"Matt! I am not losing another baby! This could even be my last chance! How can I live without a child? Aaaaaah!," Matt's wife continued to cry out in pain.
Fatmah Liko was a beautiful lady married to Matt Liko. She had married to him for close to two decades. Unfortunately for her, she had suffered three miscarriages and this was her fourth pregnancy.
It was almost a miracle for them to have reached this far for without having any complications; though, this one also came to birth pains earlier than anticipated which seemed to be a bit unprepared for.
"Hang on Fatmah! We're almost there! We are not losing another baby indeed! Now be strong!," he cautioned her.
"Beeeep...," a long blast of a car horn was heard approaching the compound of Emmanuel hospital.
The car came to a stop and Matt jumped out.
"Help! Help!," he yelled. "My baby is coming out now! Someone help please!," he continued.
The bystanders looked at the man in surprise. "Where is the baby that's coming out?," one of the women in the compound asked, disturbed by the noise Matt made.
"Oh! It's my wife, she is in the car!," pointing at the closed rear car door.
Suddenly the door opened, revealing a pregnant woman seemingly in great pain.
The nurses had rushed to the car with a portable hospital bed.
"Out of the way!," yelled one nurse to Matt who unknowingly was blocking their path.
He jumped up, giving way for the portable hospital bed to pass. He then followed, running after the nurses pushing the bed. When he caught up with them, he touched his wife, "darling, you are gonna be well, together with the child!", he comforted her.
They entered labor ward and preparations were made. A midwife rushed over to Fatmah's attention and made a quick check up.
"Oh no!," she said. "Doctor, tell me all is well with my family!," Matt panicked.
"All is well, only that she may not be delivered naturally!," she said rushing out of the labor ward.
"What's the meaning of that?," he asked, following the midwife.
"What I mean, is that for the safety of the mother and the baby, we are have to do a Cesarean section!," she responded, entering a changing room.
"I don't get all that Cesarean section thing! What does it mean?," he asked, confused.
"It means, they are going to cut her belly open and get the baby out," a female familiar voice echoed in Matt's ears which he didn't recognize at first because of the panic.
He then said, "you would have told me that!, before muttering, "oh no!"
He then turned to see his sister in law.
"Hi Matt!," the lady greeted Matt with a warm smile.
"Vanny! God! Thank you for coming! I was literally going insane," he said bringing her in for a long hug.
"Matt, you're suffocating me!", she said pulling away for him.
"In which ward is my sister?," she asked before adding, "she needs company now and you're this way asking what's gonna happen to her?! Men!"
"Come!," he then led her through a long corridor. They now came to a labor ward where she was, lying on a bed groaning.
Before they greeted each other, the midwife came back with her crew, with one carrying a silver platter, and on it were surgical materials.
"Alright, the family reunion will be for some other time and not now! She is ready for the operation! She's in pain!," the midwife said, interrupting the pair that had just entered the ward.
A male nurse handed Matt a clipfile having some papers on it. "Sign here, sir!, the male nurse said to Matt, who subconsciously took a pen and signed. The male nurse then retrieved the file from Matt and walked away.
"What did you just sign? You didn't even read through!!," Vanny scolded him
"Darling, it's too late for him to read through! His wife is in pain and the baby or the mother or both are in danger now," the lead midwife interrupted.
"Now, let someone escort you outside,and we perform our duties!," the midwife continued.
And without hesitation, Matt and Vanny walked out of the labor ward and stayed outside, peeping through the glass door though they couldn't get a clear picture of what was happening.
Inside the delivery room, Fatmah was made to lie on a bed and a screen was put before her to block her view of what was being done.
Anesthesia was given to her to numb her lower body.
"I am not feeling my lower body," she said. "Yes ma'am! It's for your own good!," one of the midwives told her.
Moments later, a midwife took hold of a scalp and made an incision from her navel, down to her pubic bone.
Her belly was now open.
Another incision was made in her uterus and the baby was delivered.
The placenta was removed and the uterus was closed with dissolvable stitches. The incision made on the belly was also closed with staples and she was taken to the recovery room.
When she was partially recovered from the effect of anesthesia, she was given her baby.
Matt and Vanny were called in an hour later.
"Oh! Mom's sweet daughter is finally with child!," Vanny said warmly but carefully hugging Fatmah. "Give me the baby! Lemme see my child,.." she continued, smiling.
"Oh... She is beautiful!," Vanny said. "Is it a girl?," Matt asked, snapping as from a sleep.
"Nooo..., he is a boy!," Fatmah replied, rolling her eyes. "Thank you my darling! You have made me a father and at the same time given me a son. He is my heir. Hooo! I am a father now!," Matt thanked his wife and gradually increased his voice until he shouted with joy, jumping up and down like a puppy.
Fatmah and Vanny looked on and marvelled.
"Have you seen him this happy before?!," Vanny asked in bewilderment. "Nope!! I also wonder! He must be indeed happy for it!," Fatmah replied, looking at him in awe.
"Give me my son!," Matt shouted at Vanny with a joyful shout.
The nurses came closer, alarmed by the voice of the man.
But Matt didn't care about their coming.
He instead gestured to them proudly saying, "I am a father now! She has given me an heir. This one will inherit all my hard earned fortune!"
He kissed the baby and gave him back to his mother for breastfeeding.
"Doctor, when are we being discharged?," Matt asked. "This early?!!," Vanny snapped in amazement.
"Yes, I want to surprise my wife, my queen, the mother of my only child," he replied smiling broadly.
Vanny couldn't say much. She instead looked on as though she was watching a cinema and at the same time seeing a happy insane man.
"Sir, since she was delivered through a Cesarean section, we will have to give her at least a day or two as we monitor her from here," said the nurse politely.
Okay, I don't mind waiting. She is all mine," Matt responded with a smile.
"Now if you don't mind, allow me finish something," he excused himself.
"Vanny, take extra care of my wife, please!," he asked.
"He can hunt a lion for you for what you have done for him," a nurse joked.
"Don't say it!," Fatmah replied, blushing.
"Thank you for being here for me, Vanny!," Fatmah said, sincerely.
"Don't mention it! Mom would roast me if I didn't come," she responded.
They continued to chatting, and laughing as time passed.