SAFE HAVEN: Episode 24

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***

TWO DAYS LATER…
Silence reigned in the parlor as Mrs. Bridget tried to absorb what Priscilla related to her concerning her husband’s ultimatum. The older woman let out a deep breath. The same reaction her younger sister had when she told her.
Priscilla closed her eyes and snapped them open remembering the ugly incident. Her stomach hurt and she felt a bit hot.
“I can understand his point of view” she concluded unhappily, “I think he’s hurting too.”
Mrs. Bridget nodded thoughtfully. “So what do you want to do now?”
She shook her head staring distantly into space. “I can’t imagine killing my baby”, a tear slid from the corner of her eye. “I can’t do that no matter what…”
“I would never have advised you to do that”, Mrs. Bridget replied levelly. “He is hurting, but to ask for that is a bit too much.”
“I’m so scared of losing him”, she hugged herself suddenly feeling cold and sniffed back her tears “I’m going to lose him”. Priscilla looked tearfully at her companion who said nothing staring at her with sympathy.
After a moment Mrs. Bridget spoke in a soft tone, “Everything will work out fine, Priscilla. You need God now more than ever and He won’t leave you when you need Him the most. Do what is right.” She got up and walked up to Priscilla, stopping by the side of her seat. “You have people that love you, you’re not alone.” With that, she walked away from her.
Priscilla sat curled up in the chair and smiled sadly to herself. She kept asking what the right decision was; she didn’t want to lose either of them but to abort? That was never a part of her doctrine. Maybe it was time to consider her sister’s proposal; travel to Port Harcourt and figure out what she wanted to do with her life. Divorce or not, she had to do something with her life, find meaning to her life.
A single tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it off. Priscilla got up from her seat and walked slowly towards the corridor leading to the rooms – suddenly realizing how faint she was feeling.
She walked to her room and lay on the bed; her head was pounding and her body burning up. Priscilla lay crumpled on the bed almost howling in pain, she reached painfully for her phone in tears. She dialed Mrs. Bridget’s number, too weak to shout. Sweat broke out of her skin and a warm liquid slid languidly down her thighs. It made a spurt of red on the white bed sheet. Panic filled her lungs. She was losing her baby.
 
Priscilla opened her heavy eyelids, she just woke up from a dream; a beautiful dream. Her eyes opened to reality and it took her a minute to absorb were she lay. She was in a hospital. She looked about in panic and a man lay feet from her sleeping in an uncomfortable position. Her head felt heavy on her neck and the numb pain in her left hand flooded her senses, she looked down and saw she was infused with a drip.
She burst into tears sobbing loudly as the memories of old came to her, her right hand rested on her stomach; she could not feel her little bump. The man woke up, it was Tunde but she was in no mood to be surprised, he was beside her swiftly with a worried look on his face.
“Why are you crying?”
Priscilla looked at him through blurry eyes and choked back a question “What are you doing here?” her voice was frail.
“The Mrs Bridget called and informed me, the bank needed your next of kin around”, he replied in dismissal. Tunde stood beside her and clasped her hand “She went to call the doctor the moment you began to stir, they should be here any moment from now.”
“How’s my baby?” she asked in a small voice half-afraid she knew the answer. He shook his head downcast and a tear spill out of her.
“God”, she sobbed to herself.
“Well” Tunde replied trying to calm her down “You will have other babies Priscilla.” He placed a comforting hand on her cheek and her sobbing stopped and turned into anger.
“Please get your hands off me”, she stilled and pushed herself away in pain. “Get your hands off me”, Priscilla snapped, pushing her husband’s hand away with her free hand.
His hand dropped with a shocked look on his face “Priscilla…” Tunde called her name perturbed.
“You wanted my baby dead Tunde, there’s no reason why you should be here”. her tone was spiteful. Priscilla’s sobbing began again.
“Priscilla I…”
“Please leave.” Her heart was heavy grieving for her baby. For the first time she looked at her husband with hate. She was tired, her head hurt and her heartbeat crazily in her chest knowing her child, whom she had suffered a lot for these past months, was gone.
She blamed her husband and now here he stood by her side. He was the last person she wanted to wake up to when he hated this child so much he gave her an ultimatum. Her sobbing was uncontrollable, she wanted to be swallowed up into her dream again but his presence was disturbing. The familiar warmth she knew with him being around her was gone.
“Priscilla, I came because I couldn’t stand the idea of…”
She cut him short, raising up a shaky hand. “Tunde just leave. I’m done,” she said crying, “I’m not doing this with you anymore. Just leave me alone.”
“Priscilla, I want to take you home with me,” he replied in a distressed tone “I want us to…”
“Leave me alone”, she raised her voice this time sounding almost hysterical “I’m done Tunde, I’m not going to ‘your house’ with you!” She burst into fresh tears. Distinctly, she heard the door open and she could hear muffled sounds telling him to leave. A hand touched her arm and she felt the stinging intrusion of a syringe, her sobbing slowly stopped and she slipped into darkness.
***
He was a mess, he knew he was a mess but he did not let it disturb him, he had so much to do liquidating the company and settling his family. Everyone was on edge and it was weird not having his father around. Tunde sat alone on the balcony in the lonely house with a glass of Bourbon in his hand, he smiled to himself remembering the day he told Priscilla she was turning into an addict; well he was becoming one…without her.
He downed the rest of the drink in his hand. God, he missed her so much he could not even understand himself, how he could love this person this much was so difficult to quantify. He wanted to growl and let out his pent up frustration, her words kept resounding in his head; she was done. It was his fault. Everything was his fault. He heard footsteps in the house at times, he could swear he heard her laughter but it was all in his head.
There was a loud banging on the door of his house, Tunde got up like a robot and walked into the sitting room to the entrance door. He opened the door and Demilade stood outside looking worried.
She walked in dressed in a loose shirt and jeans, he face was lightly made up and her hair packed up into a bun. “Tunde, I’m worried about you” she spoke with concern as he locked the door.
The moon poured into the sitting room through the open balcony, it gave a beautiful silhouette. Tunde walked to the dining table and leaned on it heavily letting out a deep breath. Demilade walked up to him and took the glass from his hand bringing it up to her nose. It stank of alcohol as she took place it on the glass table.
“Tunde what is wrong?” it almost sounded like she was wailing. “You are a shadow of yourself.  We are all worried; I know you’ve had a lot to take on recently.”
He nodded and rubbed his tired eyes. She placed a hand on his shoulder “Is it about Priscilla?” her voice was soft and he nodded again.
“She lost the baby,” He stated morosely. “I… I don’t know what to do Demi, she wants a divorce.” He wanted to break into a sob. His sister sighed in pity and took him into an embrace.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered “I’m so sorry Tunde” they stayed that way for a long while until he broke out of it and they sat on the settee.
Demilade sighed, “I never knew things would turn out this way,” she stated distantly “You, in love with someone like that…” she did not mean it as an insult, rather, for the first time she pitied him. “What happened?”
“I gave her an ultimatum”, Tunde began guiltily as he remembered the last time she came to his office. “She came to sort things out and I gave her an ultimatum, get rid of the baby or get a divorce”, he paused swallowing his pain “I shouldn’t have.”
“You were hurting,” Demilade stated, soothingly.
Tunde continued as if he was talking to himself “I got a surprising call from the lady she’s been staying with and that’s how I found out she had lost her baby.” He paused, catching a moment of silence. “She looked at me with such hatred Demi. I’ve never seen her that way.”
“She’s a mother who just had a second miscarriage; I can understand why she would have been that way. You need to give her time Tunde; you both need to heal before anything else.”
“She wanted a divorce,” he stated simply not ready to speak much.
“She needs time, Tunde. Besides, you need to take care of yourself too…” Demilade sighed, stressing her point. “You need to get up and live your life. So much has happened Tunde, you also need to take a breather. Be patient, things will work out in due time dear.” She gave him a reassuring smile. Do you know where she’s living?”
He shook his head sideways and closed his eyes. Priscilla could not leave his mind.

Safe Haven: Episode 25 of 27 CONTINUES HERE

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