Abandoned - S01 E04

Story 11 hours ago

Abandoned - S01 E04

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 4

ABANDONED, Episode Four

Benny sat on the hospital bed staring at the wall. The fan above her made noise but brought no comfort. Her babies were sleeping, and her stomach made noise from hunger. She had not eaten since the day before. Nurses passed her, some looked at her with pity, others ignored her. The hospital had refused to let her go. They said she must pay the bill before leaving. It had been two months already. Her body was getting weaker every day. But she knew she was not lazy. She was still strong enough to work. She just needed freedom.

"I can't die here," she said to herself. "If I stay here, I will die. My children will die. Nobody is helping me. I need to do something." She looked at the small cupboard beside her bed. It was empty. Even the pap some women used to share for new mothers had stopped coming. Her breastmilk was no longer flowing well. The babies cried most nights from hunger. "I have to leave. Even if it's wrong, I must leave. I need to work. I can do something with my hands. This suffering is too much," she said quietly.

That night, when most nurses had closed from duty, Benny watched the ward. The lights were dim. One of the nurses had gone to sleep in the resting room. Two others were pressing phone near the reception. She quickly picked up her wrappers and wrapped the babies. She had found an old baby bath container under the stairs two weeks ago. She cleaned it and kept it beside her bed. That was the only thing that gave her an idea. She laid one baby inside, then another, until the four babies were arranged gently.

She used two wrappers to cover them lightly. Then she bent down, put the baby bath on her head, and stepped out of the ward through the back door. The compound was very quiet. The trees outside the building moved slowly in the breeze. She saw a cat jump across the pathway. Her legs made small sounds on the gravel ground. But she didn't stop. Her eyes moved around to check if anyone was coming. Nobody. Everywhere was dark. Only the security light at the gate gave a faint glow. The gate was not locked.

The gateman was sleeping on a bench just beside the gate. A radio was playing quietly beside him. He had removed his shoes. Benny walked slowly towards the gate. The weight of the babies on her head was much but she did not stop. When she got to the gate, she pushed it slowly. It opened. She looked back at the hospital building one last time, then faced the road. She crossed the gate and started walking fast. Her legs were shaking from tiredness, but her mind was made up. She was going home. She must survive.

It took her almost two hours to get home. She followed the small bush paths to avoid being seen. Her house was an uncompleted one-room building with a zinc roof and a broken wooden door. When she got home, she located the key where her husband had kept it. She unlocked the door and pushed the door with her elbow, entered, and dropped the baby bath on the floor. The babies were awake. One had started crying. She sat on the floor, carried the first child and started to breastfeed. The others cried but she had no strength to carry all of them at once. That night, she slept beside them on the floor.

It was not the best sleep, but she slept. The children slept too. When she woke up in the morning, she had no food to eat. Her head was hot. She was not even sure how to get water to bathe them. Her wrapper was dirty. She walked outside to check the small drum. There was little water left. She managed to wash her face and cleaned the babies' bodies. A neighbour saw her from afar but didn't come close.

Everyone knew what happened. Some of them had even gone to the hospital before. But nobody wanted to help her now.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, the nurses discovered her absence early in the morning. The bed was empty. One of the wrappers she used was still on the bed. A nurse shouted, "Madam Benny has disappeared!" Another nurse came in, looked around and ran out to report to the matron. The matron was angry. She called the hospital manager. "How can a woman with four babies just disappear like that?" the manager asked. They checked the CCTV at the reception, but she didn't pass there. That was when they realised she went through the back gate.

The hospital management contacted the police. They said it was a case of absconding without paying hospital bills. The amount was already written in her name: N780,000. The police came, took pictures of her ward, and said they would search for her. The hospital kept her file. They said if they see her again, they would arrest her.

Her story started spreading on Facebook. Some people blamed her. Some pitied her. But she had no idea.

That morning, Benny sat outside her house thinking of what to do next. She had not eaten. The babies were crying again. Her breastmilk was not enough. She needed to find food, but she could not leave them alone. "God, help me," she said softly. She remembered one old friend who once told her about selling pap by the roadside. "Maybe I can start that," she thought. "Even if I sell little, at least I'll get money to feed these children." But she had no money to even buy corn. No plate. No spoon. No cup. Nothing. She looked around helplessly.

The day passed slowly. Nobody came to visit her. She was afraid the hospital people might come. She didn't even know where her husband was. The babies were still small and fragile. At night, she sat again on the floor, looking at them. "I will not give up," she said. "If nobody will help me, I will help myself. I carried these children in my womb. I will raise them, even if I have to beg on the street." Her hands held one of the babies closer. She leaned her back against the wall and closed her eyes. The struggle had just begun.

of the babies closer. She leaned her back against the wall and closed her eyes. The struggle had just begun.

To be continued