In just few seconds; Ella’s countenance changed from excitement to shock.
‘What on earth is going on?’, she found herself asking at the gruesome sight in front of her. She watched as the two strangers entered her home; one carrying the other who was bleeding profusely.
‘Oge, what did you get yourself into?’, she demanded eyeing the two men, ‘don’t stain my living room. Bring him here’.
She directed them to her guest room and instructed them to lay him flat.
‘Please, can I get cold water’, Tobi requested obviously exhausted.
‘You can; after you tell me what the hell is happening’, she stood her ground, ‘he needs to be taken to the hospital’.
‘No hospitals’, Tobi replied without looking up; wondering why they were even there.
‘The cops need to be informed about this’, she said eyeing Tobi suspiciously.
‘No cops too. It’s a long story, Ella’, Oge said finally, ‘I promise to fill you in. Please help us’. They stared at each other for what looked like an eternity. She wanted to turn them away to get medical help in the hospital but something in Oge’s eyes touched her. What did he get himself into?,she thought. Random thoughts went through her mind.
‘Remove your shirt and place it gently on the wound’, she instructed, taking charge, ‘Oge; boil some water and bring it’.
She went to get her first aid kit; half-praying, half-hoping she still had some of the things she used on an accident victim recently. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw the Lidocaine.
‘This guy body dey hot o,’ Tobi said still applying pressure to the wound.
‘Quickly bring that standing fan over here’, Ella ordered and applied pressure while Tobi did her bidding. He switched the fan on and bent down to listen to Rahman’s heartbeat, praying silently for a miracle. She proceeded to set an intravenous line for Rahman using the fan as support.
‘Apply pressure here’, Ella ordered, to Tobi’s chagrin while she measured the Lidocaine with a syringe.
‘What’s that going to do?’, Oge said coming to join them and placing the hot water gently in front of her. She placed the forceps into it to sterilise it. He passed a bottle of cold water to Tobi who gulped it down in seconds.
‘It’ll keep the pain at minimal level’, she explained and injected Rahman; hoping it worked due to the amount of blood he had lost. They watched as she injected all sites around the wound wondering what she added to the fluid. The fan was off now to avoid blowing dirts into the wound.
‘Abeg wetin you add?’, Tobi asked, unable to hold his curiosity much longer, ‘at least, in case of next time’
‘Do you plan to get shot?’, Oge looked at him quizzically.
‘That’s Epinephrine’, she said and continued when they looked lost, ‘an adrenaline to keep the effect of the drug restricted to the wound area’.
‘oh…’, they both said stupidly.
Ella puts on her gloves and removes the forceps from the water and with her lamp, she proceeded to poke around the wound for the bullet. There was no exit wound which meant the bullet was still lodged in the wound.
‘Gross’, Tobi said standing up, unable to stand the sight. He wished he could get hold of a strong drink. He wondered off to see if he could get hold of one.
Meanwhile Ella continued probing for metal while Oge looks on like a puppy waiting for its meal.
She brushed off beads of sweat forming on her brow even under the well air conditioned room. Oge admired her more that very moment. I wonder who the lucky man is, he found himself thinking.
A smile lit up Ella’s face as she touched metal and extracted it; putting it in one of the drip nylons.
She dressed the wound and bandaged it carefully.
Tobi joined them just then bringing a bottle of vodka he saw lying around. Ella was too exhausted to challenge him for going through her stuff; she welcomed the sting of the drink happily.
The next few hours saw them battling bouts of spasm sponge wiping with a wet towel and directing the fan to him. His fever broke at last which saw them relax; totally fatigued.
‘Start talking’, Ella said looking pointedly at both of them.
‘That’s Rahman Abubakar’, Oge replied and the look on her face confirmed that she recognised him.
‘Dude, you have a lot to explain’, Oge said looking at Tobi, ‘let me arrange dinner’.

‘Did you get him?’, the barritoned voice on the other end of the line said.
‘I lost him’, Ghost replied still wondering how it happened. The silence on the other line was unnerving to Ghost. He wondered what his fate was.
‘Rectify it’, the voice said and the phone went dead. A sigh of relief washed over him. That was close, he whispered. He wondered where Tobi was. A thought came to mind but he brushed it off.
‘No, he can’t have anything to do with this’, he reasoned but the thought kept nagging at his mind.

….News at 10,
Gunshots were heard in Surulere area of lagos early this evening. Nobody seems to know what happened but the police are investigating. A description which fits Rahman Abubakar, the popular author, as the shooter was reported but the police is keeping a tight lip on this one. All citizens should remain calm. ………..

The operation on the stranger was successful and the doctor smiled at her staffs for a job well done.
‘Hope you feel better’, she said to the man, ‘what’s your name?’.
The man looked lost and with a bleak look, he said, ‘I can’t remember’.
The doctor frowned and looked at the nurse close by. Signs of amnesia, she mused sadly.


www.realyans./2014/10/01/the-convict-the-broken-and-the-storyteller-links-to-the-part/