broken and bruised episode 29&30

BROKEN AND BRUISED

Episode 29

Melanie's loud scream has attracted the attention of the three ladies whose offices are close to the rest room

"Did you all hear that" one asked

"Yes someone just screamed like she was in pain"

"Who could it be at this very time, was someone attacked or what"

"I need to see" one of them wants to go see herself but the two stop her

"Don't go, what if she was attacked and now the person ends up doing the same to you"

"But that scream....it was a scream of someone who needed help"

"Are you the only one in this big building, or are you the owner.....it's not our business as long as we're safe so chill...we didn't hear anything" just then Jane comes knocking at their office

"Hey Jane"

"Hi girls, did you all hear that"

"Hear what"

"Someone screaming..... I heard it from my office down and it was coming from this direction"

"Sorry we were talking and we didn't hear, maybe it's something outside this building"

"I'm very sure but it's fine.....continue with your work" she comes out of the office but she's not convinced just yet, she looks around and nothing looked abnormal, she decides to head over to the reception area where she finds Janet with an empty glass in front of her, she seems to be busy and occupied with whatever she was doing

"Hey Janet"

"What's up Jane.... need my help with something"

"I thought I heard someone scream around here, did you hear it"

"Nope....you're only being paranoid, I'm sure it was only in your head because even if someone screams from out of this building or any where around here, I would be the the first person to hear it" Jane looks at her studying her face and looks like she doesn't believe her

"What?.... why look at me like that"

"It's nothing" Jane now takes her gaze away from her and spots Mel's bag on the couch

"Have you seen Melanie around"

"Nope....why would I, you even know that woman and I don't get along with each other, we can't see eye to eye" Jane nods and understands that this girl is just so heartless and must be knowing something she's not saying.....

"Where are you Mel" she just wonders without saying it out loud, she turns to go to the one place she had not checked and that's the Ladies room, she had not gone far from there when she thought she had seen someone on the floor, her heart is racing as she prays its shouldn't be Melanie....she increases her speed and reaches down to where she's lying

"Melanie what happened" she tries to move her but Melanie is not making any move, she panics not knowing what to do, she wants to scream someone should come help her but she thought it was useless since they all claimed they never heard her scream.......she checks her coat and she's glad she'd carried her phone along, she fidgets with the phone scrawling through Tobi's name.............

Tobi has been holding a meeting with a client for the last one hour plus some minutes now, and it looks like the meeting is not about to end soon, it's not a secret to anyone in the office that whenever Tobi is having such a meeting, no one disturbs him no matter the urgency of the matter, it's always Jane to take care of any emergency that comes, even if one calls his personal cellphone he will not pause the meeting to take the call unless it's Melanie calling, so as he's in the middle of this important meeting, his personal cellphone starts to Ring, he gets it out of his pocket and it's Jane, he wonders what could be so important that she would forget he doesn't pick calls at such moments, he ignores the first call, the second and on the third one, he switches off and continues with his meeting........

Jane after the third attempts begins to get frustrated with Tobi

"Please pick up pick up Tobi.... pick the damn phone up" she tries again and it's unreachable, she puts her phone down finally and takes to her feet running towards his office, everyone in the other offices all come out in the corridor asking her what the emergency is but she has no time for them just yet, she chooses to ignore them and just run, she reaches Tobi's door and without, knocking just pushes open the door startling him and he stands up, he looks at Jane like he has seen a ghost, she's breathing heavily and trying to catch he breath

"What's wrong with you Jane.....don't you know I'm in a middle of something so important"

"I'm so sorry but it's her....it's Melanie.... she... she.... she had an accident"

"Jesus....." he drops the phone down and takes to his feet pushing Jane out of his way

"Wait for me" Jane screams but he's already on his way almost reaching the reception area, Jane decides to take off her uncomfortable shoes and takes after him.......Tobi reaches the reception and he's about to get out of the building when Jane screams

"In the rest room" Tobi changes the direction so sharply and by the time he got there, guys had just gathered and are doing nothing apart from watching the almost lifeless Melanie, Tobi pushes through them and dives landing besides Melanie

"What happened to my wife.....My love....babe what happened to you... what happened please talk to me, why did you reject my offer to drive you home" he can't control his emotion because he's already shading tears just, all his employees are so dumbfounded and beyond shocked, they had suspected it but they thought it was not true, Mel and Tobi's relationship was indeed beyond the relationship between a boss and employee....they have managed to keep it from them and no one knew except Jane, this like a bomb to them but seeing Tobi really shading tears means he truly loves her, before all of them could even react to this new developed, Jane arrives

"What are you all looking at, didn't you all say you had no ears to hear a voice in need of help, how come you all have ears to hear what was going on here....get back to work" they leave without any objection and once they are gone, Tobi who is still mentally confused turns Mel and sees blood on the floor and also on her thighs

"She's bleeding Jane....she's bleeding, she's loosing our baby" he looks scared and Jane asks him to move away she checks and can tell more blood coming

"She's loosing too much blood, we need to take her to the hospital" they carry a bleeding Mel to the car and both of them are headed to the hospital

"What happened Jane.....what really happened"

"I don't know...."

"She was just in my office before this happened, I wish I had insisted more on taking her home.....I just hope she's alright and nothing happens to my child too"

"I'm sure nothing will happen just have faith because you're a good man but right now I just want you to calm down and and drive in clear mind so we can save her and the baby"

"We were just at the doctors the other day and he assured me that Mel and our baby were doing fine, I was so happy that in a months plus some days time I would become a father"

"Calm down Tobi..... have you called her mother"

"I couldn't even think about it....please help me, I left my phone behind"...........

Ofelia and her sister are at home doing nothing after coming from the garden, they have just arrived home and thinking of what to cook as they also discuss the Melanie and Tobi relationship

" I'm very sure Tobi loves our daughter but I'm also sure his family will not allow this relationship to continue" Ofelia tells Jessica

"And why would you think that would be the case"

"It's the case Jessica, I'm so worried someone will tell his family about Mel's past and that's not something good"

"What past are you even talking about, is it the fact that she almost married that wrong element or the fact that she's pregnant"

"Both my sister, what if they get to know that the baby she's carrying is not Tobi's"

"And who's going to tell them about it....stop this negative thinking but rather convince Melanie to accept moving into the house he offered us because when she gives birth, this small house will not be enough"

"Jessy, I will not meddle because that's Mel's decision to make not ours, I will not ask her to do something she's not in agreement to" her phone starts to ring and she picks it

"Hello.......what?... what happened and where is she..........OK we're coming" she gets up but stops to tell her sister

"We have to get to pioneer"

"Pioneer.... which pioneer, what's there"

"Hospital.... Mel had an accident and Tobi is driving her over there"

"Jesus what happened.... what accident"

"I don't know.... let's get ready and go"............

Tobi and Jane arrive at the hospital and find the medics were already out waiting for them, be had called them on their way so they never really wasted time to get her out of the car and wheel her in, Tobi and Jane who is still barefoot follow inside but they were stopped and asked to wait at the reception area, Tobi is just a shadow of himself just pacing up and down

" Calm down Tobi.... she's already in safe hands and she shall be alright "

"How can you say that Jane, didn't you see her state.... I don't want to loose her or my baby.... what really happened Mel, your shoes couldn't have been the reason why you stripped and fell, did you faint or what"

"Come....sit down with me and I explain" Jane leads him to the chair

"I'm sure she didn't just faint because I heard someone scream from my office, I came out immediately and asked the guys with offices around but non of them said they heard anything.... I then went to the reception area where I found Janet looking so busy, I asked if she heard any one scream but she too said she didn't so that's when I saw her bag on the couch in the reception area, I knew she had not left the building so I had only one place to check and that's the rest room" he's so hurt

"You mean those guys all claimed they never heard her Voice"

"Non of them but that's not important, let's just focus on the most important thing that she's here and being attended to by the Doctor" ......the Doctor comes out asking Tobi to come with him to his office, he follows without wasting any time

"Mac how is she....how is my wife...tell me she's fine"

"Calm down brother, Melanie experienced contraction and had a placental abruption"

"What the hell is even that...is it something serious"

"Yes I won't lie to you, it's a serious condition in which the placenta starts to come away from inside of the womb wall, it usually causes stomach pain, sometimes there is no blood but in Mel's case there was blood, and I mean plenty of it"

"Oh my God"

"Like I said the placenta has detached from the wall of the uterus either partly or totally... she's bleeding profusely and I'm afraid the bleeding may interfere with the baby's supply of oxygen and nutrients..... without prompt medical treatment, a severe case of placental abruption can have dire consequence for the mother and the unborn child"

"That serious"

"Yes....including death it can be harmful both to the both of them because there was a direct trauma to her abdomen which led to loss of amniotic fluid.....she must have landed down so hard..."

"Is there really nothing you can do to keep the baby....I mean up to it's due date"

"I could if the bleeding had stopped but right now there is nothing I can do, she's loosing too much blood and she also seems to have high blood pressure, if left unattended to, the complications include decreased oxygen to the baby which can lead to brain damage, maternal blood loss leading to shock.... the bleeding in Melanie can not be controlled because we have failed to so brother that leaves us only with one option"

"Which is...."

"We need to deliver this baby early... I mean today"

"But is it not risky"

"I can't tell you it is because I would be lying but if the bleeding doesn't stop she might not make it alive out of this"....... Tobi remains speechless so unable to even move, his tears do the talking.....

Episode 30

Mac's talk with Tobi about Mel's condition has not only left Tobi so disorganized but it has left him so shattered, he tried but he could not hold his tears anymore so he fell into his friend's chest and let it all out

"Mac, I tried to make up for all my mistakes but still God chose to punish me this way....why"

"Don't put this blame on you because for a pregnant woman to fall so hard on the floor and hit her tummy is something normal and it usually happens but Mel's is totally extreme due the nature of the place she fell on but I promise I'm going to do everything in my power to see that she makes it alive with no complications"

"Please do it Mac... do it, do everything possible and save my people"

"Easy stay strong and let me go save them" Mac leaves Tobi to cry more in his office there and heads to the operating room to carry out with the emergency..........

Mel's Mom and aunt finally arrive at pioneer, it's a private hospital owned by Mac himself, it's a very expensive hospital only rich people can afford to come to, so when Ofelia and her sister arrive, they went straight to the reception area to ask the lady there but the kind of look the lady gave them was as if she was just wondering what people in their condition must be doing there

"Please miss....our daughter was rushed here"

"Are you sure.....maybe you're at the wrong place"

"Is it because we look poor to you so you think we don't know how to read and we can't tell this is pioneer" Jessica's temperature is rising and she looks like she's going to slap the young Lady but Ofelia had to restrain her and ask her to calm down....... Jane who has been sitting down impatiently waiting for Tobi to come out with some report looks up, and sees the two women, she has never met Mel's Mum but she could tell by the striking resemblance that she was the one, so she got up from her seat and walks over to the counter, her hair and make-up are already a mess coupled with the fact that she had nothing on her feet

"Excuse me....are you Mama Melanie" Mel's mother turns and her heart sank down on sees this messy woman, she knew this meant that the situation was a lot more worse than she ever imagined

"My name is Jane, Mel works directly with me and we brought her her with Tobi.... come with me" she leads them to the seats and the receptionist is so shocked this women are this lucky to be mingling with a young rich dude called Tobias, they know Tobi since he and their boss Mac are very tight buddies he usually pays him a visit there.... all the employees of the hospital have been drooling over him but he has really never paid any attention to them, she was still trying to get over her shock when Jessica moves into her face

"The owner of this place needs to find you something else to do if he can't afford to fire you" she watches them walk away following the woman who had come in with Tobi, she wonders who the sick woman is to Tobi..........

Jane leads them to the seats

"What happened to Melanie"

"She stripped and fell in the Ladies room"

"How did that even happen"

"We don't know, I just found her lying down bleeding"

"Bleeding"

"Don't worry, it was nothing much, the Doctor is already working on her"

"And Tobi where is he"

"Talking to the Doctor".........

Tobi has taken more time to cry his eyes out in Mac's office until when he ran out of strength to go on.....he remembers Mel's mother must be here already and no one would help her, Jane doesn't even know her....he is not aware about how he looks but he's just a total mess, his well tucked in shirt is no more tucked, his buttons tearing one by one yet he never noticed, he struggles and gets up after asking God to forgive him for his sins one more time, he comes out and slowly drags himself to the waiting area, Jane sees him and runs over to him

" Mel's Mum and aunt are here, you better show some courage" he nods

"But Jane I can't even pretend"

"Try for her sake, those two women down there are worried..... but tell me, what did the Doc say"

"She's lost a lot of blood and our baby has no enough oxygen supply, there is only one way to save the situation" a tear falls and Jane cleans it

"That is...."

"She's being operated right now" she sighs

"Thank God"

"But Jane.... I might still loose her and the baby due to too much blood loss..... I might loose my people"

"Ssssshhh don't say that, Mel knows how much you love her and you also know how much she loves you so I'm very sure she will fight to be with you no matter what happens"

"Thank you so much Jane.... Thank you" they hug

"Now go over to her mother and try to be brave OK" he nods again and walks over to Ofelia who has been impatiently waiting

"Hi mum"

"Son...what happened, where is Mel and how is she"

"She stripped, she hit her tummy and there was contraction, with a slight bleeding but she's getting better"

"Can we see her" Jessy asks

"No aunt, right now she's in the theater"

"Theatre???.... doing what there"

"They have to be separated today, it's the only way to avoid any complications that can arise" Ofelia now has more reason to even cry, Tobi goes over to her and hugs her, Jane walks over and squeezes Jessy hand to comfort her......

"We need to pray" she says and Ofelia goes in to hug this young but peaceful lady who has been there for her daughter

"Mel has said a lot about your kindness but I thought she was only exaggerating but now I know.....she has been right all along....you're an Angel" they hug more and bowed their heads down holding hands as Jane led them in a moment of prayer..........

It took another two hours for Mac who's sweating profusely to finally come out of the theater, he heads straight to the reception when Tobi instantly got up on sighting him

"Mac....." he goes standing by his side and the three women walk over to him

"The worst is not over yet but all is fine" this doesn't still sound good in Tobi's ears

"Get rid of that face brother and congratulations, you're a proud father of a baby girl" Tobi jumps up and then on Mac because of this news for a hug

"Mother and child doing well but Mel lost a lot of blood, we have put her on transfusion and she was actually luck to find our blood bank not empty"

"Did hear that mum....I'm a Dad" Tobi is so excited and for a moment, Ofelia is confused but she brushes it off as merely the love he has for Mel

"Thank God.... I was so scared something would happen to my daughter.... Thank you doctor" they shake hands and Jane too can't hide her excitement

"Can you come with me brother"

"Sure" Tobi follows Mac to his office

"I don't like your face.....did you lie to us out there"

"Of course not, why would I....Mel gave birth but"

"Now what's with the buts....no more bad news please"

"Relax, the worst is not over yet, she hasn't woken up and I'm positive she's going to soon but now the baby"

"What about my daughter"

"She needs blood and you know....I couldn't say this out there, there is only one person now who can save her and that's you...you need to give your blood and no one is going to find out"

"Anything for my Angel.... she and her mom are my people... how is she, does she look like me"

"Hahaha....that's nonsense, she's still too tiny to tell but she's healthy and beautiful" Tobi smiles

"Can I see her"

"Not now..... she might catch bacterial infection so I'm keeping her safe"

"I trust you Bro"

"I'm so jealous you know"

"Hahahaha you better be....you have to get a good woman in your life too Mac" he says teasingly

"Love is a beautiful feeling let me atest to that"

"Sure....you don't have to say it twice because I'm not blind.....but guess what" he leans closer

"I think I just found the one"

"Who could she be"

"Not so fast.....don't be so curious but I shall let you once all this is over".......

" Thanks for keeping you word Mac, I would have died if Mel had not pulled through, I trust you're going to make sure she's made it..............

The tension has calmed down a bit and it's getting late, Tobi is not even sure if he wants to go home without seeing Mel but he has to go, he needs to clean up and change and Ofelia assures him that he has nothing to worry about, he has to go bring them something to eat then head home which he does good enough there is a nearby restaurant Jane who has been there all throughout tags along with Tobi who tells her he is going to drop her off somewhere where they can find her a cab and she proceeds to the office

"You have to go lock the offices, we just left everything without leaving anyone in charge..... I won't be in office tomorrow, you can come early and reschedule all my appointments"

"To which date"

"Until when Mel gets better, I need to be there for her"

"You're really excited to be a father "

"So excited Jane..... over excited in fact, I can't wait to hold my daughter in my arms....do you even know that I have already given her a name"

"Really?..... can I hear it or Mel has to first"

"You're right about that bad I'm only telling you for all your help all this while and for being my friend.....she's called Alesi (For love) Miracle"

"Wonderful name.....but why Alesi?"

"Because I'm with Mel for love and not pity or anything..... there are four woman in my life who make me want to be a better man everyday......my mother, Melanie, you Jane... yes you and now my daughter" Jane wasn't expecting this and she gets teary

"Remember when you dropped in your application, I had no plan to consider you but it came at a time when my PA that time had developed some wings, I was young and no one would listen to a young single boss.... in fact they were all throwing their selves on me.....but four years working with you has been so interesting, I celebrate and pray for you every day, I hope and pray you find a good man who deserves a woman who is more than beautiful" she shades more tears

"If you weren't driving Tobi, I would ask for a hug.... there is no man out there like you, your love for Melanie has made me realise and had hope that I have a man out there waiting to find me.....you know sometimes I have this crazy thinking that the reason why I haven't found love is because you keep me in the office for far too long and by the time I come out it's already late and no man notices me" this really gets to Tobi and he laughs with tears in his eyes

"But you know what....I'm certain what Mel had was no accident" she says and Tobi stops abruptly

"What do you mean...... is there something you know that I don't know"........

To be continued