"Everyone you meet is fighting a different battle you know nothing about, so be kind always" -Unknown

Pamela

I smoothed out invisible wrinkles on my navy blue dress. It was one of the few dresses I owned, it had black pearl buttons running through the centre and a frill pleated end. I usually stuck to jeans and shirts.

My hair was braided and gathered on top of my head, brown wedge heels adorned my feet the entire fact that I had to play dress up wasn't sitting well with me. And just in time my inner ninja opened her mouth- you are dressing up today, could it be for him.

"Of course not, I need to look formal and presentable. It definitely has nothing to do with honey brown eyes" I whispered to my self.

Whatever makes you feel better, you can tell it to yourself.

CHANCE corporation was a beautiful edifice, painted all cream on the outside and beautiful shades of brown and gold on the inside. It had lots of glass finishings.

A woman was cleaning the glass windows outside, when I passed. She looked elderly and the fact that she still had to do menial labour at her age was a sad fact but like most Nigerians she needed the cash. I mean this is Nigeria you need to hustle to eat.

I continued my journey to the elevator not even sparing a backward glance until I heard, faint cry for help coming from outside.

"Help! Help! Help!" The voice was getting louder but I decided to mind my own business. This is Lagos, everyman to his own business. The shout was getting louder and  I walked back outside to see a crowd gathered around the elderly woman I saw earlier.

No one was helping some were actually recording it, I just hissed and pushed my way through the foolish crowd. "Move, move, move, mister get out of my way."

After squeezing in, she was lying down flat on her back. I put my fingers to the outer side of her thumb and searched for a pulse. The pulse was weak and she needed CPR, so I started chest compressions. After doing five repetitions I placed my head to her chest, her lung was filling with fluid meaning she was likely suffering from Pulmonary edema and couldn't breathe.

"Call an ambulance somebody, back off people I need air and light, who knows CPR?" I shouted frantic going on full doctor mode.

"Wetin be CPR (what is CPR)" someone asked from the crowd.

"Chest compressions" I snapped, continuing to give her compressions but she was still not breathing. With Pulmonary edema it sometimes feel like you are drowning in your fluids. I could hear the wheezing sound in her lungs earlier.

"I do." someone answered, the severity of the case did not make me notice the steady familiar drawl.

"Okay take over chest compressions, someone get me alcohol and a neck tie" I shouted.

I rummaged my bag for a pen, jammed it against her ribs harshly, until I heard a sharp intake of breath, I poured the dry gin someone offered over the pen first to sterilise and tied the pen to her ribs to keep it elevated.

"Keep up CPR, she's breathing weakly now, let's move her"

"You and you, help me let's lift her. Abu bring my car around" My CPR stranger ordered and the voice clicked. I looked at his face, it was him, My CEO pervert.

We all got into his Mercedes jeep which was pretty sleek and decent on first quick glance and then I concentrated on my patient.

********
We got her checked into a private hospital, but they refused to wheel her into surgery, without payment or someone to pay.

"What nonsense! she may die soon. Her lungs may collapse any minute," I was furious. This is negligence of the highest order. In their defense if they wheel her into surgery and no one takes responsibility they will be blamed too.

"I'll pay," Mr CEO quickly cut in looking worried, "just wheel her in and direct me where" he added.

"Alright," the Nurse answered and he followed her closely on her heels.

I sat on a lumpy padded chair whose foam felt like it was overused and my bum was meeting lumber. The Smell of antiseptics which I should be used with teased my nose. To my far left a television was placed and muted with the local news being played. If the goal of the television was to distract patients waiting for their loved ones in surgery, it failed miserably.

It felt odd sitting here and waiting for a patient instead of it being the other way round. The hospital wasn't so bad for a private university, at least it's paint weren't peeling off the wall like the one in its public counterpart. Hopefully they had skills to perform a surgery of this size and urgency.

I heard a loud pop sound and I tore my eyes away from feasting on the surrounding to the direction of the noise. The irritation that I felt was instant and sharp. The source of my irritation was the attendant mopping a section of the floor and popping gum in his mouth loudly.

To avoid going off on him, I buried my head into my palm and studied the brown tiled floor.

Prevert CEO who returned after finishing the paper work left somewhere else and wasn't back not like I cared.

After a while of zoning out Prevert CEO returned his husky voice breaking my concentration.

"Here have it," Mr pervert CEO said and I raised my head. He was offering a plastic bottle of coke and a wrapped paper bag.

There was another similar package on the chair beside me.

I checked the wristwatch on my wrist and they have been in surgery for close to two hours.

"No thank you."  All I wanted right now was to scrub in and join the surgery, but there was policies preventing that. I wanted to know how she was doing badly, but they were not out of surgery yet.

"Just take it you need it, I got it from the hospital canteen its not poisoned," he was smiling at me and for a moment I forgot that I didn't like his guts. His entire face transformed when he smiled, he looked younger almost boyish.

"Thanks." I replied and accepted what he offered. Inside the paper bag was Chicken sharwama, I dug in quickly and it was satisfying knowing that it had sausages and was peppery. I missed breakfast this morning because we left Ibadan early and you know the random statement of breakfast being the most important meal, it was almost twelve already.

Mr CEO chuckled as I ate.

"What's funny?" I was conscious and actually eating meticulously. At least there is no way in hell I'm staining myself.  Liz will be so proud if she saw me right now. His laugh made all my guards go up instantly.

"Oh nothing, its just the bliss in your eyes. You actually like food just as I remembered which is a nice surprise." He shrugged as he spoke and it was here I made up my mind that I didn't like him one  bit.

"And you don't think calling me a glutton to my face is rude," I replied curtly.

Why did I even collect the blasted Sharwama? My mom used to say I could sell my destiny just for food. Ordinary Sharwarma and Coke with a smile and all was well. She was so right!

Now that we are here, it's not like I can return the Sharwarna, the least I could do was pay for it back. I pulled out two thousand naira out of my bag and handed it to him.

Me CEO looked offended. " I never said glutton and you know it, why do you always act on the defensive even without offense." while refusing to collect the money.

"Oh now, you are saying am the one with problems again right?" I looked foolish holding out cash while he was eating his Sharwama happily.

I don't know why I was baiting him to anger, maybe it was because he's been meeting me at situations where I was vulnerable.

"For someone so small, you have a lot of rage. I know you are worried, so I will just sit quietly and wait, she is my staff and  I am responsible for her."

"Why hire an elderly woman to clean in the first place?" I asked giving him a scornful look.

"Did it occur to you that I own the company, I may not be in charge of hiring the cleaning staff, I can't do it all." He also put his guard back in place gone was any flicker of emotions from his face.

"Then the Lea...." I was cut off by a nurse asking for who brought Mrs Anjola to the ward. Prevert CEO and I indicated and moved towards her.

Somehow before they spoke I knew what their answer was.  "We are sorry, we lost her on the table, she had lung cancer at stage 3 which has metastised to almost all of her air space
making the abscess of fluid difficult to stop." Even though I've been trained for this, right now I felt like a patient, so helpless.

Mr CEO, thanked them and began to make arrangements for her to be taken to the mortuary.

He was so cold, there was no emotions in him. I just sat there hurting, loss was always terrible and brutal.

****
I know you guys were expecting our cleaning lady to survive, but life is hard. She shouldn't have even been enduring the pains without seeing a doctor, but she may have been thinking about the cost, and how she could afford it, so she managed and held on.

There are still people who can't afford simple things as  three square meals, a shoe on their feet, clothes to wear. So don't take for granted all you have.

Much love and thanks faqeera200

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Love,
Orex😍😘😘😘