Well, she came from her exam class excited as she had written her paper well, like she had been doing for the past three weeks. She had a plan of going to the hospital, which was about a kilometre away from her home, to check up on her mother. The time was about half past one in the afternoon, and she was rushing as they opened the hospital doors for the visitors at two o’clock until three o’clock in the afternoon. She never wanted to miss a minute of the one hour they gave her during the visiting hours. That was the only hour she had to sit and comfort her mother in the whole twenty four hours of the day.

Whenever she arrived at the hospital, she would sit at the bed side and start to talk to her mother even when her mother could not respond. She was gravely sick. Her mother would just pull a hard and short smile to show her that she was listening to her and open her eyes – a task which seemed to be the heaviest to do. Although the situation was as bad as this, Angela would try by all means to be strong for her mother. Now, this day she was planning to tell her mother about the good news of her examinations – something that her mother would really be keen to hear as she always encouraged her to study hard.

Her mind was so occupied with her good exam paper and she had no place for anything bad in her whole day. But unfortunately when she arrived at the hospital, people were standing outside the wards. It was now five minutes after visiting time, and people were still waiting outside. She went closer to this old lady who was also coming to visit her son at the same ward.

“Sorry, Franny, why are people still waiting here? Are people not allowed to get in today? Or the nurses have forgotten about the visiting hours?”

The old lady told her that the nurses had told people to wait a little bit outside while they were still attending to one of the emergency patient. While they were still whispering about what could happen, another group of the people who were going to the same ward were sitting at about a reasonable distance also whispering about who it could be.

One of the nurses came and opened the door and assured people that they would get their wasted time back when they got inside.

“We are already done attending the patient, we are only waiting for the porters to come and help us. You’ll get your wasted time back – we’ll start counting your time once you get in.” the nurse said while consoling the people, some of whom had already started complaining.

“Sorry Sister, can we get a way please!” it was the porter who had used the back door to enter the ward.

“Oh! Yes, please! People have already waited enough.” The nurse responded with a smile.

“People, I’ll come and call you now.” The nurse promised the visitors as she was going inside.

At this time, the porters were going outside pushing the stretcher with a person lying on it covered with those plastics used for dead people, and they were heading straight to the hospital mortuary. People continued to whisper about who could that person be, and everyone was really scared that it could be their relative.

Angela, too, was scared that it could be her mother but the news of her best exam paper could not allow any bad news. Not before she told her mother about it. So she kept hoping that it was somebody else as everybody did.

Without a waste of any more time, the nurse did as she promised. She came and called people to come into the ward. Everybody got in with their hearts beating, but most got relieved as they saw their relatives still lying on their beds. To her surprise, Angela could not see her mother.

Her bed had been removed out of the ward. The people sitting by the beds of those who were lying ill, were whispering about it. She did not know what was really going on. She didn’t even know that the stretcher that passed her standing outside was carrying her mother to the mortuary. Out of confusion, she decided to go and ask the nurses who were sitting at the reception.

“Sorry, Sister! Can I ask? I can’t seem to find my mother. She was in bed number three at the ICU ward.” She asked with a small and scared voice.

“Oh, are you talking about Mrs Universe?”

“Yes, Ma’am!” Angela answered.

“Please wait for Sister Joyce to help you, she is coming now.” A nurse answered her.

A tall and well-built lady came in, dressed in a nurses’ uniform.

“Sister, Joy. Here is Mrs Universe’s daughter – she has been waiting for you.” one of those nurses told Sister Joyce.

“Oh OK, you can follow me to my office.” She told Angela.

***

Tell us: Do you think Angela’s mother passed away?