Nurse Gina lay on her bed thinking of what to do about the girl that lay in the room next to hers. It had been one week since she brought her home and she was still as clueless as the first night, when she had wondered what she had gotten herself into. She knew it was her spirit leading her to help, but she didn’t know exactly how she was going to help anymore.
Image courtesy of Pexels
She had taken the girl home, but nothing went as she mentally planned it. The girl’s mother had her mind made up on an abortion.
“I will not raise a Bastard in my house” she swore for the third time. Gina was frustrated. Trying to reason with this woman was like trying to fill up a basket. It was never going to happen, but she still had to try.
“See, madam, if you intend to punish this girl, then let her have the baby.”
“For which house?” she looked at Gina irritated “She don tell you how many children I get for this house? If she even finish this her secondary school, no money for university this year, na pregnancy she bring when I never see WAEC result. She will remove that thing from her stomach.
“Where is the father?” She turned to Tinuke with her last question, but the girl bent her head in shame, it was a question she could not answer the question; she knew her mother didn’t expect an answer.
Gina knew she was getting nowhere with this, but she still put in an effort — “Ma, what if she loses her life in the process or her womb?” Tinuke flinched as she heard the ugly possibilities surrounding what her mother wanted, she looked to her mother then, but her eyes were cold.
“God forbid Nurse; I will find a good place.” Her hands were on her waist, her will unbending. “This girl will not disgrace me. How will I carry my head in women’s group in church?”
Gina could not let it happen, so she took the girl with her although she surprised the mother allowed her. It was either the abortion, or she didn’t want to see the girl. How did the girl get down this road? Clearly the mother had been negligent, and the daughter used the opportunity to explore waters she couldn’t tread in. The young man preyed on her naiveté and her hunger for exploration. She wanted to experience a relationship but was not equipped for it, and he took advantage of her.
A child who was supposed to be busy studying, now this was what all the excitement had resulted in. She turned on her bed, her husband would be back the next day, and she would have to explain herself to him. Was she making the right decisions? She thought, well, time will tell.
Gina dried off her hands with a towel; the doctor wanted to see her urgently. She wondered what this was about. The nurse who was sent to her seemed flustered. She ignored the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she walked to the office. She heard voices at the door; there was a predominant angry one, it sounded like a woman and then the doctor’s voice, it seemed he was trying to pacify the woman. She stood at the door contemplating if she should go in or not, the message sounded urgent, so she chose the former.
She knocked once, and the doctor called for her to come in. As she entered she heard a loud cry before she could identify the crier,
“Yes! This is her! Kidnapper! This is her! Return my daughter!” it was Tinuke’s mother. Gina was in shock at first, then she regained her composure before the doctor.
“Madam, please calm down” the doctor tried to pacify the woman. Gina looked at her, and the woman matched her look with a stubborn tilt to her chin. The doctor motioned for Gina to sit, under query or not she was still the matron at the hospital. She sat gracefully.
“Nurse Gina, what is this about kidnapping?” from the corner of her eyes she noticed the woman’s leg shaking with angry impatience. She cleared her throat mentally; she didn’t want to make a sound that would grate on this woman’s anger.
“Her teenage daughter is pregnant, and I am housing her because she wants the girl to abort the pregnancy.”
“What!” the doctor had a baffled reaction as he looked at the woman. She did not back down,
“She is my daughter!” she said in finality. She was not going to explain to anyone because she did not need their permission. The doctor sat confused looking between both women before he spoke,
“Madam, let’s just take this easy for now” he was calm like he anticipated her next reaction. The woman stood up enraged;
“I can see you have nothing to say, the next time I would be here, it would be with the police!” she walked out slamming the door shut behind her. The doctor sighed. Gina stayed put.
“Well, it wasn’t a torrent of insults like I expected,” Gina said with a dry laugh.
“Nurse Gina you have to return her daughter.”
“Of course not Doctor! That is ridiculous!”
“Gina she’s her mother, you have no right!”
“I am a Nurse. I would not let another girl die from an abortion” there was no reasoning on this one with Gina. The doctor sighed once again.
Nurse Regina is a multiple-part series that will be published every couple of days on the website. The story follows a nurse who is looking for purpose amidst all the twist and turns life throws her way. Be on the lookout for this exciting story.
Still interested in our Short Stories segment? Click this link to learn more. Remember to like, share and subscribe never to miss an update.
About The Author: Uzezi is a 25-year-old baker, caterer, and writer. She is a young lady of many talents. Her creativity spans across different aspects of life. Whatever she sets her heart to do, she accomplishes it. Her dream is to work with TLC’s Cake Boss one day, and she is well on her way, as she keeps honing her baking skills. Uzezi is also the Creative Director at Let’s Talk Nation for Short Stories, as she is talented in fiction writing. Look out for her stories, as they make their debut on LTN. To learn more about Uzezi, visit her Instagram pages on @uzaizie and @FlawlessFlour.