Why are you guys thinking it is Dracs?😹 lemme kuku leave...

Anxiously, Jannah bit her lower lip as she waited for the doctor to emerge from the room Aisha was rushed to, the ICU. She couldn't sit down so she kept pacing up and down the length of the corridor, her heart thudding in her ears. She's called her mother-in-law, she must probably be on her way there. She needs someone there with her before another wave of nausea hit her. Being in the hospital again is bringing back unpleasant memories.

She took a sip of chilled water Aaron gave her and continued pacing like a husband waiting for his wife to deliver because he cannot be inside the room or he'd faint. Jannah wiped away perspiration from her forehead, her hands shaky so she dropped down on the waiting chair. It's been more than an hour and they are still inside. They should at least tell her what is happening and what is wrong with her friend.

Jannah wrinkled up her nose at the strong smell of cleaning supplies, astringent hand sanitizer, soap, latex gloves, the unidentifiable odor of bland food, fresh flowers, coffee, over-bleached towels, robes and sheets and sterilized stuff. Why so much of it? There should be limitations, children might not be able to inhale a lot.

A doctor came out the next minute, Jannah shoot up from the seat like a catapult was released with abruptness. The woman came to stand in front of her looking all too stern for Jannah's liking. Why is she looking like her friend is dead or something? Doesn't she know how to smile to calm their clients?

"Doctor, what's happening? Is she alright?" Jannah ricocheted instead, disregarding the woman's austere face.

Dr. Shafa'atu forced the edges of her lips to move. "She is alright. She is going to wake up in a few minutes or an hour."

Jannah let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, her lax hands snaked to clean away hidrosis from her neck and forehead. Why did she scare her like that? She thought Aisha was in a really serious state that needed blood or bone marrow transplant. She refused to think about death upon her friend for she cannot take anymore loss. Not the people she loves.

"Then why are you not happy, Doc? Is there something I should know?" Jannah enquired, her shoulders now dropped and expression a little more composed.

The doctor looked away and took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry but she had a miscarriage. She's lost the baby."

Jannah smiled kindly at the woman. "Surely you must be talking about someone else. I am talking about the patient you just wheeled into the ICU, Aisha and not any other woman. How is she? Is her leg alright? She's complained about stomach ache too."

Dr. Shafa'atu shuffled on her feet, her expression pinched. "Yes, I am talking about her too. She had a miscarriage after her fall because she's hit her stomach really bad. There was no chance of the fetus's survival."

"I think I should go see the person you are talking about. The Aisha I brought here wasn't pregnant. You must've mixed the results or something." Jannah explained, her voice rising a little to prove her point.

"Let's go." The doctor went ahead and stopped by the door where she pointed through a small window on the door.

Jannah peeped inside and saw Aisha lying there with her eyes closed, her clothes changed and IV secured around her hand. Jannah leaned back with creased brows. That person is none other than her best friend and she is sure the lady wasn't pregnant. Aisha is not married so where on earth did she get baby from? She is not that type of girl and she would've told her about it right? There was no single sign of pregnancy.

What is going on here?"

"You mean, Aisha was pregnant until two hours ago?" Jannah asked breathlessly, eyes bouncing from the window at Aisha back to the doctor in front of her.

"Yes, she was five weeks pregnant and maybe that is why she is yet to find out about it. But she's lost the baby, unfortunately." She passed Jannah a sympathetic smile before entering the room again.

Jannah stood by the door rooted, not moving an inch from where the doctor had left her. No, where should she go to? What should she do? She just found out that her very much unmarried best friend was pregnant. How is she supposed to take that information lightly? Something must be terribly wrong here and she'd be damned if she doesn't find out what that is.

The doctor came out a moment later and asked Jannah to follow her to her office which she did. She sat down on one of the two chairs facing her, she was sitting on edge. It's not like the doctor knows anything about the fact that Aisha is unmarried but Jannah wants to ask whether she can check something for her. Maybe how she got pregnant. She's got many scenarios in her head already.

Maybe she is doing surrogacy for some rich people to earn more money behind their backs? That doesn't sound like something Aisha would do so only the doctor can tell whether she is still a virgin or not. The words are heavy on Jannah's lips, she couldn't roll them out just like that. Is the woman going to judge them once she finds out that her friend is not married? Maybe she didn't hear when she told her about it earlier.

But was Aisha... perhaps raped? God, no please! Anything will do but rapi-

"Mrs. Jannah. I'm sorry again about your friend. I'll break down a few things for you so when she wakes up, you can fill her in." The woman shuffled around her table then started.

"Had it been a natural miscarriage, even in the early weeks of pregnancy, you are likely to have period-like cramps that can be extremely painful. This is because the uterus is tightly squeezing to push its contents out, like it does in labour - and some women do experience contractions not unlike labour. It was a heavy fall, there was loss of amniotic fluid which lead to her miscarriage.

"Amniotic fluid is a clear, yellow fluid which is found within the first 12 days following conception within the amniotic sac. It surrounds the growing baby in the uterus. Without it, the fetus won't be able to survive and hers was just growing. When the waters break, the amniotic sac tears. The amniotic fluid contained within the sac then begins to leak out via the cervix and vagina, that is what amniotic fluid is. Unfortunately, hers teared earlier and she lost the baby." Dr. Shafa'atu removed her glasses to wipe away her face with a handkerchief.

She continued, her eyes on Jannah. "For the next few days, it's normal to have heavy postpartum bleeding, abdominal cramping, perineal soreness, fatigue and aches. Her postpartum symptoms will gradually lessen as your body health increase. She should be hydrated, get good nutrition, light exercise, and sleep will help the body heal. She should consider trying a new physical activity that brings her joy or allow an emotional release, such as boxing. If possible, now is a good time to invest in self-care more than she typically would. I will prescribe misoprostol Cytotec, to make it easier."

Jannah was quiet, her lips chapped while she stared at the doctor like she's grown two heads. Should she talk to her about the fact that she is suspecting this to be rape? Or this is Aisha's secret and she should have a say in what happens to her? Yes, she will wait until she is conscious. Jannah decided to keep listening as the woman ranted.

"...ling sad is a healthy part of the grieving process. Some women and partners develop mental health problems because of their grief. Depression and anxiety are common, but some women may develop other issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or perinatal obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)."

Aisha awoke, squinting at the bright light overhead. Someone was rubbing something cool on the back of her hand, but the slickness quickly turned to a jab of pain. She flinched and turned her head. A nurse was securing an IV into her hand with tape. An IV? She was in the hospital? Pain slithered between her temples, fogging her thoughts, and the bleach smell wafting off the sheets turned her stomach. The last thing she remembered was talking to Jannah and then nothing.

She tried sitting up but the nurse was quick to push her back. "Don't exert pressure on yourself so soon. You should lie down."

Aisha groaned whilst doing as she said, lying her head on the pillow and stared aloof at the florescent in the ceiling. Where on earth is Jannah? She was the last person she's seen before finding herself here. Just what happened to her and what is she doing in the hospital. She tried remembering what happened but the memory must've been erased. Maybe they had an accident on their way to the villa?

She turned to the nurse that is about to leave the room with her pager in hand. "Hey!" She murmured through parched throat but she heard her.

"What's wrong? Do you need anything?" The nurse asked as she moseyed back to stand by her bed, searching for any discomfort.

"No. What happened to me? Why am I here and where is my friend?" She groaned, she needed water but the answers to these questions are more crucial. Nothing should happen to Jannah.

Before the nurse could say anything, the door was pushed open by Jannah herself so the latter shut her mouth and quietly left the room. Jannah watched Aisha from the door with scrutiny Aisha did not like but said nothing about. Is it concern in her eyes? Accusation too? Then what is fear doing there? And confusion? Jannah's face entirely spells trouble in capital letters.

Jannah strolled into the room, her hands behind her back. She dragged a chair from the end of the room and brought it to Aisha's bedside. She didn't say anything, neither of them did for about five minutes. Aisha started glaring at her friend for keeping quiet, she is the sick one there.

Jannah smiled before she said. "How are you feeling? Any pain?"

"No. I feel light, like something's been removed from my- wait, are my legs intact?" She fluttered them on the bed then suspire, just fine. "And it feels like I am on my period, a bad cramp is slowly building up. Ah, I need a sanitary pad or tampon before I ruin this bed."

Jannah's looks flummoxed, utterly nonplussed making Aisha question. "Why are you pale? Is something wrong? Wait, tell me what happened and why I am here on a hospital bed? The last thing I recall is talking to you at the mansion."

Fumbling and mumbling was what Jannah started. She is so fucking baffled at the moment. She started stuttering again when she opened her mouth to talk, her cheeks tingled. Her brows squished together, her eyes clouded and distant. She stood up and wandered around the room to think, she needed to gather her thoughts. She rubbed her forehead anxiously.

How is she going to tell her that she's had a miscarriage when she herself looks like she doesn't know anything about the pregnancy? She is definitely going to think she's lost her mind so it's kind of better if she calls the doctor to explain everything to her right? Yes, that is going to be much better for the both of them. This is beyond her power, she cannot do it.

"Shats, I'll just call the doctor so she can tell you what is going on. Hang in there I'll be right back." And Jannah rushed out of the room to the doctor's office who obliged happily.

When they came back into the room, there were more than just one person inside. Hajiya Maimuna, Nawal, Ammar and Aisha's mother, Ummi is there in the room with Aisha. Jannah swallowed audibly, ferried behind Ammar just in case. She doesn't want to see anyones reaction and Ammar is the tallest person in the room to shield her away from the following catastrophe that is bound to shake the room.

The doctor started elaborating everything like she did Jannah in her office. Every single one of the persons present in the room stared at her with open mouth and wide eyes and deep inside you could read the confusion on their faces. And they all think she is talking about another person but they allowed her to continue since it looks like she won't stop until she was done talking.

Aisha couldn't handle more so she laughed tiredly. "I'm sorry, Doc but I am Aisha. I'm sure it was only a mere accident that brought me here not pregnancy whatever."

Dr. Shafa'atu smiled mildly. "I know you are going to be traumatized now but it'll wear off. You were only seven weeks pregnant..."

Aisha cut her off again, this time unsmiling. "What sort of doctor are you? I told you I was never pregnant, never slept with a guy. Go get the patient that had miscarriage and talk to her."

Dr. Shafa'atu frowned at her. "Don't talk like that. We all saw that you weren't a virgin, there was blood and amniotic fluid when you were brought here which is only found in a pregnant woman so tell me what that was."

"Take her away before I scratch her face. Jannah what the hell is she talking about? Wasn't it an accident?" Aisha asked inside the room without seeing the Jannah she is questioning.

Jannah reluctantly stepped away from Ammar and answered. "It wasn't an accident. You fell on the stairs, on your stomach and there was so much blood."

The room was still, everyone trying to absorb the information given from both sides. Was Aisha really pregnant? How? She just said she's never slept with any man before in her life so what is going on? Hajiya Maimuna had seen a few symptoms but she wasn't sure at all.

Ammar was the first to come to the doctor and said. "Can you come outside with me for a moment?"

"Sure." And the duo left the others in utter silence again, thick with tension and awkwardness.

"Are you sure she was pregnant? She just said she's never been intimate with any man in her life. How can she be pregnant without her knowledge?" Ammar asked the woman as soon as they stepped out of the room, unease carved on his face.

Dr. Shafa'atu who was still frowning opened her mouth to say something then she blanked, her entire face became emotionless. She's already played the maths. "That will only be possible if she's been raped and she doesn't know."