Abandoned - S01 E03

Story 11 hours ago

Abandoned - S01 E03

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 3

ABANDONED, Episode Three

Benny sat on the hospital bed with her back against the wall. Her babies were lying beside her, calm and quiet. Her eyes were swollen from crying. Every morning, she woke up with the same question in her head: "Why did Ayo leave me like this?" She hadn't eaten anything since the previous day, and there was no one to help her. Nurses passed by her room and looked at her with pity, but nobody said anything. The N780,000 hospital bill was still hanging on her head like a curse, and there was no sign of Ayo anywhere.

Her family members had visited the hospital once. They came, looked at her, shook their heads and said, "We warned you." Her elder brother didn't even enter the ward. He stood at the corridor and spoke loudly so everyone could hear. "We told you not to marry a poor man, but you no hear. You say love is all you need. Now love go pay hospital bills, abi?" Her mother told her to endure it. She said they didn't have any money to help her. After staying for ten minutes, they all left the hospital quietly.

The next week, Ayo's uncle and two of his cousins came to check on her. They came with one bag of garri, some dry fish, and small palm oil. They placed it by the corner of the room and said that was all they could bring. "We no get money, my daughter," the uncle said. "Even our own pikin dey house now with fever and we never buy medicine. This small thing na wetin we fit manage bring from the farm." They sat down briefly, asked a few questions, and then walked away like visitors who came to see a dead body.

Benny sat alone most of the time. She started calling some of her old friends, hoping someone would pity her and help. "Ngozi, please I need help. I'm still in the hospital. I can't pay my bills. Please anything you can assist with." But Ngozi laughed on the phone. "So na now you dey remember say you get friend? When we dey tell you say that boy go bring problem, you say love go feed you. Now see am. Abeg manage." She tried another friend, Ifeoma, but the response was even worse. "You dey suffer now? Good for you. You too stubborn."

The hospital workers were tired of seeing her face. Every day, nurses came to ask if the bill had been paid. "Madam, this is not a charity centre," one of them said. "You have stayed here more than enough. We need space for other patients." Benny begged them. "Please let me go and find work. I will pay the bill small small. I can't stay here forever." But the hospital manager refused. "No way. You must pay before you leave with those children. That's the policy. We won't change it because of you." Benny returned to her bed, empty and frustrated.

Two months passed since she gave birth. Benny's body started changing. She had lost so much weight. Her skin had become pale. Her clothes no longer fitted well. She breastfed the babies every day, but she herself had nothing to eat. The garri an uncle brought finished within a week. Nurses sometimes gave her leftover food from the staff kitchen. Sometimes she had to drink water to stop her stomach from making noise. Her babies were looking weak, but she had no one to help her with baby food or even diapers.

One night, a nurse came into her room and sat beside her. "Madam, you need to find a way out of here," she said in a low voice. "I feel sorry for you, but we can't continue like this. You're getting worse. Those babies need proper care. Why not call a TV station or post your story online? Maybe somebody will help." Benny shook her head. "I don't even have a good phone. And even if I do, who will care? My own family has abandoned me. My friends have turned their backs. Even my husband ran away.

The babies cried a lot at night. Benny would carry one in her left hand and use her right hand to shake the others. Her back ached from sleeping in one position every day. Her hair was rough. She had not even had a proper bath in two weeks. The bathroom was far, and she couldn't leave the babies alone. One nurse later started helping her wash the babies once in a while, but even the nurse looked overwhelmed. "This woman is suffering too much," one patient said. "Is it a crime to be poor and have children?"

One afternoon, the hospital accountant walked in with a file in his hand. "Madam, this is the last warning," he said. "You have overstayed. If you don't pay in the next seven days, we will take this matter to the police. It's becoming a legal issue. You can't keep using our resources for free." Benny didn't say anything. She just looked at him. After he left, she sat quietly for a long time. Then she picked up one of her babies and stared at the child. "I don't even know what to call you people. Your father has left us to suffer."

By the end of the day, Benny sat by the window of the ward, looking at the hospital gate. She hoped that somehow, someone who knew her would walk in and say, "Let me help you." But nobody came. All the people she counted on were gone. The hospital was no longer a place of healing to her. It had become her prison.

Every night, she whispered short prayers. "God, if truly you exist, help me. I don't know how I got here. I just want to be free. I want my children to live a better life than this."