DARK DAYS -FINALE

He called the cab man and told him not to bother coming; evening lecture canceled!
He pulled out the chair under the table and sat down to draft a mail to his boss, to inform him that an exigency came up back at home and ask for the permission to fly to Lagos the next morning.
His boss’ reply didn’t come until midnight.
‘Mr Chinda,
Whatever came up, I guess could wait for at least two days.
You have to do that presentation next tommorow on the company’s behalf unfailingly! Maybe after that you could attend to whatever needs your attention.’
Felix punched the bed as he puffed in exasperation.
Two days?! Wasn’t that enough time for his wife to die?
When he closed his eyes to pray, the only thing he could hear the holy spirit say was that he should give thanks for the already won victory.
Victory?
How could he even thank God in such a circumstance?
Have faith in God, give thanks to him. The still and calm voice of the holy spirit whispered to his heart.
He started thanking God wanly and before he knew it, he was embroiled in praises; singing and worshipping like he had no problem at all. Unbelievably, he did that all through the night.
***
“Are you Mrs Chinda’s husband?”
“Yes, I am Chinda Felix.” He replied, his eyes fixed on the Doctor sitting on the other side of the desk before him.
“Your wife’s case, I must say is an enigma.” The doctor started, pushing in the bridge of his dark rimmed medicated glasses with his index finger. Felix stirred in the arm chair, his heart drumming wildly.
“In the normal human body, there’s a maximum of ten pints of blood, and if there’s more than four pint blood loss, the individual might not likely survive.”
Felix nodded absentmindedly as he wondered why the doctor had to bore him with all that medical jargon. All he cared about was his wife and how she was faring, not some pint trash!
“Your wife lost about six pints of blood.” The doctor revealed, pushing his elbows forward on the desk.
Felix went blank!
“Si..r h..ow m..any pa..nts, sorry pints did you say one mustn’t l..oose?” He stuttered.
“four to five.”
Jesus! So Lauretta is dead. Why didn’t Pastor tell me?
Several thoughts ran through his mind.
“Now, that’s not all Mr Felix.”
What else? He wondered.
“Even after losing so much blood, her PCV was twenty-nine percent!” The confused look registered on Felix’s face quickly reminded the doctor he was dealing with a lay man.
“I mean she had enough blood in her system despite the gross los.”
“I dont understand.” He managed.
“With the amount of blood she lost, a transfusion should be inevitable, but conversely, she has so much blood in her system. That’s beyond science, it’s a miracle!”
A miracle? The words echoed in his mind.
“So she isn’t dead?”
“No…” The doctor drawled with a grimace and a slight frown.
“Thank you Jesus!” He sighed placing his hands on his chest.
“But we lost the baby shae?” He asked almost certainly, his smile bleak.
“Yeah you lost a baby.”
Felix sighed convulsively and shrugged resignedly.
God I am at least grateful I didn’t loose my wife. Wherever life is, there is hope. I know one day we’d have a child, Lord I believe.
“…Thriving well.” All the doctor was saying had eluded him cause he couldn’t hear him over the sound of his thoughts.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I said she had two fetal sacs in her uterus, what would have been a twin set, but she lost one of them and hence the bleeding. However the other foetus is safely housed in the other sac and it’s thriving well.”
He went agape.
There’s a baby?…. Oh Lord my God.
“Hallelujah! God has truly won the victory!” He screamed, jumping around excitedly.
“Your God has truly won the victory, Mr Chinda.” The doctor said after a brief bout of laughter.
“Yes ooh…”
“Congratulations.” The doctor stretched out his hands to Felix.
“Thank you very much sir.” He said, taking his hand.
“So can I see her?”
“Absolutely.”
As he walked the corridor on his way to his wife’s ward there was a spring in his gait, one that came from a joy that bubbled from within him, he caught a whiff of antiseptic, the characteristic smell of a typical hospital.
His wife’s smile welcomed him into the ward, her warm smile that spilled from within and was contagious- he too grinned.
Lauretta sat up and Felix came to embrace her.
“This guy, why are you here?”
“See this girl oo, is that how to welcome sombori?” he mouthed and she chuckled.
“So you left the workshop midway huh? Why did you do that?”
“My wife now, she needed me.”
“Which of them and what happened to her?”
Felix gave her a friendly punch. “Look, I was really scared, if not for my boss, I would’ve been here since the day before yesterday.”
“I’m okay ooh, perfectly okay, you faithless generation.” She quipped.
He heaved a long sigh of relief. “Gosh! I was scared to death, honestly. As in, you don’t understand, I actually thought you were dead!”
“Dead kwa? Biko oo, I have green years ahead of me.”
Felix smiled. “God is really faithful. Ah! When the doctor told me the baby is alive, I couldn’t hide my joy, I was jumping and celebrating.”
Lauretta laughed, “God is really faithful.” She looked down and rubbed her midriff delicately. “This is coming down as a baby and not clotted blood in Jesus’ name.”
“Amen.”
There was a brief sweet silence before Lauretta said, “Me, I want to leave this hospital oo. I’m fine already.” petulantly, pouting childishly.
Felix smiled, held her neck and planted a firm peck on her forehead.
***
That was seven months ago.
Today, as he stretches out his arms to receive the whimpering and snugly swathed baby from the nurse, the joy within him is unspeakable.
The baby snuggles close to his chest.
Just some moments ago he was pacing up and down in the waiting room with fevered anxeity, hoping, praying, perspiring profusely, but now all that is history.
His heart leaps for joy as he looks into his child’s face.
“You’re welcome son.” He mumbles, stroking his wet, curly hair.
Lauretta stirs as she sits up against the wall hence drifting Felix’s attention from the baby to her.
Felix looks up at his wife; though her smile is weak, it’s as endearing as ever.
“Isn’t this wonderful?” He husks as he leans in on her, angling his body so that Lauretta can see the baby.
She stretches out her arms to receive the newborn, not minding the intravenous lines connected to her hands.
As she rocks him in her hands, a verse of the scripture keeps ringing in her mind and she voices it out.
“When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.”
Felix nods, it’s so true, it’s just like a dream. All the pain and hurt of multiple miscarriages has disappeared just like a dream.
Dewy-eyed, Lauretta glances up at him. “Honey you’re crying.” She says.
“Am I?” The clog of phelgm in his throat makes his voice come out as a whisper. Not until she mentioned it, he was oblivious of the fact that he’d been shedding tears.
Lauretta wipes her hubby’s tears and he reciprocates the gesture, settling down beside her on the hospital bed. She hugs him, he returns the hug and they weep on each other’s shoulders, tears that come from the depth of their hearts, tears that come from deep wrenching joy and gratitude, tears that encodes praises lips can not utter.
Lauretta pulls out of the hug and looks into the baby’s face, taking in every single minutiae.
“I’d name him Salve, for the Lord has anointed my wounded heart with the balm of Gilead.” She looks into Felix’s grinning, tear-streaked face as he nods in agreement.
“And I’d name you Victory, for the Lord has won the victory.” He says to the baby, holding him up. “The Lord shall bless and prosper your days, he shall go forth with you in all your ways. You shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be your peace. You shall be the head and not the tail. You shall be an exemplary leader to your siblings. So shall it be for you, Chinda Salve Victory, in Jesus’s name.”
“Amen!”
Felix wonders why the ‘Amen’ thundered like it was from a whole church.
When he opens his eyes, he’s surprised to see Pastor Mytn and his wife, doctors, nurses and other patients before him, clapping, grinning and praising the Lord.
***
To someone going through dark days,
Stand in the Lord, be still and know that he is God.
Though the sorrow may last for a night,
The joy comes in the morning.

Thanks for following through this short story, I hope you’re blessed?  Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment box.
Stay blessed.