The Cost Of Retribution( Not your usual Hausa love story)

Chapter 11

*Amani*

The pediatrics section of the hospital was located in the right wing of the hospital. One week, that's how long I'd avoided going to the right wing. I'd spent my time in Ortho or dentistry which were on the left side of the hospital.

I missed peds and I missed the kids, but I was avoiding confrontation. Tomorrow was the day they were going to meet to set a date for the wedding and I didn't want to see Ali, probably because it would be beyond awkward but also because I was being a coward.

It's not my fault really, I was there Monday morning but then I saw Jafar, with a busted lip and then I heard about how Ali had given him that busted lip because of the things he heard them saying about me.

Diana, a friend of mine who was another resident was telling me about it and before she told me what it was they were saying I stopped her. If Ali gave him a busted lip, I might go to jail for what I'd do to him. Jafar was a brilliant person but his attitude won't let him go and achieve great things.

Just when I looked up I saw Diana making her way to me, I sighed thinking to myself here we go. Diana is a revert Muslim from Leicester, London. She moved to Nigeria after she married her ex husband and didn't move back after their divorce, she mentioned something about loving the culture and the people.
Okay.

"What is wrong with you?" She snapped as she approached me.

"Good morning to you too Diana" I said sarcastically moving my eyes back to the chart in front of me.

"No seriously, you're wasting your time here. You hate Ortho remember"
She said slamming the chart shut.

"Diana I've got work to do" I said in an attempt to get her to leave me alone.

But I should have known better because Diana is relentless beyond relentless.
She and I used to be close in our first year, two squirmy interns who looked out for each other, she drifted towards cardio while I peds but we found time to still see each other once in a while.

"What you're going to do is tell me what's going on ?" She added folding her arms.

"I had a change of heart" I said in a last attempt. "The bones are --- uh an interesting piece"

She looked at me and slowly raised up an eyebrow.

I kept staring at her to see if she'd give up but a leopard never changes its spots now does it. "Fine" I said exasperated and she broke into a big smile.

"Before you tell me I'm dragging you back to peds" she said and before I could protest she pulled my hand and had begun walking towards the door.

Despite my protest and swatting her hand multiple times to get her to release my hand on which she had a deathly grip, she managed to drag me to the peds section until we had reached the residents lounge.

"Okay now speak," she demanded shutting the door behind us.

I began to tell her everything that had gone down in the past weeks of my life not leaving out a single thing, because if there was someone I could trust it was Diana. By the end of it all though her eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

"I'm so sorry Amani" she said her eyes getting glassy with tears. "Why didn't you tell me all this was going on? I could have helped you know and Layla, oh my" her voice fading into sobs.

"I don't know what to do" I admitted in a defeated sigh.
Diana looked up at me, her eyes laced with tears as she reached out and held my hand.

"I feel like I have to do this because I'm scared. Scared that what happened to layla may happen again, that she may never recover, that my father got involved with the wrong people so that he can be able to take care of us, to put me through medical school" I said the tears welled up in my eyes