[STORY] IN-BETWEEN (Episode 23)

Episode 23
By AMAH’S HEART.

Jane waited until the doctor was out from attending to Vero before Going to meet him.
She asked him how she was doing and he said she was fine.
The doctor asked her to follow him to his office.

Immediately they got into the office, he offered her a seat and began speaking to her.

“Your friend is very stable at the moment and responding to treatment. that’s actually a good news… right? she was lucky that the bullet didn’t get to her heart region. It bruised through the area. it was a tiny line of luck indeed or she would have been dead within few minutes of getting hit. our happiness is that she is going to be alright. The bullet have been removed and the flesh hole have been stitched up, is the healing part that remains. Unlike the first day that she was brought in, that very day like I have already told you before…it was a critical emergency situation that the medical team tries to the best of our ability. Had it been that she was brought in an hour late she wouldn’t have made it. Her body would have suffered violent involuntary contraction of the muscles… that’s like convulsing. And in 75percent cases leads to death. Just to let you understand how lucky she was to still be alive….”

Jane smiled and thanked the doctor.

“How long will she be here before going home? Just asking because her kids needs her and they wish to see her soon…”

“We need to monitor the healing process, to loosen the stitches in about a week and to make sure that nothing gets close to the sensitive part… that’s the heart. Today is the third day, she should be discharged in a week and few days from now which will be totalled two weeks in all. You can bring her kids down here to see her but not right away because she needs lots of rest to quicken the healing process. Maybe two days time… you can bring them over…”

Jane heaves a sigh of relief before asking
“Is she presently awake…? Can I go and see her now?

“Sure you can but don’t stay for too long. She needs lots of rest.

Jane nodded and as she stood up to leave the doctor asked her to wait.

“There is another major thing I need to ask you which will also help in filing our report. The second lady with you on that first day, she deposited enough money for your friend’s treatment and when we asked her how she sustained the bullet wound she couldn’t give a concrete answer but she promised to return back to do so. This is the third day and we haven’t seen her and since you are present during the incident, we will like to get the proper report from you. We need to know this things and if involving the police on this case is necessary or not for the sake of our patient. After further examining her we realized that she was shot at a very close range. I want to know if it was a robbery case? It doesn’t look like a stray bullet is not like we are cancelling the possibilities but there is a slim Iine to that. We want answers regarding the incident and you are also in the right position to give it to us…”

Jane think back and remembered Pete threatening her that first day as they got to the hospital. He said if she ever says anything to anyone he will come back to finish what he started.
The whole thing was still very traumatic for her and so it must have been for Veronica.
She does not want to get herself or Veronica into further trouble.
She only wish all of this is over soon so that they can both have their normal lives back.
Although things won’t be ever the same but is better not to attract any further troubles.

“I’m sorry Doctor. Let’s rather wait for Patricia, she has all the details more than I do and she will come around just as she promised maybe before Veronica is discharged. I have nothing to say concerning your questions. Please be patient until the woman in charge comes around…. please”

The doctor told Jane that he will give a call to Patricia then since she dropped her mobile number that very day and asked the doctor to update her on anything.

Jane stood and went to see Veronica.
When she entered her room she saw her staring at the ceiling and muttering something to herself.

“Hey girlfriend… you fought so well and beat death to it’s game. I’m proud of you Vero…”

Jane smiled but Veronica couldn’t reciprocate. She sighed heavily and said.

“I didn’t beat death Jane, I couldn’t have done that on my own… God did it all. He gave me a second chance to life and that I will never take for granted. Thanks Jane for everything… you’re a friend indeed. How’re the kids…?

“They’re alright Vero. Don’t worry about them because they are both cared for and will come visiting soon and you will get to see them. I know you are looking forward to going back home, the doctor said about a week time and maybe few days and you will be free to go. All we pray now is a quick recovery. I really thank God for our miracles, yours especially Vero. You loved and trusted the wrong man, had children for and looked forward to the future with him not knowing he is a wolf in sheep clothing. he is a beast and would have end us all. We would have been both dead if God didn’t step in through the person of Patricia. I have taken God more serious than I ever did since the incident. God is truly good and that we can both testify to…”

Veronica gasped out quietly and said to Jane
“I’m not going back to that house Jane. I can’t…I will look for where to stay after I’m out of here and plan on what to do next with my life. That house holds too much bad memories. Stepping into it will make all the ill past that I’m trying to put behind to come rushing back. I can’t…is not only scary but also traumatizing. Do you know the amazing part of this whole thing is despite my foolishness God still cared. He tried to warn me through dreams but I was too distance from him to understand exactly what he was telling me in those signs and dreams. Oh, how much I blamed God for every of my mistakes. I traded God for a man like Pete. Pete became the center of my entire being. I became boastful and careless to the extent I stop teaching in the teenage class. I wanted to be seen each Sunday and admire for my apparel and looks. I threw conscience to the wind the moment Pete proposed… just within few weeks of meeting him. I forgot about the principles I held dearly, that even made me broke up with Martin. Pete deceived me vinto believing he was a true Christian, he said his parents were both ministers before dying in an accident. He said I and the kids mattered most in his life Jane. I believed it all. How could I? Falling deeper into sin due to what he was offering. I became pregnant and because I did not want to add more sin to the plate by aborting the child I persuaded him into marrying me in a hurry. He never acted like already married man with teenage kids even for once. There was nothing to suspect about him. I don’t how I will be able to stand in front of the church and teens that looked up to me with pregnancy out of wedlock. They will come to know that I never practiced what I preached. Pete was busy stealing and bringing to me and I was enjoying every bit unknowingly. I have been thinking to myself and reminiscing over the whole ordeal and indeed I was gullible like he said. I was in between the whole thing, in between life and death. The devil almost sent me to abyss… the bottomless pit but Christ showed up and saved me from damnation. I have a second chance to life and that i won’t take for granted ever again…”

Jane heaped a sigh of relief again with a nod while Veronica wiped out a tear rolling down at one corner of her eyes.

*********
Patricia still did not believe him no matter how convincing he sound.
She asked him again that early morning as she was getting dressed to leave for the day.

“,I know you said it was not you that got it but how was she able to acquire the house huh? You know this lady for about five to six years and said she had lived in that house ever since but you never bother to ask her how she got the house or which of her relatives gave it to her. It baffles me Jubril and I don’t know how to just overlook that…”

Pete sat up from the bed and said.
“, I thought we were over this Pety, you asked me several times and I told you that I don’t how she got it. She actually told me…I guess it used to belong to one of her relatives. I can’t fully remember because Vero does not matter at all. My only home is here with you and the children. I only get to spend short time at Veronica’s place. I have never spent a full month or straight two weeks with her. I have apologies severally to you over what happened and you said it was okay… why are you still taunting me? I’m sorry Pety… really sorry”

Patricia looked over to him and said it was alright.
Deep down it wasn’t. Infact things have really changed for her.
She can’t believe that Pete will put a gun to her face. Looking back at what happened at Veronica’s place makes her start having a rethink over everything.
If her husband was heartless enough to want to burn down the whole building with his own children screaming and crying for help it means he is capable of anything. He did not only want to shoot and kill Veronica and her friend, he also wanted to set the house on fire and did not care who was in it.
Pete was more concerned in erasing his past with such a barbaric act.
Is four days already and she had not been able to sleep with her two eyes closed.
The fear of the unknown kept her awake most part of the night.
If she later find out that Veronica’s house was bought by Pete then there will be serious trouble.
She was getting dressed to drive all the way out to see Veronica and also to meet with the doctor who called her yesterday but she didn’t pick up due to her husband was close by.

He believes that she was going to the office and she informed him that she will also be visiting a client who wants to check out a property on sale.
She will be having a very busy day and may return home late.
Pete wished her the best of the day but Patricia was going over to the hospital and she hopes Veronica tells her the truth about the house.

She had doubted the company when they said that her husband defrauded them several millions.
How can that be when Pete never invested or had any major savings.

The bank froze his account too and all the money in it was gone.
He was locked up in prison, she took the burden of sourcing for money to bail him out. She sold her properties, almost emptied her savings just to pay atleast half of the debt so that he will be released.
So it will really be painful to find out that Pete squandered all the money on Veronica, gave her a good comfortable life, a house and probably a car too without bringing anything home only a pot full of debt thereafter.
He can’t be busy trying to impress Veronica while forgetting his main home.

If she finds out that Pete bought that house that runs in millions for Vero then a serious war will be set out.

It only means that her husband takes her for granted.
Because he feels that she has money and always ready to care for the home, it makes him abandon his duty and responsibilities for her to carry.

That won’t happen and she will have to find out today.
To Be Continued….. . . .