₦airaland Forum

THE EDITOR IN CHIEF was yet to arrive at work, and Teni needed the permission to go back to the police station from him. Although, going without his permission would not be queried if only the trip could be said to be official for the next publication and not for a personal reason. But since she really did not want the news to be published because of Jim’s reputation, she needed to treat the issue as nonofficial. News of an unsuccessful surgery could have a negative impact on Jim’s hospital business. It could make the public skeptical on patronizing the hospital. So, she wanted to go with Bola’s advice to keep the injustice in the incident away from the Editor-in-Chief for the time being. He must not know it was a misuse of power else, he would want the story in the next publication.
“This is one of the things that make me have some reservations for the medical profession,” Teni tilted the chair she sat on back and forth as she talked. She was obviously anxious about Jim’s fate.
“It doesn’t change the fact that medicine is one of the noblest professions. Remember, they save lives,” Bola pointed out, twisting the pen in her hands round and round playfully.
“When it comes to people loosing their lives during surgery I detest the profession. The woman only had fibroids and not a terminal sickness,” Teni said.
“Anything could go wrong during surgeries and it would be rather unfair to blame it on doctors for wanting to help. Would it have been better if there were no doctors in this world since we don’t want people to die during surgeries?” Bola asked sarcastically in defense of the medical profession.
“Do you call a surgery paid for by a patient or his or her family help? What help? Medicine is one of the most well paid jobs in the world. It’s only when a doctor or a nurse is a volunteer worker that they help. When you get paid for a job, you are not helping. Did you get that?” Teni was getting serious in the argument.
“Sometimes there are possibilities of negligence. Don’t you know that also happens?” Teni added, adjusted herself and sat up.
“Are you saying the woman could have probably died in your fiancée’s hands out of negligence? You’d definitely be a good prosecutor against him in the court of law,” Bola shrugged and gave her friend a scornful look.
“Just being factual here my dear friend. I’m not condemning Jim already,” Teni gave her colleague a hard look in return. And at that moment, there was a tap on the door.
The two ladies needed no one to tell them who it was. They knew it was Edward, the Editor-in-Chief of the company.
“Come in Sir,” Bola said and sat up.
“Morning ladies,” the Editor-in-Chief greeted them, and stood at the door. He looked panache as usual. His clean shave giving his face a youthful look.
“Good morning Sir,” the ladies chorused.
“Teni, see me in my office right now and you Bola, let me get the report on the central bank today,” Edward said and left immediately.
“Okay sir,” the ladies chorused again. They looked at each other and gestured. Like they always said behind him, he would do brilliantly as an officer in the Army. A General in the Army would envy his style of giving orders if he saw him in the act.
…


ON THE DESK of the Inspector General of Police laid two newspapers. The front caption of the one on top was THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE’S WIFE IS DEAD.
How the news of his wife’s demise got to the press so fast was a mystery to him. Less than 24hours without any special announcement and it was already in the press.
He had not stopped shedding tears ever since his wife stopped breathing. The devastation it had on him was overwhelming. His dark glasses helped in preventing the revelation of his state of mind that was boldly written on his face.
He reclined his huge frame on the chair, tapping his fingers almost unconsciously on the table.
Jim was ushered into the Inspector General of Police’s office by two policemen. The silver handcuffs on his wrists made movement uneasy for him and he looked sober.
The very first thing that caught his attention in the room aside the police boss on seat was the newspaper on the table, and he wondered who gave the press the news within the very short time the incident happened.
“You are the idiot that killed my wife!” the Inspector General of Police said with a calm stone-cold tone that could well be mistaken for that of the Terminator.
He removed the dark glasses on his face to wipe the tears that were locked up behind the shades. As he sighed heavily, a set of teardrops trickled down his cheeks.
His eyes were bloodshot, especially the left eye that could barely open due to a healed injury. It had a scar above it.
“Sir, I am deeply sorry that the surgery turned out the way it did. The complication came because she was asthmatic,” Jim tried to give reasons to justify the unfortunate incident, and also to make the huge man on seat in front of him see that complications during medical surgeries was as old as the medical profession itself. But instead of his words convincing or appeasing the man, those words pierced into his heart like the sting of a swarm of bees. He stood up in anger and shouted at Jim to shut up.
“Will you shut the Bleep up already! Were you not informed she was asthmatic before you decided to go on with the surgery? What an excuse!” the Inspector General of Police screamed.
Jim, not deterred by the action of the man who had just become a widower continued to tender his case as if in front of a judge in a court of law.
“I did all I could to save her life Sir. It was my first unsuccessful surgery ever,” Jim said and wished the bereaved man would believe him. He had never lost a client’s life under the knife ever since he started practicing. The Inspector General of Police’s wife was the first.
The door of the Inspector General of Police's office opened and a skinny policeman in mufti came in. He held a file and wore a serious look on his face.
“Sir, his lawyer is around to get his bail,” the skinny policeman said and dropped the file on the table of his boss. He waited for instructions after this.
“Tell him his client won’t be allowed bail. Manslaughter is not a bail able offense,” the Inspector General of Police said, shifting his gaze back to the two policemen that stood with Jim.
“Take him back into the cell until I know what to do with him,” the police boss instructed, and the policemen carried the order out at once. Jim was taken back into the cell and locked up.

Descending the stairs outside the Police Headquarters, the lawyer wore a long face because he was mad at the decision of the Police. He felt it was against the law and a gross misuse of power to adjudged the death of a patient during a medical surgery as manslaughter when it was not a decision of a court of law. He ruminated on what step next to take as he took the steps down the stairs.
Teni was at the foot of the stairs when she sighted the lawyer approach her. She stopped and waited for him to reach her. She could notice that he was not aware of her presence until he almost got to her. The expression on his face was not encouraging.
“How did it go?” Teni asked eagerly.
“He was denied bail,” the lawyer replied and took the last four steps to get to her.
“On what ground was he denied?” Teni asked again but this time around with all curiosity.
“They claim he is being charged for manslaughter and that it is not a bail able offense,” The lawyer said, and loosened his tie. He looked into Teni’s face and could see a cloud of anger lucking around it.
“And is that right? Like, is it right under the law?” Teni asked despite having the belief that the police was wrong. She only wanted to know from her lawyer if her opinion on the matter was right.
“Absolutely wrong. Jim is not a criminal until proven so in the court of law, and I can’t see what he has done wrong despite the surgery incident. As long as the Consent Form and the Waiver Of Liability form were signed by a family member of the deceased, or by the deceased herself before the surgery, Jim can’t be held guilty. Death during medical surgery is not a strange occurrence in medicine,” The Lawyer took his time to explain to Teni and after this, he took more steps to leave.
“I will call you in the evening to inform you on my next line of action,” he added and walked away.
A concerned Teni turned around to address the lawyer who was already some steps away behind her and said; “ I don’t want him to pass the night in that cell. You and I know how bad the condition of the nation’s cells and prisons are.” And at this, the lawyer stopped to reply her. He turned back to look at her.
“There is nothing we can do about it Teni. Even if we approach the court for justice today, we can’t have him released today,” The lawyer started to walk up to his car again.
“Thanks. I am going in there to have a little talk with Jim,” Teni angrily said as she started to ascend the stairs with an unusual speed.
…

CHAPTER ONE



The weather was awesome, and the day was promising until the latest incident happening to him.
His mouth had swollen after a backhand flip across his face by one of the police officers that invaded his hospital. Really, he probably would not have been rough handled in such a manner if not for his hot exchange of words with the mean looking officers.
Jim hurriedly picked his cellphone and dialed a number. As he did, a trickle of blood could be seen at the right corner of his mouth.
“Hello, Teni. I am being arrested by the police after an unsuccessful surgery. The men are from the State Police Headquarters. Please get in touch with the lawyer,” Jim quickly rushed the information he needed to give at once, knowing he might not be given the chance to call again at the Police station.
Teni yawned and dropped the cellphone back on the stool. She had been woken up from sleep and she would need to go and see Jim right away.
She got down from the bed and removed her pajamas. And lazily, she walked up to the wardrobe, picked a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, and put them on. The news she just got was one of the reasons why she never liked medicine as a profession. She really could not imagine someone dying in her hands while trying to save his or her life.
After tying her sneakers' lace, she glanced at the wall clock and it was 3:30am. Looking over to Bella, she could see that she was awake due to the sound of her movements.
Bella watched Teni prepare to leave the apartment and Teni could only imagine what was going on in her dog's mind: where is this woman going at such an hour? Bella had got down from her couch to stand near Teni.
“Bella, go back to bed. I will soon be back,” Teni said to the dog who was set to keep a vigil till she returned.
“Go back to bed,” she repeated while she picked her car keys and cellphone to leave her apartment.
Bella obeyed Teni. She walked back to the couch that served as her bed and laid back to sleep. She was an obedient dog mostly when she was not outdoor.
It was not strange for Teni to leave Bella home alone for that was the norm daily when she left for work.
As soon as she got into her car, she dialed the lawyer’s number and spoke with him before driving out.

Jim sat on the floor of the police cell with two other men. One of the men looked well dressed and had the aura of a gentleman. His white shirt that looked expensive revealed that he must have been rough handled by the police too. It was dirty with brown marks on his sleeves and polo. He had his gaze on Jim as if observing his countenance as he could see that the new member of the cell must be comfortable financially like him by his looks and dressing. His other inmate’s appearance was more like that of a street gangster. The dreadlock on his head was unkempt and his bulging eye balls were almost as red as crimson. His dry dark lips that must have got their colour as a result of smoking only God knows what, were adorned with cracks as though it was a time during harmattan. Although they were both nonviolent, but the dreadlock man looked unpredictable. He had put his head between his legs ever since he gave Jim a nod when he first entered the cell and had not uttered a word.
“What was your offence?” the well dressed man asked.
“By the way, I am Denzel by name. I am an Architect,” he quickly added.
“It’s a pleasure. I am Jim, a medical doctor.” Jim touched his swollen mouth, squeezed his face and continued talking. “A patient died during surgery and I was arrested and treated like a criminal because of that.” Jim massaged his swollen mouth with his fingers and closed his eyes again for the sharp pain he felt on the swollen spot.
“What a country! How is that a crime for crying out loud?” Denzel asked and smiled.
Jim saw him smile and wondered what amused him. But he replied him.
“That’s what I expect them to prove to me,” Jim answered and turned to look at the rough looking young man who still had his head buried between his legs. He was still in the same position and probably was having a nap.
“Why do the police behave unprofessional across the globe?” Denzel asked.
“Did you see how a non violent black man was killed last week in the US by the police?” Denzel asked again adjusting the polo of his shirt.
“It was so pathetic. I saw the news on the CNN. Floyd was his name,” Jim used the edge of his sleeve to massage his swollen mouth.
Their discussion was cut short by the foot steps in the hallway coming in their direction. The steps must be of two or more people, Jim thought.
Within minutes, Teni and a Policeman appeared and approached Cell number 3 where Jim and the other two accused were locked up.
“Were you able to reach the Lawyer?” Jim sprang up to his feet and held the iron bars expecting a reply to his question.
“Yes. He promised to come by 8am to process your bail,” Teni answered. She walked closer to him and touched his wounded mouth.
“They hit you!” Teni exclaimed.
“Yes,” Jim smiled bitterly.
“but why?” Teni asked in surprise. She touched his swollen mouth and Jim turned his head away swiftly for the pain he felt.
“For asking questions about why they felt they were doing the right thing by arresting me,” Jim replied and held Teni’s hands. Then, he said something quietly to her.
After the whisper, Teni nodded and took steps backward.
“Be strong. I will be back by 10am. I need to go and prepare for work,” She moved closer to him again and kissed him on the cheek in-between the iron bars then, she left the police station for home.
…