CHAPTER EIGHT:

Vanessa Compton paced her spacey office her head hung in deep thoughts, moving from one end of the room back to her desk. She couldn’t figure out what to do with her patient, a pregnant woman as the baby changed its position and now it sat in a split.

This was the most severe case Vanessa had come across and she was bemused as she originally stared at the ultrasound screen, the baby looked so comfortable in its split and didn’t know what harm it was going to cause to its mother.

Her mind drifted back to the discussion she had with the patient.

“My professional advice is for you to undergo a little surgery before the due date to correct the position of the baby before delivery.” She had said, leaning across her chair, her hands on her desk.

“We are sorry, Doctor. But we would have to pass on that.” The husband said in a grim tone.

Vanessa arched her brow, “Why is that?”

The man shrugged and exchanged glances with his wife.

“Your wife’s life and death might depend on this.”

“We are Christians, from the Jehovah witness sect. We do not need surgery.” A slight blush appeared on the man’s face, “It is a taboo.”

She had looked from both couples and burst out laughing.

She saw their dead-pan expression and awkwardly cleared her throat, “I apologize for my unprofessional behavior.”

They were serious.

“Listen to me Mr. and Mrs. Gordon,” she sighed, “If the baby’s position isn’t corrected now, it would be impossible for your wife to deliver the baby without Caesarian Surgery (CS), she would still have to go under the blade.”

“If the Lord wants us to have the baby, we would without having to resort to surgery.” The husband as usual did the talking and the wife remained silent.

Vanessa couldn’t tell if the wife was supportive of this crazy belief that could cost her-her life.

Looking at the woman, she said, “I would be honest with you Ma’am. If you do not perform the surgery soon, you might die during delivery from blood loss and the baby will have a very slim chance of surviving.”

They shrugged holding each others’ hands and responded with a smile of acceptance. “If that is God’s will”.

The love emanating from them as they stared at each other might have been cute but Vanessa gaped at them like they were totally insane and unhinged.

She had to give up and wish them luck, reminding them of their close delivery date and to come for their last checkup before delivery.

The door to her office opened and she shook herself out of the disturbing thoughts, looking up at the intruder in irritation for barging into her office without knocking.

Her expression altered from one of irritation to shock then back to irritation as Henry, her ex-fiancé stood before her, flashing his yellowed teeth at her in a smile an inch too wide.

Too much cigarettes did this to him, he once had an enviable set of pearl white teeth which he always dazzled at her.

She recoiled back in irritation and cleared her throat, swallowing saliva to get some moisture in her suddenly dried throat.

She took some semblance of control and went round her paper filled desk to seat on her chair and she waved her hand towards the chair in front of her desk, quietly asking him to have a seat.

As he sat, she took in his appearance, he seem gaunt and his usual thick frame has been reduced to a scrawny and lanky build, he looked like a withered tree, she noticed his thin hair and wondered what the hell could be wrong with him.

His formerly full lips were thin and had a purplish tint and his tan has totally evaporated, in its place laid a sickly and pale white skin.

Henry was horrible sick and she felt some involuntary pang of sympathy for him, she wished she could help him; after all, he has helped her in the past when they were still together.

His mouth was moving and it occurred to her that he was speaking, she didn’t hear a word of what he had said.

Vanessa brought her mind and attention to the present,

“I beg your pardon, Henry?”

“I congratulated you on your marriage and wished you a happy married life.”

He said and began to cough; it was a nerve wracking and deafening cough, his shoulders were shaking tremulously from the force he applied to cough.

He slowly brought out a dirty bloodstained handkerchief from his front pocket and he spat a thick mixture of phlegm and blood into it, turning it into a bright red. His fingers were twitching.

Vanessa scrunched her nose in disgust, “You are sick Henry, what have you done to yourself.” She asked him with concern shining in her eyes.

“I have a problem and I need your help”. He replied looking at her directly in the eye. She noticed his iris was yellowed with flecks of red in them.

‘Shit, he had jaundice’ she thought.

“That’s much too obvious, I don’t think I can help you, I am a gynecologist and a pediatric surgeon, a fact well known to you”. Vanessa replied, reaching into her bag to hand him the business card of her friend who might be able to help him.

He collected the card and held it between the thumb and index fingers of both his hands and tore it slowly into tiny pieces.

“What the …” she started to say and he shushed her.

“Shh, Baby, you are the only cure I need”. He said emphatically, taking hold of her hand she had absently mindedly placed on the desk.

She sharply withdrew her hands from his and glared at him, “do not take my receptiveness for granted and don’t you think for a second that I wouldn’t ask the security to throw you out, regardless if this is a hospital or not. And who the fuck are you referring to as baby?” She snapped in anger.

“Take it easy Essa. You don’t have to go hyper on me”. He wheezed, about to go into another bout of coughs.

“If that is all, I think you should get out, why the hell where you allowed into my office without an appointment?” She rhetorically asked.

“I have my ways.” He smugly replied, further incensing Vanessa.

She pointed at the door and suddenly he broke down in tears, catarrh running from his nostrils, he noisily blew into his disgusting napkin and coughed out bloodied phlegm into it.

She fought the urge to call security to whisk him away, compassion getting the better of her. He fell on his knees still crying and he passed her a file he kept beside him that went unnoticed by Vanessa. She curiously opened the file and went through it briefly, her eyes widening in alarm.

The folder included his medical reports and test results from different hospitals and how they had transferred him to different hospitals for treatment. No specialist was able to cure him and they referred him, the last doctor gave him an expiration date literally. He has only three months to live and it was going to be an absolutely agonizing and painful three months.

He had stage three human Immuno and deficiency virus (HIV) which has extended into acquired immune and deficiency syndrome (AIDS). He also had acute jaundice just like she had thought. He had cancer which had depreciated into stage-two lung cancer; it has spread into his lymph and nodes.

He is literally a dead man walking as he is open to all sort of infection and his blood cells are weakened and almost gone. Explains why he looked so ugly and sickly, a startling difference from his robust handsomeness.

Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. She got infected with the virus by him.

Henry gave her HIV and aids.

He ruined her life.

He did this to her.

Her eyes blazed with anger.