FED UP!

(...continued...)

Inside the office, Dr Obinna clerked Cynthia. After some questions, he checked her vital signs. Then she told Cynthia to lie on the bed in the office. He touched some spots on her back and asked some more questions. When he was done, he asked her to come down.

  “I don’t like what I am suspecting,” He said to Mabel and shook his head.

  “What is the problem?”

  “I will send her to run some tests in the lab to confirm my speculation.”

  “Doctor what is wrong with me?” Cynthia asked sounding worried.

  “Don’t worry. Whatever it is, it can be handled.”

                He wrote out lab tests to run and filled an x-ray form for her to do.

  “Where will she do them?”

  “Give it to the lady doctor you met in the other room. She will direct you.”

  “Will the tests come out today?”

  “Sure. I made sure to put the ones that will not take time to be ready.”

                He took back the lab forms from then and wrote “urgent” on them and handed over to Mabel.

  “How much do you think they will cost?” Mabel asked.

                He took the forms again and wrote “50% off the cost” and signed. He handed it over to Mabel.

  “Thank you so much.”

  “You are welcome.”

  “I hope you will still be around till the results come out?”

  “Sure. I am not going anywhere until we get to the bottom of this.”

  “Thank you.”

                They left. Cynthia wore the worry look on her face as she walked behind Mabel.

  “What is wrong?” Margret asked when they came out. “What did he say?”

  “He sent Cynthia to run some tests and get an x-ray,” Mabel replied. “We will find out after that.”

                They gave the forms to the lady doctor who took them to the laboratory section. The lab cashier told them how much the tests cost.

  “You are to remove 50% from the total cost,” the lady doctor told her.

  “Signed by who?”

  “It is there. Signed by Dr Obinna.”

  “Ok.”

                She looked at what Dr Obinna had written, nodded her head and then told them how much was left. Mabel brought out her purse and checked how much she had.

  “I don’t have up to that here,” Mabel said. “Do you use POS?”

  “No madam,” the lab cashier answered.

  “Do you accept part payment? I will go and use an ATM now and pay the balance.”

  “No madam. It is pay before service.”

                Mabel exhaled.

  “Don’t worry,” Margret told her. “I will make it up.”

                Margret opened her bag and brought out the amount required.

  “Thank you so much.” Mabel thanked her.

  “You are welcome.”

  “I will pay you back when I use the ATM.”

  “It is not necessary.”

Mabel paid the cashier. Cynthia was led into the sample collection room. They took her blood and urine specimen. Then she was directed to the x-ray section. She did the x-ray and was told the results will be ready in an hour time.

  “Should we go back to Dr Obinna’s office or should we wait here for the result?” Cynthia asked Mabel.

  “Let me find out when they close.”

                Mabel asked a lab attendant who told them that the labs will close in about two hours time. He advised them not to go far.

  “If you are not in sight,” Margret said. “They may forget you are waiting for your result.”

  “But we can’t stay here,” Mabel said.

  “Let’s go to Dr Obinna’s office then.”

                Mabel told the lab attendant that they are still in the compound and will come back for the result in an hour time. He reassured them that the result will be ready by then. They left for Dr. Obinna’a office. They met him standing outside with a friend.

  “How did it go?” He asked them.

  “They asked us to come back in an hour time.”

  “Ok. Do you want to wait or do you want to go and come back?”

  “We will wait.”

                He turned to Cynthia and asked how she was feeling.

  “I still feel the pains.”

  “Did you come with the balm?”

  “Yes,” Mabel answered. “It is in my handbag.” She opened the bag.

  “Hold on.” He told Mabel and then turned to Cynthia, “Cynthia is the pain unbearable?”

  “Not really.”

  “I will prefer we wait until the result come out so we will know exactly what we are dealing with and apply the right treatment.”

  “Ok.”

  “Let’s go get something to eat,” Margret said to Mabel.

  “Thanks dear but I am not hungry,” Mabel told her.

  “I am o,” Cynthia said.

  “Will you like to use the canteen?” Dr Obinna asked them.

  “No o,” Margret said. “I don’t do canteens.”

  “Ok. There is this fast-food not very far from here. You can try them.”

  “You can go with Cynthia,” Mabel said. “I will wait for the result to come out.”

  “No. You two can go and bring back take-away for me,” Cynthia suggested. 

  “You can all go.” Dr Obinna told them. “I will monitor the lab for you.”

  “Thank you so much.”

                They left for the fast-food restaurant.

  “I will need to use an ATM,” Mabel said as they drove off.

                Margret drove to a bank close by. The crowd of people waiting to use the ATM was too much.

  “Do you want to wait or do we try somewhere else?” Margret asked her.

  “Let’s try somewhere else,” Mabel answered. “Remember, we don’t have much time.”

                They went to another bank. There was no queue. Mabel entered and came out almost immediately.

  “What happened?” Cynthia asked.

  “Their ATM machines are temporarily out of service.”

  “These banks sef,” Margret said and hissed. “If we can’t find one, we leave it till we are done with the hospital.”

  “Let’s try one more,” Mabel said.

                They went to another bank

(...to be continued...)

-Chinedu Isaac