SILENCE
Chapter 8

‘Dr. Muhongo!’

‘I don’t have time, we have an emergency that we need to attend to right now.’

‘Dr. there is a woman in theatre five who is about to give birth but she has some complications.’ The nurse said holding her breath

‘I will not repeat myself, a family of four has just been brought in and we need to do something before we lose them.’ She said rushing to theatre seven

She got into the theatre and had her hands sterilized before going to where the bodies were laid.

‘What do we have here?’ she asked the nurse who was busy giving her her tools

‘We have managed to stabilize the man, not much damage has been done to him but it will take a while before he regains consciousness.’

‘And the woman?’ no internal injuries but a leg has been severely damaged

‘The kids?’

‘Dr. Hamoonga is operating on them in theatre one.’

‘Okay we can start from here.’

Dr. Muhongo was a well-trained Doctor from South Africa, born and bred there. She had gone to further her studies in India where she was transferred to work for the University Teaching Hospital in Zambia upon completion.

The surgery took about ten hours, she had studied a lot concerning such cases and now they were only two options left. If the family had enough money they could be transferred to the Italian hospital where they would join her remaining bones with a metal but if they didn’t; they would have to amputate her leg.

‘I need you to get in touch with her family so that we know the way forward.’

‘Doctor we didn’t replace any IDs on the scene of the accident, there was nothing that could have led us to her family.

‘We need to wait to see if someone will show up.’

‘Doctor the wound will catch an infection and to make matters worse there is no circulation of blood and if nothing is done in the next twenty minutes, the affected tissue will begin to die and an infection might set in.’ The nurse in charge said

The doctor shook her head, she was aware of all this but a part of her really wanted to do something about her patient but what could she do when there was no trace of her family.

‘Lord we need help here.’ She said silently looking at a badly injured Larna

‘Let’s do it.’ She said with a lump on her throat

There was nothing much that could be done, an amputation usually requires a hospital stay of five to fourteen days or more depending on the surgery and complications.

Since Larna was already unconscious, there was no need for an anesthesia to be done to her.

The crushed bones were removed and the blood vessels and nerves were sealed.

When they were done, they cleaned her up and put her in the intensive care unit where she would be monitored, the doctor was really hoping for her to be out of the coma quick so that the healing could be quicker but what worried her more was whether she would come to terms with the fact that she would have to use clutches or a wheel chair for the rest of her life.

She went into Elisha’s room and checked on his progress as well before going to theatre one where the kids to the couple had been taken.

She stood by the door watching through the glass opening what was happening inside, she saw the doctor struggling with the defibrulator on one twin; the other was not being attended to. After a few minutes, he put the tools down then headed towards the door his face looking gloomy.

He pushed the door open and found Dr. Muhongo outside.

‘How did it go?’ she asked

‘We lost them.’ He responded walking past her

He couldn’t help but feel pain, this was the first time he was losing a patient and the fact that they were twins is what killed him the most. What were the parents going to do after this? Would they have normal lives or maybe their marriage would be a wreck after all this.

He was the doctor in charge and he knew he had to prepare himself to tell the parents once they were awake, this is the part of his job that he didn’t like.

Without wasting much time, he grabbed his car keys and walked out of his office. He needed to be home, he wanted to rest and prepare his mind for what the following days held. They would be hard for him.

‘Dr. Hamoonga.’ Dr. Muhongo called

He liked working with her because she was a good doctor but his wife had hinted that she had a soft spot for him which he was beginning to notice.

‘Yes Doctor.’ He responded turning to face her

‘I just wanted to make sure that you are okay after you know.’ She said moving closer as she played with the coat he was holding

He moved his eyes from her face to the coat where her fingers were.

‘I am fine and I will see you tomorrow, make sure the patients are checked on from time and again and I will be the one to tell them about the kids.’ He said moving away

‘Do you need someone to talk to maybe?’ she asked

‘I am fine, but thanks for offering.’ He said

The drive back home was quiet, he kept seeing the twins in his head. He and his wife had been trying to have kids for two years now but all in vain. Everything was okay with the both of them but still there was nothing and here he was given the chance to save a life and he just couldn’t.

He got out of the vehicle and went inside, he could smell his wife’s cooking in the kitchen. She was a full time counselor and she worked only from nine in the morning to three in the afternoon.

‘Hey babe.’ He greeted standing by the door

‘Good evening Doc.’ She responded moving where he was

He kissed her forehead lightly.

‘You don’t look fine.’ She said

‘I lost twins.’

‘Oh my God babe I am so sorry.’ She said getting into his arms

‘Let me take a bath.’

He left her in the kitchen and went to the bedroom, putting his things neatly in place then headed to the shower. As the water hit his skin he felt his tears fall. He was a man and he couldn’t allow himself to get weak but how could he not when he had been crying for a child all along and here was a couple that had lost two at a goal.

He finished taking his bath and went to put on some clothes.

‘What is wrong exactly babe, I know it is more than the death of the children.’

There was silence.

‘Babe I just don’t understand how life can be this cruel, we have been praying for a child and look at how easily these two have slipped out of my hands.’

‘Stop it babe, we will have babies when it’s God’s appointed time.’ she told him smoothing his back

‘What can I do without you?’ he asked

‘A lot babe, but you do it babe with me around.’ She said sitting on his laps

‘I love you wife of my youth.’

‘And I love you husband of my youth.’ She said

..

Kwenje’s Girl

Winnie

🙇🏾‍♀️