Chapter Three
1765 Words
It was five in the morning when Suzie stirred from her sedated sleep . She opened her eyes only to find that she was in a strange room . She tried to turn on bed , but felt some pricking pain on her arm where the hypodermic needle was intravenously injected . Her eyes scanned the room and she saw the drip , with a nurse standing nearby .
" Why am I here?" She asked the nurse , having realized that she was in hospital .
" It is good to see you up ," the nurse started . " You have slept soundly for over twelve hours . You were involved in some minor accident and you fainted ."
" Accident ? Where? I mean , where am I hurt ?"
" Fortunately , the injury was superficially muscular on the right hip . You might not feel it now because of the painkillers . The driver who hit you was gracious enough to bring you here ."
" I really feel starved . Could there be something I could eat ?" She asked as she experienced the pangs of hunger .
" Sure . Just a minute ," the nurse hurried out . She came back shortly after bearing a cup of steaming coffee and some snacks .
Suzie felt refreshed and rejuvenated after consuming the snacks .
" Thank you so much ," she thanked the nurse . " May I use the washrooms?"
" No problem , I just need to disconnect this drip . This is the third bottle , and I'm sure you are fully hydrated ."
Suzie located her bag on the bedside table and rummaged through it for her toiletries . She experienced some slight muscular pain as she stood up which dissipated as she took the first step . The nurse gave her directions to the washrooms .
She came back after some minutes to find a doctor and another gentleman she did not recognize waiting for her in the room .
" Good morning , young lady ," the doctor greeted her . " It is quite satisfying to see you looking more lively than you were yesterday ."
" Good morning .Thank you , doctor ," she said .
" Welcome . It's my duty to attend to all patients . And here is Mr....?"
" Dan . Name is Dan Ford ," he had been staring at her . He did not know why he had decided to hide his true identity .
" Mr. Dan is the one who brought you in after the accident . Not only did he take it upon himself to bring you here , but his good-natured self has apparently forced him to come earlier to check on you ."
" Thank you so much , Sir ," Suzie courteously said , bowing .
" There's absolutely nothing to thank me for . I think it was my responsibility as the one who caused you the injury ," Prince Dan responded .
" Though I can't remember much about the accident , I somehow feel responsible for what happened . What was I doing in the middle of the highway ?"
" Perhaps , you were stressed about something ?" The doctor inquired . After seeing that she was not willing to talk about it , he continued . " Now that you are fully recovered , we have no reason to detain you any longer . We would like to have some details about you before we discharge you ."
" With all due respect, doctor , I absolutely have no money to foot the bill . Will you kindly allow me to do any work to pay the bill . I can wash clothes , clean the hospital , anything , please ." She begged .
" You don't have to worry about the bill . Dan has cleared it ."
She turned to look at Dan , perplexed . He smiled at her and said :
" That is the least I could do for my role in the accident ."
" I can't thank you enough, Sir ! God bless you abundantly . However , as I said , I would like to get some work to repay the money , and a place to stay , please ."
" If you may excuse our curiosity , yesterday when we were going through your particulars in search of any contacts to your relatives , we came across some of your academic credentials . May I ask why you are looking for such menial jobs , and why you don't have a place to stay ?" The doctor asked .
" Despite what you saw , I haven't been able to secure a job . I have attended many interviews only to be turned down for lack of experience . Yesterday , my friend who brought me from the village threw me out of her house because I wasn't contributing to housekeeping . I don't have any relatives , nor do I know any other person here in the city ." She started sniffling .
" We really do empathize with your situation , but currently we don't have any vacancy here in the hospital . May I suggest that you consider going back to the village while we wait to see if an opportunity arises ?"
Suddenly , her sniffling turned into whimpering .
" I'm sorry if I said something wrong ," the doctor continued .
" No ,it is okay ," she said after she had composed herself . " I'm the one who should be sorry for bringing you into this . Anyway , don't worry . I will find a way out of this . I sincerely thank you for everything you have done ," she said , turning to Dan . " I just hope I will find a way to repay your generosity ."
" Hold on ," Dan responded . " I just remembered somebody who could use your services , and definitely , a place you can stay while you sort yourself out . That is , if you won't mind ."
" You have already done more than enough . I don't want to trouble you any further , Sir ."
" It is no trouble at all . Consider it as a way of making up for the inconvenience I caused you . So , please accept my offer and let's go to check on the place ."
* * * * *
" Here we are ," Dan said , pulling up by a gated compound in an high-rise estate . The gate man recognized the vehicle and hurried to open the gate .
" You mean this is where your friend stays ?" She asked .
" Actually , where he used to stay before reallocating abroad on a three years' contract ," he responded as he drove into the compound with expensive-looking flats .
The caretaker approached them and he instructed him to get the keys to a specific room . He led the way up the stairs onto the second floor and waited for the keys . When it was finally opened , they stepped into a well-furnished , self-contained flat .
" Well , as I said earlier , this will be yours untill you get on your feet ," he told her as she stood there disbelievingly . She could not find enough words to describe her feelings .
" This is incredible !" She finally spoke out . " You surely are my guardian angel ! But , if you may excuse my bluntness , why are you being so kind to me ?"
" Honestly , I don't know . Perhaps , I'm that guardian angel you just said !" He enthused , smiling .
" How am I supposed to repay all this generosity ?"
" By being your gracious self . However , have you ever heard angels demanding payment for their good deeds ?"
" I just wish that I will grow up to be as generous and kind-hearted as you are !"
" It is my prayer that your wishes be granted . Lest I forget , here's some money for some foodstuffs ," he added , taking out some bills . " On second thoughts , there's a supermarket nearby , why can't I drop you there ?"
" That would be great , especially since I'm new to this place . I will dust up this place after I'm back ."
Ten minutes later , he pulled up by the supermarket . He opened the door for her and he was counting additional bills for her when someone tapped him on the shoulder . He turned to see Candy , one of the two friends that were lunching with Princess Diana the previous day .
" Hello , Candy ," he greeted her . " I didn't expect to see you here ."
" Hello , Dan . I'm also surprised to find you here . And this beautiful lady is ?" Candy asked , eyeing her suspiciously .
" This is Suzie .She wishes to do some shopping. "
" Well , I'm also on my mum's errand . I must hurry up or else she will skin me alive . See you ." She stomped off on her high heels .
" Well , I must leave you now to do your shopping . I will ask around to see if I can convince some friends of mine to offer you a job . I will drop by tomorrow to let you know about the progress ."
" Where do you stay ?" She asked . " I thought you were staying in one of the flats ?"
" Nope . I'm staying somewhere not so far ."
" I just don't have enough words to describe my gratitude to you . God bless you always ," she said , bowing her head .
" It has been great pleasure sharing with you . I don't know , but I can swear that something about your innocence and openness has opened a whole new chapter in my life . And I'm grateful . I look forward to learning more from you . Have a nice afternoon ."
He started the car and pulled off slowly while she stood still , staring as he drove away .
- Writer
