CHAPTER 11: WARD ROUND
937 Words
CHAPTER 11: WARD ROUND
*6:47 AM. Tuesday. FUEN Teaching Hospital – Medical Ward 3.*
The gavel was still ringing in Ada’s ears.
_“Life imprisonment. And your 28 dies with you.”_
But 28 wasn’t dead. Not really. Not until Ikenna walked out of here. Not until Hauwa’s cousin lived.
Ada adjusted her white coat. Name tag: *DR. A. C. OKORO – MBBS 1 – ETHICS BOARD*
Not “Student Doctor” anymore. VC Amadi reinstated her and signed a new memo at 11:59 PM last night: _“Miss Okoro’s testimony and Dreame advocacy qualify as Community Medicine Distinction. She begins supervised clinicals immediately.”_
Dr. Binta met her at the nurses’ station. No barking today. Just a nod.
“Ward round, Doctor. Bed 4 first. Your family.”
---
*7:03 AM. Bed 4.*
*Ikenna Bello. 7 years old. Status: Post-seizure. Stable.*
Hauwa’s aunt sat beside him. Eyes red. But BP normal. Grief normal.
“Ada,” she whispered. “You put them in prison.”
“CIB did,” Ada said. “I just posted.”
“You saved him,” the aunt said, looking at Ikenna. “Doctor said if we came 10 minutes later...”
Ikenna opened his eyes. Small. Confused.
“Good morning, Doctor Okoro,” Dr. Binta said behind her. Loud. For the ward. “Patient status?”
Ada’s hands didn’t shake.
“Patient is alert. Afebrile. Last seizure 18 hours ago. Vitals stable. Recommend EEG today and discharge tomorrow if clear.”
Dr. Binta blinked. Then: “Correct. Note it. Next bed.”
As they walked away, Ikenna grabbed Ada’s coat.
“Sister,” he mumbled. “Hauwa said thank you.”
Ada didn’t cry. Doctors don’t cry on rounds.
She wrote it in her Dreame draft instead. Later.
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*10:30 AM. FUEN Senate Building – Ethics Board Office.*
312 reinstatement letters. Signed. Stamped. Sealed.
Fatima was already there. Black still. For Hauwa. Always for Hauwa.
“CIB dropped a box,” Fatima said. She pointed.
A carton. Label: *KENE_OBI_15_YEARS – PHYSICAL COPIES – EVIDENCE*
Inside: Handwritten ledgers. Bank tellers. WAEC scratch cards with names. NECO result slips altered in red pen.
And a list.
*“PROTECTED SLOTS 2026 – JAM”*
Children of Senators. Governors. JAM Registrar. All pre-scored. 300+.
At the bottom, in red pen: *“IF ADA TALKS, DELETE LIST. ACTIVATE 28 PROTOCOL.”*
28 wasn’t just a score. It was a button.
Fatima looked up. “They were going to do it again, Ada. Next year. To someone else’s Hauwa.”
Ada took the list. Walked to the shredder.
Paused.
Then put it in her bag.
“No,” she said. “We don’t shred. We scan. We upload. We Dreame.”
*Chapter 7: THE 2026 LIST*
---
*1:03 PM. FUEN Hospital – Cafeteria.*
Mr. Jude sat across from her. No tears today. Just indomie. And a JAM Physics booklet.
*JAM PHYSICS 2026 – 41→80 – FOR DR. IMOH*
“Jessica’s mock is Friday,” Mr. Jude said. “She scored 41 last week. Same as Fatima did in Anatomy Year 1. Same as Hauwa would have...” He stopped.
Ada took the booklet. Flipped it.
Handwritten notes in the margin. Fatima’s writing: _“Q3 from 2011 comes EVERY YEAR. Motion. Master it = 15 marks.”_
“Jessica is you,” Mr. Jude said. “189. Port Harcourt. Wants FUEN. Wants to be Dr. Imoh.”
“Then she needs 320,” Ada said. “Not 189.”
“She needs you,” Mr. Jude said. “I told her about Bed 7. About 94. About 28 dying. She said ‘tell 328 girl I start 5:30 AM tomorrow’.”
Ada smiled. First real one since the gavel.
She pulled out her phone. Opened Dreame.
New Post. Not Chapter 7.
*To: Dr. Imoh Jessica Ugochi 👑*
*From: Dr. Ada Chioma Okoro*
_Physics 41 is not your 28. Physics 41 is your Room 304._
_You don’t beg your way out. You solve your way out._
_Tonight: $v = u + at$. Write it 10 times._
_Tomorrow 5:30 AM: Become 80._
_April 2027: Become 320._
_September 2027: Walk into FUEN. Find me. We do ward round together._
_28 is dead. 41 is next._
_We are 328. We are 320._
_Post._
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*3:47 PM. PBC News – Live Interview.*
Reporter: “Dr. Okoro, you just ended a 15-year fraud empire. You’re 18. ₦25 million richer. What’s next?”
Ada looked at the camera. At the 312 students behind it. At Hauwa’s mother watching from FUEN Hospital. At Ikenna, now awake, holding a PBC News mic like a toy.
“Next,” Ada said, “is Book 2.”
Reporter: “Book 2? Another Dreame story?”
“No,” Ada said. “Book 2 is real. Her name is Jessica. She’s in Port Harcourt. She scored 189 in JAM. Physics 41. She thinks she’s 28.”
She held up the JAM booklet.
“But she’s not. She’s 320. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
Reporter: “Your message to Jessica?”
Ada leaned in.
“Jessica,” she said. “5:30 AM. Motion. $v = u + at$. 28 is dead. Kill 41. I’ll see you in FUEN.”
---
*9:00 PM. Okoro Hostel – Room 12B.*
Ada’s phone buzzed.
*Unknown Number – Port Harcourt*
Text: _“v=10, s=25. I START 5:30 AM 👑 – Dr. Imoh”_
Ada put her head on her desk.
And for the first time since 180, she slept.
No USB. No Room 304. No 28.
Just 320. Coming.
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- Writer
