SHATTERED Episode 7

SHATTERED
Story by O'nezer
Episode 7

  “But seriously Mummy, what did Aunty say about Bayo's health?" Tayo asked curiously as himself and his Mother waited for Bayo to be wheeled out of the theatre.

"She does not know too.” Bayo's Mother heaved a deep breath.

  “She explained to me that for some months now, Bayo has been pale and he walks strangely with a leap. She further stated that when she pressed Bayo for the truth, he said he fell down." Bayo's Mother turned her eyes away to prevent her tears from being seen.

"Is that all?... I don't believe this story Mum.” Tayo hit the seat he was sitting on furiously.

“That is all I know and she said she had taken him to the hospital there, but they recommended a specialist. Thank God I came there right on time to bring my son to safety. Poor thing, you should have seen the pain in my eyes the day I arrived there. My son did not run to me or anything. He was just cold... I really made a mistake.” Bayo's Mother shook her head with a sign of disappointment.

  Some Nurses approaching them
with a little boy on a stretcher brought the discussion to an abrupt halt. Tayo and his Mum walked towards the Nurses. Bayo was just quiet, he was yet to recover from anesthesia.

"Thank you Jesus!" Bayo's Mother cried out as she looked more closely at her son.

  The Nurses wheeled Bayo into the ward and he was in the Hospital for two weeks.

  “I can't stand on my feet" Bayo cried out some days before he was discharged.

  He had been on the bed for over a week. His right leg was operated on to remove a tumor that had formed there. Bayo's first step on the floor that faithful day was painful and he staggered back to the bed.

  “Please try to move that leg. Help yourself" Bayo's mother advised as she helped Bayo back to his feet.

It was certain Bayo was not going back to Mrs Jerry, but he had grown so fond of the city and it took him a while to adapt to the life in the town. He had issues relating with his siblings and because he now leaps, he became withdrawn. As days went by, Bayo gradually got used to his new environment.

“You cannot always be at home. So I have decided that you will start schooling here." Bayo's Mother brought out a school registration form and showed it to Bayo.

  “Thank you ma!" said Bayo who was wondering what the school will be like.

  Bayo felt different among the Students. He was intelligent and that made the Teachers love him, but he always felt the Students of the School was making jest of the way he walked.

  A bike conveyed Bayo to school and back home everyday. He had pleaded with the bike man to keep to time.

"I want to arrive in school when the assembly is on and I only want to leave when everyone had all gone home." Bayo explained to the bike man.

  At first, the bike man found it ridiculous, but later succumbed to Bayo's plea.

Two years gone and Bayo's health kept deteriorating he could barely walk upright and he suffered episodes of pain.

  “We are sorry, but your son has a rare form of tumor in his bones. It might be some kind of cancerous tumor and we advice you take him to an Orthopedic Specialist Hospital and his life is at risk too. He will gradually lose his mobility and it will be advisable to get him a wheelchair. He is most likely to... You know, die at a point due to the level of pain he experiences.” The Doctor in charge of Bayo's case tried to explain.

  “Thank you so much Doctor. I don't even know what to say.” Bayo's Mother said trying to keep the tears in her eyes from dropping. She knew better as a Medical Practitioner herself.

  Bayo had come to understand that his mother was not as poor as Mrs Jerry posed her to be, but Bayo always wondered why his Mother never saw a need to come check on him.

  He had seen the medical report where his Mother kept it and he wept bitterly that such an information was hidden from him.

"They hate me!" Bayo cried all alone in the room one morning.

  “They hate me and that is the reason why no one saw a need to rescue me until it got to this.” Bayo screamed as he looked down at his right leg. His voice had a baritone tune like that of his brother, Tayo.

  Bayo leaps got worse after each episode of pain. This month he was in school and next month he was not. He knew he was gradually becoming immobile and his attempts to correct it were futile.

"But why can't we just go to the Orthopedic Specialist as advised" Bayo wondered silently on his bed during one of his pain episode.

"She can't afford that much for now. Your siblings are all in tertiary institutions and the first child in the family just got married. Think about the cost.” Bayo explained to himself, but he soon concluded that it was not a good excuse.

  Since he was always alone at home, Bayo devised a means to keep himself busy. Going to school was no longer an option for him. So he sat at home, now in his wheelchair and read any book he found.

"Bayo! Bayo! Bayo!" Tayo who had come home from school for some days screamed as he saw Bayo laying on the floor. His wheelchair turned to a corner beside him.

Watch out for what next
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