as she sipped her tea.

"And who could that be?"