Evergreen episode 3

Evergreen episode 3
“Good morning”, I greeted her with a smile
“Good morning”, the female receptionist
behind the desk answered looking up at me.
“You are welcome, and what can I do for
you, ma’am?”, she continued
“Am here to see Dr. Imran Shuraim”
“Okay, are you a patient?”
“No, just tell him Miss Na’imah is here”, I
answered
“Wait while I inform him”, she said picking
up the intercom on her desk pressing a
button.
I stood while she spoke on the phone with
the Doctor as I assumed.
“He said you should wait for a few minutes,
you can sit on one of those while you wait”,
she said, pointing to a set of seats behind
me.
I looked around as I sat, the hospital was a
bit busy with patients trying to book for
appointments and others waiting to be
attended to by their consultants.
There were about two others seated with me
on neighbouring seats. Everyone was silent.
Busy with our thoughts, I guessed.
A few minutes later, Dr. Imran called for me,
she directed me to his office and off I went.
The office was upstairs.
I knocked on the door and walked into an
air-conditioned room with a large desk
behind which a heavily-built man was
seated, two chairs facing each other, a sink
at one end and an area secluded with a
curtain which I guessed was used to attend
to patients who needed privacy.
Dr. Imran was fair, heavily-built and good-
looking. He looked up as I entered smiling
“Good morning and please sit”, he greeted
“Good morning”, I replied as I sat on one of
the chairs
facing him.
He stared at his desk which contained some
well-arranged files and other medical
instruments before looking up at me.
“Miss Na’imah, I think we should see your
patient first”, he said
“Yes”, I replied, nodding in agreement.
He stood up, led the way and we went out
of the office.
I was eager and at the same time nervous.
I couldn’t imagine how I would see my
dearest friend, this will be the first time am
I am seeing him in so much pains. Actually
all I could say was God please let me be
able to bear this. We walked down the
stairs and through a long corrider before
stopping at a door. This was it!!!
My heart was beating very much faster than
normal.
Dr. Imran pushed through the door and
entered, I followed suit.
Basheer was lying unconscious on the bed,
his head was bandaged and so was his
right leg.
There was also a drip attached to his right
hand. He looked terrible.
“I checked on him this morning and he is
yet to regain consciousness”, Dr. Imran
said, feeling Basheer’s pulse
I couldn’t say a word, I just stood there
staring at Basheer like a zombie. I moved to
him and sat by his side, held his hands in
mine and kept staring.
“Oh Allah, please spare his life for me, let
him be okay”, I prayed silently in my mind
“He will be alright by Allah’s grace, but
before then why don’t we go back to my
office, there are things we need to sort out”,
Dr. Imran said looking at me.
I didn’t reply but rather stood up, he
undertsood my gesture as he led the way
and we went out of the ward.
Back at his office, he must have noticed
how worried I looked when he said;
“You don’t have to worry too much about
him, he will be fine by Allah’s grace”
“Why isn’t he awake after so many hours”, I
had to ask
“His injuries are complicated and mostly on
the head”, he explained and went on, “We
have given him all necassary medications
and hope he’ll regain consciousness within
the next 24 hours”.
The temperature in the room was beginning
to get cold for me, I felt feverish.
“I happened to be on the s₱0t of the
accident which occured not far away from
the city outskirts”, he said narrating how he
found Basheer
“It was a tragic accident because the car is
now a wreck, he continued, there was
Nobody to tell how it all happened as there
were no eyewitnessess but am sure he must
have been speeding”, he concluded.
I knew Basheer was not a careless driver
but he sometimes speed especially on less
busy highways. I kept mute so he went on;
“With the help of some good samaritans, I
managed to get him here before contacting
any of his relatives or reporting the
accident to the Police. I tried contacting
few numbers which I assumed belonged to
his family by the way he saved them on his
phone but none went through…”,
“His family are out of the country, they stay
abroad”, I interuppted with a voice not
sounding like mine.
“I see, that explains it”, Dr. Imran said
“But then I found your number in his recent
calls, so I called you and then finally
reported the case to the Police”, he
concluded.
“Thank you, I really appreciate your
kindness”, I finally found my voice
“I’ll make sure I get in touch with his family
but with his family so faraway, am the
closest person to him and I can take care of
things, the ones I can’t, my Dad will”, I said
“Okay, now we have to run down to the
police station to clear things off and collect
his valuables”, he said looking at me
“Yes, but I think my Dad is in the best
position to do that”, I suggested
“That will be alright”, he answered, nodding
in agreement.
I brought out my phone from my handbag
and called my Dad, explained to him the
situation as he was already aware of the
accident, he said it was alright and he’ll
come down to the hospital immediately. I
then sent a text message to Adam
informing him about what happened. He
called immediately, I could feel the pain in
his voice as he spoke, he said he will be on
his way as soon as possible. I made a few
more calls to my friends telling them I will
not make it to school and they should take
care of anything that comes up, they said
they will.
I went back to Basheer leaving Dr. Imran, as
there were patients waiting for him. I looked
around the ward, which contained a sofa, a
television set with a fridge serving as a
stand at one corner of the room and also
the bed on which my dearest friend lay
unconscious.
There was also a door which led to the
bathroom and the wh0le floor was tiled.
By the bedside was a locker probably for
keeping drugs and other necassary
materials.
I went to his side and held his hand in
mine.
I felt his body was warm and he was
breathing normally. Sitting there by his
side, so many thoughts came running back
to my mind, I remembered how Basheer has
always been by my side throughout my life,
I knew I had to be here for him no matter
what happens. I was right! With his family
so faraway from him, I was in the best
position to take care of him.
“You are a part of me, friend”, I recalled him
saying
I knew Basheer was a part of me as I am a
part of him, he was the brother I never had.
I kept thinking.
My mind flashed back to a few years ago
when I happened to dislocate my right knee
joint. It was a bright morning and we were
both in JSS 3 then. Basheer has seized my
phone as I was trying to hide a text
message from him (The message was sent
from a secret admirer…lol).
He ran down the stairs and as I ran after
him to get hold of him, I slipped. The sharp
cry I let out brought Basheer running back
to me as he held me while calling for help.
That was how I ended up on the hospital
bed with Basheer my side all through my
stay.
To be continued