CHAPTER TWO

Josie.

By the time I left Room 312, my clipboard felt heavier than usual, though I know it was more in my head than in my hands. Patients like him always had that effect on me, the ones with sharp eyes, even when they were flat on their backs.

I made my way through my rounds, checking on my other patients and offering quick smiles where I could. It was a typical shift routine, steady, and just busy enough to keep me from thinking too much. At least until I got back to the nurse's station.

The low hum of conversation greeted me as I slid behind the desk to log my notes. I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but it was impossible not to catch snippets of the discussion happening just a few feet away.

''Did you hear about the guy in 312?'' one of the nurses, Clara whispered, leaning in conspiratorially. ''Josh ireoluwa? He's practically Royalty''.

''Royalty?'' another nurse, Anita, scoffed, though her tone betrayed her interest.

Clara nodded ''well his dad owns Titan Engineering. You know the company that does all those big motor parts contracts? And apparently he's running it now''

''That explains the VIP treatment'', Anita muttered, glancing towards his room. ''Did you see the way he was rushed in last night? From the ambulance straight to private care. He even knows the hospital owner''

I tried to focus on my charting, but their words stuck in my mind. The connection to the hospital's owner made sense, it explained why he was admitted so quickly. Still hearing about his background only added another layer to the impression he'd left on me.

1****************

The next day, the ringing of my phone jolted me awake, cutting through the remnants of sleep like an alarm I'd forgotten to set. I groaned, squinting at the screen to see my dad's name flashing across it.

''HI, dad,'' I mumbled, holding the phone between my shoulder and ear as I shuffled around my room, searching for my scrubs.

''Good afternoon'' Adesewa. When are you coming home? It's been weeks since we saw you'' his familiar voice said, warm yet tinged with the hint of worry.

I glanced at the clock 12:40 PM. Afternoon shift starts at 1:00 PM, and I hadn't even had coffee yet. ''soon, I promise,'' I said, grabbing a clean set of scrubs from the drawer. ''work's just being crazy.''

He sighed, the sound cracking through the line. ''it's always crazy Sewa, just don't forget about your family, okay? John's been asking when you'll visit''

My heart softened at the mention of my younger brother. ''How's he doing?'' I asked, slipping into my scrubs as I held the phone closer.

''he's fine, but you know he gets when he misses you'' Dad said.

''I miss him too'' I replied, forcing a smile h couldn't see. ''tell him ill come home soon, okay''

''I will'' Dad said, his tone lighter now. ''And Sewa take care of yourself'' my dad said.

'' I always do and tell mom I said hi, I'm late for my shift already, bye dad.

''bye I love you Dad'' said as I hung up on the phone.

By the time I hung up, I was cutting it way too close. Afternoon shifts weren't as rushed as still mornings, but I still needed to be there on time. Pulling my hair into a quick ponytail, I grabbed my bag and bolted out the door, skipping lunch like I always did when I was in a hurry.

The streets were alive with the hum of midday traffic, but I barely noticed as I weaved through it. A part of me regretted not waking up earlier, I hated arriving just as the morning nurses were wrapping up their handover. It always made me feel like I was playing catchup.

I reached the hospital with only minutes to spare, swiping my ID card at the staff entrance of the surgical floor of the hospital before rushing inside. The cool, sterile air greeted me as I stepped into the familiar hallway, its walls lined with soft green paint and framed posters about hygiene protocols.

At the nurse's station, the morning team was just finishing up. Clara, still chatting about everything and nothing, handed over a stack of charts. ''you're cutting it close Josie.'' She said with a teasing smile.

''tell me about it'' I muttered, taking the charts and scanning through the notes. I caught a few updates about my patients: Mrs. okafor's blood pressure stabilized overnight, Mrs. liu's test results were delayed, and the man in Room 312, josh was better overnight, his wounds were redressed this morning and he needed hourly checkups to monitor his pain.

Once the hand over was done, I wasted no time diving into my rounds, fully in work mode.

After finishing my rounds with my other patients I made my way to Room312, mentally running through the notes id read during the handover. Josh Adebayo as his chart formally referred to him seemed to be recovering steadily. Still, I needed to check his vitals, his pain level, and ensure he hasn't developed any new symptoms.

The door to his room was slightly ajar, and as I stepped inside, I immediately noticed the group of people clustered around his bed.

''Good afternoon'' I said with a professional smile, shifting my clipboard under one arm. ''I'm Josie, your nurse for today''

Four pairs of eyes turned toward me, a woman in her mid-forties, impeccably dressed in a cream blouse and gold jewelries, stepped forward first, ''good afternoon nurse Josie I'm Catherine, I'm his mother.''

Before I could respond, a younger woman, her resemblance to josh striking, offered me a small wave ''I'm Joanna, his twin sister.''

''Twins?'' I asked, glancing between the two of them. Now that she mentioned it, the resemblance was uncanny.

Josh chuckled from the bed, his voice warm but faint. ''hard to miss right?''

''not at all,'' I replied, flipping through his charts. I scanned the medication schedule and noted his vitals before turning back to the group.

''Joshua keeps us on our toes,'' said a tall man standing near the window. He extended his hand toward me, ''I'm David, his elder brother, and this'' he gestured to the woman beside him, who had been observing quietly, ''is our eldest sister, Clara.''

''it's nice to meet you all'' I said shaking his hand briefly before jotting a note on the chart.

''you're here to check if he's still being stubborn, right?'' Joanna teased, nudging josh lightly.

''not exactly,'' I replied ''I'm just making sure he's on track, just checking if he has any due medications this afternoon, and to do a little checkup.'' I said as I proceeded to check his wounds to make sure they are not infected.

''Now Mr. josh,'' I say facing him let's talk about you ''just josh is okay the Mr. is making me feel old'' he replied. ''okay josh, on a scale of one to ten how would you rate your pain level right now''

Josh shifted slightly, wincing as he adjusted himself against the pillows. ''its about a six, maybe seven if I move too much''

I nodded, making a quick note in his chart. ''that's still pretty high, have you been experiencing any sharp or unusual pains, or is it mostly what you'd expect from the injuries?''

''Mostly what I'd expect,'' he replied ''but the bruising on my ribs is making it hard to get comfortable.''

''that's normal, given their impact you sustained,'' I said gently' keeping my tome calm. ''in the meantime I'll make sure your pain medication is on time, try to avoid moving too much. Rest is the best thing for you right now.''

Catherine smiled warmly ''thank you nurse Josie; we appreciate everything you people are doing.''

''of course''' I said, turning back to josh ''I'll just check your vitals, and then leave you to your family.''

Josh gave a small nod, his expression steady despite the obvious discomfort he was in, as I checked his vitals again and left the room.