The Painful Pleasure (TPP)
EPISODE 27
“Mr Dapo, I’m very sorry, your mum is in a very critical condition. She has shortage of blood, and that was what caused the collapse. She is unconscious as we speak. Her condition has gotten really worse.” The doctor explained. “What is the way forward now, doctor?!” I asked the doctor. I was covered in sweats, Moji stood behind me as I talked to the doctor. I even thought the doctor would tell her to excuse us, but he didn’t say that. “She needs blood transfusion urgently, and she’s O-positive. Right now, we don’t have any blood that is O-positive in our blood banks. So right now, the only solution is a donor, and we have limited time. But it’s good you are here. We really hope you are O-positive.”
My eyes were clouded with tears. I had a blood test when I wanted to resume school. I had been tested to be AB. I am a student of microbiology, I know the implication of what the doctor said. There are four blood groups: A, B, AB and O. ‘AB’ is referred to as ‘universal recipient’, because it can take blood from any of the other groups. ‘O’ is the ‘universal donor’ because it can donate blood to any of the other groups, but the problem is that it can only get blood from ‘O’. Blood from any other group entering into the system will only result in clumping of antibodies, agglutination, then death won’t be evitable.
I was so sad, as I cried bitterly. “Where exactly am I going to get someone that has the ‘O’ group, my mum has just a short while left.” I thought to myself. I answered the doctor’s question, now I couldn’t control my tears. “Doctor, I’m not O, I’m AB.” I cried bitterly. Suddenly. I heard a voice behind me. “Dapo don’t worry, they can get the blood from me, I’m O-positive”. The voice sounded like Moji’s but I didn’t believe it. I turned back and it was really her. I didn’t believe it, I had mixed feelings. I’m happy, at the same time Sad. Happy that we finally got a donor. Sad about my mothers case.
“Alright madam, we don’t have much time left. Please come with me for confirmatory test.” The doctor said to Moji. “I’ll be right back dapo. Just calm down okay, everything will be fine.” Moji said, and she followed the doctor for the test. I didn’t alter a word, because I was dumbfounded. I didn’t know what to say exactly. “How can someone be so nice? What have I done to deserve all the kind gestures? How on earth am I going to repay Moji for everything she has done for me?” I started thinking about her but I stopped, and started praying for my mum’s wellbeing.
Moji came back after 20 minutes holding an Apple and a can of Malt. She sat close to me and kept comforting me, telling me to calm down. The doctor came out too. “Congratulations Mr Dapo. The blood is perfect, and we have the blood already. As a matter of fact, the blood transfusion is going on already.” I was so happy, I hugged Moji immediately. I was so happy that I held her so tight. She was very happy too. The doctor was smiling. “If I may ask, who is she?” The doctor asked. “My blood sister, I answered.” Moji laughed. ” Why are you laughing now, the same blood flowing through your veins is the one flowing through my mum’s right now.” I said, The doctor laughed as well as Moji. “Doctor don’t mind him, I’m his friend, we are in the same department in school.” Moji answered. “Friend? Are you sure you guys are not dating?” The doctor asked Moji, but I took over to answer the question. “Sir we are very close, in fact, we are like brothers and sisters. That’s what people think when they see us”. As I was talking, Moji kept nodding her head in agreement. “You guys must be really close for you to come with him from school, talk less of donating blood to his mum”. The doctor said.
Moji changed the topic. “Doctor. Please can we see mummy now?” Moji asked. “No please, she is yet to gain consciousness, but in the next two hours, we believe everything will be fine. But in this hospital, we save dying people first before demanding money. Because we know that life is like an egg. And is priceless. So please, you guys should go and bring money to settle the bills, for the drugs and injections administered to her”. I was really baffled as I didn’t even know where to get that from. Moji broke the silence. “How much is the bill?” Moji asked. “It’s 30,000 Naira ma” The doctor replied. I was so sad as I didn’t have that money. Neither did my mum. Everyone knows that in St Peters hospital, the prices are not negotiable, and if you fail to pay, asides the fact that the patient won’t be discharged on time, you will have to pay extra money. Moji stood up, and went out of the office. I didn’t know where she was heading, so I followed her to see where she was going. . .
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