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When I got to the hospital, I saw a few people looking sad and I wondered if any patient had died, hence the mood. I didn’t like hospitals. I respected doctors though, as it was not easy to be what they were. It was a huge gift to be able to save a human from dying. I was not suited for a job and an environment like that. It was probably why I hardly fell sick.
“I'm sorry, baby,” I said as I walked into her ward. She looked so frail in the bed and a lot less stubborn. My stubbornness when I was fit and well was still a lot less than hers. It was probably one of the things that endeared me to her.
“It's okay,” she said, touching my face so tenderly.
“I don’t know what I would do to myself if something happened to you. Do you know how much I love and cherish you? You should be taking care of yourself a lot more!” I said. It was not because I meant all that. I just wanted to rant and make her feel comfortable with herself. There was no point in making her remember or feel that she was weak at that point. That would simply drain her strength instead of the desired effect.
“So you love me this way, huh?” she asked, smiling mischievously at me. She looked so cute and it was funny to see her in a sick bed, especially when I knew her to be active, up and about.
“I do, silly. Why do you think I always fight for you? If I didn’t love you, I would not even do all of this and you know me well enough already to know I mean what I say.”
After we talked that afternoon, I decided not to argue with her anymore. I had to stop being hard on her since she was such a beautiful soul. Besides, she was pregnant. I wanted no complications while she was pregnant. I was glad to finally get back on talking terms with her. She was already too important to me, so I was willing to be a better man for her.
I became nicer to her over the next few days. She was so nice to me but I didn’t reciprocate the gesture as much, so I had to show her I had some love in store for her too. I had to be careful with her heart as she was pregnant and young. I got her provisions and the drugs she needed at the moment. She seemed happy to see me change and she had no idea how much more I could do.
Sadly, doing all that meant I would be less involved in other things, especially my son. Will hardly met me at home, although I always made sure he had something to eat.
Thankfully, he was old enough to do things on his own but he soon noticed that I did not have time for him anymore.
One day, Claire fell sick again, and she needed attention. Her aunt had traveled for an event, so Claire was firmly in my care. I initially felt excited to spend enough time with her alone, but a few hours in and I wasn’t so sure anymore. She was such a handful to deal with when she was pregnant. I had to admit that.
I got her a few provisions and groceries at the market later that afternoon. That was after a whole morning of feeding her and petting her while she struggled with her health. Luckily, she got drugs that helped a lot. But she kept ranting all night while I watched her from a distance.
When I got back home with the goods, I saw Will at our door. He held his basketball and looked sad. I guessed he had just lost a game. I dropped the stuff quickly at Claire's place and left to find my boy. If he needed a dose of motivation, it had to come from me. I wanted to be there for him at all times even though I had more responsibilities now.
Although Claire meant a lot to me, Will was my priority. I loved him too much and wondered if he was beginning to think otherwise. As far as I was concerned, I was going to make sure he was happy at all times.
When I got into my house, I saw Will sitting on the sofa, facing the TV. He looked sad and tired, and I wanted to cheer him up.
“Will?”
“Yes, Dad.”
“You seem a little sad, son. What’s up?”
“Do you care to know, Dad? You seem to be too busy with someone else.”
He knew. I had told him a couple of weeks earlier that Claire was carrying my child and he seemed very okay with it. I had expected some scorn and discontent but he seemed to be very okay with the whole situation.
“I care about you, son. It is crazy to even think otherwise, especially after all we have been through. You’re growing fast to be a man now, and you have to know that sometimes, life gets hard. You make tough decisions, and do things that would be inconvenient for yourself just to solve problems. I’m expecting a child, and Claire is sick right now. I have to care for her son.”
Will's face brightened and I smiled back at him. No matter how deep the situation was, a smile from him was enough to make anyone happy. I was happy to be his father and I was always proud of him.
“I am proud of you, son,” I said. He looked at me with tears in his eyes and ran over to hug me.
“Dad, I won the last championship as the best player on the winning team. This happened yesterday, but you were too busy then. By the time you came back inside the house, I was already asleep, Dad.”
I was so distraught to hear that. I ran over to him and carried him in my arms, shoulder high. I knew he would have been hyped up and praised after the final, but I wanted to give him some of my praise. He deserved it, and I was truly proud of him.
My phone rang in the middle of our celebration. I had already gotten out drinks to share with my son, and he seemed happy that his father wanted to treat him to something good. I checked the caller, and I realized that it was Claire. I was shocked. I had forgotten about her and her condition a little bit, and it was not my fault. Such a development that had a lot to do with Will was nothing to be trivialized.
“Yes? Claire? Are you okay?” I asked. I knew her. She didn’t call me for no good reason. She always had something important to say over the phone. She sounded weak when she started to talk.
“Jonah, I’m in severe pain. I need you here as soon as possible. My stomach hurts! It seems your baby is shifting in my womb,” she added with a bit of humor. I knew she was truly in pain when she added a joke in there to calm things down.
I was torn between two people. At that point, I knew it would be nearly a Herculean Task to take care of both individuals. I had to find a way.
“Son?”
