Minutes by her side morphed into hours, and hours into three days of no school. Cynthia and I almost never left the room. We stayed by her side, assuring her she'd be fine. We ensured she took all her medicine. We watched her sleep, took turns feeding her, and fell asleep by her side. Twice daily, Doctor Smart came to check on her. He assured us she'd be fine. And I trusted she would.
Stella, Sharon, Amarachi and Flora had made it a ritual to call me at least twice a day. With friends like them, I couldn't wish for more. It stunned me that Raheem hadn't called yet. Why then did he make it seem like he cared when he didn't?
These thoughts revolved around my head and didn't go away till I'd fallen asleep. For the first time in close to two weeks, I felt the comfort of my bed.
Moments later, I awakened to the sight of my flashing LED notification. Six missed calls from Amarachi. Four from Stella. Two from Flora. Thirteen WhatsApp messages and three text messages. So much for keeping my phone on silent so I could get an undisturbed sleep.
A text from Flora read: Raheem says to give you his number. Misplaced yours. Ring him.
The text ended with Raheem's mobile number. I dialed. And in that moment, I realized I craved to hear his voice. Speaking to him would not take away my problems, but it would at least make me feel better. Or so I hoped.
"Toria?" Raheem's groggy voice asked.
I cleared my throat. "Hello yourself."
"It's been eons," he said. "I lost your number."
I took his words for sorry. "It's okay."
"Where are you? Is everything alright? Your friends won't tell me what's wrong. You've been absent for way too long. Your sister as well. Is everything alright at home?" He spoke so fast, I didn't even know how to construct my response. "Hey?"
"I'm alright," I said.
"So what's wrong then?" he asked. "Will you be in school today?"
"I can't," I said. "I have to stay with mum. She's terribly sick."
It took forever for him to respond. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," I said.
"She'll be fine," he said.
"I know."
"Which hospital is she?" he asked. "I'm coming over."
"She's at home," I said. "Raheem, I have to go."
"Okay." After a moment, he added, "Stay safe. Take care of mum and-"
I ended the call before he could say another word. "I will," I muttered. "It's my duty."
Adding Raheem's number to my contacts, I left for my stepmother's room. She lay sound asleep in bed. I sat beside her and tucked a stray lock of hair underneath her hair net. "How is she?"
"I don't know if she's any better," Cynthia said, surreptitiously opening the windows. Her puffy eyes told me she'd been crying all night.
"You've been crying," I said.
"No," she said. An obvious lie. "An insect got into my eye and I kept scratching is all."
"Cyn, you don't have to lie to me," I said.
"What can I do, Victoria?" Her voice wobbled and I feared mum would awaken to find her sobbing. "What can I do? I'm so scared."
"Mum will be fine, I assure you. Everything will be alright."
"I hope so. I just hope so."
A knock at the gate interrupted our conversation. I rose to my feet. "I'll get it."
"No, let me."
Before I could protest, she walked out of the room. I smiled at the new turn of things. My stepmother's ill health had brought our family together. For this, she had to recover. She could not leave now that things had finally been sorted out between us. No, she had to live.
Clad in a navy blue long-sleeve and black pants, Doctor Smart walked in, brandishing his briefcase.
"Good morning, doctor," I said.
"Good morning," he said. "How is she?"
"Same," Cynthia said from the threshold.
"She will be fine," Doctor Smart said. Movement on the bed announced my stepmother's awakening. She grunted into consciousness.
She smiled at Cynthia and I. To Doctor Smart, she said, "Doctor."
"How are you?" he asked.
"I think my health is returning to me," she said. "The pain in my chest subsides."
Hope lit within me. Mum would be fine. I spent the next few hours brandishing this hope. Her life-force seeped back into her, and although it was barely noticeable, I did notice.
Today, I would ask Cynthia to attend school. While she went to school for the both of us, I'd take care of mum for the both of us. Tomorrow, we'd switch places. We'd take turns going to school, until mum was strong enough to stay home by herself.