End of days

Chapter 44

Chapter 44

"Why did you not tell me she got kidn*pped? And all these while I was thinking she didn't want to come see I and Leah Rose at the hospital" Rayford's mother said to him as they watched Jane who was unconcious on the hospital bed.

Rayford had rushed her to the same hospital where his sister was being admitted. The doctor had examined her and discovered her lungs were weak and at the verge of collapsing, so her breathing had to be supported with an oxygen machine. Other tests that were conducted, showed she had two broken ribs, and pneumonia.

Rayford hasn't left her side for the past two days that she has been on admission. He has prayed, and even fasted. Now, he doesn't even know what else to do anymore.

His sister would be leaving for India the next day for her surgery. Ever since the day Rayford forcefully took Jonathan from her husband, they haven't seen nor heard from him. Rayford knew he must be planning on how to get back at them, but that wasn't a problem him and his family couldn't handle. The most important thing, was for his sister and Jane to get better.

Dele had gone to Rayford's house to be with Amaka. While Martha and her family, including Simon, have been arrested. Rayford would be going down to the station later in the day, to make some statements regarding Jane and Amaka's kidnap.

"How is Jane?" Amaka asked Dele as he helped her to stand up, so she could use the restroom. The nurse looking after her, had gone to get some of her drugs from a nearby pharmacy.

"She is doing okay, we were able to get to her on time"

"I'm glad those idiotic fellows have been arrested"

"Me too"

Few minutes later, Amaka stepped out of the restroom holding her head.

"Amaka what is the matter?" Dele quickly rushed to her side and held her as she almost fell.

"I'm feeling a bit dizzy"

"You see, why you should have allowed me take you into the restroom myself?"

"Your head is not correct"

"I'm glad you haven't lost your sense of humour'' Dele helped her to the bed, and she laid down.

''Thank you for taking care of me Dele, I'm sorry I haven't been nice to you lately''

''It's nothing to apologize about Amaka, I understand you hate me for the way I played with your heart in the past, and for that, I am truly sorry'' Dele looked really sorry for his actions.

Amaka took his hands in hers, ''It's fine, but you need to know that, I didn't refuse to date you because of what you did to me, although I was deeply hurt by that. But I refused to date you because, I need to work on myself, I have a lot of baggage Dele, and I don't want to bring you into it''

''Amaka, you think I don't know that already? We all have our own baggage, but that shouldn't stop us from experiencing love. We can help each other with our baggage''

Amaka immediately withdrew her hand from his ''I'm sorry Dele, but I can't. I need to work on myself and completely get rid off my toxic baggage before I can ever go into any relationship''

****************************

Later that evening, Rayford went to the police station to make a statement about the kidnap. When he was done, he requested to see Sandra his secretary.

''Mr. Rayford?'' Sandra was shocked to see Rayford seated in the prisoner's visiting room.

''Yes it is I''

Sandra sat down and placed her hand on the table demarcating her and Rayford's chair. ''I am truly sorry for everything Mr. Rayford, it was never my intention to hurt you. I just wanted to…''

''Hurt my fiancee? You didn't want to hurt me but you chose to hurt my Fiancee instead?''

"No, no, I just wanted to get your attention, and I didn't know how, so when Simon came with the idea of k********g Jane, it sounded like a good plan"

"It sounded like a good idea to hurt another person, a fellow woman like yourself? Can you hear yourself speak?"

"I know what I did is wrong, and no amount of apology can undo it. But for all it's worth, I'm truly sorry" Sandra started crying. What she thought was a good idea, has turned out to be her fall and that of her family. Her fair complexion which used to be very bright and shiny, was now dull without lustre. Her whole body was filled with different marks. Rayford suspected her cell mates must have given her some beating. He felt no pity for her. The luck she had was that, he has promised himself not to lay hands on any woman, because he really felt like pummeling her body with beating.

"You are right, no amount of apology can undo what you have done. I wish you the best of luck. Have a good life Sandra" Rayford stood up and left the room.

As he was stepping out of the police station, he got a call from Lauretha.

"Hi Lauretha, what's up?"

"Hello Rayford, are you busy?"

"Not really, I just finished making my statement at the police station. What's up?"

"I was hoping if we could see?"

"Right now?"

"Yes, if that is not a problem?"

"Alright, no problem. I'm going to check on Jane at the hospital, maybe you can meet me at the hospital's cafeteria?"

"Alright no problem, I will be there in an hour's time"

Rayford got into his car, and drove to the hospital, when he got there, the doctor was administering a drip on her.

When he was done, Rayford followed him outside.

"How is she doing doctor?"

"I must be honest with you, her condition is really critical, the infection has really spread across her lungs, but the drug we are administering, is helping to combat it. And she is a fighter, she will pull out of this"

"So she is going to be okay, right?" Rayford asked in fear.

"Yes, so you don't have to worry yourself" the doctor patted Rayford on the shoulders and left to check on other patients.

Rayford went back into Jane's private ward. He went to her bedside and sat down, holding her right hand.

"Hey baby, I know you can hear me. Baby I need you to fight, please don't give up, fight for the sake of our love, you can't die on me now, I promised to show you the world, and I intend on keeping to my promise. Babe please get better, I beg you" Rayford held her hand for a while, before kissing her on the forehead, and then left to go meet with Lauretha who had texted him, that she was already at the hospital's cafeteria.

"Hey Lauretha, I hope there is no problem?" Rayford asked as he pulled out a chair for himself to sit at the hospital's cafeteria.

"Yeah everything is fine, how is Jane doing?"

"She is fine"

"Oh that's good" Lauretha kept fidgeting on her chair. It was as if she had something to say but didn't know how to say it.

"What seems to be the issue Lauretha? You have been fidgeting" Rayford asked her.

"It's about our son Rayford, what are you going to do about him? You told me we were going to talk about it when Jane gets released. She has been released, now what?"

Rayford had totally forgotten about the boy, since Jane got rescued from the hands of the kidnappers, all he has ever thought about, was for her to get better. And there was his sick sister also. In all these, he had forgotten about his son with Lauretha.

"I'm sorry Lauretha, this period has really been crazy for me"

"I know, that's why I decided to remind you. Rayford you need to get close to your son, he needs his father. You need to be a part of his life as he grows up"

"I'm sorry, but it wasn't I who kept him away from my life" Rayford accused.

"And I have already apologized for that, I don't want you or him to miss out on each other's lives anymore, that's why I am trying to bring you both together now"

"Is he back to the country?"

"He will be coming back for the Christmas holiday, next week"

"Alright, I guess I would get to see him then"

"Before that, I need to know Rayford, what becomes of us now?"

"I don't quite understand, how do you mean what becomes of us?" Rayford asked with confusion written all over his face.

"I mean; what happens to our relationship? I'm sure you don't want your son to be raised in separate homes?"

"Your point?"

"Our son needs to be raised together by his parents"

"Don't you think, it's too late for this? The boy is thirteen"

"I know it's not too late. We can still give him a home, and if God willing, a brother or even a sister or maybe both"

"Hold up, hold up. What are you talking about? Who is giving who a brother?"

"You and I of course, we need to get back together, if not for anything but for the sake of our son, he needs the love of both parents"

"And we would give him that, but we don't have to be together for him to know his parents love him"

"I'm sorry Rayford but that is not the way I plan on raising my son"

"Excuse me? Is that not how you have been raising him for the past thirteen years? Why the sudden change of mind?"

"I'm sorry Rayford, but if you are not ready to get married to me, then you won't be seeing your son"

Reply her last statement as Rayford....

Problem no dey finish.

22#

22

"You can't do that, you can't keep me away from my son"

"You have no idea whom you are dealing with, you think it's the same little Lauretha back then in high school, that you can tell to jump and she will ask how high? This is a changed Lauretha, it's either my way or no way" Lauretha had a very stern look on her face. Rayford was at loss, he didn't know what to say to her.

"If you want to be a part of your son's life, then you would have to get married to his mother. I won't have my son raised in two different homes. Not especially when you are planning on marrying someone else, who might not even like him, and might end up maltreating him, whenever he comes visiting. I'm not going to have any of that"

Rayford sat there staring at her, not knowing what to make of her outrageous demand. First, she waited for thirteen whole years, before telling him they have a son together. And now, she walks in here asking him to marry her, if he wanted to be a part of his son's life. As if marriage was some sort of a business bargain.

He drank the remaining water left in his glass, and stood up to leave.

"What are you doing?" Lauretha asked in disbelief.

"What does it look like? I'm leaving of course"

"Are you walking out on me? You do know what that means, don't you? You might never get to see your son, or be a part of his life, if you walk out of this place"

"Lauretha, you have kept the boy away from me all these while, and if you choose to continue doing that, simply because I refuse to marry you, then you can do what suits you. I'm not about to start dragging the boy with you. If he is truly my son, when he comes of age, he would look for his father"

"It's because of Jane isn't it? What does she have that I don't? We used to be very much in love Rayford, why can't we just go back to how we used to be? Please"

Rayford came back and sat down. "Yes it is because of Jane, and no, we can't go back to how we used to be. Whatever we had together, is all in the past now. The earlier you accept it, the better for us"