"Ibrahim. He has finally killed her. He has killed our baby."

Hot, fat tears rolled down the eyes of Halima's aunt as she held unto the cold iron chair in the receiving room of the neurosurgery operating theatre of Diezemane hospitals Abuja. She could never get the visuals of her niece's husband throwing her down that balcony, she knew she'd always dream of this moment.

"Where are you?" Her husband, Ibrahim asked. He could not even say the perfunctory words. Nothing came out. He just wanted to hold his wife and pray that the only child that had served as theirs for more than twelve years would stay alive after being in surgery for nearly four hours. He had left Kano is a haze, with his driver fueling the car and driving blindly continuously to Abuja, only stopping to pee and refuel the car.

"I'm at Diezemane. That's where the ambulance took her to, their estate had an ambulance. Isn't that amazing." Ibrahim heard the sad chuckle and held his head sadly. He knew his wife would never be the same again.

"I'll be there soon. Hannatu, I'll be there soon. Okay?" He heard her sniffle and could barely hold back his own tears. He knew quite alright that their child might never survive this even if she lived, it made him want to go saw that Abdul boy into tiny pieces and feed him his own pieces, but he consoled himself with taps to his leg that their Labeebah was alive, that she would be fine.

"Oga, we'll be in the city centre soon." Ibrahim nodded. He had seen the city landmark earlier, even though it was so late, Labeebah had been pushed at five, he left Kano at six and now after driving like a maniac, his driver had gotten him to the country's capital at two am.

If not that he had promised his wife, he'd have gone to find that Abdul. That animal, he swore deeply under his breath that if he ever found Abdul, he would not walk Scot free.

About twenty minutes later, they pulled into Diezemane. It was a towering complex that was completely deserted at such a late time, so he he immediately found his wife sitting at a corner in the reception, probably waiting for him.

"I'm here." He reached her in about five strides. The nurses on duty gawked at the two old people who held unto themselves and cried like children. Who cried like they lost a huge thing, the nurse themselves could not help but feel the melancholy that those people unknowingly shared with them.

***

At eight twenty six am, the operating doors of the neurology department of Diezemane hospital flew open and out came a fair skinned, tall man who was wearing his lab coat over green scrubs. He was the attending Surgeon, Ma'mun Lamido.

"Hello, family for Labeebah Sheriff?" He asked with his head cocked questioningly. About six people got up immediately and he took a step back to find out who exactly it was. He saw an older woman asleep, held by an older man, the woman he just sewed the last suture on her back looked a bit like the older woman sleeping so he assumed she was the mother.

"Is that her mother?" He asked the crowd of six. They nodded immediately and he found a chair opposite while the man woke her. When she woke, she jumped when her eyes laid on him and got up as briskly as she could. He waited for her pained leg to stabilize and while he waited, he saw that her husband was not in this room. He reared back in surprise but could only sit there quietly waiting for the older woman.

"You're ready?" She nodded mournfully and his heart tugged. He could nearly taste the anxiety of the others waiting together with them that he had to ask,  "Are you all together?" They nodded. The other four waited nervously for him to speak, but he eventually didn't say a word. He knew her parents would convey the rest of the information.

"My office is one floor away. Let's go." They walked slowly to the elevator and when they got in, it took all of his will power not to start talking about their daughter's condition in the elevator. But he waited, he waited till they got into his spacious office that was tagged, 'Dr Ma'mun Lamido' at the door and a name tag in front of him on his table.

"My name is Dr Ma'mun Lamido. I'm a specialist neurologist and today, I performed what can be called a first aid surgery on your daughter.

Her injuries were very extensive and there was a break very close to her main spinal cord. I had to quickly repair some of her nerval points near her neck so that she can have motor reactions and not turn into vegetable." He watched his patient's mother nod her head without saying a word. But her father asked, "Will my daughter be able to walk again? Will she ever be the same again?"

Dr Ma'mun bit his thin lower lip and wondered how to put this as kindly as possible, he found none but could only continue. "Miss Sheriff may never walk again." He sighed out and instead of the tears and wailing that he expected, her mother was clear eyed but a dangerous glint passed through it.

"I resigned myself to that fact about an hour ago. I watched again how he single-handedly threw her into the fence. Who could survive that?" Dr Ma'mun passed her the box of tissues for the tear that fell while she spoke.

"She can survive it. She may be able to walk again, but it would cost a whole lot. First, about thirty million naira to bring the specialist from Britain and pay him, about another ten million to pay for post operative care. These are the issues." Her parents looked at each other with hope in their eyes.

"That is about forty million naira right?" Ma'mun nodded solemnly. He knew it was a lot and they may not have it. The both of the stood and her father shook his hand.

"When do we have?" Dr Ma'mun looked through his calendar and counted nine days after. " Nine days." They nodded and walked out of his office immediately.

When they reached the Lobby, they found all of their daughter's friends waiting for them. Rabiah, her best friend from when they were teenagers asked, "Ma, what did he say?" Ma sighed and didn't reply, letting Labeebah's Kawu say the verdict.

"The doctor says they need about forty million naira to get Labeebah back on her feet." Rabiah sat slowly, although it was not a lot of money for her, she only had about five million in her account.

"I can run around, there was a pharma company looking for her to be their endorser. They were offering thirty million." Labeebah's mother didn't speak, she only sighed at the unfortunate events that had happened, how her Labeebah became someone who would have to beg for anything.

"Ask them. Let's rally round and get back to each other in two days to talk about what we have." Rabiah nodded and leaned on her husband Hakeem who had washed his mouth with her and worn a large thobe over his pyjamas and followed his wife to the hospital at four in the morning.

Suddenly she asked, "Aunt, do you have somewhere to sleep? You can't start looking for a hotel at this time." Labeebah's aunt only jerked her lips, she had planned to go sleep at Labeebah's house, but the idea was sounding faint as the sun rose in the sky.

"I was wondering if you'd like to stay in the guest quarters of our house. At this rate, they won't let anyone get into the intensive care unit until she gets into a private ward." Labeebah's aunt nodded and got up with the help of her husband and they followed them home.

Zainab followed Opeyemi and the hospital lobby was quiet for a minute. A nurse who had come to the reception to get something asked those on duty who those who had just left were.

"The family of Beebah. You know her na. The actress." A fair skinned woman answered with a sad shake of her head. The nurse widened her eyes, she had not been on duty when Labeebah was brought in.

"What happened to her?" She asked, she had heard the family talk about how Labeebah was in intensive care.

"What part of the world do you live in? Haven't you seen the trending video? Labeebah's husband threw her unto their house fence because she slapped her Kishiya. Some men deserve to be flogged till they give them a cell in hell. I could not watch it after the first time, Ya Ilahi, La Haula. It was so gory, her blood trickled down the fence, she smiled with blood on her teeth, I cried. It was bad, I didn't even know that doctor Lamido would be able to save her.

She's now in ICU Sha. May Allah preserve her life." The nurse who had come to ask for a file held her hands to her chest in amazement and trepidation, she had been on off because her husband hit her face to the door. She had thought about leaving, but let her self stay for her two children, it seemed like staying could kill her so she made up her mind there and then to leave. A partner who started with a slap could force a person to their grave.

****

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