HIS ROYAL BRIDE

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 34
[UNEDITED]

[MABONTLE]

Out of all the things that could’ve went wrong today, this was the most unexpected of turns. I am in the hospital bathroom and I just cannot get myself to stop spilling out tears. Kuli deserves none of this. She’s literally an angel living in flesh. Life usually doesn’t make sense to me for this reason. They’ve been busy with her for hours now and it’s beginning to frustrate me. Her doctor seems like he knows what he’s doing but it doesn’t stop the feeling of wanting to be in there. Truth be told, my heart is hanging by a dilapidated thin thread. Her temperature kept dropping and by the time we got here, she was cold as ice. Her wedding dress had to be cut to get her out of it. My question is, what the hell happened? Was I supposed to worry when her shoes wouldn’t fit? Every pregnant woman goes through that. Now I’m grasping at straws trying to play detective. I’m just struggling to believe that this is just her body betraying her. I just cannot shake off the feeling, especially with the kind of mother she has.
That lightening! Is she having a delayed reaction? I need to get out of here before I drive myself crazy. I’ll never forgive myself if I’m the reason for all this chaos. I get up from closed toilet seat and wipe my wet cheeks with my palms.
‘Where’s everyone?’ I direct this question to dad. He’s sitting with Aunty Lydia. By everyone I mean Kurhula and Fikani.
‘They’re outside’
I think I know why. I heard him shouting at one of the nurses. I’m guessing his brother had to drag him out. I don’t blame him for losing his mind. No one cares to update us and this fact has my nerves in a freezer. However, as a medical professional, I know that no news is sometimes good news. I don’t know where Rhandzu disappeared to. I could swear I saw her getting into one of the cars during all that frenzy but she never made it here. There was just a lot going on and somethings are just not worth remembering right now. I have my heels in my hand and I have no idea where my clutch bag is. I’m hoping it is in the car. Masedi posted a WhatsApp update this morning and that’s enough to let me know that she’s okay, even though she’s ignoring me. Her sitter will call if there’s anything they need. I need to be back at work tomorrow morning. The plan was to leave tonight but I do not see that happening. This dress is also adding to my stress because it’s uncomfortable. I need to be in sweatpants and a bare face in such situations. Even this facebeat feels heavy, I had to strip off my lashes. I haven’t spoken to Fikani ever since the last time I saw him. I’m trying not to feel like I did something wrong because I’m done with that life. Men will act shxtty and find a way to make it your fault, all for their ego. He just went silent like he never existed. I caught him looking at me a couple of times at the wedding venue and I was trying not to care. I still am.

…

[NARRATED]

‘Here…’ Fikani offers Kurhula some chapstick as they stand outside the hospital building, against the rails next to the entrance. Kurhula throws one glance at it and looks away.
‘I can only imagine what you’re going through but you need to calm you’re a** down’
This manages to pull out suspended breath out of Kurhula.
‘If she doesn’t make it I—’
‘Get your mind outta there’
‘What the hell is taking them so long then?’
Fikani shrugs absentmindedly – chewing on his lower lip. Kurhula turns towards in his direction and studies him for a brief second – while thoughtfully rotating his new wedding band around his finger. He decides to ignore whatever is eating him. He felt he had more important things to worry about than his grown brother. His father-in-law calls his phone and commands him to come back inside. They both dash inside the hospital and find the doctor waiting on him. They greet before the doctor can start talking.
‘What’s wrong with my wife doc?’
‘Uhm… Mr Ngobeni, her case is complicated. We’ve ran a couple of blood tests and her creatinine levels are shockingly high’
Mabontle immediately puts her hands over her head. This makes Kurhula uneasy.
‘The short meaning of this is that her kidneys are failing but we’re doing everything we can to save her. That’s our main concern right now, and stabilizing her temperature’
Chief Baloyi defeatedly pulls his pants and sits back down.
‘And the baby?’ Aunty Lydia asks, with zero hope in her voice. The doctor puckers her lips and slowly shakes her head.
‘We’ve lost the pregnancy. I’m sorry’ she briefly squeezes Kurhula’s upper arm before quickly walking past to attend to the nurse calling her down the corridor. A tear drops from him and Fikani puts both his hands on his brother’s shoulders as a means to comfort him. A
‘Bontle, what are these creatinine levels she’s speaking about?’ her father asks with a hint of impatience and a frown on his face.
Mabontle swallows the water in her mouth and closes the bottle.
‘Waste, simply put. Her body is retaining waist instead of getting rid of it’
‘Do we need to move her to another hospital?’
She could sense the desperation in his voice. Kurhula on the other hand, had gone awfully quiet.
‘No dad. I think they have everything under control. Let’s give them a chance. Does she have a history of kidney problems?’
‘No, not at all. Kulani was a sickly baby but kidneys never. This doctor doesn’t even sound like she’s sure of what she’s doing here’ he speaks with conviction and certainty.
‘Must be acute then. Give her a chance please’ Mabontle spoke from a point of relation and sympathy – knowing what if feels like to always be undermined in the workplace, either by senior colleagues or even patients. However, she knew it wasn’t the time to be sparking such an argument with her father.