Jamal's Request

"Are you for real?!" Lola's heart started thumping loudly. She adjusted her body to the side, giving Jamal her full attention.

"How could I joke with something so sensitive when you are all tapped in here to all of this stuff?" Jamal gestured at the beeping heart rate machine and the IV drip line connected to the back of her right hand.

"I'm sorry...I was just..."

"No need to apologize, baby girl. You know I can never keep a grudge against my little pretty baby sister from another mother."

Jamal teasingly plucked Lola's nose. He was so fond of Lola that someone could wrongly mistake them for lovers.

"Me...a fully grown woman, old enough to have three children, little!" Lola let out a soft chuckle, causing Jamal to beam with satisfaction.

"It's good to see that heavenly smile on your face once more." Jamal fondly stroked Lola's right hand. "The good news I was talking about concerns Brian."

"Brian!" Lola's eyes brightened up with uncanny anticipation.

"Yes, your husband, Brian." Jamal reaffirmed. "A few minutes earlier before you regained consciousness, I got a call from Chelsea."

"Okay." Lola withheld her breath.

"Chelsea reliably informed me that Brian is currently stable."

"Really!" Tears of joy welled up in Lola's reddened eyes. Here she was thinking she had placed her husband in a dire situation due to his underlying health conditions.

"Yes, my dear."

Jamal's lips curled up in a contagious smile.

"Chelsea told me that Brian's mum was able to invite a doctor over to the house. This doctor sedated Brian and placed him on some sort of nerve relaxing medication. All he needs is just some days of rest and he will be fine."

"Thank goodness!" Lola finally allowed the happy tears burning at the back of her eyelid to flow freely.

Jamal paused for a while to allow his friend to soak up the good news before dampening her mood with the remaining plea.

"Lola, I know how sensitive and challenging this period is for you. But I'm certain that in no distant time, everything will return to normal."

Lola thought about Jamal's last statement for a few seconds. She doubted if her life would ever return to normal. She was HIV positive and pregnant with another man's child. How could her life ever return to normal?

Nevertheless, Lola didn't want to lose hope all the same. Because hope is the last thing ever lost.

"I pray so." She forced a smile.

"In the meantime, I would appreciate it if you give your husband a little space to heal and get back himself before we resume pleading."

Lola nodded her head in agreement. "Okay, I'll try."

"That's fair enough." Jamal beamed. "Also, I would like to ask a favour of you and I pray you don't turn me down."

Lola weighed Jamal's words for a while before responding. "It depends on the favour you are requesting. Moreover, I wouldn't want to make promises that I can't keep."

"Fair enough." Jamal smiled and cleared his throat.

"My dear, considering the situation at hand, I would like you to come over and stay at my place. The reason..."

"No... I can't do that, Jamal. I can't possibly take advantage of our friendship. You stay with your fiancee and her mother. And I know how challenging that can be especially with your fiancee's mother's failing health. Thanks for the concern but I can stay over at Chelsea's apartment or a hotel pending when I settle things with my husband."

Jamal shook his head in disagreement.

"Noo... a hotel is out of the question. Also, Chelsea is a busy lady who works from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM. She won't be able to take care of you if you need someone's help." Jamal emphasized.

"But..."

"Please, don't turn us down, Lola. I have spoken with Maureen about this and she is more than happy to have you around. We know your husband and his family are everything you have. Nevertheless, we want to be your second family, who will love and protect you from all those male vampires out there."

Jamal facial expression about male vampires made Lola chuckle amid tears.

"Have you forgotten that you are also a man?" Lola quizzed in an amused tone.

"No, I haven't," Jamal replied dramatically. "But I am a man with the golden heart of a woman. That makes me entirely different from the male race."

"Hahaha..." Lola couldn't hold back her laughter. "Sure you are."

"On a more serious note... my dear Lola, I beg you, please stay at my place. Maureen and I will take good care of you. Even Maureen's mum will be available to keep you company when we are both at work. Also, since Maureen runs shifts, she will always be available to cater for your needs."

"I don't know what to say." Lola sighed.

"Say yes and put this poor man with a golden heart, out of his misery." Jamal gestured animatedly.

"Did I ever mention to you that, you and Chelsea are the best thing that happened to me after Brian?" Lola squeezed Jamal's arm which was resting on her hospital bed.

"No..." Jamal mimicked Lola's voice. "It has always been your husband, who is your best friend in the whole world."

"You are so dramatic." Lola chuckled.

"Is that a yes?" Jamal made an irresistibly cute puppy eye.

"Yes...thank you."

"I should be the one saying thank you." Jamal beamed as the nurse on duty, who coincidentally happened to be Maureen, stepped into the room.

"Yah! Our baby is finally awake." Maureen came closer and lowered herself to hug Lola.

"I will leave you two to do your thing while I go get the house ready."

Jamal said excitedly. He stole a brief kiss from his fiancee before finally exiting the room.

-

-

Back at the Royal Bar, some customers of the bar, who had captured the fight between two of the most powerful men in the city on camera, quickly uploaded the videos on their respective social media accounts with intriguing hashtags.

Instantly, the social media community was thrown into another exciting frenzy.

Views and comments started pouring in like a heavy downpour, with different speculations flying in the air.

While some online commenters claimed that the fight was business related, others said it was because of a lady.

After thirty minutes of fame, the said videos were taken down anonymously. Also, the original source of the video was traced to the culprit and these people were immediately arrested.

Nevertheless, the video had already done its damage as some important members of Westler City had already seen it.

Amongst the many viewers was Jasmine Malcolm.

Jasmine was at the spa with her girlfriends catching up on the latest fashion gossip in town, when someone amongst them alerted Jasmine of the trending video.

When Jasmine opened her Twitter account and assessed the video, she almost passed out from shock. Her initially bright and sexy eyes were instantly filled with horror as she watched her highly respected fiance, fighting in public like a street tug.

Gritting her teeth until her gum began to hurt, Jasmine left the company of her nosy friends before dialling Richmond's number.