Chapter 12

She had lived through lonely nights and her days were filled with gloom. She hated the fact that she couldn't see her Twin until after a few days and in his words, few days could amount to weeks and in rare cases, a month. She groaned as she sat down on the bed. After her night rituals, she found today even more strange. She knew that she had been sick since the last time Hassan left to Abuja, which was after he had come back from the last trip the whole family had seen Hussain.
It was rather funny to her, if being asked. How can a grown man runaway from home just because the talks about his marriage had arise? Well, maybe that wasn't the right word for it, but he basically ran away from home. After the last day Hajia told him she had given him a month to bring home the woman he wanted as his wife or she'd talk to Mufeeda's father herself, it had been six months now and none of them saw him in Nigeria again.
The first two months were worse, because no one could even reach him on the phone until Hassan found one of his colleague and he practically begged him before he put back his line and they could communicate with him. Hajia hadn't spoken to him about the marriage again, but they all knew she was waiting for him to be back home. It was a trap, because they all knew he wouldn't go back to his workplace without a wife. It can either be Mufeeda or anyone he wanted. But one thing was certain, he wouldn't leave without a wife.
She stood up feeling a bit dizzy, she knew Hassan had been pestering her to go to the hospital but she didn't, but tonight, she was feeling so sick that she definitely had to go to the hospital. She trudged to Hajia's chamber, feeling as though she was being suffocated. She couldn't even reach the chamber when she stopped by and vomited the little dinner she was able to take. She knocked on the door and it took a few minutes before Hajia walked lazily to see who it was, for Sohila had gone to one of their Uncle's house for a sleepover with her cousins.
Nadia slumped on Hajia's body, "I think I'm sick, Hajia." She managed to utter, feeling as her whole body deteriorated. Hajia frantically held her close to her body and managed to get them to the living room. She sat down beside her, her heart pounding in her chest. "What's wrong, Nadia? I knew you looked sick tonight but I thought it was normal moodiness. How are you feeling?"
Nadia was about to reply her although painfully when Hajia stood up, "Wait, we're going to the hospital. I'll be back in a minute." It was a struggle helping Nadia to the car but she did it, and she drove out of the house to K-Dara hospital. She was admitted urgently into the hospital and as Hajia stood at the reception waiting for the doctor to come out, she dialed Hassan's number.
His voice was muffled with sleep when he answered, "Hajia, I hope everything is alright?" They had spoken few hours ago, and he knew nothing would make Hajia to call him unless something seriously went wrong.
"Nadia is sick, I don't know what's wrong with her but she's with the doctor right now. From all indications she's going to be admitted. You can't help, I know, but I'm too scared not to call you at this hour." Since the day she lost their father, she had this fear of seeing her loved one in the hospital. Because the last time she saw him was on his deathbed.
Hassan didn't know when he jerked up on the bed, "Subhanallah, Hajia is she alright? I mean, will she be fine and what did the doctor said is wrong with her please?" He was moving frantically in the room and Hajia had to close her eyes to calm herself down.
"Calm down, Hassan. She's fine, okay? I don't what's wrong yet but I'm certain it's not something serious. She'll be fine, I shouldn't have called you until morning." They spoke for a few minutes and it was her trying to assure him that she'd be fine and if something happened, she would call him immediately.
She stayed that way after she had sent Sohila a message that she should come to K-dara early tomorrow they have been admitted with Nadia. Shortly after, Dr Dara came out with a smile on his face, she immediately stood up, "What's wrong with her, Dr?"
He chuckled softly, "Calm down, Hajia, she's going to be fine. She's pregnant, four months along..." Hajia cut him of with a beaming smile but there was curiosity in her eyes.
"Come on, Dr! I mean, we've spoken about this three weeks ago when I noticed how she had been lazying around lately and she said she was fine, and have been seeing her period as well."
He nodded his head, "Yes sure, it comes with a small complication but nothing medications won't take care of. She'll have to rest tonight here, we will see if she'll be able to be discharged tomorrow." They spoke for a few minutes and Hajia asked if she could go in to see her after she had made all the payments needed and he said yes.
She prayed throughout the night, because she had never said it out loud but she had been dreaming of this day nonstop. She wanted nothing but to see her grandchildren before she died. And she cried, yes, not because she was emotional or something, but she had remembered how they had planned on treating their grandchildren with her husband. It would've been a joyful journey, but still she wouldn't not make a better use of it.
•
She fell asleep after she had prayed fajr and it was around 8am when Sohila barged into the room with her eyes showing how less of a sleep she had had. "Hajia!" She called out frantically before she noticed that both of them were asleep. "Oh, sorry." She lowered her voice just when two of her cousins walked into the room holding baskets of food and all the necessary items they would need.
Hajia sat upright and smiled tiredly at them, "You should've knocked first, Sohila." With her palms rubbing her eyes, she stood to her feet and answered their greetings one by one. She went to the bathroom and when she walked out, they were talking in hushed tones so they wouldn't wake Nadia up.
"What's wrong with her, Hajia?" She asked curiously, because she could remember her driving her to unguwan alkali which was their family house two days ago, and she seemed perfectly well for her to fall ill in the night.
Hajia sat down before she smiled as her eyes lovingly looked at Nadia that was peacefully sleeping, "She's four months pregnant, Sohila!" The scream that escaped Sohila's lips forced Nadia to squirmed on the bed even though she hadn't woke up because of the sedative she was given. "Hey, calm your horses and don't tell First H yet, okay? I want her to surprise him herself." Hajia grinned and they all placed their palms on their lips to show her that they wouldn't voice a word out. She was such a good mother in law and they respected her for that.
Sohila couldn't stop staring at Nadia and when she straightened her hand to touch her stomach, Hajia swatted her hand away and laughed, "You're not serious. I'm so sleepy, I'll leave you guys with her and will be back with lunch, okay? Make sure you behave yourselves." They all nodded at her and escorted her to the car while Sohila stayed behind in case Nadia woke up at the moment.
•
Her body felt sour, and even though she wasn't feeling pain anywhere, she wasn't feeling good either. She had been on bed all day and the chatter of Sohila and her cousins even though in lower voices was what was keeping her away from drifting back to the slumber she was tired of. It was late in the evening and Hajia had just left to prepare dinner for them when they heard a knock, as though the intruder wasn't sure he was at the right room.
"Who's that?" One of their cousins called out and there was silence before a manly voice came again.
"Um...please a nurse told me that this is the room Nadia was admitted into, am I at the right place?"
"First Baba!!!" Sohila squealed and at the same time, he turned the doorknob with an anxious look on his face. He had been anxious all day and if not because of the important meeting he had, he would've been here since. But he stayed and caught the next available flight to Katsina.
He rushed into the room and felt as she hugged him excitedly, "Oh, we didn't know you were here, but we thought as much, right girls?" She turned to her cousins after she had released her hold on him and when they stood there unsure of who he was among the twins, she chuckled. "It's Hassan, you dummies!" Everyone was fond of Hassan and loved him. Their faces immediately lit up to a smile because they all thought it was Hussain.
"Good evening, First H." They sometimes call him that too and he chuckled, trying not to focus on Nadia that was staring at him with the loveliest smile he had ever seen that he began to wonder if the sickness was even real.
"Evening to you all, I hope you haven't filled my wife's ears with your chatter?" They all chuckled and stood to their feet.
"How could we? I think the delivery man is here, let's go and collect it since he'll be here with her." From their eyes, he knew they were lying but he had never appreciated getting space with someone like he appreciated the three girls leaving him with Nadia. He rushed to the bed and she chuckled at the breath of relief he released when he held her hand and pulled her to his chest, careful not to tamper with the fluid going through her veins.
She closed her eyes and melted in his touch, she had forced herself not to act upon the revelation of Hajia. She was head over the heels, she wanted to scream her lungs out but she didn't want the excitement to vanish without her feeling it together with him. He broke their hug and softly kissed her lips. "I've missed you, Singleton."
She opened her eyes and smiled widely at him, "I've missed you more, Twin. I have something for you." They had all predicted that he would come today even though all their efforts of reaching him throughout the day proved futile, but they had prepared.
She pulled out something beside her and handed him with a loving smile, "It can be either of them, a pair of each or a combination of both, whichever Allah decides." She knew it was beyond confusing. For it was an overall shirt of new born babies, a blue and a pink one. He lifted the two shirts and stared at her with confused eyes.
"I don't understand, whose shirts are these? And your words?" He turned his eyes at her and she had tears pooling them.
"We're expecting, you dummy! I'm four months along!" Her last words got deafened by his scream and she laughed at how excited he was. He stood up, paced through the room with tears flowing freely from his eyes before he remembered what he had to do and offered his sujud-al-shukr and ran back to the bed, this time, he embraced her warmly and placed her on his laps, kissing her forehead.
"I don't know what to say," the last time she had seen this kind of smile on his face was on their wedding day, and it was the most beautiful smile he could ever paint on his face. "I love you, Singleton! Thank you, I can't wait to see our child!" He leaned down and lovingly kissed her not so flat tummy and she chuckled. How she loved this man and can't wait to see his child!