The first thing I feel is a butterfly kiss on my right eyelid and in a flash my eyes are  open. Adeel is bent over me, his hand in mine and a worried look on his face.

"Alhamdulilahi, you are awake." I nod and notice a intravenous drip  passed through my left hand over the back of my palm. I sweep my eyes round the room. Adeel is in a black pair of sweats he left in Abuja.

"Where am I?" He let's go of my hand and sits next to me on a cushioned stool next to the bed.

"You and Ajike were airlifted to Abuja about an hour after you were rescued from the hideout. Ajike was unable to be operated upon in Katsina, so we had to bring her to Abuja, you hadn't woken up and the doctor says its due to the residual fumes of chloroform you inhaled." I nod and ask ask if he called my parents.

"I did but your father only came here to check you and he left after a few minutes." I nod and think of how long I've been sleeping. I seemed to have slept off the effects of the drug at the hideout. How come I'm missing a lot of time. 

"How long was I asleep?" He sweeps his thumb over the back of my palm in what i make into a comforting gesture

"A whole day. You were sedated." I nod and ask what time it is.

"Just after Asr, today is the day after eid." My mind flickers and I remember that Ajike fainted after being in Mu'adh's arms.

"How's Ajike?" He removes his hand from mine and sweeps his hands over his curls, my heart stops beating for a second  and the heart rate  machine in the room begins to beep louder. He looks up in alarm and waves his hands to calm me down.

"Ajike is fine. She's in a coma though." I relax into the bed and he holds my hand again.

"I told you we drove straight to Katsina after rescuing the both of you. Ajike's blood pressure had shot up. Higher than normal and the general hospital in Katsina declined her. Saying they didn't have enough facilities to save her life. They could only let her sleep in one of their wards. So Mu'adh and Baaba called an ambulance helicopter from Abuja and we were dropped on the roof of The Nigerian Turkish Hospice. She was operated upon four hours later, and she has a baby girl."  I smile and he nods. My eyes sweep round the room again to the painting on the wall of a hand.

A gentle knock sounds on the door and Maama's hesitant head is what I first see. Adeel leaves my hand to open the door properly for her before taking the basket in her hands.

"Thank you Adeel. I asked Zarah and Safiyya to sleep. They hadn't slept a wink since they returned to Abuja this morning." She answers in response to Adeel's question about bringing someone to carry the surely heavy basket.

She reaches my side in no time and has a hand on my dripless arm in no time. "Afrah. I was scared. I shook like a leaf. And I had to help all those women Cook and do as though kidnappers hadn't just taken my daughter away. So unfair." I looked at her fair face and saw how pale and tired she looked.

"I'm sorry." She pats my hand before shaking her head with vigour

"I didn't tell you to make you sad or feel sorry. Its not your fault she couldn't teach her own husband a lesson. Astagafurlahi. If I had a husband like that. I'll beat him ehn till Allah returns his sense." Adeel and I laugh and she waves her hand like she always does.

"I brought you rice  porridge. You know, the Korean type." I try to put my hands to my mouth in surprise but the drip has me returning it to the bed gently. So painful.

"Thank you Maama." She nods and scoops some from a stainless steel warmer into a soup plate and places a soup spoon on it.

"Eat." I spoon the first bite into my mouth and the taste transports me back so when I went to Korea for a make up seminar. I had this as lunch. Except Maama's own has chopped parsleys and scallions decorating the top.

."Adeel have you eaten?" I ask him since he seems to be watching me eat. He nods his head and I continue spooning the porridge into my mouth gently.

"Adeel, have you seen the baby. So Ma Sha Allah. Absolutely gorgeous. She looks exactly like Asabe." I smile wanly and look outside the bay windows opposite my bed. This place could be the percent place for a studio. With all the light around here.

"Where is my phone?" I asked Adeel and he walked towards me again. He took the spoon I had forgotten in my appreciation of the window and spooned some porridge into his mouth.

"Ah, Maama. This is cho good" He sends her a thumbs up and nods his head vigorously. Just tell me where my phone is. Maama laughs and pats his bicep.

"What happened to my phone?"

"Nothing. Safiyya brought it with her home and its in the house." I sigh and lay back in bed.

He jumps up again and walks to the door, to open it for a nurse pushing a trolley in. After exchanging pleasantries, she takes my vitals.

"How's Ameerah and Afrah?What have you and Mu'adh decided to do to them?" Maama asks immediately the nurse leaves and Adeel drops his spoon with a clang in the ceramic bowl.

"Maama, Ajike isn't out of coma yet and they are already lobbying that they be released? Who do they think they are? Ameerah and that idiot's wife will stay in that ugly chiroma prison till Ajike wakes up." He picks the bowl and walks away to a brown door that I see is a bathroom, leaving his anger in his wake.

"They aren't accustomed to those sort of places. Beg him, I know they deserve all that and more but-" Adeel cuts her short.

"Maama, but what? What if it was Beela lying in that bed and the rest of us have no idea when she's going to wake, or what if it was Beela who's baby had nearly stopped breathing by the time she was cut out if her mother's belly? Would you still beg for them?" Maama shakes her head and I put my left hand into Adeel's own, he had come to stand next to me. He shakes it off.

"Uncle Seidu has gone with his three lawyers twice since yesterday evening to get bail of Ameerah. Are they trying to tell her to keep kidnapping other women and putting their families through untold torture? Is that the lesson?" I sigh and lean back into the bed. Adeel isn't going to listen to reason right now. In actuality, no one would.

"Have you called Zeenah back Maama, she wanted to speak to Beela earlier. I'll go see Mu'adh. Asalam Alaykum." He walked out of the room and maama and I watched him with bated breaths. I've never seen him loose his temper before, I'm too surprised to speak.

"I'm sorry. They've begun to disturb Hassan, he received calls all night. Inna Saude swore over and over for him to let Ameerah go. I just didn't know want to do. They'll turn us into wicked people. The rich people who have no regard for family." She hangs her head. And I see reason with her too. Family.

"Maama, it would all turn out alright In Sha Allah." She sighs and brings out her phone after tapping a few times, she shoves it in my face, Zeenah's anxious face is all I see.

"Walaikum Salam Zeenah." She smiles and turns to tell someone something.

"How do you feel?Any news on Ya Ajike?" I collect a glass of water Maama held out to me and took a sip before replying. I thank her and she smiles at me.

"I feel refreshed, good. Alhamdulilahi. Nothing from Umm Fawad's end though." She nods and says a prayer for her and I echo her.

"Maama, Adeel says you told him to release Memee and the other woman? Is that fair? What if it was me?" Maama shifts the phone to face herself before replying Zeenah in a stern tone.

"I was looking out for your precious Baaba. They call him all night. Inna Saude wouldn't let him sleep, you know even though Seidu isn't her son, he's her favorite." Zeenah hisses and turns to who ever she's been talking to in the background. Turns out its Moh, I pat my head and see a scarf in place. Bless Adeel.

"I understand you Maama. I'm sorry. Its just so unfortunate, Inna Saude needs to change to avoid the wrath of Allah. Hamma Adeel says she was the one who talked about Ya Ajike's tracking bracelet to Memee. What sort of discussion could they have been having?" Maama sighs again and I watch in silence.

They are a family whose second and third generation love one another deeply, only Allah knows what went wrong with the first generation.

******

Hi everyone.

Good evening, I hope we had a good day today? We still don't know the fate of our dear lovely Ajike. Don't worry, soon enough.

Who knows a befitting punishment for our evil two? I'll be waiting in the comments. And Uncle Seidu?😠😀😀 What to do na.

Here's to 8k ⚡⚡👼👼💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃

Thank you all. I love all of you. Sew y'all on Friday

Ciao

                TheOmoope 💆