After the storm (52 page)

His eyes
searched his wife's face. Her eyes were vacant and staring,
reddened from constant tears. His heart tightened within him. She
was in pain, and he was unable to help her. She had never wanted
Aleena at Dartmouth International. He had arrogantly insisted that
was the school the Kadiris had always attended. Maybe if he had
listened to her, Aleena would not have come to any harm. He had
caused her to lose their son and now this.

His
heart burned within him, and he walked out of the room again. He
walked to the far end of the corridor outside and paced restlessly.
Aleena couldn't die. He could not bear to lose her, could not lose
another child. He lifted his eyes and looked heavenward.

"Please…" He paused and didn't know how to continue. When was
the last time he said a prayer? Well over twenty years ago. He
swallowed hard. "I've scorned you and said you're not real. I'd
still prefer to believe you are not, but at the same time, deep
inside me, I know that you are." He was breathing hard. He stopped
speaking and closed his eyes briefly. "I've seen firsthand the
changes in people around me," he continued, his breathing a little
more even. "Something or someone must have caused these changes."
He paused and inhaled deeply. "Please, I beg you, save my child and
don't let her die." His vision became blurry, and he wiped away the
tears with the back of his hand. "Please keep her alive and…and I
promise to serve you for the rest of my life."

After
those words, the rest was easier. He just basically kept pleading
for Aleena's life, guidance and expertise for the doctors, and
strength for Yemi. He didn't know how long he stood there, but by
the time he was walking back to the waiting room, he felt a lot
calmer.

He got
to the waiting room and sat down on one of the empty chairs. Yemi's
head was bent over, and he couldn't see her face. He closed his
eyes and just waited.

"I
thought they said two hours," Yemi asked aloud a while later, her
eyes darting constantly towards the door. "It's been almost three
hours now."

"Sometimes it's just an estimate that is given," Ayo replied
gently. "It could be plus or minus some minutes."

"But
this is almost a whole hour more," she said, twisting her fingers
nervously.

"I'm
sure someone will come out soon," Ayo said soothingly.

She
flipped her phone open again. Akeem knew she was reading Bible
verses because he could see her lips moving.

About
thirty minutes later, the doctor who had spoken to them earlier
came out again. His face was grim. He motioned to Akeem to follow
him. Yemi got up too. Akeem looked at the doctor's face. It was
obvious that he didn't have good news. His heart squeezed
painfully. He had been so sure that he had connected with God. Had
he left his apology too late?

"How's
my daughter?" Yemi asked brokenly, tears running down her face.
"Where's my daughter?"

"Maybe
Mrs. Kadiri can wait here for us," the doctor said.

Yemi
shook her head stubbornly. Ayo got up and put his arm around her.
She shook it off. Her mother started crying. Nadia gripped his
mother's hand tightly. Both their faces looked frightened.
Everyone's eyes were riveted on the doctor.

"Very
well, then," the doctor said, indicating that Yemi could go with
them.

The walk
between the reception area and the doctor's office was the longest
Akeem had ever taken in his life, and yet it was barely three
minutes. He prayed all the way through. Somehow he knew Aleena was
not dead—the doctor would have said so immediately—but still,
something was not quite right.

"We've
taken the bullet out and stopped the bleeding, but she has slipped
into a coma," the doctor said as soon as they were seated. "We've
done what we can. We can only just monitor her now and hope for the
best."

Yemi
appeared to lose some of her fear, but her face still looked
stricken at the doctor's words and tears were running down her
cheeks.

"Aleena
will pull through. She'll be okay," Akeem said. He didn't know
where the strength or confidence was coming from, but he believed
with all his heart that she would be fine.

Yemi's
eyes searched his. He knew she might be thinking it was something
to do with his old beliefs, the trust he had in himself. But he
knew this was different. This was confidence in someone higher,
someone who could help when everything looked hopeless. He wished
he could tell her what had just happened to him, but there would be
plenty of time to tell her later.

He
looked at her face, puffy and weary with her continuous weeping,
and he longed to hold and comfort her. Instead, he just took her
hand in his and squeezed it gently. "Stop crying. Our daughter will
be fine."

Chapter
28

It was a
clear cool evening and the stars seemed to sparkle like little
diamonds in their dark blue velvety canopy. Yemi stood on the
balcony just outside her bedroom and drank in the pretty sight. The
weather had been very hot over the past few days, but it had rained
earlier in the day and that had ushered in a refreshing coolness.
The sweet earthy after-scent of rain still lingered and she
breathed in the clean fresh air.

Her eyes
widened with delight as she saw a shooting star. The old myth about
making a wish came to her mind but she smiled and shook her
head.

"I've
got no requests, Lord," She whispered as she looked up to the
heavens. "You 've already surpassed my expectations, and all I want
to do is continually praise you." She did just that, praising God
and thanking Him for His many mercies and love, and as usual, she
felt His presence enveloping her like a cosy blanket.

As she
went back into her bedroom a while later, she heard the front door
open and close. She knew it would be Akeem. He had gone out earlier
that evening to get some takeaway for them. She went downstairs to
join him and saw him in the kitchen bringing out the contents of
the takeaway bags he had placed on the kitchen table.

He
looked up as she came in and his eyes roamed over her in her new
frilly peach silk pyjama top and shorts. He winked at her and Yemi
felt the familiar thrill that only Akeem could stir up shooting
through her. He was right, she thought to herself ruefully, he had
signed his name on her heart and she could not but hopelessly love
him.

She
caught sight of the food he was dishing on the plates. "Sushi? No
way am I eating that stuff! I asked for Nando's!"

"And you
have your Nando's," he said, pointing to the other bag. "But you
need to lose your apathy for sushi, especially since you've never
even tasted it."

She
shook her head. "No deal!" she moved past him towards the plate
rack. "I'll just get another plate for my Nando's."

"C'mon,
have a taste," he said, coming after her and holding out a forkful
to her. She shook her head, moving backwards. He followed her, and
she backed farther away, laughing as she tried to dodge him.
"Akeem, I don't want the sushi!" she protested.

He took
her wrist with his free hand and led her to the sofa in the sitting
room.

"Akeem…"

"Just
open that beautiful mouth and take a little bite," he said, holding
the fork to her lips. "C'mon baby," he urged. "Just a little
nibble…see, not bad, is it?"

She made
a face at him but took another bigger bite and chewed slowly. It
was quite nice, actually. She didn't know why she had always felt
she would not like it. Akeem looked amused as he fed her more
bites.

"Mummy…"

They
both turned at the sound of Aleena's voice. She stood there in her
favourite PJs with Peppa Pig all over. Yemi's heart swelled again
with thanksgiving to God. He had given her back her daughter from
the gates of death.

"What do
you want, sweetie?" Akeem asked, putting the plate of sushi down
and moving towards her.

"Can I
have some milk, please?"

"Of
course. Go back to bed, and I'll bring it up to you in a
minute."

Yemi
blew her a kiss as she went back up the stairs towards her
room.

"I'll be
back," Akeem told her as he went into the kitchen.

Yemi
thanked God again. She didn't think she would ever be able to thank
Him enough even if she lived to be a thousand years old. Aleena's
recovery had been nothing short of a miracle that had surprised
even the doctors. She had woken up ten days after she slipped into
the coma, and her cognitive abilities had returned almost
immediately. She had recognised her parents, knew who she was, and
got better faster than the doctors had thought she would. She was
discharged from hospital a week after she came out of the coma.
That had been two weeks earlier.

Charlotte had finally found the courage to visit two days
after the incident, and she had wept throughout the visit when she
saw Aleena's motionless body on the bed. She had been very relieved
when Aleena came out of the coma. She told Yemi that she and her
kids were travelling out of the country until the elections were
over. Yemi didn't blame her, but it was also almost a certainty
that Chloe's dad would win the elections. There had been a huge
public outrage against the shootings, and the polls had tilted even
more favourably towards him.

Both
Akeem's family and hers were now aware that they were back together
again. Mrs. Kadiri had come several times to Yemi's house to see
Aleena since she was discharged from hospital. Nadia had come with
her on two of those occasions, and somehow they had all conversed.
Adil, Zara, and their boys had also flown in from Abuja. Their
conversations were still all a little stilted, but compared to how
it had been in the past, it was a miracle.

"There
is this ladies' meeting that I attend. It's for women in business
and politics," Mrs. Kadiri had said to Yemi on her last visit. "I
am one of the patrons, and there is another one taking place in a
few weeks. I'll be glad if you can accompany me."

Yemi had
looked up, very startled by the request. Akeem had been around
during that visit and had seen the surprised look on her
face. 

"Mum, I
don't think that is such a good idea for now. Yemi has had a
gruelling time looking after Aleena, and she needs to rest and get
her strength back."

"It is
fine, Akeem," Yemi had said quietly. The event was still a few
weeks away anyway, and she had told Akeem's mum she would accompany
her.

"Good."
Mrs. Kadiri had smiled. "My driver can pick you up on that day, and
we will go together in my car."

Yemi
knew that was Mrs. Kadiri's way of trying to make up for all that
she had done to her in the past, and she was more than willing to
accept the olive branch, especially since Akeem was bent on nothing
ever coming between them again.

She
smiled as she saw him coming back down the stairs a few minutes
later. He practically stayed at her house most nights now. She told
him she felt very mistress-like indeed. It was only mistresses who
pulled guys from their homes to stay in theirs.

She held
out a forkful of the sushi to him. "Have a bite."

He
looked at the plate. She had almost finished it. "I told you you'd
like it. Trust me next time."

"Of
course I trust you," she said as she dished out more of the sushi
for him. "High-maintenance mistress like me?" she teased, flashing
the beautiful diamond ring he had just bought for her. "How can I
not trust you?"

"What
high maintenance? You and Aleena are the reason I go out to work
every day." His eyes looked haunted for a moment. "I'm just so
grateful to God that He gave you both back to me."

That was
another strange thing about him these days. He mentioned God freely
now, which had been impossible in the past. Had Aleena's near
scrape with death touched him that much? It seemed too good to be
true, but she didn't want to probe him just yet.

"By the
way, Linda confirmed that the removal company will be coming by
next Saturday to move your things back home."

That was
news to her. He hadn't discussed it with her at all.

He met
her gaze. "I've been patient, haven't I?" he asked softy. "I need
my family home with me."

"That's
fine." They had been talking about Coral and their split and the
ways it could all have been avoided. Yemi still had a few fears,
but she had made up her mind that she was just going to trust God
concerning her marriage. "This mistress wants to move in with her
man too." She faked a worried frown. "But what do you think? Will
being a live-in mistress spoil the magic?"

"Can our
magic ever fade?" he asked softly, bending his head towards hers.
"But let's test it again though, just to be doubly sure," he added
as he began giving her little kisses all over her face. "Can you
feel the magic?" he whispered against her neck.

She
nodded. "Deffo." He was already lighting a fire in her. She pouted
as she tried to kiss him on the lips and he moved away. He smiled
and continued teasing her with little feathery kisses around her
face and neck until she held his face firmly with both hands and
kissed him on the lips.