Chapter 16

He came back a few minutes later with the doctor. The doctor following suit behind Elijah, he stopped in her front and asked

"I was told you want to be treated from home" Adrianna answered "yes."

He held his hands behind his back "I'm afraid its almost impossible"

"Why?" she asks

"Because you suffered a concussion due to the bleeding from the side of your head, and we had to clean the wound beneath your ribs and you were operated, the bullet was removed, we didn't know you were pregnant until after the operation and we had to do some clinical test, you understand why we can't discharge you until next tomorrow"

"Yes sir" the doctor left the room. Adrianna sighed and looked elsewhere, scratching her forearm, she wanted to be alone.

"I want to be alone for a while," she said laying down back.

Adrianna did not care about how her voice came out harsh but they understood her, they all turned to leave except for Elijah, he stood beside her bed and squeeze her hands lightly before leaving and closing the door behind him.

I'm pregnant" she said to herself. She was happy knowing the pregnancy is for Elijah, even if she's leaving him, she would not feel it greatly because she has something to remind her of him, she would never forget him.

Elijah deserves better and more and not someone like her. She had helped him to grow and to live life again, after his late wife's death.

Although fate brought them together to help them grow out of whatever misery they were in. Each of them had come out of it and faired well. An abusive relationship and a loss of wife and a kid, it wasn't something to deal with, it takes grace.

She breathed through her mouth and sat down on bed swinging her legs slowly in front of her. Her side ribs hurt from the impact of swinging her legs, she seems to welcome the pains.

All her life had been more of pain, from when she had been born and her miserable mother had left her when she was just two months old. She went with her boyfriend who was richer than her father and after she had squandered enough money from him, she came back, being that her father loved her mother he welcomed her back.

Her mother has always been leaving and would come back after some while until the very last one when her father had told her never to return and she seconded the motion alongside her father, she had lacked motherly affection although it didn't really affect her, her father has always been there for her and now she's expecting her own baby and because of her sexual actions, she's separating the child from the father.

The second option she has is to release the child for Elijah and do the co-parenting separately. She held her head, she was beginning to have a headache.

Whatever decision she was making, she wants it to favor Elijah more than herself. He deserves it.

A drop of tear fell from her eyes. She looked up to the ceiling and prayed and hoped God has heard her.

"I'm sorry Lord, I'm so sorry, please forgive me my atrocities and help me do the right thing, I want to find my way back to you, I want to grow in your spirit and I want your peace to come into my life" she hopes he had really heard her, cause its been long she prayed. She cried into her palms. She wished none of all these Mustapha shit had happened.

The thought of his name made her body shook. She looked around and saw it was just her in the room, she screamed Elijah's name and cowered in fear on the bed.

He dashed into the room and held her, standing in front of her, he pats her back and kissed her head. She held him tight and drowned herself in his scent. Her mind blank. He had laid her on the bed and watch her sleep before leaving the room.

The next day, Adrianna woke up alone in her room where she was admitted in the hospital, she had gotten used to the white walls and the hospital gown she was wearing...

She sat upright, raising the pillow so she could rest her back. Neither her father nor Elijah was around but a phone was placed on the table beside her.

Elijah must have put it there for her! She thought and smiled sheepishly. She picked it up and found it unlocked. Heaving a sigh she scrolled through the contacts and there were some saved numbers in it. She dialed her father first.

He picked almost immediately the phone rang.

"Hi dad" she breathed softly.

"Adrianna, you're awake already, you slept for long though," he said into the receiver speaking softly underneath.

"Yeah I am" where are you Daddy?" she asked

"I'm at the house, Elijah brought us in this morning to clean up and have some better food." he said and added

"Bless him, Lord"

She hung up when he had told her they would be back to the hospital in on hour or two. She dropped the phone and texted Elijah.

"Hi baby, thank you for taking my parents home but y'all should hurry up, most especially you" she cleared the last part and retyped it. His reply came in fast. Adrianna chuckled.

"Don't mention, they're my family too and I'll be with you soon, I don't know about them 'cause I'm leaving the house in the next five minutes and just so you know my father has been talking non stop about our baby on the way. See you soon xoxo"

She read the message and found it funny, laughing out loud. A nurse knocked on the door raspy bringing Adrianna to be at alert. When she saw it. Was just the nurse, she calmed down.

"Ma'am, its time for your clean up, I should have done that earlier but Mr. Wilkinson said not to wake you up." she said clasping and unclasping her hand.

Adrianna nodded and followed her out, while another nurse came into to change the sheet.

She allowed the nurse to lead her to the bathroom, she saw patients and non patients walking along the hall and corridor.

She barely took notice of these people when she was admitted the day before, but now she did. Families were sitting and waiting for whoever they've come to see, different people with different purposes of coming to the hospital. She breathed hard and clenched her Fist.

A pregnant woman in labor was walking around, she craned her neck to see her very well, the woman had stopped to steady her breathes and was held by a nurse and her husband.

Adrianna was scared for a second, her hand finding its way to her stomach. She quickly looked away and wished the woman well.

Adrianna was back to her ward, she laid down back on the bed and allowed the nurse to change the bandages, the pains and the scratches below her ribs were beginning to fade and while her hand is still aching, most esp her shoulder. She decided to rest a while before her family came back.

Adrianna's mind wandered back to the pregnant woman in labor, she prayed silently for a safe delivery on her behalf. She thought about the pains she would go through, shaking her head, she has had the pains before but it was that of losing a baby, the thought brought tears to her eyes. She sniffles and chuckled lightly.

Only God knows how Adolf is if he's fairing well or not. It's not her business though, both of them had gone their separate ways years ago and she wondered till date, why she dropped all charges against him. He could have gone to jail for hitting her and causing her miscarriage.

The baby whether boy or girl would have grown and lived without him. She pushed the thought away also.

She remembered yesterday she had called her Reina "Mom" yesterday, it was high time, her stepmom deserved it. She had done what her mother couldn't do and her filled the void quite well.

Although she wishes sometimes it was her mother instead but where was her mother today. Only God knows where! She chewed on her lips.

Reina had been there for her even before she married her father, then they were still dating. She remembered how her father had come up to her room to talk about Reina her and what she feels about, and if she wouldn't mind him marrying her. She had told him to go ahead and if he finds his happiness with Reina then she has no problem with it.

Her chest her tightened that day, but she had to make her father happy and going along with his decision, the wedding they had wasn't a loud one, just a few friends and family and a court wedding to legalize their marriage.

Reina was young when she had married her father and she was just about to finish high school, and it was around then her own mother had packed up and left and after she finished college, she left too and life hasn't been really fair to her but she was grateful to be alive and to be strong to go through it all.

Elijah entered the room, making her turn her head to his direction and whatever she was thinking about that moment has been paused. Her father followed suit and Reina trailing behind him.

"Adrianna how you feeling now"? Reina asked placing a kiss on her forehead.

" I'm fine mom, just a slight headache" she smiled. The three of them looked from one another and mouthing incoherent words, arousing a suspicious look from Adrianna.

"What's going on?" she asked creasing a brow at them.

"Listen Adrianna" her father started and moved closer to her. "You're strong, you're loved by all of us and we love you so much we're going to stand by you and whatever decision you make about this" he nodded at her and she nodded back.

"Brenda is here" her father bluntly announced.

She became mute like somebody had tied her tongue together, hearing the name, memories flooded into her like a picture which is being put on the slideshow, her head hurt for a second, sweat broke out on her face, her lips began to quiver. Reina quickly hugged, parting her back and soothing her.

"Mom, I don't wanna see her" she cried into her shoulder. "Tell her to go away" she cried and squeeze her eyes shut.

The nurse and doctor rushed in, the heart monitor started beeping loudly and fast, Adrianna was covered in sweats, her temperature began to rise. Reina moved slightly away from the bed and allowed the doctor to do their things on her.

The doctor turned to face them "She needs to rest, whatever you've told her has allowed her to enter a state of pains and panic." He said and urged them to leave saying she would be awake in two hours.