AFTER 168 HOURS [BOOK 2,168 HOURS SERIES]

Chapter 24: An Accident

“I’m so stupid. I feel so wrong right now, but I’m not going back. Humaira risked all of that for my sake and I agree with her. Yes! Maybe I’m responsible for Hadee’s kidnap, but God knows I tried my best. So all these years, she knew Alhaji Musa was my father, but she hit it away from me.” She sniffed and wiped away her tears with the back of her hands.

“But who cares? That man’s existence is a curse on its own. I don’t know how it happened. I will never be his daughter. We are nothing alike and we’ll never be. Ugghhh! My life is just a mess right now. Thinking of it, I just realized. Humaira has been a father and mother to me but... Maybe I’m not as good as I think I am. She had been through a lot already and I’m going to help her find Hadee, but first, I’ll have to visit Habeebah. I know she would help me through all of this.” Zainab stopped a taxi going to Maitama, the place where Habeebah lives.

‘I’ll spend awhile with habeebah before leaving going to Ekiti. I must find my niece and being him back to his mother. If I’m able to find him, I hope Humaira could forgive me and I’ll be able to forgive myself. But as for now, I can’t even face her. I don’t want to.’ The thoughts were playing on Zainab’s mind when they got to Maitama. Lost about Habeebah’s house number, Zainab borrowed a passerby’s phone to dial her contact, but it wasn’t reachable.

‘Subhanallah! I must have forgotten my phone at home!" Zainab cried. “What would I do now? How would I get her and I have nothing on me to go back home? I didn’t think before leaving, I just left! It’s all my fault and I blame myself. I’ll just hang around.” Zainab walked through the pavements, watching the beautiful buildings and walking around like a lost bird.

***

Night came, and Zainab was still stock somewhere on the street. It was cold and busy but... No one talked to her. No one knew the poor orphaned girl with bitter memories. Zainab kept exploring the place but, she felt sad and hungry, roaming under the frosty night like a bat.

‘I and Humaira used to be very close. I don’t know why, but suddenly, she looks like a changed person to me. Our relationship is not like before... Ever since she came back from Zaria, things aren’t the same. I should be happy. I should be thrilled and excited. I’ve always wanted to live with her as my sister and guardian, but I feel so lost in between. I wonder if it’s because we didn’t meet 5 years ago or it’s because she’s a mother now. She doesn't love me as much as I feel. Why am I greedy about this?"

Lost in thoughts, Zainab wanted to cross when the road when a flashy red Naruto swiftly swerved to hit her hard.

Zainab didn’t know that day would run out to the worst day if her life, as if she hadn’t been through enough. She wanted to cross over to the car park, find a taxi going to Gwagwalada even though there was nothing on her; she hoped to find a way, now this. The car stopped as the driver parked swiftly, rushing out to her.

Zainab fell unconscious to the ear-bursting car horn and eye-gleaming headlight that blinded her sight just that moment. Her vision clouded as she suddenly passed out.

“Fuck!” He guy cursed as he watched blood pouring out of her lifeless body. “What would I do now?! Shit!” He cried once more.

In no time, passerby gathered the scene. They watched with scared faces as her blood painted the cold, tiled floor. Khalid, the guy that mistakenly hit her, looked so confused. Behind him, other cars stopped as they slowed down, forming a holdup on the road.

“What happened?” An elderly man asked as his eyes caught the young, unconscious girl on the floor.
“Is she dead? What are you doing watching her?” The man asked in concern.

“I don’t know! I didn’t see her... It was just an accident!” Khalid tried explaining.

“You should take care of the mess you created!” The man hissed. “Rush her to the hospital immediately. There’s no time!”

Although Khalid didn’t want to, he had no choice than to take her into the passenger’s seat. As if he wanted to go somewhere important, but the incident stopped him. He was just pissed up by these.

“Follow me. Let’s take her to my hospital!” He old man instructed, as they made a U-turn to the hospital where the elderly man worked.

***

Waiting impatiently in the reception room, a short, fair complexioned nurse came to meet him with a paper in her hand.

“Hey Mister, you need to fill this form sir.” As she showed him, he didn’t collect the form.

“Umm...I was actually going somewhere before I bumped into her. She’s just a stranger, and I helped. I mean.. I’ll have to leave right away.” He explained.

“What? You can’t just leave her like this! You brought her here, didn’t you?”
A frown finds its way to the nurse’s face. She felt bitter at hearing his words.

“Fuck!” He hissed beneath. “I’m so screwed!”

“What?! What’s that?” The nurse asked him in a low voice, her confused eyes searching his face.

“Just give me the form.” He jerked. The nurse handed it to him and rolled her eyes at him.

‘How irresponsible? Mcteeew!’ She mentally hissed at him and walked away.

Khalid started filling the form, not knowing what her name, age, or address was. He felt so pained and hated himself for what had happened.

Khalid submitted the form with only one question answered; Sex: female.

He didn’t bother writing his contact or anything, as he didn’t want to have anything to do with her.

“What a bad luck?” Khalid hissed out of the hospital and drive back home. The elderly man whom was a doctor took care of her, making sure that she’s attended to.

Pain strike through Khalid’s head as he drove back home.

****
Author's Note:

So sorry for the short chapter guys! I promise to compensate you with a better, longer chapter later today. 😜😜😜

Your girl is working on it.